
Kilkerran 12 Year Old
Kilkerran · Glengyle Distillery
A handcrafted Campbeltown gem that delivers complexity and coastal character well beyond its modest price — proof that scale and soul are inversely related.
Nose
Coastal brine meets vanilla cream, with whispers of wood smoke, lemon zest, and a soft maltiness that hints at the floor-malted barley behind it.
Palate
Medium-bodied and oily; salted caramel, toasted oak, and orchard fruit give way to gentle peat, dark chocolate, and a touch of damp earth.
Finish
Long and warming, with lingering brine, cocoa, and a coil of smoke fading into dry oak spice.
- Region
- Campbeltown
- Cask Type
- Ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks
- Peat Level (PPM)
- Approx. 12–15 ppm (lightly peated)
- Distillation
- Double distilled in copper pot stills at Glengyle Distillery
- Maturation
- Approximately 70% ex-bourbon barrels and 30% ex-sherry casks
- Chill-Filtered
- No
Cocktail Suggestion
The Wee Toon Old Fashioned — 2 oz Kilkerran 12, 1 barspoon demerara syrup, 2 dashes orange bitters, 1 dash Angostura. Stir over a large ice cube; express an orange peel over the glass and drop it in.
Food Pairing
Seared scallops with brown butter and capers, or a sharp aged cheddar with quince paste.
Resurrected in 2004 by the Mitchell family — the same hands behind neighboring Springbank — Glengyle Distillery quietly restored Campbeltown's whisky-making heritage with an unwavering commitment to doing everything in-house, by hand.
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