SUMMER CLOSEOUT SPECIAL

While it’s typical to see things like Pinnacle Cinnabon flavored vodka on the usual sale sheet, we’ve got some great deals to show you today. Grab ’em while they last:

I’ve got too much Double Cask! Nothing wrong with it, just too much. Help me, so I can continue to help you!

Macallan “Double Cask” 12 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) (Previously $55) ($39.99) – Macallan’s latest release is a 12-year-old “double cask” malt, meaning the whisky spent time in both sherry-seasoned new American and European oak. The result is a rich and cocoa-laden malt that encompasses the sweeter and more decadent flavors of the sherry while still maintaining the malt’s inherent flavors at the core with the spice of two different woods. The result is quite splendid. Macallan fans will revel in the Double Cask’s richness, its intensity and weight, and the creamy goodness of its palate. The flavors are dark and supple with plenty of cakebread, dark chocolate, and toasted oak. Fans of fine Scotch whisky will appreciate the price and the age statement, especially given the current trend of young whisky being sold at higher costs.

Ditto with the West Cork 12 year olds. These are great whiskies, I just need space for more whiskey. MORE! There’s always more!

The West Cork distillery started as a pet project by John O’ Connell, Denis McCarthy and Ger McCarthy in 2003 in Union Hall, West Cork. In 2013 after much expansion WCD moved to a larger distillery in Skibbereen, West Cork where it now resides. It now operates as only one of the few independent distilleries in Ireland. A trio of limited 12 year old releases has just trickled into the U.S. and we’ve been told this will be it as far as inventory until late in 2018. Each finished in a different type of cask (port, sherry, and rum), the soft and creamy Irish whisky takes on just a bit of the character from the barrel it was matured in.

West Cork 12 Year Old “Port Cask Finish” Limited Edition Single Malt Irish Whiskey (750ml) (Previously $60) ($39.99) – The port cask release offers a subtle tinge of red fruit and sweet dessert flavor on the finish, but the influence is very delicate and refined.

West Cork 12 Year Old “Sherry Cask Finish” Limited Edition Single Malt Irish Whiskey (750ml) (Previously $60) ($39.99) – The sherry cask finish takes the subtle sweetness of Oloroso and melds it into the easy-drinking character of the whisky, adding just a bit of chewy richness to the soft vanilla.

West Cork 12 Year Old “Rum Cask Finish” Limited Edition Single Malt Irish Whiskey (750ml) (Previously $60) ($39.99) – The rum cask release has a creamy and textural palate of sweet grains with just a bit of that sweet molasses that you would associate with a Caribbean rum.

And, believe it or not, I pulled a few more cases of this out of our import warehouse and I don’t feel like explaining these all over again. Let’s just let ’em fly!

1964 Sovereign 51 Year Old “K&L Exclusive” Single Barrel (44.6%) Cask Strength Blended Grain Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($199.99) – While it’s commonplace today for a Scotch distillery to blend their whiskies together and then re-barrel the resulting recipe, it’s rare to find a marriage of whiskies that were blended and barreled from day one. You’d have to go back to the 1960s to find an example of such a process, which is exactly what we did one morning in Glasgow when we came upon three mystery casks at one of our favorite suppliers. “No one knows for sure what’s in them,” our agent told us, “all we have is the date: December of 1964.” It was exactly this uncertainty that helped these barrels fall through the cracks, year after year. No one knew what was in them, or what to do with them, so they sat in the warehouse, getting older, and older, and older until we gave them a home. This 51 year old blend is comprised of various grain whiskies, but drinks like one singular entity working in complete harmony. As grain whisky ages it becomes soft, mellow, mild, and creamy in nature, so after five decades in wood this mystery blend is as smooth as they come. There’s not much of a noticeable difference between the two casks we’re currently offering, but tasting them side by side this particular blend has a bit more wood and more of a pure grain flavor, almost like you can taste the husks in between the sweetness of the oak. There’s a flurry of spice on the finish that tingles your taste buds just before the soft wave of texture washes away. What this whisky lacks in complexity, it makes up for in pure grace.

Auchentoshan American Oak Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) (Previously $33) ($25.99) – One of my favorite mid-priced single malts, so easy to drink and enjoyable with the Bourbon cask aging. Now sub-$30! Are you kidding me? Buy a case!

BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY WINS TOP AWARDS AT 2017 INTERNATIONAL SPIRITS CHALLENGE

Spirits awarded three gold and one silver 

FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (June 14, 2017) – Buffalo Trace Distillery received high praise during the 2017 International Spirits Challenge. Multiple whiskies from the Distillery received gold and one received silver. In total, Buffalo Trace Distillery received four medals from the ISC judging panel.

This year, the competition received more than 1,300 entries from nearly 70 countries around the globe. ISC awards are viewed as highly impressive and are big achievements for the competitors.

Buffalo Trace Distillery whiskies awarded gold include Eagle Rare 10 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Stagg Jr. Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey received silver.

“We are very flattered by the awards our whiskies received at the ISC competition. 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.”

This competition is in its 22nd year of judging award winning spirits. The ISC is judged by a panel of renowned judges with different specialties within the spirit industry. The competition promotes outstanding quality spirits from all over the world and enforces a rigorous and independent judging process.  Results from the 2017 International Spirits Challenge can be found at http://www.internationalspiritschallenge.com/isc2017/2017-results. 

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

Wild Turkey “Master’s Keep – Decades” Bourbon ($129.99)

The second release in the Master’s Keep series, the Wild Turkey “Decades” is a marriage of casks aged between 10 to 20 years that, in my opinion, is a huge step up from the previous 17 year old release for a number of reasons. The first: it’s bottled at a higher 52% ABV that really adds lift and vigor to the richness and spice of the whiskey. Whereas the 17 year was quite mellow and soft having been aged in a brick warehouse off-site, the Decades is bold and quite lively. Second reason: whereas the 17 year was a marriage of similar casks, the Decades is a marriage of whiskies between 10 – 20 years old, carefully constructed so that the best parts of each barrel highlight one another. Think of this as Wild Turkey’s version of the Four Roses Small Batch Limited Edition – mature casks, blended with skill to create a whiskey greater than the simple sum of its components. Everything about the Decades tastes fantastic. There’s plenty of sweetness, a roundness of fruit, loads of baking spices like clove and cinnamon, and a bold, mouthwatering finish. There’s no need to add water, but you can if you like. Perhaps the whiskey’s greatest strength is its immediate accessibility and gorgeous bottle, making it the perfect gift for any Bourbon lover. As someone who’s tried pretty much every Bourbon in the book, I’m planning on adding the Decades to my collection. But I can just as easily imagine the casual whiskey drinker being absolutely wowed by this. – David Driscoll, Assistant Head Buyer

Wild Turkey “Master’s Keep – Decades” Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) ($129.99)

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: June 15, 2017

It’s no secret that I love Wild Turkey. Whether it’s the incredible commitment to quality, the wonderful people, the gorgeous new distillery (sentimentality for Old Ripy aside it’s truly a masterpiece of modern engineering), but of course the real reason we love the Kickin’ Chicken is the whisky is fabulous. And it was fitting that I got to sample Wild Turkey’s new Decades release along side the youngest member of the Russell family to join the WT team, Bruce Russell. The decades contains the oldest whisky ever released by WT and is a mile stone for Jimmy, Eddie, and Bruce (I’m going with Brucey). Bruce will soon begin learning from his Father and grandfather the art of bourbon, after several years of learning to sell whisky in Texas and I was glad to have finally met over a glass of his predecessor’s the legacy. I immediately knew that the Wild Turkey name would be in good hands for decades to come, no pun intended, and look forward to many years of tasting great whisky with this man despite however big the shoes he must fill are. Bruce is down to earth and fun, but this whisky is serious as hell. Apparently it was originally going to be a blend of 20 and 15 year old – as these old stocks had been located at some offsite warehouses. Campari only managed to digitize their whisky inventory in 2010 and experimental batches where hidden all over Kentucky. The original blend would have been made up of these old casks but for the protests of Mr. Jimmy Russell. He likes that whisky at 10 years old and felt the older stocks lack the distinctive flavor profile he expected from his bourbon. So they added a bit of 10 year (apparently about as much 10 as 20) and most of the blend is 14-16 year old whiskies. The result is something wonderfully complex and full of deep dense bourbon spice, a twinge of herbaceous mint and nutty roasted vanilla. A big bold classic WT in a way that last years 17 was distinctly not. Tons of texture at 104 proof and sweet caramel finish. I’m not surprised to love this but I absolutely do!

Andrew Stevens | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: June 15, 2017

Finding both rare and extremely good bourbon that can be a gift (for you or if necessary someone else) has become a difficult task. Good, aged bourbon is increasingly scarce in the market, and while I love just good everyday bourbon sometimes you need that bottle that will catch the eye and the imagination. Enter the Wild Turkey Decades, the new expression from Master’s Keep collection. Essentially this is a blend of carefully selected barrels of older Wild Turkey, the nose is warm, sweet and inviting with vanilla and candy corn notes. The palate shows a soft richness with rising heat and spice from the 104 proof. This bottle showcase the depth and breadth of Wild Turkey that few other places can boast, a supple smoothness that speaks to craft.

Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: June 15, 2017

This Bourbon offers what a mature whiskey should. It has concentrated flavors that are subtle and delicate . It is mellow and easy to drink with caramel and honey notes that are harmonious. This Bourbon is about nuance and flavor. What really stands out is the long delicious finish.

Gary Westby | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: June 15, 2017

I feel strongly that this Decades bottling from Wild Turkey is the best Bourbon in the store, and I haven’t tasted anything this good in a long time. Instead of doing a series of single barrel releases to go after collectors money, Eddie Russell has put together a masterpiece by blending some of the best stuff in the vast Wild Turkey stocks. The synergy of these whiskeys is obvious at first sniff, and I have to pinch myself when I get to taste something this good at work! This has cream, caramel, and a hint of something savory that makes it beguiling to return to. If you want to treat yourself to an unforgettable bottle, look no further!

JUNE AUCTION NOW LIVE (ends Sunday 25^th June)

…place your bids at http://www.whiskyhammer.co.uk/

With an incredible selection of whiskies and other fine spirits there is certainly something for everyone – whether you are looking to collect, invest, enjoy!

The Glenrothes UK Exclusive Single Cask Series

Three UK exclusives released in 2017 as part of the 1st batch of The Glenrothes UK Exclusive Single Cask Series… A 1976 vintage Glenrothes, aged in single cask #2677 for an incredible 39 years and two big sherry bombs, from 2000 & 2006..  Proving to be very popular, we’re struggling to keep these in stock…

Buy Now

https://youtu.be/_izrL08-c8c 

Welcome to Texas! Where what doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger! That’s certainly how I feel about this absolute monster of American whisky making. 

Balcones have always been very cool, in my eyes. Ever since the first time I tried the regular, True Blue and the Brimstone, it’s a distillery that has always had a nurturing attitude towards it’s products and when nothing is bottled at less than 50% ABV, you really get a feel for that.

This whisky is a wash with some of the most splendid and exotic dessert smells, all backed up by a rodeo of spice and a finish that’s drier than a Texas scrub fire. All of this combined makes for a true American adventure on the pallet, it’s something that you won’t forget in a hurry and I don’t intend to let this bottle out of my sight! Cheers!

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Speyside Food and Drinks Festival Returns with a Larger Serving

Following the soaraway success of a festival launched last year to celebrate one of Scotland’s most fruitful food and drink regions, Spirt of Speyside: Distilled is to return – with an even greater range of home-grown flavours.

World leading drinks brands will join small artisan producers for the weekend festival at Elgin Town Hall on September 1 and 2 in a showcase of Speyside’s finest whisky, gin, beer and food. Classic drams will be served up alongside contemporary cocktails with speciality coffee to try alongside grown-up fudge.

This year’s event has been extended to cover two floors of the venue with even more opportunities to sample food and drink and meet the producers passionate about Speyside and its produce.

It’s not just about the tastes that makes the Speyside region  – home to more than half of Scotland’s malt whisky distilleries – renowned across the world for its food and drink. Distilled gives opportunities to experience and learn more about the flavours, through a range of tutorials or ‘masterclasses’ staged by experts.

Tickets for Distilled go on sale on at 9am on Friday, June 16 and with limited places available, food and drink lovers are urged to get in quick to ensure they don’t miss out.

Distilled is delivered by the same team behind the world-famous Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival and the inaugural mini-festival went down a treat with audiences last year.

Festival manager Pery Zakeri says, “Distilled is a melting pot of fantastic flavours and wonderful personalities sharing their enthusiasm for fine food and drink. It offers the chance to enjoy so many different tastes, as well as broadening knowledge of food and drink through our menu of masterclasses.

“We were delighted with the feedback from our inaugural event last year, which introduced a much younger audience to Speyside’s food and drink offering, and we are building on that with this year’s offering.

“We are proud to be playing a lead role in championing the region’s booming food and drink industry by bringing producers and the public together under one roof in celebration of the Speyside larder.”

Distilled drew gastronomes from all over Scotland as well as  visitors from overseas who wanted to be part of first festival of this kind to be held in Speyside. The big global players of the drinks industry stood shoulder to shoulder with small, up-and-coming producers in a mix that went down well with audiences.

Masterclasses ranged from the chance to sample rare and cask strength drams, to cocktail making and food pairing. A range of masterclasses are being offered again this year, costing an additional £15 per person, with full details of the range and times to be announced on the event website.

This celebration of Speyside’s food and drink features four different sessions and these take place from 1-5pm and 6-10pm each day. Tickets are priced at £20 which includes entry, six vouchers for tasting samples of gin, whisky or beer, a lanyard and a Glencairn crystal nosing and tasting glass.

All whisky, gin, beer and foods on offer will have a Speyside provenance and there will be the chance to purchase products from stand holders. There will also be festival merchandise available to buy.

For more information and to book tickets  visit www.distilled.scot

Distilled is active on social media at www.facebook.com/distilledscot on Twitter and Instagram @distilledscot.  Follow the festival at #distilled17

Pictures – Distilled, a delicious mix of Speyside’s finest food and drinks, returns to Elgin Town Hall on September 1 and 2.

Poland’s first whisky festival, which premiered in August 2014 in Jastrzebia Gora, founded and organised by Polish whisky bar Dom Whisky. 

Our whisky festival is the only Polish event that gathers the greatest personalities of the whisky world, whisky enthusiasts and people just starting their whisky adventure all in one place.  

We’re not about imposing rules, but showing people how to extract the most from the world of whisky. Guided by the motto ‘whisky is like a friendship, the older, the better’, we believe that together we create a unique atmosphere at the festival, and our relationship will mature over the years like the precious ‘water of life’.  

The fourth edition of the festival will offer:

– More than 600 whiskies to taste at very attractive prices,

– Masterclasses conducted by the greatest personalities in the world of whisky

– Whisky bottles available at very attractive prices

– Presentations, tastings, workshops and live music. 

The first show brought together 1,500 guests, while the second event grew to 4,000 guests. The third gathered more than 6,500 people. This year, we are looking forward to Your visit.

FIND YOUR RAY OF SUNSHINE

With the start of summer on the horizon our thoughts are turning to warm lazy days, gentle breezes and enjoying the outdoors. We’ve put together five whiskies that are perfect for summer sipping. Buy them online now before the sun dwindles and they are gone forever.

BROWSE WHISKY

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ

Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at here for membership information

This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!

Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video

Ardbeg Kelpie 2017 limited release

A limited edition celebrating Ardbeg Day at the 2017 Fèis Ìle, this Islay single malt is the distillery’s first to use virgin oak from the Black Sea coast for maturation. Known for imparting incredibly deep flavour notes, only a handful of whiskies have ever been matured in these casks. Combined with hallmark ex-bourbon Ardbeg, the result is a whisky that tells of its ties to the Black Sea and the waves of flavour taken from the casks.

£96 Buy Now

Available while stocks last Orders dispatched week commencing 19th June