During Fèis Ìle 2018, we caught up with Anthony Wills, founder of Islay’s Kilchoman distillery, who shared with us plans to double the capacity of the farm distillery.

It’s almost the perfect problem. You work hard to produce something incredible, people love it, and then you can’t physically make enough to meet the demand. It’s a paradox not unfamiliar to the whisky industry, but for Islay’s Kilchoman distillery, which has always been a small-volume farm producer, it represents something of a dilemma.

When Anthony Wills first filled a cask back in 2005, it seemed almost impossible that he’d need to double his stillhouse in a such a short period of time. Yet the signature Kilchoman smoke paired with its strong island provenance has proved an alluring combination and whisky fans can’t get enough of the island drams.

Here Kilchoman distillery founder Wills chats us through the dilemma and shares details of the project to double capacity at the site…

Kilchoman became Islay’s eighth distillery when production started back in 2015, and it’s grown to become a real favourite.

Team MoM visited during Fèis Ìle 2018 when we enjoyed an informative maltings masterclass, sipped cocktails and tried our hands at Hoopla!

Popular Kilchoman expressions include Machir Bay (named after the nearby beach, particularly breathtaking on a stormy day), Loch Gorm, Sanaig, and an 8 Year Old age statement.