Scotland’s tiny island of Islay is home to some of the world’s most well-known whisky distilleries, who have been distilling there for hundreds of years. But in 2005 the scene changed with the opening of Kilchoman Distillery. It instantly made a name for itself alongside the historic distilleries. How? Because Kilchoman Distillery on Islay is actually quite unique.
When Kilchoman opened in 2005, it was the first distillery to be built on Islay in 124 years. Now, several more are in the works, but Kilchoman remains unique among all of them. In fact, Kilchoman’s success was so instant, they expanded with new warehouses in 2007, an additional malting floor and kiln in 2017, and a new stillhouse in 2019 (including two new stills, another mash tun, and six more washbacks). Clearly they’re doing something right!
5 Ways Kilchoman Distillery on Islay is Unique
1. Kilchoman Distillery is the only landlocked distillery on Islay.
The tiny island of Islay is only about 25 square miles, so the ocean is never far away. In the rare instance that you can’t see the water, you can always smell its salty presence in the air. Most of Islay’s distilleries sit at the edge of the water, practically located right on the beach.
But Kilchoman Distillery sits far inland, away from the seashores. It’s the only distillery on Islay that’s completely landlocked, and getting there requires driving through farms of barley and pastures of sheep. The one-lane road was only recently paved, and I’ve heard tales of muddy drives just to get there!
But if you think Kilchoman’s whisky lacks the salty characteristic of most Islay whisky because it’s inland, think again. Like I said, the salty air makes its way through the entire island, and one of the best parts about Kilchoman whisky is the notes of salty sea air. (Try Kilchoman’s Machir Bay if you don’t believe me!)
2. They grow their own barley!
Kilchoman Distillery is known as a farm distillery. Once the majority of distilleries on Islay, farm distilling fell out of favor when global demand for whisky got too high. Now Kilchoman is the only farm distillery on Islay.
Farm distilleries are exactly what they sound like: distilleries that also grow their own barley. Kilchoman is indeed surrounded by farmland, and driving there takes you through fields of barley. Twenty-five percent of Kilchoman’s barley comes from fields near the distillery, grown by local farmers.
Plus, Kilchoman is one of just 7 distilleries in Scotland with floor maltings. During the whisky-making process, barley is soaked in water to mimic springlike conditions to trick it into germinating. Then the barley is dried out by spreading it on a perforated floor, called a malting floor. Kilchoman malts all the barley grown nearby on its own malting floor (the rest is sourced).
Why does this matter? There are different types of barley, with different flavor profiles, and even where the barley grows affects the character and texture. I won’t bore you with the science behind it, but I heard that Islay’s windy climate makes its barley tougher, which translates into an oiler spirit. Try Kilchoman’s 100% Islay bottlings to taste it. (Bruichladdich also releases Islay Barley bottlings.)
3. Kilchoman is the only distillery in Scotland to do 100% of the whisky-making process on site.
Being a farm distillery is unique in the whisky-making world, but that aspect awards Kilchoman with an even bigger title: Kilchoman Distillery is the only distillery in Scotland to do the entire whisky-making process on site, from growing the barley to bottling the whisky. (Springbank Distillery does almost everything, but doesn’t grow its own barley.)
That means everything is done right at Kilchoman: growing (some) barley, malting the barley (on its own floor maltings), milling the barley, mashing the barley, then fermentation, distillation, maturation, and finally bottling. The crazy part is that it’s still one of the smallest distilleries on Islay!
When we visited Islay, we did the Roving Tasting at Kilchoman so we could see the entire process. And the best part was the tastings were done throughout the tour! There’s nothing like tasting whisky near the still… or the malting floor… or in the warehouse.
4. They have the longest fermentation time on Islay.
After malting the barley and drying it on the malting floor, it’s soaked in water to convert its starches into fermentable sugars (called mashing). Then the watery liquid, called wort, is mixed with yeast in a washback so it ferments. For whisky, fermentation times vary depending on the distillery, usually somewhere between 48-100 hours.
Why the variation? Like all steps in the whisky-making process, fermentation times affect the flavor in whisky. As an oversimplification, shorter fermentation results in pungent, spicy characters; while slower fermentation results in lighter, fruitier flavors.
At Kilchoman Distillery, they have the longest fermentation time of all the Islay distilleries, about 80-90 hours. This encourages lighter, fruitier characteristics in their whisky, which balances the salty, almost shellfish-like phenolic flavors. (Try Kilchoman’s Sanaig to taste fruity flavors balanced with rich peat notes.)
5. Kilchoman uses unconventional casks for exciting whisky.
Throughout Scotland, ex-bourbon casks are the preferred vessel for aging whisky. And many distilleries on Islay and throughout Scotland also use sherry casks to give their whisky an exciting oomph.
Kilchoman uses a lot of ex-bourbon barrels (especially from Buffalo Trace) and sherry casks, but they also use a few others not widely used. They regularly release limited edition bottlings using unique casks like STR (“shave, toast, rechar”), Fino, Sauternes, red wine, Madeira, and even Calvados Apple Brandy casks.
These casks impart the flavor from their previous occupants into Kilchoman’s slightly fruity, slightly peaty, slightly salty whisky, creating unique flavor combinations. (Try one of Kilchoman’s limited releases with a unique cask, if you can find it.)
•••
If those five things haven’t convinced you that Kilchoman Distillery on Islay is unique, then grab a bottle of their whisky and you’ll taste it in the glass. Like many Islay distilleries (but not all!), you’ll taste peat, but not in the same intensity. There’s salty notes, but they’re subtle. There’s cask influence, but in a balanced way.
If you’ve tasted Kilchoman whisky, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments!
Related :: Guide to Distilleries on Islay, What to Know Before Going to Islay, and More Distilleries in Scotland
