The 2021 Club Release is here! Available exclusively to Club Members from 2pm (UK time) on Wednesday 8th December. If you aren’t a member already, click here to register.
The 10th Edition of the Kilchoman Club bottling is a vatting of three 2008 oloroso sherry casks selected by Kilchoman Founder, Anthony Wills. The three hogsheads were vatted together and bottled at natural cask strength, 52.6%, producing a total of 807 bottles.
“These are some pretty special casks with quite a unique story. Originally the whisky was filled into oloroso sherry butts however I wasn’t satisfied with their development so in 2016 I decided to decant the whisky into refill oloroso hogsheads.
Since being decanted, the whisky has come on beautifully and in my opinion these casks are at their absolute peak in terms of depth of flavour. The influence of the sherry oak is certainly present however it is subtle and rounded, the character coming through on the palate is fruity and layered, offset perfectly by typical Kilchoman freshness and citrus sweetness”
Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder
Bottles will be limited to one per person, priced at £114.90 per bottle (Inc Vat, 70cl, 52.6% abv). To purchase a bottle on Wednesday 8th December, follow the link in your Club email or sign in to your Club page. If you have any questions then please email info@kilchomandistillery.com, call (+44) 01496 850011 or contact us via our social media channels.
On the 9th of November, Gleneagles Hotel hosted a Cocktail Competition in which their talented team of mixologists had the opportunity to create, name and present a Kilchoman Whisky based cocktail to a panel of guest judges. With a VIP trip to Islay to visit the distillery as the prize for the highest scoring cocktail, the team pulled out all the stops to impress!
Behind closed doors at in-house American Bar, Gleneagles-inspired speakeasy bar, the judges sat down while the team got ready with their ingredients and the glassware. First up was Andrei with his cocktail named, ‘Ballinaby.’ The inspiration for the name came from the spectacular 5 metre high standing stones at Ballinaby which is located on the north side of Loch Gorm.
Andrei presented a layered cocktail to represent the magnificent standing stone, the vegetation and views around the area.
Ballinaby
– 50ml Machir bay
– A bar spoon of honey, lemon and
nutmeg syrup
– 10ml yellow chartreuse
– Stirred and poured over a block of ice
– Served with sherry flavoured soda
– Garnish with maraschino cherries covered in honey crumbles
Second up was Emilio with ‘Machir Oyster.’ He told us the story of the encounter of two talking oysters on the shore of Islay and the drink he was offered while listening to their travel stories and samples of the souvenirs from the distant seas they visited.
Machir Oyster
– 50ml of Machir Bay
– A bar spoon of sugar
– 25ml of fino sherry
– Pinch of salt
– 25ml of plum sake
– Stirred in a coupette over ice, and finely paired with a coconut jelly and chilli slice
Gordon was our third competitor, and he was inspired by Masataka Taketsuru’s journey to Scotland and the series of events that brought him back home after three years with Rita, the love of his life. He talked about the path that led Masataka Taketsuru, as well as the influence of his Scottish wife, into the creation of one of the most famous distilleries in Japan.
Beating It
– 45ml Kilchoman Port Cask Matured
– 10ml Tonic Wine
– 25ml homemade beetroot sherbet
– 20ml lemon juice
– 25ml egg white
– Double stirred in a coupette and served with a dry beetroot slice
Our fourth drink was made by Giorgio, the head of coffee at Gleneagles. This time we travelled with our palate as the idea behind this pairing was to create a perfectly balanced cocktail with coffee without overshadowing Machir Bay’s fruity and floral aromas.
Expresso Scottini
– 50ml Machir Bay
– 50ml cold brew coffee from Kenya
– 25 ml homemade syrup from
Cascara (coffee husk), rose petals,
and sugar
– 55 ml lemon juice
– 30 ml clarified milk
– Stirred in a goblet, served with a sugar and
rose petal rim.
And to finish off our samplings, Theresa brought us right into the Christmas spirit with her reinterpretation of a white Russian on apple strudel. This was another story lead by flavours as Machir Bay was the inspiration for this drink and the idea of the Strudel was to enhance the notes of apples and the creaminess of the single malt.
Strudel
– 50ml Machir Bay
– 25ml Roots Mountain honey
– Homemade gala apple and
cinnamon syrup
– Topped with double cream
– Garnished with a slice of dried gala apple
seasoned with cinnamon, served over ice in a tumbler.
Lots of laughter was had and everyone enjoyed the chance to sample all these phenomenal drinks. Eventually, it was time to review the scores and name the winners, only two of them could win a VIP trip to the distillery! After much debating, as second and third place were extremely close in score, the hosts were thanked, and the winners were named.
Andrei and Emilio, who created the first and second drinks, were placed first and second! They couldn’t have been happier and kindly posed for a picture with their new Kilchoman hats.
Their drinks will be available at the American Bar and the Century Bar from 2022, but if you are visiting before then, you might be able to request them in advance.
A special thanks to all the people involved in this event, especially Michele Mariotti and his wonderful team at Gleneagles, and also to our secret judges for taking the time to be involved in the event. A great day was had by all.
Join us online for our ‘Christmas Live Tasting’ on Tuesday 28th December at 7pm Islay time.
Taste along with your Kilchoman Tasting Glass as Anthony and George talk you through a range of our 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 2021 Club Release and the Madeira Cask Matured. Tasting Packs can now be purchased from our online shop.
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.
2021 Club Release, Tenth Edition – 52.6% (20ml) – Official release date 7th of December.
Madeira Cask Matured– 50% (20ml) – The Madeira Cask Matured limited edition was distilled in May 2015 and matured for 5 years and 3 months in 46 fresh madeira hogsheads before being bottled at 50% abv. This will be released worldwide in Spring 2022.
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 Single Cask. Check inside your tasting pack to see if you are one of the lucky winners!
Why not pair your drams with some delicious chocolate? Two COCO chocolate bars that pair perfectly with our whiskies are now available from our online shop.
We are delighted to take part in the Distillers One of One auction with an American Oak Cask of Kilchoman New Make Spirit distilled in 2021. This is a rare opportunity to purchase a barrel of our 100% Islay new make spirit produced from barley grown in the fields surrounding the distillery and malted on our traditional floor maltings. Once distilled and filled into an American oak barrel, this spirit will be left to mature and bottled when the auction winner sees fit.
Launched in 2021, the Distillers’ One of One is a biennial series of auctions of Scottish whisky in aid of disadvantaged young people in Scotland. With over 37 donors and 42 unique lots, the aim is to be the first spirits charity auction to raise in excess of 1.2 million, improving the life chances of 1500 of Scotland’s disadvantaged young people over the next 5-6 years.
In order to help transform the life chances of young people in Scotland post pandemic, The Distillers’ Charity has created The One of One Youth Action Fund. The proceeds from the Distillers’ One of One Auction will be disbursed from the fund to a number of charities that focus on empowering Scotland’s young adults to create positive change in their lives and communities. Sotheby’s will also donate a portion of their buyer’s premium from the Auction to The Distillers’ Charity.
The auction will take place 3rd December 2021 at 13:00 GMT in Edinburgh.
Click here for more information
For assistance with bidding and registration, please contact:
+44 207 293 5283
The 100% Islay 11th Edition was distilled from our 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011 barley harvests before being matured for a minimum of 9 years in 26 bourbon barrels and 7 oloroso sherry butts. The combination of lightly peated barley matured in both bourbon and sherry casks creates an intense combination of floral sweetness, layers of rich fruity character and soft maritime peat smoke.
From our inception, the 100% Islay range, Scotland’s only Single Farm Single Malt, was our reason for being. It represents the rebirth of farm distilling, where the responsibility for growing and malting barley, the foundation of single malt, is not outsourced but completed on site with skill, care and attention to detail. An unbroken chain of creation from barley field to bottle, each stage all done right here at Kilchoman.
Having tasted some excellent older sherry butts we quickly decided that they were at their peek, we then tried a few bourbon barrels of a similar age and the backbone of this edition came together very easily. Our bourbon barrels and oloroso butts are incredibly consistent and this combination of roughly 40% sherry butts and 60% bourbon barrels works phenomenally with the style of whisky we produce. It allows both the citrus sweetness of our spirit and the rich fruity flavours of the casks to balance perfectly,”
Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder and Managing Director.
Limited to 12,000 bottles, the 11th Edition 100% Islay will be available worldwide from the 15th of September. Bottled at 50% abv with no chill-filtration or colouring.
For more information email info@kilchomandistillery.com
Though we’re sad you can’t be on Islay in person, we’re going to do our best to show you every inch of Kilchoman with our 360° FÈIS ÌLE!
The 360° experience will let you explore every nook and cranny of the distillery and our unique whisky-making process. Scroll up, down, left, and right on the screen as you are guided from the barley field to bottling hall by the team. You will be taken across the farm, into the malt floor, delving deep into the stillhouse, and through casks in the warehouse, almost like you’re there yourself (but not quite)! We will be doing everything we can to bring Kilchoman and our team to you, so sit back, pour yourself a dram and enjoy the day.
Full schedule (Islay Time), available via Kilchoman Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
12 Noon – Kilchoman ‘DNA’ Live Tasting – Join us for some drams as we kick off our Fèis day celebrations with a few cask strength core range and 2021 limited editions.
13.00 – On the Farm – Explore the farm with Islay Heads, general manager here at Kilchoman, as he takes you through our different fields, barley varieties, sheep and cattle.
[Followed by live Q&A with Islay – approx. 13.30]
14.00 – Malting and Peating – Derek Scott, our expert maltman, will teach you everything you need to know about our traditional floor maltings, the equipment we use and how to get the perfect germination.
[Followed by live Q&A with Derek – approx. 14.30]
15.00 – In the Stillhouse – As production manager, Robin Bignal is the perfect person to guide you through the stillhouse from milling and mashing to fermentation and distillation. You will be able to get access behind-the-scenes to the inner workings at the heart of Kilchoman.
[Followed by live Q&A with Robin – approx. 15.30]
16.00 – Maturing in the Warehouse – Managing director, Anthony Wills, will give you his founders take on cask maturation, discover how he created our unique Kilchoman range of whiskies and what experimental casks may be lurking in the dark corners of the warehouse.
[Followed by live Q&A with Anthony – approx. 16.30]
17.00 – Vatting and Bottling – To complete the whisky-making process it must be vatted and bottled. Michal Besser manages these final stages of production and will give you the lowdown on how we vat each release and put the finishing touches to them on the bottling line.
[Followed by live Q&A with Michal – approx. 17.30]
18.00 – ‘Through the Ages’ Live Tasting – Tune in for a tasting of our New Make Spirit before following the journey of maturation with samples of 2006, 2011 and 2016 casks.
19.15 – ‘Experimental Casks’ Live Tasting – Join us as we taste some of our full maturation Cognac, STR, Calvados and Port casks.
Full details of the Live Tasting Packs are below but I am afraid they are no longer available to purchase. If you missed out then please join us regardless, grab a dram from your home selection and join the fun! We will be recording all the tastings for people to re-watch whenever you fancy.
12 Noon – ‘DNA Live Tasting – The Kilchoman core range with a twist! Before reducing batches of our signature peated single malts of Machir Bay and Sanaig to their regular bottling strength of 46%, we bottled them at their natural cask strength to appreciate the full power and character of our core range whisky. This pack also contains the latest edition of Loch Gorm and a preview of the yet to be released 100% Islay 11th Edition.
Machir Bay Cask Strength – 58.9% (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 Cask Strength – 58.9% (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) – Released annually in limited editions, the Loch Gorm range is always matured entirely in oloroso sherry casks. The 2021 edition is a vatting of 24 oloroso sherry butts filled in 2011 and 2012.
100% Islay 11th Edition Preview – 56.5% (20ml) – Distilled from our 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011 barley harvests, the 11th edition is matured for a minimum of 9 years in 26 bourbon barrels and 7 oloroso sherry butts. This sample is a cask strength preview of the upcoming release.
18.00 – ‘Through the Ages’ Live Tasting – Taking you through the 15 years of Kilchoman maturation. We will start with tasting our New Make Spirit before following the journey of maturation through 2006, 2011 and 2016 ex-bourbon barrels, fascinating to see how the casks have impacted on the spirit character and colour over the years.
New Make Spirit – 63.5% (20ml) – Spirit flowing straight from our stills is reduced to 63.5%abv before being filled into cask for maturation. Our spirit is clean, packed full of citrus fruit and malty notes with maritime smoke.
2016/645 ex-bourbon barrel – 59.7% (20ml) – Maturing since 2016, this whisky has taken on plenty of character from the barrel and a significant change from the new make spirit is evident on the nose and palate.
2011/203 ex-bourbon barrel – 53.2% (20ml) – 10 years maturation and this 2011 whisky has further impact from the barrel, the balance of the Kilchoman spirit and the cask influence really developing over time.
2006/04 ex-bourbon barrel – 53.7% (20ml) – Something special from our very limited 2006 stock, just the 14th cask ever to be filled at Kilchoman! One of the very oldest casks at the distillery, over 15 years of maturation has transformed this whisky since it was first filled as spirit.
19.15 – ‘Experimental Casks’ Live Tasting – Some of the different and unfamiliar casks maturing in our warehouse. Over the years we have released a number of limited edition experimental cask types, from last year’s Fino to the upcoming Madeira, we have always enjoyed trying something a bit different. These casks are all full maturation and not finishes, allowing the full impact of the different cask types to be felt on the whisky.
Calvados Cask 356/2018 – 62.1% (20ml) – This cask is selected from our first batch of full maturation Christian Drouin Calvados casks. These high quality casks bring lots of fresh apple fruitiness to the whisky, even after a short period of maturation.
Port Cask 480/2014 – 57.3% (20ml) – A Ruby Port cask at almost 7 years of age. Ruby Port casks similar to this have been used in limited releases we have done in the past however, this single cask has had a far longer maturation.
Cognac Cask 737/2016 – 58.4% (20ml) – The rare quality of Cognac Ferrand has added great depth to the Kilchoman spirit. This cask is one of the first test batch to be filled in 2016.
STR Cask 207/2018 – 61.5% (20ml) – This is an STR (Shaved, Toasted and Re-charred) Red Wine cask. This specific cask type is very uncommon but something that has worked very well with our spirit.
Spring is a particularly busy time on the farm. The ewes have been lambing and the cows have been calving which all takes a lot of time, care and attention from the farm team. As well as this, we’ve been preparing the ground for sowing this year’s barley crop which we hope will be completed today. It’s been a cold spring but the dry weather over the last few weeks has allowed us to get on with all the groundwork.
We are planting barley on 115 acres of ground this year and a few weeks ago the fields selected for growing were ploughed in preparation for sowing the seed. The two barley varieties we’ve chosen this year are Concerto and Sassy. This will be the second time we’ve grown the Sassy variety. We successfully harvested Sassy back in 2019. Concerto has been our mainstay variety for a number of years now because of it’s suitability for the Islay weather and growing conditions and most importantly, because of the good quality spirit that we can distil from it. However, we are still looking for a replacement for it as we’re approaching what is likely to be the end of an era for the variety Concerto. Seed varieties don’t last forever, they start to lose some of their characteristics and qualities and the seed merchants then find replacements.
As in previous years, we have sown the two varieties side by side in the ‘experimental field’ at the entrance to the distillery. It is always interesting to compare the two varieties throughout the growing and harvesting stages and then importantly through the production process as well.
This year we did some drainage work in ‘The Smiddy’ field immediately in front of the distillery to enable us to sow barley in this field for the first time. In previous years, the field was too wet and the soil would not have provided suitable growing conditions. After digging up various parts of the fields and repairing some of the traditional tile drainpipes, the field is now much drier. The ground in this field is quite firm so after ploughing we also went over the soil with discs to break up the furrows. This allows the power harrow to provide a better seed bed for the barley. We will keep you updated on how this develops as well as keeping you informed on how the barley crop is growing on the farm in the coming months. It is well known that farmers are never happy with the weather and for weeks we were saying we needed dry weather to get the groundwork done, now we are hoping for rain so the barley doesn’t get too dry as it starts to germinate!
This special edition, the second of our two Spring limited edition releases, is a combination of 33 casks, 9 only matured in Pedro Ximénez casks and 24 finished in PX casks for between 12 and 18 months. The 12,000 bottle release will be available from your local Kilchoman stockists around the world from this week.
Whilst we’ve released a number of Pedro Ximénez single casks over the years, this is the first time we’ve vatted multiple casks together for a global release. Anthony and Robin have spent many days in the warehouses tasting endless numbers of casks to find the perfect balance of character, constructing a whisky that showcases the rich sweet flavours of Pedro Ximénez sherry but also reflects the signature flavours of our 50ppm spirit.
“Pedro Ximénez casks aren’t always the easiest to work with. That was why we decided on a combination of full maturation and finishing, to balance the distinct PX influence with that of our spirit. I’m delighted with the result; big and bold but with a delightful poise and balance of flavour,” Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder & MD
Having tasted numerous combinations, Anthony and Robin eventually settled on a vatting of roughly 2/3rds finished casks from 2013 and 1/3rd full maturation casks from 2015. The older casks have more layered depth of character compared to the big-hitting 2015 full maturation casks, combining the two produces the perfect balance of maritime smoke, citrus, berries and rich dark honey sweetness.
Anthony and Robin settled on a strength of 47.3% abv after tasting samples at various strengths. At 47.3% the whisky had more assertiveness and allowed for the natural citrus character of the Kilchoman spirit to shine through.
The PX Sherry Cask Matured is available from your regular Kilchoman stockists around the world from this week. Please get in touch if you have any questions about finding a bottle nearby. A limited number of bottles will also be released via our website shop on Wednesday the 5th of May at 2pm Islay time. Bottles for sale from our website are priced at £74.94 per bottle (£62.45 ex VAT), 70cl, 47.3% abv, limited to one bottle per person.
Fèis Ìle is almost here but sadly, as with last year, we will be celebrating online. This year’s release of 2,832 bottles will be available online from 2pm (Islay time) on April 21st from our website along with three tasting packs for live events on our Fèis day, June 3rd.
Anthony has selected eight 100% Islay casks for this year’s release, two 2011 oloroso sherry butts and six 2012 bourbon barrels. The casks were filled with 20ppm 100% Islay spirit, distilled from Optic and Publican barley varieties, harvested at Kilchoman in 2010 and 2011. This Single Farm Single Malt was matured in our onsite dunnage warehouses before being bottled at cask strength; 56.3% abv.
“As you might know, I am partial to marrying bourbon and sherry casks, I feel these two cask types allow me to increase complexity without losing depth of character. The bourbon barrels I’ve selected give a solid structure to the dram that allow for a balance of maritime Islay flavours and the natural citrus sweetness of our spirit to shine through. The two oloroso sherry butts I chose add depth and richness to the whisky, I’ve had an eye on these casks for a while and they’ve now reached their peak”
“I am delighted with this year’s Feis release and while I’m sad we won’t be sharing a dram in person we invite you to join us online for the next best thing” Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder & MD
We have a packed schedule of events planned for our Fèis day on June 3rd, everything from fully immersive 360 degree interviews with the production team to behind the scenes Q&As and Live Tastings. More information on the schedule of events will be posted on our website and social media shortly.
The Kilchoman DNA, Through the Ages and Experimental Casks live tasting packs will go on sale at the same time as the Fèis Ìle release, 2pm on April the 21st (Islay time). More info regarding all Fèis Ìle items is below and on our website.
The hotly anticipated Loch Gorm is once again ready for its annual release. Named after Islay’s largest freshwater loch neighbouring the distillery, Loch Gorm is the only annual limited edition matured entirely in oloroso sherry casks. Year on year the vatting of Loch Gorm subtly changes (and sometimes not so subtly), in age, colour and character.
This, the 2021 edition, is a vatting of 24 oloroso sherry butts filled in 2011 and 2012. These large 500 litre sherry butts have been sourced from Bodega Miguel Martin in Spain and filled with Kilchoman spirit peated to 50ppm. Once these casks had been matured for a minimum of 9 years, they were then vatted together and bottled at 46% abv, resulting in 17,000 bottles being made available to Kilchoman fans around the world.
“Although we have always filled the bulk of our spirit into ex-bourbon barrels, the Loch Gorm releases have shown how well our peated Islay spirit can combine with sherry casks, something that’s not always an easy task.”
“Rich bold flavours with a breadth, depth and balance of character that sets it apart, the 2021 edition is packed with juicy fruit, macerated lemon and sweet chargrilled BBQ smoke,” Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder and Master Distiller.
Loch Gorm 2021 will be available from your regular Kilchoman stockists around the world from this week. Please get in contact with us if you have any questions about finding a bottle near you.
