Islay Edition Land Rover

Kilchoman and Land Rover are collaborating for the launch of the new Classic Defender Works V8 Islay Edition. The exterior look of the car has been inspired by a 1965 Land Rover Series IIa (registration GXC 639C) formerly owned by Spencer Wilks, one of the founders of Land Rover, and now forms part of Land Rover Classic’s Collection. The vehicle features a bespoke centre cubby box reusing wood from Kilchoman whisky casks.

Islay has played a significant role in the development of Land Rover since the 1940s. Spencer Wilks, Managing Director of The Rover Group as it was then, owned the Laggan Estate on the island and used it for off road vehicle development and testing. In 1947 he was seen driving a heavily modified Rover around the island by the local gamekeeper who remarked ‘that must be a Land-Rover sir’. The name stuck. That development culminated in the launch of the Land Rover Series 1 at the Amsterdam motor show in 1948.

There is a special link between our two companies, Kathy Wills, who still lives at Laggan and founded Kilchoman Distillery with husband, Anthony, is the granddaughter of Spencer Wilks.

In collaboration with Land Rover, a limited edition Pedro Ximénez release has been bottled exclusively for the launch of the Land Rover Islay Edition. Selected by Kathy and Anthony Wills, just 639 bottles have been released, the same number that appears on the original Land Rover registration. Each vehicle will come with a complimentary bottle, however, if don’t fancy spending £230,000 on a Land Rover then bottles (without the vehicle) are also available through The Whisky Exchange.

“Land Rovers are synonymous with my childhood, I have fond memories of driving around the island in all sorts of Land Rover prototypes and it’s great that Land Rover still recognise those links, both to my grandfather and to the Island of Islay.

PX sherry matured Kilchoman was the perfect choice for this bottling, there’s nothing better on a wet Islay day then a dram of PX matured Kilchoman at 51.4% abv”

Kathy Wills, Kilchoman Co-Founder.

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