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100% Islay - From Barley to Bottle

From the birth of Kilchoman our 100% Islay philosophy was our reason for being; it represents the revival of farm distilled single malt produced on a single location from barley to bottle, where the responsibility for quality and consistency at each stage was not outsourced but completed on site with skill, care and attention to detail. We are proud to be the only distillery crafting single malt from barley both grown and malted on Islay, not to mention distilling, maturing and bottling here at Kilchoman as well.

Kilchoman, A journey from barley to bottle

As Scotland's only Single Farm Single Malt, follow the almost 4000 day journey from barley to bottle.

A Tour of Kilchoman

Take a virtual tour around the distillery, getting a peak behind the scenes from harvesting in the fields to bottling.

Fèis Ìle 360° Experience

On the Farm with Islay Heads

Join Islay Heads, General Manager, out and about on the farm for a chat about all things farming. From the fields overlooking Machir Bay, drive with him in the land rover as he heads to Stone Cottage field. On the way you can enjoy the opportunity to experience a ‘birds-eye view’ of the beautiful location where our farm distillery is situated. The moving 360 ° experience will help you to feel like you’re there yourself (but not quite)! You can choose the views you want to see more of.

Malting and Peating with Derek

Derek Scott, malting expert, will guide you through the peating and malting process and explain everything you need to know about our traditional floor maltings, the equipment we use and how to get the perfect germination. The moving 360° feature allows you to scroll up, down, left, and right on the screen so you can see everything. It will really feel like you’re there in person, it’s just a pity we can’t bring you the smell of the peat burning in the kiln fire!

In the Stillhouse with Robin

Have a behind-the-scenes look inside our stillhouse. As production manager, Robin Bignal is the perfect person to guide you through the whisky-making process, from milling and mashing to fermentation and distillation. Move around the 360° video to view the inner workings at the heart of Kilchoman.

Maturing in the Warehouse with Anthony Wills

Join Managing Director, Anthony Wills, inside one of our warehouses where he will give you his founders take on cask maturation and discover how he created our unique Kilchoman range of whiskies. With the moving 360° camera you can have a look around and see what experimental casks may be lurking in the dark corners of the warehouse!

Bottling with Michal

To complete the whisky-making process it must be vatted and bottled. Michal Besser, Bottling Hall Manager, 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 before shipping the bottles worldwide.

Meet The Team

Meet Anthony Wills, Founder & Managing Director

Anthony and his wife Kathy created Kilchoman from a collection of derelict farm buildings in 2005, in doing so they established the first new distillery to be built on Islay in over 124 years. Their passion for whisky and ambition to revive the traditions of farm distilling has transformed Kilchoman from a fanciful dream into celebrated reality.

Meet Islay Heads, General Manager

A true Ileach, Islay’s affection for the island, its’ people and produce is reflected in his passion for our 100% Islay philosophy. Islay oversees large parts of our unique barley to bottle whisky-making process. From planting the barley to bottling the whisky, Islay ensures no corners are cut in our pursuit of crafting the finest single malt possible.

Meet Robin Bignal, Production Manager

Robin oversees the key whisky-making processes at the heart of the distillery. From the malting and distilling to maturation and cask selection, Robin’s passion, knowledge and understanding of our unique hand-crafted practices guarantees the quality and consistency of each bottle of Kilchoman.

Meet Jamie Muir, Maltman & Stillman at Kilchoman Distillery

Jamie was responsible for the daily malting, kilning and distillation of Kilchoman spirit. The non-automated nature of our floor maltings and hand-operated stills create a reliance on the experience and expertise of the stillman.

Our Whiskies

Core Expressions - Sanaig

Robin Bignal, production manager, explores Sanaig and the tale of wood and whisky “as without wood there would be no whisky”

Core Expressions - Machir Bay

Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder, looks back at the creation of our flagship expression, Machir Bay. “The sands run for a mile and a half and the sunset burns the sky red”

Core Expressions - 100% Islay

Islay Heads, General Manager here at Kilchoman, discusses what it takes to create Islay’s only Single Farm Single Malt.