Scotland – Single Malt Scotch

• Glenlivet 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky 750ml (Elsewhere $37) ($27.99) 90 points Wine Enthusiast: “Vibrant gold with orange highlights, fruity scent of apples and pears plus a whiff of vanilla. Soft, velvety feel. This is a pleasant and drinkable Scotch, but the flavors are relatively muted. It mixes well with other flavors, making it a good contender for cocktails. Good value.” (12/2011) Whisky Advocate: “As with the ‘Fiddich (reviewed in this issue), here’s a malt where an improved wood policy has brought a dram to life and added complexity. The Glenlivet has always been about lightness, but the trick is to have sufficient solid base to allow its flower to blossom, so as well as lily, orchid, and pineapple, there’s a thick creaminess that gently beds all of these flighty flavors down. With water, there’s mandarin and rose petal, and a sneeze of white pepper. Simply lovely. Value Pick.” K&L Notes: The Glenlivet was the first legal distiller in Scotland (1824) and the only one allowed to be called “The Glenlivet.” What Grande Champagne is to Cognac, the glen of the river Livet is to Speyside–the most famous Speyside highland malts. For shipping orders these ship as a bottle only, no gift box or packaging will be included.

• Glenmorangie 12 year old Quinta Ruban Extra Matured Range Port Cask 750ml ($47.99) 91 points Wine Enthusiast: “While “extra finished” for two years in ruby Port casks, the impact on the spirit is minimal, imparting a rose-gold hue and a shadow of red berry flavor. Though it lacks the “wow factor” of the Nectar d’Or, it’s still quite good: Expect a warm, fruity scent with a hint of cedar and a smooth caramel-honey flavor with baking spices on the finish. ” (12/2011) Wine Spectator: “Pink in color from its ruby Port finish, this whisky is like biting into a chocolate-covered cherry. Deep, ripe, dark fruits announce themselves on the nose, with some spice, honey and cocoa. A blast of chocolate is followed quickly by creamy cherry notes and a snap of licorice on the palate, and the finish turns quite spicy with cinnamon. Finished in Port casks. Non-chill filtered.” (02/2011) Whisky Advocate: “Finished in port casks. Like the Nectar D’or above, this expression adds lushness, body, and a sweet complexity (but with darker fruit and spice than the Nectar D’or) while still allowing Glenmorangie’s complexity to shine through. (Vol. 17, #2) ” K&L Notes: A Double Gold Medal winner in the 2013 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The Quinta Ruban is an intense, incredibly dark whisky in the extra matured range from Glenmorangie. It first spends 10 years in in American oak, then another two in Port pipes. A non chillfiltered bottling, the Quinta Ruban has a citrusy nose, with undercurrents of incense, walnuts, spice and Andes dark chocolate mint. The nose carries gracefully over to the palate, which is velvety, sweet and long.

United States – Bourbon and Rye

• Mosswood Espresso Barrel Aged American Whiskey 750ml ($39.99) Mosswood is a new line of re-casked MGP whiskies; a project started by Jake Chevedden and Therese Agnew who used to work booze retail in downtown SF. Unlike most non-distiller producers, however, Jake is actually going out and doing something unique with cask maturation. He’s reconditioning used barrels with apple brandy, cold brew coffee, and sour ale to make three different selections for Mosswood. The espresso is shockingly delicious. I don’t normally associate whiskey with coffee, but if it works in an Irish Coffee then why wouldn’t it work as a cask enhancement? What matters is that it does.

• Noah’s Mill Bourbon 750ml – 3 available ($54.99) Wine Spectator: “A fiery oak nose eventually yields sweet corn, herbal grass notes and light vanilla. Laser-intense flavors of mint, rye and eau-de-vie-purity corn spirit heat up the mouth. Break it with a bit of water and you’ll get corn pudding, boozy vanilla and a drying oak finish. It’s a great example of deep flavor hidden in overproof whiskey. ” (02/2012) K&L Notes: Noah’s Mill is a handmade, small-batch Kentucky Bourbon with unique character and a smoothness rarely found in young whiskies. Awarded a Gold Medal at the 2005 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. This received 91 points in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible, with the following review: “Stunning small grain, the rye in particular starring…This is one of Kentucky’s most complex whiskies by far. Small grains, big heart.”

• Wild Turkey 101 Rye 1L – 12 available ($39.99)

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