Kilchoman distillery
Contents
Kilchoman is the westernmost distillery in Islay and the only distillery on Islay that is not directly on the sea. Its name comes from an old church whose ruins lie on the picturesque Machir Bay.
Production
Kilchoman is one of the few whisky distilleries that still undertake part of the malting process. About 30% of the production is made on site with a phenol content of 20ppm. The rest is also produced on Islay near Port Ellen at around 50ppm. At Kilchoman, every production step, from planting the grain on the associated farm to filling and labeling the bottles, is carried out independently on site. In general, great importance is attached to independence and tradition.
And so, with the 100% Islay bottling, they are proud to be able to offer a single malt that is 100% locally produced as the only distillery in Scotland. Independent bottlings are very rare, but there are some vintage and single cask bottlings alongside the other original bottlings of the distillery.
History
After 124 years, Kilchoman was the first new distillery to be established there in 2005. In 2006 one had to fight with a fire that broke out in the actively used Kiln (pagoda roof for drying the malt). As a result, production had to be interrupted for a few weeks. On September 9th, 2009 you could finally fill your first own single malt whisky and that with astonishing and much noticed quality. In the meantime, all capacities are far too low and so founder Anthony Wills has decided to double the production. For this purpose, a new malt floor and kiln are planned.
Kilchoman factsheet
| Name | Pronounced | AKA | Region | Country of Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kilchoman | Islay | Scotland | ||
| Status | Active | Whisky Type | Website | Tours Available |
| Active | 2005 - Present | Malt | Kilchoman | Tour Link |
| Manager | Distiller | Blender | Owned by | Parent Group |
| Anthony Wills | Anthony Wills |
Kilchoman Timeline:
General: Water Source
: Annual Output
: Finished Spirit (phenols)
: Blending Roles
Malt: Malt Source
: Malt Type
: Malt Specification (phenols)
: Own Malting Floor
: Malt Storage
: Mill
: Grist Storage
Mashing: Mash Tun
: Mash Size
: First Water
: Second Water
: Third Water
: Fourth Water
Fermentation: Washbacks
: Washback Charge
: Yeast
: Amount of Yeast
: Length of Fermentation
: Initial Fermentation Temp.
: Strength of Wash
Distillation: Wash Stills
: Wash Still Built
: Wash Still Charge
: Heat Source
: Wash Still Height
: Lyne Arm
: Low Wines Run
: Low Wines Collection Range
: Spirit Stills
: Spirit Still Built
: Spirit Still Charge
: Strength of Spirit Still Charge
: Heat Source
: Spirit Still Height
: Lyne Arm
: Coolers
: Foreshot Run
: Spirit Run
: Feints Run
: Spirit Cut
: Distilling Strength
Storage: Storage Strength
: Average Spirit Yield
: Disposal of Pot Ale/Spent Lees
: Type of Casks
: Warehouses
: Vatting and Bottling Location
Can I tour Kilchoman?
Yes Kilchoman distillery is tourable. On Trip Advisor the distillery has been rated as excellent by 282 of 489 tours to date. This gives Kilchoman an overall rating of 4.5
Latest reviews
Lovely New Visitor Centre - Young but Already Well-Regarded Distillery and Independently Owned
by Stuart S
Had an excellent whisky tasting of their core range in the new visitor centre - if time permitted we'd have eaten at the cafe as well. Staff was very welcoming, and very spacious and tastefully designed. One of our favourite Islay distilleries, especially as its relatively young and independently owned.
Independent Distillery With Great Whisky
by Caoimhe
This seems to be one of the only independent distilleries left on the island so we were more than happy to support the distillery. The staff were very friendly and informative on arrival and were really helpful when we were trying to decide what whisky to purchase. Loved the spacious layout of shop and cafeWould recommend choosing to support this distillery and will have to come back to buy the 100% islay, which was unfortunately sold out on this visit.
Well Worth a Visit
by Reviewer019
This is a really lovely space - beautifully laid out, lovely shop, staff all friendly and knowledgeable about their products and we had a great lunch.
| Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|
| Excellent | 282 |
| Very good | 133 |
| Average | 41 |
| Poor | 22 |
| Terrible | 11 |