Kilchoman Family Collection (Family Casks) 1st Edition 18 Year Old Ex-Bourbon Barrels Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700ml

Kilchoman, founded in 2005 by Anthony and Kathy Wills at Rockside Farm on Islay’s west coast, is an independent, family-run distillery, and its first Family Collection puts that family at the center. Each year, the five members of the Wills family individually select exceptional casks from the warehouses during the annual review of maturing stock, and the 1st Edition brings together four age statements: an 11-year-old Oloroso sherry cask, a 14-year-old Rockside Barley, this 18-year-old, and a 20-year-old, Kilchoman’s oldest general release.

The 18 Year Old was matured exclusively in ex-bourbon barrels and distilled in the distillery’s early years from heavily peated (50ppm) barley malted at Port Ellen Maltings. It is bottled at 50% ABV, non-chill filtered, with natural colour. The distillery describes it as balancing “creamy vanilla, oak and refined peat smoke.” The Three Drinkers, tasting the collection, wrote that “here we get into genuinely mature Kilchoman territory,” with “vanilla and butterscotch” alongside “citrus and tropical fruit,” “increasingly integrated peat smoke and mature oak,” and “richness, but also considerably more composure than in younger Kilchoman.”

Retailers’ notes describe a nose of “layers of vanilla fudge, ripe orchard fruits, honey, toasted coconut, and fresh citrus, complemented by refined coastal smoke,” and a finish that is “long, warming, and graceful, leaving lingering notes of citrus zest, vanilla, gentle spice, and elegant Islay smoke.” Another description finds “soft vanilla, honeycomb, and ripe orchard fruits before gentle aromas of lemon zest, poached pear and apricot emerge,” with the peat “mellowed into subtle bonfire embers and light wood smoke,” and a palate where “the smoke is elegant rather than dominant, weaving through the whisky with notes of gentle ash, charred oak and a hint of smoked sea salt,” leaving “a clean, mineral freshness that reflects the whisky’s coastal origins.” It’s a good midpoint in the collection: more mature and rounded than the younger Kilchomans, but still recognizably peated and coastal. It’s a limited, collectible bottle for Islay fans and an easy gift for peat drinkers.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Kilchoman Family Collection 1st Edition 18 Year Old is produced at Kilchoman Distillery, Rockside Farm, Islay, Scotland, and distilled, matured, and bottled on site. It is made from heavily peated (50ppm) barley malted at Port Ellen Maltings and matured 18 years entirely in ex-bourbon barrels. Non-chill filtered, no added colour. Bottled in 2026 at 50% ABV / 100 proof, 700ml. Limited release.

Critics Reviews

No independent critic scores are published yet for this new release.

The Three Drinkers (tasting of the Family Collection):
“Here we get into genuinely mature Kilchoman territory. Vanilla and butterscotch sit alongside citrus and tropical fruit, with increasingly integrated peat smoke and mature oak. There is richness, but also considerably more composure than in younger Kilchoman.”

Kilchoman (release description):
“Fully matured in ex-Bourbon barrels, balancing creamy vanilla, oak and refined peat smoke at 50% ABV.”

Tasting Profile

Nose
Vanilla fudge, honeycomb, and orchard fruit, with lemon zest, toasted coconut, tropical fruit, sea spray, and soft bonfire embers.

Palate
Silky and composed, with vanilla, butterscotch, citrus, and tropical fruit, and gentle ash, charred oak, and a hint of smoked sea salt.

Finish
Long and warming, with citrus zest, vanilla, gentle spice, and a clean, mineral smoke.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Smoked salmon and oysters
• Aged cheddar and blue cheese
• Lemon meringue and baked fruit desserts
• Dark chocolate

Serving Note

Enjoy neat in a Glencairn glass, with a few drops of water to open the fruit and honey.