Quelques Kilkerran


November 19, 2024

Quelques Kilkerran

We've put the title in French because it gives us an alliteration, which is the favourite crutch of authors who are either pretty lousy or very tired. There we have it. Aside from that, we are set to taste some Springbank soon, but today we’d rather savour its younger sibling, Glengyle/Kilkerran, which was refurbished and relaunched in 2004, if memory serves me right. By the way, while independent Springbank bottlings are easy to come by – often pricey but excellent – I don’t think I’ve ever managed to come across an independent Kilkerran, apart from those by WM Cadenhead, of course.

Kilkerran 8 yo ‘Sherry Cask Matured’ (57.4%, OB, oloroso, 2024)

We were quite taken by the 2022 release (WF 88). Colour: gold. Nose: this is by no means a heavy, smothering oloroso; rather, it opens with gunflint and smoked ham, followed by stewed rhubarb and white currants, bringing a lovely freshness. A touch of tobacco, coffee, and leather, but all handled with a light touch. With water: notes of lemon and a hint of lard, chalk, courgette flower, and raw wool (let’s say a new jumper from your favourite label—Gucci, if you must). Mouth (neat): immensely powerful yet lively and refined, with a saline and mineral profile reminiscent of certain finos. Tobacco and a rooty character (gentian, celery). With water: superbly salty, with kirsch, green peppercorns, and bitter almonds—my favourites. Finish: long, echoing those mineral smoky notes. Comments: not a single reason to deviate from the score of two years ago. I do quite like this tense, vibrant sherry.
SGP:563 - 88 points.

Kilkerran ‘Heavily Peated Batch 10’ (57.8%, OB, 2024)

Predominantly ex-bourbon (90%). While NAS, the pricing remains fair if the quality holds up (€65-70). Colour: light gold. Nose: fresher than its sherried counterpart and distinctly youthful, with hints of medicinal alcohol, tincture of iodine, damp earth, a fair amount of baker’s yeast, and lime juice. The peat is notably less aggressive than the ‘heavily peated’ moniker might suggest. With water: much the same, with young spirit notes, bandages, and a touch of antiseptic (mercurochrome). Mouth (neat): youthful, showcasing eau-de-vie (Gravenstein apples), lemon, green pepper, and unripe walnuts. Slightly sharp. With water: that eau-de-vie quality persists, bordering on new-make, which, I must admit, has its charm. Fresh mushrooms make an appearance, while the peat stays relatively restrained. Finish: long, youthful, lemony, with walnut and apple peel. Comments: I do enjoy this, though a touch more maturity would elevate it further. Not overly ferocious, either.
SGP:555 - 85 points.

And last year’s while we’re at it…

Kilkerran ‘Heavily Peated Batch 9’ (59.2%, OB, 2023)

Let's see if we are close, very close, or extremely close—purely in the name of scientific inquiry, naturally. Colour: light gold. Nose: we are indeed very close, with this batch offering a touch more fruitiness (pear) and slightly less medicinal edge. Less tincture of iodine and mercurochrome, if you like. With water: notes of damp earth and baker’s yeast appear, alongside a hint of vanilla. Mouth (neat): even closer to Batch 10 here, with the same fresh, oily peat, slightly vegetal (rapeseed oil perhaps?) and a bright squeeze of lemon. It’s genuinely enjoyable. With water: truly delightful, zesty, and lemony with a ‘green’ sort of peatiness—if that makes sense. It’s more medicinal on the palate than it is on the nose. Finish: a touch of boot polish, hints of lime liqueur and green pepper, smoke, and a dash of amaro. Comments: simply very good. When holding both glasses side by side, I have a slight preference for Batch 9 over Batch 10, but they are very close.
SGP:555 - 86 points.

While we're at it, again purely for scientific purposes...

Kilkerran ‘Heavily Peated – Peat in Progress - Batch 5’ (57.27%, OB, 2021)

Kilkerran ‘Heavily Peated – Peat in Progress - Batch 5’ (57.7%, OB, 2021)

Peat in Progress? An intriguing notion, isn’t it? One wonders if it refers to an incremental infusion of peaty water into the casks or the addition of peat-like precursors during wort or wash stages. Colour: pale straw. Nose: this batch leans towards a richer, more oil-laden profile, adorned with subtle floral hints and a touch of furniture polish. Surprisingly, it comes across as more refined and even a tad more mature than later batches, such as 9 and 10. With water: we return to that rugged style familiar from previous editions, evoking freshly shorn sheep’s wool and a chalky minerality. Mouth (neat): a thoroughly enjoyable dram, exhibiting a sharper, greener, and distinctly peppery character, with lively lemon zest. With water: perhaps my favourite iteration, though narrowly so. The profile becomes cleaner and reveals fewer immature notes, though I must say, youth is not typically bothersome to me. Finish: briny whispers of seawater, crisp green apples, and a touch of bitter herbs – undeniably appealing. Comments: without the earlier batches on hand, one might be tempted to wonder if this could flirt with the 90-point border. Nevertheless, it’s clear that all three releases are excellent in their own right.
SGP:555 – 87 points.

(Thanks, Franco)