This was a late-Christmas gift to the lounge, and because it was not a gift from myself, and was intended to be something I’ve not tried – well the odds were not in my favor. What we get is a true Islay scotch, but sadly an Islay scotch that could turn off the regular imbiber away from the majesty of Islay.
I have to admit that this suffers by following reviews of things like Laphroaig and Oban which are still in my bar. The worst part is that because of my overall dislike of this it had the downside of staying in that bar. I will need to try the regular version of this in order to determine if this was simply a failed experiment or a trend.
What they Say: “Machir Bay | Colour: Beech. | Nose: Lemon and citrus with a sweet smoky aroma. | Palate: Vanilla and butterscotch with intense sweet peaty aftertaste. | Finish: Signature Kilchoman, with a long lingering finish.”
Taste: 3.0 – There is nearly nothing at first, which is sad.
Aftertaste: 2.0 – Not as sad though as the aftertaste, this is something that feels like it wants to be Lagavulin or Laphroaig, and fails entirely.
Burn/Smooth: 3.5 – It burns, and is in no way smooth.
Aroma: 4.0 – I feel like this is what it smells like if someone set fire to a peat bog. Part of you goes, mhmm nice; however there’s still that downside.
Honesty: 6.0 – This is a more localized version apparently, yet it claims to have all these nice aftertaste elements, when it straight-up doesn’t. I do enjoy the look and heavy glass that this comes in, but while this may look good in my bar, it looks worse in my glass.
Mixability: 2.0
W/ Rocks: 2.0 – Here I was hoping this would open up the scotch. It certainly did, but when you saw a treasure chest – what was inside was truly a mimic. (For non-RPG fans just imagine it being worse)
Value: 2.5 – This was a gift, and to be as nice as I can be – I still feel ripped off because I need to finish this just to make it go away.
Google Shop Average: $58
Website: http://kilchomandistillery.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 3.0
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Metric Score: 23/70 |+| Metric Average: 3.28 |+| Reviewer Average: 3.0
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Final Thoughts: As I say to all gifts to the lounge – ‘your present is appreciated, but enjoyed? That remains to be seen.’ It is however a subtle reminder that despite my preferences I can’t just grab an Islay scotch and enjoy myself.
