ctbeck11
Kilkerran 16 Year
Single Malt — Campbeltown, Scotland
Reviewed
December 21, 2021 (edited December 26, 2021)
Nose - earthy peat, charred orange zest, light sulphur, peach, lemon meringue, grape, spoiled cream, hay, sugar cookie, pineapple, mild to moderate ethanol burn.
Taste - citrusy peat, peach, spoiled cream, lemon, orange zest, sulphur, brine, caramel, mint, decaying floral notes, sour apple, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium long with fresh peat, lemon, and light sulphur flavors.
Other than a single taste of the Kilkerran 12 Year a while back, this is the first real experience I’ve had with the brand. I’m anticipating something Springbanky, but probably not quite as good. And I think that’s what we have here. The nose is Campbeltown funk lite. There’s earthy peat, a hint of pencil eraser sulphur, overripe stone fruit, and rotten citrus. The palate brings some spoiled cream and fruit, a touch of brine, and generalized notes of organic decay.
This is slightly more challenging than the Glen Scotia 16 Year, but I like it about the same. However, it falls short of the majority of Springbank products I’ve tried, including the standard 10 Year. It hits a lot of those classic Campbeltown aromas and flavors, but they’re shallower, sourer, and more incomplete than I had hoped. And while the finish lingers nicely, the mouthfeel is on the thin side. A big thank you to @Richard-ModernDrinking for providing the generous sample!
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Im very interested in the 12 too
@PBMichiganWolverine @Richard-ModernDrinking I’ll need give the 12 a proper try soon. Unfortunately, it looks like prices are creeping up. It’s $85 at the local shop. Granted, the Springbank 10 is $100 there now. It seems VFM is getting squeezed into a smaller box more and more these days.
The 12 is hard to beat and for me this does fall short of it. It’s just not as bright and lively. That said, I do prefer this second batch with its Sherry cask component to last year’s version, which had a small amount of Madeira casks in the mix.
The 12 is a classic. One of the best VFM