Kilchoman Comraich is a global network of bars dedicated to the enjoyment of Kilchoman single malt. Here you will find the finest and widest range of Kilchoman single malts, including special Comraich bottlings exclusively available from Comraich sanctuaries.
The ruined Kilchoman Church stands proudly beneath the cliffs of Creag Mhór, half a mile west of the distillery. Chief amongst its artefacts are Sanctuary stones dating back to the 800s. Such sanctuary stones were common place in medieval times, marking
an area of ‘Comraich’ or sanctuary in the local Gaelic language, safe from harassment and arrest.
Kilchoman Comraichs are a collection of sanctuaries, sheltered from the commotion of the outside world, dedicated to the enjoyment of Kilchoman Single Malt. Kilchoman Comraich establishments serve as bastions of Kilchoman with exclusive access to the Kilchoman Comraich batches. These will be available solely from the Comraichs along with a wide range of other Kilchoman bottlings.
Batch No.1 of the Kilchoman Comraich series is a vatting of 2007 oloroso sherry butts and bourbon barrels selected by Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder. The combination of cask types allows for a unique marriage of rich, sherry influence and light citrus and vanilla character from the bourbon barrels.
Comraich bars have already begun to launch around the world and the locations will soon be available on our new website in June! Keep an eye out…
With the recent dry and warm weather we have been having on Islay the guys have been able to get out on the farm to sow our barley. This barley will then be harvested at the end of the summer before its malted, distilled and filled into casks sometime next year
This year we have planted a total of 97.5 acres. After an unsuccessful trial of a new barley variety called Laureate last year, we have reverted back to two tried and tested varieties, planting 77.5 acres of Concerto and 20 acres of Octavian. Though most years we grow multiple varieties, in the past all fields have been harvested and malted together. This year however we have plans to malt, distil and mature each variety separately, meaning we will be able to analyse the impact of barley variety on the character of our spirit. We have always been interested to analyse the impact of variety on flavour and new space and equipment finally mean that by 2022 we will be able to release single barley variety Kilchoman single malt. Exciting times!
With the mixed weather that we have all been experiencing recently, Andrew Wood, who is responsible for all barley farming operation at Kilchoman had to work particularly hard to get the barley into the ground. The photo above is of Keith sowing our Ministers field with the beautiful Machir Bay in the background.
We would just like to thank Keith, Jim, Lewis, Mathew, Islay, Fraser, Hunter, John and Dunlossit Estate for all their help in getting the fields prepared and the barley sown.
Half a mile west of Kilchoman lies the spectacular, yet treacherous, Machir Bay. The western coastline of Islay is one of the most exposed areas of the island, with nothing but the North Atlantic between it and Newfoundland. It was here, in Machir Bay and the waters around Islay that in 1918 troopships the SS Tuscania and HMS Otranto were sunk during World War 1, resulting in the loss of nearly 700 men.
To mark the 100th anniversary of both tragedies and to celebrate the community of Islay and the spirit of friendship and self-sacrifice shown by its people during World War 1, we have bottled a special single cask to raise funds for WW100 Islay, supporting the on-going remembrance of those lost and continued celebration of Islay’s unique community spirit.
This single cask bottling, cask 742/2010 was distilled here at Kilchoman, within a mile of Machir Bay and matured in an American bourbon barrel for eight years. It is available from the distillery shop for £95, bottled at cask strength, 58% alc. All funds raised from the sale of the 252 individually numbered bottles will be donated to WW100 Islay.
Kilchoman, Islay and the Troopships HMS Otranto and SS Tuscania
Kilchoman is named after one of the Celtic saints who, from the 6th century, navigated the seas of the Hebrides to bring their faith to heathen islanders. They must have been intrepid – for even today ships stay clear of this beautiful, pitiless, coastline. Innumerable vessels have been wrecked off Kilchoman Bay – also known as Machir Bay – but none more dramatically than HMS Otranto.
Built as a luxury liner, she was requisitioned at the outbreak of WW1 and fitted with guns and armour-plating. Just five weeks before the conflict ended, the Otranto was part of a 13-strong convoy bringing American soldiers to Europe. Every U.S. soldier and British sailor aboard knew of another ship, the SS Tuscania with more than 2,300 American soldiers and 241 British crew aboard, that only eight months earlier had been torpedoed off Islay. Three destroyers and a flotilla of minesweepers steamed to the rescue that freezing February night but some lifeboats were missed by the rescuers and, in the early hours of the morning, were smashed against the cliffs of Islay’s Oa peninsula. Local farmers scoured the cliffs for survivors and helped them to their homes. Scores of men were saved but more than 220 died that night. In the days that followed the islanders gathered and buried the bodies with honour and dignity. While Islay was unable to bury the 200 of its own men lost in WW1, it treated these strangers as if they were their own. Before the first mass funeral, four local women sat up all night to sew a Stars and Stripes so that the dead American soldiers could be laid to rest beneath their own flag. Eight months later, another disaster happened off Islay, but it was not a U-boat that would claim HMS Otranto. On October 6th 1918, caught in a violent storm and unsure of her position, she collided with a troopship in her convoy, HMS Kashmir.
While the damaged Kashmir managed to limp to the safety of the Clyde, the stricken Otranto was driven by the storm towards the rocky coast south of Kilchoman Bay. In a heroic and superb feat of seamanship, and at great risk to his ship and crew, British destroyer Captain Francis Craven managed to bring the 900-ton HMS Mounsey alongside the 12,000-ton Otranto. Amid the storm, six hundred men jumped for their lives onto the little Mounsey and were saved. The 500 left aboard the Otranto were thrown into the water when the helpless vessel struck the Botha na Cailleach – the Old Woman’s Reef – off Kilchoman.
Kilchoman farmers, shepherds, and servicemen home on leave rushed to the shore and risked their lives to pull men from the maelstrom, but only 19 were saved. Kilchoman’s manse, the homes of local folk and Rockside School became temporary hospitals where survivors were nursed back to life. The following day the islanders began to recover the bodies of the dead. Police sergeant, Malcolm MacNeill, the most senior civic official on the island, painstaking examined every single body for clues to its identity, in order to give as many possible graves a name. With nearly 700 men lost in the two tragedies, it was a grim responsibility which he fulfilled superbly, winning himself the MBE. The victims were laid to rest in a new military cemetery close to Kilchoman Church. The US Government later removed the American dead, but Captain Ernest Davidson of the Otranto and many of his crew still lie at Kilchoman where the Ileachs buried them on the beautiful but perilous coastline where they
lost their lives. On the roadside close to Kilchoman Distillery lies a cairn in memory of two brothers, Duncan and Charles MacNiven, who worked at Rockside Farm. The brothers were well-known bards, and Duncan, who was wounded in WW1, wrote a moving lament for the Otranto.
A chaoidh bidh blàthas gus ’n latha mu dheireadh
Aig America ri Ile,
Oir tha còrr is ceithir cheud dhiubh,
Air an tiodhlacadh ann gu dilinn,
Fo thulachean gorma Chille-Chomain
Tha na h-òganaich ’nan sineadh,
’S los gu’n dùisgear o na mairbh iad,
Ghiulan arm do dh’Iosa Criosda.
Till the last dread trump be sounded,
Never will Columbus’ Land,
Cease to think with pride, but sadly,
Of green Islay’s distant land.
There full more than four hundred
Brave ones sleep beneath its sod,
Till they waken on yon morning,
In the skies to meet their God.
Follow the links to find out more about both WW100 Islay and WW100 Scotland
A weekend of glorious sunny weather with no rain and little wind greeted the 60 or so entrants to the Kilhoman Distillery sponsored 2018 Islay Golf Open at the end of April. The weather was so good it confused the local entrants and the main prizes were taken in the main by country members and visitors from the North East, where they must be more used to calm conditions.
It was an especially good weekend for the Middleton Family, where Iain Middleton won the overall scratch prize with a total of 147 strokes with Dean Muir, the Machrie’s Golf Manager, keeping up the local end in second with 151 and visitor David Cardwell from Hamilton third with 152. Iain’s brother Allan won the handicap competition with 139 strokes, with Iain second on 141 and Donald Heads third on 143.
Nearest the pin winners, who each received at bottle of Kilhoman’s finest were vice-Captain Bobby Quail, Ruaraidh MacIntyre, Allan Middleton, Mike Wilson and Gordon Hyslop.
Many of the prize winners had to leave on the afternoon ferry and so the picture shows Anthony Wills, Founder and Managing Director of Kilchoman Distillery with the remaining other winners (l to r) Gordon Hyslop, Alister Blair, Dean Muir, Ralph Middleton (representing his family), vice-captain Bobby Quail, Anthony Wills, Sam Johnston and Ruaraidh MacIntyre.
The golf club would like to thank Kilhoman Distillery for their generous sponsorship, the Machrie Hotel for their “goody bags” for every contestant, Dean Muir and his team for the excellent presentation of the course, match secretary David Livingstone, starters Diane Brown and Alistair MacMillan, and all those who managed to find accommodation and come and play. Next year we’ll have a hotel to fill!
Here they are ladies and gents, our first limited editions of the year; 2018 editions of Loch Gorm and Port Cask Matured, if they aren’t on the shelves of your local shop then they are on the way (unless they’ve sold out already…).
This is the second Port Cask Matured expression we’ve released, the first, launched in 2014 was one of the most talked about Kilchoman releases in the distillery’s thirteen-year history. The 2018 edition is a vatting of thirty ruby port hogsheads filled in 2014, yielding a total of 10,000 bottles. Anthony and the team’s commitment to full-term maturation has continued, with the decision to age exclusively in port casks rather than using such barrels for finishing, this gives the whisky an added dimension, with layers of red fruits, creamy vanilla and floral sweetness that flood in with the intensity expected of a 50% abv bottling strength.
Released alongside the Port Cask Matured is the well-established Loch Gorm release, our exclusively sherry matured limited edition has been a feature of the Kilchoman range since 2012. The 2018 release of 15,000 bottles is made up of nineteen oloroso sherry butts filled in 2007, 2008 and 2011, containing some of the oldest sherry casks ever filled at Kilchoman. Loch Gorm is our only global release matured solely in sherry casks, with its combination of rich sherry notes, cooked fruits and subtle Islay peat, it’s not surprising that it’s one of our best-sellers.
“Historically our port and sherry matured releases have received a very positive response from the whisky community, I think the 2018 editions are probably the best versions of these expressions we’ve released to date so I’m excited to see the how our latest offerings are received” Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder.
Traditionally we have released our 100% Islay and Loch Gorm expressions in the spring however this year we’ve decided to move 100% Islay to the autumn with the much-anticipated Port Cask Matured taking its place. But don’t worry, we have a little surprise in store for the 8th Edition 100% Islay and we think you’ll like it!
Both limited editions are on their way to retailers and bars around Europe. It might take a little longer to reach countries further afield, but don’t worry, they’ll get there! We will also be releasing a small number of bottles on our website from Thursday the 26th of April at 2pm GMT. On Thursday, either Click Here or go to the homepage (www.kilchomandistillery.com), click on ‘Menu’ then ‘Whisky Shop’.
Tasting Notes: Port Cask Matured – 2nd Edition
Nose: Red fruits with light citrus, earthy peat smoke and hints of creamy sweetness.
Palate: Redcurrant jam, cinnamon with layers of citrus, floral sweetness and coastal influence.
Finish: Layers of cooked red fruits.
Tasting Notes: Loch Gorm – 2018 Edition
Nose: Orange peel, cloves, mixed spice and cooked fruits.
Palate: A beautiful balance of spicy richness, cooked fruits and peat smoke
Finish: Mouth filling peat smoke, lasting tropical sweetness and rich dried fruit.
The new kiln and malt floor are now complete and the first batch of malt is due to be steeped and spread on the floor next week.
The new buildings, situated opposite the still house, are over twice the size of the original malt floor and kiln which were built when the distillery was established in 2005. The new malt house will enable us malt to malt in batches of up to four tonnes a week, roughly doubling the amount of spirit we distil from our Kilchoman-grown, ‘100% Islay’ barley. It will also give us the flexibility to vary the peating level of our malt, currently fixed at approximately 20ppm.
The new malt house is the first of numerous buildings due to be completed in the next few years, with new warehousing, visitor centre, and extended still house due to be completed within the next two years. Keep an eye out for more info coming soon!
Sanaig has been awarded 95 points in this year’s Ultimate Spirits Challenge, a great result which puts Sanaig in the Extraordinary, Ultimate Recommendation category. The score follows Machir Bay’s 95 points in last year’s competition; a nice run of results for our two core expressions.
Machir Bay and Sanaig are both a combination of bourbon and sherry matured Kilchoman however their differing vatting proportions, Machir Bay being 90% bourbon matured and Sanaig 70% sherry matured, create two distinct characters; the earthy, citrus, maritime, Machir Bay and the rich, fruity Sanaig. Take a look in the Whisky Shop or more details on these two flagships of the Kilchoman range.
See a full list of the winners here https://www.ultimate-beverage.com/ultimate-spirits-challenge-USC/2018-spirits-results/Kilchoman-Sanaig-Islay-Single-Malt-Scotch-Whisky/
Our latest limited edition, Red Wine Cask Matured will be available worldwide from Monday October the 9th. Just under 7,000 bottles of the limited edition have been released.
Distilled in 2012, the Red Wine Cask Matured has spent its full maturation term in the single cask type rather than being a finish.
The casks, from the Douro Valley in Portugal, were personally selected by Kilchoman Founder Anthony Wills. The Red Wine Cask Matured follows Port, Madeira and Sauternes matured expressions released annually since 2014.
As with all of the Kilchoman range, the Red Wine Cask Matured is peated and non chill filtered with this particular release having a natural coppery red colour as a result of extraction from the oak casks. This expression has been bottled at 50% ABV, slightly stronger than our typical 46% ABV, the higher bottling strength adding structure and intensity to the dram.
Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder “we are delighted with the Red Wine Cask Matured, it’s unlike anything we’ve bottled previously, the full-flavoured influence of the Douro valley red wine casks have added depth, body and layers of rounded cooked fruits to the classic Kilchoman citrus sweetness and peat smoke character.”
Kilchoman Red Wine Cask Matured is bottled at 50% ABV and will be available worldwide from the 9th of October. Get in touch with your local whisky shop to ensure you get a bottle! A small number of bottles will also be available directly from our website from noon on Monday the 9th priced at £78.80.
Here at the distillery, we have been working hard to bring you some new and interesting events at this year’s Feis Ile Open Day.
We have arranged Masterclasses and tastings hosted by The Wills Family and the rest of the team, who will also be on hand to share their knowledge and experiences of working at Islay’s Farm Distillery.
Please read on to discover the full line up and other entertainment on offer this year.
We are very much looking forward to welcoming you to our distillery.
Kilchoman’s Feis Ile Open Day is Thursday 31st May 2018.
Monday 28th May
Founder’s Tour with Anthony Wills | 1pm
An in Depth tour of the distillery with Anthony, finishing in the warehouse where you can experience some of our early releases and individually selected cask samples.
£50
LAST PLACE REMAINING
Tuesday 29th May
Founder’s Tour with Anthony Wills | 1pm
An in depth tour of the distillery with Anthony, finishing in the warehouse where you can experience some of our early releases and individually selected cask samples.
£50
9 PLACES LEFT
Wednesday 30st May
Founder’s Tour with Anthony Wills | 1pm
An in depth distillery tour with Anthony, finishing in the warehouse where you can experience some of our early releases and individually selected cask samples.
£50
SOLD OUT
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday
Distillery Tours at 10am, and 3pm | £7pp
Intermediate Tour (Festival Week only) at 2pm | £15pp
Premium Tour at 11am | £35pp
Booking Advisable
Thursday 31st May | Kilchoman Open Day
Be a Bottler 9.30am
Join our bottling team and experience the time and care that goes in to every bottle of Kilchoman. Fill and label your own Machir Bay using our hands-on approach and get it signed by Robin Bignal, the Distillery Manager.
Includes your personalised 70cl bottle of Machir Bay
£50
SOME PLACES AVAILABLE
Be a Bottler 11am
Join our bottling team and experience the time and care that goes in to every bottle of Kilchoman. Fill and label your own Machir Bay using our hands-on approach and get it signed by Robin Bignal, the Distillery Manager.
Includes your personalised 70cl bottle of Machir Bay
£50
SOLD OUT
Islay’s Farm Tour 11am
General Manager Islay Heads will give you a guided tour of how the Distillery and the farm work in harmony. Ride along in the estate wagon stopping off at our water source for a dram of our 100% Islay and a lesson in peat cutting before continuing on to the dunes overlooking Machir Bay for a windswept nip of whisky of it’s namesake. As you make your way back to the distillery you’ll visit Kilchoman Church for a bit of sanctuary and a final pour of our Sanaig expression.
£35
SOLD OUT
Be a Bottler 12.30pm
Join our bottling team and experience the time and care that goes in to every bottle of Kilchoman. Fill and label your own bottle of Machir Bay using our hands-on approach and get it signed bu Robin Bignal, the Distillery Manager.
Includes your personalised 70cl bottle of Machir Bay
£50
SOLD OUT
The 100% Islay Philosophy with Anthony Wills 10am – 11.30am (Maltfloor/Malt Down/Seated)
Join distillery founder, Anthony Wills for an in-depth discussion on the 100% Islay range. This is his proudest creation and represents the revival of single malt produced on a single location from barley to bottle. Anthony will guide you through a selection of cask samples filled from 2008 to present day, hand picked from our warehouse.
£75
SELLING FAST-LIMITED AVAILABILITY
Be a Bottler 2pm
Join our bottling team and experience the time and care that goes in to every bottle of Kilchoman. Fill and label your own bottle of Machir Bay using our hands-on approach and get it signed by Robin Bignal, the Distillery Manager.
Includes your personalised 70cl bottle of Machir Bay
£50
SOLD OUT
Club Members’ Masterclass 2pm
Join George, James and Peter on a journey through some of their favoured expressions. Seated in our Warehouse, you will have the opportunity to sample some of kilchoman’s earliest and best releases chosen by each of the boys. Talk freely with them about working alongside their parents, Anthony and Kathy, at Kilchoman since the very beginning and listen to the many interesting and humorous stories they each have to tell.
£40
SOLD OUT
Islay’s Farm Tour 2pm
General Manager Islay Heads will give you a guided tour of how the Distillery and the farm work in harmony. Ride along in the estate wagon stopping off at our water source for a dram of our 100% Islay and a lesson in peat cutting before continuing on to the dunes overlooking Machir Bay for a windswept nip of whisky of it’s namesake. As you make your way back to the distillery you’ll visit Kilchoman Church for a bit of sanctuary and a final pour of our Sanaig expression.
£35
SOLD OUT
Premium Be a Bottler 3.30pm
Join our bottling team for a single cask bottling experience. This premium experience will enable you to bottle your very own distillery exclusive edition. From rolling the barrel in from our warehouse to hand writing the number on the label you will get to see first hand the time and care that goes in to creating one of our single cask releases.
Includes your 70cl bottle of Distillery Exclusive
£95
SOLD OUT
Still House Visits
Immerse yourself in the sweet smells of our New Make Spirit as it is being made in our still house. Chat informally with our friendly and knowledgeable stillmen whilst enjoying a dram of Machir Bay. These still house visits will be available regularly throughout the day and are free of charge.
(no pre-booking required)
12 places per visit
Warehouse Tastings
Join a member of our team in our warehouse for a range tasting straight from the cask. Samples will be taken from 3 different cask types individually selected by Robin Bignal, the Distillery Manager.
£20 (no pre-booking required)
12 places per visit
Tutored Range Tastings
Taste the range of Kilchoman releases including the Feis Ile 2017 bottling with a member of the Kilchoman team. You will be guided through each of your drams and given information on the background and future developments at Islay’s only farm distillery, producing single malt whisky from barley to bottle.
Available regularly throughout the day.
£10 (no booking required)
Malting & Peating (New Malt Floor) 12-4pm
Join our Brand Ambassador and Distillery Guide, Cherry, on our malt floor to discuss the Malting and Peating process in detail over a dram of 100% Islay. Cherry has completed the IBD course in Malting and has a great knowledge and passion for the science of germination.
Available from 12noon-4pm (no booking required)
12 places per visit
Live Music from 10.30am – 5pm (Old Malt Floor)
Trail West, Heron Valley, Reely Jiggered, Islay Pipe Band
Available throughout the day
Whisky Bar, Kilchoman Cocktails, Tastings, BBQ, Café and Gift Shop
All bookings must be made by calling +44(0)1496 850 011
All tickets are non-refundable.
