Kilkerran 12 Year

Sweet, wood, oily, pepper, salty

Up until this bottle, Campbeltown was the only scotch region I had never explored. Partly because it’s so small and the number of offerings so small compared to the other regions. Springbank’s bottles always seemed too pricey for my budget. When I found this online for $58, I jumped on it. And I’m definitely glad I did. Kilkerran is a recently revived distillery in Campbeltown. This twelve year old is their first “finished product” after having released a number of “works in progress” over the last few years. This whisky is a blend of 70% matured in ex-bourbon and 30% ex-sherry casks. It’s NCA and NCF and bottled at 46% ABV. It pours a pale gold in the glass and produces quick skinny legs with a few water droplets. The nose has strong barley, light smoke, brine, citrus/lemon rind. Water tames the slight bit of alcohol and adds a richer tone, like dark malt or honey. Compared to the Islay peat monsters of Laphroaig and Ardbeg this is muted, with just a light smoke and none of the phenols that characterize those drams. The palate is much more assertive than the nose. There’s light honey sweetness, hints of biscuity malt, and moderate smoke. Really nice, this is very well balanced. There is not much change with water. The finish is moderately long with rich smoke, pepper, and BBQ meats. This is where the 30% sherry finish makes an appearance with lingering hints of dark chocolate and fruits. Unfortunately even a small amount of water almost kills the finish. The finish is the best part of this whisky in my opinion. Skip the water, it really doesn’t need it. This is an excellent dram. Nicely balanced between sweetness and smoke and hints of sherry. At $58 this is a fantastic value. I would say this is reasonable up to about $70. Get it if you can. 4/5. Cheers!

So long anticipated. The whisky’s color is of antique gold, so exquisite that pouring it out of the bottle seems injurious. The aroma is sweet and creamy. Estery notes of honeydew, pear, and sun-ripened wild strawberries dance upward. The peat is discernible as thyme and red raspberry leaf. Beeswax candle reaches the back of the nose. Half an hour passes and I finally take a sip. On the palate this whisky is a wonder. Its oaken foundation is resinous and spice-driven, with clove and nutmeg coming to mind. Delicate notes of tropical fruit are found at the front—more honeydew, papaya, kumquat. Other notes come and go before a salty wave resets the senses: balsamic reduction, more thyme, spiced pear, and the gooey cinnamon at the center of a cinnamon roll? The finish is as complex as everything that has come before, intoxicating the throat and reaching back up to the tip of the tongue. Delightfully spicy and kippery, it is a finish that begs another start. But the glass is empty before I’ve appreciated all the layers this whisky contains. It is the most nuanced and complicated potion of a single malt I’ve ever tasted. With only a few pours left in the bottle, I will be just as mystified by the last as I was by the first.

Medium to full body, light smoke and peat, fresh and crisp fruit. More complicated than an Ikea bookcase but much more fun to take apart. Meaty but sweet. Can a scotch be grain-feed and organic? This tastes like what I think scotch must have tasted like 40 years ago. Sometimes the simplest labels house the best products. This is one of those times. If you’re a fan of Speysides and Islay this is your jam.