Final Releases

Our final New Releases of 2012 blog

Our final New Releases of 2012 blog. We have already written about 10 whiskies that were released this year and to top it off we have a couple of pecial Islay malts, Port Ellen 32 Year Old and delightful Kilchoman Machir Bay.

The Port Ellen distillery on Islay, was founded in 1825 by Alexander Kerr Mackay and it sat on Islays south shore where it sourced water from the Leorin Lochs. The original kilns of the distillery are still preserved even though part of the distillery was demolished in 2003 and stopped producing whisky in the 1980s, thats one of the reasons this bottling is so special. This was distilled in November of 1979 and bottled in January this year as the Port Ellen 32 Year Old, Old & Rare by Douglas Laing. Each of these bottles is individually numbered and presented in a rustic wooden box. The nose is a buffet of creamy coconut, supple chocolate raisins, grapes, quince cheese, and a honeycomb crunch all mingled with a soft smokiness. The palate is compared to a basket of fruit containing blackberries, guava, ripe apples, sumptuous mango and shredded pear skins. The fruit is balanced by the slight hint of tomatoes and peppers and found with a light dry oaky hint. As a finish, this 32 Year Old flows with light coal smokiness, a surge of maple syrup and a covering of run spice. Overall, this whisky is fabulous, a definite to add to the to try soon list because it really is a whisky that wont be available anywhere very soon.

Our final bottle is the Kilchoman Machir Bay. The Kilchoman distillery is situated on the island of Islay, and to balance the now gone Port Ellen Kilchoman is Islays newest distillery. They create whisky traditionally using barley grown at Rockside Farm, where Kilchoman are based, which is then malted at the distillery. It is one of only six distilleries in Scotland that still do floor-maltings and are unique in carrying out all steps of the whisk-making process on-site. These steps are the growing of the barley, malting, distilling, maturing and bottling. Kilchoman Machir Bay is a vatted malt. A combination of three, four and five year old whiskies matured together in fresh Bourbon barrels and finished in Oloroso sherry butts for 8 weeks. It has an ABV of 46% and a nose of sweet earthy peat, smooth creamy vanilla and a finish of black peppercorns and an undercut of brine and kelp. The taste is smooth and full of fruity citrus flavours all bound together with a bow of peat smokiness. The finish is long and sweet with a mix of chilli heat, spicing and a mention of nuttiness throughout.

Part of the joy of single malt whisky is knowing that the art of making whisky has been refined over centuries. With these two, the long closed Port Ellen and recently opened Kilchoman we see the continuation of that art, the passing of a baton in Islay whisky making.

Let us know if you think there is anything else to add to these tasting notes or if you plan on trying any of them in future!

by: Single Malts Direct

POST COMMENT

New Smokies Are You Looking For A Youthful Appearance To Your Skin? Autumn Colours Natural Wax Candles Soy & Palm Know About Five Trends Of Server Virtualization Get Your Dog A Pet Turf For Natures Call Objectives Of Social Worker Training That Ought To Be Highly Regarded Getting Back With An Ex Boyfriend - Can You Make Things Good Again With Him? Choosing Face Painting Tools For Beginners Adult Vacations: Planning Your Trip Finding A Reputable Rolls Royce Garage In London Top-notch Dentistry Is More Than Basic Care Finding The Best Hr Consultant