Scotch Whiskey Review #170: Kirkland 22 Year Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky Sherry Cask Finish (Bottled by Alexander Murray & Co.)

Distillery: Unknown

Bottler: Alexander Murray & Co.

Region: Speyside

Price: $80

Cask Type: Aged in ex-Bourbon, Finished in ex-Oloroso Sherry Casks

ABV: 46%

Age: 22 Year

Color: 2.0, Treacle.

Nose: (according to the wife) Lots of raisins and red grapes. The sherry is clearly present as well. Following these fruity notes comes the fantastic smell of old books / a library.

Palate: There’s a surprising amount of sherry up front with lots of raisins and a bit of molasses. The sherry note is nice and rich with just the right amount of sweetness to it. After that bit of sweet comes a note of well-worn leather which balances out the sweetness perfectly. Towards the back end is a bit of green apple.

Finish: Medium to short. The same notes from the palate exhibit themselves again with sherry and a bit of molasses doing the lingering.

Conclusion: I am having a hard time believing that this was finished in sherry casks rather than fully matured in them. This dram is a sherry mini-bomb with the sherry influence being present all throughout the dram. It’s a rich, deeper sherry note that you normally only get from a fully sherry matured whisky, in fact if you served this to me blind and told me it was a Glenfarclas or a Glendronach I’d probably would’ve believed you, so massive kudos to the folks at AM&C for pulling this off. It does lack a little bit in complexity, I would have loved to have gotten a few more layers of flavors, but what it lacks there it makes up in pure deliciousness. Would I buy another bottle? Absolutely.

Final Score: 82.

Scotch Whisky Review #170, Speyside Review #70, Whisky Network Review #232

Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.