Barley_to_Bottle
Malting
April 11, 2018Kilchoman is one of only a few distilleries still practicing traditional floor malting, a process that many of Scotland’s distilleries have outsourced with the arrival of commercial distilling. The process involves soaking the barley in water before it is laid on a concrete floor and regularly turned by hand. This triggers the barley to germinate, allowing for the conversion of starch to fermentable sugars and alcohol. The labour intensive nature of floor malting is a significant factor in its demise, though it remains at the heart of our 100% Islay philosophy.
READ NEXT
Kilchoman Day
This year marks a major milestone for Kilchoman: 20 years since we fired up the stills on our farm distillery in the west of Islay, becoming the first new distillery to be built on the island in over 120 years. Two decades later, we remain proudly independent, family run, and…
June 13, 2025