The countdown is on for Fèis Ìle 2024 and we’re looking forward to another great day. Save the date – Thursday 30th May 2024.
We have been busy selecting a range of special drams and cask samples for the masterclass events as well as planning various tours, activities, live music and entertainment which will take place throughout the day. And of course, there will be our Fèis Ìle 2024 release which will be available from the distillery shop only. If you sadly can’t be with us in person then we have two online tastings for you on the day!
Tickets to pre-booked experiences can be bought in advance as well as tasting packs for the online tastings, click here for full details and availability.
MASTERCLASS EVENTS
- 10:30 – ‘Founder’s Cask Exploration’ with Anthony Wills (Open to Club Members only, sign up here)
- 14:30 – ‘Exploring New & Upcoming Releases’ with Catherine MacMillan and George Wills
ONLINE LIVE TASTINGS
- 11:00 – ‘The Impact of Peat: From Unpeated to Heavily Peated’ with Emma McHarrie and James Wills
- 14:00 – ‘Exploring New & Upcoming Releases’ with Peter and Anthony Wills
BOOKABLE EVENTS
- Be A Bottler – 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 14:00, 15:00 (includes a personalised bottle of a Distillery Exclusive Single Cask).
- Islay’s Farm Tour – 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 – Islay Heads, General Manager, will take you on a guided tour around the farm and local area, sampling a few drams along the way(*There will also be additional Farm Tours during Fèis week- Monday 27th at 14:30 and Tuesday 28th at 14:30 – Booking Essential)
- NEW EVENT – Machir Bay Sunset Drams – 20:00 on Tuesday 28th May – Join us for a special whisky tasting event on Machir Bay at sunset. Sample four whiskies and enjoy some nibbles as we share Kilchoman stories at sunset and soak in the Islay atmosphere. Limited tickets available. Don’t miss out!
- Range Tastings – we will be running these short, guided tastings of 4 core range whiskies regularly throughout the day (Tickets can be bought on the day at the bar)
EXPLORE
Free entry to the Distillery Fèis Day – Our main production areas will be open and operational throughout the day so it’s a great chance to experience everything in action and have a chat with the experts that work at each stage and ask them all your Kilchoman questions. Additionally, on the hour, every hour, the team will give you an overview of what happens at their stage.
- Still House – Enjoy a dram of Machir Bay on us and learn more about where the flavours you’re tasting come from. Take the opportunity to ask the team all your questions about the mashing, fermentation and distillation stages.
- Malt Floor – Discover the art of traditional floor malting, learn more about peat, see the kiln and enjoy a dram of 100% Islay which has been produced from barley malted on that very floor. We will be moving one batch to the kiln and lighting the fire before moving the next batch from the steep to the floor so you’ll be able to see it all happening. We might even rope you in to lending a hand!
- Warehouse No.3 – Explore one of our traditional dunnage warehouses, take a picture with Cask No.1 and enjoy a wee dram of Sanaig whilst chatting to the team about our maturation and the cask types currently in the warehouses at Kilchoman.
- Range Tastings – We will be running these short, guided tastings of 4 core range whiskies regularly throughout the day (tickets can be bought on the day at the bar).
- Barley Fields – stop off at the field gates as you come down the drive to the distillery and see the progress of the 2024 barley varieties Laureate and Diablo.
EATING, DRINKING, DANCING & SHOPPING
- The Whisky Bar will be serving a range of new and old editions, Comraich Batches and Single Casks. Driver dram bottles will also be available to take away
- Cocktail Bar – we have created a selection of delicious whisky cocktails which will be available from the bar throughout the day, fingers crossed for cocktail weather!
- Live music throughout the day in the Music Marquee from Rhuval, Ceol an Aire and The Kilchoman Distillery Isle of Islay Pipe Band. Bring your dancing shoes for a ceilidh in the courtyard!
- BBQ with delicious local meats, light bites from the Salad Bar, teas, coffees and home baking from the Café. Vegetarian and vegan options available
- The gift shop will be open throughout the day.
- Games & Activities with prizes to be won.
WHISKY SHOP
The whisky shop will be open from 10am stocking all our recent Limited Editions, the latest Distillery Shop Exclusive Single Casks and of course our very special Fèis ìle 2024 bottling.
FÈIS ÌLE 2024 BOTTLING
The Fèis ìle 2024 bottling will only be available from the distillery on Thursday 30th May and will be limited to one bottle per person.
The Fèis Ìle 2024 release is a vatting of two fresh bourbon barrels, distilled in 2011. This single farm single malt was produced from barley grown and malted at Kilchoman, before being dried in our kiln. Significantly, this batch of malt was not dried with peat, and the Fèis Ìle 2024 release is one of the few from Kilchoman to be unpeated.
“Our Fèis Ìle releases are sold exclusively to visitors to Islay and I am very excited to offer something rarely seen in the market to those making the journey this year. Few would have tasted unpeated Kilchoman before, and although some may miss the maritime peat smoke, the fresh citrus notes and soft buttery sweetness shine through on this dram.” Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder.
Approximately 480 bottles of Fèis ìle 2024 will be available from the distillery shop on Thursday 30th May, limited to one bottle per person. £110 per bottle, 70cl, 53% vol.
ONLINE LIVE TASTING & DISTILLERY TOURS
We’re looking forward to welcoming many of you to the distillery on Thursday 30th May but if you can’t make it in person, don’t worry, we will do our best to bring a taste of fèis to you virtually wherever you are in the world.
We will be broadcasting live from various production areas around the distillery, having a chat with the Kilchoman team and visitors while listening to live music throughout the day. We’ll be live on our Facebook & Instagram, so wherever you are in the world, you can join in too.
Live Tastings – This year there are two chances to join us for a live tasting. Join Emma McHarrie & James Wills live at 11:00 Islay time for an online tasting that looks at ‘The Impact of Peat: From Unpeated to Heavily Peated.’ Later in the day, at 14:00 join Peter & Anthony Wills to taste new and upcoming releases. Tasting packs can be purchased in advance here so you’ll have the whiskies to sample along with us.
For more information please email admin@kilchomandistillery.com