Glengyle distillery was founded by William Mitchell, one of the co-founders of Springbank, in 1872 and closed in 1925. After many attempts to restart throughout the 20th Century, the distillery finally began production again in 2004 with new stills and other equipment under the same ownership group as Springbank. The distillery sells their offerings under the brand name Kilkerran because the name Glengyle is owned by Loch Lomond and used for their blended malt. The Kilkerran Heavily Peated is a single malt that, as the name implies, is made using heavily peated barley. This is the 8th Edition and was released in May 2023. Though past bottles have listed ppm levels (phenolic parts per million), this edition does not.
Distillery: Glengyle
Region: Campbeltown
Age: NAS
Strength: 58.4%
Price: $84.99
Maturation: 90% ex-bourbon and 10% ex-sherry casks
Location: Campbeltown
Nose: Iodine, peat, char, pear, floral
Palate: Vegetal, smoke, chipotle, peppercorn, grass, honey
Finish: Smoke, iodine, char, cacao
Comments: Really experiment with water and how long you leave it in the glass (try hours, seriously), as different elements will come to the fore or back and you can customize your experience.
Adam – What a difference some time can make. The Kilkerran Heavily Peated drinks differently in the cool of winter than it does in the first blush of early summer. I much prefer what a little time and warmth does, since the integration really strikes me as barbeque and is delightful. There is a vibrant medicinal quality that really rides the border of being too much but I subjectively didn’t mind it. There is a richness to this that the astringency keeps fresh, like a knife’s edge. Some watering does tamp down on that medicinal quality so go there if that bothers you. It also changes the balances of the existing flavor elements so you lose that bacon-y quality. If this is what 8 batches will get you, I’m curious to see how this offering will continue to evolve in future batches.
Kate – There is a subtle fruit sweetness in the nose, backed by a hint of floral, with a white wine astringency. It’s fresh and spring-like on the nose with saddle leather, with a creaminess in the back that’s not quite crème brulée. A Band-Aid or medicinal quality to the peat that I didn’t immediately identify as peat. The palate is hot honey bacon to me, with a little char. Like BBQ. Maybe it makes it more versatile, since different flavor strengths appear depending on the season. Adding some water tones down the medicinal quality I don’t care for as much and allows some of the florals and tannins to come through. I still am not a fan of how they integrated the peat but this is much more approachable with water for me.
Henry – The nose is a real tour de peat, from the vegetal to the char, with pleasantly balanced underlayer of sweetness and brine. More sweetness and light on the palate, with hints of different peppercorns, from Java to cubeb, and a continuation of the deep peat exploration. Finish is bright and astringent. For 58.4% ABV, it drinks dangerously easy. A lovely dram for most any occasion.
Ben – I love the Kilkerran Heavily Peated because I’ve had a hankering for more peat in my life. It does feel on the simpler side, however, I like the balance of both peaks – the vegetal and the smoke/char. I’m liking where we are. Sometimes you look at a charcuterie board and ask why there are three kinds of cheese or meats. But you need all those options. This is what this is.
There is a richness to this that the astringency keeps fresh, like a knife’s edge.
Bill – Nothing is strictly overpowering. Every sip is better. I get a distinct note of chipotle on the palate and I really like it. Those dried hot peppers. It finishes very clean. I love this.
Mike – I’ve been with the Kilkerran Heavily Peated scotch since the Halloween of 2021. I like the fact that it’s not super complex. I mean, it is somewhat but is also oddly refreshing. It gets you with that peat, it gets you with that chipotle, but it doesn’t kill you with any of it. It has a nice light mid palate. I’ve enjoyed this one for a long time. I have Batch 5 right now to compare and it has no chipotle element and less iodine. Packs a little more of a punch but doesn’t bring a lot more evolution.
Evelyn – The palate has chili in adobo sauce. It’s very camp fire.
Sam – Smells like Mezcal. There’s an uncured leather overtone on the palate. There’s not any one quality about this that I don’t like but overall l don’t like it. At the bottom of everything is some cacao, both the bitter and the sweet.
Kim – I’m not usually a fan of peat but the Kilkerran Heavily Peated is nicely balanced and quite tasty! The heat is apparent on the first sip, but settles nicely as you go.
