A Trip to Kilchoman
I spent some time in Islay last week. The island is home to some of the finest whisky distilleries anywhere in the world. There are 8 currently in production with Number 9 on its way (more on that next week). The most recent of the currently operational 8 is Kilchoman, the smallest, yet arguably most intriguing of all.
The distillery was established in 2005 on the site of Rockside Farm on the island’s western coast, a location known for its excellent barley growing capabilities. Kilchoman is a traditional farm distillery meaning barley is grown, harvested, milled, malted, fermented, distilled, matured and bottled in this one single location. The farm isn’t big enough to supply the distillery’s full requirements, however, so some is brought in from the Port Ellen maltings.
Touring Kilchoman on a typically windy Islay day, I was struck by how unlike its island neighbours it is. There are no whitewashed, wind-battered walls and there is no stormy shore. Instead, some quaint stone buildings huddle together, surrounded by fields of golden barley. Though the cutting Atlantic wind, that blows in from nearby Machir Bay certainly reminded me that I was still on Islay.
Few distilleries in Scotland still operate a malting floor, yet compared to the ones I’ve seen at the likes of Bowmore and Springbank, the floor at Kilchoman is tiny, a theme which thoroughly established itself throughout the rest my visit. The mash tun, washbacks and pot stills are the smallest I’ve seen. Though the latter, it must be said, are perfectly formed and absolutely gorgeous.
The distillery has its own filling station and bottling hall, not to mention a lovely visitor centre and a welcoming cafe. There I was able to pull up a chair and sample a few drams from one of the tasting flights on offer. I was already fairly well acquainted with the core range but after a few samples, I decided to take home a bottle of their Sanaig expression so that I might get to know it a little better. The whisky is named after a rocky bay on Islay’s northern shore. It is matured in bourbon and Oloroso casks before being bottled at natural colour and 46% ABV.
The Whisky
Smell: Malty with obvious sherry character in the form of dried fruits. Raisins, prunes, figs. Some cola. Some vanilla. Wee touch of cola and wisps of pungent peat smoke.
Taste: A delightful marriage of sherry and smoke. Each of those two elements fight for your attention, holding each other at bay, Raisin & sultana. Liquorice. Caramel. Toffee. Pepper. Smoke & ash.
Thoughts: This is a relatively young whisky but still feels like good value at £50 a bottle. Sanaig is a bit like a mirror image of the excellent Machir Bay single malt. Where Machir Bay is largely matured in bourbon casks with a small amount of sherry, Sanaig is the reverse, tilting the blend in favour of Oloroso casks. The final result is a blissful union of bold, young peated spirit and dried fruits cask character.
Kilchoman has become the benchmark against which all new distilleries are judged and if anyone out there still believes malt whisky needs a minimum of 10 or 12 years to shine, they really need to sit down and get to know the drams from this exceptional wee distillery.
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