Kilkerran WIP Series – 10bts

Description

Glengyle, a family run distillery with 100% of its production taking place in Campbeltown

WIP, Work in Progress, is the series of bottles launched each year in a limited edition. It started with a mixture of bourbon and sherry matured whisky. Later on, they’ve released some expressions separately, so you could try the bourbon and sherry matured whiskies separately. This series gives you a very nice, tasting experience in the ageing of whisky.

The release of these limited editions was covering the time they needed to produce their first 12yo.

Kilkerran Work in Progress 1
Released in 2009. 9000 bottles available worldwide.
Nose: An initial burst of sweetness leads you into a fruity, spicy aroma with a hint of phenols and smoke at the end.
Palate: Cloves, more fruity sweetness. Still a Work in Progress this whisky is already lively, zesty and full of flavour. A classic Campbeltown whisky, Kilkerran reveals a briny, smokey character on the palate. Very creamy and oily.
Finish: The sweetness lasts all the way to the finish as vanilla flavours linger on your tongue.

Kilkerran Work in Progress 2
Released in 2010. 18 000 bottles available worldwide.
Nose: Light and fragrant leading you into the dram gently.
Palate: Refreshing lemon citrus, hints of pear and just a dash of sherbet.
Masses of sweet vanilla immediately take over the taste-buds before the classic Campbeltown salt hits the tongue. Creamy toffee and butterscotch become apparent as the natural oils coat the mouth.
Finish: Light and fresh

Kilkerran Work in Progress 3
Released in 2011. Only 9000 bottles available worldwide.
Nose: Spicy buns! Cardamon, cinnamon, heather honey, butter toffee with a slight savory note of toffee popcorn.
Palate: Like a silky smooth melted honey comb chocolate bar. Fruitiness present as crisp and very sweet red apples. Incredibly rich and buttery, like gingerbread cookie dough, yet fresh with hints of clover and freshly cut summers grass.
Finish: Alluring and warm… a great summers evening dram that leaves you licking your lips for more.

Kilkerran Work in Progress 4
Released in 2012. Only 9000 bottles available worldwide.
Nose: Home made marmalade. Incredibly rich with copious amounts of oranges, rhubarb and ripe pear amongst the sweetness of brown sugar and honey.
Palate: The tangy and zesty nose continues on to the palate and is enriched with flavours of toffee, fudge and cream buns stuffed with vanilla custard, coated with icing sugar. Finger licking good.
Finish: Sweet and spicy, with hints of aniseed and licorice

Kilkerran Sherry Work in Progress 5
Released in 2013. Only 9000 bottles available worldwide.
Nose: Who’s chocolate orange is this? Dark chocolate, marzipan, honey covered dates and strawberries build up to a very rich and sweet ginger preserve. A very complex nose that doesn’t stop developing in the glass.
Palate: The honey covered dates return on the palate mixed with sultanas and black treacle fudge. This dram is as wholesome and tasty as a warm, toasted cinnamon and raisin bagel with real butter melting on top.
Finish: Medium, well balanced and round finish, presence of dark chocolate but surprisingly no evidence of peat.

Kilkerran Bourbon Work in Progress 5
Released in 2013. Only 9000 bottles available worldwide.
Nose: This is evidently a Campbeltown dram. The waxy, lightly smoky nose with hints of leather gives away the origin of this dram. Rich and creamy with hints of American cream soda, apricots, dark fruit and linseed.
Palate: Just like previous WIPs the tangy orange and citrus marmalade notes remains. A little bit sweeter than previous WIP releases, with clear presence of apricot jam. There is a great weight of Campbeltown sea air present. Very smooth and fruity.
Finish: Fresh, sweet yet dry finish.

Kilkerran Sherry Work in Progress 6
Nose: Bold and Beautiful. Clear, but subtle, European red oak notes, a real sherry matured star.
Palate: The sherry notes goes deeper on the palate. Dark chocolate, dates, prunes, hard toffee, molasses and gingerbread syrup. Honey-BBQ coated ribs without any of the smoke.
Finish: This Whisky holds a great poise, almost ballerina like. There is a true harmonious balance between all the components in this dram. It has a seamless, resonant finish, echoing in a deep, loving, sherry tone.

Kilkerran Bourbon Work in Progress 6
Nose: Inviting and homely straight away. Ripe green apples, herbal sweetness and rich in sugar glazed apricots.
Palate: Its nuts! Rich oily walnuts, continuing the wholesome notes from the nose. More a work in perfection than work in progress, with a great, delicate balance between the sweeter fruit notes and lively spices. It is unmistakenly Campbeltown, so comforting and rich. It gets sweeter and stickier with a touch of water.
Finish: This dram is not for the impatient! Treat it like a cryptic crossword, give it time and enjoy this fabulous Campbeltown spirit.

Kilkerran Bourbon Work in Progress 7
The final bourbon-cask release in Kilkerran’s Work In Progress series, the seventh edition is now 11 years old. A first for the range, this one has been bottled at a higher strength of 54.1%. A fitting swansong to the developing spirit, which was awarded 91 points by Serge Valentin of whiskyfun.com

Kilkerran Sherry Work in Progress 7
Kilkerran’s Work In Progress 7 is the final sherry-cask release before the launch of the ongoing 12 Year Old in 2016. Distilled in 2004, the series has been a great way of seeing how the whisky is developing.