Two indies vs two official bottlings | Various ABV

JOMO?

It snuck up on me fairly quickly, without me fully realizing it at first.

I’d been doing largely what I’d been doing since I stumbled into Whiskytown just before the pandemic: chasing a variety of styles, purchasing regularly, before eventually having the amazing opportunity to join the motley crew here at Dramface to share my meandering thoughts. I have some friends that I’m able to chat whisky with; I’d go to tastings somewhat regularly, and keep up with what my fellow Dramfacers are enjoying (or not).

But then sometime late last year it dawned on me that something had shifted. I realised I hadn’t been into any of my local whisky shops in a while. I hadn’t scheduled a tasting for even longer. And I hadn’t bought a bottle in about three months. Once I recognised these subtle behavioural changes, I wondered; have I gone off of (what I thought was) my beloved spirit?

This thing that has had such a grip on me for the last five years seemed to be loosening its hold a bit. It had been even longer since I had bought a bottle at auction, which I’d used to inject my flavour chasing with the dopamine hits of “wins” or the prospect of a below-retail bargain.

Yet, I was still having regular drams at home and out with friends socially. I was still drinking, but a little less. And I was still enjoying what I was drinking. I found that I’d simply been taking my time exploring the bottles I already have. Throughout this past winter I was very much enjoying both official and indie bottles from my favourite distilleries: Bunnahabhain, Benromach, Tobermory/Ledaig, Glasgow, Glen Scotia, Springbank, Kilchoman, Bruichladdich, Caol Ila, and some others. But, the fire that had been burning bright since 2019 had, and has, definitely shifted into something else. Something a bit less… well, fiery. A bit less determined to get the Next New Thing. A bit less willing to part with my hard-earned dough so easily.

A bit less FOMO.

I feel like I’ve transformed overnight from Young Eager Chaser to Grizzled Chill Oldie. The Oldie looks at the Young Eager Chaser of just a few years back and grins and shakes his head with both scepticism and understanding. “I was once where you are now” Oldie grumbles to Chaser. “One day it’ll catch up with you and you’ll have a different perspective. But until then, you just have to go through it.”

Ole’ Grizz creaks back in his rocking chair on the porch watching from a comfortable distance the scrum over New This And That, and slowly takes a sip of a solid tasty dram that’s been in his collection for a number of years. Meanwhile, Young Chaser pushes and pulls himself out of the human mass of the scrum, bloodied and bruised, dirty and torn shirt, but arm raised with the prize bottle, thinking he’s accomplished something special that will bring him more than it actually will.

To help illustrate, I’ll share how many bottles I’ve purchased so far this year: two. Both of them are in today’s review below. Now, if you’ve had a much more level head than me over the past six years with your bottle purchases, this might not seem like a big deal. But, I’ll confess that this is quite a shift for me, as the past three months of 2025 have definitely been the quietest in my whisky buying since I started in 2019.

There has not been a three month period in that time where I’ve bought two bottles or fewer. Now, I haven’t drunk all of those, mind you; I’m a slow drinker. Most of these are stacked high, piled low, and tucked into various nooks and crannies all around here at Fort Drummond. Which causes its own issues – increasingly with Mrs. Dunmore – but that’s an issue for another day.

Dougie wrote about FOMO a few years back, and a lot of what he wrote there resonates with me. Ramsay wrote about it a bit more recently. I suppose it’s no surprise that the burning curiosity driving my flavour chase these last several years would slow down and change at some point.

But reflecting on it, I’m glad that I’m at this point in my journey. I’m glad that I don’t have the itch to chase nearly as much as I used to. I’m glad that I’m more able to recognize what is likely to be worth my pennies, and what is likely to be so-so or “meh” - that part of me is still nevertheless a bit curious about, but knows that it likely isn’t worth the price of entry. I can home in on those styles and distilleries that I’ve most naturally gravitated towards. I’ve re-engaged with tastings recently and find that these satiate a lot of my curiosity and FOMO. And they’re usually much cheaper - and less of a commitment - than full bottles.

Truth be told, I’ve not kicked FOMO entirely. There are a couple of bottles coming out soon that I’m seriously considering. But, the mindless click purchasing seems to be over. For now.

I can feel my bank account breathing a sigh of relief. I don’t know if I’ve necessarily hit Joy Of Missing Out, but definitely something approaching it.

Here’s to the next stage of the journey, wherever it leads me.

One distillery that will continue to strength-test my FOMO is Glengyle.

One of the best and most impressive aspects of their Kilkerran spirit is its versatility. It does different styles so well. A light, subtle bourbon cask experience? Try the 16 year old. Heavy, peaty punch? It’s the 8 year old Cask Strength Series or the Heavily Peated Series you want. Middle-of-the-road Campbeltown experience with a bit of peat, some salty fruits, and chewy maltiness? The delicious standard 12 year old is what you’re looking for. Like Caol Ila in this respect, Glengyle’s Kilkerran spirit is not only a jack-of-all-trades, it’s a master of them.

Last autumn, in what turned out to be the last bottle I bought last year, I took a punt on this Cadenhead’s 12 year old Kilkerran. I’d tried a sample of the 7 year old Kilkerran that they’d released a couple of years before, and enjoyed the experience of a single cask bourbon-matured Kilkerran. I’m glad I did take that punt, as it’s turned out to be delicious, as you’ll see.

Funnily enough, this seemed to pair well with another Cadenhead’s Kilkerran that I’d purchased in early 2024. Fast forward to early 2025 and lo and behold, two official bottlings of the 8 year old Cask Strength series appear with both a sherry matured and a bourbon matured (the first in a few years).

These four together made for an obvious quartet comparison: two sherry matured, two bourbon matured, official bottlings of one each, and an independent bottling of one each. Cadenhead’s is owned by J.A. Mitchells, the same as Glengyle and Springbank Distilleries, of course, so there’s a definite element of “in-house” management. Yet an indie bottler it indeed is, even when it comes to their own distilleries’ liquid. After reading my Hot Takes below, you should also check out Earie’s review of the 2025 OB sherry cask and Wally’s review of the 2025 OB bourbon cask, as I’m following in their footsteps here with these two.

Lining these four drams up together and comparing them on a few different occasions across more than two months’ time was laborious research indeed. Beakers were filled and emptied, microscopes were peered through, and meticulous notes were scrupulously scribbled. Yet, such is my commitment to you, dear Dramfacers, that I bore the burden and took the hit.

You can thank me with a dram later.

Review 1/4

Kilkerran 12yo, Cadenhead’s Authentic Collection, ex-bourbon barrel, 56.8% ABV
£65 paid, long sold out

Score: 7/10

**Very Good Indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*Savoury, punchy and powerful*

Nose

Gentle ash, lemon, and breadiness. A matchstick strike sitting on a sea harbour. A soft nose which doesn’t quite indicate the much more interesting palate to come.

Palate

Sweet ashy peat, oatmeal maltiness, soft struck matchstick flintiness, sweet lemon creaminess, apple orchard sharp sweetness. Slightly hot…this takes water well. After a few drops, the palate opens up much more with mineralic lemon fruitiness, softer peat still, and fusile stone bake oven breadiness. A lovely balance all around here between sweet, savoury, salty, and even a hint of something umami.

Score: 7/10

Review 2/4

Kilkerran 8yo, Cask Strength Official Bottling, bourbon cask matured, 2025 release, 55.6% ABV
£60 paid, still some availability

Score: 7/10

**Very good indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*Creamier, mineralic and more balanced, less distinctive punch*

Nose

Chalky barley dust, very light/distant ash, and creamy grassiness. Orchard fruits beside a salty marsh. With a few drops of water, a bit maltier and even a bit yeasty/bready, and a hint of oak.

Palate

Chalkiness again, but more fusile on the palate. Lemon and sharper orchard fruits (green apples). Much earthier on the palate than the nose: very lightly sooty, almost wet dirt, and savoury. With a few drops of water much more rounded, a bit more citrus, a bit less minerality/chalk, and the fusile qualities blend into much softer opened-up minerality.

Score: 7/10

The Dregs

These two bourbon-cask matured Kilkerrans are very good indeed. The Cadenhead’s is a bit more raw and powerful, despite the similar ABV and four more years in the cask. The 8 year old on the other hand has some of those rawer edges rounded off in the blending of casks that make up the batch, despite being younger.

With a bit of water the 8 year old is creamier, while the 12 year old maintains its savoury punchy power. Both of these are hugely enjoyable – and this coming from a sherry-head – but the Cadenhead’s stands out just a bit. It offers what feels like the closest I’ve ever tasted to what might be described as the raw power, distinctiveness, and quality distillate of Glengyle Distillery.

Review 3/4

Kilkerran 8yo, Cadenhead’s Authentic Collection, oloroso cask matured, 59.5% ABV
£60 paid, sold out

Score: 8/10

**Something special.**
***TL;DR***
*Vibrant, peaty, fusile, complex and mature - despite the cask it’s still spirit led. Excellent*

Nose

Fusile and ashy. Charcoal-type peat, saline and chalky/waxy with a thin layer of sweet jam on malted bread toast. The nose is largely dominated by the spirit – pleasantly so. Any search for standard Oloroso cask qualities is left to the background, but not in a lacking way. The cask (which judging by both the colour and nose is second-fill?) imparts an overall lightly sweet quality that well-accompanies the more hard-hitting savoury elements of the spirit.

Palate

Sweet, savoury, salty, and coastal. Ashy peat. Surprisingly light cask influence, but brilliantly balanced – the savoury aspects of the spirit work in wonderful harmony with spare, but perfectly tuned, sweet influence from the cask. Creamy and ashy simultaneously. The official tasting notes mention “broken twigs” and I’m getting a bit of that, too. Great texture all around. A finish that is both sweet and savoury, and a bit drying.

Score:: 8/10

Review 4/4

Kilkerran 8yo, Cask Strength Official Bottling, Sherry Cask matured, batch #10, 2024 release, 57.4% ABV
£60 paid, sold out

Score: 7/10

**Very good indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*An easy-drinking, fruits and berries dream, and still a great Kilkerran*

Nose

Red fruits right off the bat: Maraschino cherries, wild berries, and plums all soaked in booze. Woody caramel. Hint of raspberry chocolate bar. A wisp of smoke somewhere in the background. Slightly malty and even nutty.

Palate

Immediately that earthy, oily, chalky salinity that I get on almost every Kilkerran. Rich, fruity, and warming. Ashy, thick red berry treacle… or, lightly smoke-infused sweet berry jam. Fantastic mouthfeel and grip: oily and coating.

Score: 7/10

The Dregs

Two fantastic sherried permutations of Kilkerran. The Cadenhead’s a bit more vibrant on the nose, and much more peated. The official 8yo Cask Strength is creamier and much heavier on the berries and fruits. The official bottling is also “easier drinking,” despite the only roughly 2% difference in ABV from the Cadenhead’s. While the Cadenhead’s isn’t the sherry bomb that the official 8 year old is, it’s a bit more spirit-led in this respect, and on this occasion stands just a bit above the already delicious and amazing official 8 year old. Don’t get me wrong, last year’s expression of the 8 year old Sherry Cask Matured was both my and Earie’s whisky of the year, and I love it. The Cadenhead’s is just bringing that little extra complexity, variety, and challenging nature that nudges it up just a bit. Sherried Kilkerran, in whatever form or expression you can find it, just seems to be a banger no matter what.

The Final Dregs

7, 7, 8, and 7 out of 10?

Ok, I can hear some of you already: “surely, Drummond, this is a textbook example of mark inflation? You’re perpetuating the very problem that Aengus so clearly laid out last year!,” you say. Perhaps. But I make no bones nor apologies for these high marks.

If you’ve been able to sit with any of these for any length of time yourself, are you anywhere close to where I am? I’m guessing many of you will be. And even if you’re not, that’s cool. We never make any pretences here at Dramface HQ of each review being anything more than one person’s opinion. Which is, of course, all it can ever be. And here’s another thing: as I said above, in my tight-fisted middle age, I’m much more reluctant to part with my hard-earned dough without doing some due diligence to find out if a bottle of interest is something that I may like, and if it’s likely value for money. Not “cheap” mind you, but good value. Because of this, much of my whisky collection is increasingly honed to things I think are pretty great.

As a result, I’ll simply say that I drink pretty darn good whisky most of the time. And in a personal collection that is increasingly reflective of my increasing pickiness, these Kilkerrans stand out amongst the pack. Their distinctiveness, sheer quality, and richness of experience (I’m still thinking about each of these drams days after having them) make them stand a bit taller than many of my other bottles. They are all – each of them – excellent value.

I now have quite a bit of Kilkerran in my bunker and these bottles are a prime illustration why: they are always, almost without exception, wonderful. In my shift from away from FOMO, these will keep me busy and happily exploring for a good while.

But of the number of distilleries that I can count on one hand that are sneakily good at getting me to embrace my FOMO, Glengyle is undeniably one.

Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. DD

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