The Armin Grewe Homepage
Picture of a building with the Kilchoman Distillery sign Any hopes I had for another sunny day after the sunny ferry crossing were quickly dashed when I opened my curtains in the morning to look out to Loch Indaal: It was a grey and hazy day with frequent drizzle.

While I was at breakfast Ian from Kilchoman Cottages left a message on my mobile phone (I had called him the previous evening to tell him I had arrived). When I called back he was out but his wife told me to just come over.

Late in the morning I drove over to Kilchoman to visit Ian and Margaret. We sat down with a cup of tea and had a chat about WalkIslay and a variety of other things. For lunch Ian suggested to drive over to Kilchoman Distillery, a new distillery currently being completed.

Picture of stills and spirit safe at a distillery Picture of a showroom in a visitor centre
Picture of an old stone building converted to the still housePicture of a cherry picking lifting a workerWe had a soup and baguette at the visitor centre restaurant, which seemed to be a popular place with other visitors as well. It was quite busy and free tables filled up again quickly.

After the lunch Ian managed to find Malcolm Rennie, the Working Distillery Manager, who gave us a tour of the distillery and told us more about the progress so far as well as future plans.

The distillery will be a very small operation and they plan to source all ingredients locally including the barley. They expect that the warehouse will be full in about three years based on their production estimates, decisions about building another or renting space somewhere else will need to be made some time. A distillery academy is also being considered to give whisky lovers the opportunity to gain first hand experience in whisky making.

Picture of a malt floor under construction When I visited they were planning to start distilling in September 2005, although that had to pushed out to October later. Either way, I will certainly visit again during my next visit to Islay to see the distillery in full production.

The rest of the afternoon was spent at Ian's house, who I have to thank again for his hospitality! We agreed to go on a walk to Proaig and McArthur's Head the next day, weather permitting.

Early in the evening I drove back to the Port Charlotte Hotel for dinner. This evening I enjoyed some venison after having Islay beef the previous evening.

Ferry to Islay <- Scotland Summer 2005 -> Proaig and McArthur's Head