Kilkerran 8 56.5% (2018)

Strength: 56.5% ABV

Released: 24.10.2018

Purchased: 2020

Aged: 8 years

Casks: ex-Bourbon

Presentation: Non-chill filtered, Natural Color. 

Score: 8. Excellent. (Skip to the Review)

A Bottle Ahead of Its Time

Glengyle distillery in Campbeltown was renovated and began distilling spirit in 2004 under the ownership of J & A Mitchell & Company, who also own Springbank distillery and the independent bottler William Cadenhead’s. Originally founded in 1872, it ceased production in 1925 and the site was used for multiple non-whisky related purposes until its renovation. Its whisky is sold as Kilkerran, as the Glengyle trademark is owned by Loch Lomond Distillers. 

Being only one of three Campbeltown distilleries with Scotch whisky on the market today, there is considerable interest in malts coming out of the relatively small operation (750,000 L per year capacity). Additionally, it being considered the ‘sister distillery’ to Springbank, who malts the Glengyle’s barley on their malting floors and even shares warehouse space, has helped propel Kilkerran whisky to the top of many enthusiasts’ minds when looking for alternatives to the difficult-to-find spirits of their neighbor. This has made their releases difficult to source as well, although typically there is a greater chance of coming across Kilkerran bottles at a reasonable price than Springbank’s various brands (Longrow and Hazelburn included).

Glengyle states that they are a ‘grain to glass’ distillery. They have committed to use only Scottish grown barley which is malted at Springbank’s malting floors. Their spirit is double distilled and all water used in the whisky making process is locally sourced from the Crosshill loch. Barrels are aged in the warehouses of Springbank using both dunnage and racked warehouses and they use Springbank’s bottling facility as well!

Kilkerran regular releases consist of their 12 year old, 16 year old, Heavily Peated NAS, and their popular 8 year old Cask Strength release. The last couple years have had double releases of the 8 year old, pairing a Sherry matured bottling with another cask type (Port matured last year and the most recent release being a bourbon matured version). The 2019 sherry matured release, bottled at 57.1%, put Kilkerran and their 8 year old releases on the map. Subsequent versions have not quite lived up to the general opinion of the 2019 release, but have remained popular none-the-less. I admittedly loved the 57.1% release so much that I have stashed two bottles away for future enjoyment. The year prior to that popular release saw a bourbon matured edition that, although well received, did not garner nearly as much attention as the Sherry matured version a year later. Nowadays, it is largely considered a quality bottling that did not get its due at the time of release. I do wonder how much the general zeitgeist of the whisky community affected the popularity of this release, as single digit age statements were still a bit of a rarity at this time. In many ways, I think the success of the Kilkerran 8 releases as a whole have loosened many people’s grip on the ‘older is better’ mindset. Lets take a closer look at something of a trailblazer of a whisky.

The Review

Nose: Light tropical fruit, such as overripe mango and maybe a whiff of pineapple. Vanilla cookies/biscuits. All of which lies beneath a very present funk. Dried hay, sweat, and old books. I found the Campbeltown peat to be quite evident here.

Palate: Honey and vanilla hit right away, followed quickly by the peatiness which brings a gentle pepperiness and a cold smoke. Noticeably oily. There is a dry note going into the finish akin to a hint of cardboard, but not as a negative as the sensation is interesting and adds a layer of complexity.

Finish: The funk picks back up with the appearance of the hay bale along with a mild sweet and sour sensation. Dense maltiness brings the honey and vanilla. A milk chocolate eventually appears later in the journey. White pepper is present throughout. A cookie-like texture appears which accompanies the experience from the nose. Medium long. Drinks much easier than the proof suggests.

Overall: I thoroughly enjoyed this bottle and I definitely regret not grabbing another back when these were sitting on the shelf (in the U.S.) well after its release. The hype for the Kilkerran 8 line picked up once the 57.1% Sherry bottling dropped the following year and the remainder of the bourbon cask bottlings dried up quickly. My one complaint is that my experience with this bottling was not consistent, and it seemed to highly depend on my palate for the day. Even while doing this review, the first pass at tasting notes had more sour, underripe tropical notes in it. I knew this was, on average, not the regular experience to expect with this one. I put that more on me, but I struggle to think of a bottle that was more sensitive to variables such as what I had for dinner that night. Regardless, as in most of the best iterations of the Kilkerran 8 range, this edition drinks much older than the age on the label. I found it to be complex in sensation and flavor, and the ABV is barely noticeable in the slightest. I have recently opened this past year’s bourbon release and the neck pour was lacking the depth that the 2018 bottling seemed to have in droves. I will give that one some time before making my final decision, but it has a steep road to climb. I do not feel that adding water to this improved the experience much, as the finish severely suffered. An increase in toffee-like notes emerged on the palate, which I appreciate. I do not punish whiskies for this as it does not make sense to alter a ranking negatively based on an arbitrary decision on my part, although I would raise a score if it helped as cask strength bottlings can leave room for experimentation. At any rate, this is a fantastic dram, that I will miss once it disappears completely, which will not be long now. Score: 8/10. Excellent.