Hello again everyone! Another busy week in the spirits department has yielded another bountiful series of deliveries, bursting with more exciting whiskies to tell you about today. We’ve got more fun stuff from Islay, another single cask of ancient grain whisky, and some fun events to talk about as well. Let’s not waste any time!

MORE LAPHROAIG CAIRDEAS (NO LIMITS NOW) AND MORE BOWMORE DEVIL’S CASK

If you’ve never watched Laphroaig’s head distiller John Campbell shovel peat into the distillery’s kiln, it’s a beautiful thing. As is the new Laphroaig Cairdeas, the 2016 special release from the Islay stalwart finished in Madeira casks. We had to limit customers to one bottle last week, but this time around we’ve got enough for everyone so the limits are off! Get yourself some smoky Laphroaig goodness to prepare for the upcoming holiday season.

Laphroaig 2016 “Cairdeas” Madeira Cask Islay Single Malt Whisky (750ml) $79.99 Each year Laphroaig’s Master Distiller, John Campbell, handcrafts a limited edition malt to celebrate friendship (“Cairdeas” in Gaelic). The 2016 bottling features fully-matured Laphroaig aged in ex-bourbon barrels before being blended together for a second maturation in Madeira seasoned traditional hogsheads. The result is a classically smoky Laphroaig with accents of sweet fruits and honey around the edges. Bottled at 51.6%, the extra kick helps balance out the additional richness. If one bottle of deliciously-limited Islay whisky isn’t enough for you, then you should grab a bottle of the Bowmore Devil’s Cask. Not only is it extra peaty, it’s extra sherried! We sold out quickly last time around, but we managed to snag an extra serving of batch three today. This is for fans of the Aberlour “Abunad’h” whisky who want a bit of smoke to go with all that high-proof sherry action.

Bowmore Devil’s Cask “Batch 3” Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) $99.99 Bowmore’s limited edition, 56.7% sherry-matured whisky is so powerful and intense, it must have been the work of the devil! From the distillery: On the eye: Deep mahogany. Breathe in a cornucopia of rich, dark, exotic fruits, sultana, mango and raisin, fused with earthy angelica root and treacle toffee. Sip the smooth, rounded taste of date oil, chocolate fudge and salted treacle, warmed by orange-laced Aruba coffee. Savour the long-lasting finish of smoked fruitcake, blood orange and sea salt.

MORE JAPANESE RICE WHISKIES

For those of you who loved the K&L single cask selections from the Fukano and Ohishi distilleries, we’ve just re-upped with more inventory. These are not exclusive selections for K&L this time around, but the whiskies definitely stay true to the original character of what we sold you last time around. Check out what just came in:

Fukano Japanese Whisky (750ml) $79.99 This exceptional distillery in the city of Kumamoto on the southern island of Kyushu has been distilling since 1823. They’re famous for a diverse offering of Shochus and high quality liqueurs, but a tiny portion of their production is devoted to malted rice distillation. In Japan, these old whiskies are not bottled as such, though they do meet the definition by American standards. Instead they use them to make their high-end liqueurs, which is sad for them, but GREAT for us. This new offering from Fukano Distillery showcases a blend two cask types, new oak and sherry. Same exquisite quality as previous offerings although now featuring the distinct influence of sherry along with the rich wonderful flavors we expect from Fukano.

Ohishi Japanese Whisky (750ml) $69.99 The Ohishi distillery is located on the banks of the Kuma River, one Japan’s fastest flowing rivers. The distillery was founded in 1872 and produces some of the most exciting whisky coming out of Japan. Ohishi grows at least 30% of the rice that they distill, and the fertile soils and exceptional growing climate make for some of the finest base ingredients available. The strain of rice is called “gohyakumanishi” (meaning “five million stones”), and an organic method of cultivation is utilized that requires the use of koi carp for weed control. The rest of the grain is procured from local farms in Kumamoto prefecture and is of the short grained Mochi variety. The grains are partially malted and then distilled on the traditional Japanese stills before being filled into ex-sherry and brandy casks and aged in high-altitude warehouses.

Ohishi Single Sherry Cask Japanese Whisky (750ml) $69.99 Another single sherry cask release, this is full of that soft, rich, Oloroso flavor whisky drinkers love. This cask brings in a great balanced sherry influence and definitely feels more like Scotch than our single cask from the Fukano Distillery.

COME MEET BRUICHLADDICH’S NEW HEAD DISTILLER: ADAM HANNETT

Bruichladdich Single Malt Tasting & Dinner w/Adam Hannett @ Donato $50.00

Come out to Donato Enoteca in Redwood City on Tuesday night, November 8th, at 7 PM for an unforgettable event with Bruichladdich’s young new leader Adam Hannett. We’ll have some Botanist gin cocktails for you, as well as a full three course meal along with a trip through the distillery’s core whisky range. Adam will be there to introduce himself, unveil what the future of Bruichladdich holds, and talk you through the malts as we taste them. Those who haven’t yet caught wind of how important the specific origins of barley are going to be to the future of single malt whisky will want to be hand for this one. Bruichladdich is already at the forefront of this movement and Adam is ready to continue that push forward. Once again, tickets are a ridiculous fifty dollars, so they will likely go fast. They’ll have the full line up as well as the Black Art and Octomore whiskies on hand to taste. This will be a formally scheduled event, however, so expect a guided tasting, a Q&A session, and a full presentation from the Bruichladdich team. There are no refunds once you’ve purchased your seat, so please check your schedule before committing! We’ll see you there!

That’s it for today, folks! You know where to find me if you need more help!

David Driscoll K&L Spirits Buyer daviddriscoll@klwines.com 650-556-2736 http://spiritsjournal.klwines.com

Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637)

Email: wine@klwines.com

K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA

San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA