Kilchoman Sanaig

With: quite peaty and smoky, sausage from the fire, oscypek cheese, a little herbal (it reminded me of wasabi), sea, then forest fruits, plums, currants, raspberries, dried fruit compote, vanilla with a hint of toffee. S: full-bodied and smooth-oily, peat, burnt wood smoke, fruity sweetness, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, a bit of currants, all laced with vanilla with a slight addition of toffee and distinct chocolate; a bit of pepper and spice (nutmeg?) on the finish F: quite long, smoky, peaty, charcoal, slightly peppery, oscypek cheese, leather, fruit-like taste/aroma, dark chocolate, a bit herbal and spicy (wasabi).

Aroma – sweet peat, just a little fire smoke, meringue, jam with a drop of paint and woody notes, sherry dried fruits, nuts, cinnamon. Taste: Smooth and pleasant texture. Sherry, citrus, peach, grape, dry smoke and peat, pine, pepper and woody notes.

23/09/2022 90.5 / 100 Color: Dark copper, natural. AROMA - 23 / 25 Smoked meat, campfire smoke, and a touch of earthiness. Then there's the scent of a rainy forest and resin. Distinctly sweet, cherry-like, yet salty and full of wet wood. There's also iodine, and overall, it's a very pleasant, interesting, and complex aroma. TASTE - 23 / 25 Very complex and delicious! We find sweet fruits like peaches, plums, and chocolate-covered cherries, along with plenty of dark chocolate and campfire smoke. There's also a hint of resin and salty air. FINISH - 22 / 25 Dry and slowly fading with campfire smoke and dried fruit, it lingers for quite a while with a distinct iodine note. BALANCE - 22.5 / 25 For me, in the old bottling, this is one of the best, cheap Islay whiskies. Rich flavor and aroma, very complex, and well-balanced. I recommend it!

A classic and highly approachable Islay single malt from Kilchoman Distillery, named after a rocky inlet on Islay’s west coast. The Sanaig expression focuses on the marriage of Kilchoman’s farm-grown peated spirit with a strong influence from Oloroso sherry casks, creating a richer, darker, and sweeter style than the distillery’s bourbon-led Machir Bay.

The influence of the sherry barrel makes it dark. It must have been an old sherry ..... Seems almost as if Kilchoman gets the good barrels that used to end up at Aberlour ;-) (when I think of the A'Bunadh Batch 62). Super successful, I already emptied the first Sanaig from 2015, I don't remember it as well as this one.

Still good plv 41 EUR / from memory the 2019 had somehow more substance overall..seems a bit thin it's not complex (smoke sweetness, that's almost it) not that I would sense any (classic) sherry influence and somehow a strange viscosity / mouthfeel ... I hate to rate this below 85 but it's really not more than easy very easy sipping fun stuff where the fun factor should be higher... maybe having a bad day will see in few weeks.

Originally, I bought this whisky for a fellow enthusiast of smoky whisky as a birthday gift. I chose the Kilchoman Sanaig, because at the time, it was relatively hard to get, such that the chance was high, that he didn't know this one. Upon receiving the bottle, it was immediately opened and drew wide attention. There were 8 other bottles on the table, but this one was tried more than once by 5 people. It is intense with respect to the floral, smoky and maritime notes. The smoke is rather warm and fresh, like a campfire. The floral notes remind me of the Tomintoul 16 years, while the maritime notes remind me of an Old Pulteney whisky. I recommend this one for after shoveling snow in the winter.

72/100 tasty

2020 Rating

Spicy and flavorful, tufa and sherry, madam and tramp, a whisky that I really like because it has a lot of both worlds of whisky that I like the most.

The Vatting of Ex-Bourbon and Ex-Sherry (Oloroso) Casks plus the typical Kilchoman Peat Smoke makes this an engaging dram. Very addictive.

In 2017 I’ve visited this idillic distillery on the far west of Islay. It caught me since that day but somehow every time I wanted to buy a few bottles and/or samples I ended up buying different stuff. But...Finally...this week I pulled the trigger and bought 14 samples and 1 bottle of Kilchoman. Time for an in depth liquid tour of what this distillery can produce! This is the 5th

Good value for money. A solid peat and oloroso, thanks in part to the light grassy aroma typical of Kilchoman, but not much more.

sweet, oily, smoky ham, strong sherry fruits, campfire, bonfire ash

Oleista struktura.

A lovely and lively sherried dram. A bit rough of course as well. It is still NAS. Price to performance ration is not the best imo.

A nice peat + sherry combination. Although not exceptional, I do like the sherry in this one: plums, chocolate, leather, tobacco and farmy peat.

A real summer rain in a jar, a teaspoon of water/dram made it even better for me.

Slightly oily sherry, mouthfeel a bit thin but the smoke enhanced the body.

Pretty good whisky for the age. The olorosso casks are not too overloading and there are all along the notes of citrus zest. The texture is really smooth and this one is definitely worth a try. In the nose the dram offers quite complex notes which are missing a little bit within the finish.

86+ I let this one slip away a few times, and then it was completely unavailable for almost a year in my location. Now it appeared again, and I ran as fast as the wind and it was worth it. Opened it at a house party, but it is getting better after a few weeks aside and perhaps just due to being able to enjoy it in silence. Nothing new but flawless and high quality peated NAS. Very good casks, fairly priced, overall very satisfying. Much respect to Kilchoman for delivering a great "mass" product.

346-KILCHOMAN SANAIG ISLAY SINGLE MALT Whisky 46% ... another Kilchoman that seduces me. For a fairly young distillate - 4/5 years old it is even complex and rich. All the aromas and flavors are quite balanced, you can break them down into their individual components. There is a lot of peat climate, but it does not interfere. It emphasizes all the components. I am not writing anything about alcohol... because actually - theoretically - it does not occur. We know that it is there, but it is not a dominant note. At first it is sweetish, with time it becomes sweetish-salty. Conclusion - I do not know if this is good whisky? but I know that it is very addictive and addictive. I recommend it

Bottling reviewed in 2023: Aroma/Nose: A grey, rainy day on the Scottish coast; it's cold and the wind is whistling. On the nose, sherry, smoke, autumnal dried fruits, and after a few minutes, a mineral note. Taste/Mouth: Sherry cask fruity, again dried fruits, perhaps sultanas and fig, then comes the smoke – full-on 12-hour burst of embers, ash, and wood. Here, its youth first becomes apparent, but it's not a drawback. Salty on the tongue. Finish: Smoke, ash, long on the right – fruity only in the undertone, smoke dominates. The feeling of a campfire lingers in the memory.

Price quality one of my favourite sherry's: very balanced and super easy drinking. For me even better than the 2019 version.

Not as sherried as the dark colour suggests. Found the flavours to just be too discordant with this bottle. The peat and sherry don’t really sing well together. There is a bit of Kilchoman distillate pushing through here which is nice. But it’s overwhelmed by burnt sherry elements that doesn’t add sweetness to the development. Not a bad dram, but won’t be a repeat buy for me. I’m more curious to find some more naked, exbourbon Kilchoman in the future.

plenty of fruit and earthy peat coming through, with a touch of dark chocolate-covered raisins.

Very enjoyable Islay whisky. The peat is balanced well with the sweeter cask notes, and it’s nicely full bodied and rich In taste. Class act.

Perhaps a new classic for those who started their journey later. With a creamy texture and a full barley body, it's an excellent base for revisiting giants like Lagavulin 16yo or Laphroaig sherry cask. I'd bet on 20-25% ex-bourbon and a good percentage of PX, fantastically blended. Predominant notes: dairy, mocha. Complexity: medium. Permashelf. 83 - 85 | Very good

Nose: An irresistibly alluring aroma of roasted honey, reminiscent of freshly baked wood-fired char siu, where caramelized sweetness meets savory meatiness. Minimal peat presence, allowing the malt acidity and rich grape juice notes to shine through. Palate: An immediately open and expressive floral character, followed by the sensation of water sizzling over hot charcoal. The peat emerges as a backdrop, subtly supporting the flavors. While it initially gives the impression of a sherry-forward profile, the peat ultimately dominates, leaving only a light sherry accent in the background.

When it comes to price and performance, it is a really solid option. Although it is young, it is a very smooth and honest bottle. The label reflects itself in the glass without any loss. Of course, you have to like peat. It is a good whisky that is enjoyable and reliable and can be considered a “go-to”. Price performance: Quite good Would I buy it again?: I've had it in my bar for a long time :).

2022

Nice dram to have from time to time. Over time in the bottle, it is loosing it's magic. Compared to Loch Gorm, Sanaig is missing structure and character.

The Sanaig occasionally betrays its youth in places. This isn't really a drawback, however; in fact, it suits it quite well. Overall, it impresses with a lovely sherry fruitiness, spice, and ashy smoke. The individual components work together very well. The sherry sweetness and the smoke are simply a perfect match. A great, affordable bottling from Kilchoman. The rich aromas make you forgive its somewhat youthful age.

Kilchoman Sanaig: Nose: pleasant sweet smoke, citrus, red fruit, dried fruit, toffee, red grapes, slightly salty, Palate: very well structured alcohol, dried dark fruit, raisins, a bit of citrus, wood, nuts, vanilla and caramel, pepper, spices, smoke is muffled by sweet fruit and astringency of wood, a bit of sea a bit of burnt campfire, and ashes on the tongue. Finish: medium long, tart, nutty, peppery, tobacco, some red fruit

Beautiful smoky whisky, diverse but not too complex. Highly recommended.

Kilchoman Sanaig *Age statement: NAS. *Alcohol percentage at least 46%: yes, 46%. *Amount of filtration: stated on the front of the bottle as non-chillfiltered. *Use of caramel coloring {E150a}: stated on the front of the bottle as uncolored. (3 out of 4, regarding craft/integrity presentation and communication). Without water Nose/olfaction: smoky, salty and sweet, a typical Islay nose, but darker of tone due to the Oloroso sherry influence. Palate/gustation: sherry, smoke, although powerful, it’s only a short development before tapering off towards the finish. Finish/coda: licorice and raspberry soda. With water Nose/olfaction: nothing much changes. Palate/gustation: although, more watery upfront, it loses the sharpness in the middle section. Finish/coda: nothing much changes. Kilchoman is a young distillery, sure, but this tastes like 5 year old whisky. For a distillery that is older than eighteen years old this is truly baffling, it still doesn’t have an age statement or a QR-code that divulges some or most of the cask breakdown like Bruichladdich or Ardnamurchan do. Perhaps this night for me, was soured by other phenolic compounds flying around in the air, since one of my neighbors decided to sleep while he/she was cooking. But that doesn’t downplay that this tastes young for the price they are asking, and there is no reason anymore to belief that this is due to startup issues, there true problem seems to be their output, or more precisely the lack thereof. There is no reason that Kilchoman’s age statement releases should fetch these prices, if scarcity wasn’t a problem for them.

Nose: Black peppered meat leads the way, followed by a dominant peat. Sherry notes are hard to find there at first due to 50ppm malted barley. Melted chocolate aroma reveals itself after a sip. Palate: Honey, that is obvious, with lots of pollen taste. Black peppered meat welcomes us again. There is salt and overripe (decayed maybe) cherry. Finish: That black pepper there again, it lingers. Peat remains long and gradually transforms into sherry, which I love the most in the Sanaig expression of Kilchoman 46.0% vol Matured in Bourbon & Oloroso Sherry Casks Non-chill filtered & no color added Score: 86/100

Bottled: 21.06.2023 Overall, looking back, I really liked this whisky; it's beautifully crafted, truly feeling like it came from a smaller distillery, made with more care. I also really liked the Kilchoman Machir Bayi, and there aren't any sharp differences between them. It's said to be aged longer in sherry casks, but personally, I don't really feel that way. I tried aerating it for a long time and dripping water to check for sherry influences, but I didn't find much of a sherry effect, only subtle hints. Perhaps there are differences between casks, which is likely, since it's a more boutique distillery. Of course, I'm not trying to guess any sherry notes, and there's no need. Notes like salt, iodine, and smoke are very prominent and dominant, which I actually prefer.

Whisky tasting on 2025 12 13 Maybe I got a wrong batch but it used to be better.

My very first Kilchoman. The smell is that of tobacco smoke at its best. Like as an ex-smoker, so very sometimes I suddenly smelled a wapper from a cigarette (Gauloise is famous / infamous) and can smell not horrible but just as deeply, full of homesickness and desire, longing back for the rare spicy comfort that cigarettes so very sometimes bring . Addictions bring out the lyrical poet in people, you can see that again here. Vincent had his Absinthe, Paul & John had LSD, I had la dame Gauloise. On the palate, the smoke is mild, juicy (juicy smoke? Omvlee, are you okay?) And constructive - it supports and enhances the mild cherry, wood and (far away ...) vanilla notes. Softly sweet, complete, casual and without harsh notes, this whisky is complete but has no outliers, which makes it a bit anonymous. The sherry is not very present, and that was the reason why I bought it. The finish is warm, peppery, drying in the mouth, with woody notes and ash. Conclusion: good stuff. Promises more (sherry) than it delivers. Not much depth - NAS, low price, let's go. Pull up a cigarette after 13 years of abstinence. And thanks. I still have the rest of the bottle.

30 ml sample.

85+

I'm usually more of a fan of the ex-bourbon-ripened kilchomans, but this is an exciting alternative.

great plv for a nislay whisky - young, yes! medium to short finish, yes! - but for just a little over 40 Euros, worth every penny for me

This is a very distinctive whisky for people who are keen on tobacco. But I personally don't like it very much.

2022/09/14 Part of a peat blind tasting. My favorite of the night, a great dram.

A great entry-level sherry smoker, PLV fits, I haven't bought this for the last time.

N: sweet smoke, dark berry fruit T: spicy start, then intense salt and fruit notes, caramel, progressive smoke like smoked bacon

You need to give this whisky a little breathing space to make it even better. The whisky itself is very good value for money.

lots of sherry. a hint of peat in the backgroud. quite easy to drink

1. Good price/quality ratio. 2. Promises much more complexity and sweetness than it delivers. 3. I am not quite sure what is the purpose of this edition regarding to existence of Machir Bay AND Loch Gorm. 4. Still good stuff, quite youthful and bright.

A good entry-level malt if you are looking for a combination of smoke and sherry. I will buy again.

On the nose I first got salty BBQ potato chips/crisps. As it sets the chips give way to seaweed. The palate was not as complex as the nose and rather two dimensional with only smoky pepper and menthol.

19.5.2022 bottled There is almost no citrus or lactic acid smell, and there is a slight woody taste like virgin oak or cabalan.

Part of Kilchoman 2024 European Tour tasting. It’s not bad by any means. But the Machir Bay is more interesting.

You can feel that the aging period is short. Simple notes dominate rather than mature notes. The strong sweetness created by the sherry, vibrant fruit, and subtle peat is impressive.

great taste and balance despite young age

Year ago this was my favorite Kilchoman, untill now it lost it's title but still like this one

Quite sweet, smoked plum, raisins, a lot of smoke, burnt, ash, apricots, caramel, a bit of sea and tobacco, intense smoke and a bit ash in taste, slightly spicy on the finish, heavy whisky, but still drinkable.

50ppm malted barley and around 2/3 ex sherry and 1/3 ex bourbon. Perfect example of peat + sweet sherry. Perfectly integrated alcohol, good mouthfill and very rounded flavour. Amazing price/quality ratio, really good job Kilchoman.

In terms of sherried peat cask whiskies, there are better ones out there. The bitter notes tended to dominate on my palate and I was hoping for sweet sherried notes. I am a peat fan, but peat dominating the show is not adding to the wow factor. Still a good whisky and at a good price.

Very nice Kilchoman, but I like the Machir Bay even better.

Although you are basically dealing with a very smoky bottling here, the smoke is surprisingly well integrated and not dominant. This may be mainly due to the intense sherry, which forms a nice counterpoint to it and kills the smoke a bit. If you like this combination and are looking for a malt with a good price-performance ratio, you've come to the right place with the Sanaig. https://www.aboutwhisky.de/tastingnotes/kilchoman-sanaig/