Machir Bay (the name of the beach overlooked by the Kilchoman Church just half a mile from the distillery) is the flagship bottling of Kilchoman . It is a vatting of bourbon and sherry matured whisky, released every year since 2012.

Mind that this year they don’t seem to mention a bottling year nor any references to the age any more, perhaps because they’ll start having more than one batch a year soon? Based on previous editions, it should be 5 to 6 years old.

Kilchoman Machir Bay (46%, OB 2015)

Nose: very sweet peat, lots of rummy...

It’s Sunday, the first official workday of 2016 here and the last vacation day for most of you so something strong and bold is needed here, but not something mundane, it should be something special, like a bold Karuizawa.

Well, all Karuizawas I tasted were bold and this one ain’t no exception. It was bottled in 2014 for LMDW from a single cask that yielded 595 bottles at 55.3%.

Karuizawa 1981 33 Year Old (55.3%, LMDW, cask #136)

Nose : That’s a nose that isn’t taking prisoners – oriental spices, tea spices, menthol, sweet, some cigar leaves and tobacco, old books and leather...

So, how is your hangover after the new year parties last night? :-)

I guess many of you aren’t feeling 100% well today so go take some painkillers, drink a lot of water and I’ll go easy with you today with a “debt” review, the 17th dram, one before last dram, of the Blind Competition Tasting 2015.

Well, we knew it’s no highlander after the Inchmurrin the day before, so by default, the suspected region was Speyside. But this dram with the peat and burnt rubber notes totally threw me off. There is peat, but it’s not of the Islay peat type as it felt...

SMWS G1.11 Iced mulled wine and Sorrento Limoncello, 21 YO, 65,1 % Now I will present SMWS whisky number 7 from the SMWS Sample Box No. 1, my Christmas calendar this year. All the 25 samples have been tasted blind. This is how the Scotch Maltwhisky Society describe this whisky themselves: This one is […]...

Happy New Year! Best wishes for 2016.

Let’s look back for a second before we move on. 2015 was excellent for WhiskyNotes. Of course the Whisky Blogger of the Year 2015 award was a personal highlight, but it’s nice to see this was underlined by significant increases in the number of visitors.

While 2014 saw a slight fallback, 2015 was much better than ever. The site welcomed around 650.000 visitors (+21%). Especially december was great, with nearly 70.000 visitors in one month. Very happy with that.

These are Google Analytics figures and you need to compare apples with apples,...

SMWS 1.182 Aromatic and enigmatic, 11 YO, 57,1 % Ho, ho, ho, here we go, whisky number 6 from my SMWS Sample Box No. 1. The box contains a total of 25 samples of SMWS releases, and all I know when tasting them is the ABV. That’s it. Here is the description from the Scotch […]...

It’s the last day of 2015 which personally was a pretty good whisky year. The blog readership is on the rise and I got to taste some awesome whiskies this year and thankfully only a handful of bad whiskies.

I was torn between two possible whiskies to review today to celebrate the end of the year and I finally decided to stick with the 35 year old whiskies theme, at least for one more day, and finish 2015 with a delicious sherried whisky, the Glengoyne 35 Year Old. Only 500 bottles  decanters were produced and the price is high but it’s really...

The Cotswolds Distillery Test Batch Series ‘New Make Spirit’ 63.5%

Tasted: Nov 2015

Pungent, lightly oiled aromas of nascent barley and a touch of wet paper. It takes awhile to settle but beneath the oiliness is a full, fleshy spirit with a soft barley sweetness and hints of apple, acacia, earth and smoke.

Dry and lightly oiled on the palate but the apple and sweet barley is very noticeable. Quite soft with a dry citrus and a lovely peppery finish. Lingering, subtle ‘off the still’ notes.

With water the nose becomes fuller, fleshier and more rounded with the emphasise definitely...

Malts of Scotland Caol Ila 2000 (15 year old) 54.8%

Exclusively Bottled for Bartles Whisky

Bourbon Hogshead/ Dist: 2000 Btl: 2015/ Tasted: Nov 2015

Fresh and crisp nose with subtle iodine, menthol, medicinal peat, vanilla and a touch of burnt wood. With time a light barley sweetness appears along with hints of apricot and pineapple.

The palate is equally as fresh and opens with some subtly sweet barley and milky oak. Lightly salted with very subtle medicinal peat. The herbal, menthol and medicinal notes build on the middle along with a touch of iodine and balancing white fruits. Long with...

Edition Spirits Laphroaig 1996 (19 year old) 56.5%...

Carn Mor Black Gold Macallan 1987 (28 year old) 43.2%

Sherry Cask 3330/ Dist: Apr 1987 Btl: Oct 2015/ Tasted: Nov 2015

Seriously dark aromas of dark chocolate, prunes, raisin, treacle and a touch of burnt wood. Beautifully mature with hints of lightly oxidised stewed fruit but a subtle vanilla coated dusty barley note adds some lightness. With time hint of apricot, green fruit, turmeric, cinnamon.

Thick, moist and treacly on the palate with raisins, prunes, figs and hints of dark chocolate, burnt wood and earthy chenin-esque notes.. Superbly juicy and succulent with a touch of balancing citrus. Like the...

Hunter Laing Sovereign Caledonian 1974 (41 year old) 50.2%

Bourbon/ Dist: Mar 1974 Btl: Oct 2015/ Code: SOV2071/ Tasted: Nov 2015

Impressively deep aromas of rum-like dried fruit and fragrant oak. Luscious and juicy with the oak becoming more ‘Bourbony’. Hints of Seville orange conserve, baked apple, raisins and sweet spice. Late hint of smoke.

The palate is full and Bourbony with hints of coffee, sultana, raisin and dried citrus. The nippy grains balance the oak and it becomes wonderfully spicy on the middle with a touch of chocolate and lightly bittering elements. Seriously crisp and spicy finish with the...

Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Tamnavulin 1991 (24 year old) 50.6%...

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Aultmore 2010 (5 year old?) 46%...

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Royal Brackla 2001 (14 year old) 46%...

SMWS 9.83 Tiger Balm, Limoncello and scented candles, age, 56,5 % I have now arrived at whisky number four in my SMWS Sample Box No. 1. The whisky was tasted blind, but I then found out that this was the 9.83 Tiger Balm, Limoncello and scented candles. Distillery number 9 in the SMWS code system is Glen Grant. […]...

SMWS 118.3 Self-assured, buxom and rewarding, 22 YO, 57,9 % We have now reached whisky number 5 in my SMWS Sample Box No. 1. This is my late Christmas calendar for 2015. All whiskies are tasted blind. This particular whisky turned out to be the SMWS 118.3 Self-assured, buxom and rewarding. Distillery 118 is Cooley, which makes […]...