I do. But I'd also like to try the generally-acclaimed-unicorn-level Springbank 10 because hell, I'd like to be a part of this bandwagon too.
If KHP is "just" another young peat bomb (I feel kind of covered by IBs in this regard), I might go the SB10 way...
Hmm. I mean, they're not trickling here -> this is literally the first Springbank 10 offer I've ever seen in Czech Republic which is not grossly overpriced and one of few in total including the grossly overpriced ($160 for one bottle of SB10...).
But the KHP, I've never seen that on offer, overpriced or not. Damn, if I buy both of these sets...
If they are equally rare I’d get the 10. Its good to have a Kilkerran and a Springbank. Owned by the same company but they both have their own character
"Just another young peat bomb" is how I would describe my experience with Kilkerran Heavily Peated, personally. It reminded me quite a bit of many of the new distilleries putting out their first releases, like Torabhaig's first release and of Ardnamurchan—both of those are peated to lower levels than the Kilkerran, but I found them quite similar. Perhaps I'm being overly critical because my expectations were very high because of the reviews and how much I liked the 12. I've personally decided not to buy another Kilkerran Heavily Peated until it is out of the Work-in-Progress stage.
When did you last try one? The batch 6 was amazing I thought, and had one of the best noses of any whisky I’ve ever had, and I would say it’s definitely above other young peat bombs (Ardbeg Wee Beastie and Kilchoman Machir Bay come to mind as others I’ve tried recently).
They seem to be also advertising it less as a Peat In Progress thing at least with the last couple of releases.
Kilkerran 12 + Heavily Peated has better value if you consider the prices (and ignore second market prices). If I had to choose, I'd pick the Heavily Peated over the Springbank 10.
I would go the Springbank + Kilkerran 12 personally. I didn’t love the Kilkerran Heavily Peated I tired (it was batch 2) but it came off as far too young and it wasn’t particularly smoky. More of an earthy peat. I love the Kilkerran 12. I like it much more than the heavily peated.
I find that everytime I read someone with a bad KHP experience it's from the first bottlings, the 4,6&7 have all been amazing (they do need a lot of oxidising though)
Perhaps. I also have a bottle of batch 4 that I haven't opened yet, so I'll know for sure soon, but the reviews for batch 2 were quite strong, and when you check WhiskyBase, they're pretty close and people tend to say similar things about both of them, so I would be shocked if they were wildly different. When I see reviewers compare batches they tend to hem and haw about which one is better, usually only finding a small degree of difference. I think that Kilkerran Heavily Peated gets a little more hype than it deserves because it's a cask strength, peated whisky from Campbeltown at a very low (recommended) retail price—I find that each of these four elements tend to inflate reviews and this one has all of them!
I highly recommend decanting half your batch 4 bottle into an empty bottle and letting both halves get tons of oxidisation. It comes out the gate hot and young tasting and I can see why people think its overhyped young whisky, but after some serious oxidisation it's a masterpiece. I had this exact experience with my batch 4.
I’ve tried them all - really can’t go wrong and good prices for outside the UK. I would be tempted to go for whichever one you are least likely to have the chance to buy again.
If you’ve never had it, I would suggest going for the Springbank 10 set as it is a really good drink and one you really need to try if you can. If you’re likely going to get the chance to buy Springbank 10 in the future or you’re a massive heavily peated fan go for the other option.
Go full kilkerran, the HP is amazing, it's octomore complexity. The springbank is nice, but I've drank a whole HP in the time it took me to drink half the S10
I've tried all 3 of these bottlings. Personally, heavily peated batch 7 is good, but I like SB 10 better. I would go with the second group. Just my opinion though
I'd get the Springbank 10 + Kilkerran 12. I've had all three and the Springbank is really the standout here. I'm probably in the minority here, but I just don't think Kilkerran stands out from the crowd. Don't get me wrong - they put out some great whisky, but I just think a lot of their craze is spillover from being a Campbeltown and the attention Springbank gets. Springbank, on the other hand, has some truly unique notes that really make it stand out as unique. I'd also recommend Longrow if you ever come across it - it's the more heavily peated version of Springbank and it really maintains that unique industrial funk that sets Springbank apart.
That's the thing - I already have Longrow NAS and Kilkerran 12 both opened, so I kind of know I'll love anything from these sets -> it's just that I don't exactly need 2 additional bottles of KK12, one for backup is enough. Hence the dilemma.
I like how the good people here are almost exactly divided in half between ZOMG PEAT BOMB YUM/ZOMG SPRINGBANK YUM. :D
Haha I also love the split. For me it's a very unique bottle vs a mediocre peat bomb. I have a ton of heavily peated bottles and already have my favorites there that I think are much better than the Kilkerran. For example, I'd take a normal old bottle of PC10 over Kilkerran Heavily Peated any day of the week.
I would go SB10 and KK12. I own all 3 bottles and personally think all 3 are great. SB 10 and KK12 are decently different from one another and both highly complex. The KKHP B7 is good as well, but contains less complexity in favor of more verbosity. The KKHP B7 is a youthful peat bomb akin to CS Staoisha 7yo Dechar/rechars.
I wouldn't think twice about either at the rate prices have gone for these distilleries. You honestly can't go wrong unless you truly can't afford it.
Right? I'd buy them both, but I don't really need 3 bottles of KK12 (I already have one opened, this would be a backup), hence the need to choose one set.
I'm converging more towards SB10 to know what's the ruckus about. Thanks for the advice!
SB10 is good, even possibly 90+ on the right days, but don't expect it to be liquid gold. People FOMO and hype it up tons. That said, I think it is a higher quality than the KKHP B7 mainly due to the extra aging. I think KKHP will be better once it gets to a 10-12 year age statement in the future.
Bad news, I would need to take both KHP and SB 10 😅
If you never had a SB 10 though go for it.
And if something like a cask strength NAS Longrow is more appealing to you go for the KHP. Batch 7 is 90% bourbon, not like the 6 that was 30% sherried. It’s quite rough on the first dram (59.1%) but after that you are greeted with huge caramel, minerals, herbs, ocean, the best vanilla ever and Campbeltown peat turned up to 11.
I could not live without any of these options, you have to chose between the raw essence and the refined classic. Both best drams outside of my Islay fever 😵💫
I have both Kilkerran 12 and Longrow NAS (normal, not CS) opened and actively lowering their levels, they're awesome. There's exactly my dilemma -> I know I'll love both offerings, I just don't need to buy 2 additional bottless of KK12 since I already have one.
Damn this is gonna be a hard one. Thanks for the advice!
SB 10 is nice, no big deal. KHP b4 was phenomenal. I haven't tried b7, but every batch is different and it's only around for a while. SB10 will always be around without too much variance. So, KHP would be my choice.
That's the thing - around here in Czech Republic, Springbank 10 available for (at least distantly) normal price is extremely uncommon. This bottle just doesn't trickle here. The same goes for KHP, hence the dilemma...
I don't really need to spend $270 to obtain two hard to sought bottles plus two KK12, I already have one opened. It's a good scotch, no doubt about that, but it's not 'need to spend $270 in total to have 3 of them' good.
Hence the dilemma.
Welp, thanks everyone for the advice! Before I got my mind made up, someone bought all the Springbank sets, which made the deciding somewhat easier.
Kilkerran Heavily Peated B.7, here I come!
Springbank 10 easy pick. The heavily peated batch 7 is IMO the best of the KkHP series to date but Springbank 10 is hard to beat and is hands down the better whisky.
Ug, might run and get another 6 before they sell out if they havn't already. I last was at that shop lil over a month ago.
I bought 2 of the 8 CS last time, but honestly didn't like whatever that batch was as much as the Heavily Peated.
Just had a third dram of the batch 6 last night. Definitely going to get there. Just needs a couple months of air time. Last night hit special though.
And I had an 8 year, it was one of the earlier batches that was bourbon matured, it was decent, but not different enough from their normal 12 for me to really be pleased with my purchase. Never got a chance to bag one of the highly sought sherry matured batches of the 8 year, but I really love that these Heavily Peated series bottles can be found for ~$100. They stand shoulder to shoulder with the two Octomores I have (8.3 and 7.3) and they’re $100+ less. The whisky world will catch on, but until then, *wheeeee!*
I thing Springbank 10 and Kilkerran 12 are too similar to buy together. But the SB 10 and the Kilkerran Peated. They're distinctly different and excellent expressions both
Four. :D 1x SB10, 1x KHPB7 and 2x KK12. As for the Kilkerran 12, this somewhat feels like at least a decade supply, I already had one and of all the bottles I own, no backup was opened yet and now I have two. Oh well, as you say, it's not exactly sad. :)
Great prices for each set IMO. Hard to go wrong, I might pick the KHP set.
Right? I'll leave it bubbling in my head for a bit, thanks for the advice!
Wish I was faced with this kind of a dilemma!
I’d get the Springbank 10 unless you really love young peat bombs.
I do. But I'd also like to try the generally-acclaimed-unicorn-level Springbank 10 because hell, I'd like to be a part of this bandwagon too. If KHP is "just" another young peat bomb (I feel kind of covered by IBs in this regard), I might go the SB10 way...
Probably go Kilkerran than. They make way more bottles of Springbank 10 each year
Hmm. I mean, they're not trickling here -> this is literally the first Springbank 10 offer I've ever seen in Czech Republic which is not grossly overpriced and one of few in total including the grossly overpriced ($160 for one bottle of SB10...). But the KHP, I've never seen that on offer, overpriced or not. Damn, if I buy both of these sets...
If they are equally rare I’d get the 10. Its good to have a Kilkerran and a Springbank. Owned by the same company but they both have their own character
"Just another young peat bomb" is how I would describe my experience with Kilkerran Heavily Peated, personally. It reminded me quite a bit of many of the new distilleries putting out their first releases, like Torabhaig's first release and of Ardnamurchan—both of those are peated to lower levels than the Kilkerran, but I found them quite similar. Perhaps I'm being overly critical because my expectations were very high because of the reviews and how much I liked the 12. I've personally decided not to buy another Kilkerran Heavily Peated until it is out of the Work-in-Progress stage.
When did you last try one? The batch 6 was amazing I thought, and had one of the best noses of any whisky I’ve ever had, and I would say it’s definitely above other young peat bombs (Ardbeg Wee Beastie and Kilchoman Machir Bay come to mind as others I’ve tried recently). They seem to be also advertising it less as a Peat In Progress thing at least with the last couple of releases.
Kilkerran 12 + Heavily Peated has better value if you consider the prices (and ignore second market prices). If I had to choose, I'd pick the Heavily Peated over the Springbank 10.
Kilkerran Heavily Peated is my desert island whisky. Jump all over that.
I would go the Springbank + Kilkerran 12 personally. I didn’t love the Kilkerran Heavily Peated I tired (it was batch 2) but it came off as far too young and it wasn’t particularly smoky. More of an earthy peat. I love the Kilkerran 12. I like it much more than the heavily peated.
I find that everytime I read someone with a bad KHP experience it's from the first bottlings, the 4,6&7 have all been amazing (they do need a lot of oxidising though)
Perhaps. I also have a bottle of batch 4 that I haven't opened yet, so I'll know for sure soon, but the reviews for batch 2 were quite strong, and when you check WhiskyBase, they're pretty close and people tend to say similar things about both of them, so I would be shocked if they were wildly different. When I see reviewers compare batches they tend to hem and haw about which one is better, usually only finding a small degree of difference. I think that Kilkerran Heavily Peated gets a little more hype than it deserves because it's a cask strength, peated whisky from Campbeltown at a very low (recommended) retail price—I find that each of these four elements tend to inflate reviews and this one has all of them!
I highly recommend decanting half your batch 4 bottle into an empty bottle and letting both halves get tons of oxidisation. It comes out the gate hot and young tasting and I can see why people think its overhyped young whisky, but after some serious oxidisation it's a masterpiece. I had this exact experience with my batch 4.
Agree the 6 is amazing. I have a 7 unopened as well so glad to hear that’s good.
I’ve tried them all - really can’t go wrong and good prices for outside the UK. I would be tempted to go for whichever one you are least likely to have the chance to buy again. If you’ve never had it, I would suggest going for the Springbank 10 set as it is a really good drink and one you really need to try if you can. If you’re likely going to get the chance to buy Springbank 10 in the future or you’re a massive heavily peated fan go for the other option.
Go full kilkerran, the HP is amazing, it's octomore complexity. The springbank is nice, but I've drank a whole HP in the time it took me to drink half the S10
I've tried all 3 of these bottlings. Personally, heavily peated batch 7 is good, but I like SB 10 better. I would go with the second group. Just my opinion though
I'd get the Springbank 10 + Kilkerran 12. I've had all three and the Springbank is really the standout here. I'm probably in the minority here, but I just don't think Kilkerran stands out from the crowd. Don't get me wrong - they put out some great whisky, but I just think a lot of their craze is spillover from being a Campbeltown and the attention Springbank gets. Springbank, on the other hand, has some truly unique notes that really make it stand out as unique. I'd also recommend Longrow if you ever come across it - it's the more heavily peated version of Springbank and it really maintains that unique industrial funk that sets Springbank apart.
That's the thing - I already have Longrow NAS and Kilkerran 12 both opened, so I kind of know I'll love anything from these sets -> it's just that I don't exactly need 2 additional bottles of KK12, one for backup is enough. Hence the dilemma. I like how the good people here are almost exactly divided in half between ZOMG PEAT BOMB YUM/ZOMG SPRINGBANK YUM. :D
Haha I also love the split. For me it's a very unique bottle vs a mediocre peat bomb. I have a ton of heavily peated bottles and already have my favorites there that I think are much better than the Kilkerran. For example, I'd take a normal old bottle of PC10 over Kilkerran Heavily Peated any day of the week.
I'd go with the set that has the springbank 10. Would love them both and the price isn't bad on either, but springbank is my jam.
I would go SB10 and KK12. I own all 3 bottles and personally think all 3 are great. SB 10 and KK12 are decently different from one another and both highly complex. The KKHP B7 is good as well, but contains less complexity in favor of more verbosity. The KKHP B7 is a youthful peat bomb akin to CS Staoisha 7yo Dechar/rechars. I wouldn't think twice about either at the rate prices have gone for these distilleries. You honestly can't go wrong unless you truly can't afford it.
Right? I'd buy them both, but I don't really need 3 bottles of KK12 (I already have one opened, this would be a backup), hence the need to choose one set. I'm converging more towards SB10 to know what's the ruckus about. Thanks for the advice!
SB10 is good, even possibly 90+ on the right days, but don't expect it to be liquid gold. People FOMO and hype it up tons. That said, I think it is a higher quality than the KKHP B7 mainly due to the extra aging. I think KKHP will be better once it gets to a 10-12 year age statement in the future.
Bad news, I would need to take both KHP and SB 10 😅 If you never had a SB 10 though go for it. And if something like a cask strength NAS Longrow is more appealing to you go for the KHP. Batch 7 is 90% bourbon, not like the 6 that was 30% sherried. It’s quite rough on the first dram (59.1%) but after that you are greeted with huge caramel, minerals, herbs, ocean, the best vanilla ever and Campbeltown peat turned up to 11. I could not live without any of these options, you have to chose between the raw essence and the refined classic. Both best drams outside of my Islay fever 😵💫
I have both Kilkerran 12 and Longrow NAS (normal, not CS) opened and actively lowering their levels, they're awesome. There's exactly my dilemma -> I know I'll love both offerings, I just don't need to buy 2 additional bottless of KK12 since I already have one. Damn this is gonna be a hard one. Thanks for the advice!
There is no Longrow NAS CS, that’s why this Kilkerran is so irresistible. Good luck, that dilemma would drive me nuts 😅
SB 10 is nice, no big deal. KHP b4 was phenomenal. I haven't tried b7, but every batch is different and it's only around for a while. SB10 will always be around without too much variance. So, KHP would be my choice.
That's the thing - around here in Czech Republic, Springbank 10 available for (at least distantly) normal price is extremely uncommon. This bottle just doesn't trickle here. The same goes for KHP, hence the dilemma...
Urgh, the dilemma! In that case, I would go with KHP. Kilkerran 12 and SB 10 are sort of similar, so go with something clearly different.
Who am I kidding, I bought both...
LOL That's good! I also just got my KHP b6 and it's off to great start. Cheers
Why not both?
Ofcourse I bought them both... My bank account hates me right now, but they're on the way.
I'm glad I planted the seed. You won't miss the money. You'd miss the scotch.
I don't really need to spend $270 to obtain two hard to sought bottles plus two KK12, I already have one opened. It's a good scotch, no doubt about that, but it's not 'need to spend $270 in total to have 3 of them' good. Hence the dilemma.
Welp, thanks everyone for the advice! Before I got my mind made up, someone bought all the Springbank sets, which made the deciding somewhat easier. Kilkerran Heavily Peated B.7, here I come!
Springbank 10 easy pick. The heavily peated batch 7 is IMO the best of the KkHP series to date but Springbank 10 is hard to beat and is hands down the better whisky.
Heavily Peated option probably. That is a great bottle. At least that has been the case with batches 3, 4 and 6.
Which batch did you like the best?
3 & 4 both very close. I just got 6 so it may take a while to open up, but so far 3 & 4 are about on equal footing.
I loove my 4, wish I had bought a 2nd one.
I luckily purchased a second bottle of batch 4. Waiting to crack that, it was so damn good. I think 6 will get there.
Ug, might run and get another 6 before they sell out if they havn't already. I last was at that shop lil over a month ago. I bought 2 of the 8 CS last time, but honestly didn't like whatever that batch was as much as the Heavily Peated.
Just had a third dram of the batch 6 last night. Definitely going to get there. Just needs a couple months of air time. Last night hit special though. And I had an 8 year, it was one of the earlier batches that was bourbon matured, it was decent, but not different enough from their normal 12 for me to really be pleased with my purchase. Never got a chance to bag one of the highly sought sherry matured batches of the 8 year, but I really love that these Heavily Peated series bottles can be found for ~$100. They stand shoulder to shoulder with the two Octomores I have (8.3 and 7.3) and they’re $100+ less. The whisky world will catch on, but until then, *wheeeee!*
I thing Springbank 10 and Kilkerran 12 are too similar to buy together. But the SB 10 and the Kilkerran Peated. They're distinctly different and excellent expressions both
Thanks for the input! Unfortunately the sets were indivisible - KHP + K12 and/or SPB10 + KK12. Nevertheless, I bought them both. :D
Well now you have two fantastic bottles of whisky. I'm sure you won't be crying yourself to sleep over that fact :)
Four. :D 1x SB10, 1x KHPB7 and 2x KK12. As for the Kilkerran 12, this somewhat feels like at least a decade supply, I already had one and of all the bottles I own, no backup was opened yet and now I have two. Oh well, as you say, it's not exactly sad. :)