Kilkerran 12 year, owned by Springbank, has been long in coming. For years they released their progress towards this bottling, and people were elated when this finally dropped. Non-chill-filtered, non-colored, bottled at 46% and aged for a dozen years in a mix of 70% ex-bourbon barrels and 30% ex-sherry, this is the core offering of the newest (third) Campbeltown distillery.
Nose: Unreal. Mountains and mountains of fruit here, but bound together with that strange Campbeltown magic note of diesel fumes and pine resin. Kiwi, apple, orange, lemon, grapes, pears, TONS of pears, lychee (yes, lychee), even mango. This is the fruitiest nose I've ever encountered. Nestled between the flavors is that sour note of petrol fumes, and maybe some caramel as well. Delicious. I wish I could eat this. Maybe some brown sugar, after the suggestion was planted.
Mouthfeel: Medium and silky.
Palate: Creamy as anything. Sublimely creamy. Most of the fruit from the nose follows into the palate, along with a dose of hot peppers (chilis) and a certain woody note, like pine resin or oak bark. The palate has a bit more sherry than the nose does - cherries specifically. With time, maritime notes and phenolic notes come out - minerals, brine, salt, salt water.
Finish: Oily, salty. Some oak tannins on the back end, and a little more of the hot pepper note. Not as long as I'd like, but it does leave tendrils of smoke behind, which is nice.
Verdict: Extremely delicious! This is a big win for Springbank/Glengyle/Kilkerran, and a big win for Cambeltown in general. What a fruit extravaganza! The perfect answer to "what if a cornucopia of fruit was married to gentle oceanic notes and hints of peat, with an overall binding of Springbank's funky back flavor." Really interesting stuff; recommended.
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