Kilchoman

After more than 125 years, the Kilchoman farm distillery is the first new distillery to be built on the island of Islay. At the distillery, which was founded in 2005 and produces a 100 per cent Islay Single Malt, all production steps are carried out on site, from the cultivation of the barley to the filling of the bottles.

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Information about the Distillery
324 Bottles
Scotland, Islay
-6.430783 55.787017
Active
1 x 3,000 l
Normal
1 x 1,600 l
Normal
4 x 6,000 l
1 t
2005
480,000 l
http://www.kilchomandistillery.com/
Average tasting notes Tasting notes
Calculated from 2,534 Tasting Notes
i
Nosing
Peat Smoke:
Peat Smoke:
Sweet:
Sweet:
Fruit:
Fruit:
Sherry:
Zitrus:
Zitrus:
Sherry:
Vanilla:
Vanilla:
Spices:
Maritime Notes:
Maritime Notes:
Seaweed:
Seaweed:
Spices:
Bonfire Smoke:
Bonfire Smoke:
Oak:
Oak:
Caramel:
Caramel:
Herbs:
Herbs:
Malt:
Malt:
Honey:
Honey:
Herb:
Herb:
Lemon:
Lemon:
Ham:
Ham:
Nuts:
Dried Fruit:
Medicinal Smoke:
Medicinal Smoke:
Dried Fruit:
Heather:
Heather:
Berries:
Berries:
Raisin:
Raisin:
Pear:
Pear:
Lime:
Lime:
Alcohol:
Alcohol:
Dark Chocolate:
Dark Chocolate:
Chocolate:
Chocolate:
Plum:
Plum:
Leather:
Leather:
Orange:
Orange:
Nuts:
Salt:
Salt:
Apple:
Apple:
Cherry:
Oil:
Cherry:
Peach:
Peach:
Lemon Peel:
Lemon Peel:
Grape:
Cinnamon:
Floral:
Cinnamon:
Grape:
Floral:
Oil:
Grass:
Grass:
Date:
Date:
Pineapple:
Pineapple:
Tobacco:
Tobacco:
Tropical Fruit:
Almonds:
Clove:
Clove:
Almonds:
Tropical Fruit:
Iodine:
Iodine:
Fig:
Fig:
Pepper:
Barley:
Pepper:
Barley:
Blackberry:
Blackberry:
Banana:
Coffee:
Hay:
Chili:
Strawberry:
Grapefruit:
Strawberry:
Coffee:
Hay:
Grapefruit:
Banana:
Chili:
Hazelnut:
Hazelnut:
Wheat:
Nutmeg:
Wheat:
Nutmeg:
Walnut:
Walnut:
Green Apple:
Cake:
Green Apple:
Cake:
Ginger:
Ginger:
Coconut:
Mint:
Melon:
Coconut:
Mint:
Black Currant:
Black Currant:
Melon:
Tasting
Peat Smoke:
Peat Smoke:
Sweet:
Sweet:
Fruit:
Sherry:
Fruit:
Sherry:
Spices:
Zitrus:
Zitrus:
Spices:
Caramel:
Caramel:
Vanilla:
Vanilla:
Oak:
Oak:
Maritime Notes:
Maritime Notes:
Herb:
Herb:
Bonfire Smoke:
Seaweed:
Seaweed:
Bonfire Smoke:
Chocolate:
Chocolate:
Malt:
Malt:
Honey:
Honey:
Nuts:
Dried Fruit:
Dried Fruit:
Dark Chocolate:
Herbs:
Herbs:
Dark Chocolate:
Salt:
Salt:
Pepper:
Pepper:
Berries:
Berries:
Ham:
Ham:
Lemon:
Lemon:
Heather:
Heather:
Plum:
Plum:
Orange:
Orange:
Raisin:
Raisin:
Alcohol:
Alcohol:
Oil:
Chili:
Chili:
Oil:
Cinnamon:
Medicinal Smoke:
Medicinal Smoke:
Cinnamon:
Tobacco:
Tobacco:
Nuts:
Fig:
Fig:
Peach:
Peach:
Apple:
Cherry:
Apple:
Cherry:
Pear:
Pear:
Blackberry:
Lemon Peel:
Blackberry:
Lemon Peel:
Lime:
Lime:
Hazelnut:
Hazelnut:
Almonds:
Almonds:
Coffee:
Leather:
Leather:
Coffee:
Hay:
Hay:
Barley:
Barley:
Clove:
Clove:
Floral:
Tropical Fruit:
Tropical Fruit:
Floral:
Grape:
Grape:
Date:
Date:
Nutmeg:
Ginger:
Grapefruit:
Nutmeg:
Ginger:
Grapefruit:
Iodine:
Iodine:
Walnut:
Banana:
Cake:
Walnut:
Wheat:
Banana:
Wheat:
Cake:
Pineapple:
Pineapple:
Green Apple:
Green Apple:
Grass:
Strawberry:
Grass:
Strawberry:
Black Currant:
Black Currant:
Red Currant:
Melon:
Melon:
Red Currant:
Mint:
Rye:
Mint:
Rye:
Finish
Peat Smoke:
Peat Smoke:
Sweet:
Sweet:
Spices:
Oak:
Oak:
Sherry:
Sherry:
Spices:
Fruit:
Fruit:
Maritime Notes:
Maritime Notes:
Malt:
Herb:
Herb:
Malt:
Seaweed:
Seaweed:
Bonfire Smoke:
Bonfire Smoke:
Zitrus:
Zitrus:
Caramel:
Caramel:
Herbs:
Herbs:
Vanilla:
Chocolate:
Chocolate:
Salt:
Dark Chocolate:
Dark Chocolate:
Salt:
Vanilla:
Pepper:
Pepper:
Nuts:
Heather:
Heather:
Honey:
Honey:
Dried Fruit:
Dried Fruit:
Ham:
Ham:
Oil:
Oil:
Cinnamon:
Cinnamon:
Chili:
Chili:
Medicinal Smoke:
Medicinal Smoke:
Raisin:
Raisin:
Lemon:
Alcohol:
Alcohol:
Lemon:
Coffee:
Coffee:
Leather:
Berries:
Leather:
Berries:
Nuts:
Clove:
Clove:
Plum:
Plum:
Orange:
Tobacco:
Orange:
Tobacco:
Nutmeg:
Nutmeg:
Grapefruit:
Grapefruit:
Floral:
Grape:
Floral:
Grape:
Cherry:
Cherry:
Ginger:
Ginger:
Barley:
Barley:
Blackberry:
Iodine:
Tropical Fruit:
Blackberry:
Pear:
Iodine:
Cake:
Pear:
Tropical Fruit:
Cake:
Almonds:
Date:
Pineapple:
Pineapple:
Almonds:
Lime:
Lime:
Date:
Grass:
Apple:
Hazelnut:
Apple:
Grass:
Hazelnut:
Wheat:
Walnut:
Walnut:
Wheat:
Strawberry:
Anis:
Strawberry:
Lemon Peel:
Peach:
Kiwi:
Fig:
Kiwi:
Lemon Peel:
Peach:
Fig:
Details about the Distillery

Der Whisky

Kilchoman distillery, which sits on the Isle of Islay, is one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland. Considering this, the distillery's range of official bottlings is predictably small, but provides a wide range of taste. The distillery's core expression is 'Machir Bay', which was launched in 2012 to enormous critical acclaim. The bottling won best in class at the IWSC awards. The other instalments in the official range include 100% Islay, Loch Grom, Single Cask, Port Cask Matured, Original Cask Strength, Madeira Cask Matured, and a range of Vintage Bottlings. At present, there have not yet been any independent bottlings from the distillery. 

The Production

Despite it's isolated location on Islay, Kilchoman is one of the few distilleries in Scotland that can claim that they perform every stage of the production process on-site. One of the reason's that this is more achievable for the distillery is its small size. The distillery's production capacity sits at 480,000 litres a year. The distillery draws it's water from the Allt Gleann Osamail burn, which lays adjacent to the distillery. 

Kilchoman has 155 hectares of land for growing barley - mainly the Sassy and Planet varieties are used here. Every year, the distillery processes 300 to 350 tonnes of barley. The spent grains from the mashing process are not only used as feed for the cattle, but are also fed to the distillery's sheep.

The Pot Stills

Kilchoman operates with two wash and two spirit stills. The spirit stills have a capacity of 1,600 litres, while the wash stills have a capacity of 3,000 litres. The spirit stills have a tall, narrow conical neck, and a wide spherical lid. The wash stills have a traditional 'Speyside' shape, which also features a wide lid, but a less narrow neck than that of the spirit stills. 

The Maltings

Growing the barley they need themselves is an extraordinary venture in today's modern era of industrial sourcing. Kilchoman grows the barley in the fields right next to the distillery. This is then laid out on the distillery's own malting floor. The malts that are used in the distillery's production are peated, although the level of smokiness is not always the same, as the requirements of each bottling are different. The peat used to dry the malt is also sourced from Islay, making the entire Whisky production an island business. However, the distillery has deviated somewhat from its plan to be completely independent. 

15 to 20 per cent of the barley comes from the surrounding fields and is malted in-house with a phenol content of 20ppm. The distillery sources the rest from large malting plants on the mainland with a phenol content of 50ppm.

The Mashing

At Kilchoman, two mash tuns are in operation, each with a volume of 1.2 tonnes. In one of them, only the 100 per cent Islay Malt is processed, and in the other, the grain that is bought in from other malting plants.  After filling with barley meal, about 4,000 litres of water are added. The resulting mash is a 'clear word', giving a fruitier spirit.

The Fermentation

The distillery uses twice seven stainless steel washbacks, each with a capacity of 6,000 litres, and ferments for 84 hours. The clear mash, the yeast used and the long fermentation time give the Whiskies a fruity, light and floral character.

The Warehouse

Before the spirit is casked, it is reduced to 63.5 ABV. Kilchoman uses first-fill Bourbon barrels from Buffalo Trace distillery in Kentucky, and first fill Oloroso Sherry hogsheads and butts from Miguel Martin, Jerez, Spain. 80% of the distillery's output is aged in the Bourbon casks, with the remaining 20% filling the Oloroso.

The warehouses at Kilchoman are all Dunnage Warehouses with rammed earth floors, plus some Racked Warehouses. A total of about 15,000 barrels can be stored on the premises. 

To complete the journey from field to bottle, the distillery also has its own bottling line. So at Kilchoman, every stage of the production process takes place in or around the distillery.

The History

When the Kilchoman distillery was built, it was the first newly opened distillery on the island of Islay in 124 years. The distillery is the most westerly distillery in Scotland and was founded with the particular ambition of being a fully independent distillery and venture. Kilchoman was built in 2005 and the first raw spirit distilled in the same year. Anthony Wills, the distillery's managing director, chose the location. He was the owner of an independent bottling company when he first became familiar with Whisky distilling and discovered his passion for it. Since opening the distillery, he has received a lot of positive criticism - mainly for the high quality of his Whisky and also for his attitude towards running an independent distillery.

In 2019, there was an expansion at Kilchoman, which included the construction of a new still house. The number of stills was doubled from two to four. They also added an additional mash tun and six new wash backs. Production was thus increased from 140,000 litres a year to 480,000 litres. Kilchoman is still one of the smaller distilleries in Scotland.

The Visitor Centre

Kilchoman has a small visitor centre on-site, which has a very in-depth guide for visitors about the process of Whisky distillation. A tour of the distillery, gift shop and café are also offered at the centre. 

Visitor information

Distillery Address:

Kilchoman Distillery
Rockside Farm
Bruichladdich
Isle of Islay
PA49 7UT
Tel: +44 1496-850011
Email: tours@remove-this.kilchomandistillery.com 

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