1995 Glendronach 18 Year Old K&L Exclusive Single PX Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($149.99)

Good grief, Glendronach keeps bringing the hits. We’ve been obsessed with Glendronach since our first visit to the distillery in 2011. They’ve revamped this distillery, investing in the highest quality wood, using meticulous warehouse management to get the very most out of old stock and continuing to pump out some of the finest juice in Scotland. This year’s offering was aged in Pedro Ximenez casks and shows a totally different type of sherry influence from last year’s powerfully masculine dry oloroso cask. What we have here is the perfect sweet sherry nose, filled with dense dried plums, spiced pears, subtle flintiness, and a rich creamy core. On the palate, the baking spices really explode fresh clove, nutmeg, and freshly dried stone fruits. This balance between spices, dark exotic oak tones, and powerfully rich fruit is the hallmark of Glendronach. I think this cask will be the best received Glendronach yet.

Steve Greer | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: January 24, 2014

Well this is one damn good whiskey. Power and sweetness with lovely sherry flavors, baking spices, vanilla, dried fruits and rich malt. The PX barrels are a nice complement to the Glendronach malt and a great price for an 18 year old.

Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: December 06, 2013

This is a crowd pleaser. It is big, soft and round, with the used sherry barrels adding richness and sweetness to the picture. It is not sticky or cloying, but balanced and delicious. There is no smoke to get in the way of this easy-to-drink single malt.

David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: November 26, 2013

This is what we call the Macallan 18 killer. It’s softer, more supple, more complex, and surprisingly less sweet than what you’d get from the renowned Highland giant. Our barrel is incredibly cakey — as in full of Christmas spice cake. Lovely stuff that just about any one can enjoy, especially at a lower-than-normal 52% alcohol. This one glides right over the tongue and into the belly — quickly and easily. A no-brainer.

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

Excellent whiskies, excellent value Batch 9 & UK exclusive Glendronachs. In short supply, available only while stocks last.

GLENDRONACH 1989 Cask 5470 £113.95

GLENDRONACH 1990 Cask 1240 PX £111.95

GLENDRONACH 1995 Cask 3302 £81.95

It is no longer much of a secret that Glendronach consistently produce some of the most outstanding sherry cask matured single malts. High standards abound, from distilling a top notch spirit to ensuring excellent cask management. The quality always shines through. These Batch releases don’t last very long and there is not much stock remaining so if you haven’t sampled a sublime, high quality, traditional style Speyside for a while, make sure you snap up one of these great single malts.

Whisky Ramblings Via Video #77

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, enjoys a special bottling for the Belgian whisky club The Finest Notes. For their 10th Anniversary, they selected a Glen Keith 1995 single cask, that matured for no less than 18 years. Truly a great cask selection.

http://youtu.be/IR88cD3CGDQ

MACALLAN 55 YEAR OLD LEADS BONHAMS EDINBURGH WHISKY SALE  

A bottle of The Macallan-55 year old in a Lalique Crystal Decanter leads Bonhams Whisky sale in Edinburgh on Wednesday 26 February.  It is estimated at between £12,000-15,000. 

The Macallan 55 year old is regularly included in the world’s top 10 most desirable whiskies.  Aged in Spanish Oak, it is said to have mace, ground ginger and nutty notes and was bottled in a Lalique decanted modelled on perfume bottle design dating from 1910. The bottle for sale is numbered 220 out of 420.  

Another highly desirable from the sale distillery, The Macallan 1951, is one of 632 bottles and is estimated at £9,000-11,000. 

Three exceptional bottles of Bowmore are presented in one lot estimated at £12,000-15,000.  They are Black Bowmore-42 year old-1964, number 557 out of an edition of 827 bottles; White Bowmore-43 year, number 183 of 732 and Gold Bowmore, number 83 from an edition of 701.

Bonhams whisky specialist, Martin Green, said, “The Macallan 55 year old is one of the great whiskies and fully deserves its iconic status.  The link with Lalique adds further lustre and we are very pleased to be able to offer it as the leading bottle in a strong and varied sale.”  

NOTES

Bonhams

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street and Knightsbridge; and a further two in the UK regions and Scotland. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Connecticut in the USA; and Germany, France, Monaco, Hong Kong and Australia. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments go to www.bonhams.com.   

Chivas Regal Art of Blending Event – Wednesday 19th March 2014

Whisky blending is a real skill, and we are very keen to encourage more people to recognise just how good blends can be, so we are delighted that on Wednesday 19th March Phil Huckle, Brand Ambassador for Chivas Regal, will be coming along to show you how Chivas marry together single malts and grain whiskies from different parts of Scotland to create whiskies that are greater than the sum of their parts.

The evening will give you an insight into how Master Blender, Colin Scott, works with over 30 mature, meticulously selected and high quality whiskies to create the consistently excellent Chivas Regal 12. You’ll be working with five malts from Speyside, Islay, the Highlands and Lowlands, sampling the incredible melody of flavours and blending them to create your own whisky – a unique creation that you can then take away with you. Who knows, you may just find that you have a hidden talent for blending whisky and a whole new career awaits…

Phil is extremely knowledgeable about not just the whiskies but also the stories behind them so this will be an entertaining as well as an educational evening. Numbers are limited to just 40 people for this event. Tickets are £25 – to include canapés on arrival and your own, unique whisky to take away with you.

Please note
Tickets for the Chivas Regal Art of Blending event will not be available to buy until 12 noon on Thursday 13th February and no bookings will be taken before this time. Also, due to the restricted amount of tickets available the maximum number of people per booking is 4.

If you have any queries please just contact us.

Sláinte!
Fran and Ken
Arkwrights Whisky and Wines
www.whiskyandwines.com

UPCOMING EVENT
Name Chivas Regal Art of Blending Event
Date Wednesday 19th March 2014

Time 7pm for 7.30pm
Venue Stanton House Hotel, Stanton Fitzwarren SN6 7SD
Details Admission to the tasting is by ticket only, and most of the whiskies tasted will be available to purchase on the night so come prepared. Tickets are £25 per person, and this also entitles you to a discount of £3 against a bottle of one of the featured whiskies if bought or ordered on the night of the tasting. Tickets are very strictly limited, and allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis and Arkwrights reserve the right to restrict the number of tickets per customer. To buy tickets just log on to www.whiskyandwines.com from 12 noon on Thursday 13th February. Please be aware that these events sell out very quickly (last time within 45 minutes!) and this is why we give advance notice of when the tickets will be released. Please note, we cannot accept provisional bookings and payment must be made when booking. Refunds for tickets are not available except in exceptional circumstances. N.B. We have negotiated special rates at the hotel for anyone who wants to stay overnight after the tasting – click here for further details.

Lot 40 2012 Release Canadian Rye Whisky 750ml ($59.99)

Voted Canadian Whisky of the Year by the Whisky Advocate, Lot 40 is considered by many to be the quintessential Canadian rye whisky, garnering heaps of praise and a cult-like following. Distilled by Hiram Walker, now run by Pernod Ricard, it was briefly discontinued in the early 2000s, which set off a Pappy-esque manhunt by consumers who knew of its excellence (not in CA, however, where we were deprived of its presence). Now that it’s been relaunched by Pernod, we’re lucky enough to start getting a healthy supply in the U.S. It’s clear after tasting it why the Lot 40 has the reputation it has. The flavors of rye are unbelievably pure, while the palate remains soft and creamy underneath. It moves from rye bread into a peppery note so intense that it almost transcends into sweet citrus before finishing rich and floral. It’s the most exciting rye we’ve seen hit the shelves in more than year. We think it’s going to be a HUGE hit. Esteemed Canadian whisky writer Davin de Kergommeaux calls it “a contemporary masterpiece, seven generations in the making. This is one powerfully flavorful whisky that boldly mingles the galvanizing piquancy of distilled rye grain with the soaring floral fragrance of malted rye, and a fruitiness that comes with age.” We call it the best rye whiskey we’ve tasted since stalwarts like Sazerac 18 and older Willett bottles became dreams rather than reality. This is can’t-miss stuff. This is the kind of whiskey where you buy three bottles rather than one.

Mike Barber | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: January 20, 2014

Now that’s some good drinkin’! This rye is rich and delicious, with vanilla and chocolate notes over classic rye leather and cracked pepper–perfect on its own or for all your Manhattan needs. Not as sweet as some of the LDI stuff coming out of Indiana, not as dry as some of 100% rye Rittenhouse styled whiskeys in our store–it’s just right.

Mahon McGrath | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: January 20, 2014

Unctuous and rich, this Canadian Rye packs in an intriguing array of flavors that stays true to the character of the grain. Style-wise, it skews to the sweeter side of things, with a fat mid-palate, and a supple, seamless texture. This is definitely the best new addition to the–of recent days–rather un-crowded field of contemplative, sipping Rye Whiskeys that I’ve had occasion to sample.

Sarah Covey | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: January 15, 2014

All the spice and flash of Rye that I love, with a vanilla, caramel, clove and cigarbox undernote with a soft, sweet finish. AWESOME!

David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: January 15, 2014

Like other “American” rye whiskies, such as Whistle Pig, Masterson’s, and Jefferson’s, the Lot 40 showcases more of that great Canadian-distilled rye whiskey backstock. I was blown away by this whisky when I tasted it. Then I read Davin de Kergommeaux’s amazing review and learned about the story behind the brand. This has been one of the most talked about whiskies by Canadian and European collectors for years. For the entire back story, check out Davin’s post here: http://www.canadianwhisky.org/reviews/lot-no-40-2012-release-43-alcvol.html

Gary Westby | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: January 15, 2014

Great rye whiskey is not easy to come by at any price and great Canadian rye is even harder to find. This Lot 40 is clearly the best rye in the store and one of the best that I have tasted in a decade. With a wonderful bouquet of Christmas spice and a complex array of flavors, this Canadian will please the pickiest of whiskey fans. The fact that it still comes across as easy going and moreish even with the wild rye flavor and layers of complexity made a big impression on me. I will make room in my cabinet!

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

www.ralfy.com discovers how unpeated can be peaty with Whisky Review 429 – Caol Ila 14yo (unpeated malt)

IRISH WHISKEY CHEER CONTINUES AS JAMESON REVEALS

NEW LIMITED EDITION FOR ST. PATRICK’S DAY 

Jameson, the world’s favourite Irish whiskey, is celebrating its rich Irish heritage ahead of St Patrick’s Day with the release of a new Limited Edition design for its iconic bottle, inspired by the sights, sounds and atmosphere of its hometown, Dublin.

The new limited edition bottle, which is the fourth to be released by Jameson in celebration of St Patrick’s Day, has been designed by award-winning Irish illustrator, Dermot Flynn, and will be sold in 40 markets worldwide – demonstrating the continued growth and popularity for Irish whiskey, driven by the ever-increasing popularity of this iconic brand.

Dermot’s illustrated label features the world-renowned Dublin pub, The Stag’s Head; historical figures such as W.B Yeats; and a selection of ‘local Dublin’ phrases to bring the city to life. The bottle has been created for this limited period and will be available in Travel Retail and through on and off trade customers in markets including Russia, Japan and Australia from February 2014.

Daniel Lundberg, Global Brand Director for Jameson, says: “In addition to its smooth, balanced taste, one of the things that whiskey fans around the world tell us they love about Jameson is its intrinsic Irish character. Jameson embodies the down-to-earth character of Dubliners so with this new limited edition, we wanted to bring that to life and celebrate the great city which inspired John Jameson to make his now iconic whiskey for the first time over 230 years ago. The new bottle design has been very well-received by our customers around the world resulting in more markets than ever selling this year’s edition, so we’re hopeful that Irish whiskey fans around the world will love it too and make it a part of their special St Patrick’s Day celebrations, wherever they may be.”

The release of the new Jameson Limited Edition will be accompanied by promotional activity in markets, with the brand providing its customers with a range of marketing materials and displays to ensure strong stand-out for the iconic bottle in the run up to St Patrick’s Day, which is celebrated each year on 17th March.

Jameson will be continuing its popular Jameson St Patrick’s Live celebrations this year with activity including its annual Live Broadcast, which sees presenters from radio stations from around the world descending on Dublin to broadcast live from the Old Jameson Distillery on St Patrick’s Day; and an exclusive gig in the city, featuring various leading Irish acts and headlined by the critically-acclaimed band, White Lies.

About Jameson

Jameson is the world’s No 1 Irish whiskey. Award-winning as a result of its exceptional smoothness following its unique triple distillation process, Jameson is enjoyed in more than 120 countries worldwide. The core Jameson range includes Jameson; Jameson Select Reserve; Jameson Gold Reserve; Jameson Signature Reserve (Travel Retail exclusive) and Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve.

For further information please visit http://www.jamesonwhiskey.com/

Price: £30.00
Date: Friday 21st February
Time: 7:30PM
Location: N&P Cellars

Book Tickets Online

As Colin Dunn has said, ‘Whisky to me is all about meeting the people at the Distilleries, getting their stories and passing them on. Also the best feeling in the world when I do tastings, is when somebody “gets it”.’

Colin is well known to Nickolls and Perks and makes a welcome return to our cellars on Friday 21st February to conduct one of his inimitable Masterclasses.

The line up of super and rare drams is now as follows:

Introduction with the scarce Mortlach 16 year old Flora & Fauna

Diageo 2013 special releases:

Cardhu 1991 21 yo £215
Caol Ila cask strength £85
Talisker 1985 28yo £525
Singleton 1985 28yo £255
Lagavulin 12yo cask £95

You’re guaranteed to enjoy fabulous whiskies together with the stories that go with them. For further information, email David Gardener or phone him on 01384 394518.