A quick stop in Campbeltown for some of the latest Kilkerran releases. While Batch 11 is generally referred to as the first 2025 release (since that’s when they became available) they were actually bottled Winter 2024.
Kilkerran 8 yo Cask Strength – Bourbon Cask Matured (55,6%, OB 2024, Batch #11, ref. 24/262)
Nose: chalky and oily, with a coastal salinity and a fresh hint of green apple, rhubarb and sweet lemons. Maybe pineapple. Then Chamois leather and leafy notes, with hints of muddy water, rapeseed and wet tweed jackets. Light bready notes and subtle natural vanilla. Light peat smoke too, of course.
Mouth: nicely balanced for such a funky profile at high strength. Minerals, wet limestone and salt, but the thick oily texture and the sweetness of the bourbon casks makes this so easily quaffable. Sweet dough, grapefruit juice and a bit of black pepper heat. A few drops of mezcal too.
Finish: long and chalky, with more grapefruits, juniper berries, white pepper and some bitter herbal touches.
Very reliable whisky, year after year. It doesn’t hide its youth but it has that typical Campbeltown funk. In fact, I think it’s on the same level as Springbank spirit with the advantage of being easier to find. Roughly the same appreciation of the 2023 release. Available from The Whisky Exchange for instance.
Kilkerran Heavily Peated (57,9%, OB 2024, Batch #11, ref. 24/201)
Nose: a bit lactic at first (butter milk – not my favourite tasting note), along with a fishy note and lemon balm and dessert. Then freshly mown lawn, grapefruits and gooseberries. Definitely peated and medicinal but maybe less heavily than expected – it’s a cold style of smoke, along with iodine and hints of lime pickle.
Mouth: cleaner, with a bright fruity burst amidst the peat blast. Pineapple, pear and lime, maybe passion fruits even. Honeyed notes, even a light confectionary edge. Then salty notes come out, as well as deeper sooty / smoky elements. Brine and smoked fish. Black pepper and ginger, along with drying herbs in the end.
Finish: long and briney, on citrus notes, green banana, peat smoke and minerals.
While also predominantly bourbon matured (90% with 10% sherry), this felt less precise on the nose. On the palate it was good to see some tropical fruitiness, but it doesn’t convince me entirely. Overall a bit behind the 2024 release. Sold out in most online shops. Score: 86/100