Kilchoman Distillery
About the distillery
Kilchoman is located on Rockside Farm on the northwest coast of Islay, and it is the island’s only single farm single malt distillery. Here, the barley is grown, malted, peated, distilled, matured and bottled all on the same site—and precisely that is what makes the house especially interesting to whisky lovers who want to taste a very cohesive, farm-driven expression from Islay.
History
Rockside Farm becomes home to Kilchoman
Kilchoman describes itself as Islay’s farm distillery and places production among the traditional buildings at Rockside Farm on the island’s northwest coast. From here comes the house’s own approach to single malt, where the entire chain—from growing to bottling—takes place on the farm.
Single farm single malt on Islay
The distillery highlights the Rockside edition as Islay’s only single farm single malt and as an expression of a traditional farm distillation. At the same time, Kilchoman is described as the most recent addition to the small circle of Islay distilleries that produce Scotch malt whisky today.
Raw materials and production
Production is built around its own barley from Rockside Farm. It is grown on the farm and used for both the 100% Islay range and the Rockside releases. On the malting floor, the distillery works with malting, and during the tour through the facilities, visitors are shown how barley and peat are handled before the malted grain becomes new-make spirit in the tunroom and stillhouse. The distillery clearly works with smoke and peat, but also with balance—so the more bourbon-influenced expressions show citrus, vanilla and malt, while the sherry-influenced ones lean toward darker fruit and spice. The production water comes from the Allt Gleann Osamail stream, and Warehouse 2 is used for more experimental casks, which allows for distinct maturations and less common combinations.
Maturation and cask types
Kilchoman uses both bourbon and sherry casks as the basis for many releases, but the range also features more distinctive types of maturation. Loch Gorm is matured exclusively in oloroso sherry casks from José Miguel Martin, while Machir Bay and Sanaig combine bourbon and sherry. In addition, the distillery also works with re-charred red wine casks in Batch Strength, calvados in 13 Years Old, Sauternes wine casks in a previous 2018 release, Maury for full maturation, and a Carcavelos finish on a single cask. This creates a picture of a distillery that both sticks to classic Islay cask choices and uses them as a framework for more curious variations.
Whiskies
The core range is clearly defined and recognisable. Machir Bay serves as the flagship with a balance of bourbon and sherry, smoke and freshness, Sanaig leans more toward sherry, dark fruit and spice, Rockside 11 shows the more farm-like single farm identity, Batch Strength delivers a more powerful and more spiced expression, and Loch Gorm stands as the annual sherry-matured limited edition. In addition, there is the 100% Islay range, where barley from the farm is the focus, as well as newer or more special releases such as Maury Cask Matured, 13 Years Old, and select single cask or archive bottlings.
| Whisky | Type / range | Alcohol | Age | Cask and style | Tasting profile | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Machir Bay | Single Malt Whisky | Bourbon and Sherry; smoked/peated; 50 PPM | The distillery’s signature expression and flagship with bourbon- and sherry-led character.; Nose: Lemon zest, vanilla, coastal influence, floral intensity, juiciness and peppery spice.; Taste: Tropical fruit, dried sultanas, warming smoke, honey, malt, butterscotch and rich sweetness.; Finish: Sherry-soaked fruit, cracked black pepper, sea salt, citrus sweetness and maritime peat smoke. | Current; Core range; Permanent available | ||
| Sanaig | Single Malt Whisky | Bourbon & Sherry; smoked/peated; 50 PPM | A sherry-led core malt with bourbon finesse and Islay smoke.; Nose: Fragrant heather, raisins, pear, orange peel, stoned fruits, mixed spices and rich peat smoke.; Taste: Overripe plums, red cherries, citrus, barbeque peat smoke, toffee, oak and dark chocolate.; Finish: Mouth-coating mixed fruit, caramel, cinnamon, clove, brown sugar, spices, peat smoke and lasting sweetness. | Current; Core range; Permanently available | ||
| Rockside 11 Years Old | Single Malt Whisky | 11 Years Old | Bourbon & Sherry; smoked/peated; 20 PPM | Islay’s only single farm single malt, made entirely on Rockside Farm.; Nose: Orange, lemon peel, fragrant elderflower, honeyed sweetness and maritime smoke.; Taste: Citrus, tropical fruits, barley sugars, toffee apple, salted caramel sweetness and subtle peat smoke.; Finish: Butterscotch, walnuts, lingering juicy citrus and stone fruits. | Current; Core range; Permanently Available | |
| Batch Strength | Single Malt Whisky | 57 % | Re-charred red wine, oloroso sherry, bourbon; smoked/peated; 50 PPM | Powerful core single malt bottled at batch strength.; Nose: Red fruits, fresh cherries, heather blossom and intense peat smoke.; Taste: Toffee, rich spices, vanilla and lasting peat smoke.; Finish: Silky viscosity with fresh crumpets, butter and honey. | Current; Core range; Permanently available | |
| Loch Gorm 2026 | Single Malt Whisky | 10 Year Old | Sherry; smoked/peated; 50 PPM | Annual sherry-matured limited edition with dark, spicy character.; Nose: Dried red fruits, barbecued meats, toasted walnuts and rich peat smoke.; Taste: Candied orange, tropical fruits, salted caramel, dried prunes, cinnamon, nutmeg and integrated rich smoke.; Finish: Lasting spices, toasted dark chocolate, liquorice and balanced peat smoke. | Current; Limited edition | |
| 100% Islay 15th Edition | Single Malt Whisky | 9 Year Old | Bourbon; smoked/peated; 20 PPM | The final release in the limited 100% Islay range, matured exclusively in ex-bourbon casks.; Nose: Vanilla, tropical fruits, fresh hay, toasted oak, grassy notes and salted butter.; Taste: Milk chocolate, salted caramel, fresh peat smoke, candied citrus fruits, lemon, ripe pear and white pepper.; Finish: Lingering maritime peat smoke with fresh fruits and honied sweetness. | Discontinued; Limited edition; 13000 bottles | |
| 100% Islay Sherry Cask Matured 11 Years Old | Single Malt Whisky | 50 % | 11 Years Old | Oloroso sherry butts; smoked/peated | Limited 100% Islay release with full maturation in oloroso sherry butts. | Current; Limited edition |
| 13 Years Old | Single Malt Whisky | 13 Years Old | Bourbon barrels, octaves and calvados casks; smoked/peated | Age-stated limited release with bourbon, octaves and calvados in the cask. | Coming; Limited release | |
| Maury Cask Matured | Single Malt Whisky | Maury fortified wine casks; smoked/peated | Fully matured limited edition in ex-Maury casks with sweetness of dates, raisins and dark honey. | Current; Limited edition | ||
| 'Shake The Farm' Single Cask | Single Malt Whisky | 52.5 % | Carcavelos hogshead; finish: 11 months; smoked/peated; 50 PPM | A single cask selected by the winner of the second Shake the Farm cocktail competition. | Current; Single cask |
Whisky style and tasting profile
Kilchoman’s whisky typically moves in several clear directions at the same time: citrus and citrus peel, vanilla and butterscotch, as well as peated smoke and maritime tones. In the more sherry-influenced expressions, dried fruit, dark chocolate, toffee and spices appear, while the bourbon-influenced bottles often show tropical fruit, peach, pear, honey and malt. Overall, the style is light and fruity at one end, darker and more spiced at the other, but almost always with smoke as the backbone.
Visit the distillery
Kilchoman can be visited, and several bookable experiences are available. The Classic Tour lasts 1 hour and 15 minutes and provides an introduction to the whisky process, from the Visitor Centre to the malt floor, tunroom and stillhouse. The Roving Tour lasts 1 hour and 30 minutes and goes deeper into production with three drams along the way and a visit to Warehouse 2. There is also Warehouse Tasting, where three drams are drawn directly from selected casks. The Visitor Centre Cafe is open Sunday to Thursday, and coffee, lunch and homemade baking are part of the visit; lunch booking is recommended in the busiest months. Bookings for lunch can be sent to tours@kilchomandistillery.com.
The stated opening hours are Sunday to Thursday 09:30–17:00. Visitor Centre Cafe: coffee from 09:45, lunch from 12:00, last food orders 14:15 (Nov–Feb) and 15:15 (Mar–Oct). Classic Tour: Mar–Oct daily 09:45 and Mon/Wed 15:00, 1 hour 15 min. Roving Tour: Mar–Oct Mon/Wed 13:15, Tue/Thu 14:45, 1 hour 30 min. Warehouse Tasting: Mar–Oct daily 11:15 and 15:00 during Silent Season, 1 hour. Rockside Barley Experience: 19 July–12 August Sun–Tue, 1 hour 30 min. Rockside Tasting: 19 July–12 August Wed–Thu, 1 hour 30 min.
Philosophy and craftsmanship
Kilchoman’s core idea is the local, traditional farm model: own barley, own peat, own distillation and own maturation on Rockside Farm. The distillery also emphasizes the balance between maritime peat smoke and fresh citrus, and the goal of maintaining quality and consistency in selected sherry casks from a single bodega. At the same time, they use experimental maturations and warehouse tastings to show how casks and maturation can expand the expression without losing the house’s clear identity.