Cask selection can make or break a whisky. You could make the best new make spirit in the world but deciding what casks you put it into will ultimately define the end result. At Kilchoman we take cask selection very seriously, sourcing casks from all around the world and making judgments as they mature to create the highest quality whisky we can.
First of all, it comes down to the type of wood. To legally be called whisky, all casks need to be made from oak wood that can be cut from trees around the world. The most common types of oak used in the scotch whisky industry are American oak (Quercus alba) and European oak (Quercus robur). How the spirt interacts with the wood itself plays a major role in the overall flavour.
American oak forms a closed grain (lots of thin layers of oak close together) and is fast growing. This is favoured by the whisky industry as it is better for liquid retention and there is a high availability of it making it easier to source. It will typically impart flavours of vanilla, coconut and tropical fruits
European oak is slow growing so has a more limited availability. It will generally give notes to the whisky of dried fruits and warm spices. At Kilchoman, our sherry casks are actually made with American oak instead of European oak. This is due to the fact that European oak is more porous, allowing less interaction to take place so will generally require a much longer maturation.
After deciding what type of oak we want to mature in, it then comes to selecting what the casks have been used for previously. The two most commonly used types of casks are ex-bourbon barrels and ex-oloroso sherry casks. However, we have experimented with everything from cognac, rum, tequila, mezcal and calvados. This produces a wide variety of additional flavour and allows us to make a more diverse range of whiskies but this comes with its own challenges, as some can be more difficult to work with making it harder to predict the outcome.
When it comes to selecting which cask types we use, the key word is balance. We don’t want to choose something that will overshadow Kilchoman’s unique spirit, but we also want to ensure we are getting enough influence that it adds flavour and creates harmony. Not all cask types will work for us as well as others, which is completely fine. It all comes down to discovering what showcases our whisky in the best light.
Now we wait. Despite going through the process with a fine-tooth comb to select what we feel will be the best casks for us, it all comes down to what happens while they are aging. As much as we would like to think we have total control when it comes to this, you cannot tell a cask how to mature and sometimes you can taste two casks from the same batch, and they can be entirely different from one another.
There is no right or wrong way to choose casks. It all comes down to the desired flavour the distillery is looking to achieve. What may work well for one may not work well for another. One of the wonderful things about whisky is that this means there is an unimaginable number of different flavours being created all over the world and with the amount of diversity in the industry means there truly is something out there for everyone to enjoy.
Back in October James Wills embarked on our biggest ever US tour, taking him from Boston MA to Orlando FL and stopping at infinite picturesque cities big and small along the way. He visited over 50 of our US retail partners and met close to 2,000 fans of Kilchoman. The 2024 tour followed successful tours in the mid-west as well as both the west and east coasts.
The focus of the events was our latest core range release, Batch Strength, particularly the Tour Edition featuring Rory, our Aberdeen Angus bull. 99.7% loved it, (some preferred one of our other releases), deepening affection for high strength Kilchoman with established Islay whisky lovers and converting those less partial to a peaty dram to our new ‘colossal’ core range expression. If you haven’t tried Batch Strength yet, then you should seek it out… your local stockist should have it on the shelves.
If we missed you on our latest tour then don’t worry, we’ll be back, we aren’t sure when or where yet, but if you have any suggestions then please get in touch.
The final leg of the Asia Batch Strength Tour took us to China and South Korea. My father and I arrived in China to take over from Catherine, who needed a well-earned break after 2 weeks travelling through South-East Asia. After a quick dram and a catch-up with Catherine, she flew home and we carried on the tour.
It was the first time Anthony had been to China for over 25 years, back in his independent bottling days, and safe to say plenty had changed. Beijing was the first of 9 cities on the tour, followed by Yanji, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Nanning, Kunming, Hefei, Suzhou and finally Shanghai.
We hosted a variety of events in bars and restaurants across the country. From the chilly temperatures in the north (where we sponsor the annual Ice Racing competition!) to the tropical south, the hospitality and welcome we received was incredible, making the jetlag and early flights more than worth the trouble!
There were plenty of bottles of Batch Strength to be signed as the tour edition was snapped up fast, ranking top of the pile in most of our tasting line-ups. Anthony was also introduced to the word ‘gānbēi’, slàinte in Scotland (with a twist), which resulted in many drams being consumed on tour.
The pin badges, Kilchoman tweed and Batch Strength t-shirts we brought with us were worn with pride at each event and a few lucky guests went home with some extra presents – who doesn’t like going home with some free whisky!
After finishing up the Chinese leg of the tour in Shanghai, I hopped on the short flight over to Korea for 3 days of events. First in Busan, somewhere I had never been before, and then on to Seoul.
We had a sold out tasting in Busan with over 70 people there to get a taste of our new core range whisky. To those who missed out, don’t worry, we are already planning our next trip back here for our 20th anniversary next year!
After one day in Busan it was then time to leave for the bright lights of Seoul. We hosted another packed out tasting event before it was time to visit one of the Kilchoman Comraich bars for an evening of drams in Aslung. There was core range, limited editions, single casks and a few surprise distillery exclusives all up for grabs behind the bar.
A packed few days of Korean barbeque and delicious whisky, not a bad combination to finish up the tour with! After 6 weeks, 9 regions and countless drams, it was time to wrap up the Asia Batch Strength Tour and head home… See you next time!
The wait is over – Sanaig Cask Strength is here!
We have launched a limited number of bottles of Sanaig Cask Strength for 2024. After the success of Machir Bay Cask Strength we thought it was time that everyone had a chance to taste Sanaig at its natural best as well! This vatting uses the same recipe as our regular Sanaig bottling however, rather than reducing the strength to 46% abv, we have released a limited number of bottles at cask strength; 57.8% abv.
Sanaig is a combination of both oloroso sherry hogshead finishes and fully matured casks. We source all our sherry casks from José y Miguel Martín and the consistency of these casks is really highlighted at the higher strength. Sanaig at cask strength has an incredible combination of rich peat smoke and sweet cooked fruits with a deep long lasting glutinous finish.
“Sanaig at cask strength has a fantastic balance of cooked fruits and richness from the oloroso sherry hogsheads with warming peat smoke. Since its addition to the core range in 2016 Sanaig has grown in popularity, and at its natural strength, it allows the nose and palate to shine even brighter,” Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder.
Sanaig Cask Strength (70cl, 57.8% vol.) will be available across Europe from this week. For those further away, it’s on the way, best to contact your local stockist to make sure they keep a bottle for you when it does arrive.
Contact us by email for more information – admin@kilchomandistillery.com
To be amongst the first to hear about all our new releases click here to sign up and join the Kilchoman Club for free
Every stage of the production process is important to the creation of a whisky but one of the most fundamental (and longest!) stages is maturation. At Kilchoman we are proud that 100% of our spirit is matured on Islay, allowing the local climate to affect the character as it ages. We fill every cask at 63.5% ABV with water from Glen Osamail, a burn that runs from the hill behind the distillery. And then we wait!
We currently have eight warehouses, maturing in a combination of racked and dunnage. Dunnage is very traditional, with casks only being stowed 3 high on earth floors. Whereas our newly built racked warehouses can hold casks 10 high. We look forward to analysing any subtle differences in character that may come from using these two types of warehouses.
The legal requirement to be Single Malt Whisky is a minimum maturation of 3 years and 1 day in oak casks. We source our casks from all over the world and they vary in style, size, shape and of course influence on the whisky.
At Kilchoman we predominantly mature in ex American Oak bourbon barrels. We feel this best allows Kilchoman new make spirit to shine through. Bourbon casks are the most widely used cask type in Scotland due to their consistency in flavour and reliable supply, making them the perfect candidate for one of our core range expressions – Machir Bay. Each cask has a 200L capacity and will generally impart more flavours of vanilla, butterscotch and oak.
The other most commonly used cask type is ex Sherry casks, more specifically oloroso sherry. We source all our sherry casks directly from Bodega Miguel Martin in Spain, an independent family run company like us. These come in a range of sizes, from Hogsheads (225 – 250 litres) or Butts (475-500 litres) and will typically give flavours of rich dried fruit, warm spices and nuttiness. Oloroso is not the only type of sherry we use at Kilchoman, we also fill into PX, a much sweeter style of sherry, and Fino, a drier style. Despite filling more bourbon barrels than sherry casks, we still love the way sherry casks illustrate the richer, deeper flavours in our whisky and showcases our spirit in a different light, as you will find with our Sanaig release.
We have always enjoyed experimenting with cask types and have tried various options such as Port, Madeira, Sauternes, Red Wine, and the list goes on. In 2019 the Scotch Whisky Association eased restrictions on the types of casks that can be used for maturation, allowing us to become even more experimental, filling casks such as Tequila, Mezcal and Calvados. The whisky industry is constantly evolving, and it is always exciting for us when we can try something new and create different flavours at Kilchoman.
In contrast to most distilleries who use these ‘experimental’ cask types for short periods of finishing at the end of maturation, we prefer a full-term maturation for many of these limited edition expressions, such as the 2024 releases of Port and Sauternes Cask Matured. This can be a risky strategy as these cask types are renowned for imparting bold and powerful flavours which we wouldn’t want to dominate the Kilchoman spirit. However, we have found the full impact of these casks can produce something special and unique in the final creation.
Using all these different cask types not only allows for a lot of different flavours to shine through but also creates a wide range of colours. All Kilchoman’s whisky is completely natural in colour and free from any additives such as caramel. All our colour comes completely from the cask it was matured in, with bourbon barrels giving a bright golden colour to the spirit and sherry casks providing a much darker, deeper tone.
While the industry norm is to use casks several times for maturation, exhausting all that the cask has to offer, every cask that we source will only be filled twice by us and will then be sold further into the industry to be used again. This ensures we get the maximum impact of flavour in our maturation to create our bold, fresh, full of character single malt whisky. It’s a common misconception that whisky must be old to be considered good. Although age is a vital part of any whiskies flavour profile, there are many other important factors that go into the makeup of a whiskies overall character, and it is a combination of all these elements that define the unique style of Kilchoman – from barley to bottle.
With a suitcase packed full of goodies from the distillery, I was ready to take over from Emma and continue our Asia Batch Strength Tour, starting the next stage in Hong Kong
Hong Kong was the third stop on the tour, and Anthony joined me for a couple of days before heading back to Islay. We visited several venues to taste a selection of Kilchoman releases and, of course, introduced them to our new core range release, Batch Strength.
Stop four took us to Thailand, where Batch Strength was showcased at various tasting events around Bangkok.
We also visited some fantastic bars, and I was lucky enough to sample some delicious Kilchoman cocktails. I won’t lie, it was hard to leave!
After a painfully early flight (4 a.m. wake-up call!), I touched down in Singapore. We kicked things off by visiting a few shops—including getting roped into some fun social media antics with the team at Alcohol Cartel!
We hosted a couple of Masterclasses, featuring a live connection with the distillery team for a tour of the stillhouse. A few people in the group were reminiscing about their recent trip to Islay and visit to Kilchoman—Russell’s tour brought back fond memories!
From Singapore, it was off to Malaysia. After our first tasting event, we visited the WET Deck Bar on the 12th floor of the W Hotel. A dram of Kilchoman with a stunning view of the Petronas Towers—what more could you ask for?
We unveiled Batch Strength to a group of local media, followed by a full house of enthusiastic whisky drinkers at Director’s Cut.
Day 3 began with an early start for the drive to Penang, but it was absolutely worth it. Not only did I get to indulge in the incredible local food (so delicious!), but in the evening, we were warmly welcomed by an enthusiastic crowd of Kilchoman fans at ABV Penang!
Everyone was excited to try our latest releases, especially Batch Strength, which was a big hit. The night ended with me signing bottles, posters, and even someone’s phone case!
Last stop for me on the tour was Indonesia. After some shop and bar visits, we hosted a full-house Masterclass at Bar Mirai, one of our designated Comraich bars.
The next day, I experienced the infamous Jakarta traffic as we made our way to the bustling Senopati district to visit the newly opened Bottom Parlour Bar, where we spent the evening behind the bar, pouring a selection of Kilchoman whiskies. Batch Strength is currently their featured whisky!
Thank you to all the amazing shops, bars, and distributors who welcomed me along the way and hosted the various events, as well as to everyone who attended. Now it’s over to Peter for the China and South Korea legs of the tour!
To find out where Peter will be visiting in China and South Korea click here
From Friday, 1st November, the Kilchoman Visitor Centre & Café will be open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 – 16:00. Closed on Mondays.
The Café is open from 10:00 – 15:30 for teas, coffees, and home baking. Lunch is served from 12:00 to 14:30; booking is advisable for lunch.
On Saturdays and Sundays, afternoon tea will be available alongside our craft workshop weekends. Full details to follow.
📞: 01496 850 011
📧: tours@kilchomandistillery.com
As every farmer knows, success in agriculture is often at the mercy of the weather, and 2024 proved to be no exception. We started ploughing on 7th March in the Smiddy Field, but the unsettled weather meant we took longer than normal and this delay impacted our sowing schedule. Typically, we begin sowing barley around the 15th of April and finish within five days. However this year, the cold and wet soil meant we couldn’t start until the 27th of April in the Flat Field. The final field, Creag Field, wasn’t completed until 8th May but we remained hopeful that it wouldn’t have a significant impact.
In total we sowed around 155 acres, growing two varieties of spring barley – 50% Diablo and 50% Laurette. We’ve had success with both varieties in previous years. Not only are they high performing in the field, but they also create a balanced flavour profile for our single malt.
The weather continued to throw challenges our way during the growing season with a mix of cold, damp days and a lack of warmth. The barley in lighter soils struggled as the weather alternated between being too dry and then too wet – farmers are never happy with the weather!
Harvest time brought a welcome change. We were starting to wonder if the barley would ever ripen, but fortunately, the weather improved just in time. While we usually start harvesting at the end of August, we didn’t begin until 17th September due to the later sowing and mixed weather over the summer. Once we started combining, we had nine consecutive days of ideal conditions – the best weather we had seen all year! This allowed us to harvest the crop efficiently and without interruption, a rarity in farming. It’s always a good sign when Islay is happy with the dusty ‘stoor’ clouds around the combine! Stoor while we’re combing means that the barley is really dry, the combine can work more efficiently and we can cover the ground quicker – ideal conditions for better yields.
Both barley varieties, Diablo and Laurette, performed very well. They produced a good yield and grain size despite the difficult growing conditions and the straw this year was better and longer in length than last year.
We are thrilled with the outcome of this year’s harvest, having produced 321.22 tonnes of barley under less-than-ideal conditions. This will go on to create 800 barrels of whisky, contributing to our unique Single Farm Single Malt – 100% Islay, from ‘Barley to Bottle.’
Here’s to another successful year, overcoming all the challenges the weather threw our way. The planning for 2025 is already underway!
Back on the road again! Taking The Batch Strength Tour to some new parts of the world. After a cancelled train, a broken suitcase and a delayed flight I finally landed in Japan with a bag full of Batch Strength t-shirts, Kilchoman tweed, a few samples and a couple of 12 foot flags… The tour kicked off in Fukuoka at a very busy tasting and where I was treated to my first experience of authentic Japanese food, before a short drive to Bar Coda for some Batch Strength highballs and a very competitive game of rock, paper, scissors for a cask strength sample of the new 100% Islay release!
Almost recovering from the jet lag, I hosted a trade seminar for some bar and shop owners before getting on my first ever bullet train to Kobe where we visited some phenomenal whisky bars. The bars in Japan were like nothing I had seen before. From the outside they looked like we were walking into a small house but open the door and you will see floor to ceiling collections of some incredible whiskies.
Kicking things off in Kobe with another trade seminar, and the most spectacular view overlooking the city, really making me realise what a small little corner of the world I live in. We then headed to Bar Cask for two back-to-back seated tastings hosted by myself and our very own Japanese Kilchoman Ambassador – Mr Maekawa, who was in charge of translating my complicated Scottish explanation into an understandable Japanese one and also making Machir Bay highballs!
We made our way to Kyoto for one night to host a tasting at Bar Bacchus as well as visit the incredible Kiyomizu Temple. We then headed to our final stop on the tour which was of course Tokyo! Some more delicious Japanese food was eaten as well as some delicious whisky for my last event in Japan before reluctantly leaving and finding every excuse as to why I had to come back.
The tour then took me to Taiwan where I was met with the outer bands of a typhoon. I have never seen rain like it and that is a big statement coming from someone who grew up on Islay. Although as quickly as it came it left again and we were back to regular 35 degrees and sunny. I got the train down to Kaohsiung, so I spent the whole time admiring the beautiful Taiwanese scenery before starting things off with three 1-hour long sessions at a variety of liquor stores.
With a small shop up first we had to improvise, hosting the first tasting using tables and chairs outside on the street, which was definitely one of the most unique setups for a tasting but allowed a lot of people passing by to join in and ended up being very well attended. I thought this might be the way forward back home until reality hit and hosting a tasting in Scotland on the street at night may not be quite as enjoyable…
We moved further north to Taichung where I was joined by Anthony Wills for two of the tastings as I was heading back home the next day and he was continuing the tour in Taiwan. A great start to the Batch Strength Tour in Asia and two incredible countries that I had the pleasure of visiting and chatting all things Kilchoman!
To find out where else you can come and visit us as we travel through Asia click here
