The Kilchoman Machir Bay Whisky Points To a Real Place

When you think of Scotland, the images that come to mind often involve rain, wind, clouds, and cold weather. It may not seem appealing to name a whisky from that region after such weather elements. Today in Whisky Names Explained: Kilchoman Machir Bay, named after the beautiful Scottish nature!

It would be a misconception to solely associate Scotland with gloomy days. There are the vistas and stunning landscapes of Scottish highlands, and mysterious castles. The country has a rich history, and is home to friendly people, not to mention that excellent Scottish whisky originates here. Many of these Scottish whiskies owe their names to the surrounding environment.

What we often overlook are the beautiful Scottish beaches. The coastline of Scotland is mostly rugged and rocky, but there are also beautiful and broad sandy beaches with clear azure seas. To name but a few: Tolsta Beach, Tresness, East Beach at Lossiemouth, Aberdeen Beach, Rocklife Beach, Coldingham Bay, West Sands Beach, Nairn Beach, and Sanna Bay. And then there's the most spectacular beach of Islay, that of Machir Bay.

Machir Bay is located on the west coast of Islay island, just 2 kilometres away from the Kilchoman distillery. The north and south of the bay are largely rocky with a beautiful wide sandy beach near the top of the bay. Stunning!

There are also two small streams flowing into the bay, Allt na Criche and Allt Gleann na Ceardaich, both ending up in the north of the bay. The fact that the sea can be rough here is proven by the ships that have run aground on this beach. In 1835, the ship Stella was stranded, in 1888 the ship La Plata, and perhaps the most famous incident is the wreck of HMS Otranto, from October 1918, shortly before the end of the Great War. Due to a navigation error, the ship collided with HMS Kashmir. The number of casualties is estimated at 470 men.

Not without reason, Kilchoman chose to name one of its signature peated single malt whiskies after this beach, a beach with a rich history! Therefore, this whisky was named after a magnificent sandy beach stretching nearly two kilometers, combined with a rugged and turbulent sea. We must not forget the beautiful sunsets either.

As Anthony Wills, founder of Kilchoman himself says: “The dramatic coastal landscape of Machir Bay is reflected in the rugged complexity of this award-winning single malt, the flagship of Kilchoman.”

A bottle of Kilchoman Machir Bay costs around forty euros.