🥃 Whisky Auctioneer

88.50 Nose: Very pleasant, sultana raisins, in brine, very light wet peat, hay, orchard fruit, pineapple, sweet, salty caramels, a bit of refreshing floral notes, ginger. Taste: caramel, toffee, malt, nougat, dark chocolate, marine, creamy-sweet with aromas of yellow fruits, sea salt with lots of smoke, pineapple, grilled pineapple, mango, citrus, grapefruit. Finish: long, salty caramel, sea salt, fruit, citrus, honey, wax

**Review: Kilkerran Heavily Peated Whisky** Kilkerran Heavily Peated Whisky is a remarkable expression that stands out in the world of peated whiskies. Despite its robust 57% alcohol content, it is surprisingly approachable and enjoyable. The whisky offers a long, lingering finish that leaves a lasting impression on the palate. One of the standout features of this whisky is its well-balanced peatiness. The peat is prominent but not overwhelming, allowing other flavors to shine through. There is a subtle dryness that adds complexity to the overall taste profile, making each sip a delightful experience. In my experience, Kilkerran Heavily Peated is one of the better peated whiskies I have had the pleasure of tasting. Its rich, smoky character combined with a smooth and drinkable nature makes it a must-try for any whisky enthusiast. Whether you are a seasoned peat lover or new to the world of peated whiskies, Kilkerran Heavily Peated is sure to impress.

Truly "heavily peated" until the end of the bottle, sometimes a bit too aggressive if not diluted, but overall I preferred it with minimal dilution. A whisky with great character, very decisive, especially on the palate, oscillating between an oily and creamy opening that explodes with an intense salty peat. An intense and lingering finish.

Spicy dram with a truly distinctive smoke profile. Fine sweetness and not too much sherry. I like.

The palate is as unctuous as ever, carrying vanilla and a pronounced earthy peat. The liquorice then imposes itself in the beginning of the finish then the dry wood will complete a beautiful long and harmonious finish.

Peat, malty, not bad but quite punchy

Delicious combination of malt peat and something salty on the tongue

Very good, powerful and characterful new make with just a few cask influence. Good waxy mouthfill and well integrated alcohol even being a young whisky. For its price it is a banger, I love you Glengyle. Notes taken being diluted down to around 50% and with a highly oxidized bottle.

Thank you Dirk Schlueter, as so often simply sold to regular customers at RRP! Delicious tropi-frutti, banana, toffee fudge, very well integrated alcohol, great interplay between smoke, fruit and sweetness

Sill a particularly weird distillate character, but I have to say this is the first expression that I feel has sufficient maturity. It's full of flavour, but not a bottle I would frequently visit.

Can't complain about this Kilkerran, has everything you'd want.

I loved this so much that I got me another bottle of this batch (want to try other batches as well). With water it gets more sweet, but I think I prefer this one without water.

Head to head w. Batch 3 - this is a tad more fatty and intense esp. taste and finish.... If this due to different casks - or they may have used some older Peated casks - when did they start w.peat 2015? So up to 7 years possible... just sad that retailers and import is soo greedy to !double up! the price here in Germany 85 EUR - Issue price@42£ ...there should be a law against it - f*** criminals. Details to follow.

Kilkerran Heavily Peated Batch No.6 gives me a delicate sense of thickness! Peat smoke is accompanied by rich yellow fruits, slightly creamy and sweet with sea salt oak flavor, which makes the taste full and rich, and the whole is very soft. It is very enjoyable to taste!!!

Batch #5 was a small step backwards, Batch #6 really goes forward again. It's really scratching the 90/100 mark and I firmly believe that this barrier will fall after a few more weeks of "bottle aging". Terrific.

At first, it is quite harsh, but time and aeration help

Sample courtesy of Lunatica. Although Kilkerran is not my favourite malt, this is one of better kilkerran I ever had. Not very complex, but quite enjoyable.

I came to this series with the stunning Batch Three. This converted rum drinkers, ale drinkers, and was an absolute smash hit. There is a much more noticeable sherry influence in Batch Six, and it is less fizzy and citrusy than other Kilkerrans I have had. It is an interesting marriage of casks: the ashy sootiness is matched by very savoury sherry notes. There's a comparison to be made with the oloroso cask releases of Springbank and Glengyle here. Super distillate, but the casks have it this time around. It's higher strength puts it with Machir Bay and Ledaig 10 for BFYB, but your mileage may vary according to batch.

The youthful hotness costs him 2 points.

Definitely more sherried than all the others.

Dusty earth and diesel engine fumes cleared out as apple pie and pear custard arrived for judging at the county fair. The aroma was sweet and creamy with orchard fruits, butter, and a malty pie crust, while dirtier, grungier notions lingered in the background. More lacquered wood and modeling clay sat further in with hints of Mandarin oranges, jasmine tea, and mint. Medium-bodied with a sweet sugary arrival that landed somewhere between crème brûlée and apple fritter donuts. Dried grass and plenty of dusty, earthy fields lingered in the background while a bright citrus note, almost effervescent at times, popped on the front with a bit of spirited pepper. The finish was medium-length and slightly drying with some youthful spirited pepper, apple skins, and earth. You could have told me this was a Benromach and I might have believed you. It was loaded with plenty of orchard fruits and earth, with only hints of autumn dry leaves and chimney smoke. The flavor profile tipped in a sweeter direction than previous releases with more refined sugar and cream on the palate. It was also peppery and spirited, though none of these heavily peated releases are particularly tame and this one lacked some of the wilder, feinty qualities that I know some found unpleasant in the debut batches. Yet, the whole thing felt a bit less cohesive and coherent as some of the dirtier notions conflicted with the sweeter side. Overall, not a bad whisky by any measure, but not at the same heights as some of the earlier heavily peated releases— at least in my humble opinion.

Things are heading for a good path.

On the nose sweet smoke, feel the increased strength of the distillate, sea breeze, chocolate pudding, raspberries. The taste is sweet and peaty, seaweed, salty sea breeze. After adding a few drops of water, a sweet, milky aroma, toffee, vanilla emerges. Peat and marine character recede into the background. The taste remains peaty, but the sweetness is also more pronounced. Long, warming finish, ash and slight bitterness

I can’t compare with previous batches, but this is super good ! A bit youngish, yes, but yet some very interesting balance and complexity. Very greedy enjoyable well done and unboring whisky. Great value (paid 71€). Very fond of kilkerran.

An evening filled with the first 1-7 Kilkeran Peated in a row, what a fun evening!

Tasty, but very young. I don't mind a good NAS, but this seems only 5-6 years old? It tastes a lot younger than the 8y CS from Kilkerran. This could have done better with a few more years. Alcohol is well integrated though and has the nice Kilkerran distillery profile, only with a bit more peat. You can taste the higher content of sherry in this batch, which adds some more depth if you like that style.

Starting a whisky without expectations can turn out very nicely if you are blown away by the quality in your glass. That is certainly the case with this Kilkerran Heavily Peated from the Glengyle Distillery. Just the smoky fudge scent rising from the glass is enough for endless fun. It was a good choice to equalize the raw strength of the sherry with the bulk of bourbon casks. The sherry part is dominantly present, but very clean, with a certain fruitiness and caramel from the top layer of a Mars bar. A real turf powerhouse but smooth, even without water. With water wonderfully warming on the aftertaste. Very happy with this acquisition, extremely drinkable!

Kilkerran is rather lightly peated - but here they've added a shovel of peat to it. The series is called Peat in Progress, which is based on the first Kilkerrans, which also appeared in a work in progress series, until the first 12-year-old bottling came onto the market. This is the 6th batch and was bottled in 2022. 75% ex-bourbon and 25% ex-sherry, this is not a bad mix for a heavily smoky whisky. There is no indication of age, it will not be more than 5 - 6 years. The color is golden and strong for the young age. So the barrels were quite active. glen-efze.de

Immediately after a glass of batch 5.

I was recommended it because it could compete with the b.12. No, it can't. It's b.dkbry, but closed on the nose, less funky, sour, and complex. Delicious, but the b.12 is better.

Batch 5 vs. 6 head to head

In my opinion, it is not really heavily peated, but on the level of the Talisker 10. Very successful mixture of oranges, peat and sherry. On the tongue there is also the impression of farm/cow dung - but not disturbing. It is very pleasant to drink even undiluted at 57%. Long finish. Immediately makes you want more. Definitely worth its 90 kronor issue price.

real surprise. Despite only 25% sherry casks, this is significantly darker fruity compared to the previous batch. This in combination with the clear smoke and the super integrated alcohol know how to inspire. It really makes you look forward to what's to come.

Fine whisky with good spice and a nice proportion of smoke.

I paid €58,50 for a bottle. Excellent value for the quality that's inside. For a NAS i wasn't expecting to rate it this high. Pleasant surprise!

We're more on Bourbon, with iodine and vanilla, whipped cream, an airy lemon zest. The smoke seems relatively light. Small delicacies, sponge cake, marzipan, stuffed fig. It's a bit greasy. Palate again centered on vanilla, very thick and oily, mellow, liquid honey, lemonade, hazelnuts, pleasant spices, white pepper, cloves, cumin. Some grimy coal in the background. Long, interesting finish, cola, heather, young wood. A square of dark chocolate. Coffee. I found that this one was more greedy, more oriented towards vanilla, although the Sherry rate is higher, you don't feel it much. https://ilikesky2020.blogspot.com/2022/11/kilkerran-heavily-peated-peat-in.html

Bought at the distillery for £45. It's well made, quality spirit but it's also still very young and grassy - which I don't particularly enjoy very much. Grassy peat with a sweet edge, that's how I would describe this. Maybe/hopefully it will open up but at the moment 85 is all I can give it, and that's with taking the value for money into account, which is more than fair in 2022. Edit: after leaving the bottle untouched for about 3 months I have come back to it and (luckily) it has opened up substantially. Gone are the overt grassy notes (the're still there in the finish) and it's mellowed down a lot. For what it's worth, I'm giving it two points extra.

Can you really go wrong with Kilkerran? From my experience it’s rather unlikely. It’s layered and complex, but, truth be told, I feel as if the balance on some of the previous batches was noticeably better. There’s less ‘harmony’ here, perhaps? It does compensate for that by being a very busy bee, delivering a wide array of flavours.

Very pleasant, sherry comes through strongly, peat is very tamed, very round and pleasant

N: Sweet, Vanilla, hint of sweet sherry, sweet cooked cereal, light smoke, tire shop, sour citrus, P +Body (L/M/F): Medium body, Sweet, vanilla, smoke, electrical fire, sour malt, spice, salted dough, slight drying/tannic, dark sherry notes, bitter chocolate way in the back F +Length (S/M/L): Long finish, Malt, smoke and ash, herbal, hints of sherry, spice Score: 90

First impressions from the neck pour More sherry this time which makes it more drinkable and at the same time less unusual / interesting

It's not as heavily peated as I'd expected, but it's fantastically well integrated, as is the sherry influence. I've had this bottle since early summer, and I've deliberately not rushed this review. Having not had anything else from Glengyle, I wanted to make sure it wasn't my initial excitement getting the best of me, but no, 4 months later, I'm still impressed. It starts big, with a nose that encapsulates the essence of a world-beating sandwich, boasting sweet and salty, herb crusted, coal-roasted meat, stewed fruity sauces and the fresh baked bread it rests on. Everything works together in a tantalising swirl of ambrosial harmonics and leads into the palate, which is much less complex, but no less enjoyable. A rich and viscous aproach of malty caramel paves a path for the emergent, dense and contrasting mocha that seamlessly follows. There's sweet and tart, candied citrus and herbacious cardamom, that surface briefly before a peppery warmth builds and the smoke really makes itself known. Imagine one of those sliced pieces of pork from the nose fell back into the coals and was ineffectually dusted off before you came along and stole it. That's how the tail begins. I think this would easily fit into the profile that people talk about when they refer to "dirty" malts. The finish is even less complex than the palate, but somehow manages not to reduce the level of quality and my enjoyment. The ashy, but still slightly sweet meat is joined by savoury lemon, velvety soft tannins and then lingering brine that, against all logic, is spicily carbonated and laced with Szechuan. I did add some water to this, but I don't think it adds much to the experience. There's maybe a slight improvement in the texture, but at the cost of everything else. I think I'll be staying with neat from here on out.

Cambpeltown as it should be. Sweet smoke, sweet malt, sweet wood, dry finish. Perfect, grand stuff.

The alcohol is very dominant at when you open the bottle. Definetly opens up once the bottle has been open for a few weeks, add some water and then you have the full experience, a very decent malt.

What a nice Kilkerran. The nose is a bit shy, but other then that the taste and finish is real good. It's still pretty young, but you can taste the quality.

Great, a revelation, this is what I like ... sweetness, fruitiness, lots of smoke with strong but completely imperceptible alcohol that gives shape and emphasizes all aromas and flavors. I did not dare to "mess" with her water. Bottle ordered!

Aroma Sweetish smoke, citrus, slightly maritime, nice light wood spice taste Smoke, maritime, some salt, dirty, little fruit, youthful, spicy finish long, spicy, smoky, sweetish, slightly dirty maritime