John who is one of the distillery’s directors took this brilliant picture during his last flight over to Islay.  Sadly the weather isn’t always like this!

Landward visited the Distillery at the beginning of April and filmed a piece on our barley to bottle 100% Islay whisky. There will be an interview with distillery manager John MacLellan and founder Anthony Wills as well as a few other bits from around Kilchoman

With the 4th edition 100% Islay coming out on Monday.. have a look at how it was made!!

It is on BBC2 at 7pm and will also be available on iplayer for a week afterwards so don’t worry if you are enjoying a few drams on a Friday instead of the tv.

We are very sad to say that Rebecca has recently moved on and is no longer working for us. She started here six years ago when she was just 14, working in the café on Saturdays and during her school holidays. Once she had left school she joined us full time as a tour guide and before she left was working alongside Leonie running the Visitor Centre. I am sure she will not only be missed by us at the distillery but also by the very many visitors who have met her over the years. We wish her all the best with her new job as trainee Assistant Manager at the Bridgend Hotel.

The events for which booking is required on Thursday 29th May are now all full. However we do have availability on further tastings taking place during the Feis Ile week. Please contact the distillery on 01496 850011 for further details but events include Off Road Dramming at 9am on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning, limited places on a Manager’s Tour at 1pm on Tuesday, limited places on a tour with founder Anthony Wills at 11am on Wednesday, and our first ever tasting at the new Conisby warehouse at 3.30pm on Tuesday.

Otherwise we hope to see you at the distillery on Thursday 29th May for tastings, still house visits, music from Islay Pipe Band and Skerryvore, BBQ, and more!

DUE TO THE HIGH VOLUME OF ORDERS FOR OUR NEW LOCH GORM RELEASE, PLEASE ALLOW 5-7 WORKING DAYS FOR DISPATCH

Thank you for your patience

VISIT THE LOCATIONS THAT INSPIRED OUR WHISKIES

For three days during the Feis Ile this year we will be using our new Kilchoman Land Rover to visit Machir Bay, Loch Gorm, our new Conisby warehouse and of course the distillery itself, tasting our whiskies ‘on location’ with a limited group of Kilchoman fans.

Lasting three hours and finishing with lunch in our visitor centre cafe, we are running this event on Monday 26th, Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th May at 9am (Maximum 6 people – £100 per person – £20 non-refundable deposit to be taken on booking).

Please phone the distillery if you would like to book this event and we look forward to seeing you in May!

(All events on Thursday 29th May now full).

BOOKINGS BEING TAKEN FROM 10AM 1ST APRIL BY PHONE ONLY

Monday 26th May
9am ‘Off-Road Dramming’
Your journey of discovery starts at the distillery itself with a taste of our unique 100% Islay produced from barley to bottle onsite at Rockside Farm. You will then be taken in our new Kilchoman Land Rover to the sites that inspired the whiskies we make today. An opportunity to taste Machir Bay 2014 on the beach itself, Loch Gorm Second Edition by its peaty shores, and you will be among the first to visit our brand new warehouse sited at Conisby for a taste directly from our maturing casks. Finishing with a look at the changes we’ve made at the distillery this year, you will then enjoy lunch in our café –  traditional Cullen Skink with a Panini of your choice, our home made lemon drizzle cake served with our New Make Spirit, and a local Islay ale.
(Maximum 6 people – duration approx. 3 hours – includes lunch)
£100 (Deposit £20 at time of booking)

2pm Manager’s Tour
Enjoy an indepth explanation of our single malt whisky process, taste new make spirit and cask samples, learn of the changes we’ve made at the distillery recently and of our plans for the year ahead.
(Maximum 12 people – duration approx. 2 hours)
£25 (Deposit £5 at time of booking)

Tuesday 27th May

9am ‘Off-Road Dramming’
Your journey of discovery starts at the distillery itself with a taste of our unique 100% Islay produced from barley to bottle onsite at Rockside Farm. You will then be taken in our new Kilchoman Land Rover to the sites that inspired the whiskies we make today. An opportunity to taste Machir Bay 2014 on the beach itself, Loch Gorm Second Edition by its peaty shores, and you will be among the first to visit our brand new warehouse sited at Conisby for a taste directly from our maturing casks. Finishing with a look at the changes we’ve made at the distillery this year, you will then enjoy lunch in our café –  traditional Cullen Skink with a Panini of your choice, our home made lemon drizzle cake served with our New Make Spirit, and a local Islay ale.
(Maximum 6 people – duration approx. 3 hours – includes lunch)
£100 (Deposit £20 at time of booking)

1pm Manager’s Tour
Enjoy an indepth explanation of our single malt whisky process, taste new make spirit and cask samples, learn of the changes we’ve made at the distillery recently and of our plans for the year ahead.
(Maximum 12 people – duration approx. 2 hours)
£25 (Deposit £5 at time of booking)

3.30pm Conisby Warehouse Experience
Our first ever tasting at the new warehouse will include sampling from a number of casks, at various stages of maturation, whilst enjoying fine views over the Loch Indaal.
(Maximum 25 people – duration approx. 90 minutes)
£30 (Deposit £10 at time of booking)

Wednesday 28th May
9am ‘Off-Road Dramming’
Your journey of discovery starts at the distillery itself with a taste of our unique 100% Islay produced from barley to bottle onsite at Rockside Farm. You will then be taken in our new Kilchoman Land Rover to the sites that inspired the whiskies we make today. An opportunity to taste Machir Bay 2014 on the beach itself, Loch Gorm Second Edition by its peaty shores, and you will be among the first to visit our brand new warehouse sited at Conisby for a taste directly from our maturing casks. Finishing with a look at the changes we’ve made at the distillery this year, you will then enjoy lunch in our café –  traditional Cullen Skink with a Panini of your choice, our home made lemon drizzle cake served with our New Make Spirit, and a local Islay ale.
(Maximum 6 people – duration approx. 3 hours – includes lunch)
£100 (Deposit £20 at time of booking)

11am Tour with Founding Director Anthony Wills
Enjoy an indepth explanation of our single malt whisky process with Anthony himself, taste new make spirit and cask samples, learn of the changes we’ve made at the distillery recently and of our plans for the year ahead.
(Maximum 12 people – duration approx. 2 hours)
£25 (Deposit £5 at time of booking)

Thursday 29th May – Kilchoman Open Day

11.00am Be a Bottler
Join our bottling team and experience the time and care that goes into every bottle of Kilchoman. Fill and label your own bottle of Machir Bay using our hands-on approach, and get it authenticated and signed by Anthony Wills or John MacLellan.
(Maximum 12 people – duration approx. 45 minutes – includes authenticated and signed bottle of Machir Bay)
£50 (Deposit £10 at time of booking)

12.00am Manager’s Masterclass – Our Expressions Deconstructed
After tasting our 2014 releases of 100% Islay, Machir Bay and Loch Gorm you will discover each of the cask types used for those expressions, tasting samples at cask strength to understand what each contributes to the final taste profile. A sneak preview too of some Port Cask samples to be used in our brand new release due out in September later this year!
(Maximum 30 people – duration approx. 1 hour 15 mins)
£30 (Deposit £5 at time of booking)

2.00pm Club Members’ Masterclass – The Story of 100% Islay
In this masterclass, you will hear about we came to make our unique 100% Islay whisky produced using barley from Rockside Farm itself. With an indepth explanation of how our barley is processed separately throughout production, we will use comparative tastings of each stage to examine the differences between it and the commercial malt from Port Ellen that we use for our more heavily peated expressions. Understand the challenges of malting through to bottling, whilst sampling both Kilchoman and ‘Port Ellen’ wash, new make spirit and cask samples of the two at various stages throughout maturation in the quest to identify the aromas and flavours that make our 100% Islay unique.
(Maximum 30 people – duration approx. 1 hour 15 mins)
£25 (Deposit £5 at time of booking)

3.30pm Be a Bottler
Join our bottling team and experience the time and care that goes into every bottle of Kilchoman. Fill and label your own bottle of Machir Bay using our hands-on approach, and get it authenticated and signed by Anthony Wills or John MacLellan.
(Maximum 12 people – duration approx. 45 minutes – includes authenticated and signed bottle of Machir Bay)
£50 (Deposit £10 at time of booking)

Still House Open House
Throughout the day you will be invited into the stillhouse to chat to our production team and get up close whilst our new make spirit is being made.
(Maximum 12 people – no pre-booking required)
No charge

Tutored Tastings of the Kilchoman Range
Available throughout the day – no pre-booking required
£5

We look forward to seeing you then!