Kilkerran 12 Year Old

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750ml

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46% ABV

$129.99

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BrandKilkerran
CategorySingle Malt Scotch
CountryScotland
RegionCampbeltown
DistilleryGlengyle
Age12 Year Old
Style Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Maturation ex-Bourbon casks & ex-Sherry casks
Alcohol 46%

California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 Warning.

A wonderful twelve year-old Campbelltown Single Malt that strikes a perfect balance of sweet, smoke, savory, and spice.

William Mitchell was born into and extensive distilling family that owned three distilleries in the Campbelltown area. After a series of internal business squabbles, he broke away from the family to open his own. Thus, Mitchell’s Glengyle Distillery was born in 1872. The facility was bought and sold over the years as these things go, but now the great-great nephew of William Mitchell — Hedley Wright — formed the J&A Mitchel Co Ltd in 2000 and re-opened for business producing a new Single Malt and helping to foster the rebirth of Whisky-making in Campbelltown. The first Spirit came off the stills in 2004.

Kilkerran 12 Year Old was released in 2016 — exactly twelve years after the the first Spirits dripped off the coils in 2004. This naturally colored dram is lightly peated and has aged 70% in ex-Bourbon casks and 30% in ex-Sherry casks. It is also not chill-filtered and bottled at a perfect 46% ABV. So, if you think about those stats you can understand how it is set up to be a well-rounded, balanced sipper with just the right amount of sweet, smoke, savory, and spice.

Smartass Corner:
The Single Malt took the name "Kilkerran" comes from the Gaelic name of the first settlement in the Campbelltown area — Ceann Loch Cille Chiarain. It was the location of the ascetic monk "Saint Kerran."

Appearance / Color
Harvest Gold

Nose / Aroma / Smell
The aroma is quite nice with just a hint of smoke over notes of toasted oak, butterscotch, dried flowers, marshmallows, roasted almonds, and apricot jam.

Flavor / Taste / Palate
The palate opens with a nice mouth-feel and citrus zest followed by toasted almonds, shortbread, more butterscotch, and a hint of gingersnap.

Finish
The finish is very smooth with a lingering lemon oil note.

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Note: Once an order has been safely & successfully delivered, we do not accept returns due to change of heart or taste. Due to state regulations, we cannot accept the return of alcohol purchased by a customer in error.

Hit or miss

After having a love/hate relationship with Springbank 10, I was dying to try Kilkerran 12. I had a dram at a bar and loved it -- like Springbank but with less funk and more sugar. Really unique. I bought this bottle here on Flaviar for $100. I understand they source their bottles from many shops around the country, so somehow this is now $154 (Jan 2024). NOT WORTH IT! Sadly to report, this bottle (bottled on Jan 2023 according to the print on the bottle) is nothing like what I tried at the bar (must have been a very different batch). My notes on this one -- Nose: bourbon, fresh, a bit of age, complex, sweet, fresh fruit, sugar, no smoke, rubber. Palate: varnish, a tiny bit bitter, sweet, definitely similar to Springbank but softer, oily, nutmeg, medium finish, coconut (tropical fruit), a bit salty, a bit bitter, sourness. Winey and more complex as you let it rest. A bit peppery with water. A bit soapy at the third taste. Cologne, floral. If you are a Campbeltown fan, this might be your holy grail, but it's not for me. I'm drinking it with ginger ale and ice, and it's very palatable that way (sacrilege -- I don't drink anything else with ginger ale and ice). I'd take a Geln Scotia Double Cask any day or this. Call me an idiot. This should be $50.