Kilkerran Work in Progress #5 Bourbon Wood

Nose: green apple, pine Taste: thin, light peat, barley and hay Finish: short and flat with some lingering spice that comes on later Work in Progress, but darn good. Young and you can tell it’s starting to get some character, but not there yet. The Work in Progress series are interesting bottles.

Ah, Kilkerran. Shall I compare thee to a spring’s day? Your nose art more lovely and less temperate than a field full of buttercups and a breakfast of buttered malty toast. Thou taste of lemons and cream and a sprinkling of black pepper, with a maturity that belies your mere nine years. Your finish is long, fresh and smooth, with nary a wrong note or hint of too much oak. So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, Kilkerran I pledge my troth to thee.

Batch 5 is characteristically Campeltown: briny and smoky (soot and tar) and not for everyone. It's spirit-driven in a way that reminds me of Springbank 10 (another favorite), but much sweeter. I love this whisky.