The 100% Islay editions celebrate barley grown on site but once it’s harvested, the Kilchoman team also malt the barley using traditional floor malting techniques, first germinating and then smoking the barley, using local Islay peat, to give the whisky its 20 PPM lightly peated character.
The 15th Edition was distilled from Kilchoman 2014 and 2015 Concerto and Publican barley harvests before being matured for a minimum of 9 years in 54 ex-bourbon barrels. The time spent maturing in ex-bourbon barrels has added layers of caramel, vanilla and butterscotch which balance beautifully with the natural citrus sweetness and peat smoke of the Kilchoman spirit.
Kilchoman was the first distillery to be built on Islay for over 124 years and remains Islay’s only independent, family run distillery. Kilchoman is Islay’s Farm Distillery, the only distillery in Scotland to distil whisky from barley grown and malted on site.
Situated on Rockside Farm which covers around 3,000 acres on the north-west coast of Islay. Most of the area is marginal ground, only suitable for resilient breeds of cattle and sheep however they do have 200 acres of good-quality soil surrounding the distillery. It is here that they grow the barley for their annual 100% Islay editions.