Kilkerran 12 Year Old (2016)
The Kilkerran 12 Year Old was released in August and was most certainly one of the most anticipated releases of 2016. For seven years us whisky nuts were able to follow the development of the Kilkerran-spirit through the Work in Progress-series. And now we’ve finally reached the point of the official 12 year old, the first core range entry for the Kilkerran-brand.
Kilkerran is produced at Glengyle distillery, which was revived back in 2004 and is a sister distillery of Springbank. And like Springbank, they’re doing pretty much everything ‘the right way’, meaning maximizing quality is what they aspire to most, instead of maximizing profit. Their Kilkerran 12 Year Old is decently priced at 35 pounds/50 euro. It is a vatting of 70 percent ex-bourbon and 30 percent ex-sherry casks.
Kilkerran 12 (46%, OB, 2016)
Nose: Lots of minerals (wet rocks) and a slight waxiness, with a subtle amount of peat. Very clean and fresh. Vanilla, lime and lemon zest, with a pinch of white pepper and licorice. Perfectly balanced.
Taste: Salty and savory with a fair amount of peat (although we’re still far removed from Ardbeggian levels). A nice and rich mouthfeel. Chalk and licorice root chew sticks, with subtle lemon juice and pepper. Wonderful.
Finish: More of the same, but with a touch of aniseed. Long!
Rating: 89
Might this just be the best entry level single malt whisky out there? I have trouble thinking of a better one.
Photo: kilkerransinglemalt.com
Thijs is a spirits writer and accredited liquorist from The Netherlands. He runs the blog Words of Whisky and contributes to a number of Dutch and international publications.
I prefer Benromach 10, but then you’re pretty much at the end of the list indeed…
That’s the only one that came to mind, although for me it can’t touch the Kilkerran. If we’re taking the Benromach 10yo 100 Proof into account, than yes, I would prefer that one. But the 100 Proof is in a different price bracket.
Hi,
Nice review. Agree with your assessments, although the best entry level malt can be debated.
What I like about this Kilkerran, is that, as you work your way through the bottle, as I seem to be doing rather quickly, that the spirit almost seems to be getting thicker and more syrupy – in a lemon curd fashion.