MALT OF THE MONTH
OCTOBER 2016
PORT CHARLOTTE ISLAY BARLEY 2008
70cl / 50%
£49.95
WAS £54.95
Rich and smoky whisky from the west of Islay – Scotland’s whisky isle. This is made at Bruichladdich only using barley grown on the island.
2005 Ballechin (Peated Edradour) 10 Year Old K&L Exclusive Single Bourbon Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky (750ml) $89.99 View
Although we’ve been working directly with Edradour’s Signatory label for five years now, we’ve never bottled anything directly from the distillery until finding this monster cask of 2005 Ballechin on our last trip. Ballechin is what Edradour distillery calls its heavily peated expression, and the result is something far more beastly than anything you’ll find on Islay. That’s not to say the whisky is peatier, but rather it’s heavier, more earthy, brooding, and dense. The peat smoke is clear right off the bat, but once it begins to collide with Edradour’s intense maltiness, the peat becomes something completely different. If you can imagine the smells and flavors of fermenting malt, that combination of sour, sweet, and cooked grains, then combine those elements with scorched earth, heavy smoke, and burnt peat, then you’ll begin to understand the power of this single Bourbon cask of Ballechin. Now power that profile up to 55.8% and all that intensity gets dialed up a notch. What’s ironic to me about this whisky is that it comes from one of Scotland’s tiniest, daintiest, most manicured and fairy tale-esque distilleries. There’s nothing dainty about this malt, however. (David Driscoll, K&L Spirits Buyer)
Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: October 01, 2016
I am very happy that we were able to purchase this cask from Edradour on this year’s trip. It is flavorful, interesting and just plain fun to drink. There are nice fruit and smoke aromas. In the mouth it is a lusty gem with an interaction between expressive fruit and smoke with smooth and clean flavors. Very good.
Andrew Stevens | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: October 01, 2016
This is one of the most unique and interesting 10 year old Scotch whiskies I have tasted from anywhere in Scotland. A heavily peated Highland style that offers almost a char-grilled fruit note with layers of caramel and toffee. The big fruit with highlights of vanilla are bolstered by scorched earth and malty goodness. This is a super fun whisky that is a big boy, yet still balanced for all that and a different approach for those of us who love big peat and bold flavors.
1995 Benrinnes 20 Year Old K&L Exclusive “Signatory” Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky (750ml) $99.99 View
Here at K&L we love Benrinnes distillery so much that, as soon as one cask sells through, we turn right back around and buy another. Whereas we usually like to shake things up and diversify our inventory to keep things fresh, we start breaking out into sweats when the Benrinnes starts to get low. While it’s not a household name, Benrinnes is part of the Johnnie Walker empire and, while it’s rarely bottled as a single malt, the distillery makes one of the softest, fruitiest, most drinkable whiskies in the business. Everything about the flavor of Benrinnes is joyful, lithe, and warming. This particular cask is light on its feet with fresh stone fruit on the initial entry, followed by soft touches of oak from the hogshead cask and a lovely note of biscuit and sweet malt. What’s also interesting about this cask is that it only yielded 112 bottles and proofed itself down to 48.2% naturally. The result is a high-end session whisky designed to please serious fans of old school Scotch. The bad news about this cask is that it’s the last one in Signatory’s warehouse, meaning we’re going to have to look elsewhere for future releases. At least 112 people will go home happy! (David Driscoll, K&L Spirits Buyer)
Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: October 01, 2016
This Benrinnes speaks for itself. As soon as one smells it, the Benrinnes 20 invites one to drink it with pretty aromas that are floral and malty. In the mouth it is classic, light and pretty with fruit and malt flavors. It is easy to drink and there is a nice finish.
Andrew Stevens | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: October 01, 2016
This is now the third bottling of a Benrinnes I have tried, and the second from Signatory, and I am still struck by how good the whisky from this distillery is. The third party bottlings of Benrinnes have become my go to for elegance and balance, and for anyone looking for an amazing bottle on the lighter and more delicate side. There is a lovely whiff of peat on the nose wrapped in notes of green apple and pear. Light fruited notes with layers of peat and a subtle smoke lead to a slightly spiced finish that has very little heat. This is a beautiful bottle that is light, elegant, and perfectly well balanced.
1992 Longmorn 24 Year Old K&L Exclusive “Signatory” Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky (750ml) $159.99 View
THE ENGLISH WHISKY COMPANY REVEALS NEW DESIGN
The English Whisky Co. – England’s first whisky distillery unveils striking new packaging and introduces ‘Original’ and ‘Smokey’ branded as The English.
Having undergone an impressive re-design, the distillery has rebranded its ‘Classic’ and ‘The Peated’ expressions. The eye-catching new packaging emphasises the hand-crafted nature of the whisky, its Norfolk provenance and the English heritage which provided the inspiration for the new design.
Award-winning design agency Breeze Creative was appointed to create the new look and feel for the brand which will eventually be rolled out across all packaging for the core range.
Established in 2006, The English Whisky Co. is the home of England’s first and oldest distillery. Built by the Nelstrop family for the specific purpose of producing the very finest English malt whisky, the location is famed for its barley growing; the family have a 600-year tradition of growing and processing grain.
According to Andrew Nelstrop, owner of The English Whisky Co; “We have invested a lot of time in rediscovering our distillery and our values. Much has changed in the world of whisky over the last decade and we now have a far stronger voice, relevance and sense of identity in our rebranded packaging.”
The English Original 43% ABV
A gentle aroma with hints of vanilla and tropical fruits. Like a soft whipped vanilla ice cream. Melts on the palate. Slightly nutty with a long malty finish. Finish is clean, dry and slightly salty.
The English Smokey 43% ABV
A gentle aroma with hint of vanilla, aniseed and ginger, a creamy palate, a little peat initially and then the smoke bomb! Finish is long, spicy and smokey.
The English Original and Smokey are bottled at 43% ABV and are non-chill filtered. Priced at £34.99, both expressions will be available from specialist whisky retailers.
Notes
About The English Whisky Co.
The Nelstrop family has a 600-year tradition of growing and processing grain. In 2005 the family decided to build a distillery and make its own whisky, this would be England’s first whisky distillery in over 100 years. The best barley is grown in Norfolk and the Breckland water is peerless.
In December 2006, the distillery was able to make the first 29 barrels of English whisky and the following year HRH Prince Charles officially opened the distillery. The English Whisky Company distills four days a week, for 44 weeks of the year, which produces around 150,000 bottles of whisky.
Awards
In 2015 The English Whisky Co. was awarded 2 Great Taste Gold Awards for its Chapter 15 and Nelstrop’s PX. It has also been awarded 15 Liquid Gold awards by Jim Murray as well as being named as producer of European Whisky of the Year 2015.
BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY WINS TOP AWARDS AT 2016 NEW YORK WORLD WINE AND SPIRITS COMPETITION
Spirits awarded one double gold medal, four gold medals, and total of eight medals won
FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (Sept. 28, 2016) – Buffalo Trace Distillery has a lot to celebrate after the results from the 2016 New York World Wine and Spirits competition were released. The Distillery received double gold for its Benchmark Old No. 8 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, in addition to claiming four gold and three silver medals.
“We are flattered to receive these awards. To be ranked so highly by such a prestigious competition is a great feeling,” Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley said. “We take a strong pride in our whiskey making and we are very honored by each of the awards our products were given.”
This year, the number of brand entries increased by 50 percent and the NYWWSC reported that the quality of the brands entered ranked superior. The competition had more top medal winners than has been seen in the past several years.
Those brands awarded Gold included:
Those brands awarded Silver were:
Benchmark Old No. 8 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey received the highest honor, the double gold medal. The double gold medal is given only if every judge awards a gold medal to the product.
This competition is associated with the Triple Crown of Competitions (The San Francisco International Wine Competition and The San Francisco World Spirits Competition), and is in its sixth year. The NYWWSC is judged by a panel of the spirit industry’s most renowned judges including award-winning authors, buyers, journalists, educators and bar owners, who rate each spirit on a 100-point scale.
Results from the 2016 New York World Wine and Spirits Competition can be found at www.nyworldwineandspiritscompetition.com/.
About Buffalo Trace Distillery
Buffalo Trace Distillery is an American family-owned company based in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich tradition dates back to 1773 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee. Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational Distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site and is a National Historic Landmark as well as is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Distillery has won 17 distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. It was named “Brand Innovator of the Year” by Whisky Magazine at its Icons of Whisky America Awards 2015. Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 300 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit www.buffalotracedistillery.com/.
A bottle of The Glenfiddich Collection 1937 sold for a record beating £68,500 at Bonhams Whisky Sale in Edinburgh today (Wednesday 5 October). It had been estimated at £25,000-35,000. The price is the highest paid at auction for a bottle of Glenfiddich and a Scottish auction house record for the sale of a single malt.
The whisky, which was bought by a bidder in the Far East, was laid down in cask 843 at The Glenfiddich Distillery in 1937, the year of George VI’s coronation, and bottled 64 years later in 2001. It is highly unusual for a single malt Scotch Whisky of this age to have kept its strength and it is this attribute which makes the sixty bottles from cask 843 so special. It is the oldest and rarest bottling ever undertaken at the distillery.
Bonhams Whisky specialist Martin Green said, “The record price reflects the exceptional rarity of the Glenfiddich Rare Collection 1937 and its great appeal to collectors everywhere.”
In total, the sale made £310,000.
NOTES
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. Today, the auction house offers more sales than any of its rivals. The main salerooms are in London, New York and Hong Kong. Sales are also held in the UK in Knightsbridge and Edinburgh; in the US, in San Francisco and Los Angeles; in Europe, in Paris and Stuttgart and in Sydney, Australia. Bonhams also 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 forthcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, please visit bonhams.com.
NEW RELEASES FROM LAPHROAIG
Laphroaig lands Loch-side!
Today we have two new releases from Laphroaig, the Islay distillery home to one of the most distinctive single malts in the world. With opinions ranging from “a symphony for the soul” to “like being punched in the face with pure, peaty, salty bliss”, Laphroaig is a divisive malt.
The new 25 year old expression marries the signature Islay peat with sweet vanilla notes from the American bourbon casks in which it was matured, while the 30 year old is matured twice in ex-Bourbon barrels, giving it a rounded character and exceptional smoothness.
Next day delivery available on UK orders We ship worldwide
Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 143: Shelter Point 2016 Inaugural Run
Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tries a new Canadian whisky. On Vancouver Island, the utmost west Canada, you can visit the new Shelter Point Distillery. This is a beautiful distillery in which the owners have clearly invested a tremendous amount of money. And in June 2016 the released their very first bottling: Shelter Point 2016 Inaugural Run. This whisky was produced from two row barley that grows on the farm, double distilled in copper pot stills from the Scottish company Forsyth’s and matured for 5 years on American oak.
NEW GLOBAL MALTS AMBASSADOR FOR BACARDI
Hamilton, Bermuda, 26th September 2016 – Bacardi has appointed Georgie Bell as Global Malts Ambassador for its range of single malt Scotch whiskies.
Bell started her career in the drinks industry as a bartender in Scotland while studying at the University of Edinburgh. Thereafter, Georgie completed her diploma in distillation from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling. The Worshipful Company of Distillers granted Georgie their International Award for the Fundamentals in Distilling Course in 2012, and in 2013 she was granted Freedom of the Company. Her most recent position was global brand ambassador for Mortlach.
Bacardi launched an exemplary range of top-shelf whiskies in September 2014 and Georgie will have a crucial role in promoting the brands worldwide, initially focusing on raising the profile of the single malts from ABERFELDY®, AULTMORE®, CRAIGELLACHIE®, THE DEVERON® and ROYAL BRACKLA® in emerging markets. As an integral part of the team, Bell will help develop new concepts by tapping into current and future whisky trends.
Showcasing the commitment and dedication to Scotch whisky, Bacardi will be developing an internal education program in which Bell will play a vital part. Ian Taylor, Global Brand Director, Malt Whisky for Bacardi, said: “We are delighted to have Georgie on board, with her enthusiasm, knowledge and an incredible understanding of the global whisky market she will be a key member of the team; together we will aim to win over a new generation of whisky drinkers around the world.”
Bell adds “I’m very excited to have joined a very talented global whisky and ambassador team as Global Malts Ambassador. With Craigellachie, Aberfeldy, Aultmore, Royal Brackla and The Deveron in my case, I’ll be taking to the world and spreading the word about this incredibly strong line-up of single malt Scotch whiskies.”
Notes:
About Bacardi
Bacardi, the largest privately held spirits company in the world, produces and markets internationally recognized spirits and wines. The company boasts a portfolio of some of the most iconic and top-selling spirits brands including BACARDÍ® rum, GREY GOOSE® vodka, DEWAR’S® blended Scotch whisky, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® gin, CAZADORES® 100% blue agave tequila, MARTINI® vermouth and sparkling wines, ST-GERMAIN elderflower liqueur and other leading and emerging brands.
Founded more than 154 years ago in Santiago de Cuba on February 4, 1862, family-owned Bacardi manufactures its brands at 29 facilities and sells them in more than 160 countries. The Craigellachie, Aberfeldy, Aultmore, Royal Brackla and The Deveron brands are part of the portfolio of Bacardi Limited, headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited.
You can’t aim for or feign authenticity; it’s not something that you can just try on for size like a jacket. Authentic means doing your own thing, the very best way you know how, without worrying about what everybody else is doing. And that’s exactly what Jack Daniel’s has been doing for 150 years.
Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey is a product not just of ingredients or process, but also of the Lynchburg, TN culture and time-honored traditions that created and preserved it for 150 years. That culture stands against superficiality, against half-truths, against losing sight of what’s important, and it stands strong. Authentic. And through a new series of films, Jack Daniel’s will honor their hometown and its people – the individuals dedicated to making the very best whiskey they can, every day.
Jack Daniel’s will kick off the series with the debut of “Our Town” – a 60-second anthem spot that shows people who they are and who they’ve always been. Created in partnership with Arnold Worldwide, “Our Town” and accompanying 60, 30 and 15-second films will highlight the people of Lynchburg – from its 5th generation residents, to a man that can lift a 526-pound barrel of whiskey, to a woman named Hiawatha Kitty McGee. The stories were designed to reinforce an emotional connection with the Jack Daniel’s faithful and provide a launching point for the next 150 years.
This launch represents a continuation of the brand’s celebration of the 150th Anniversary milestone of the Jack Daniel Distillery – the oldest registered distillery in the U.S. Earlier this year, Jack Daniel’s and Arnold launched The Jack Daniel’s Barrel Hunt to unite Friends of Jack across the globe, with 150 authentic handcrafted whiskey barrels being hidden at historic and cultural sites in more than 55 countries over the course of 90 days. The global program kicked off in Lynchburg, TN on July 1 and is running through the end of the month, September 30.
The new :60 spot can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQEaEfaavYc.
($82.99)
While Bowmore seems to play second (or even fourth) fiddle to the Ardbeg, Lagavulin and Laphroaig selections on our shelf, we’ve always been enamored with Islay’s most historic distillery. We’ve never let popular whisky culture or changes in the portfolio diminish the fact that Bowmore tastes pretty damn good in a number of iterations. While tasting through single-cask selections this year, we found a 14-year-old sherry butt that was so dark and so soft we couldn’t pass it up. The best part about this particular expression was the texture; it mirrored the most popular Bowmore edition we sell: the 15-year-old “Darkest,” albeit at full proof and from one concentrated cask (and despite the fact this was supposedly a “refill” barrel). The flavors are dark and rich, brooding and slow-moving over the palate. Dark chocolate accented by a beach bonfire oozes over the tongue, buoyed by toasted almonds and earthy peat. The nice part about sherry butts is that they hold more whisky! In the case of this 14-year-old Bowmore, we figured we were going to need every drop. We expect this to be one of the most popular K&L casks of the fall season; while it lasts, of course.
Andrew Whiteley | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: September 21, 2016
With tons of vanilla and cinnamon on the nose and the lovely smoky phenolics of classic Bowmore this refill sherry cask is not to be missed. The deeper than expected sherry profile gives the sweet profile of candy coated nuts at a carnival. Its smooth and textural but still robust thanks to the cask strength bottling. Sweet earth like fresh black gold compost and a hint of salinity round out this steal. We probably should have priced this north of $100, but we love having great deals on our shelves as much as you do!
Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: September 18, 2016
The color of this wonderful cask is a dark brown reflecting the sherry barrel aging. In the nose there are inviting light smoke aromas. In the mouth it is rich and round, showing the influence of the sherry.The sherry barrel did not make this Bowmore overly sweet but added complexity and helps make this single malt so good and easy to enjoy . There is a nice long finish.
David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: September 17, 2016
An absolutely delicious smoky whisky that should please any fan of the genre. This has everything: smoke, peat, sherry, campfire, earth, chocolate, toffee, and even a nuttiness that finishes with poise and presence. I’ll be recommending this to everyone looking for something beyond Lagavulin 16.
