Tasting notes·Glengyle

Kilkerran 12 Years

Glengyle Distillery is one of the few distilleries in Campbeltown. After a long period of closure, it was reopened by Springbank at the beginning of the 21st century. Although Springbank and Glengyle are run as separate companies, in some ways they belong together. Glengyle bottles single malt whiskies under the Kilkerran brand. The 12-years, non-chill-filtered and non-coloured whisky is the current core range.

The panel

Marcel
77
Sascha
79

Mean 78.0 · spread 2

Value for money 4/5

Distillery
Glengyle
Type
Single Malt
Region
Campbeltown
Country
Scotland
Age
12 years
Strength
46% ABV
Character
spicy

Tasting

Nose

On the nose, there is a sweet smoke that is not overdone. There is also a good amount of oak and a sweet nuttiness, almost like marzipan. Once you get used to the peatiness, the fruity notes of cherries, plums and blueberries come to the fore.

Palate

The first thing that strikes you about Kilkerran is its oiliness. On the palate we find honey, a hint of vanilla and citrus notes. There is also a maritime saltiness, earthy-sweet peat smoke and a touch of oak.

Finish

The finish is medium long, again salty and maritime. The oiliness leaves a pleasant sensation in the throat. We think of a fresh lemon roll.

Verdicts

Marcel

Kilkerran 12 shows that Campbeltown is capable of more than just smoky clichés. The combination of sweet nuttiness and maritime freshness is enjoyable, even if the smoke can sometimes be a bit too dominant. For fans of honest, straightforward malts, this is a worthwhile dram.

Sascha

The Kilkerran 12 impresses with its balanced interplay of oak, honey, and subtle peat smoke, while the maritime saltiness rounds out its character. Despite a solid structure, the flavor profile feels somewhat unbalanced due to the dominant smoke, which slightly disrupts the harmony.

What it is worth

No auction record for this distillery, so we cannot tell you what this bottle is worth. We would rather say that than guess.

Source

Tasting note and scores by WHISKY:EDITION — tasted by Marcel and Sascha, published 2023-08-20.