Kilkerran Work in Progress 7 Sherry

This apparently is a "work in progress" towards the bottling of what is going to be their 12 year old. If my information is correct the nr.7 is 11 years of age and thus the last one before the "real" one.

However i must say that this whisky stands fast as it is! It is really vivid and rewarding. A Beautiful, complex nose that translates well into the palate. I believe that it is matured exclusively in sherry casks but I do not detect a heavy sherry influence.

Nose:

Biscuit, peat smoke and a fresh apple noticeable from quite far away. There are some tannins popping out of the glass and the smokiness begins to fade rather quickly. There is a lot more going on here, let me tell you! Damp grass, sultana, Wood, allspice, honeydew, lemondrops. There is an air of old musty, leather-bound books that is pleasant and quite unique. Some seafront briny smoke that reminded me a bit of Ardmore traditional cask. You know, saltwater seafront.

There is much action going on here. A superb and vivid nose. The smoke comes and goes as it pleases and vanilla stops by just enough time to say hello.

With water it becomes a real head-to-head between the coastal peat and fresh apples & nectarines battling it out.

Palate:

The palate carries big flavour but has a well mannered arrival. I get the musty books, allspice, cedar, red berries, sweet sherry figs, peat smoke, salt (one time it was incredibly salty), warm apples and some zesty pepperyness. A smidge of vanilla.

Finish:

The finish is dry and the coastal notes carries on to the very end. Warm smoke, green apples, moss, earthy, wood ashes and saltwater.