Kilkerran 8 Years Old Open Day 2016 (56.7%, OB, 305 Bottles, 2016)

• Category: Campbeltown single malt scotch whisky
• Origin: Glengyle Distillery
• Bottling: J & A Mitchell
• ABV: 56.7%
• Cost: £50

What they say:

We have three exciting bottlings which will be bottled especially for Springbank Open Day 2016. The third bottling is an Open Day special Kilkerran Aged 8 Years Fresh Sherry Wood, bottled at 56.4% with 305 bottles available. This will retail at £50.00 on the day.

What I say:

Bottled especially for Glengyle Distillery Open Day during the Campbeltown Malts Festival 2016. This was Dram #2 from Moxie’s Festivus for the rest of us #2 (2016 edition). A rare chance for those unable to make either the Campbeltown Malts Festival or Feis Ile (Islay Festival of Malt & Music) to sample some of the bottlings that were exclusively on offer.

Colour:

Dark bronze orange/ Irn Bru (13/20) numerous medium-fine tears leave fine legs

Nose:

Chocolate covered treacle toffees, dry leather, library book bindings, sticky figgy and toffee pudding, dates, molasses, fruity berry jam, dusty, slightly damp & musty wood, leaf mulch.

Taste:

Thick, oily and syrupy, treacle, some spiced pepper, cinnamon & nutmeg, nutty walnut, hazelnut, milk chocolate, dry leather, woody oak, alittle spirit and herbal like cinnamon schnapps, a little menthol crystals, clean & sharp and citric acidic lemon juice with water smoother more treacle and chocolate both darker

Finish:

Long, sweet and drying, leather and chocolate

Overall:

Great whisky but towards the end becomes a little spirity and youthful outliving its sherry cask maturation – thankfully like all great whisky this is tamed with a drop of water which just improves things all-round.

Score: 87/100

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