Today, 25% of Kilchoman’s barley comes from Islay, primarily from fields around the distillery. The distillery operates two small malting floors and kilns, producing medium-peated malt, while heavily peated malt is sourced from Port Ellen and mixed in. The long fermentation process inside the distillery enhances the fruitiness, complementing the coastal and shellfish-like phenolics. Kilchoman follows a thoughtful and costly wood policy, using a high proportion of first-fill ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks, which has allowed the distillery to reach maturity at a surprisingly young age.
Kilchoman’s location on Islay’s west coast holds historical significance. It was in this parish that the MacBeatha/Beaton family settled in 1300 after arriving from County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The Beatons, known as doctors, served as hereditary physicians to Scottish kings for centuries and translated distillation texts from Latin to Gaelic. Although unproven, some believe Islay was the first place in Scotland where distillation occurred, possibly within Kilchoman parish.
Anthony Wills chose this location in 2005 to establish his farm distillery, not because of the historical connections but due to the availability of a steading at Rockside Farm. By building Kilchoman, the Wills family revived farm distilling on Islay.
Surrounded by barley fields, Kilchoman expanded in 2007, adding new warehouses. In November 2017, a new malting floor and kiln were constructed on the site of the old Rockside Farm cowshed. In May 2019, Kilchoman doubled its production capacity with the addition of a new stillhouse featuring two more stills, a new mash tun, and six new washbacks. This expansion brought production close to 0.5 million liters of pure alcohol annually, allowing for experimental runs with different yeast and barley varieties.
