Kilkerran Single Malt Whisky
About the distillery
Kilkerran is Glengyle Distillery's single malt from Campbeltown, where the Mitchell family originally founded the distillery. Today it is run by Mitchell's Glengyle Limited as part of the J&A Mitchell group. The distillery operates in short annual production periods, but keeps its doors open to visitors year-round with tours, warehouse tastings, and festival activities that make it an obvious stop for whisky lovers interested in both tradition and active production.
History
Glengyle was originally founded by the Mitchell family in 1872 and is rooted in Campbeltown, a town with deep whisky traditions. After a long pause, the distillery was rebuilt, and production resumed in 2004 under Mitchell's Glengyle Limited, which belongs to the J&A Mitchell group. On 25 March 2024, 20 years since the reopening and the first distillation of Kilkerran were marked. The anniversary was celebrated with free tours at Glengyle Distillery, duty-paid samples in the distillery shop, and a tasting flight with bottles from the first six Kilkerran casks. Since then, Kilkerran has also been a regular part of the Campbeltown Malts Festival, where Glengyle brings together the distillery, shop, warehouses, and tastings in a distinctly local setting.
Raw materials and production
Kilkerran's production is intentionally varied. During the short production period of 12 weeks, most of the time is spent on lightly peated, double-distilled new make, while three weeks are set aside for heavily peated spirit, and one week each for unpeated and triple-distilled new make. The distillery itself states that it uses the production to showcase different expressions of Kilkerran. An important part of the work takes place in Campbeltown, and the entire whisky process is brought together on site. Malting is carried out traditionally using floor malt at the sister distillery Springbank, and the production is shared with Springbank, so experience, calendar, and staff extend across the two locations.
Whiskies
The current range consists of a core range and selected limited releases. On the site, the 12-, 16-, and 8-year-old CS are highlighted as the core range, while Kilkerran Heavily Peated is marked as a limited release. The range is built around variations in peat level and distillation style, so the series spans from the more restrained to the clearly smoky. This makes Kilkerran a range where you can follow the same distillery's base style through multiple different expressions.
| Whisky | Type / series | Age | Cask and style | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kilkerran 12 yo | Single Malt Whisky; Kilkerran Whisky Range | 12 yo | smoked/peated | Current; Core Range; Core Range |
| Kilkerran 16 yo | Single Malt Whisky; Kilkerran Whisky Range | 16 yo | smoked/peated | Current; Core Range; Core Range |
| Kilkerran 8 yo CS | Single Malt Whisky; Kilkerran Whisky Range | 8 yo | smoked/peated | Current; Core Range; Core Range |
| Kilkerran Heavily Peated | Single Malt Whisky; Kilkerran Whisky Range | smoked/peated | Current; Limited Release |
General tasting profile
Visit the distillery
Glengyle Distillery can be visited year-round, including outside the production period. Tours of the distillery and Kilkerran Warehouse Tastings are available, and during the Campbeltown Malts Festival period there are free tours of both Kilkerran and Springbank, tastings, blending sessions, and warehouse tastings. Opening hours for contact and visits are Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 18:00, while Sunday is closed. Visitors can therefore plan a stop in Campbeltown both for a calm weekday visit and for the big festival days, when more experiences are offered at once.
The listed opening hours are Monday–Saturday 10:00–18:00; Sunday closed. Tours of Glengyle Distillery and Kilkerran Warehouse Tastings are available throughout the year, including outwith the distillery’s production period.
Philosophy and craftsmanship
Kilkerran works from a clear local craftsmanship approach: production is gathered in Campbeltown, traditional floor malting is part of the process, and the distillery uses variations in peat and distillation to create different expressions of the same whisky. Each edition is bottled in the town’s own bottling hall, and the entire setup is closely connected with Springbank. This gives a strong sense of place, pace, and hands-on control.
Latest news
Campbeltown Malts Festival 2026 – 2026-01-30
The 2026 festival programme brings together Springbank, Cadenhead’s, and Kilkerran over six days from 18 to 23 May. Kilkerran Open Day takes place at Glengyle Distillery with free distillery tours, tours of the new bottling & dispatch facility, blending sessions, warehouse tastings, and tastings focused on both peated Kilkerran and the distillery’s broad style register.
Kilkerran’s 20th Anniversary – 2024-03-15
Glengyle marked 20 years since the reopening and the first distillation of Kilkerran. The celebrations included free tours, duty-paid samples in the shop queue, and a tasting flight with the first six Kilkerran casks.
Kilkerran’s 20th Anniversary Concert – 2024-07-24
Kilkerran held a 20-year anniversary concert at Victoria Hall in Campbeltown with Fling, Red Hot Chilli Pipers, and Travis on the bill.
Kintyre Way Ultra Sponsorship – 2024-04-25
Kilkerran sponsored the Kintyre Way Ultra, where participants ran the 50.5 km route from Tayinloan to Tarbert, and an internal Kilkerran team took part in the relay race.
Mull of Kintyre Triathlon Series 2024 – 2024-03-15
Kilkerran was once again the sponsor of the Mull of Kintyre Triathlon series, with the first race in Campbeltown at Aqualibrium.