Isle of Arran 2000/2011 The Sleeping Warrior (54.9%, OB, 6000 Bts.)

A limited edition bottling and a portion of the sales went to support the National Trust for Scotlandto help maintain the foot paths on Goatfell, Arran’s highest peak. The profile of the summits and ridges on the northern end of the isle is referred to as the sleeping warrior due to its resemblance to a resting human figure. Now you know. On the nose there is marmalade, apricot and lemon zest along with tinned fruit salad. There are also significant but not over whelming influences from the cask in the form of some good oak spice but the aforementioned fruits are the real stars of the show. All very rich, concentrated and creamy. The taste is more of the dried fruits but with some good backing from the cask(s) and a welcome arrival is the Arran malt which after a moment or two becomes very chewy. A little water smoothes things out and is a helping hand since without it it’s very strong. The water doesn’t dull the flavour for a moment; it’s all there, bold as brass. The finish is long, spicy and full of the malt and the dried fruits.

  A multi faceted dram with loads of dried fruit and spice. Find one if you can.

$98

88 points

Part 4 of 4 featuring Isle of Arran Whiskies

Nikka Taketsuru 12 Year Old

Another wonderful Japanese blended malt whisky from Nikka. Named in honour of Masataka Taketsuru, the creator and founder of Nikka who built his first distillery in Yoichi, Hokkaido in 1934.

Non Scotch 12 Years and Under World Whisky Awards 2012

£41.75 (£34.79 ex vat)

Click here to buy NIkka Taketsuru 12 Year Old

Nikka Taketsuru 17 Year Old

Another cracking dram from the Nikka Taketsuru selection is this 17 year old pure malt. Recently awarded worlds best blended malt at the World Whisky Awards (WWA).

Named in honour of Masataka Taketsuru, the creator and founder of Nikka who built his first distillery in Yoichi, Hokkaido in 1934.

Non Scotch 13 to 20 Years World Whisky Awards 2012

£73.75 (£61.46 ex vat)

Click here to buy NIkka Taketsuru 17 Year Old

Nikka Taketsuru 21 Year Old

A superb tasting dram that cant stop winning awards. Yet again Taketsuru 21 year old from Nikka wins Worlds Best Blended Malt at the World Whisky Awards 2012.

Non Scotch 21 Years and Over World Whisky Awards 2012

£97.25

(£81.04 ex vat)

Click here to buy NIkka Taketsuru 21 Year Old

Abbey Whisky

enquiries@abbeywhisky.com
www.abbeywhisky.com
0800 051 7737

www.ralfy.com presents an ultra-branded, smokey, sweet, style-scotch review with Whisky Review #291 – Johnnie Walker Double Black

Scotland – Single Malt Scotch

Auchentoshan Valinch Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 4 available ($59.99)

Scotland – Spirits Pre-Arrival

1989 Bunnahabhain 22 Year Old K&L Exclusive “Exclusive Malts” Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml (Pre-Arrival) ($89.99)
Introducing our newest source for top-quality whisky at wonderfully reasonable price points – the Exclusive Malts! Our partnership with this independent bottler will bring EM expressions for the first time ever to the United States, available only at K&L. Seeing that last year’s trip resulted in almost zero Islay expressions, David and I were eager to make amends this time around. We had already committed to peated whiskies from Kilchoman, Bruichladdich, Laphroaig, and Caol Ila, so when we found a relatively mellow, laid-back, mature malt from Bunnahabhain for a bargain basement price, we figured why not just add it in with the others? The whisky is lithe and lean on the entry with lots of earthy, oily notes and hints of resin with light peat. The low proof makes the whisky entirely drinkable right out of the bottle and the intensity of the vanilla and oil goes all the way to the finish, lingering long on the back end. Complex, mysterious, and understated, much like Bunnahabhain distillery itself. A wonderful whisky at a knockout price. We expect this one to move fast. (David Driscoll, K&L Spirits Buyer)

1992 Longmorn 20 Year Old K&L Exclusive “Exclusive Malts” Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml (Pre-Arrival) ($89.99)
Introducing our newest source for top-quality whisky at wonderfully reasonable price points – the Exclusive Malts! Our partnership with this independent bottler will bring EM expressions for the first time ever to the United States, available only at K&L. David and I had a field day working through the various casks available in the tiny warehouse outside of Glasgow. Although we had already selected a younger Longmorn expression from Signatory, the distillery has such a great reputation amongst enthusiasts for quality and we were open to bringing in a more mature cask if it tasted great. The nose of this whisky is classic Speyside – that heady mix of vanilla, malted grains, and rich stonefruit. The palate is more of the same: sweet grains, lots of wonderful vanilla and caramel, a finish of soft fruits with a hint of banana. Great Longmorn often doesn’t do a whole lot, but it does what it does very well. There’s not supreme depth or insane complexity going on with this whisky, but there’s a whole lotta deliciousness. Longmorn just simply hits the spot and sometimes that more than enough. Considering the 16 year old distillery bottle sells for well over $100 here in the states, getting this 20 year old single cask at full proof is quite the deal indeed. (David Driscoll, K&L Spirits Buyer)

New Arrivals

United States – Bourbon and Rye

Buffalo Trace K&L Exclusive Single Barrel #74 Kentucky Bourbon 750ml ($24.99)

Scotland – Single Malt Scotch

1990 Samaroli Bunnahabhian Single Malt Scotch Whisky 750ml – 6 available ($199.99)

United States – Bourbon and Rye

Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Tornado Kentucky Straight Bourbon 750ml – 9 available ($74.99)

K&L Wine Merchants
http://www.klwines.com
Phone: 877-KLWines (toll free 877-559-4637)
Email: wine@klwines.com
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

A Taste of Kilchoman with Anthony Wills

We’re having a little break from tastings down at TWE Vinopolis, although we’re still catching up with the write-ups here at HQ. I’d like to say that it’s so that we can have a rest over the summer, recharge our … Continue reading >>

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society and Edgemont Fine Wines, Spirits & Ales are extremely excited to announce our new partnership!

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) is the world’s foremost single malt whisky club, with over 26,000 members in 16 branches around the world. It has bottled from just under 130 distilleries thus far, with the bottlings available exclusively to Society members. The Canadian branch of The Society, launched in Alberta in October 2011, is expanding to BC and come the fall, Edgemont Fine Wines, Spirits & Ales will be the exclusive retail home in Vancouver and for the BC Mainland. The SMWS has the world’s largest selection of single cask, single malt whiskies, with the Canadian branch releasing seven new bottlings every month! Unfiltered. Undiluted. Unrivaled.

We’re thrilled and looking forward to adding their unique whiskies to our whisky wall and sharing them with you! So starting in the fall, we’ll be letting you know how you can become a SMWS member through Edgemont and gain exclusive access to their limited bottlings as well as The Society’s award winning magazine, Unfiltered and Society venues around the world. Keep an eye on our emails for more information in the coming months and, in the meantime, check www.smws.ca for more information.

Until then, if you wish to learn more, email curious@smws.ca or ourselves. We’ll make sure you get all the updates!

Isle of Arran 12yo Cask Strength (54.1%, OB, 12,000 Bts., Number 1, 2011)

Batch #1 of the new 12 year cask strength edition bottled at 54.1% without colouring or chill filtration. On the nose there are traces of the cask heritage; a good dollop of ex- American bourbon notes, the welcome characteristic Isle of Arran malt and then some lovely honey sweetness (dare it be called ‘Manuka’? – earthy, oily, herbaceous and florid, rich and complex so say Wikipedia).  A heady combination. The taste strong with rich earthy notes and also some good red cedar and oak spice; very vibrant, raisins, dark dried fruits and even a hint of fruit cake. Coffee grounds, honey, again. Very nice. The finish is slightly herbaceous with good chewy malt and then the dry notes resembling cured (unlit) tobacco take over towards the end but then a bit of the malt makes and appearance.

Water soothes the effect and the resulting creaminess/syrupy taste is still very goo and it can handle a significant amount of water while holding together. Very, very nice…

$95

 85 Points

Part 3 of 4 featuring Isle of Arran Whiskies

The Macallan 25 year old is back in stock. Limited stock only!

Macallan distillery was granted legal status for producing whisky in 1824 and has since become regarded by connoisseurs worldwide as one of the finest malt whiskies. A definite smokiness manifests itself in this complex malt, with a very long finish. A very collectable and drinkable single malt…

Simply Click To Buy

The Whisky Shop Tel 0141 440 0600 info@whiskyshop.com  www.whiskyshop.com

EXCITING NEWS: The highly acclaimed Ka Va Lan whiskies from Taiwan will be available in Canada NEXT week!.

Exclusive in Canada to Kensington Wine Mart Calgary

Some New Johnnie Walkers…

We’ve been meaning to say something up here on the blog for a while about the new additions to the Johnnie Walker range, so finally here are some notes. Earlier this year it was announced that the much loved (to … Continue reading >>