Review by: Raygun

Not much to say about this, other than it’s currently the oldest core release from Glengyle. Glengyle started distilling again in 2004, but I believe the 16 was only released starting in 2022. Always a slightly different cask blend. I’ve had a few editions of the 8 CS, the 12, and a couple of single casks, but this will be my first time trying the 16. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 15 minutes.

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Distillery: Glengyle (Kilkerran)

Bottler: Glengyle  

Region/style: Campbeltown single malt Scotch

ABV: 46%

Age: 16 years old. Released in 2024.     

Cask type: 70% bourbon, 20% sherry, 10% rum

Color: 1.2 chestnut. Natural color and non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Earthy with a touch of coal. Fruitier than most Kilkerran I’ve had, with apples, plums, and some overripe papaya. A hint of diesel fumes. No, more than a hint.                 

Palate: Woof, harsher than I expected. Diesel and overbrewed tea. Major oak tannins. The rum casks seem to be doing a lot of the talking even at just 10%. What happened to the fruit? It gets somewhat better (less chemical) with air time, and I’m picking up some walnuts and toffee. I’m still having trouble shaking the feeling that the 12 is better. Less challenging for sure.      

Finish: Mellows out a little here. Still has diesel and overextracted tea, but not as overpowering. Though I’m not getting much fruit either. Maybe some apple. It becomes pretty one-dimensional. The toffee turns up after a while. Unusually tannic for its age. A dusty flavor.    

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Conclusion: Got better with air time, but I still ended up whelmed. Heavy on the industrial flavor; sometimes that works well, but here there wasn’t much else to balance it out. I’ve read several reviews that mentioned tropical flavors, and I barely got anything like that. The 12 was a very pleasant surprise to me, while this is a not so pleasant surprise. I suppose I should consider myself fortunate to prefer the younger and cheaper expression. Plenty of people seem to like this, but it’s not to my taste.

Score: 75

Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
• 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)