Click the button below to be notified when this product is back in stock.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Most Kilchoman is made from heavily peated barley bought from Port Ellen Maltings. This one isn’t. The 14 Year Old in the first Family Collection is a 100% Islay release, made from barley grown at Rockside Farm and malted on site at Kilchoman, then distilled, matured, and bottled on the same farm. Kilchoman’s Rockside is “Islay’s only Single Farm Single Malt,” and the distillery says Rockside’s character “begins with the barley.” It was distilled in 2011, peated to 20ppm rather than 50ppm, matured entirely in ex-bourbon barrels, and bottled in 2026 at 50.9% ABV (101.8 proof), non-chill filtered, with natural colour.
It’s part of the first Family Collection, a series of four single malts selected by the five members of the founding Wills family during their annual review of maturing casks. Three of the four, the 11, 18, and 20, use the more familiar heavily peated Port Ellen malt. The 14 is the outlier, and The Three Drinkers argued that “conceptually, at least, this might be the most interesting bottle in the collection”: “the Rockside barley and lower peat level allow considerably more of the cereal character to show through.” Their tasting: “Vanilla, lemon, honeyed barley and soft coconut with gentle smoke and a little coastal salinity. Elegant, creamy and noticeably less forceful than its siblings.”
Retailers’ notes describe a nose of “citrus oils, lemon zest and green apple before developing into aromas of vanilla custard, honeycomb and toasted brioche,” with “soft peat smoke drifts gently through the glass, accompanied by coastal salinity, wildflowers and freshly cut barley.” The palate is “silky and creamy”: “honeyed cereal, coconut, and butterscotch dance alongside gentle peat ash and lemon zest,” with ripe pear, baked apple, and crème brûlée in other descriptions. The finish is “clean and refreshing, leaving lingering notes of sweet oak vanilla, coastal sea spray, and crisp orchard fruit,” with “cracked pepper” in others. The peat is “refined rather than assertive.”
It’s a lighter, brighter, more barley-driven side of Kilchoman, and a good pick for customers who find the heavily peated Islay malts too smoky, and for collectors interested in the farm-to-bottle idea. It’s also the only bottle in the first Family Collection that tells you something the others can’t: what Kilchoman tastes like when the barley takes the lead.
Kilchoman Family Collection 1st Edition 14 Year Old 100% Islay is produced at Kilchoman Distillery, Rockside Farm, Islay, Scotland, from barley grown at Rockside Farm and malted on site (peated to 20ppm), distilled in 2011, and matured 14 years entirely in ex-bourbon barrels. Grown, malted, distilled, matured, and bottled on Islay. Non-chill filtered, no added colour. Bottled in 2026 at 50.9% ABV / 101.8 proof, 700ml. Limited release.
No independent critic scores are published yet for this new release.
The Three Drinkers (tasting of the Family Collection):
“The Rockside barley and lower peat level allow considerably more of the cereal character to show through. Vanilla, lemon, honeyed barley and soft coconut with gentle smoke and a little coastal salinity. Elegant, creamy and noticeably less forceful than its siblings.”
Retailer tasting notes:
“Nose: Fresh and inviting, the nose opens with citrus oils, lemon zest and green apple before developing into aromas of vanilla custard, honeycomb and toasted brioche. Soft peat smoke drifts gently through the glass, accompanied by coastal salinity, wildflowers and freshly cut barley... The peat is refined rather than assertive, bringing gentle wood smoke, damp earth and subtle medicinal notes that integrate seamlessly with the fruit.”
Retailer tasting notes (additional):
“Palate: Silky and creamy. Honeyed cereal, coconut, and butterscotch dance alongside gentle peat ash and lemon zest. Finish: Clean and refreshing, leaving lingering notes of sweet oak vanilla, coastal sea spray, and crisp orchard fruit.”
Nose
Lemon zest and citrus oils, with vanilla custard, honeycomb, toasted brioche, barley sugar, wildflowers, soft peat smoke, and sea breeze.
Palate
Silky and creamy, with honeyed cereal, coconut, and butterscotch, with ripe pear, baked apple, gentle peat ash, and lemon zest.
Finish
Clean and refreshing, with sweet oak vanilla, coastal sea spray, orchard fruit, and a touch of cracked pepper.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Style | Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky — 100% Islay, Single Farm, Lightly Peated |
| ABV / Proof | 50.9% ABV / 101.8 Proof |
| Age | 14 Years (distilled 2011; bottled 2026) |
| Barley | Rockside Farm-grown and malted on site; peated to 20ppm |
| Maturation | Entirely in ex-bourbon barrels |
| Filtration | Non-chill filtered; no added colour |
| Distillery | Kilchoman — Rockside Farm, Islay (founded 2005) |
| Series | Family Collection (Family Casks) 1st Edition — 11, 14, 18 & 20 years |
| Style / Identity | A brighter, creamier, barley-forward Kilchoman with softer farm smoke |
| Aromas & Flavors | Lemon zest, vanilla custard, honeycomb, coconut, barley sugar, soft peat smoke |
| Bottle Size | 700ml |
Enjoy neat in a Glencairn glass, with a few drops of water to open the barley and citrus.
Bottle Size: All bottles are 750ML/700ML unless otherwise noted.
21 and Over: Adult Signature Required
Your cart is empty
Start shopping
