Islay’s Kilchoman distillery has launched the first edition of its Kilchoman Family Collection, a four-strong lineup headlined by a 20-year-old single malt. The 20-year-old expression is the oldest general release in the distillery’s history.
The collection was selected during the Wills family’s annual review of maturing stock at the Kilchoman warehouses, with each of the four releases chosen individually by the five members of Kilchoman’s founding family.
The distillery said the casks “reflect their personal tastes, shared passion, and the developing character of Kilchoman.”
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The four expressions are aged 11, 14, 18, and 20 years old. The 14-year-old is a 100% Islay expression, distilled in 2011 from barley grown at Kilchoman’s Rockside Farm. The barley was malted on-site and peated to 20ppm.
The remaining three expressions, aged 11, 18, and 20 years old, were produced using heavily peated barley at 50ppm sourced from Port Ellen Maltings. The distillery said this offers “a contrasting style that reflects Kilchoman’s traditional peat profile.”
The collection also showcases the influence of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks as the distillery reaches more significant age statements.
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READ THE STORY“The Kilchoman Family Collection, both this year and in the years to come, showcases some of our most treasured casks,” said Anthony Wills, Kilchoman founder. “We are especially proud to release our first globally available 20 Year Old as part of this edition.”
Wills added: “Discovering and tasting these exceptional casks in our warehouses remains one of the great joys of what we do. As a family, we have dedicated the past two decades to crafting the finest spirit and selecting the very best casks, so seeing that commitment and care come to fruition is very rewarding.”
Kilchoman is a family-run farm distillery based on Rockside Farm on the west coast of Islay, Scotland.
Wills established the distillery in 2005 with the aim of taking whisky production “back to its grass roots.”
The distillery’s 100% Islay range is described as Islay’s only Single Farm Single Malt Scotch Whisky. It represents a revival of traditional farm distilling, with the barley grown, malted, distilled, matured and bottled on-site. Kilchoman was one of the first new distilleries to open on Islay in more than 120 years.
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