Discovering Campbeltown's Lost Distilleries

Inside the former warehouse of Hazelburn.

In Victorian times, Campbeltown was the whisky capital of Scotland. Renowned author Alfred Barnard traveled there while writing his seminal book The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom in 1885 and found over 30 distilleries to visit. Now, there are just three. On a recent visit to the town we went on a walk with a local guide around some of the former sites and discovered what went wrong.

________

Whisky is engrained in the history and heritage of Campbeltown. There is evidence of it on almost every street and around every corner it seems. Located at the end of the Kintyre peninsula, Campbeltown was once a giant of the Scotch whisky industry. Old buildings remain and road names refer to past distilleries that are long gone. You cannot help but feel a bit of sadness as you walk around.

Have just tried > Kilkerran 'Work In Progress' 2

A distillery reborn
Kilkerran is a single malt whisky that is made at the Glengyle distillery. Glengyle is located in the town of Campbeltown, on the west Highland coast of Scotland. The distillery was founded by William Mitchell, who was co-owner with his brother John at the nearby Springbank distillery, in 1872. Glengyle’s history was relatively short and it closed down due to financial problems in 1925. It did not reopen until 2000, when Hedley Smith, the chairman of J&A Mitchell and Co. Ltd - the owners of Springbank, founded the Mitchell's Glengyle Ltd. Their aim was to completely refurbish the derelict buildings, restarting whisky production and attempt to kick-start the Campbeltown whisky industry. The first spirit was distilled in April 2004.

Local historical site
This Kilkerran Work in Progress 2 is only the second official single malt whisky released by Glengyle and is bottled at six years of age with a strength of 46% ABV. The first Work in Progress was released in 2009 and won much praise. The Work in Progress will be a series of whiskies released once a year and will chart the development of Glengyle’s Kilkerran whisky between the ages of five and twelve years. The name of ‘Kilkerran’ is derived from the Gaelic 'Caenn Loch Cille Chiarain' (which translates as 'head of the loch of Saint Kerran'). This was a site that Saint Kerran had travelled to in the Middle Ages and set up a religious group, which is where the town of Campbeltown now stands.

Our tasting notes
The colour of Work in Progress 2 is a light gold with a hint of brown. The nose is fresh and full of vibrant aromas - robust cereal grains come first and remain prominent throughout, with dried grasses (imagine straw), honey and vanilla notes coming through. There is also a zesty lemon tang and a whiff of floral honeysuckle. It is a promising beginning. On the palate, this is creamy and pleasantly coats the inside of the mouth. Again, the robust and distinctive cereal notes kick things off and they have a lovely gristy, oaty character. This gives a bittersweet edge which is complimented by some sweetness (think of honey and vanilla notes) and some fresh fruity notes (imagine the lemon zest again plus some green apples). There is also a pinch of pepper spice and increasing dryness with the dried grassy notes from the nose coming through strongly. This dryness and the peppery nature get carried through to the finish, which is of decent length for a young, fresh whisky. A dash of sugary honey sweetness hits the end of your tongue right at the end.

What's the verdict?
This is a very interesting and expressive whisky that seems a little older than it is. It shows amazing potential and is clearly well made and matured in quality casks. Kilkerran is showing plenty of character and it will be interesting to see how it develops as the Work in Progress series progresses with age. As it stands, 'part two' is delicious, creamy and equally as enjoyable as 'part one'. If you get the chance to try it, either by buying it (a bottle should be £30-35 from specialist whisky retailers) or by sampling it at a whisky show, then do so. We thank Iain Scott of Springbank for the chance to try this lovely dram.

New Releases ... Kilkerran 'Work in Progress'

Kilkerran is a single malt whisky that is made at the Glengyle distillery. Glengyle is located in the town of Campbeltown, on the west Highland coast of Scotland. The distillery was originally founded in 1872 by William Mitchell, who was a co-owner with his brother John at the nearby Springbank distillery. He decided to set up on his own but Glengyle history was relatively short and it closed down due to financial difficulties in 1925. It was not to reopen until 2000, when Hedley Smith, the chairman of J&A Mitchell and Co. Ltd - the owners of Springbank, founded the Mitchell's Glengyle Ltd. with the aim of completely refurbishing the derelict buildings and restarting whisky production. The first spirit was distilled in April 2004.

This Kilkerran 'Work in Progress' is the first official single malt whisky released by Glengyle. The decision was taken not to name the whisky as Glengyle for two reasons - the first was so as to avoid confusion with a brand of vatted Highland malts that already used the name and the second was that the owners wanted a name to reflect something in the local history. They settled on Kilkerran which is derived from the Gaelic 'Caenn Loch Cille Chiarain' (which translates as 'head of the loch of Saint Kerran'). This was a site that Saint Kerran had travelled to in the Middle Ages and set up a religious group, which is now where the town of Campbeltown is built.

The 'Work in Progress' is five years of age and is limited to 12,000 bottles. The colour of this whisky is light and straw-like, with a nose that is highly aromatic and full of youthful vibrancy. There is an interesting mixture of sweet cereal grains, fresh green fruit (think of pears and apples), something powerful and herbal (imagine dried grasses) and just a whiff of some peppery peat smoke. This is a very promising start and on the palate it does not disappoint. It feels creamy in the mouth and the cereal, green fruit and grassy elements from the nose are joined by a sugary sweetness (imagine icing sugar), vanilla and some zesty citrus (think of lemon and orange especially). The finish is long with a hint of earthy smokiness and some woody oak coming through, before it turns slightly harsh and spirity right at the end.

Kilkerran is a very pleasant and highly characteristic whisky. Considering its age, it offers a very interesting alternative to more regular brands and at a decent price (£30-35 at specialist whisky retailers only). It is robust, youthful and vibrant which may not be to everyone's taste, but is showing great potential. It will be interesting to see how this whisky matures over the coming years and they plan to release increased ages of Kilkerran as and when the stocks age increases. This is an excellent foundation upon which to build and is definitely a name to watch out for in the future.