🥃 Kilchoman Machir Bay
The first permanent Kilchoman release since 2012: a peated Islay single malt at 46% ABV, with no age statement, matured in bourbon and sherry casks.
Machir Bay is the core peated single malt from Kilchoman, a distillery on the island of Islay. According to the distillery, it was first released as a permanent bottling in 2012. The strength is 46% ABV, there is no age statement on the label, and the name comes from a bay near the distillery. This expression sets the base style of the brand.
Production. The distillery describes Machir Bay as a blend of roughly 90% whisky from ex-bourbon casks and 10% from oloroso sherry casks. Retail descriptions sometimes give a different ratio, so check the specific batch. The barley is peated to about 50 ppm. Together these make the whisky clean, smoky and soft in flavour, with the oak playing a supporting role.
Why it matters to you. Machir Bay is the simplest entry point into Kilchoman. It is easy to compare with Sanaig, which uses far more sherry casks, and with other peated Islay whiskies. Check the strength and the batch. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Alcohol (% vol.) | 46% ABV |
|---|---|
| Cask type | about 90% ex-bourbon, 10% oloroso (according to the distillery) |
| Minimum maturation | no age statement; at least 3 years in oak by law |
| Year founded | permanent release since 2012 |
| Legal basis | Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890) |
| Raw material | peated malted barley, about 50 ppm |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Kilchoman Machir Bay → packed in → 🍷 Oak barrel ← packed in ← 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Packed in
- 🍷 Oak barrel, 🍷 Sherry, 🥃 Ex-bourbon barrel
- Made from
- 🥃 Barley and malt in whisky
- What it contains
- 🍷 Ethanol
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🥃 Kilchoman, 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky
- Related to
- 🥃 Islay whisky
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Peated whisky, 🥃 Caol Ila 12 Year Old, 🥃 Kilchoman Sanaig, 🥃 Kilchoman Sanaig
Frequently asked questions
Is Machir Bay a 12-year-old whisky?
No. This is a bottling without an age statement; the distillery and descriptions give no number of years.
What is the strength of Machir Bay?
46% ABV.
What casks is Machir Bay matured in?
According to the distillery, mainly ex-bourbon casks (about 90%) with some oloroso sherry casks (about 10%).
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Ethanol — The alcohol formed during fermentation that makes you drunk.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden barrel of oak staves in which wine matures and breathes.
- 🥃 Peated whisky — Whisky with a smoky aroma from malt dried over a peat fire; it is a style, not a separate legal category.
- 🥃 Islay whisky — Protected locality of Scotch whisky: the name Islay may appear only on Scotch distilled on the island of Islay, which has 10 distilleries.
Similar
🥃 Kilchoman Sanaig · 🥃 Scapa Glansa · 🥃 Caol Ila 18 Year Old · 🥃 Caol Ila Moch · 🥃 Bunnahabhain 18 Year Old · 🥃 Ardmore Port Wood Finish
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- Kilchoman Distillery (official site): news page with Machir Bay (core range 2012, 46 %, 90 % bourbon / 10 % oloroso, 50 ppm) and Sanaig (core range, 2014, 70 % oloroso / 30 % bourbon)
- Whiskynotes: Kilchoman Machir Bay (2015) — 46 %, vatting of bourbon- and sherry-matured whisky, no age statement
- The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890), reg. 3
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)