Scotland – Single Malt Scotch

• 1997 Bunnahabhain Heavily Peated 16 Year Old K&L Exclusive Chieftain’s Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($129.99)
  When you hear about whisky “shortages,” we’re not necessarily referring to the idea that there’s less actual whisky in the world, just less of it available for purchase. When fear and anxiety about future stocks take hold, companies will begin holding back inventory, dreading the idea of a whisky-less future should their available casks be gobbled up too quickly. This was our experience in 2013 while travelling through Scotland. In 2014, however, some of our partners began throwing us a few bones to test the waters; one of these bottlers was Chieftain’s. After a fruitless crop in ’13, we managed to secure one whole barrel the following year and was it ever a winner. This 1997 Bunnahabhain was part of a heavily peated run by the Islay distillery, resulting in one phenolic blast of a whisky. The sweet-fruited spirit of Bunnahabhain is the first thing you taste when the whisky hits your lips, but then it is utterly obliterated by motor oil, smoke, scorched earth, and more massive smoke. It’s like getting punched in the mouth with a burning chunk of peat moss while trying to savor a piece of hard candy. At 56.1%, the heat of the alcohol only adds to this intensity. The finish lightens the load just a big, as the machinery slows down and mutates into a lovely Ardbeg-like brightness. We only got one single cask of whisky from Chieftain’s this year, but we got the absolute best one they had. It’s not for the weak-hearted, however.

United States – Bourbon and Rye

• Cedar Ridge 5 Year Old Reserve Bourbon 375ml – 3 available ($39.99)

• Four Roses K&L Exclusive OBSF (10 Years Old, 9 Months) Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon 750ml ($59.99)
  It’s no secret that we love Four Roses distillery and it’s also not a secret that our K&L Exclusive casks from the Bourbon maker are some of the best whiskies we get each year. However, drinking great Kentucky Bourbon isn’t always enough these days as consumers are always looking for something more to sink their teeth into. That’s why we decided on a little theme for our most recent batch of Four Roses selections. The distillery makes two different mashbills: “E” which uses 75% corn, 20% rye and “B” which uses 60% corn and 35% rye. They also use five different types of yeast, creating the permutation potential for ten different recipes. We decided to pick two yeast strains and see how they interacted with the two different mashbills, side-by-side. In the OBSF cask, the higher percentage of rye comes through on the finish, as the peppery notes and minty flavors from the grain dominate the backend. The nose is all fruit, however, and a bit of water helps to tame that 59% cask strength proof. It’s a different animal than the OESF, which we also brought in this time around as a comparison. The extra boost of rye really gives it that in-your-face spice that many Bourbon fans truly enjoy. It’s a great whiskey for rocks sipping or even a bold Manhattan. (David Driscoll, Spirits Buyer)

• Four Roses K&L Exclusive OBSQ (10 Years Old, 5 Months) Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon 750ml ($59.99)

• Four Roses K&L Exclusive OESF (10 Years Old, 2 Months) Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon 750ml ($59.99)

• Four Roses K&L Exclusive OESQ (9 Years Old, 5 Months) Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon 750ml ($59.99)

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

MCLEANSCOTLAND whisky tour company … have had their best year ever for whisky tours of Scotland. Working on tours all year round, the first whisky tour was back in January, Speyside in the snow, a grand trip with Dutch clients.

From then each month saw them take tours all over Scotland, visiting Speyside, Orkney, Highlands, west coast distilleries including Mull, Skye and Islay.

May was the busiest month of the year, with 8 whisky tour groups (all over Scotland).

At the end of September they travel to Arran, before another tour with Russian clients in early October, with two more trade shows whisky festivals; Manchester Whisky Lounge Festival, and Chester Whisky Festival, both in October. They will be happy to see you at either show!

It doesn’t end there, November sees more tours and even December they have a whisky tour from South Africa in conjunction with Diageo.

Their guests came from Germany, Russia, Sweden, Norway, Canada, USA, Holland, England, plus the SA trip as above.

Each guest (or couple) receive a specially made wallet with brochures, excellent tour notes, maps and many suggestions where to eat, drink etc whilst on tour.

Their tours are mostly designed with the client, to give exactly what is needed, then they go that wee bit further and add in some historic sites, castles, fantastic scenery and above all … fun!

To contact them; whisky@mcleanscotland.com

www.mcleanscotland.com

They also run the worldwide whisky club, with Patron Charles Maclean (keeping it in the family).
www.angelswhiskyclub.com

www.ralfy.com shares a bottle-hug with Whisky Review 477 – Whisky Collection 2014

THE ONE JOINS WHISKY WORLD ELITE

More information is available at http://www.lakesdistillery.com

Close to Bassenthwaite Lake, in an area of unimaginable beauty encircled by Cumbrian fells, is the perfect home for the first-ever Lakes Distillery.

The experienced team behind the Lakes Distillery, which includes managing director Paul Currie who co founded the Arran Distillery, Master Distiller Chris Anderson, ex Dewars with over 30 years’ experience, and Alan Rutherford a former Production Director of Diageo, are renovating the historic buildings of an old Victorian Model Farm next to the famous river Derwent and close to Bassenthwaite Lake, with the aim to produce a new world-class single malt whisky.

The water from the famous River Derwent, with its source high up in the fells, a team steeped in whisky experience, and perfect conditions for distilling are set to create a very special malt.

The Lakes Distillery will open to the public in late 2014. The Lakes single malt will begin production this summer, and its blended whisky from the British Isles, called The ONE, is available to buy now.

Each cask is estimated to contain more than 100 bottles and members can be there on that historic first day to make the whisky themselves, fill their own Connoisseur’s Cask and see it stored in the distillery warehouse. The Connoisseurs’ Club limited membership costs £12,000, which includes the unique signature cask, exclusive annual events, accommodation at the nearby 4-star Trout Hotel, delivery, all duty and VAT. It’s estimated if kept, the cask will be worth over £20,000 in years to come. 

Each year for ten years, members will receive one 70cl bottle plus two tasting miniatures of the maturing malt, making up a collectible set of the distillery’s first ever production, all with unique, limited edition labels. These casks will not be available for the general public and are uniquely reserved for members.

Founders’ Club membership costs just £595, with an expected value of over £1,400 over the ten years period. Delivery of the first bottle will be in 2015.

New Arrivals For Your Collection…

Chivas Brothers Century of Malts (JF02) 40% | 75cl

“This bottle contains 100 single malt Scotch whiskies – an unequalled collection. From the highlands and the famous Spey Valley, the distant Islands, and the soft, harmonious Lowlands, a hundred ancient oak casks have yielded their treasure. The result is superb, of an incomparable richness and age. only the cellars of Chivas Brothers could produce such an historic tribute to the spirit of Scotch Malt Whisky.”

Price: £125.00 ex VAT
£150.00 inc VAT

Chivas Brothers Legend Special Reserve (JF03) 43% | 75cl

Chivas Regal Legend Special Reserve is a blend of
very old malt and grain whisky, which for years have matured to this very special perfect quality.

Chivas Regal Legend is known for its beautiful soft, rich and delicate flowery aromas that are well balanced with a nutty sweetness that develop into a refined fruity and woody aftertaste.

Price:£125.00 ex VAT
£150.00 inc VAT

Chivas Brothers Revolve Blended (JF06) 50% | 75cl

Please note this is the 75cl 50% ABV version not the more common 50cl 40% ABV bottle.

Price: £66.67 ex VAT
£80.00 inc VAT

Chivas Imperial 18 Year old (JF04) 43% | 70cl

This impressive presentation from Chivas Brothers has a classic screenprint label and is in original Chivas wrapping and box.

Price:£125.00 ex VAT
£150.00 inc VAT

Chivas Brothers Royal Salute LXX Black Ceramic (JF05) 40% | 70

Nose
Poached apricots in crème anglaise. Then dark chocolate pralines, with hazelnuts.
Palate
Gingery. Lively. Creamy. Very sherryish.
Finish
Fragrant smokiness, and oakiness.

Notes by Michael Jackson, Whisky Magazine.

Price:£208.33 ex VAT
£250.00 inc VAT

Strathisla 25 Year Old Celebration Edition (JF01) 43% | 70cl

This is a special limited edition of 600 bottles to celebrate the restoration of Strathisla Distillery on the 9th May, 1995.

Price: £166.67 ex VAT
£200.00 inc VAT

• Macallan 30 Year Old Single Malt 750ml – 6 available ($1,899.99)
  The mighty 30 year is never available long.

• 1997 Bunnahabhain Heavily Peated 16 Year Old K&L Exclusive Chieftain’s Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($129.99)
  When you hear about whisky “shortages,” we’re not necessarily referring to the idea that there’s less actual whisky in the world, just less of it available for purchase. When fear and anxiety about future stocks take hold, companies will begin holding back inventory, dreading the idea of a whisky-less future should their available casks be gobbled up too quickly. This was our experience in 2013 while travelling through Scotland. In 2014, however, some of our partners began throwing us a few bones to test the waters; one of these bottlers was Chieftain’s. After a fruitless crop in ’13, we managed to secure one whole barrel the following year and was it ever a winner. This 1997 Bunnahabhain was part of a heavily peated run by the Islay distillery, resulting in one phenolic blast of a whisky. The sweet-fruited spirit of Bunnahabhain is the first thing you taste when the whisky hits your lips, but then it is utterly obliterated by motor oil, smoke, scorched earth, and more massive smoke. It’s like getting punched in the mouth with a burning chunk of peat moss while trying to savor a piece of hard candy. At 56.1%, the heat of the alcohol only adds to this intensity. The finish lightens the load just a big, as the machinery slows down and mutates into a lovely Ardbeg-like brightness. We only got one single cask of whisky from Chieftain’s this year, but we got the absolute best one they had. It’s not for the weak-hearted, however.

• Four Roses K&L Exclusive OBSF (10 Years Old, 9 Months) Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon 750ml ($59.99)
  It’s no secret that we love Four Roses distillery and it’s also not a secret that our K&L Exclusive casks from the Bourbon maker are some of the best whiskies we get each year. However, drinking great Kentucky Bourbon isn’t always enough these days as consumers are always looking for something more to sink their teeth into. That’s why we decided on a little theme for our most recent batch of Four Roses selections. The distillery makes two different mashbills: “E” which uses 75% corn, 20% rye and “B” which uses 60% corn and 35% rye. They also use five different types of yeast, creating the permutation potential for ten different recipes. We decided to pick two yeast strains and see how they interacted with the two different mashbills, side-by-side. In the OBSF cask, the higher percentage of rye comes through on the finish, as the peppery notes and minty flavors from the grain dominate the backend. The nose is all fruit, however, and a bit of water helps to tame that 59% cask strength proof. It’s a different animal than the OESF, which we also brought in this time around as a comparison. The extra boost of rye really gives it that in-your-face spice that many Bourbon fans truly enjoy. It’s a great whiskey for rocks sipping or even a bold Manhattan. (David Driscoll, Spirits Buyer)

• Willett Distillery 2 Year Old Rye Whiskey 750ml ($43.99)
  It’s been a long time in the making, but the first batch of 100% Willett-distilled rye is finally here and it’s glorious. For years, Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, run by the Kulsveen family, has been bottling fantastic whiskey under their numerous labels; Willett being just one of the expressions (along with Noah’s Mill, Rowan’s Creek, Johnny Drum, etc.). Willett Distillery was actually founded in the 1930s by former Bernheim superintendent Thompson Willett, but subsequent generations of the family would become disinterested in Bourbon until the distillery finally closed. Evan Kulsveen, who married Willett’s daughter, purchased the abandoned site in 1984 with plans to reopen his father-in-law’s once-great operation. Almost thirty years later, his son Drew and son-in-law Hunter have the site refurbished and back on track. This batch of two year old rye marks the first time the whiskey in a Willett rye bottle has been the product of the W illett distillery and not a purchased barrel from LDI distillery in Indiana. It’s shockingly good considering the young age. Imagine the pure rye flavors of Anchor’s Old Potrero with the cinnamon and baking spices of the Templeton. Bottled at 54.7% ABV, the power and intensity of the whiskey is also on display, but it’s balanced beautifully by the richness. It’s a giant leap forward for the Willett distillery and it’s an exciting day for those of us who have been waiting for this moment for some time.

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