THE NAVIGATOR | FEATURE FROM ISLAY TO THE ISLANDS Taking the farm distillery concept to the Caribbean is next on the Kilchoman todo list, with the Wills family growing the business into the world of premium rum. “We see rum as the next big dark spirits success story,” says Wills. “We have bought property in Barbados, and have planning permission for a distillery, but we’re not pushing ahead with the project just yet. For now, our main focus is on Kilchoman.” True to the Kilchoman philosophy, their rum will be made from local sugarcane – bought from a neighbouring farm – to be crushed and distilled onsite. Watch this space! “BOURBON OUTSHINES OLOROSO” While the 100% Islay speaks to the founding philosophy of Kilchoman, the brand’s popularity in more than 70 countries worldwide is built on the wider release of two core expressions. Machir Bay is matured predominantly in bourbon barrels and balances classic Islay peat character with vanilla and citrus sweetness, while Sanaig leans on the influence of oloroso sherry butts for layers of richness, stone fruit, soft peat, and spices. The majority (65%) of Kilchoman’s production is matured in bourbon casks, with up to 30% going into oloroso sherry butts. The rest is devoted to experimental casks, from calvados and cognac to tequila. “The combination of bourbon and sherry works really well for us, but for long-term maturation we find bourbon outshines oloroso,” says Wills. “The peaty, smoky briny character soon gets smothered by sherry if you’re not careful.” WHEN TASTE TRUMPS TIME IN THE BARREL Both are non-age-statement whiskies because for Wills age is just a number. Though Kilchoman recently released a 16-year-old malt, “there’s too much talk about old being better, and it’s not. It’s more expensive, but it’s not always better,” he says. “For Kilchoman it doesn’t matter what the age is. We put it out there when it’s ready; when we believe it won’t get any better than this.” Keeping a keen eye for quality is key, so little surprise that Kilchoman retains its entire production – more than 600 000 litres of spirit – for its own use. “That’s a lot of whisky, but we feel very strongly that we want to hold onto our brand,” says Wills. It is a lot of whisky, and a far cry from the 50 000 litres produced in 2006. But it’s still not enough. With demand booming, and a keen eye on future demand, Kilchoman plans to double production. “If people enjoy your whisky, make more of it! Are we going to stop growing? No!” says Wills emphatically. “We want to be in a position to control production, rather than going flat-out all the time. We’re not a small farm distillery anymore, we’re a slightly bigger one, but we’re still a farm distillery.” 31 EXPLORE The Kilchoman Distillery
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