Review #57 - Kilkerran Heavily Peated Batch 5

NAS Campbeltown Mini-Series: Part 1 of 3

Today we're starting a series about Campbeltown malts, one from each of the three main distilleries (Springbank, Glengyle, and Glen Scotia), which are not age stated. Now one of the most sought-after regions of Scotch whisky, these are generally considered high quality malts that deliver plenty of flavor with their (generally) natural presentation of 46%+ ABV, natural color, and lack of chill filtration.

From Glengyle, we have the Kilkerran Heavily Peated, specifically the 5th batch in our bottle. While much of the Kilkerran range has much milder peat, this is supposed to represent their abilities when making a foray into smoky barley. Aged in ex-bourbon casks (85%) and ex-sherry casks (15%), this bottle should provide an array of flavors complemented by the smoke, and at a cask strength of 57.7%, there should be no shortage of those flavors.

Kilkerran Heavily Peated Batch 5

Scotland/Campbeltown - Single Malt

Price Paid: USD 82 (2022)

Current Locally Available Price: USD 82 (2023)

Age Statement: NAS

Strength: 57.7% ABV

Cask Makeup: 85% Ex-bourbon, 15% ex-sherry casks

Details: Batch no. 5

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 1 month; bottles at 100%, 80%, and 70% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes

Nose: Lots of your classic Campbeltown funky notes: damp hay, musty, machine oil, earth, lots of farmyard sort of flavors. Generally, past the earthy peat, it's a spirit driven experience: occasionally sharp, agave, mezcal smoke, just a hint of antiseptic cleaner. Still lots more notes coming in through the various tastings: petrichor, white grapes, dry driftwood, and some white pepper. There's mild buttery oak and some vanilla, some lime, some charcoal. The occasional coastal note can come through, too, like salt and seaweed, and we even found a barbecue note one time, like a turkey meat.

Palate: The mouthfeel is medium, and it brings some oily flavors of hay, wet grass, and a touch of cream. Peat is stronger on the palate, a little sweet but also a little brittle at times, along with some wood smoke, too. Spirit forward once more, and you can tell that it's relatively young spirit, though not in a bad way, more the fact that it's vigorous; the sweeter flavors roll in, with orange soda, vanilla, cane sugar, butterscotch candy, and cinnamon-topped pears. To balance the sweetness, there is some paprika cooking spice, along with a bit of minerality, even potting soil; the longer this sits, the more the vanilla opens toward a heavier, creamier custard.

Finish: The finish is medium-long, and along with some mild warmth from the bottling strength, there is plenty of peat that tickles the palate as it lingers, which occasionally brings back the agave or mezcal note. Can be slightly herbal or green and earthy, but there are plenty of wood flavors as well, like wood smoke, vanilla bean, campfire, white pepper, and the occasional acrid tannin. It ends with damp hay, pear, and just a dusting of powdered sugar.

Final Note: This is good. Did it blow us away, like we expected after reading many glowing reviews? Eh, maybe not that much, but it's still solid - we think with a little more time in the casks, this could be bumped up a few score points. It isn't quite like the heavy pungent peat you'll find from a lot of Islay single malts, but there is still a decent amount, and it's a nice twist on the usual Kilkerran profile. Each tasting struck us a little bit differently, which always keeps it interesting; this is a decent value, too, if you can find it (that's the hard part).

Our Average Rating: 7.3 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 6.75