Glengyle is the youngest of Campbeltown's three working distilleries, rebuilt by the Mitchell family of Springbank in 2004 on the site of an old Victorian-era plant of the same name. Because a blended malt called Glengyle already existed, the single malt produced at the rebuilt distillery is bottled under the name Kilkerran — the old Gaelic name for the Campbeltown settlement itself.
The 12 Year Old is the flagship — a vatting of bourbon and sherry casks, lightly peated, released in two formats: the standard 46% bottling and this annual cask-strength edition, which arrives in batches and is invariably gone within weeks. Each batch differs slightly in strength and recipe, but the broad shape is consistent: Kilkerran 12 with the dilution removed.
The result is one of the more characterful entry points to Campbeltown whisky. The Mitchell production methods — long fermentations, slow distillation, traditional warehousing on the harbour — produce a spirit with a recognisable oily weight and a mineral, slightly funky undertone that shares a clear family resemblance with Springbank. The light peat (Kilkerran is bottled at around twelve to fifteen ppm at this age) adds smoke without dominating, and the sherry component supplies just enough dark fruit to balance the bourbon-cask brightness.
At cask strength all of this comes through with considerably more force. It is a chewy, generous dram that takes water gracefully and rewards being left in the glass. For lovers of Springbank who want something at a slightly more accessible price, Kilkerran 12 cask strength has become the obvious answer — and the people who chase the batches each year are right to do so.
