Things are picking up on Rockside farm at the distillery with spring well underway. We have ploughed all our fields with the aim of sowing 170 acres with the barley being kept exclusively for future releases of our 100% Islay range. Spring is also a very important time of the year for our herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle and our sheep. With a lot of early mornings and late nights ahead of us to ensure everything runs smoothly.
This year we have opted for two tried and tested barley varieties, LG Diablo and Laureate. We have grown Laureate on the farm for several years, with it being the highest yielding variety of spring barley available to us in Scotland. It is readily used in the country for malting and brewing and continues to be one of the top performers. LG Diablo is a newer variety to us with the first crop grown on the farm in 2020 and was approved for use in malting in 2019. Having used it for a few years now we are very happy with how it performs throughout production, and we are hoping for another successful crop from them both this year.
In terms of flavour, we do notice a difference during our production process. If the barley quality dips, the production team will find it more difficult to work with during key stages like malting, mashing and distillation. So, it really is a big risk trialling more experimental varieties. Anthony has also noticed differences in the flavour of the new make spirt depending on the barley variety used. Laureate gives the spirit more notes of cereal and a malted characteristic compared to LG Diablo. All that being said, we are still at the hands of mother nature, and are all holding our breath these next few months for a good summer of weather – something that is a rarity on Islay!
We have not only been busy preparing our fields for our barley but we have also been very busy with the livestock side of the farm. Springtime is always a hectic time on any farm and here at Rockside it is no exception. Jim, our farmer, is about to begin the hard work of lambing and calving. We have 24 cows calving with the first one having been born already on the 6th of March! In addition, we have over 500 sheep lambing from early April, so we are making sure they have all their correct dozes and medicines to ensure they are fit and healthy and ready to be mothers. Even though the distillery is always busy producing whisky, this time of year is a particularly stressful time on the farm. We are very proud to still be running the farm at Kilchoman as it was there long before the distillery and we want to continue the original farming heritage of Rockside.
Farming is not a 9-5 job, it is a way of life and we are working hard to make sure our sheep have lambs, our cows have calves, and obviously, our barley grows!
Leg one of the tour complete and all smooth sailing so far! The pick-up travelled almost 2000 kilometres from Islay to Switzerland to kick things off. Ken and I started, darting all over Switzerland for a mix of in shop tasting sessions and masterclasses with a whisky food pairing added to the mix over three very busy days. Ken’s stay was short and sweet as he flew back to Scotland and I drove down to Italy to meet George.
Italy was when things started to heat up (quite literally). We held tastings in Rome, Florence and Ferrara with the biggest being for 70 people in the cellar of a castle – yes, it was as cool as it sounds. Lots of long drives between cities with beautiful Italian scenery and me scaring George with my questionable European driving!
Both Slovenia and Croatia were whistle-stop tours with us spending a day in each. Stunning countries, and the warmest reception from everyone who came along to see us both days. We were in Portoroz in Slovenia which is a beautiful seaside town with a very thirsty population! Zagreb was equally as pretty, and we hosted two very relaxed events and poured a lot of whisky!
We set off for Budapest the next day for a barrel top tasting which was George’s last event before he left the next day and I was joined by Peter. Peter was thrown in at the deep end with a full day of talking all things Kilchoman before hosting a masterclass that evening.
We had a five-hour drive ahead of us to Graz for a tasting with the Islay Whisky Chapter. I was designated weather reporter, informing Peter whenever it got hotter before eventually hitting 30 degrees – my pale Scottish skin was in for a shock! The tasting was so popular they couldn’t fit everyone in one room, so we split it in half. A really enthusiastic and knowledgeable group and a nice finish for my last tasting of the first leg.
A great start to the tour. Very happy to see the Batch Strength going down so well, it really is a standout whisky. Some wonderful events hosted so far, seeing seasoned whisky enthusiasts as well as some newbies. The stillhouse team have been on their best behaviour during the live Facetime calls and are seasoned professionals for their second year talking live to people across Europe. I have passed the baton on to Peter and Catherine who were waking up to a 6am drive to western Austria. Have fun guys!
Emma
To find out where else in Europe we are heading, click here.
The much-anticipated annual launch of Loch Gorm is finally here! Named after the famously dark, peaty loch overlooked by the distillery, our annual Loch Gorm limited edition is our only regular expression matured entirely in oloroso sherry casks.
The 2024 edition was distilled in 2014 and matured in oloroso sherry butts previously used by Bodega José y Miguel Martín. The majority of fresh casks in the vatting allow for layers of oloroso influence to be imparted from the sherry soaked oak.
“Loch Gorm has often been our most sought after limited edition and I don’t see that changing in 2024. Distilled in 2014, these sherry butts have given this year’s release an abundance of rich spices and toffee notes. A great example of peat and sherry working in harmony together,” Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder.
Loch Gorm 2024 will be available from your local stockists in the UK and across the world from this week. For those of you who live in countries further away, bottles may take a few more weeks to find themselves on shelves.
For more information please email admin@kilchomandistillery.com
Anthony & Kathy travelled to Jerez to meet our sherry cask supplier, Jose y Miguel Martín. Click here to read more.
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
For our first ever UK wide cocktail competition, we are challenging bartenders to create a cocktail that showcases both our new Batch Strength whisky and a British farmed or foraged ingredient.
The Theme
As a farm distillery, locally farmed ingredients are at our heart. That is why, this year, we are asking bartenders across the UK to create a cocktail that showcases our new Batch Strength release and one farmed or foraged British ingredient.
A set of easy rules:
- Cocktails must contain a minimum of 25ml of Kilchoman Batch Strength whisky.
- Drinks must not contain more than 6 ingredients (excluding garnish).
- The use of homemade ingredients is greatly encouraged but not necessary.
- The recipe must contain one British farmed or foraged ingredient.
- Entries must be submitted before June 16th
The Challenge
The competition will take place in three different stages. First, participants will be asked to submit their recipe through the link below. Second, based on the creativity, expertise and choice of ingredients, participants will be selected for three heats across the UK.
The three heats will determine who will be our first Shake the Farm cocktail competition finalists (one per heat).
- Edinburgh 15/07/2024
- Manchester 17/07/2024
- London 24/07/2024
The finalists will then be invited to Islay for an all-expenses paid hands-on apprenticeship at Kilchoman (September 9th – 12th). During these four days they will stay on the farm, learn all about distillery production and have a hand in making our single malt, finishing up by competing to become our first ever competition winner!
The winner will get a chance to select an exclusive single cask bottling for UK on-trade and take six bottles of it home with them.
ENTER NOW
Announcing the arrival of BATCH STRENGTH, the latest addition to our core range.
Matured in a combination of re-charred red wine casks, oloroso sherry butts and bourbon barrels, a few drops of water were added post maturation to produce a Batch Strength of 57% vol. The result is a colossal dram combining the natural peat smoke and citrus character of Kilchoman with dark fruits, rich spices and salted caramel sweetness.
Anyone who has tasted a cask strength Kilchoman, be it a Single Cask or Machir Bay Cask Strength, will know how the Kilchoman spirit shines at a high volume.
“At 57% vol., Batch Strength is a giant of a dram, it has a raw intensity, that I love. But importantly, that power is balanced by a delicacy and finesse that speaks for the quality of our production processes in the stillhouse and also the quality of casks used for maturation,” Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder.
Batch Strength possesses all the character that typifies a classic Kilchoman; fresh, vibrant peat smoke, citrus sweetness and a balance of fruit and spices. However, with the influence of re-charred red wine casks, there is an abundance of red fruits and caramel, and at 57% vol. rather than the standard 46%, it has a weight and power that makes you stand up and take notice.
It is now available on our online whisky shop and from stockists around the world from this week.
To celebrate the launch of Batch Strength, we’re embarking on our biggest tour ever – visiting 20 countries over 10 weeks, starting in Switzerland on March 26th, finishing back on Islay for our Fèis Ìle day on May 30th.
Click here to see a full list of stops.
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There will be other Batch Strength Tours later in the year in North America and Asia.
Malting is arguably one of the most important stages in the whisky-making process. The rest of production relies upon it, and if done incorrectly, it can have a major ripple effect throughout the process. This is why most distilleries outsource this to a commercial malting company.
At Kilchoman, we oversee total production for our 100% Islay range of whiskies, from growing our barley to bottling our whisky, and are one of only a handful of distilleries in Scotland that still practice the traditional art of malting barley. The malting process is split into three key stages – steeping, germination, and kilning.
Once our barley has been harvested, we store it at an ambient temperature to prevent it from germinating before we want it to. We then take 2-4 tons from the shed to our malt floor, where it will be put into our steep tank (steep is a Scottish word for soak), water is then added to wake all the grains back up again. This process mimics what would happen in the fields in Springtime. The barley would be sown, and rainwater would fall on it. Thus, kickstarting the germination process.
We steep the barley for 2 days while a soaking cycle takes place to allow all the natural starches and enzymes to form. These are the two essential ingredients required to create sugar later down the line. We consistently track the temperature, moisture content, and growth over this period. The outside environment can affect this process, so we must monitor it closely and act accordingly.
The next stage is germination, beginning the process of converting starch into fermentable sugars. We remove our barley from the steep tank and spread it on our malt floor by hand. Our malt floor is traditional, meaning it is not heated, and the room is not temperature or climate-controlled. It becomes hard to describe this process using exact numbers as this process very heavily depends on Mother Nature – on Islay she is often not very kind to us!
Our ‘green malt’ (the term used to describe barley at this stage) is spread out on the floor and will stay there for 4-5 days, where it will be turned every 2-4 hours while also having its moisture content and temperature checked. At this stage, we are trying to keep the barley germinating (starting to grow) as consistently as possible, again mimicking the ideal growing conditions it would experience in the field. We rely heavily on our production team’s knowledge to track the changes caused by our ever-changing Islay climate. It is a very difficult skill to master!
Once we are happy with how our grains have germinated, we move them to the kiln for the final stage of the process.
Kilning is the final stage of a three-step process. At this point, the grain is dried to stop it from germinating, as we do not want to lose any of the hard work we have put in over the last week cultivating the fermentable sugars. Historically in Scotland – and especially on Islay. Peat was used at this stage due to its abundance, and it is this that gives Islay whiskies their iconic flavour.
Our barely will sit above a lit peat fire for 10-15 hours to obtain a peating level of 20 ppm (our peating level for all 100% Islay expressions).
We used peat in Scotland to dry the grain and the smoky flavour was just a happy accident. Nowadays, the peat will be used more to give flavour, and we must use a fan heater to dry the grain after it has been smoked – this usually takes a further 20-30 hours. This ensures we can halt the germination process as accurately as possible without affecting the peated flavour. Regardless, the barley still has to be dried to complete the malting process.
At Kilchoman, traditional floor malting is something we are very proud of being able to do. Despite malting companies being able to produce very large amounts efficiently and consistently, there is something beautiful about standing amongst the barley on the floor, moving it by hand and watching over it while it germinates. All being done by people who have taken the time and effort in finding the best way to work with it instead of trying to tell it what to do. An authentic traditional experience and an essential part of our farm distillery.
For a more in depth article on traditional floor malting click here
For more information on peat click here
From Monday 18th March, we are delighted to say that we will be opening 7 days per week from 9.45 to 5pm each day.
In addition to our Whisky Tasting Bar, our café is open serving delicious freshly baked cakes each day from 10am to 4.30pm with lunches being served from 12 noon to 3.30pm – Booking for tables is essential.
The Visitor Centre and café are dog friendly, and we love to welcome all your four-legged companions. Please advise when booking tables in the café if you are bringing your pet along with you as spaces are limited.
Tour bookings can be made on the following link: https://www.kilchomandistillery.com/book-distillery-tour/
Café bookings can be made by calling us on 01496850011 option 1.
We look forward to welcoming old and new friends back to the distillery for 2024.
This year we’re embarking on our biggest tour ever – visiting 20 countries over 10 weeks, starting in Switzerland on March 26th, finishing back on Islay for our Fèis Ìle day on May 30th.
🇨🇭 🇮🇹 🇸🇮 🇭🇷 🇭🇺 🇦🇹 🇸🇰 🇵🇱 🇱🇹 🇱🇻 🇪🇪 🇫🇮 🇸🇪 🇳🇴 🇩🇰 🇩🇪 🇳🇱 🇧🇪 🇮🇪 🇬🇧
This year’s tour will coincide with the launch a new ‘colossal’ core expression…. more info coming soon.
As well as a great selection of new and old Kilchoman releases, we’ll be bringing some of our famous new make spirit, produced from the barley grown on the farm. Our production team will connect through a live feed from the distillery to show us what they’re getting up to.
Come along to an event near you and be amongst the first to sample our latest core range expression. Meet the team, hear some stories of life at Kilchoman, share a few great whiskies and have some fun. We’ve also got a few treats for you to take home with you!
A full list of tour stops is below, there will be a mix of informal afternoon drop-in shop events and larger evening tastings. For more information about tickets please contact the venues directly.
SWITZERLAND
26TH MARCH: Vinothek, Solothurn
27TH MARCH: Häberli-Weine, Dagmersellen
Selection Widmer, Eschenbach
28TH MARCH: Globus Zürich
AAbach Restaurant, Wetzikon
ITALY
2ND APRIL: Enoteca Cinti, Rome
Scotch Roma, Rome
3RD APRIL: Enoteca Alessi, Florence
Djaria American Bar, Florence
Rasputin, Florence
4TH APRIL: Raróshop, Ferrara
Bindini Tobacco & Shop, Ferrara
SLOVENIA
5TH APRIL: Venka Vojo, Portorož
CROATIA
6TH APRIL: Fine Stvari, Zagreb
HUNGARY
7TH APRIL: GoodSpirits Shop Etele Plaza, Budapest
8TH APRIL: GoodSpirit Downtown, Budapest
AUSTRIA
9TH APRIL: The Islay Whisky Chapter, Graz
10TH APRIL: Kreutz Genuss am Gaumen, Götzis
Innsbruck Amraserhof, Innsbruck
11TH APRIL: Potstill, Vienna
SLOVAKIA
12TH APRIL: Svet Nápojov, Bratislava
Izzi Pub, Bratislava
POLAND
13TH APRIL: M&P, Kraków
14TH APRIL: Starachowice
15TH APRIL: M&P, Warsaw
16TH APRIL: M&P, Bialystok
LITHUANIA
17TH APRIL: VINTAŽ vyno baras, Vilnius
King & Mouse Whisky Bar, Vilnius
LATVIA
18TH APRIL: Baltic XL,Riga
Makonis, Riga
ESTONIA
19TH APRIL: TBC
Heldeke Bar, Tallinn
FINLAND
20TH APRIL: Barley & Bait, Helsinki
21ST APRIL: Kerttulin Kievari, Turku
SWEDEN
22ND APRIL: Ardbeg Embassy, Stockholm
23RD APRIL: Bredaryds Wärdshus, Bredaryd
24TH APRIL: The Bishop’s Arms, Malmö
25TH APRIL: Brygghuset, Fiskebäckskil
NORWAY
26TH APRIL: Cask AS, Oslo
27TH APRIL: Ambassaden, Oslo
DENMARK
29TH APRIL: HJ Hansen Vin, Copenhagen – Theis Vine, Charlottenlund
H.J. Hansen Østbanegade 3
30TH APRIL: HJ Hansen, Odense
Vinspecialisten, Harlev
1ST MAY: Vinspecialisten, Randers
Vinspecialisten, Varde
GERMANY
2ND MAY: CITTI, Kiel
3RD MAY: Weinquelle Luhmann, Hamburg
Men’s Needs, Hamburg
4TH MAY: Berlin Bottle, Berlin
Whisky & Cigars, Berlin
5TH MAY: Travel Day
6TH MAY: Whisky for Life, Frankfurt
Whisky Spirits, Frankfurt
7TH MAY: Simone Kehrer Cigarran-Pfeifen-Spirituosen, Reutlingen
8TH MAY: Gradls Whiskyfässla, Nürnberg
NETHERLANDS
10TH MAY: Wijnhuis Den Boer, Krimpen a/d Lek, Rotterdam
11TH MAY: Versailles, Nijmegen
12TH MAY: De Helm, Pijnacker
13TH MAY: De Vuurtoren, Sluis
BELGIUM
14TH MAY: Albo Wilrijk, Antwerpen
Dranken Claessens, Brecht
15TH MAY: Huis Verloo in Antwerp, Brasserie Verachtert, Saint Georges
& Sobelvin, Angleur
16TH MAY: We Are Whisky, Orp-Jaunche, Flavor Shop, Gooik, Le Col De Cygne, Brussels
& Huis Windels, Mechelen
17TH MAY: Wholly Spirits, Zottegem
Pauwels, Heule
18TH MAY: Topwhisky/Domino, Heuvelland
ENGLAND
19TH MAY: The Whisky Shop, Brighton
20TH MAY: The Whisky Shop, Bath
21ST MAY: The Whisky Shop, Manchester
IRELAND
23RD MAY: Celtic Whiskey Shop, Dublin
The Flowing Tide Pub, Dublin
NORTHERN IRELAND
24TH MAY: KWM Wine, Belfast
SCOTLAND
25TH MAY: Robbies Drams, Ayr
The Good Spirits Co., Glasgow
26TH MAY: The Whisky Shop, Edinburgh
27TH MAY: Loch Fyne Whiskies, Inveraray
We have linked up with the guys at Amber Island to create a unique pair of 100% Islay single cask bottlings, both from the same cask. The first bottling, of 111 bottles, will be released after 11 years of maturation in a bourbon barrel. The second bottling, again of 111 bottles, will be after a second maturation in either an oloroso sherry or sauternes wine cask. Which cask and the length of the second maturation will be decided by those who purchase bottles.
It’s an exciting project. The first step is to choose a single cask. On Wednesday 6th March, 5pm (UK time) Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder and Andreas Lykke of The Daily Whisky will join Karim Moustafa and Shenr-Jye Hon from Amber Island to introduce the project, select a single cask and discuss the second maturation options.
Find out more about the Kilchoman X Amber Island project here
Join the Zoom masterclass on Wednesday 6th March, 5pm (UK time) here
