Anything that comes from one of the Springbank brands is going to be popular. When it turns out to be a sherry cask matured something, at cask strength, it’s never going to be on a shelf in a shop until the shops starts increasing the price.

The same happened with this one. It’s now available for € 130 but it used to cost around half of that, if memory serves.

With me sounding quite cynical in the first paragraph, I should state that I’m also one of these guys that perks up when Springbank releases something new. Unfortunately, nowadays it means one of three things, generally:

• It’s either sold out by the time I read my email
• It’s available only in the UK or at Springbank Distillery (which is the same thing)
• It’s so expensive I won’t even consider getting it for a bottle share.

Of course, who’s to blame there. I understand distilleries taking the easy route. If you don’t have to move stuff abroad to sell it, why do the more work-intensive thing?

If you can ask the world and people are willing to shell out, why would you not make money?

As long as we buy into everything, we’re as much to blame as anyone else.

Aaaaanyway, enough ranting about something that’s barely relevant to this bottle anyway. Sherry matured Kilkerran, at cask strength. What’s not to like?

Sniff:
Very dry and rich, with a lot of that typical ‘Campbeltown (read: Springbank)’ mustiness. Lots of old, dried fruits, with some bitter notes like apple seeds and sour cherry too.

Sip:
The palate is very dry and reasonably sharp. It gets even drier after a few seconds and focuses on the fruity bitterness. Dark cherries, apple seeds, almonds even. Some sulfur, but not in a bad way. Insanely dry.

Swallow:
The finish has a bit of an afterburner, with a lot of heat from the alcohol that lingers. After that, there’s oak, prunes and their stones. Dark cherries too.

Typical for the distillery, but not overly complex and it could have done with a bit more of a gentle touch. It’s a bit harsh over all, with the alcohol and the dryness making it a bit less gentle than I’d like. Still quite a solid dram and one that is unsurprisingly popular.

I’d happily have gone through a bottle of this, but I don’t regret not buying it, is what I’m trying to say.

86/100

Available through links found here.