Kilkerran 08-year-old

Overall rating: 86.04/100
votes: 332

Category: Single Malt
Distillery: Glengyle
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Bottling serie: Cask Strength
Bottled: 20.03.2017
Stated Age: 08 years old
Casktype: Bourbon Casks
Number of bottles: 9000
Strength: 56.2 % Vol.
Size: 700 ml 750 ml
Bottle code: 17/132
Barcode: 610854002701
Added on: 28 Mar 2017 9:54 am by bert61nl

Average value

€ 62,44

Found 13 online shops. Lowest price:

€ 53,85

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	Buy in the Market	€ 85,00

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Whisky Reviews for Kilkerran 08-year-old

58 users have left a review for this whisky and scored it an average of 86.04 points

hs305 scored this whisky 87 points
25 May 2017 9:09 pm
[May, 2017] I had this dram at the Kilkerran masterclass tasting during the Campbeltown Whisky Festival today.

The colour is pale gold with a texture of late thin legs and no tears at all. The nose is on a vanilla-driven profile with some peaty aromas and hints of fruits. With some water added it gets more grassy and floral (haystacks). The mouthfeel is nicely coating for such a young whisky with some peppery moments. The taste is sweet, nutty and spicy (again vanilla), with water some chocolatey and toffee flavours are released. The finish is long and peppery that gets more sweet and mellow with water added.

All in all a surprisingly mature dram for an eight years old whisky that is almost chewable. I really like it...
- Nose
  
  88 88
- Taste
  
  87 87
- Finish
  
  89 89
rottendon scored this whisky 88 points
26 Sep 2017 10:52 pm
A very tasty malt, which can offer a very good price / performance ratio and thus the expectations of Kilkerran not disappointed. For eight years he can convince, reminiscent of the Work in Progress series.

Nose

Lots of smoke ahead with fruitiness, citrus and mineral notes. Amazing amount of smoke for Kilkerran and even he does not kick right after pouring. Stability calms him down as expected, peaches dominate, vanilla becomes clear, the citrus notes are only marginally present, the smoke is slightly muted and it looks a bit more mineral. Some iodine and disinfectants are now found. Warmth brings back the citrus notes, lemon and grapefruit, more mineral and now also malt. The smoke is now very sooty.

Taste

Again, vanilla and lemon juice, plus the smoke from the nose. He occurs delayed but as expected vigorously, white pepper, clear tannins come from behind the oak. The mouthfeel is slightly oily. In the second sip comes a hefty load of honey Hinz, making it overall sweeter and therefore more balanced.

Finish

The finish is tannin and medium in length. The honey sweetness is only briefly carried into the finish before it dries out significantly. In the end, ash will remain on the tongue. He also warms the chest, but not as strong as expected.
Macheye scored this whisky 84 points
04 Aug 2017 10:54 am
A tasty follow-up to last year’s official 12 year old bottling, but to my mind, not quite as successful. All the same elements are here, but their composition and balance just isn’t quite as elegant this time around. It's rare for me to say it, but in this instance I don't think the higher ABV has necessarily been helpful here. Likewise, the bourbon casks used seem to have been quite active, so whilst a quick maturation has been achieved, the balance between spirit and oak seems to favour the oak heavily in this instance. The problem is that there’s already been a number of fantastic Kilkerran releases and it becomes increasingly hard not to judge them by their own standards. Regardless, this is still a very tasty dram indeed which proudly displays its distillery character.

https://www.thedramble.com/tastings/glengyle/kilkerran-8-year-old-cask-strength/

Nose

The Glengyle spirit makes itself known right away – greasy, oily smoke with deep and pronounced malts and a sharp pang of citrus. Behind this I find real earthy and vegetal notes – forest mosses and wild mushrooms. Light honey, toffee, golden syrup and vanilla provide agreeable sweetness. The peating is as you’d expect from this region of Scotland - pungent, fuel-like and full of soot and machine oil. The malts are exceptionally pronounced here and with the evident sweetness going on elsewhere seem rather akin to some sugar dusted Weetabix - tasty! Adding water only brings out the sweeter notes further – I’m not if we need to do that frankly.

Taste

Some immediate presence and bite here from 56.2% ABV. A good mouthfeel, but not as oily and coating as I was expecting. Translation from nose to palate is excellent – more of the same malts and dirty peat. Grapefruits, peaches and sharp citrus combine nicely with a good whack of vanilla from the casks. Very malty and with the sweetness levels dialled down a touch from the nose. Quite steely and cold in places. The addition of water oddly seems to improve them mouthfeel making it slightly more vicious and chewy, but, expectedly, it reduces the immediacy and attack on the palate – Rather the double edged sword – you win some you lose some.

Finish

Short-medium in length and fairly biting when undiluted. Peppery with a hint of cinnamon and relatively drying in the mouth.
Kaleva scored this whisky 81 points
06 Mar 2019 12:17 pm
Very oak-driven whisky, young and punchy. The nose is rather light and pleasant, gently smoky. However, the palate is quite bitter and gives a lot of oak, too much on my taste. Overall impression - young whisky with good potential to develop. I think 2-3 more years would improve it significantly. But now I'm giving it over 8 mainly because of its nose.

Nose

Fresh, creamy, slightly smoky, with obvious minerality (wet chalk and earth), light maltiness, lemon zest, vanilla, boiled vegetables, green apple, sweet pastry, water opens honey and green pear notes

Taste

Very punchy even diluted, spicy (white pepper, ginger), oaky (bitter), malty, minerally, walnut, oatmeal, grapefruit zest, smoky/sooty notes

Finish

Rather long, very oaky, dry, malty, nutty, quite bitter with a hint of smoke
Fred Labosch scored this whisky 84 points
04 Feb 2019 3:49 pm

Initially not much happening without water on the nose, feels very closed and shy, only faint mineral peatsmoke notes with a bit of hay and cheese sticks (pastry).
Once you add water it really opens up, and it takes a lot. Cracked seahells, lemon, rocky beach, hay, a little peatsmoke, very refreshing and maritime, not complex but full on.
Flavourwise these aromas very much translate onto the palate, with a little more peppery/tangy notes evolving, it still feels youngish, but in the best possible way, quite a bruiser here without off notes and a very good balance, the finish is unexpectedly long and extensive, impressive.
Now I regret having sold my closed bottle off for cheap, as initially this was a let down for me.
spigray scored this whisky 90 points
16 May 2017 12:45 pm
now, the nose disappointed a little but the rest is wonderful. you have to like straightforward, spirit driven whisky.

90/100

Nose

this is spirit driven stuff, slightly aggressive in the beginning. let´s give it some time: citric with a thin layer of smoke. faint whiffs of barley. wet gravel.with water: does not really change.

Taste

ahh, now we´re talking and I could have guessed that a kilkerran cannot disappoint completely.

comes with a big fat, oily attack with a wonderful fruitiness. lemons and mandarins. red currant candies. very fresh, mouthwatering stuff.

Finish

long and clean
Pollenflug scored this whisky 88 points
30 Apr 2017 2:39 pm
More on: https://tomtrinkt.de

Nose

At the beginning surprisingly introverted, after a few minutes the flavors crystallize more clearly. Vanilla, malt, biscuits, citrus and above all green apples are superior. In the background linger a pleasant smoky note and light maritime notes (salt). The more time the whisky gets in the glass, the more complex the interaction of the aromas becomes. The high alcohol content of 56.2% is discreet at first, but overall very gentle / pleasing and well integrated. Patience is rewarded here!

Taste

The alcohol pushes powerful, light pepperiness, malty notes, salt, vanilla and especially salt are my first impressions. Very oily and pleasant mouthfeel, with a few drops of water even gentler, almost creamy with a sourish tart towards grapefruit. Later slightly chocolaty with hints of exotic fruits and a subtle smokiness in the background.

Finish

Medium. Smoky with lemons and oranges, malt, a hint of vanilla and hints of spicy oak notes.
Calmar scored this whisky 89 points
01 Sep 2019 12:04 pm
Very juicy and saturated whisky, the standard oak-grain picture is expanded due to peat, ash, a lot of shades and halftones, youth is obvious, but the balance and feeling of the whole product are already very good.

Nose

Open, dry, first nose - light peat and ash; freshly sawn boards, grain, malt, wood dust, sweet creamy notes, mineral shades - stone dust, plaster, grindstone;

Taste

Powerful, saturated, wood grain, malt, strong pepper wave, lemon peel, astringent mineral shades - mineral water with orange juice, ash; a little peat, charred branches, sweet creamy notes, a light bitterness of a young bark, homemade pastille.

Finish

Spicy, refreshing, wood-peat with a slight haze, mountain ash, bitter bitter, lemon peel, ash, mineral-metallic notes.
shootingforgold scored this whisky 89 points
29 Aug 2019 7:50 pm

Having trouble rating this one, especially when comparing it to other rates on my list. For example: the Laphroaig basic 10 yr I rated 86 and is currently averaging about an 85 overall. To think that this guy, a cask strength uncolored gem of a whisky, is averaging just one point higher than a bargain bin watered down mass produced soulless dram.... I just can't fathom it.

Sure it's a little young, a little brash. Very hot spirited nose, but tons of depth on the palate with lots of lovely little flavor notes to discover. After giving a bottle enough time to open up (I took about a month to finish it off) I'm more than comfortable saying that this should be rated much much higher than it currently is.
Tom na Gruagaich scored this whisky 85 points
11 Aug 2019 11:07 pm

Nice citrusy nose, clear, clean with some smoke.
In the mouth then properly thrust, slightly acidic and citrusy, with some smoke.
In the beginning the smoke makes itself clearly noticeable. Little sweet, rather harsh and rough.
But a cool part, young and wild. The Kilkerran 12 is sanded really smooth, if somehow a little better. But this is perhaps the more exciting in the long run.

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