Kilchoman Rockside 11 Year Old

What makes this bottling special is its consistent approach: it is a true Single Farm Single Malt. From sowing the barley on the distillery's own Rockside Farm to traditional floor malting, distillation, 11 years of maturation, and bottling, every single step takes place on the farm on Islay.

Compared to the heavily peated whiskies typical of many Islay distilleries (which often range from 40–50 ppm), the distillery's own Rockside barley, peated to 20 ppm, is more subtle and elegant. This allows the whisky's fruity and malty notes to shine through.

Kilchoman Whisky Maury Cask Matured Limited Edition 2026

In March 2026, the Islay distillery Kilchoman released the Kilchoman Maury Cask Matured Limited Edition 2026 – a genuine first and a highlight for Islay whisky enthusiasts.

What makes this bottling special is that it is not merely a short finishing period (secondary maturation), but a full-term maturation. The single malt spent its entire maturation period in casks that had previously held Maury, a naturally sweet French fortified wine.

What is Maury, and why is it so exciting?

Maury is a protected naturally sweet fortified wine (Vin Doux Naturel) from the Roussillon region in southern France, produced primarily from Grenache Noir grapes. In terms of flavour, it is reminiscent of a full-bodied Port, but often offers even more intense dark fruit notes and subtle oxidative spice.

Review by: The Muskox This was the 5th and final whisky of the Toronto Whisky Society’s “oddballs” tasting that I attended the other day. This whisky is maybe the least “oddball” of them all: sure, you don’t see many tawny-port-matured whiskies, but for whatever reason, the Alberta liquor stores all seemed to get a bunch of exclusive Kilchoman single casks in all at the same time. While…

The Kilchoman Uniquely Islay Series Single Cask (Vintage 2013) is a prime example of why Kilchoman, despite its relatively young history, holds a firm place in the hearts of Islay fans. This bottling was released in 2020 exclusively for the German market (importer: Hanseatische Weinhandelsgesellschaft) and shows the distillery at its most powerful.

At 57.6% ABV, this whisky comes into the glass undiluted and unadulterated. As a single cask bottling, the aromas are more concentrated than in the standard releases.

Kilchoman Machir Bay Evolution 1.0 (often referred to as the 'Darker Batch') marks an exciting turning point for the Islay distillery's flagship. Introduced in early 2025, it is not a limited special edition in the traditional sense, but rather a deliberate evolution of the standard bottling's recipe and design.

What’s new with the "Evolution"?

More active sherry casks: The blend ratio remains approximately 90% ex-bourbon and 10% Oloroso sherry casks. However, the key difference lies in the cask selection: more "active" sherry casks are used for the Evolution.

At $68 this is an incredible buy. Die hard Islay drinkers will put this whisky down claiming it lacks character. I would disagree due to its drinkable nature. I highly recommend this whisky if someone wanted to explore Islay whiskys for the first time. Are there peated whiskys with more character? Absolutely, but this is such a balanced, smooth drink, it would gently coerce non-Islay drinkers to reconsider.

The Basics: Do I recommend it?: Yes, ish. Availability: Ish? See below. ABV: 46% Presentation: Unchillfiltered and natural color General information: A very early batch. Bottling type: Proprietary Character: Peaty, earthy, and citric. Score: 90/100 The details: Kilchoman parish is where the MacBeatha/Beaton family first settled in around 1300 upon coming over from Ireland. The family…

Luego de lanzar una edición limitada su whisky añejado en barricas de jerez fino en 2020, para 2023 Kilchoman lanza una edición también limitada pero con mucha mayor cantidad de un whisky que es añejado exclusivamente en barricas ex-jerez fino. Además, esta edición tiene mucha más potencia. El whisky fue destilado en 2018, con un nivel de turba de 50ppm y fue añejado durante al menos 5 años en…