Kilkerran 12 Year

"The more I drink this the more I enjoy it and find new flavours. One of my favourite and will always have this on hand. " “Apple pie” always get a apple vanilla cinnamon finish and then a soft pastry after taste.

Despite the age statement, tastes very immature. Not complex, nothing distinct about it. Pass.

Bought this in November and just cracking it open. Up front I’ll say I’m in between a 4.25 and 4.5 on this not on the low end. Also I’d never heard of Kilkerran until I saw this bottle but, after a quick googling, it sounded wonderful and did not disappoint. My first experience with Cambeltown was Springbank 12. It was just a taste and it was handed to me with water (it’s cask strength after all but would have been nice to ask 🤷‍♂️) and it was awesome. I’d love to taste it neat (and I’ve since bought a bottle so I’ll be able to at some point). I was hoping this would feel similar to that. I had that 6 months ago and honestly only remember liking it not exactly what it tasted like. This is peaty but not full on (granted my go to are the big peat smackers of Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Ardbeg and Bruichladdich PC). This might be a good intro to Islay for a newbie. Sorry for the ramble. Initially poured into a rocks glass. Getting more peat than I expected on the nose. There’s some fruitiness there as well but less pronounced. I originally thought citrus like lime or orange but it could have been lemon. Taste is first peat and then sweetness. Pretty sure that’s vanilla. There are some chocolatey tones too but it’s mostly vanilla. The peat is there but it’s well balanced with the fruity and the sweet. A few hours later (after finishing Ralfy’s review) I put some more in a Glencairn glass. Took another sip to affirm the above notes. I then added a tiny bit of water and gave it a swirl before walking the dogs. I got back and the peat was gone from the nose. I’m getting tons of LEMON now. Obvious lemon no more “citrus but I dunno which one.” It’s lemon, lemon juice, lemon zest, even a little bit of lemon pledge 😉. Not really but it’s delightful. Only downside is I MISS the peat terribly because it’s completely gone from the nose. I’m glad I tried it both ways because otherwise I’m not sure I would have enjoyed it as much. I will be messing with the water amounts on this one as I make my way through the bottle. There’s still a little peat and salinity on the palate but it’s toned down a TON. Still a nice balance of peat and sweet and fruit but the water (or this amount of it) knocked it far to the fruit side for me. This will definitely be a great bottle to have around. I don’t want to always be smacked by Laphroaig but I want SOMETHING and the Glens and the rest don’t give it to me. I may grab another bottle for the bunker

as complex and complete as they say

Balanced peat, very drinkable.

Smooth

smooth smoky delicious

Nose: pear brandy, barn Palate: light fruit with savory notes, hay, toast Finish: medium to long Smooth whisky with some funk.