The Springbank Stallions play around with Kilkerran
The Springbank Stallions convened again, as they do every year in January, in Campbeltown. With the big bicentennial year for Springbank approaching in 2028, we are quietly anticipating the festivities. Until that time, there was and is still 2026 and 2027 to deal with for the Stallions gathering. So, in 2026, there was a big focus on everything Kilkerran, with a finale tasting of the first ever released 10 years old matured on different wood types. This tasting also combined the whisky with their original spirit or wine. So, the Kilkerran 10 years old Madeira next to a Madeira wine. More on that, later.
The future looks bright for the J & A Mitchell distilleries of Springbank and Glengyle. On what used to be the backlot of the distillery grounds, now has risen the new dispatch and bottling halls, that were almost complete during our visit in January 2026. While touring the Glengyle distillery, we heard all kinds of interesting titbits. Like, how the new facilities will free up more space for warehousing. With warehouses to fill, production can go up too. But how to do this, when you have only so much space and hands to do the (by hand) floor malting of the barley? Well, I understand a drum maltings will be installed at Glengyle Distillery that will take care of the barley needs for Kilkerran. This means all capacity at Springbank can be used for Springbank products. The question is, will all three products (regular Springbank, double distilled peated Longrow and triple distilled Hazelburn) continue to be produced there? I picked up on an interesting theory (and it is just that – a theory) that Hazelburn could be made at Glengyle in the future. Would that be wise? Discuss! We have tasted several quite yummy triple distilled Kilkerran.
This was my fourth year partaking in the Stallions gathering, and every year we tour the distilleries. Since Springbank was not in production yet, laying the last hand on some things with the new and refurbished stills, we had to skip that distillery. We did however, visit Glengyle, which remains a perfect experience every time. One knows the story by heart, how the mill came from the Craigellachie Distillery in Speyside, while the stills were bought from Ben Wyvis, an obscure setup within the Invergordon Grain Distillery. Take a moment to think about the cunning Mr. Frank McHardy, who acquired these stills second-hand. Ben Wyvis produced malt whisky between 1965 and 1977 before that ceased. Those big pots stood there silently, until McHardy picked them up in the early 2000s for use in Campbeltown. The stills were too large for the plans, so they were “taken in”, as one could say, to reduce the size. The cuts are still visible. When you look at them closely, they are not all that different from the Springbank stills. Our tour guide for the day, Craig, kindly poured us some new make spirit to enjoy. It must be said, Kilkerran has one of the fruitiest new make spirits I have ever tasted. And I like tasting those spirits. Goof stuff!
Those who have participated in blending your own Springbank or Cadenhead’s in the labs at the locations of these two brands, know how much fun it is. It felt extra special to do such a session with Kilkerran as well. We got six different cask samples, all from 2016 and one from 2015, to create out own special bottling. The more exotic ones created quite some fuzz. People like their Kilkerran on bourbon or sherry, but port, madeira and wine… well, it takes no prisoners. I made tasting notes for one of them, which you can read below. I also added a tasting note from one of six casks we could sample during a warehouse tasting, which was a different session.
In 2014, Kilkerran released the first 10 years old in a special tasting box set. It contained six different expressions, matured on various casks. Thanks to a generous donation by one of the Stallions, we could again taste the contents of this same box. But now we added something special: next to every Kilkerran we placed the spirit or wine it was matured on. The glasses were combined with port, madeira, rum and sherries. It became a hit and miss tasting. Mostly because the first 10 years old Kilkerran expressions lacked the quality its current day counterparts offer today. However, it was interesting to do this combination tasting. Also, it was quite the bonus to drink pleasant (old) madeira and port wines. A whispered conclusion of the evening about the spirit of Kilkerran single malt, is that it excels at cask strength on a young age (see the cask strength 8 years old bottlings for instance) or it needs a few more years (considering how the latest 16 years old was such a hit at the end of 2025). We will put that theory to the test, by tasting a recent 12 years old.
Kilkerran 12 years old, bottled at 46 % abv
First things first: Bottled on 17 December 2024, the last of three (known) releases in 2024.
Upon Sipping: Creamy cheese and yoghurt, mingled with light hints of dry hey and rubber wellies. Quite robust, with a strong farmy note. The taste holds the middle between some immature notes and ‘getting there’, a passage into being a beautiful butterfly. There are some unpolished rougher and bitter notes, but as soon as you swallow you get treated on a dose of tropicality. Some mango, but then also grapefruit and lemons. Not the easiest dram, very complex already. Weirdly enough I find the yearly 8 years old releases at cask strength much more friendly and accessible. But these are most times full bourbon maturation. This Kilkerran 12 has a moodier side as well, probably from some sherry casks in the mix. Vegetal vibes. With water, more vanilla to the foreground, but it remains edgy, almost like a perfect bridge between the elegant Springbank and the more industrial Glen Scotia made on the other side of town. With water, the lemon taste is pushed back in favour of lighter fruits.
Word to the Wise: A divisive malt if there ever was one. It has the rough side that many people love in Campbeltown single malt, but is also shows gentleness. It is a mix between the popular 16 years old and the more fierce 8 years old cask strength releases.
Score: 84 points.
Kilkerran 2013, Warehouse Tasting January 2026, bottled at 58,3 % abv
First things first: My 35 cl bottle was filled in January 2026 and came from a refill sherry hogshead. This Kilkerran was distilled in November 2013, which makes this malt a little over 12 years old. Pictured is the cask from which we tried this whisky straight in the glass.
Upon Sipping: In the ice cold warehouses this whisky went down like a charm, warming our cold bodies, and pleasing the palate. But how does it perform at room temperature? Well, let me tell you up straight, they know their sherry casks in Campbeltown! This is just a tremendous quality, and it rubbed off on the Kilkerran like stardust. It has a broad scale of red fruit on offer, but there is also a meaty element that mixes well with a balsamic note. Maybe even some rum elements there as well, or raisins soaked in rum, extremely flammable now. On the palate, we have to admit the whisky struggles to keep up with the impact of the nose. A bit more thin perhaps, but still substantial, with deep Demerara sugar that sticks to the tongue like glue. Incredible balance for a single cask. The Kilkerran 16 years old was a massive hit late last year, and it leaned more on sherry casks. Now we see this quality, I understand even more. But this is more pure, and much closer to classic sherry than that “16”, which had more blood orange and cigar leaves. This cask sample plays the fruity card more, and I am here for it!
Word to the Wise: Absolutely brilliant stuff. So incredibly luscious and rich, I will score it high. It deserves it. This cask was lying next to a port pipe filled with the same spirit from November 2013. That one was equally impressive, but I added it to the collection of my daughter, who was born in 2013 and gets the reigns in 2031. I might have to rob her from that one, but ssst.
Score: 91 points.
Kilkerran Fresh Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon
First things first: A cask sample from a Kilkerran distilled in 2016. Used for blending purposes to create your own Kilkerran vatting. I wrote this short tasting note during the blending session, as one of the examples. This one seems rare, I have not seen wine matured Kilkerran yet. (My personal blend was created from bourbon, first fill sherry and refill sherry, if you like to know.)
Upon Sipping: Enforced rhubarb. Vinegar. Strawberries. So, as you can see, a wild mix of impressions. Stewed fruits indeed, quite interesting, but perhaps only because it is so very different. The taste is immediately dry and full of wood notes, but the smells you picked up are also noticeable on the taste. Maybe more on red apples and stewed fruits too, but the way it dries up towards the finish is of course the more difficult part of any wine matured whisky. The finish is fruity, full on strawberry and other red fruits.
Word to the Wise: I am curious to see if a variant of this will ever be released commercially. It is fun and certainly not bad for a wine matured malt, but it has its downsides.
Score: 82 points.