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Kilkerran WIP VII

Rock Farm

0 589

@PandemoniumReview by @Pandemonium

20th Feb 2016

0

  • Nose
    22
  • Taste
    24
  • Finish
    21
  • Balance
    22
  • Overall
    89

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

As I gave the 6th Kilkerran Work In Process (commonly known as the WIP VI) a solid 91, you can imagine I was very excited about the new cask strength release. An opinion apparently widely shared as the WIP VII sold out in stores in no time. So to my deep regret I never got my hands on a whole bottle to replace the pink Glengyle in my cabinet. However I was able to purchase a sample of a fellow malt enthusiast.

Let’s see if this Kilkerran is as genius as its predecessor.


Description: The seventh annual release of Glengyle is a 11yo (2004/2015) single malt, matured in Bourbon barrels, bottled at cask strength 54.1% ABV.

Nose: is farmy in style (looks like grandmother Springbank had some influence in the making of this whisky), certainly less fresh than its predecessor. Main notes of yoghurt and citrus, some soft peat smoke with a certain saltiness to it, limestone and cardboard. (with water added: brings out a more maritime profile.)

Mouth: a rich, oily but clean texture. On the palate a mix of white pepper, lemon peel, leather and mineral elements

Finish: long and lingering with a smoky touch, mainly tastes of rust and pepper.


Verdict: in short a class-act but another beast entirely at heart. The fresh clean citrus spirit of WIP VI has been swapped for a more familiar Campbeltown profile. It is back to the farm with WIP VII, but it still has its own unique touch that separates it from the Springbank family. It is most refreshing to see how versatile Glengyle can be. A true testimony to the skills of the stillmasters of Campbeltown. Best try it at cask strength, water will reveal nothing new.

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5 comments

maltmate302 commented

Nice review. Glengyle is already one of my favourite distilleries. I myself have 7 bottles of WIP7 Bourbon cask and another 2 single cask bottlings.They are also distilling some heavily peated juice a la Longrow.Lots to look forward to in the very near future from Glengyle including the Kilkerran 12 OB in the summer.

8 years ago 1Who liked this?

@Pandemonium
Pandemonium commented

I didn't know some peated Glengyle was on the way, something new to look forward to!

8 years ago 0

@Alexsweden
Alexsweden commented

It'll be interesting to sample the 12 year old OB, I believe these works in progress will prove hard acts to follow.

8 years ago 1Who liked this?

@Ol_Jas
Ol_Jas commented

Do we really know that each of these WIPs is a year older than the previous one? Aren't we assuming that this one is 11 years old?

I've just never seen any statement that the entire WIP line has been coming from that first year of distillation, which is what our common "each WIP is a year older than the last" assumption would require. The Kilkerran WIP labels are pretty lacking in info—they don't even say which WIP edition a given bottle is. You need a secret color decoder ring to tell which is which.

It's all good whisky, though. I've got one WIP 7 CS open and another in the stash along with a WIP 1. I might go back and get one or two more WIP 7 CS for the stash before my local sells out.

8 years ago 0

@Pandemonium
Pandemonium commented

@OlJas The Whisky Exchange confirms that it was distilled back in 2004. I presume that such a high profile stockist gets direct information from the distiller and can't afford to make mistakes in the product information.

8 years ago 0

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