Kilkerran 12 Review

Distilled & bottled by Kilkerran (Mitchell’s Glengyle)

Region: Campbeltown

Type: Single Malt

ABV: 46%

Age: 12yrs

Color: gold

Today we’ll be looking at Kilkerran’s flagship bottling. It is double distilled & aged in 70% ex-bourbon casks & 30% sherry casks before being bottled without chill filtration or added coloring.

Kilkerran is a sister distillery to Springbank which (at the time of this review) provides Kilkerran with two-thirds of their malted barley.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Malty with sugar cookies and buttery vanilla frosting. Scents of decaying leaves and damp earth. Look hard enough and you will also find a slight hint of smoke with a touch of gas station fumes.

Palate: The mouthfeel has a medium weight which is accompanied by flavors of more fuel vapors and buttery sweetness. Additional notes from the nose reveal themselves on the tongue with more sugar cookies and a combination of wood spice, salt and pepper.

Finish: Medium in length overall, I’m finding more peat on the finish along with a big waft of smoke and vegetation. Spice takes over the finish with hints of nutmeg and allspice along with more pepper and wood spice as well.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: This is really good. I enjoy how much spice this bottle has, especially on the finish. All of that spice and sweetness integrate wonderfully with the peated malt making this a great whisky worth seeking out. It is one that certainly lives up to the quality of its sister distillery’s offerings.