Kilkerran Work in Progress 7th Release Sherry Wood

Though the bourbon cask Kilkerran WIPs are the ones that received all the plaudits, I believe sherry cask Kilkerran will be the lovelier stuff in the coming years. You can ignore that prior sentence because I wrote it with no real proof. I base my hypothesis on two anecdotal factors. 1.) The sherry cask WIPs got better with each successive release. 2.) My wife and I loved the wonderful 8yo Open Day 2016 single sherry cask when we were in Campbeltown.

Because the bourbon cask WIPs soaked up all the love, the sherry cask WIPs wound up being easier to find. So even though WIP 7 Bourbon Wood is long gone, the WIP 7 Sherry Wood can still be found at its original price.

Oh yes, and here's the list o' WIPs with review links:
WIP 1: White label
WIP 2: Gray label
WIP 3: Light green label
WIP 4: Beige label
WIP 5: Blue label (Bourbon Wood & Sherry Wood)
WIP 6: Pink label (Bourbon Wood & Sherry Wood)
WIP 7: Dark green label (Bourbon Wood CS & Sherry Wood)

Distillery: Glengyle

Owner: Mitchell's Glengyle Limited

Brand: Kilkerran
Region: Campbeltown

Age: 11 years (2004 - 2015)

Maturation: ex-sherry casks

Label color: Dark green
Limited release: 12000
Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chillfiltered? No
Colorant added? No
(purchased sample)

Its bronze color is easily the darkest shade of all the WIPs. The nose has nice bright fruity notes. Berry candy, orange peel, watermelon candy. A soft peating level. Occasional whiffs of leather. After 30 minutes in the glass, the whisky releases some classic sherry notes like toffee and raisins. There is no ethyl heat in the rich palate. Tart berries and sweet melon. Toasted oak spices and honey. Soil and a mild bitterness. With time in the glass vibrant notes of lime and sourdough appear. It finishes with melon, anise and citronella; yet it's not sugary. Some toasty notes. Hints of sourdough and mothballs.

I tasted this alongside the whisky I'm reviewing on Wednesday, and though that one may be sexier, this one won out easily.

And even though I've finished a full bottle of the 12 year old, I'd happily choose the WIP 7 Sherry Wood over that one too.

Glengyle uses good casks here that also let much of the spirit shine through. So it's not a sherry bomb, nor is tannic or sulphuric. Everything is in balance. I hope the folks at Kilkerran have additional sherried regular releases lined up for the future.

Availability - Here and there
Pricing - $55-$75 US/Europe
Rating - 88