We had our busiest ever open day last Thursday, thank you to all the visitors who came down to enjoy the dramming, music and food, we hope to see you all again next year, if not sooner! The Feis Ile 2014 bottling was a big hit, unsurprisingly we sold all 525 bottles but if you happen to be visiting the distillery in the next week or so there might be an open bottle in the tasting cupboard…
The 2014 Feis Ile bottling has been matured for over 5 years in two fresh bourbon barrels and finished in a fino sherry butt for 3 months. There will be 525 bottles at cask strength and will retail for £79.50 per bottle on Thursday 29th May.
Colour – Copper gold
Nose – Nice peat tempered by sherry, lots of spice with green apple fruitiness.
Palate – A nice take on Kilchoman. A drier than normal sherry sweetness. Cinnamon, cloves and some apple and citrus flavours.
The finish is very clean, fino dryness, long light sherry, nice mouth filling flavours.
John who is one of the distillery’s directors took this brilliant picture during his last flight over to Islay. Sadly the weather isn’t always like this!
Landward visited the Distillery at the beginning of April and filmed a piece on our barley to bottle 100% Islay whisky. There will be an interview with distillery manager John MacLellan and founder Anthony Wills as well as a few other bits from around Kilchoman
With the 4th edition 100% Islay coming out on Monday.. have a look at how it was made!!
It is on BBC2 at 7pm and will also be available on iplayer for a week afterwards so don’t worry if you are enjoying a few drams on a Friday instead of the tv.
On May 12th we will be releasing our 4th limited edition 100% Islay whisky. We have selected 40 first fill bourbon barrels, 32 five year old and 8 four year old for the limited edition bottling which will be available worldwide.
The 100% Islay whisky range is unique. It is produced from barley grown at the distillery, and every step of the production is completed onsite. This is only lightly peated compared to the more heavily peated Kilchoman Machir Bay and Loch Gorm expressions.
The 4th Edition is bottled at 50% ABV and will be available at RRP of £64.99
We are very sad to say that Rebecca has recently moved on and is no longer working for us. She started here six years ago when she was just 14, working in the café on Saturdays and during her school holidays. Once she had left school she joined us full time as a tour guide and before she left was working alongside Leonie running the Visitor Centre. I am sure she will not only be missed by us at the distillery but also by the very many visitors who have met her over the years. We wish her all the best with her new job as trainee Assistant Manager at the Bridgend Hotel.
The events for which booking is required on Thursday 29th May are now all full. However we do have availability on further tastings taking place during the Feis Ile week. Please contact the distillery on 01496 850011 for further details but events include Off Road Dramming at 9am on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning, limited places on a Manager’s Tour at 1pm on Tuesday, limited places on a tour with founder Anthony Wills at 11am on Wednesday, and our first ever tasting at the new Conisby warehouse at 3.30pm on Tuesday.
Otherwise we hope to see you at the distillery on Thursday 29th May for tastings, still house visits, music from Islay Pipe Band and Skerryvore, BBQ, and more!
DUE TO THE HIGH VOLUME OF ORDERS FOR OUR NEW LOCH GORM RELEASE, PLEASE ALLOW 5-7 WORKING DAYS FOR DISPATCH
Thank you for your patience
VISIT THE LOCATIONS THAT INSPIRED OUR WHISKIES
For three days during the Feis Ile this year we will be using our new Kilchoman Land Rover to visit Machir Bay, Loch Gorm, our new Conisby warehouse and of course the distillery itself, tasting our whiskies ‘on location’ with a limited group of Kilchoman fans.
Lasting three hours and finishing with lunch in our visitor centre cafe, we are running this event on Monday 26th, Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th May at 9am (Maximum 6 people – £100 per person – £20 non-refundable deposit to be taken on booking).
Please phone the distillery if you would like to book this event and we look forward to seeing you in May!
(All events on Thursday 29th May now full).
This is the second Loch Gorm Single Malt to be released. The first, which was released in April last year, was awarded the prestigious 2013 IWSC Gold (2013 edition). Each release is differentiated by the distillation and bottling dates on the front of the bottle and carton.
Fully matured from filling to bottling in fresh Oloroso sherry butts, Loch Gorm adds a new dimension to Kilchoman’s portfolio, bringing a depth of character and colour to the Islay Single Malt. The Loch Gorm range is the only all sherry cask-matured expression from Kilchoman.
The 2014 realease was filled into fresh Oloroso sherry butts in 2009 and bottled in spring 2014, this full ex-sherry cask maturation creates a unique balance of classic Kilchoman character and rich Oloroso sherry influence.
