Kilkerran 16 Year

Nose - smokey, bitter light ethanol Taste- smooth, pear medium smoke. A very smooth sipper but not very complex

Tasted at The Oak Barrel Springbank evening, May 28 2022. This is a tasting of the second batch of the 16 year old. Nose: Floral (bergamot) and grassy (hay) notes with a light coastal influence. Summer fruit salad (peaches, apricots, pears and cherries) but it’s graceful and delicate rather than demonstrative. Pineapple and beeswax on the sidelines and there is the tiniest imaginable hint of peat. Toasty cereal notes like shortbread, but again they are subtle. With water it gains sweetness and depth. Palate: Honey and orange liqueur in the arrival with a spicy peaches and cream quality coming through in the development. A touch of brine, toffee and tannin and it has a warming, full texture. Water brings heft to the palate and the longer it sits after watering the better. There is a light peppery peat presence which is very suave. Finish: Medium. Waxy, mildly tannic but retaining cereal sweetness, a touch of briny minerals in the aftertaste. The finish could be a little longer but what it has is exquisite. I’m not surprised that this has not been more widely popular. It does not have a typical west-coast profile, which would be disappointing for those who believe in and crave “Campbeltown funk”. This is far more in line with a north-east highland character and it is akin to Clynelish in many respects. In fact there is a faint resemblance to old Brora. A fine, elegant and poised whisky with an old-fashioned profile that will probably not appeal to palates that prefer a more contemporary style of whisky. In time, however, this era of Glengyle’s production will be more appreciated. “Very Good” : 87/100 (4.25 stars)