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Distillery in Focus:          Kilchoman
Region: Islay
Name: Kilchoman
Status: Active
Website: http://www.kilchomandistillery.com/
Telephone: 01496 850 011
E-Mail: info@kilchomandistillery.com
Address: Rockside Farm, Bruichladdich, Isle of Islay, PA49 7UT Latitude 55°47'13"N, Longitude 6°25'51"W
Visitor centre: Yes
Owner: Kichoman Distillery Co Ltd
Established in 2005
Stills: 1 wash and 1 spirit still
Percentage single malt: 100%
Casks used for maturation: Bourbon (80%) and sherry (20%)
Contribute(d) to the following blends: none

Regular Bottling:

Kilchoman Machir Bay, 46% (since 2012)

The first official releases were:

Inaugural Release (September 2009)
Autumn Release (Autumn 2009)
Spring Release (April 2010)

Several single cask bottlings were released afterwards (Whisky Live Paris, September 2009 and for Germany, April 2010).

For tasted whiskies, click here
From left to right: The Inaugural Release, Autumn Release (2009) and the Single Cask Release for the Whisky-Live Paris (2009)

History of the Kilchoman distillery

Kilchoman distillery was the first distillery built on Islay since Malt Mill in 1908. Jim Swan and Ron Gibson designed it. Inauguration took place in June 2005 by its main owner, Anthony Wills during the annual whisky Islay Whisky festival, the Feis Ile. The money - £900,000 in all - came from a combination of private investors, a grant from the local enterprise company and a small-firms loan guarantee. The first cask was filled on December 14, 2005. In 2006, a fire damaged the kiln. The first official bottling was the Inaugural batch released in Autumn 2009 at the same time as the first single cask bottling for the Whisky Live Paris in September 2009. Two whiskies are being produced, the Kilchoman, with malt peated at the same specifications as Ardbeg (50 ppm) and a smaller batch (30% of the production), the Kilchoman 100% Islay, produced on the floor maltings at Kilchoman with local barley. The Kilchoman 100% barley has not yet been released (May 2010). In 2007, the distillery was expanded with two new washbacks. The annual production is 100,000 LPA.

 

Kilchoman Still house
Kilchoman Warehouse 1 The floor malting

 

Source: Distillery visit, The Scotch Whisky Distilleries by Misako Udo, Malt Whisky Yearbook 2010 by Ingvar Ronde and http://www.independent.co.uk/.
Patrick Brossard © 02 May 2010

Tasted whiskies (42):

Official/original bottlings (OB)  
Age  
Kilchoman Single Cask, 3 YO. OB, 61.9%, B: 2010, c. 211/07 Rating: 10/20
Kilchoman Single Cask, 3 YO, OB, 61.9%, B: 2010, c. 322/07 Rating: 11/20
Kilchoman Single Cask, 4 YO, OB, 60.4%, B: 2011, c. 249/06 Rating: 13/20
Kilchoman 5 YO  sherry finish Feis Ile 2011, OB, 59.5%, B: 2011, 500 b. Rating: 13/20
   
Vintages  
Kilchoman 2006, 3 YO, OB, 61%, B: 2009, cask 361 Rating: 07/20
Kilchoman 2006 Single Cask for Germany , 3 YO, 60.5%, B: 2010. Cask 363/03 Rating: 12/20
Kilchoman 2007 Single Cask for the Whisky Schiff (Switzerland), 3 YO, OB, 62.1%, B: 2010 Cask 336/07 Rating: 08/20
Kilchoman 2007 Oloroso Feis Ile 2016, OB, 8 YO, 56.6%, B:2016, c. 429. Rating: 15/20
Kilchoman 2007 Sherry Butt for La Maison du Whisky, 10 YO, OB, 59.3%, B:2017, cask 417/2007 Rating: 14/20
Kilchoman 2007 20th Anniversary LMDW, OB, 56.6%, B:2017, c.196 Rating: 15/20
Kilchoman 2007 Feis Ile 2018, OB, 11 YO, 55.5%, B:2018, cask 34, 65, 82 and 83 Rating: 16/20
Kilchoman 1997 Private Cask for Patrick B, 12 YO, OB, 54.6%, B:2019, cask 145 Rating: N/A
Kilchoman 2008 for Belgium / The Nectar,  4 YO, OB, 60.5%, B: 2013, c.390/2008. Rating: 14/20
Kilchoman 2008 for Feis Ile 2015, OB, 58.2%, B: 2015, 742 b. Rating: 15/20
Kilchoman 2008 Vintage, OB, 46%, B:2015 Rating: 12/20
Kilchoman 2007 for Belgium / The Nectar, 5 YO, OB, 59.3%; B:2013, c.455/2007 Rating: 14/20
Kilchoman 2010 PX for The Whisky Exchange, OB, 58.3%, B:2015, cask 679/2010. Rating: 11/20
Kilchoman 2011 Caroni Rum finish for LMDW 60th Anniversary, OB, 59.5%, B: 2016, 264 b. Rating: 07/20
Kilchoman 2011 Ullrich Selection,OB, 57.3%, B:2018, c. 443 Rating: 14/20
Kilchoman 2011 Single Cask The Little Big Book  for LMDW, 7 YO, 56.3%, Sherry Cask 621/2011. Rating: 13/20
   
Non specified  
Kilchoman Autumn 2009 Release, OB, 3 YO, 46% Rating: 10/20
Kilchoman Cask Strength, OB, 59.2%, B: 2014 Rating: 13/20
Kilchoman Cask Strength, OB, 56.9%, B:2016 Rating: 16/20
Kilchoman Feis Ile 2019, OB, 54.4%, B:2009 Rating: 13/20
Kilchoman Original Cask Strength, OB, 59.2%, B:2015. Rating: 13/20
Kilchoman Inaugural Release, 3 YO, OB, 46%, B: 2009 Rating: 08/20
Kilchoman 100% Islay 2nd edition, OB, 50%, B: 2012 Rating: 07/20
Kilchoman 100% Islay 3rd edition, OB, 50%, B: 2013 Rating: 09/20
Kilchoman 100% Islay 2014 Edition, OB, 50%, B: 2014. Rating: 08/20
Kilchoman 100% Islay 5th Edition, OB, 50%, B:2015 Rating: 12/20
Kilchoman Loch Gorm, OB, 46%, B: 2014 Rating: 10/20
Kilchoman Machir Bay, OB, 46%, B: 2012 Rating: 09/20
Kilchoman Machir Bay, OB, 46%, B: 2013 Rating: 14/20
Kilchoman Machir Bay 2014 Edition, OB, 46%, B:2014 Rating: 10/20
Kilchoman Port Matured, OB, 55%, B: 2014 Rating: 08/20
Kilchoman Sanaig, OB, 46%, B:2016. Rating: 14/20
Kilchoman Sauternes, OB, 50%, B:2016 Rating: 10/20
Kilchoman Spring Release, 3 YO, 46%, B: 2010 Rating: 11/20
Kilchoman Summer 2010 Release, 3 YO, OB, 46%, B: 2010 Rating: 13/20
Kilchoman Winter Release 2010, 3 YO, 46%, B: 2010 Rating: 12/20
   

 

Independent bottlings (IB)  
   
Scotch Malt Whisky Society  
Kilchoman 2009 129.1, 5 YO, SMWS, 60.2%, B:2012, 235 b. Rating: 14/20