The island of Islay is famous for its peated single malt whisky, beautiful scenery and remarkable history. The weather, on the other hand, can be infamous.  Whilst temperatures rarely fall below freezing, wind speeds sometimes exceed 100mph and it once rained for over 90 days in a row.  Both Islay and Islay Whiskies, none more so than Kilchoman, are a product of this unique environment.  So let’s look at how the weather influences our whisky.

Savage winter winds

Islay’s position 15m (25km) west of mainland Scotland leaves it entirely exposed to gales that sweep in from the Atlantic Ocean.  This means that Islay, like many of our neighbouring islands, has very few trees.  In place of wood, generations of Ileach’s (people from Islay) have turned to peat as their main fuel source, burning it both in their homes and when drying their barley ahead of distillation. Though it doesn’t produce as much heat as wood, peat was readily available at a time when Islay rarely traded with mainland Scotland.  As the island modernised, cutting peat for domestic use has become less common, however for Islay’s more traditional distilleries, Kilchoman included, peat remains crucial to creating the briny peat smoke character for which Islay whiskies are famous.

Rain, wind, barley and geese

As the old saying goes, ‘today’s rain is tomorrow’s whisky’ and with nine working distilleries and an average of 191 days of rain each year it shouldn’t come as a surprise to know that Islay has plenty of whisky!

Whilst the rain might provide us with something no distillery can do without; water, it poses an unpredictable challenge to our farmers.  That said, there is little we can do to control the weather, a more direct worry is the 40 – 50,000 migrating geese which winter on Islay every year.  Farmers, us included, must protect their seed from the hungry geese, waiting until they leave in mid-April before sowing our barley, 1-2 months behind mainland farmers. This has the knock-on effect of a late harvest, leaving us exposed to deteriorating early autumn weather as we wait for the barley to ripen.

All of these elements, rain, wind, barley and geese play a part in the chemical makeup of Kilchoman barley, affecting how easily it is malted and peated, the amount of spirit we can produce from each ton and of course the final character of our mature single malt whisky.

Islay’s mild temperatures

Perhaps the biggest impact on Kilchoman is Islay’s mild climate.  Islay’s location on the south west coast of Scotland places it directly in the path of the Gulf Stream, an underwater river of warm ocean water flowing from the Gulf of Mexico to the western Isles, ensuring that Islay’s weather, though wet and windy, is consistently warmer than the mainland, especially during the cold winter months.  From summer to winter, the average temperatures here on Islay only various 10°C on average, from 7°C (45°F) in the winter to 17°C in the summer (63°F).

This mild climate together with our traditional dunnage warehouses, create the perfect environment for steady and consistent maturation of our whisky, allowing the spirit to be gently drawn in and pushed out of the cask as the warehouse temperatures peacefully rise and fall over the course of the year.  This interaction between the spirit and the cask is the basis of maturation, controlled entirely by the climate of where the whisky is aged.

Kilchoman is as much a product of Islay’s climate as any other part of the whisky-making process.  From sowing the barley to maturing our whisky the island’s unique weather plays its part in shaping Kilchoman’s distinct character.

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At Kilchoman distillery we have two pot stills, our wash still and our spirit still. From these stills we are able to create something very unique and powerful; our new make spirit. Kilchoman new make spirit is light and floral, like magic in a glass. The question is however, how are we able to create this magic?

An overview of distillation

After our barley is grown, harvested, malted, peated, dried, mashed and fermented, it’s finally ready for the process of distillation. The first stage is to add the wash from the previous step into a large pot still called the wash still. These are normally handmade from copper and heated from below, vaporising the liquid into a fine alcoholic mist – a product reminiscent of the foggy Islay clifftops looming outside. This then rises up the neck of the still where it condenses into a liquid called ‘low wines’, at around 25% alcohol by volume. Enough to get you stumbling, sure, but it’s not a something we would advise on drinking! At Kilchoman, 3000 liters of wash is pumped into the wash still, from this only 1000 liters will become low wines, the rest is pot ale (which we use as fertiliser on our barley fields.)

Since the low wines themselves are frankly undrinkable, the still men move it into a second, smaller still called the spirit still. When heated, the alcohol rises much like an actual spirit, and separates out into three phases of which only the middle phase is deemed good enough to be collected for maturation. This forms the ‘heart’ of the whisky and is taken to our filling store to be filled into casks for maturation in one of our four dunnage warehouses. Meanwhile, the early (foreshots) and late phases (feints) are mixed into the next batch of low wines ready for another round of distillation. From the 3000 liters of wash that we start with at kilchoman, only 300 liters of new make spirt is created.

The wash still

The beauty of the pot still is that it helps to keep the flavor of the mash, unlike the reflux stills used for vodka or rum. The shape of the wash still is fairly generic, from distillery to distillery the wash still will look the same but will most likely differ in size. At this stage, the wash still doesn’t necessarily have an influence on the character of our end spirit.

The spirit still

The spirit still is the smaller of the two, and the most important when it comes to creating the fundamental flavors that define a whisky. The neck shape is a key component, as is the overall size. Kilchoman Distillery use a 2070 liter still with a relatively tall, narrow neck. While this might sound large it’s remarkably small compared to some distilleries which are home to pot stills over ten times the size. At Kilchoman we have a tall narrow neck on our spirit still and we distill slowly thus giving us our unique light floral spirit. The reflux bulb (or boil bulb) on our still aids the purification of the spirit, this is where vapor can circulate and interact with the copper for longer, removing more unwanted compounds and resulting in a more defined flavor. The spirit must work harder to climb up the neck, the more difficult the spirit finds it to rise up the still, the lighter our spirit will be, this is what gives us our unique clean, light and fruity spirit. Therefore, the larger the reflux bulb the lighter and fresher your spirit will be. There is no right or wrong, with each distillery looking to create their own unique whisky profiles, steeped in the traditions of their region. With different traditions come different pot stills.

Why copper?

Copper is a very important factor when it comes to the pot stills. The interaction between the copper and the liquid will purify the spirit, it will purify the low wines from the wash still and the spirit from the spirit sill. The copper component has a heavy influence in producing the end product of Kilchoman new make spirit. In fact, some pot stills are shaped to maximise copper contact at key points, with the belief that the flavor can be tweaked at just the right level. Copper is also a fine heat conductor, helping to distribute heat evenly.

‘Our copper stills produce our unique signature Kilchoman, light floral spirit’. (Anthony Wills, 2018 – founder of Kilchoman)

The Cut

Not all the spirit produced in the spirit still is worthy of the cask. As mentioned, three phases of spirit are produced, with the foreshots deemed to contain undesirable compounds. It’s the vital role of the stillman to determine the ‘cut’ of a whisky, only sampling that which contains the perfect balance. This normally takes years of training to truly master and varies from distillery to distillery depending on what a whisky means to them. Kilchoman spirit runs through a spirit safe and is cut early, from 75% abv to 65.5% abv with an average of 70%. This gives our whisky its unique and famous freshness. Other whiskies are cut later or over a wider range, giving them completely different properties – yet another reason that scotch whisky is so wonderfully varied.

The Stillman

The art of perfecting the cut requires intimate knowledge of the ingredients involved, from the freshly malted barley to the glistening spring water. Cut too early or too late and the impurities of the feints can throw off the balance of whisky. So, the stillman waits, and watches. The pot stills may be surrounded by science but this aspect of the distilling process is a very human art form. It’s why expertise and tradition go a long way to creating the best whiskies. Yes, it’s a long and taxing process, but given the magical results, its worth is known in the end.

‘Tradition makes the whisky, people make the spirit.’ (Islay Heads, 2018 – Distillery manager)

The first cask of Kilchoman, a refill bourbon barrel sourced from Speyside cooperage, was filled on December 14^th 2005, a proud moment for everyone involved in the creation of Kilchoman.  Thirteen years on from filling our first cask and we have substantially increased both the quantity and variety of casks in our warehouses.  Whilst bourbon and sherry casks remain our two most frequently filled cask types, accounting for roughly 70% and 20% of our fillings respectively, we now have over 20 different varieties of cask maturing Kilchoman spirit here on Islay.

Bourbon Barrels

Like many distilleries, much of our new make (unmatured whisky) is filled into ex-bourbon barrels from the US.  However, unlike virtually all distilleries we source our barrels from a single supplier and ship them whole directly to the distillery.

All our fresh bourbon barrels start their lives at Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky, USA where they were first constructed before being used to mature their range of Kentucky Bourbon.  Ade from virgin American oak, the barrels have a particularly deep char which allows for increased wood extract, crucial to both the character for Buffalo Trace and Kilchoman.  Once the good folk in Kentucky have used them (just once by law) they are rolled onto a container and shipped to Islay, arriving about 8 weeks later with many barrels still containing a swill or two of bourbon.  This wet cask shipping ensures the bourbon remains sealed within the wood and gives the Kilchoman maturation a kick-start, one of the key reasons our malts are so full of character at a relatively young age.

In contrast to our system for shipping casks whole and wet, most Scotch whisky distillers prefer to source their bourbon barrels from a broker.  These companies buy barrels from multiple US producers and deal in the shipping and reselling of these barrels in Scotland.  This usually entails breaking down the barrels when they are shipped to minimise costs which often means the barrels dry out, resulting in much of the character held within the oak being lost.

The light caramel, vanilla and fresh fruit character imparted by the Buffalo Trace barrels pairs beautifully with the citrus, tropical fruit and maritime peat smoke of our spirit and continues to be the principal part of our flagship bottling, Machir Bay.

Sherry Casks

Our principal sherry casks of choice are oloroso sherry butts, sourced from Bodegas José y Miguel Martin in Jerez, Spain, these 500ltr monster casks form the second largest segment of our maturing stock.  In contrast to the light influence of bourbon barrels, oloroso sherry butts add layers of bold spicy, rich character to the whisky.  As with our bourbon barrels, the sherry casks are shipped directly to Islay and filled whilst the oak is still soaked in sherry.   The 2018 Loch Gorm, our annually released limited edition is a vatting of nineteen oloroso sherry butts filled in 2007, 2008 and 2011.  It’s all sherry maturation gives it a distinct combination of bbq smoke and sweetness balanced with light fruit and rich peat smoke, which sets it apart in our range.

As well as oloroso butts and hogsheads (smaller 250ltr oloroso sherry casks) we also use fino and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, the fino’s adding layers of green apple and white grapes, the Pedro Ximénez’s imparting waves of dried fruit, toffee and PX sweetness.

Multi-Cask Vattings

As well as single cask maturation we will often combine multiple cask types, as with the Machir Bay and Sanaig releases, to create a balance of sherry and bourbon influence.  Much like a chef (or magician), Anthony Wills, our founder, will combine the lighter bourbon matured spirit with some richer sherry maturation to create a particular style of Kilchoman, balancing the attributes of each cask type.

Experimental Casks

In addition to our core stock of bourbon and sherry casks, we fill a range of casks including numerous varieties of port, wine, cognac, madeira and rum, each earmarked for future single cask or limited edition bottlings.  In contrast to most distillers who use these cask types for short periods of ‘finishing’ at the end of maturation, we prefer a full term maturation; filling the casks with new make spirit to allow the full influence of the cask to impact on the whisky.   This can be a risky strategy as these cask types are renowned for imparting bold and powerful flavours, however our Port Cask Matured, released in Spring this year, proves the benefits of full term maturation, creating a unique bottling which combines and balances all of our characteristic peat smoke and citrus with raspberry, cherry and creamy vanilla influence of the Ruby port casks.

Anthony Wills, our founder, on the overview of Kilchoman casks, ‘I was keen to experiment with other cask types for full maturation and we have successfully filled and released expressions matured in Madeira, Port, Sauternes and Red Wine casks.   We have recently filled Cognac, rum and calvados casks and I continue to look for other cask types to fill. We use the casks as fresh and refill, then sell them on’.

We continue to lay down stock for future age statement releases as well as experiment with new cask types, follow us on our social media channels or join the Kilchoman Club to keep up with all the goings on.

After the success of our 2014 European Tour and 2015 being our 10th Anniversary year we have decided to hit the road once again, this September and October we will be taking the Kilchoman Land Rover through Belgium and The Netherlands before heading south to France, over to Germany, up through Denmark and Sweden before making our way back to Islay.

Further details will be announced in the next few weeks so stay tuned, we will also be posting details on our dedicated Facebook Page and on the distillery Twitter.

Dates are as follows Belgium 1-5th of September, Netherlands 20-24th Sept, France 25-28th Sept, Germany 30th Sept – 4th Oct, Denmark 6-8th Oct, Sweden 9-11th Oct.

Peat plays an essential role in the art of whisky making here on Islay.  Generations of Islay distillers have relied on peat to dry their barley ahead of distillation.  This process, born of necessity, has set Islay whiskies apart and created arguably the most distinctive and iconic style of Scotch whisky available. However more we are often asked ‘What is peat?’ ‘Where do you get it from?’ ‘What’s so special about Islay Peat?’ Here we delve into the science, history and traditions of peat cutting on Islay and ask why is it so important to creating a true Islay whisky.

What is Peat?

Peat is vegetation within the ground. It is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. This is unique to natural areas such as peatlands, bogs and moors. The peatland ecosystem is the most efficient carbon sink on the planet as peatland plants capture C02 naturally which is released from the peat, maintaining an equal balance of the opposing forces. Peat remains essential to many islands who use it as fertilising, retaining moisture and stopping the rate of weed growth within gardens and flower beds.

For centuries however, the primary use of peat has been as a source of heat.  Islay and much of the western Isles regularly experience winds in excess of 80mph, as a result trees are few and far between meaning Islanders turned to peat as a fuel.  Though it doesn’t burn as hot as wood or coal, peat was readily available at a time when Islay rarely traded with mainland Scotland.  As the island modernised, cutting peat for domestic use has become less common, however for some of Islay’s more traditional distilleries peat remains crucial to creating their distinct smoky character.

Where does peat come from?

Peat comes from a peat bank; however, peat banks are not easy to come by, there are certain features within the environment that must be considered when looking for a peat bank.

To be a peat bank it must be a minimum depth of 1.5 to 2 metres. The surrounding area should be generally flat, avoiding stones and have plenty of heather growing on top and around the bank. When planning to cut peat, the peat bank should be accessible for not only people but also vehicles so the peat, when ready, is easy to move.

On Islay, the peat season would run from mid-April through to July, any day the locals of Islay were able to cut peat they would. The local peat cutters where expected to cut 18-20 ‘Perches’ a day for the Islay Distillery’s. A ‘Perch’ is a piece of peat 5.5 metres by 5.5 metres. In the 1960’s locals were paid more to cut peat than work within the distillery’s themselves, however it was very hard manual labour.

Once the Peat was cut they would carry each perch 5 metres from the end of the bank and lay it down to start to dry. The peat could be left anywhere from 7 days to 3 months depending on the weather. Once the peat had formed a crust they were then moved and placed into something called a ‘Window’ or a ‘Rook’

A window would be made up from the peat that was closer to the top of the bank, this peat was not as delicate as the peat further down within the bank and therefore would hold together better. This peat was placed on top of each other and thus a window was made.

A rook was slightly different, this was the peat that was older and further down within the bank, it was much denser and therefore was easier to break. The peat that made up the rook could be tens of thousands of years old.

The Windows and Rooks would then be left from 3 weeks to 3 months, again very dependent on the Island Weather. The locals would check the peat by breaking a piece off to see if it had dried throughout.

Once the peat was dry, it would be moved off the moss. There were two ways the peat could be taken away, the locals would use old yeast bags from the distilleries or old feed bags from the farm for the peat to be put in. Alternatively, a trailer would be brought in and the peat would be taken away loose. If the peat was taken away loose in a trailer it would then have to be stacked up, this was referred to as ‘grieving the stack’. This was a way in which the peat would be stacked but would shed any rain that fell.

Why does Kilchoman Distillery use Islay Peat?

Kilchoman, though the newest distillery on Islay, is arguably the most traditional in its scale and approach.  Growing our own barley is part of this philosophy however equally important is using Islay peat to smoke our barley.

We have two sources of peated barley; we grow approximately 200 tonnes of barley here on the farm, which we malt and peat ourselves using peat cut from Cnoc Dubh banks near the distillery.  This accounts for part of our needs, the balance of barley comes from the Port Ellen Maltings, a Diageo run malt house on the south side of the island supplying Kilchoman, Ardbeg, Coal Ila and Lagavulin.

Crucially, both here at Kilchoman and at the Port Ellen maltings Islay peat is burned beneath the malting barley to infuse it with unique Islay peat smoke character which once malted, distilled and bottled sets Islay’s whiskies apart.

Islay is more exposed to the elements than mainland Scotland. The climate, ocean, wind and rain all have an effect on the island, therefore the peat and the whisky made from Islay peated barley are unlike any other; more salty, maritime and medicinal than mainland peated whiskies.

Discover more about our range of peated Single Malts HERE