Project Description
ISLAY’S FARM DISTILLERY
Where Tradition Meets Terrior & Family
100% ISLAY PHILOSOPHY
Nestled amidst the rugged landscapes of Islay, Kilchoman Distillery embodies a legacy of tradition, quality, and innovation in the Scottish Single Malt industry.
Kilchoman isn’t just a distillery; it’s Islay’s Farm Distillery. Here, tradition meets terroir in a truly unique way. Kilchoman proudly holds the title of being the only distillery in all of Scotland to distil whisky from barley grown and malted right on their very own farm. It’s a dedication to quality that sets them apart from the rest.
Anthony and Kathy’s vision was to revive the tradition of farm distilling. From day one, the 100% Islay range has been the core focus. It’s about bringing back the true essence of single malt whisky – from barley to bottle, all in one place. The distillery takes great pride in keeping the entire process in-house, ensuring quality and consistency with skill, care, and attention to every detail.
THE WILLS FAMILY
Kilchoman is a family run business established by Anthony and Kathy Wills in 2005. As the business expanded, the husband and wife team were joined by their three sons; James, George and Peter. The Wills family remain the driving force behind Kilchoman with Anthony as Managing Director and Master Distiller, Kathy running the Visitor Centre and their three sons managing the distillery’s sales and marketing activities.
124 YEARS IN THE MAKING
Kilchoman made history when they became the first distillery to be built on Islay in over 124 years. To this day, they stand as the island’s only independent, family-run distillery. Their heritage and unwavering dedication to crafting exceptional whisky are at the heart and soul of everything they do.
THE DISTILLERY WHERE SMALL IS MIGHTY
At Kilchoman, the stills are a marvel to behold, among the smallest in all of Scotland. These small wonders work their magic, intensifying copper contact and delivering whisky that is a symphony of balance and complexity. It’s a place where the craft of whisky making takes on a whole new meaning.
100% ISLAY PHILOSOPHY
Nestled amidst the rugged landscapes of Islay, Kilchoman Distillery embodies a legacy of tradition, quality, and innovation in the Scottish Single Malt industry.
Kilchoman isn’t just a distillery; it’s Islay’s Farm Distillery. Here, tradition meets terroir in a truly unique way. Kilchoman proudly holds the title of being the only distillery in all of Scotland to distil whisky from barley grown and malted right on their very own farm. It’s a dedication to quality that sets them apart from the rest.
Anthony and Kathy’s vision was to revive the tradition of farm distilling. From day one, the 100% Islay range has been the core focus. It’s about bringing back the true essence of single malt whisky – from barley to bottle, all in one place. The distillery takes great pride in keeping the entire process in-house, ensuring quality and consistency with skill, care, and attention to every detail.
THE WILLS FAMILY
Kilchoman is a family run business established by Anthony and Kathy Wills in 2005. As the business expanded, the husband and wife team were joined by their three sons; James, George and Peter. The Wills family remain the driving force behind Kilchoman with Anthony as Managing Director and Master Distiller, Kathy running the Visitor Centre and their three sons managing the distillery’s sales and marketing activities.
124 YEARS IN THE MAKING
Kilchoman made history when they became the first distillery to be built on Islay in over 124 years. To this day, they stand as the island’s only independent, family-run distillery. Their heritage and unwavering dedication to crafting exceptional whisky are at the heart and soul of everything they do.
THE DISTILLERY WHERE SMALL IS MIGHTY
At Kilchoman, the stills are a marvel to behold, among the smallest in all of Scotland. These small wonders work their magic, intensifying copper contact and delivering whisky that is a symphony of balance and complexity. It’s a place where the craft of whisky making takes on a whole new meaning.
SMALL IS MIGHTY
At Kilchoman, the stills are a marvel to behold, among the smallest in all of Scotland. These small wonders work their magic, intensifying copper contact and delivering whisky that is a symphony of balance and complexity. It’s a place where the craft of whisky making takes on a whole new meaning.
HARVEST
(Days 1-5):
The Kilchoman parish, blessed with Islay’s fertile soil, is where the journey of barley begins. Year after year, Kilchoman cultivates around 200 tonnes of barley. Sown each spring, the dedicated farm team nurtures the crop throughout the summer. By early September, it’s time for harvest—a crucial step that kicks off the whisky-making process. From Kilchoman-grown barley to malted, distilled, matured, and bottled right there on the farm, it becomes Islay’s unique Single Farm Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
MALTING
(Days 6-12):
At Kilchoman, the traditional practise of floor malting is proudly upheld, a rarity in today’s whisky world. While many distilleries have outsourced this step, Kilchoman continue to soak the barley, laying it on concrete floors and turning it by hand. This painstaking process encourages germination, converting starch into fermentable sugars and alcohol. Though labour intensive and less common, floor malting remains at the core of their 100% Islay philosophy.
PEATING
(Days 13-14):
Islay’s character-rich peat bogs play a pivotal role in the whisky-making journey. The team cuts peat from these local coastal bogs to smoke the germinating barley, infusing it with Islay’s unique maritime smokiness. This peating process imparts layers of complexity to the whisky as it matures, enriching its character. After peating and drying, the malted barley gets a minimum two-week rest before it’s milled and mashed. The magic of Islay peat unfolds!
MASHING
(Day 28):
Following peating, Kilchoman’s barley enjoys a well-deserved rest before heading to the still house for the next phase. Here, a two hand-operated 1.2-tonne mash tuns come to life daily. The barley grains are crushed to extract fermentable sugars, resulting in a precious wort. This liquid forms the foundation of Kilchoman’s spirit, while the spent grain, known as draff, finds a second purpose as a hearty meal for their Aberdeen Angus cattle. Sustainability at its finest!
FERMENTING
(Days 29-33):
With the sweet, malty, and subtly smoky wort ready, Kilchoman introduces distiller’s yeast, kickstarting the magic of fermentation and alcohol creation. The generous 85-hour fermentation period allows for the intricate development of esters and the accumulation of lactic acid, leading to creamy, buttery, and delightfully fruity notes. When combined with their exceptionally small stills, it results in a spirit of unparalleled purity. It’s the alchemy of time and tradition!
DISTILLING
(Day 34):
Kilchoman’s distinctive stills, with their unique size and shape, facilitate an extraordinary level of copper contact. This enables the fusion of earthy, maritime peat smoke with gentle floral and citrus notes that define Kilchoman single malt. At every step, including the stills, the process is meticulously hand-controlled, giving the distillery the flexibility to embrace the natural nuances of each distillation.
MATURING
(Day 35 – Minimum 1130 Days):
The journey continues as Kilchoman single malt matures in an array of cask types handpicked from top producers worldwide. Each barrel adds its unique character and hue, harmonising with Kilchoman’s signature peat smoke and floral sweetness. Their primary cask types, sherry butts from Bodega Miguel Martin in Spain and bourbon barrels which in the past came directly from the esteemed BuDalo Trace distillery in the USA, however barrel supply has proven to be a challenge, especially for smaller producers and due to certain circumstances, has resulted in Kilchoman sourcing a new supplier – Breckenridge Distillery in Colorado. Beyond bourbon and sherry, the distillery also experiments with Sauternes, Red Wine, Rum, Port, Madeira, Cognac, and various secretive casks.
BOTTLING
At Kilchoman, the journey from barley to bottle comes full circle as their single malts are bottled right at the distillery. Every production stage happens at Kilchoman, from barley cultivation in the fields to the final bottling on-site. Kilchoman single malts embody the essence of people, passion, and place. It’s a distillation of their very soul.
HARVEST
(Days 1-5):
The Kilchoman parish, blessed with Islay’s fertile soil, is where the journey of barley begins. Year after year, Kilchoman cultivates around 200 tonnes of barley. Sown each spring, the dedicated farm team nurtures the crop throughout the summer. By early September, it’s time for harvest—a crucial step that kicks off the whisky-making process.
From Kilchoman-grown barley to malted, distilled, matured, and bottled right there on the farm, it becomes Islay’s unique Single Farm Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
MALTING
(Days 6-12):
At Kilchoman, the traditional practise of floor malting is proudly upheld, a rarity in today’s whisky world. While many distilleries have outsourced this step, Kilchoman continue to soak the barley, laying it on concrete floors and turning it by hand. This painstaking process encourages germination, converting starch into fermentable sugars and alcohol.
Though labour intensive and less common, floor malting remains at the core of their 100% Islay philosophy.
PEATING
(Days 13-14):
Islay’s character-rich peat bogs play a pivotal role in the whisky-making journey. The team cuts peat from these local coastal bogs to smoke the germinating barley, infusing it with Islay’s unique maritime smokiness. This peating process imparts layers of complexity to the whisky as it matures, enriching its character.
After peating and drying, the malted barley gets a minimum two-week rest before it’s milled and mashed. The magic of Islay peat unfolds!
MASHING
(Day 28):
Following peating, Kilchoman’s barley enjoys a well-deserved rest before heading to the still house for the next phase. Here, a two hand-operated 1.2-tonne mash tuns come to life daily. The barley grains are crushed to extract fermentable sugars, resulting in a precious wort.
This liquid forms the foundation of Kilchoman’s spirit, while the spent grain, known as draff, finds a second purpose as a hearty meal for their Aberdeen Angus cattle. Sustainability at its finest!
FERMENTING
(Days 29-33):
With the sweet, malty, and subtly smoky wort ready, Kilchoman introduces distiller’s yeast, kickstarting the magic of fermentation and alcohol creation. The generous 85-hour fermentation period allows for the intricate development of esters and the accumulation of lactic acid, leading to creamy, buttery, and delightfully fruity notes.
When combined with their exceptionally small stills, it results in a spirit of unparalleled purity. It’s the alchemy of time and tradition!
DISTILLING
(Day 34):
Kilchoman’s distinctive stills, with their unique size and shape, facilitate an extraordinary level of copper contact. This enables the fusion of earthy, maritime peat smoke with gentle floral and citrus notes that define Kilchoman single malt.
At every step, including the stills, the process is meticulously hand-controlled, giving the distillery the flexibility to embrace the natural nuances of each distillation.
MATURING
(Day 35 – Minimum 1130 Days):
The journey continues as Kilchoman single malt matures in an array of cask types handpicked from top producers worldwide. Each barrel adds its unique character and hue, harmonising with Kilchoman’s signature peat smoke and floral sweetness.
Their primary cask types, sherry butts from Bodega Miguel Martin in Spain and bourbon barrels which in the past came directly from the esteemed BuDalo Trace distillery in the USA, however barrel supply has proven to be a challenge, especially for smaller producers and due to certain circumstances, has resulted in Kilchoman sourcing a new supplier – Breckenridge Distillery in Colorado. Beyond bourbon and sherry, the distillery also experiments with Sauternes, Red Wine, Rum, Port, Madeira, Cognac, and various secretive casks.
BOTTLING
At Kilchoman, the journey from barley to bottle comes full circle as their single malts are bottled right at the distillery. Every production stage happens at Kilchoman, from barley cultivation in the fields to the final bottling on-site. Kilchoman single malts embody the essence of people, passion, and place. It’s a distillation of their very soul.
