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Kilkerran Work in Progress 2

Young, but full of flavour

0 688

MReview by @Mikey09

16th Aug 2015

0

  • Nose
    22
  • Taste
    23
  • Finish
    23
  • Balance
    20
  • Overall
    88

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

When I first tasted this expression, I didn't really know what to make of it. It didn't have an age statement, but that was a trend that was beginning to take hold anyway. so I didn't think much of that. It tasted fresh, but punchy: something I didn't expect from a Campbeltown whisky. Later, when I tried to do some research, I found out the Glengyle distillery issued new expressions each year until they could release their first 12 year old standard in 2016. This one is from 2010; a six year old whisky, that promises a lot for the twice as old standard, set to be released in 2016.

Nose: Fresh, grass, little bit of lemon zest, sea air and smoke

Palate: Vanilla, cereal, citrus, grass and herbs. Hint of smoke and white pepper.

Finish: medium long. The hint of smoke stays as well as a little bit of a straw-like flavour.

When I read about the age, I was pleasantly surprised. This is an example of how age is less important than the way you treat the whisky.

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6 comments

@MaltActivist
MaltActivist commented

This is quite a solid malt and so mature for it's age. I gave it slightly more points than you, though. Just managed to get my hands on the WIP7 Bourbon which is a cask strength. Can't wait to try it.

8 years ago 0

@Victor
Victor commented

@Mikey09, thanks for your review. It is especially nice when we are able to get reviews of newer or less common whiskies and distilleries, so that we can have some idea of what they are doing there.

OK, this one is a maltly malt. Is it as briney as its neighbor Springbank? Also, on peat/smoke levels, is this closest to Hazelburn, Springbank, or Longrow? (Sounds like Springbank; pretty clearly not Longrow)

Long age in whisky is very nice, but younger age whisky done well is so much better than older age whisky done badly. A lot of the previous "old age is better" malarkey was to convince the stupid public that ruined old Scotches were worth their high price tags. I have tasted some of those lousy old Scottish malts, and I am glad that I never paid for a bottle of any of them. There is plenty of decent younger product available, fortunately.

8 years ago 1Who liked this?

Mikey09 commented

@Victor: Thanks for your comment. The fact that this is an unusual expression was one of the reasons I wrote the review. It's not really like any of the other Campbeltown whiskies I know. It's less briny and peaty than the Springbank, but if you want to compare it to other Campbeltown whiskies, I guess that's the closest. It's spicier and, for a lack of a better expression, fresher, though. This is one of the first drams that convinced me old is not always best. @MaltActivist: let me know what your WIP7 tasted like. I'm very curious, as we can't get every expression over here. I guess I don't score that high overall. Maybe I'm still waiting for the one...

8 years ago 0

@Ol_Jas
Ol_Jas commented

I do wish they'd put age statements on this series, though, despite the pass they're getting in this discussion.

It's not that I think Glengyle is giving us a raw deal with the NAS labeling (or however you want to phrase the usual NAS criticism). Rather, it's just confusing as-is. They don't clearly label them as "WIP 1/2/3/etc." to begin with, and then if you do know which edition you have, you then need to know how old #1 was (five years) to know the age of the current one.

Maybe we're just supposed to enjoy it without worrying about the age? I get that argument in the general endless NAS debates, but in the case the point of the series is to watch Kilkerran go from very young to mature. The lack of information makes that pretty hard to actually do.

OK, I started a general Kilkerran thread a few weeks ago, so I should just continue my thoughts over there. Thanks for the review of #2, Mikey09! This one and the new CS version are the ones I'd most like to get my hands on.

connosr.com/wall/discussion/…

8 years ago 0

Mikey09 commented

I know what you mean @OIJas , I had to google search the tube to know what WIP it was. There's certainly a lot of debate around about the NAS-bottles, and I am still not too happy about it, but this was a nice surprise. And because it was such a nice surprise I didn't mind it taking a little bit more of an effort to find out. I can imagine that it makes it a little bit more difficult to get them all in the right order, though.

I didn't know about your thread, maybe I will contribute when I taste other Kilkerrans.

8 years ago 0

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