•1991 Cambus 21 Year Old K&L Exclusive Signatory Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Grain Whisky 750ml ($109.99)
Here we go! After two years of hunting for a replacement to our wildly successful single grain Girvan, we’ve finally found a cask of grain worthy of our discerning customers. Cambus is among the most difficult-to-find grain distilleries, for a couple of reasons: it’s been closed since 1993, and it’s rumored to be at the heart of the Johnnie Walker Blue bottlings. No surprise that it’s difficult to find–if Diageo is relying on this whisky to produce one of its most sought-after blends, it will certainly be controlling as much stock as possible. Occasionally, small lots slip out of the blender’s grasp and into our glass! Here we have a super-high quality grain in all its awkward splendor. This nose is all oak spice and vibrant fresh fruit. Clove, coriander, freshly grated nutmeg, apple skins, under-ripe mango. On the palate, the fruit takes over, plus vanilla cake frosting, and the baking spices remain subdued, with a bit of coconut and som e fresh oak notes. A perfect example of why sometimes, we must not blend all of the grain. (David Othenin-Girard, K&L Spirits Buyer)

•1997 Laphroaig 16 Year Old K&L Exclusive Signatory Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($115.99)
We love Laphroaig. Everybody loves Laphroaig (if they don’t hate it). Not a lot of people on the fence regarding Laphroaig. That’s why it’s really hard to get. It’s really expensive as well; this is both cause and effect. We’ve seen prices go up, while quality has remained consistent. We took on a middle-aged Laphroaig last year and sold it for what seemed like a reasonable $140. Now we have another cask of Laphroaig and it’s difficult not to oversell it. If we’re always so effusive about every whisky we taste, people start to question our judgment. So, I’m just going to say that this is top-tier Laphroaig. It’s in that prime moment between the intensity of a young Laphroaig and that depth of the older offerings from this legendary distillery. This was the whisky that we spent time wringing our hands about because we were expecting to be paying the same price as our 18 year from 2012, but somehow we were able to get the pri ce down to something far more reasonable. It won’t last, and it will go down as a hot deal in our single barrel history. Don’t miss it! (David Othenin-Girard, K&L Spirits Buyer)

•Faultline Straight Bourbon Whiskey 750ml ($39.99)
We’ve been doing gin and single malt for years, and now rum, so why not throw our hat in the Bourbon pool? One of the obstacles that kept us from making a Faultline Bourbon earlier was availability: the current demand has made the extra barrel a thing of the past. One of the only distilleries that would sell us a cask for a private label was the old LDI distillery in Indiana, but with the already overcrowded LDI market (Bulleit Rye, Templeton Rye, High West, etc) we didn’t think our product would be different enough, or of the quality we desired, for the Faultline name. That’s when John Little from Smooth Ambler stepped in and said he’d be happy to help us do something special. If we were going to work with LDI casks, then we needed the capability to blend something special to taste – the specs wouldn’t sell this baby. John had some incredible 10 year old low rye formula that we used in conjunction with some 7 year high rye. We kept tastin g and tasting until we found the sweet spot at 100 proof. It’s FAR better than I ever thought it would be. I hoped we could provide something fun and different, but the final whiskey is phenomenal. It’s rich, with sweet fruit right on the entry, a full-bodied mid-palate, and a long, rich, spicy finish. It tastes like it came from Four Roses or somewhere fancy and at 50% it pops in all the right places. I hope we can make another batch like this because this Bourbon is the new king of K&L. Taste it if you don’t believe me. (David Driscoll)

•Four Roses K&L Exclusive OBSV Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon 750ml ($59.99)
When I was having trouble finding a cask of Four Roses single barrel I liked, their distiller Jim Rutledge sent me an email saying, “What’s up?” I told him that all of the samples they had been sending out were good, but that I was being picky. I was waiting for the gut feeling I get and the excitement that goes through my spine when I taste something superlative. Jim told me, “Well I’m going to drive out to the warehouse tomorrow and pick your samples myself. I’m sure I can find something that will excite you.” And so he did. And now that whiskey is here. There’s nothing out of the ordinary or unique about this whiskey, no ripe banana notes or soft cherries, and nothing new. This OBSV cask is simply straightforward, classic, and honest — much like Rutledge himself. Creamy vanilla, a healthy dose of spice, lots of sweet wood on the finish with a touch of burnt sugar. It’s a whopper, too, at 61.6% and 10.5 years of age. It’s not a Bourbon you absolutely need to have — there’s nothing collectable about it and it’s not something we haven’t seen before. It’s probably a Bourbon that you’ll want, however. I want one, at least. (David Driscoll, Spirits Buyer

•Clear Creek McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt Whiskey 750ml ($53.99)
The new Fall 2013 release of McCarthy’s is here! Highly anticipated and sure to sell fast. Whereas the last batch carried more new oak richness and little smoke, the peat is back this time around, but with another dose of big oak. Both are equally in check and work together quite lovely. One of the best batches we’ve tasted yet. Much improved over the last one for sure.

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