The distillery in the heart of Islay: Kilchoman is a very special distillery
Islay is sparsely populated, but is known worldwide for its unique whiskies with the smoky note that is so typical of the island. Islay is home to nine distilleries. One of them is the young, yet traditional Kilchoman distillery. It was founded in 2005 by the current managing director Anthony Wills. Anthony's grandfather and father had an intense fascination with whisky. Anthony made this fascination his life's work - in the form of his own distillery.
Kilchoman is a traditional farm distillery. This means that the barley is grown on site, crushed, malted and then processed into a high-quality whisky. Kilchoman is the only Scottish distillery that produces single malts from its own planted and harvested barley. And the distillery, located on the picturesque island of Islay, is proud of this:
“Our 100% Islay philosophy stems from a desire to resurrect the grass roots tradition of farm distilling.”
Kilchoman Distillery
With the 100% Islay range - the whisky collection that is produced exclusively at Kilchoman, from the barley to the bottle - the distillery is reviving old Scottish traditions. Back then, it was common to concentrate all whisky production at one location. Kilchoman still uses these advantages today. The barley is grown in harmony with the weather conditions. There is no pressure: as soon as the conditions are right, the planting takes place. This guarantees that the barley grows ideally. The distillery employees keep a close eye on when the barley is ready to be harvested. And the peat, which is important for whisky production, is also removed directly from the island and used to dry the barley. This enables Kilchoman employees to consciously influence the quality of the whisky.