At Kilchoman we mature all our casks in traditional dunnage warehouses here on the west coast of Islay. Not only is the type of warehouse important to the character of a whisky but also the location, with each cask absorbing all the microclimatic differences Islay has to offer.
There are three main methods used for maturing casks in warehouses, and some distilleries use more than one. The traditional method of ‘dunnage’ and then the more modern trend of ‘racked’ and ‘palletised’ warehousing.
Dunnage – Dunnage warehouses are the traditional warehouse, low in height with thick walls and an earthen floor. Inside, casks are stacked on their sides, no more than three barrels high in stows (rows) which helps to ensure good air circulation and an even maturation throughout. The earthen floor means a dunnage warehouse is naturally humid with minimal seasonal weather variance in Scotland, the climate inside the warehouse remains constant over daily and yearly cycles. This high humidity and constant temperature results in all casks across the warehouse maturing at a consistent rate, being influenced by the humid conditions created by the surrounding soil.
However, dunnage warehouses are expensive to run, the earthen floor and low ceiling, although benefits to a maturing cask, result in higher costs as machines (such as forklifts) cannot be used. So, much like all other aspects of whisky-making life at Kilchoman, cask management is labour-intensive and must be done by hand.
Racked & Palletised – In a racked warehouse, casks will be found stacked on their sides in steel frames, sometimes 12 or more high, while a palletised warehouse has casks stacked on their ends on pallets, often 6 or 8 layers high. The more modern racked and palletised warehouses came to prominence when distilleries expanded in size and the traditional onsite dunnage warehouses could no longer handle the number of casks being produced. Contrary to Dunnage, these warehouses are a lot taller, allowing for more barrels to be stacked on top of each other and have a concrete floor throughout. An obvious advantage to using this type of warehousing is the large number of casks that can be stored inside and the relative ease to access these casks. Forklifts and other machines can freely roam and manage the maturing whisky, an accountant’s dream compared to the labour-intensive dunnage warehouses.
Inside a racked or palletised warehouse there is a relatively lower humidity due to the concrete floors and a more seasonal change in temperature over the months and years of maturation. The lower casks will be cooler and more humid, more like that of a dunnage warehouse, the upper casks will be hotter with a lower humidity, leading to greater evaporation loss of water. This variation in conditions throughout the warehouse can mean maturation becomes more inconsistent and unpredictable across the warehouse.
As well as the type of warehouse, the location of where it is situated is also an influencing factor. Whether it be the amount of wind, sun, rain or snow, the local climate can form an important part of cask maturation. For example, a dunnage warehouse taking up the moisture in the ground from water-soaked soil or a racked/palletised warehouse heating up due to the sun beating down on its roof (not always a problem in some parts of Scotland).
There are many variables throughout the whisky-making process and it is often difficult to say for sure what is the ‘best’ or ‘right’ way, something which makes whisky so fascinating. However, at Kilchoman we like to stick with tradition and mature in dunnage warehouses on Islay, as distillers would have hundreds of years ago. It might mean a little more hard graft for the team manoeuvring each cask by hand, but the cool humid temperature and consistent long term maturation in our dunnage warehouses help make Kilchoman single malt taste the way it does today.
Throughout 2020 we hosted various online live whisky tastings where people from around the world had the opportunity to order tasting packs so they could get the full tasting experience from the comfort of their own home. The live events included pairing the core range whiskies with a variety of fantastic foods from other Scottish producers. Participants were able to order the food tasting packs as well as the whiskies to get the full tasting experience. From highland venison to island cheese and west coast seafood, these tastings proved to be popular with both whisky beginners and connoisseurs alike. The final food pairing had a slightly more international feel through a collaboration with Edinburgh based company COCO chocolatier who work with cacao farmers across Colombia.
Following on from the success of this, we now have two of the chocolate varieties in branded packaging to pair with the well-known expressions – Machir Bay and Sanaig.
Machir Bay is a vatting of Kilchoman matured in a high proportion of bourbon barrels which creates a distinct balance of Islay character and fresh floral complexity. The fresh lime flavour and the sweetness from the chocolate balances very well with the citrus, fresh fruits and vanilla character of Machir Bay.
Sanaig is matured in a high proportion of oloroso sherry hogsheads which imparts a balance of rich, dried fruits and peat smoke. The spiciness from the nutmeg, allspice and cloves works beautifully with the sherry cask influence of Sanaig.
The whisky and chocolate can both be ordered from our website by clicking here
Join us for another ‘Live Tasting’ on Thursday 18th February at 7pm Islay time.
Taste along with your Kilchoman Tasting Glass as we take you through two of our Core Range whiskies and two 2021 Pre-Release samples, explaining how we make each whisky and what unique character and flavours can be found in each dram. You can order your whisky tasting packs from our online shop – click here
Machir Bay – 46% (20ml) – Our signature peated single malt is a vatting of Kilchoman matured in a high proportion of bourbon casks with a small sherry cask influence.
Sanaig – 46% (20ml) – Although also matured in both sherry and bourbon casks, Sanaig has a high proportion of oloroso influence, giving a vastly different character to the whisky.
Loch Gorm 2021 – 46% (20ml) Loch Gorm is our annual limited edition matured entirely in sherry casks. The 2021 edition (due for release in March) is a vatting of 24 oloroso sherry butts filled in 2011 and 2012.
Comraich Batch 4 – 55% (20ml) This range is exclusively available through our Kilchoman Comraich bars. We have partnered with some of the best whisky bars around the world, offering a wide range of Kilchoman single malts. Click here to learn more about the Kilchoman Comraich and find your nearest bar.
Why not pair your drams with some delicious chocolate? Two of the COCO chocolate bars that we paired with our core range whiskies at the end of last year are now available to order from our online shop. The Atlantic sea salt and lime milk chocolate pairs perfectly with our Machir Bay whisky and the spiciness from the nutmeg, allspice and cloves of the Haggis dark chocolate bar works beautifully with the sherry cask influence of Sanaig.
Atlantic Sea Salt & Lime Milk Chocolate
For those unable to get Kilchoman from their local supplier, we have now resumed shipping to EU countries via our online shop. Unfortunately, we have had to update the delivery costs due to increased charges for processing fees and Brexit surcharges for goods entering the EU. For orders to be processed as smoothly as possible, local taxes will be charged at the point of sale so you will not be asked to pay additional charges by DHL or customs. For more information about Kilchoman suppliers in your country please send us an email and we will get back to you info@kilchomandistillery.com
Join us for a ‘Christmas Live Tasting’ on Monday 28th December at 6pm UK time.
Taste along with your Kilchoman Tasting Glass as we take you through the range of whiskies, explaining how we make each whisky and what unique character and flavours can be found in each dram. This Christmas edition of the tasting pack contains two of our Core Range whiskies, Machir Bay and Sanaig, as well as two special limited bottlings, the 2020 Club Release and a Pedro Ximénez Single Cask Finish. Click here to order your tasting pack.
Machir Bay – 46% (20ml) – Our signature peated single malt is a vatting of Kilchoman matured in a high proportion of bourbon casks with a small sherry cask influence.
Sanaig – 46% (20ml) – Although also matured in both sherry and bourbon casks, Sanaig has a high proportion of oloroso influence, giving a vastly different character to the whisky.
2020 Club Release, Ninth Edition – 56.2% (20ml) – Released in November, this annual release is exclusively available for Kilchoman Club members and is a vatting of four fresh oloroso sherry hogsheads distilled in August 2012, bottled at cask strength. These rare casks contained whisky distilled from unpeated Kilchoman 100% Islay malt.
Pedro Ximénez Single Cask Finish – 55.4% (20ml) – This single cask has been matured in a fresh bourbon barrel for over seven years before being finished in a Pedro Ximénez sherry hogshead for four months.
Kilchoman Tasting Glass
As it’s Christmas we have also added some gifts to the packs, ranging from t-shirts to a bottle of our Distillery Exclusive, 11 Year Old Sherry Single Cask. Check inside your tasting glass to see if you are one of the lucky winners!
On Islay, even the sheep celebrate the festive season. There’s nothing better on a dark wintery night than a large dram of cask strength Kilchoman.
This limited edition Cask Strength Machir Bay is released for the festive season so even the sheep on the label have their Santa hats on! Before reducing a batch of our Machir Bay to its regular bottling strength of 46%, this release was bottled at cask strength of 58.6% to appreciate the full power and character of Kilchoman’s core range. That should keep out the cold!
“Our Machir Bay release has been bottled at cask strength for various tasting tours we have done in Europe, USA and Asia. We thought it was about time we did a Machir Bay Cask Strength batch for all our markets around the world to enjoy, especially as it’s always worked beautifully and been received so well in the past. The whisky packs a punch and delivers a big finish packed full of flavour, a perfect dram for your winter evenings,”
This release is available from your regular Kilchoman stockist now. If it isn’t there yet, then it will be soon! Please get in contact with us if you have any questions about finding a bottle near you.
The 2020 Club Release is here! Available exclusively to Club Members from 2pm (UK time) on Wednesday 18th Nov. If you aren’t a member already, click here to register.
Always keen to find something a bit different to our regular releases for the Club, we have found a series of very rare Kilchoman casks. This, the Ninth Edition, is a vatting of four fresh oloroso sherry hogsheads distilled in August 2012.
These casks were filled with our 100% Islay spirit, produced from publican barley grown and malted on site, however unlike other 100% Islay expressions these casks contained whisky distilled from unpeated Kilchoman malt. The reduced peat smoke flavours allow for light, fruity character to shine through. Interestingly, whilst the malted barley was unpeated, remnants of previous peated spirit runs create faint hints of smoke on the nose which complement the balance of rich fruit and citrus on the palate. Bottled at cask strength, 56.32% abv, there will be approximately 1,200 bottles available.
“We only filled a handful of casks with unpeated 100% Islay spirit over the past 15 years and it was always going to be fascinating how they developed differently from the usually peated malt. Although faint notes of peated spirit from the previous sprit runs can be found in the whisky, it is overridden on the palate with strong spice, bold fruits and coastal flavours” Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder and Master Distiller.
Approximately 1,200 bottles will be available at 2pm on Wednesday 18th November (UK time). Bottles will be priced at £99.60 per bottle (Incl. VAT, 70cl, 56.2% abv) limited to one bottle per person. For more information please email tours@kilchomandistillery.com or call (+44) 01496 850011
Join us for another ‘Whisky & Food Pairing Live Tasting’ on Thursday 26th November at 7pm.
Taste along with your Kilchoman Tasting Glass as we take you through our Core Range of whiskies, explaining how we make each whisky and what unique character and flavours can be found in each dram. You can order your whisky tasting packs from our online shop.
You’re welcome to join the live tasting with just the drams, however, you now have the chance to try something different. Over the last few months we have been pairing Kilchoman with a variety of fantastic foods from on our doorstep in Scotland! From highland venison to island cheese and west coast seafood, we have teamed up with some great Scottish producers to complement our whiskies.
For the tasting on the 26th November, we will be pairing Kilchoman with a variety of delicious chocolates! We will be changing the theme and having an international feel to this months tasting, collaborating with Edinburgh based company COCO who work with cacao farmers across Colombia. The cacao beans are processed into different chocolate products which travel all the way to Edinburgh where their team of chocolatiers works them into chocolate products. We have chosen; Salted Caramel Milk Chocolate, Colombian Dark 61% Chocolate, Isle of Skye Sea Salt & Lime Milk Chocolate and Haggis Spice Dark Chocolate to pair with Kilchoman.
For more information and to purchase the chocolate tasting pack click here to visit the COCO website and enter code kilchoman10 for a 10% discount.
Whisky Tasting Pack
Machir Bay – 46% (20ml) – Our signature peated single malt is a vatting of Kilchoman matured in a high proportion of bourbon casks with a small sherry cask influence.
Sanaig – 46% (20ml) – Although also matured in both sherry and bourbon casks, Sanaig has a high proportion of oloroso influence, giving a vastly different character to the whisky.
Loch Gorm 2020 – 46% (20ml) – The 2020 edition of Loch Gorm is a vatting of 21 oloroso sherry butts from 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011.
100% Islay 9th Edition – 50% (20ml) – Distilled from our 2007 and 2009 barley crops, the 9th edition is a vatting of 43 ex-bourbon barrels matured for over 9 years in our on-site dunnage warehouses.
Kilchoman Tasting Glass
Our fourth and final limited edition of the year, the Fino Sherry Matured, will be available worldwide from this week.
The second of our Autumn releases comes in the form of a Fino Sherry Matured limited edition, our first global release of this cask type. The whisky has spent its full maturation in fino casks previously used by Bodega Miguel Martin in Spain, 11 fresh butts and 1 refill butt.
This release follows on from other limited-edition expressions using experimental cask maturations from Kilchoman, full term maturations in port, madeira, sauternes, red wine and STR cask types, amongst others. This particular release is limited to just 10,500 bottles worldwide.
Our core range of whiskies include oloroso sherry in their maturation, a medium-dry style of sherry which gives our whiskies a range of cooked and dried fruit influence. Fino differs from this by being a drier, more saline type of sherry which gives Kilchoman whisky layers of fragrant green apple, balancing beautifully with the citrus sweetness, cooked fruits and maritime peat smoke of our spirit.
“We have previously bottled a fino sherry matured release for our Kilchoman Club members but this will be a first global release. It’s exciting to have a new cask type available for the Kilchoman followers to taste. The fresh green apple character certainly adds a new element compared to what we’ve released before”
The Fino Sherry Matured is available from your regular Kilchoman stockist now. If it isn’t there yet, then it will be soon! Please get in contact with us if you have any questions about finding a bottle near you. A limited number of bottles will also be released via our website shop on Wednesday 14th at 2pm UK time (limited to one bottle per person) £74.52. 
Growing barley on Islay
Everyone that grows malting barley has their own challenges no matter where you are. We are fortunate in many ways as we have a fairly temperate climate on Islay as we are in the Gulf Stream but with any positive there is a negative and the Gulf Stream brings with it a lot of rain and wind compared to mainland barley growing areas in the central belt and north east Scotland.
When we plant the seed we are also looking for dry warm soils as this gives the barley the best opportunity to establish and sink deep roots into the ground which helps the plant to obtain nutrients and in drier months gives better access to water in the soil. When barley is growing it requires a mix of sunshine and rain to maximise its potential but sometimes it feels like the rain is never ending and wet damp weather impacts on yield. But for us, the most important factor is how well the barley distils and the quality of the spirit it produces.
Why we grow barley on the farm
Islay has some fertile areas suitable for barley production with a strong farming heritage and traditionally barley would have been grown for cattle feed and for use in whisky production. As distilling became more regulated, and the distilleries began to increase in size in the early 1900’s, there would not have been enough ground available that was capable of barley production for their needs and barley would have been brought to the island to meet this demand.
One of Anthony’s aims when he decided to build a distillery was to take distilling back to its traditional roots where possible and it was high on his list of priorities that the farm should be able to provide barley for the production process. The farm currently supplies enough barley for around 20% of our production requirements. Growing our own barley has many benefits. Not only do we get to choose the varieties of barley which we grow, we also get to decide the acreages planted meaning that we can experiment with different varieties and even plant these in the same fields side by side so we compare them with each other. This control gives Anthony the opportunity to distil batches of different varieties of barley and see what effect variety has on the spirit character. It also allows further experimentation by varying peating levels, yeast varieties and the effects these changes have on the flavour profile of the spirit from different varieties of barley. It enables us to fully explore the potential of each variety we grow. We do not grow barley for the highest yield or because it is easy, we grow barley on Islay to give you the most authentic Islay dram that we can – from barley grown on our farm, malted, distilled, matured and bottled at the farm is what we mean by Single Farm Single Malt.
Harvest 2020
This year 97.5 acres were sown with two varieties – Concerto (80 acres) and Diablo (17.5 acres). Concerto is our main stay variety and usually provides us with a good crop of barley and distils a very good quality spirit.
Diablo was chosen as our experimental variety this year. In our opinion, and from what was seen on the farm, there were slightly less grains in the ear, usually around 4 less than Concerto, and the grains were not as large. The straw unfortunately did not stand up as well due to the weather and combining proved to be more difficult. This is not to say that we are disappointed with this variety. We will truly see what we have when we distil Diablo and we can see what character the spirit has.
For us 2020 proved to be challenging due to a very long dry spell in the spring that effected the germination and despite the weather being dry we had a cold wind and little rain. The weather then changed and we seemed to have nothing but rain from the end of May well into June. In July and August we had a mixed bag of weather with no real settled period of good weather and the temperatures were not particularly high. The barley was ready for harvest around the 24th August but due to the weather we had to wait until the 31st August to get the combine going. Eventually the good weather returned and stayed with us and allowed us to get the harvest in. We look forward comparing the characteristics of the spirit when we distil the two barley varieties from this year. We will keep you updated!
Our 100% Islay limited edition release is produced entirely on one farm, from barley to bottle. For more information click here.
