The 100% Islay 12th Edition is available from this week. This release was distilled from our 2011, 2012 and 2013 barley harvests, consisting of publican barley variety, then matured in 29 bourbon barrels and 6 oloroso sherry butts for a minimum of 8 years.

From our inception, the 100% Islay range, Islay’s only Single Farm Single Malt, was our reason for being.  It represents the revival of traditional farm distilling; growing our own barley before malting, distilling, maturing and bottling every bottle of our 100% Islay range on site.

“It’s a lovely 100% Islay, rich and fruity on the nose then lots of citrus sweetness and tropical fruit on the palate with waves of peat smoke coming through on the finish,”

ANTHONY WILLS, KILCHOMAN FOUNDER

This year we have grown barley on a total of 138 acres. The harvest has begun and we are hoping for good weather to get this finished over the next week – we’ll keep you updated on our progress through our social media channels.

The 100% Islay 12th Edition will be available from Kilchoman stockists around the world from this week.  Please click here for more information about where to find a bottle.

It was back in 1992 that a group of islanders got together and the current Kilchoman Distillery Isle of Islay Pipe Band was born.  It was duly formed and subsequently registered with the Royal Pipe Band Association in Glasgow and since then the band have successfully been progressing their way through the grades.

Under the leadership of Nigel Morris, Pipe Major, the band won their first trophy at a competition in Pitlochry in 2006.  Since then, they have progressed steadily through the grades picking up many prizes along the way.  But the achievements have not stopped there, through hard work and dedication, the band have been promoted to Grade 2 and now attend all the major competitions.  Most recently the band celebrated winning 3^rd place in Grade 2 at the Scottish Championships!  The band will now go into The World Pipe Band Championships 2022 in a couple of weeks in high spirits and determined to add to their growing list of accolades.  If you’re in Glasgow on the 13^th August you can go along and support them!  Click here for more information.

Funding a competitive pipe band is very expensive – from weekly hire of a practice venue, maintenance of pipes, drums, uniforms and the purchase of equipment for new members to the added financial burden of traveling from an island to attend competitions on the mainland.  Since 2012 Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder, has been very proud to sponsor and support the band on their competitive journey at all five major championships on the mainland.

As well as taking part in various competitions, the pipe band also play at a number of local events on Islay & Jura including ceilidhs, weddings and of course the annual Fèis Ìle.

Click here to find out more about Kilchoman Distillery Isle of Islay Pipe Band.  Hopefully next time you’re on Islay you’ll get to enjoy them playing in person!

In the meantime, here’s a wee tune for you to enjoy from our stillhouse…

Each part of the production process at Kilchoman has an influence in creating the final liquid we fill into our bottles. One of the last processes before bottling – and the process which takes the longest time – is the maturation. At Kilchoman we’re proud to say that we warehouse 100% of our spirit on Islay, right here at the distillery.

To produce Single Malt Whisky, the legal requirement is a minimum maturation period of 3 years and 1 day, matured within oak barrels. These oak barrels come in a variety of styles, shapes and sizes and we’re going to go through some of the main varieties we use here at Kilchoman.

Once our spirit stills produce the heart of the distillation at approximately 70%ABV, this is reduced to 63.5%ABV with water from Glen Osamail burn before filling into our hand-picked casks.

Kilchoman spirit is predominately matured in Bourbon casks – a decision made by founder and Managing Director, Anthony Wills.  Bourbon casks are the most widely used casks within the Single Malt industry. They are shipped to Scotland directly after being used only once due to the long-standing legislation in America.  Flavour profiles that can be found from Bourbon matured Kilchoman releases can range from butterscotch and honey to vanilla. Bourbon casks are 200L in capacity, constructed using American white oak (Quercus Alba). Kilchoman Machir Bay – our award-winning core whisky – is created using close to 90% Bourbon matured spirit which allows the unique style of Kilchoman to come through with ease.

Sherry casks are our second most used for maturation at Kilchoman. We directly source each variety of sherry cask from Bodega Miguel Martin in Spain; Oloroso, Pedro Ximénez (PX) and Fino. These casks can be in the form of Hogsheads (approx. 225-250 litres) or Butts (approx. 475-500 litres). Each variety of sherry will impart its own unique flavour and aroma onto the Kilchoman spirit throughout maturation. Using Oloroso, Anthony would expect to find flavours such as dried fruits and spice alongside nutty aromas. Alternatively, using PX provides us with a sweeter sherried profile and will give added influence in dark chocolate, dates, figs, and honey. Fino offers a drier, more saline type of sherry which allows for a profile dominated by green fruits.

Cask experimentation will always play a vital role at Kilchoman and since the first cask filled in 2005, we have experimented with many varieties, some of which are Madeira, Port, and Red Wine. Our progression in cask experimentation grows as the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) continues to ease restrictions on the variety of casks available to use for maturation. In 2019, the SWA opened the category further, allowing distilleries access to additional varieties of casks – if cask maturation is part of the traditional production process of these spirits – for example, Tequila, Mezcal and Calvados. Anthony used this is an opportunity to fill 25 Tequila and 25 Mezcal casks with some intended for finishing and some for a full maturation.

Once Anthony has chosen the cask for maturation, the casks are filled and taken to our on-site warehouses.  Two styles of maturation are used at Kilchoman, dunnage and racking. Our traditional dunnage warehouses are stowed 3 high on top of earth floors. Our newly built racked warehouses are designed to stow 10 high on steel frames. Over the maturation period, we expect to see anywhere between 1.5-2% volume loss per year, otherwise known as the ‘angel’s share’.

The colour of Single Malt is often discussed during tastings. When producing Single Malt Whisky, the addition of caramel colouring (E150a) is legally authorised. If E150a is added, it can turn a lightly coloured whisky, dark. The additive acts as a modifier correcting any natural variations that may be present.  It’s worth noting, E150a doesn’t affect the flavour profile but allows for uniformity, ensuring that each release is visually identical. At Kilchoman it’s important that we release natural whisky, free from additives. This means that all the colour comes exclusively from the cask. We would expect our Bourbon casks to give a golden or caramel colour to the Kilchoman spirit. Sherry casks will provide a darker, deeper finish. This means that each release may vary in colour slightly, which is the beauty of creating a natural Single Malt and something that we celebrate here at Kilchoman.

Each cask will be used for maturing Kilchoman spirit only twice. After the second use, our casks will be sold and will continue their life in the wider whisky industry. This is to ensure we have the maximum amount of flavour from the oak imparted into our whisky. It’s a common misconception that Single Malt Whisky must have significant age to be considered a great whisky, but Kilchoman demonstrates otherwise. The distillery was designed to release a ‘younger’ style of Islay Single Malt; a fine balance between producing an elegant Islay spirit, coupled with selecting the correct cask for maturation has shown quality and depth of flavour.

Comraich is a Gaelic word and translated into English, it means Sanctuary or Asylum.  In Scotland during medieval times, sanctuary sites were commonplace.  During those years, if you had debts, you could face a prison sentence or, even worse, death. But if you were able to make your way to a sanctuary site, you could live there indefinitely without fear of your creditors.

Sanctuary sites were marked by four cornerstones that were placed one Scottish Mile (the length of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh – 1.8km) out from a central point. In most cases, that was a church or place of worship.

On Islay, one such site was located close to the old parish church at Kilchoman, and one of the remaining stones marked with a cross is still very much visible today. One of the other stones now rests at the Islay Museum, where it was taken to be protected. The presence of these cross marked stones denotes that this was once a very important area in medieval times.

Sanctuary sites carried on in Scotland until 1880, when an act of parliament meant that debtors could no longer be jailed, but many of the markers to guide you to those old sites still exist. Like the one on Islay, or more famously, the gold S slabs on the grounds of Holyrood Palace in Scotland’s capital city.

Thankfully the world has moved on but there are times that we all need a place of ‘Comraich’ to relax, unwind and even for just the smallest time, allow us the space to forget all our troubles and enjoy a dram of Kilchoman Single Malt Scotch Whisky. This idea was the birth of our Kilchoman Comraich global network of bars, dedicated to the enjoyment of our single malt, with exclusive releases to sample.

Click here to find our Comraich Bars around the world and discover our Comraich batch releases.

For summer 2022, the Visitor Centre & Café is open seven days per week from 9:45am to 5pm.

Tours & Tastings
We offer three ‘classic tours’ daily and a limited-edition tasting and tour.  Our ‘Classic tours’ take place at 10 am 1.30 pm and 2.30 pm. This is a one-hour guided tour around all our production areas, showing you the steps that go into making our single farm single malt scotch Whisky.  On the way around, you get to sample two of our most popular whiskies.  Classic tours are £10 per person and under 18s are welcome – click here for all the details.  Drivers’ drams are also available.

Our Limited Edition Tasting & Tour runs each day at 11 am and lasts 2 hours. Accompanied by one of our guides, you will see first-hand all the processes that go into how we make our whisky.   Enjoy a dram of our 100% Islay on the malt floor as we talk you through our barley-to-bottle philosophy.  Followed by a tutored tasting of four of our limited-edition whiskies.  The limited-edition tour and tasting is £35 per person – over 18s only.  Drivers’ drams are available.

All of our tours are available to book via our website

Whisky Bar
Our tasting bar is open every day from 10am to 4.45pm. You can sample all of our current range of whiskies as well as some of our archive stock from the past 16 years.  Booking is not required for this.

Café
And for anyone who wants to have something other than whisky, our on-site café is open each day too. Teas, coffees and our fabulous home-baking is available daily from 10am to 4.30pm.  Our chocolate brownies are famous the world over so why not treat yourself while you are here. They go even better with a dram of Machir Bay and cream. Whisky and Chocolate what is not to like?

Our lunches which include delicious homemade soups, Cullen Skink, baked potatoes, paninis and sandwiches with various fillings are a must if you have a busy day planned on nearby Machir Bay. Lunches are served from 12noon to 3.30pm each day.  Booking is advised.  A large group menu is available for groups of 10 and above.  For more details or to reserve a table, please contact: tours@kilchomandistillery.com or call us on 01496 850 011.

We look forward to welcoming you back and chatting all things Kilchoman with you soon.
For more information email tours@kilchomandistillery.com

Fèis Ìle 2022 was another special moment in time for Kilchoman Distillery and the Wills family – the release of our first ever 16-year-old bottling.  The barrels selected were from the first 50 casks ever filled at Kilchoman, some of our most treasured and rare casks.

“I always try and find something special for the Fèis Ìle releases and with the return of people to Fèis on Islay rather than exclusively online I thought the time was right to bottle some of our oldest casks. I’d love to keep these casks in the warehouse for my own personal consumption, but they are too good not to share,” Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder.

We were delighted to welcome the highest number of visitors to date at the distillery on our Fèis Day this year which was on Thursday 2nd June.  The atmosphere was fantastic and everyone was enjoying being back at the distillery in person after three years of being restricted to a virtual festival.

Thanks to everyone who joined us and we hope to see you in 2023!  Click here for more info.

It’s smiles all round as the awards keep coming!  Sanaig was named ‘Best Islay Single Malt – No Age Statement’ and awarded the highest ‘Master Medal’ at the Spirits Business Scotch Masters 2022.

As many of you will already know, Sanaig is part of our core range and is a vatting of both sherry and bourbon casks.  The high proportion of Oloroso sherry influence adds a balance of dried fruits and spices to the classic Kilchoman citrus sweetness and peat smoke character.

Sanaig was not the only Kilchoman release picking up an award in the Spirits Business Scotch Masters 2022, Machir Bay was a ‘Gold Medal Winner’.

Machir Bay is also a combination of both bourbon and sherry casks but it has a vatting of a high proportion of bourbon barrels which creates a distinct balance of classic Islay character and fresh floral complexity.

If you’ve tried either of these whiskies we’d love to hear what you think over on our social media channels, we’re on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.

Sanaig and Machir Bay can be located in a number of countries around the world.  You will find a list of retailers and distributors on our map or you can get in touch with us for more information – info@kilchomandistillery.com

Click here to join our Kilchoman Club and be amongst the first to know about new releases as well as having access to exclusive Club Release bottlings.

It has been another busy springtime on the farm and lambing is now complete and only a couple of heifers still to calve.  The tractors have been busy doing all the groundwork in preparation for this year’s barley crop.  The seed was sown between 22^nd and 26^th April and we’re now seeing a green covering in all the fields that were ploughed in March as the barely starts to grow.

Back in autumn 2021, fields were selected for growing the 2022 barley crop and the area is around 140 acres.  After researching the barley varieties available it was decided that we would grow Sassy, a previous experimental variety, and Planet, a new variety for us.  Planet caught Islay’s eye for its good traits such as yield, straw strength and time to maturity.

“The weather this spring has been mixed.  It remained cooler than we would like but at the time we came to sowing the barley the ground was good and dry and we got it all sown within four days.  After it was sown the weather took a turn for the worse and we’ve had a lot of rain since, not ideal for the barley but despite this, germination has been good and the fields now have a good green covering.  We now need some sun and heat as the barley is starting to show signs of stress due to the amount of cold wind and rain,” Islay Heads, General Manager.

As an additional experiment this year, we have sown a small section in Stone Cottage Field with a third variety, Laureate, to see how it compares with Sassy and Planet.  We will continue to bring you more updates over the coming months.

Click here to become a Kilchoman Club Member and be one of the first to hear all our news from the distillery, including information about new releases!