(한국어 시음기 밑에 있어요!)
The Kilkerran 12 is the lightly peated staple whisky of the recently reestablished Glengyle distillery of Campbeltown, a small Scottish town that is so famed for its unique, malty/funky style of whisky that it has a whole category named after it. There are only 3 Campbeltown distilleries left of the original 30 that called this town home and even thought it did rise again like Lazarus, Glengyle does have the honour of being one of these holdouts.
This distillery has a long and turbulent history, starting out as the sister distillery of the more well renown Springbank distillery, quite literally in the case of Glengyle as its founder was the brother of the owner of Springbank! Eventually, like many distilleries of its time, the economic hardships of the early 20th century led to its doors being seemingly shuttered forever...that is until, in an intriguing twist of fate, it was refurbished and reopened by the descendants of the founder's brother, who still run nearby Springbank to this very day!
Now back onto the whisky... The Kilkerran 12 is aged for a minimum of 12 years in a finely tuned 70:30 ratio of ex-bourbon to ex-sherry casks. It first appeared on shelves in around August 2016 after years of prototypes being tested through the Kilkerran "Work In Progress" series. It's also non-chillfiltered and has zero colouring added, which is a big plus for a sizable subset of whisky aficionados!
Vitals:
ABV: 46%
Colour: Gold
Chill-filtered: No.
Nose: Initial notes of bananas, vanilla ice cream and rich sticky toffee pudding give way to wild citrus and an ever so slightly vegetative note of pumpkins. A funky malted barley note appears along with apples and pears And a hint of smoke, giving the impression of walking through an orchard next door to an old fashioned mashhouse. not quite as pungent as a brewery, but still a quintessentially warm and faintly smoked malty note. 21/25
Palate: Flows well from the final notes of the nose, with a funky malted barley note at the forefront, but this is followed by rising notes of apples, pears and bananas with a touch of caramel splashed over them. as the fruity notes recede, vanilla bean, seawater, light notes of oak and an absolute feather-touch of smoke lead this whisky on to its finale. 22.5 /25
Finish: lightly smoked wood with a smattering of vanilla essence imbued within. Medium length and quite enjoyable. 16.5/25
Value*: Sits in the same price bracket as most other 10-12 year old whiskies in Korea. perhaps slightly more understandable though as the supply of Kilkerran 12 to Korea can be quite patchy, especially during the coronavirus outbreak gripping the world. I’m a lot more lenient on this one than say a Lagavulin, Laphroaig, or Ardbeg, but it’s still a tad too expensive. Oh, those ridiculous Korean alcohol taxes....that said, it might just be the cheapest age statement Campbeltown whisky you can find in Korea. 11/25
Conclusion:
A very enjoyable entry level 12 year old whisky that is rich in malty and fruity flavours. It certainly won’t please a peathead with its subdued smoke elements, but then again, nothing outside of an Islay ever really does. If you want something that is easy to sip, you can’t go wrong with this and there was little burn or woodspice.
Basic Rating: 80%
Price Adjusted Rating*: 71%
Daily Drinker: Yes, if it's on sale.
Possible pairing: Brie or another soft cheese.
Where to find in Korea: The Malt shop, Wine and More.
TLDR Version:
N: Toffee, vanilla and bananas → citrus, pumpkin → malted barley, apples, pears, a touch of smoke.
P: Malted barley → bananas, apples, pears, caramel → vanilla, a little oak, a touch of smoke.
F: Smoke, wood and vanilla. Medium length.
V: Eh...so-so.
C: Enjoyable and easy to drink. A jack of all trades whisky.
한국어 시음평:
N: 토피, 바닐라, 바나나 → 감귤류, 단호박 → 맥아 보리, 사과, 배, 약한 스모크 향
P : 맥아 보리 → 바나나, 사과, 배, 캬라멜 → 바닐라, 약간의 오크 향, 약한 스모크맛.
F: 스모크 향, 오크 향, 바닐라. 피니시가 길지도 짧지도 않아요
C: 모든 면을 고루 갖춘 무난한 위스키이기 때문에 마시기 쉽고 마시는 즐거움이 커요.
Buy / Mooch / Pass: Buy.
Review by Glasgowhisky
2020/07/12
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