Kilkerran Bourbon Wood (Work In Progress 7th Release)

Two days ago I reviewed the Sherry Wood, you’ll find a little more info on Kilkerran there. Today it’s time for the Bourbon Wood. Apart from the different cask type used for maturation, this is also bottled at cask strength. It’s the first time that has happened in the Work In Progress-series, so this release generated quite a bit of interest, and is sold out almost everywhere already.

Kilkerran Bourbon Wood WIP 7 (54,1%, OB)

Nose: Citrus fruits, mostly lemon and grapefruit, followed by honey, vanilla and caramel. Slightly waxy, with plenty of minerals (sand, rocks). Subtle wood smoke also. A bit peppery. Nicely balanced and subtle. Really mature for an 11 year old whisky.
Taste: Very crips and clean with plenty of lemon and lemon zest, which is immediately followed by wood smoke and black pepper. Very earthy also.
Finish: Red pepper, charcoal and minerals. Very long.

Rating: 88

Wonderful whisky. I think that with age the Kilkerran’s will get better and better. Can’t wait till 2030, when we’ll be able to taste one of 25+ years old 😉

I score this just a tad higher than the Sherry Wood, but I have a feeling this is mostly because of the higher alcohol percentage. The finish of the Sherry was not as long, but bottled at cask strength I feel like the Sherry would be equal to or even better than the Bourbon.