Kilkerran 20 Year (2004) for Open Day May 2024
Whisky: Kilkerran 20 Year (2004) for Open Day May 2024
Country/Region: Scotland/Campbeltown
ABV: 49.2%
Cask: First Fill Rum (10Y), Refill Bourbon (10Y)
Age: 20 Years (Distilled 2004, Bottled 2024)
Nose: Malty, fruity, digestif biscuits, marshmallows, maritime, dried grass, more orchard fruit with time.
Palate: Medium-bodied, bright and fruity, woody and astringent, tropical, dried grass, woody, maritime.
Finish: Medium-length, fruit and drying.
Score: 6-7 (79)
Mental Image: Campbeltown Beach Party
Narrative & Notes: Malty and fruity, the aroma ranged from sea shores to marshmallows with a gentle maritime brine, woven palm frond mats, and fruit-flavored marshmallows. Digestif biscuits, persimmons, and apple sauce lingered further in with more dried grass and minerals on a sea breeze. Medium-bodied, the flavor profile was bright and fruity with slightly astringent persimmons and dried mango slices moving toward dry woven palm fronds, carved drift wood, and a touch of watch oil. A touch more pineapple and coconut brought to mind mai tais at a beach bar with earth, beach, and brine in the background. The finish was medium-length, fruity and drying.
I picked up a sample of this bottle in late-2024 from Springbank’s Washback Bar. Retail bottles were long gone, of course, but the staff was more than willing to entertain my desire to pack away a dram for home.
Mellow after two decades in the cask, the secondary maturation in a rum cask elevated the fruitier elements of the malt so that this came off as mild, gentle, and rather tropical. It lacked some of the depth and heft I hoped to find, especially the lovely earthy and autumnal notes I prize on Kilkerran. However, I enjoyed the beach bar vibes that emerged from the fruit and wood. It was oddly drying, as if a tannic astringency snuck up on me, a quality that lingered on the finish, sometimes turning a touch bitter and emphasizing a certain thinness, or lightness, on the mouthfeel.
Overall, two things were true— this was a fine whisky and it fell short of what I hoped it would be. I would happily accept a pour of this, but you will not see me hunting down a bottle at auction or at a bar.
