Discover the Kilchoman distillery
Discover the Kilchoman distillery
Scotch whisky
Known as the ‘Queen of the Hebrides’, Islay’s is a rough beauty of austere landscapes, myriad lochs, and winding coastlines. Accessible by ferry from Port Ellen or Port Askaig, or via the minuscule Glenegedale airport (a stone’s throw from Port Ellen and Bowmore), this tiny 620 km2 island is one of narrow, one-way roads, pastures, moorlands, peat-bogs, and distilleries — some of which have become legend. Among the most recent, Kilchoman is a return to the roots of whisky production. This family-owned, independent farm-distillery was founded in 2015 on the isle’s Western shore, partly grows its own barley, and controls every step of its production from field to cask.
◊ Several varieties of two-row barley are planted each April across the hundred-odd acres of the distillery’s farmland: Diablo, Concerto, Sassy, Optic, Octavia, Publican, Planet, Laureate, Fallow… A sign placed in front of each of the twelve fields indicates the type of barley, the volume reaped, and the corresponding number of whisky casks produced.
◊ Kilchoman, with its characteristic pagoda, is one of the few Scottish distilleries with its own malt floor. Laid out on the floor in thick layers, the barley must be turned over every three hours for four to six days using wooden rakes, to avoid the formation of mould and the entangling of germs. Inside the kiln, the scent of burning peat from bogs managed by the distillery give a preview of the notes of ash, tobacco, and citrus characteristic of this single malt.
◊ Lit by great bay windows, the stillhouse houses some of Scotland’s smallest pot stills. With their unusually tall and long lyne arm, the wash still (3,000L) and the spirit still (2,000L) are a far cry from the Scottish standard in terms of capacity !
◊ Within the cellars are housed six casks bearing the names of Anthony Wills’ grandchildren, each filled the year they were born. Cask no.1, dated 2005, is also housed there.
◊ The visitor centre, with its hearth and leather armchairs, could be mistaken for a family’s living room. Kathy and Anthony Willis can often be found passing the time there. At the bar, the unlikely haggis-flavoured chocolate is a tempting treat.
◊ On the menu at the visitor centre’s restaurant, Cullen Skink — a soup of smoked haddock and white wine — is one of the best the isle has to offer.
◊ Some of the most beautiful sights of the isle, to which Kilchoman’s most iconic batches pay homage, can be found within a scant few miles of the distillery: the immense white sand beach of Machir Bay, Loch Gorm (‘Blue Lake’ in Scottish Gaelic) and its surrounding pastures and hills, Sanaig inlet, or Kilnave Chapel, which dates back to the Middle Ages, and the Sleeping Giant, the name given to a rock formation located north of Saligo Bay, which are among the landmarks referenced by the bottlings in the Itineraries collection.
◊ The history of Islay is a major inspiration for the distillery, which took its name from a small 15th century church located a mile or so away and abandoned for a century: Kilchoman (‘kil’ meaning ‘church’). As for the Comraich release, it is named in reference to a series of mediaeval sites. According to tradition, stones set in a circle formed a sacred sanctuary, providing refuge to those who sheltered there.
Kilchoman
Kilchoman
KILCHOMAN
KILCHOMAN 10 ans 2015 Sleeping Giant Itinéraires
54.1%single malt whisky70cLscotland/islay
Ref: 68924
Founded in June 2005, Kilchoman distillery is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Long-awaited by fans of peated whiskies, its single malt was released on September 9, 2009. It was not until 2011 that the first Kilchoman 100% Islay, made with barley grown and malted on site, was launched. Some whiskies arouse g...See more149.00 €
KILCHOMAN 18 ans 2006 Kilnave Chapel Itinéraires
48.1%single malt whisky70cLscotland/islay
Ref: 68923
Distilled on December 6, 2006, barely a year after the stills at the young farm-distillery were commissioned, this single malt with 50 ppm phenols takes us back to the early chapters of Kilchoman's history. On February 12 of that year, the kiln caught fire, forcing the distillery to suspend malting and barley-drying op...See more275.00 €
