When Anthony and Kathy Wills founded Kilchoman Distillery in 2005, they set out to revive the lost art of traditional Islay farm distilling. Operating as Islay’s first new distillery in over 124 years, Kilchoman quickly carved out a legendary reputation for bright, citrusy, and heavily peated single malts.
While vibrant, high-energy young expressions have long defined the distillery’s core line-up, time in the coastal warehouses has quietly worked its magic.
Enter the Kilchoman Family Collection—a landmark line-up of ultra-aged expressions personally hand-selected by the Wills family. Featuring an 11 Year Old Oloroso Sherry Cask, a 14 Year Old 100% Islay Rockside Barley, an 18 Year Old Bourbon Cask milestone, and the historic 20 Year Old Bourbon Cask, this collection represents the absolute zenith of farm-to-glass Scotch.
Here is your deep dive into these four remarkable bottlings and what makes them essential additions to any serious collection.
The Profile: Dark, Decadent & Heavily Peated
Sherry wood and heavy Islay peat are a match made in whisky heaven, but eleven long years of maturation take this classic pairing to new heights. Aged exclusively in rich Spanish Oloroso sherry oak, this expression strikes an incredible balance between coastal maritime smoke and deep, fortified wine influence.
The Profile: Pure Hyper-Local Provenance
Kilchoman’s 100% Islay series represents the ultimate farm-to-glass philosophy: grown, floor-malted, distilled, matured, and bottled entirely on-site at Rockside Farm. Double-digit age statements from this series are extraordinarily rare, making this 14-year-old bourbon-cask-matured release a genuine piece of Scotch history.
The Profile: Peak Maturity & Elegance
As one of the oldest whiskies ever released by Kilchoman, the 18 Year Old is a holy grail bottling. Distilled during the distillery’s earliest years of operation, this single malt spent nearly two decades in seaside warehouses on Islay’s rugged western coast.
The Profile: The Absolute Crown Jewel
Representing two full decades of patience, the 20 Year Old Bourbon Cask stands at the absolute pinnacle of Kilchoman’s inventory. Bottled from the earliest casks laid down at the distillery, this landmark expression shows how twenty years of Atlantic sea air completely transform high-PPM Islay peat into a silky, complex masterclass of aged oak.
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11 Year Old |
14 Year Old (100% Islay) |
18 Year Old |
20 Year Old |
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Cask Type |
Oloroso Sherry Cask |
1st-Fill Ex-Bourbon Cask |
Ex-Bourbon Cask |
Ex-Bourbon Cask |
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Peat Level |
Heavy (50 PPM) |
Light/Medium (1.5–2 PPM) |
Heavy (50 PPM) |
Heavy (50 PPM) |
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Barley Source |
Scottish Mainland |
100% Rockside Farm (Islay) |
Scottish Mainland |
Scottish Mainland |
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Key Tasting Note |
Dark chocolate & rich raisins |
Honeyed cereal & lemon curd |
Butterscotch & tropical fruit |
Manuka honey & vintage oak |
Bottled at natural strength, un-chillfiltered, and free of artificial colouring, the Kilchoman Family Collection captures the raw purity and evolving maturity of one of Scotland's most respected farm distilleries.
From the sherry-drenched intensity of the 11-Year-Old to the monumental milestone of the 20-Year-Old, these bottles represent Islay distilling at its absolute finest.