Glengyle Distillery

The original Glengyle distillery was founded in 1872 by William Mitchell — brother of the then-owner of Springbank — as part of Campbeltown's Victorian whisky boom. It flourished during the town's heyday as the Whisky Capital of the World before closing in 1925 during the post-war economic collapse that reduced Campbeltown from over thirty distilleries to just a handful.

The site lay dormant for nearly eighty years. In the early 2000s, Hedley G. Wright — great-great-grandson of Archibald Mitchell, the founder of Springbank — acquired the derelict buildings and set about rebuilding the distillery from scratch. The original Victorian equipment had long since been disposed of; stills and equipment were sourced from other distilleries and reconfigured to suit the Campbeltown style. Production resumed in 2004, making Glengyle the first new distillery in Campbeltown for over 100 years. The decision to bottle under the Kilkerran name rather than Glengyle was made to avoid brand confusion, while honouring the ancient Gaelic name of the town itself.

Following Hedley Wright's death in 2023, the company transitioned to trust-based ownership with family board representation, ensuring the independent spirit of the operation is preserved.

Water comes from Crosshill Loch, shared with Glen Scotia Distillery. The distillery operates with 1 wash still and 1 spirit still, with a production capacity of approximately 750,000 litres annually. Floor maltings are conducted at sister distillery Springbank. The distillery operates approximately 12 weeks per year: the majority (8–9 weeks) produces lightly peated, double-distilled new make; about 3 weeks of heavily peated spirit; plus short runs of unpeated and triple-distilled variants. This schedule allows Glengyle to build a range of different character expressions across a single production year.

Kilkerran's house style is lightly peated, double distilled, with the classic Campbeltown maritime character — oily, coastal, and complex. The 12 Year Old (46% ABV), matured in a combination of bourbon and sherry casks and bottled non-chill-filtered, shows Turkish delight, pear drops, marzipan, and subtle toasted-marshmallow peat smoke on the nose; the palate is zesty with lemon cheesecake, characteristic Campbeltown oiliness, leather, peppery spice, and sweet sticky toffee pudding. The finish brings campfire peat smoke, pecan pie, and butterscotch. Kilkerran Heavily Peated departs from the house style with a smoke-driven profile produced in dedicated peated production runs.

Tours and tastings available at the distillery, 9 Bolgam Street, Campbeltown PA28 6HZ. Kilkerran Tour (approximately 1 hour, £12) and Kilkerran Warehouse Tasting (six whiskies from cask, Kilkerran glass included, £40). Monday–Saturday 10:00–18:00. The distillery shop is located at the Springbank Distillery entrance on Bolgam Street, stocking core range, limited editions, hand-filled bottles, and cask samples. Online shop available at kilkerran.scot.