Kirkland 19 Year Speyside Single Malt Scotch Sherry Cask Finish

Nose: Classic single malt character with a side of dark fruits and dark chocolate. Fig, drupes - ripe cherries and apricots. Honey drizzled on green apple with a side of granola. Some roasted nuts in the background. Ethanol present, but not overwhelming. Lemon zest. Maybe a touch of mint or wintergreen buried amongst everything else. Good nose - lives up to the expectations set on the label re: style. Palate: Toasted grain, cereals, honey, green apple. The dark chocolate and dark fruits are there again. Not a sherry bomb, but well balanced. The sweetness isn't cloying or overpowering. Lemon peel, including some pith, and a surprising amount of tannin bitterness and texture. Subtle vanilla. All flavors are well balanced, though this does tend to be a little prickly on the tongue. Mid-treble prominence. Mouthfeel is medium-thin though coats the palate well. Finish: We start with apples, honey, and toasted grain. Oak and tannin come in, along with some wintergreen and that lemon peel again. Things round out with berries, whipped cream, honey, green apples, dark chocolate, maybe a touch of barrel char. Medium length finish. With a few drops of water: Some vanilla and cream come to the fore on the nose - whipped cream with vanilla and mint. Oak, too. Palate softens a little. Not as prickly. The sweetness from the sherry cask comes forward some, too. Finish is relatively consistent. Other notes: The balance here is excellent. Though the sherry is definitely present, it's not taking over or burying the spirit. The extra age certainly helps add the vanilla, some sweetness, and oak qualities, which adds a level of cohesiveness. This is one of a handful of Kirkland-branded whiskies I've had to date and they all tend to be very good. Not standout, not best-in-class, just very good. If you're into Sherry finished Speysides, you'll likely dig this. The price point (around $70), especially, made this a very easy buy - a 19 y/o whiskey for less than $100 is hard to pass up. Maybe not a re-buy for me, but definitely worth a bottle.

Nose: sherry, plums, medical, honey Taste: tart sweet dark fruits moves into a medium bitter sherry medicinal numb finish. Not a bomb but solid for the price. I had this side by side with the 20 year and even though the 19 stayed in the sherry cask for a few more months the 20 took more sherry, is darker by a couple of shades, smoother and better. What a difference a year makes. 19 is a little sweeter, still solid and I am glad to have both!

Very solid highland scotch, I wish I wohld have bought more bottles of this. Smooth, good finish

Nice and sweet with notes of candied bitter Orange peel. Not terribly complex but very drinkable

Definitely pick up on the sherry cask notes, bold flavor. Just a little hot though.

Very subtle peat if at all, lovely stonefruit and toffee nose, touch of caramel