Scotch Whisky Review #244: Kirkland 23 Year Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky Sherry Cask Finish (Bottled by Alexander Murray & Co.)

Distillery: Unknown

Bottler: Alexander Murray & Co.

Region: Speyside

Age: 23 Year

ABV: 46%

Cask Type: Finished in Sherry Casks

Price: $80

Color: 1.9, Brown Sherry.

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Nose: Boozey fruit is what comes to mind. It’s almost if it’s somewhere between a rum raisin cake and a fruit cake. There’s a tinge of sherry coming through as well.

Palate: It is a tad muted at first but after a few sips, the flavors build up nicely. Orange liqueur and orange peels are present, joined by rum raisin cake and a bit of oak tannins. A tinge of sherry pops in here and there.

Finish: Very long and rather tasty. You get this very lovely note of chocolate wafers and raspberries.

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Conclusion: The last Kirkland sherry finish I’ve tried turned out to be a bit of a mini-sherry bomb. With the dark, brown color of this one, I had half expected the same. This is definitely not a sherry bomb but rather AMC has delivered a respectable, flavorful whisky that has a ton of deep fruity elements. The rum raisin cake throughout is very tasty, the bits of orange liqueur make things fun, and that bit of raspberry and chocolate in the finish is delightful. My nitpick with this one is how long it takes to really get started, the first few sips were fairly flavorless while on the tongue (though flavorful after going down). Perhaps it just needs some more time to breathe and open up. It is quite nice once everything gets going.

Final Score: 83.

Scotch Whisky Review #244, Speyside Review #95, Whisky Network Review #373

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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.