Batches : Kilkerran 8yo (Sherry & Port)

Distilleries often release whisky in batches, the same name but subtly different recipes, ABVs, maturation types / etc. @Kilkerran2004 release an 8yo Cask Strength bottling each year, I've reviewed previous versions ex-bourbon and sherry releases here. 

This year they released two bottlings: Sherry and  Port Cask matured.

On my last visit to the distillery I was able to see it in production for the first time, this normally only happens for a couple of months each Autumn.

I've not seen many reviews for this pair so let's see how the new releases compare:

Dram	Batch #6 (Feb '22)	Batch #7 (Feb '22)
Characteristics (Shared)	8yo NAS Natural colour NCF
Characteristics (Different)	58.1% ABV Sherry Cask Matured	57.9% ABV Port Cask Matured
Distillery notes	Nose: Aromatic citrus notes kick off this dram, with hints of orange peel and marmalade on the nose. A peppery, spicy note develops over time. Palate: Rich on the palate, with notes of barbequed meats hinting toward the peat smoke influence. There is a sweetness apparent in notes of sticky honey glaze and demerara sugar. Finish: The subtle touch of peat smoke continues in the finish with notes of soot  and burnt embers.	Nose: A delicate introduction to this dram with an earthiness apparent from the offset, opening up to notes of red currants and parma ham. Palate: A richness develops on the palate with fruit notes reminiscent of dark fruit gateau and cherry, along with hints of chocolate. Finish: The earthiness from the nose carries through to the finish along with a peppery note to round off this malt.
My thoughts:
Appearance
	Dark gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, beads form quickly giving an inverted crown appearance before they fall as slow thin legs.	Dark gold with a orangy / red tinge in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, which beads up slowly and fall as slow thick legs.
Nose	Musty dunnage warehouse notes straight out of the glass, sherry notes of blueberry jam and dried fruit with a gentle blanket of peat smoke. There's some citrus notes, a little cherry juice and some balsamic vinegar. A little time and air offers hints of tropical fruit, walnuts, cinnamon and a little toffee.	Initially I thought of Ledaig - dark and dirty: engine oil, rubber and smoke; then came the red fruit, vanilla and oak. This needs a little time, especially on a fresh bottle opening, to breath. The reward is huge port notes of red fruit and red berries with some toffee and almond notes. There's a little of the  musty dunnage notes of it's sherry sibling, the balsamic and walnuts.
Palate	Thick spicy arrival, the jam and fruit notes from the nose are back and and immediate drying of the mouth. There are some BBQ burnt end notes, lots of peat smoke and a little liquorice. A few more sips offer a little burnt toffee and salted chocolate note.	Thick fruity arrival, an antiseptic note, drying like it's sibling. There seems a lot more saltiness in this one, the balsamic vinegar note is quite strong on the tongue too. There's a little of the Kilkerran tropical fruit DNA but it's hard to find. The spice kicks in as the liquid disappears.
Finish	Peat smoke, dry sherry notes, a little peppery spice.	Peat smoke, dry, red berries and a little peppery spice.
Overall	I was obviously very lucky to get hold of these, a bottle split with a friend who tried for hours at multiple retailers to try and get bottles finding an empty basket by the time he got to check out. Most of these were bought by flippers who have in some cases made their money back 10 times over by idiots with a Fear Of Missing Out meaning they'll pay over the odds for what are really just above ordinary young cask strength whiskies. The ABV covering a lot of flaws. If the FOMOs will keep paying silly prices then the flippers will keep using their bots to buy the bottles quicker than we normal humans can. I won't pay over the odds for a bottle, whatever distillery it is from, there are loads of regular releases at reasonable prices to spend your money on. Buying at the inflated prices gives money to the flippers and auction houses not the distillery. Obviously two completely different drams due to the different maturations but both still have that Kilkerran DNA, also shared by their younger Heavily Peated sibling - salt and tropical fruit. The peat smoke is more gentler on these two but not by much! The Sherry Cask is similar to last year's Batch #5 and not too different from Batch #4 - musty dunnage with thick sherry notes - yummy. The Port on the other hand is something new for Kilkerran 8yo and for me it doesn't quite work - the nose is great but on the palate there's a huge antiseptic note which ruin's the whole thing. Is 8 years in a Port Cask too long - I can't think of another dram I've tried that's had that long? Worth trying for the standard price but don't waste your money at an inflated one.

Geeky stuff:

There have been seven 8yo CS Batches:

Kilkerran 8yo CS Batches
Release	Bottled	ABV	Cask type
7	Feb '22	57.9%	Port
6	Feb '22	58.1%	Oloroso Sherry
5	Feb '21	56.9%	Oloroso Sherry
4	Oct '19	57.1%	Re-charred Oloroso Sherry
3	Oct '18	56.5%	Ex-Bourbon
2	Oct '17	55.7%	Ex-Bourbon
1	Mar '17	56.2%	Ex-Bourbon