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PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Kilchoman was founded in 2005 by Anthony and Kathy Wills at Rockside Farm on Islay’s west coast, the first new distillery built on the island in more than 124 years, and it is still independent and family-run. A 20-year-old Kilchoman is a milestone: the distillery began distilling in December 2005, so a 20-year-old, as one writer put it, “sits at the very edge of what the warehouse can offer today.” It is the oldest bottling Kilchoman has released, and its first globally available 20 Year Old.
It’s part of the first Family Collection (also labeled Family Casks), a series of four single malts celebrating the distillery’s craftsmanship and family heritage. Each year, the five members of the Wills family individually select exceptional casks, “discovered in the most hidden corners of the distillery’s cellars,” that reflect their personal tastes and their vision of Kilchoman’s character. The first edition has four expressions: an 11-year-old Oloroso sherry cask at 54.7%, a 14-year-old Rockside Barley (100% Islay) at 50.9%, an 18-year-old ex-bourbon at 50%, and this 20-year-old ex-bourbon at 49.9%. All four were bottled on May 19, 2026, and each label carries the signatures of founder Anthony Wills and distillery manager Robin Bignal.
The 20 Year Old was distilled in 2006 from heavily peated (50ppm) barley malted at Port Ellen Maltings, and matured entirely in ex-bourbon barrels for two decades. It is non-chill filtered, with no added colour, at 49.9% ABV (99.8 proof). The distillery describes a whisky that “combines maturity and finesse.” The nose “opens with vanilla, exotic fruits, and delicate floral notes,” and the palate is “generous and silky, reveals honeyed fruits.” Retailers describe “refined coastal smoke with vanilla, baked apple and citrus on the nose,” and “honeyed malt, citrus and rounded peat smoke,” with “mature peat, fruit and maritime character” that develops “with clarity over two decades.” As one description puts it, at this age “the profile becomes more composed and layered, but it still feels true to Kilchoman.”
It’s a collector’s bottle: a historic first for the distillery, from a limited release that has been selling out quickly. It’s also a peated Islay whisky in a gentler, more integrated style than younger Kilchoman, built for slow sipping.
Kilchoman Family Collection 1st Edition 20 Year Old is produced at Kilchoman Distillery, Rockside Farm, Islay, Scotland, and distilled, matured, and bottled on site. It was distilled in 2006 from heavily peated (50ppm) barley malted at Port Ellen Maltings, matured 20 years entirely in ex-bourbon barrels, and bottled on May 19, 2026. Non-chill filtered, no added colour. Bottled at 49.9% ABV / 99.8 proof, 700ml. Limited release.
No independent critic scores are published yet for this new release.
Kilchoman (official notes, via importer):
“After twenty years of maturation in bourbon casks, this expression combines maturity and finesse. The nose opens with vanilla, exotic fruits, and delicate floral notes. The palate, generous and silky, reveals honeyed fruits...”
Retailer description:
“Kilchoman 20-year-old delivers a refined coastal smoke with vanilla, baked apple and citrus on the nose... a notably mature expression of the distillery’s Islay style, with the bourbon cask allowing the whisky’s peat, fruit and maritime character to develop with clarity over two decades.”
Nose
Vanilla, exotic fruit, and delicate floral notes, with baked apple, citrus, and refined coastal smoke.
Palate
Generous and silky, with honeyed fruit, honeyed malt, and citrus, and rounded peat smoke.
Finish
Long and composed, with maritime character and mature peat.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Style | Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky — Heavily Peated, Ex-Bourbon Matured |
| ABV / Proof | 49.9% ABV / 99.8 Proof |
| Age | 20 Years (distilled 2006; bottled May 19, 2026) |
| Barley | Heavily peated (50ppm), malted at Port Ellen Maltings |
| 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 |
| Significance | Kilchoman’s oldest bottling and first globally available 20 Year Old |
| Style / Identity | A mature, silky, honeyed, gently smoky Islay malt |
| Aromas & Flavors | Vanilla, exotic fruit, baked apple, honeyed malt, citrus, coastal peat smoke |
| Bottle Size | 700ml |
Enjoy neat in a Glencairn glass, with a few drops of water to open the fruit and honey.
Bottle Size: All bottles are 750ML/700ML unless otherwise noted.
21 and Over: Adult Signature Required
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