Penny for Your Thoughts - Copper & Oak
- Aug 11, 2018
- 2 min read
I found Copper & Oak to be somewhat overpriced, but there were a handful of good values and also some undeniably obscure whiskies on the shelf. Here are the two that I tried.
Kilkerran Sherry Wood (46% ABV) - This sherry-wood-aged whisky is one of the last of Kilkerran's "Work in Progress" lineup. The WIP line was a series of annual releases from Mitchell's Glengyle distillery, before they finally had enough mature stock on hand to debut Kilkerran 12 last year. Compared to the flagship, this early sneak peek into their lineup was matured entirely in sherry wood and is a year or two younger. It's also better. Its aromas feature a noticeably more intense, earthier peat, almost mezcal-like on some passes, along with caramel. Its well-balanced palate combines heather and cherries with smoke, sherry, spice, and syrup. That smoke stars in the finish, like a bonefire of pine smoke and meaty flavors. This isn't easy to find nowadays, but it was reasonably priced when it debuted. A-
Westland Peat Week 2017 (54.4%) - I have loved the other two Westlands that I've tasted, and I've been astonished by how good they are after just a few years of maturation. This whiskey is part of the west coast distillery's limited annual run of peated whiskies, in imitation of the smoky scotches of Islay. It's $100 for a 3-5-year old whiskey, but that's the market nowadays. This is one of those love-it-or-hate-it drams. It's unlike anything that I've had before, and I kind of dig it. But the smell alone will put a lot of people off, as it smells a little . . . rotten. Not rotten, exactly, but like an overripe banana left out by a barbecue grill. The taste is exactly like that, with strange flavors lacing through different sips: lychee or apricot, trail mix, banana, and rubbery peat. It's tannic and has a dry mouthfeel. Same themes on the swallow, with burnt tires, sour fruit, and overripe banana. It's also long as hell. B+
Comments