Kilchoman: Islay's Farm Distillery

The small Scottish isle of Islay has long enjoyed an outsize role in the world of Scotch whisky. Now, along with the island’s more established and world-renowned distilleries, one of its newest distilleries is increasingly making a fine name for itself.

The tiny, rugged island of Islay (pronounced EYE-lah), off of Scotland’s southwestern coast, is only home to about 3,200 people, but many of them are employed by the island’s nine working distilleries. But this small collection of distilleries and their whisky-making employees produce some of the most legendary malts in the business, and because of that – and Islay’s reputation for turning out some gorgeous, peated whiskies – this 620-sq km island punches far above its weight class.

In December 2005, Kilchoman began operations as the first new distillery to be built on Islay in 124 years. (Another Islay distillery, Ardnahoe, subsequently opened in 2019.) Anthony Wills, Kilchoman’s founder and owner, set out to resurrect the grassroots tradition of farm distilling. Today, the 100% Islay range of Kilchoman whiskies represents the revival of those traditions, with the distillery standing alone as Islay’s only ‘Single Farm Single Malt Scotch Whisky.’ Indeed, it’s also the only distillery on the island that’s not on or near the coastline – though it’s still not far! Kilchoman began life as a family-run distillery, with Anthony and his wife Kathy heading things up as the distillery came to life. Soon after, as things began really picking up steam, the couple were joined by their three grown sons, James, George, and Peter. These days, 19 years on, the Wills family remain the driving force behind Kilchoman, with Anthony serving as Managing Director and Master Distiller, Kathy running the Visitor Centre, and their three sons managing the distillery’s sales and marketing activities.

THE RANGE

Kilchoman Distillery offers a distinct core range of single malts and annual limited releases that highlight the character of Islay’s west coast. The flagship Machir Bay expression, named for the bay not far from the distillery, marries ex-bourbon and sherry cask maturation to deliver a balance of tropical fruit, peat smoke, and maritime saltiness. The Sanaig expression, meanwhile, leans heavily into sherry cask influence, adding layers of dark fruit and rich spices to the smoky Kilchoman profile.

The Loch Gorm edition is Kilchoman’s sherry-matured flagship, named after the dark, peaty loch nearby. With its rich profile of dried fruit, chocolate, and a smoky undertone, Loch Gorm offers a sherried depth that enhances Kilchoman’s signature peat character.

Another highlight, 100% Islay is Kilchoman’s fully farm-to-bottle expression, distilled entirely from barley grown, malted, and peated at the distillery itself. This release celebrates the connection between Kilchoman’s small-scale farming and whisky production, presenting a lighter peat character and fresh citrusy notes layered with a mild saltiness. The current bottling, which varies annually, underscores Kilchoman’s dedication to craft and local sourcing.

Kilchoman’s 2024 limited releases include the Batch Strength Machir Bay and Batch Strength Sanaig, both bottled at natural cask strength. These expressions amplify Kilchoman’s classic balance of fruit and peat, showcasing the distillery’s refined cask selection and commitment to traditional Islay whisky-making.

THE PHILOSOPHY

Most distilleries source their barley from all over Scotland and beyond. Not Kilchoman. They believe the unique character of Islay makes the barley grown there equally unique. So from day one, they have held a philosophy of ‘100% Islay’ – from barley to bottle! This dedication stems from Anthony and Kathy’s desire to return to the tradition of farm distilling. From the very beginning, the 100% Islay range was a critical differentiator for Kilchoman. It represents the revival of single malt whisky being cultivated and produced, from barley to bottle, in a single location. Kilchoman is a distillery where the responsibility for quality and consistency is not outsourced, but handled in-house with the requisite skill, care, and attention to detail demanded of a fine single malt.

Kilchoman’s tagline – Islay’s Farm Distillery – is practised every bit as much as it’s preached. They actually farm a variety of landscapes covering roughly 2,300 acres surrounding the ruined Kilchoman Church. The craggy hill ground to the south is grazed by the distillery’s flock of blackface sheep.  To the west, Kilchoman’s herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle feed on a combination of machair grasses and draff, barley husks discarded during the whisky-making process. If this sounds almost impossibly idyllic, it all makes sense when you start tasting some of the output from what is, effectively, a working farm that also happens to make whisky, too.

Kilchoman’s most fertile ground comprises 400 acres of rich soil surrounding the distillery, and that patch of land is reserved for their annual barley crop. Sown each spring, once Islay’s 50,000 migratory geese have departed, the barley ripens over the summer months before being harvested in early autumn. When it’s good enough for a vintage bottling, that’s exactly what they do. Vintage single malt bottling is a special approach that’s undertaken by only a relatively few distilleries. As a somewhat new whiskymaker, Kilchoman didn’t send any of its product to market for years after its launch. After all, Scotch whisky must be aged for at least three years in oak before it can even carry the name ‘Scotch whisky’ – and many are matured for considerably longer.

So much like their philosophy of focusing on the quality that can be achieved when everything is done on-site, Kilchoman largely eschews the practice of age statements for its core range, opting instead for rigorous tasting, and bottling their whiskies when the quality meets their standards. We may see some limited-edition age statement Kilchoman bottles reaching Malaysia’s shelves from time to time, but for most of their whiskies, Kilchoman’s approach serves them – and us – just fine!