Whisky: Kilkerran 15 Year (2004) for Hanseatische Weinhandelsgesellschaft Bremen

Country/Region: Scotland/Campbeltown

ABV: 51.5%

Cask: Port Pipe (10Y), Refill Bourbon Hogshead (5Y)

Age: 15 Years (Distilled May 2004, Bottled Sept. 2019)

Nose: Wood, jammy fruit, honey, malty bread, backing spices, dried vegetation, earth, rubber boots.

Palate: Medium-bodied, juicy, berries, baking spice, pepper, mulled wine, dried vegetation, earth, wood and decay, rubber boots.

Finish: Long and lingering with berries, toast, wood, and a touch of new boots.

Score: 7 (82)

Mental Image: Brisk Autumn Jammin’

Narrative & Notes: Big pots of jam and honey with toasted bread on a freshly polished wooden table— cassia and strawberry preserves enjoyed while visiting the old woman who lived in a shoe as a touch of her rubbery homestead appeared around the edges. Pipping hot cinnamon tea to enjoy during a cool autumn day— the breeze picked up dried earth and vegetation. Medium-bodied and juicy with loads of sweet berries and wintery mulled wine touched with peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves, and anise.  Dried vegetation and earth lingered in the background, as did a bit of termite-eaten wood and hints of rubber-soled boots. The finish was nice and long, with berry preserves, toast, wood, and a touch of new boots.

I was a touch apprehensive coming into this whisky— I have had a few similar casks that were too sulfurous for my taste.  This had a bit of rubber boot and old shoe to it, but far enough in the background to be a pleasant accent on the juicy berries and mulled wine spices. The termite-eaten wood note was a bit alarming for someone who lives in a tropical environment with lots of hungry termites, and it looks as though that note came off to others as a bit of rotten cork or bad wood. I thought it was still fine, though quirky certainly.

Overall, a pleasant malt with a nice juicy character and intriguing depth. Current pricing is ridiculous, though.

Image Credit: Whiskybase