Kilkerran Cask Strength 8yo
2023 Sherry Cask | 57.5% ABV
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
A quality dram but heavy on the cask
The folly of ballots
Ballots, whether we like it or not, are here to stay.
While the vast majority of whisky drinkers will give you a quizzical look, cocking their head askew when you tell them you got the privilege to purchase a bottle that came through a ballot system. I know that’s what’s happened to me, with friends and even my wife stopping and asking: “Why?”
Why would we put our name in for the privilege or right to purchase a sought after bottle? Why is that bottle so special to warrant such an obscure process? And finally, why would we feel the need to own such a bottle? These are questions to which I’m still searching for good answers that might placate those who don’t understand this hobby.
When the pair of 2023 bourbon and sherry cask releases from Kilkerran landed in my market a few months ago, and only half dozen cases of each for the whole province of four million people (and let’s be real, all of Canada), they immediately went into a ballot system rather than on a shelf.
Understandable of course, trying to be fair to the hundreds of people that would stampede into the store or thousands that would crash the servers. To curb the one-off flippers or purchasers, some stores now require that you’ve purchased from them in the past year. Other reputable stores have directly called out flippers, stating if they catch a person flipping a bottle, that person is no longer allowed to purchase from them again.
While I’m usually a fan of a more free market laissez-faire approach, when so few bottles and therefore opportunities enter a market, I do prefer the more iron-handed approach to flippers. The kind-hearted and passionate people that work in these distilleries create this liquid to be consumed, not traded at increasing prices buoyed on artificial shortages.
Regardless, the ballot system can curb this in several ways. Ballots are usually limited to a single bottle per person, preventing keeners that may or may not be flippers from emptying the shelves and ensuring a fair distribution. These ballot systems are also random and usually open for several days, providing everyone a fair chance of winning a bottle from the allocation and not just the early birds.
I put my name into three different ballots, each for a chance at the 2023 bourbon and sherry release from Kilkerran. Of the six entries, I was the lucky recipient to purchase a bottle of the sherry release at, or very near, suggested retail price. Thankfully, all three stores are run by A+ proprietors who are passionate whisky folk and did not price gouge based on the very limited bottle count in their inventory.
As we’ve highlighted in our Springbank 15yo mega review, the variety of sherry cask quality and influences can combine in some interesting and unexpected ways especially with some of the Campbeltown spirits. When it comes to the Kilkerran 8 yo sherry cask releases on Dramface, it all starts with Doog’s 2021 Sherry Batch 5 review which featured an unusual review method, simulating the difference between neck pour and half-bottle oxidation, connecting with the powerful spirit with a 8/10 score. Dallas’ and Archie’s combined review of the 2022 sherry release had varying reviews, ranging from Dallas’ automotive-themed score 6/10 that contrasted to Archie’s thin mouthfeel and essence of Play-Doh garnering a score 4/10.
Following those sherry batches, our Ramsay took a peak at the 2023 Bourbon release, connecting with the oily, salty, and citrus-like spirit with a score 8/10. That brings us to today: the 2023 8yo Sherry release. With the proven variance in sherry cask and Campbelton spirit, let’s dive in and see where we land.
Review
Kilkerran 8yo Cask Strength, Sherry Cask Release, 24/1/23 bottling date, 57.5% ABV
£55-60 at retail, £60 at auction, CAD$108 (£62) paid.
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
A quality dram but heavy on the cask
Nose
An interesting swirl of sweet sherry notes and Campbeltown elements. Wet coal, wet creosote soaked railway ties, and the smallest amount of smoke accompany the more traditional sherry notes of dates, dried fruits, and brown sugar. With some time, a touch of earthiness or petrichor does emerge, providing a nice surprise when sitting with this uncovered for a while. Given the ABV, the nose is incredibly tame, prickling like a 46% ABV bottling. I’m detecting no sulphur or off-notes from the sherry casks.
With water, the nose is a mere shadow of itself. Virtually all nasal elements have had the volume turned down to six. Many of the Campbeltown-specific notes have nearly disappeared entirely.
Palate
I immediately get the feeling of settling into a plush leather chair, exhaling a very contented “Ahh”. Silky and sweet and drinks like again like a 46% ABV dram. The relative balance of “funky” note intensity to the sherry notes from the nose follows through to the palate very nicely, providing no adverse surprises. There is a very light but well-executed amount of coal-like smoke accompanying charred wood that accentuates the dried raisins, indistinct nuttiness, cinnamon, and light toffee notes.
There is a building pepperiness with successive sips, resolving itself into not just black pepper heat, but flavour too, with a touch of raspberry and cranberry compote thrown into the mix. The combination of sweet and flavourful spice makes my mouth profusely water after each sip, rinsing my palate and readying it for more. The palate is syrupy with a medium length finish of the toffee, cinnamon, and lingering coal smoke. Like the nose, no obvious distracting sulphur notes are found lurking. If you’re a sulphur canary, it may be possible that some struck match might be evident to you, but to the rest of us, it’s a good quality vatting of sherry casks. It is very wood forward so if you like a healthy dash of cask with your whisky, this one will fit your preferences.
With water, it’s straight lovely. The wood-driven and ABV derived pepperiness are significantly tamped down, letting the luscious syrupy mouthfeel ride a wave of newly revealed orange citrus (love that it popped up), golden sultanas, and almost burnt brown sugar. With a minor amount of water, the flavour peppery heat is now transformed into chilli pepper heat, and is ever present. With a bigger splash of water, the heat disappears. Like the nose, many of the smoky elements have been quieted, turning this into a quality sherried dram that might fool you into thinking it was from another region or distillery.
The Dregs
This is a bottle that benefits from being opened, drinking a few healthy pours from, and letting it sit for at least a week or two before coming back to it.
The nose and palate were rather tight and a little hot at the outset however a little time and air has rounded many of the edges and let the flavours spring forth. The water experiment was interesting. If you prefer to nose your whisky, then keep it at bottling strength, but if you are more preferential towards the taste, the palate offers a good amount of flexibility in revealing flavours or intensity depending on your preferences or mood.
I’ve read in several other reviews (after completing my own notes of course) that many detect a salty or briny aspect to this whisky. I would beg to disagree, after all that’s everyone's perogative, as this whisky isn’t anything like salt. I believe many are equating the experience of saltiness (significant production of saliva) with the interaction of various other flavour compounds on your taste buds and your brain is interpreting that salivary response as if there was salt present, not unlike eating your favourite crisp, potato chip, or salty snack. If I had served this blind to many of you, I believe you would not detect any salty/briny notes. Just my opinion of course.
This being my first Kilkerran 8yo CS sherry, I didn’t have much hopes or preconceptions heading in, other than hoping the sherry casks didn’t have any sulphur. And I found this to be a very enjoyable drinker. It’s not uber complex or high enough ranking of an experience to warrant the hoarding and lack of cracking the seal. I will definitely be sharing this with friends who have recently discovered the liquid delights coming out of Campbeltown. Open your bottles.
My honest and personal thoughts are that it’s a bit of both a near-miss and a near-bullseye. This is a whisky for those who like big and bold sherry notes, to the detriment of almost obscuring the lovely spirit underneath. Thankfully, the sherry is a clean and very modern version, devoid of any significant off-notes that would hinder the quality of this whisky.
Personally, Kilkerran should continue this bourbon and sherry annual duo release, however for me they might consider including a moderate portion of refill sherry casks into the mix, balancing out the presumably majority share of first-fill sherry casks that are almost pushing this whisky over the edge with more spirit-derived flavours, which we all know and love that Kilkerran can produce. Let the spirit sing more and not just the cask.
Score: 7/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. BB
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