PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Kilchoman has spent more than two decades proving a genuinely rare claim: that a single farm can grow, malt, peat, distill, mature, and bottle its own whisky entirely on-site, without a single outside ingredient. Rockside 11 Year Old is the culmination of that whole journey — Kilchoman's first-ever permanent, age-stated core expression, and Islay's only true Single Farm Single Malt. Founder Anthony Wills put it plainly: "more than 20 years in the making, Rockside 11 is the culmination of a journey that began with our first crop of Rockside barley in 2004."
Every element of this whisky traces back to Rockside Farm, the 2,300-acre property on Islay's northwest coast that Kilchoman purchased outright in 2015. The barley is grown there, floor-malted there, peated there, distilled there, matured there, and bottled there — a genuinely complete farm-to-bottle process that almost no other distillery in the world attempts in full. Rockside effectively picks up the torch from Kilchoman's celebrated, now-concluded 100% Islay series, which told a similar story in a series of numbered annual editions since 2011; Rockside gives that same philosophy a permanent, standalone identity instead.
Where Kilchoman's better-known core expressions like Machir Bay and Sanaig lean into heavier peat, around 50 ppm using Port Ellen malt, Rockside is deliberately gentler: peated to just 20 ppm using the distillery's own floor-malted barley, a lower level the distillery says lets "the more subtle characteristics of the Kilchoman spirit shine." Matured in a combination of roughly 80% ex-bourbon and 20% Oloroso sherry casks, the result leans bright and fruit-forward rather than toward the darker, sherry-driven character of Kilchoman's heavier releases. The official tasting notes describe "orange, lemon peel, fragrant elderflower, honeyed sweetness, and maritime smoke" on the nose, developing into "citrus, tropical fruits, barley sugars, toffee apple, salted caramel sweetness, and subtle peat smoke" on the palate, closing "long and silky" with "butterscotch, walnuts, juicy citrus, and ripe stone fruit." One Whiskybase reviewer captured the value here directly: "seriously, an 11-year-old bottling for under €60 that also has great taste and aroma notes? Yes, it is a bit light on the first sip, that's true — Kilchoman is known for having more power at the start. But then he really comes out on top." Bottled non-chill filtered, with no added colour, at 46% ABV — Islay whisky in its purest, most traceable form.
Kilchoman Distillery was founded in 2005 by Anthony Wills, located in the northwest of Islay near Machir Bay. It remains one of only six Scottish distilleries still working traditional floor maltings, and is unique on the island for completing every stage of whisky production — growing barley, malting, distilling, maturing, and bottling — entirely on-site.
Rockside is Kilchoman's first permanently available, age-stated expression, succeeding the distillery's popular 100% Islay series. The barley is grown, floor-malted, peated, distilled, matured, and bottled entirely at Rockside Farm, the 2,300-acre property Kilchoman purchased outright in 2015, immediately adjacent to the distillery itself — earning the whisky the distinction of being Islay's only true Single Farm Single Malt. Peated to approximately 20 ppm using the distillery's own malted barley — notably lighter than the roughly 50 ppm Port Ellen malt used in Kilchoman's other core expressions — the whisky matures in a combination of approximately 80% ex-bourbon casks and 20% Oloroso sherry casks. Bottled non-chill filtered, with no added colour, at 46% ABV, in a 700ml bottle carrying the signatures of founder Anthony Wills and distillery manager Robin Bignal.
No formal numerical critic score is confirmed for this product at this time — a very recent core-range addition.
Anthony Wills, Founder, Kilchoman Distillery:
"More than 20 years in the making, Rockside 11 is the culmination of a journey that began with our first crop of Rockside barley in 2004."
Whiskybase community:
"Seriously, an 11-year-old bottling for under €60 that also has great taste and aroma notes? Yes, it is a bit light on the first sip, that's true. Kilchoman is known for having more power at the start. But then he really comes out on top... Very good Kilchoman!!"
Kilchoman Distillery (official tasting notes):
"Nose: Orange, lemon peel, fragrant elderflower, honeyed sweetness, and maritime smoke. Palate: Citrus, tropical fruits, barley sugars, toffee apple, salted caramel sweetness, and subtle peat smoke. Finish: Butterscotch, notes of walnuts, lingering juicy citrus, and stone fruits."
Nose
Orange and lemon peel lead, joined by fragrant elderflower, honeyed sweetness, and maritime smoke.
Palate
Citrus and tropical fruit mingle with malty sweetness, joined by toffee apple, salted caramel, and a light, elegant peat smoke.
Finish
Long and silky, closing with butterscotch, walnuts, juicy citrus, and ripe stone fruit — gentle, approachable, and genuinely Islay in character despite the lighter peat level.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Style | Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky — Lightly Peated |
| ABV | 46% |
| Age | 11 Years |
| Peat Level | ~20 PPM (Kilchoman's own floor-malted barley) |
| Distillery | Kilchoman — northwest Islay, near Machir Bay |
| Founded | 2005, by Anthony Wills |
| Distinction | Islay's only Single Farm Single Malt — grown, malted, peated, distilled, matured & bottled entirely at Rockside Farm |
| Farm | Rockside Farm — 2,300 acres, purchased outright 2015 |
| Maturation | ~80% ex-bourbon casks, ~20% Oloroso sherry casks |
| Chill Filtered | No |
| Colour | Natural, no added colour |
| Significance | Kilchoman's first-ever permanent, age-stated core expression |
| Style / Identity | Bright, fruit-forward, gently peated Islay single malt — traceable farm-to-bottle in the purest sense |
| Aromas & Flavors | Orange, lemon peel, elderflower, honey, toffee apple, salted caramel, butterscotch, walnut |
| Bottle Size | 700ml |
Bottle Size: All bottles are 750ML/700ML unless otherwise noted.
21 and Over: Adult Signature Required
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