Images are for illustrative purposes only and, unless clearly stated in the product title or description, labels and vintages may differ from those shown.
A powerhouse Islay farm-distillery dram marrying heavy peat smoke with rich orchard fruit, red berry sweetness, and full-throttle 57% batch strength.
| Spirit | Whisky |
| Style | Islay, Batch Strength, Peated, Maritime, |
| Where's it from? | Islay, Scotland |
| Volume | 70cl |
| ABV | 57% |
| Pairing/Garnish | With a dash of water to open it up |
Tasting Notes & Serving Suggestions
Pours a natural, bright polished gold. The nose opens with an upfront hit of Islay peat smoke and maritime brine, quickly followed by stewed red plums, dark cherries, lemon zest, and rich vanilla toffee.
On the palate, it delivers serious weight and intensity without burning. The 57% ABV carries deep, layered flavours of blackberry compote, warm baking spices, and salted caramel, cutting through the dense wave of earthy peat and charred wood smoke. The finish is remarkably long, rounded, and warming, leaving lingering notes of heather honey, cracked black pepper, and dry peat ash.
Serving & Food Pairings:
Best savoured neat first, then opened up with a splash of cool spring water to release the fruit from the red wine casks. If you are pairing it with food, it has the backbone to stand up to robust flavours: try it alongside venison pie, slow-braised beef shin, strongly smoked cheddar, or a slab of high-cocoa dark sea-salt chocolate.
About the Distillery
Established by Anthony and Kathy Wills in 2005 at Rockside Farm, Kilchoman was the first new distillery built on Islay in over 124 years. While many modern distilleries source spirit and barley at scale, Kilchoman remains an authentic independent farm distillery, handling every step from growing a portion of their own barley on the machair to floor malting, distilling, maturing, and bottling right on the farm. They have quietly earned a reputation among whisky drinkers for producing unhurried, honest single malts that place terroir, traditional farming, and uncompromising quality well ahead of corporate trends.
Production & Maturation
Distillation & Peating:
The spirit is made using heavily peated malt (peated to roughly 50 PPM), fermented slowly in traditional washbacks to develop lively citrus and ester-rich fruit character before distillation through Kilchoman’s compact, narrow-necked copper pot stills.
Maturation & Bottling:
Batch Strength brings together a carefully balanced vatting of three distinct wood types: re-charred red wine barriques, Oloroso sherry butts, and first-fill ex-bourbon barrels. After full maturation in Kilchoman's dunnage warehouses, the casks are married together and brought down with just a minimal touch of Islay water to 57% ABV. Bottled entirely free of chill filtration and without any artificial caramel colouring, preserving the whisky’s natural oils, texture, and rustic coastal character.