NEW FOUR ROSES “K&L EXCLUSIVE” SINGLE BARREL

My colleague David Othenin-Girard has just received in his latest cask of Four Roses, a 61.1% ABV whopper that should sell through quickly. Check out his notes below!

Four Roses “K&L Exclusive” Single Barrel OBSV (Aged 8 Years & 7 Months) Cask Strength Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey (750ml)- $64.99 – Two decades ago Kentucky was struggling to stay in business. Today, nobody can keep up with demand and the Bourbon distilleries are producing at full blast. It’s true that we might not see the great old whiskies of yesteryear for some time, but that doesn’t negate the fact that absolutely stunning whiskey is coming out of Kentucky like never before. They are more focused on the quality their straight bourbons than ever and that zeal pays off down the road. It may very well be that back in January 2009 when Mr. Rutledge was distilling this very cask of whiskey, Kentucky’s fortunes had already obviously turned. Many decades of decline for the country’s most quintessential tipple would have obviously subsided and the Bluegrass state would have entered its current renaissance period. Things changed during this period for the consumer. No longer could ultra aged bourbons be procured without ordeal, but those same distilleries were still producing some of American history’s best whiskey day after day at facilities across Kentucky. Today we reap those benefits. This special bourbon distilled from the flagship V yeast strain and the extra high rye mash bill, is the perfect example of how special the production at this Lawrenceburg facility was during the period. A nose of incredible power and spice, bold notes of fresh mint and sweet stewed stone fruit, exotic honey and baking spice. The palate is bold and spice driven replacing the grace of a typical cask with intensity and power.

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 180: Trip to Islay – part 2 of 4

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, travels to Islay. Together with his wife Sofie en friends Niek & Ilse, he visits all eight distilleries on this island, known as the Queen of the Hebrides. In this second of four videos, they visit the Kildalton Cross as well as the Kildalton Trio of distilleries: Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg. But they also pop over to the Port Ellen maltings, before setting off to the Mull of Oa to visit the American Monument. Enjoy this video impression of Mark’s trip to Islay.

https://youtu.be/fF6ywUmvp3k

EDINBURGH EATERY CROWNED SCOTTISH RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

Restaurant The Dining Room at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society collects prestigious award at The AA Hospitality Awards

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s restaurant The Dining Room in Edinburgh (www.thediningroomedinburgh.co.uk/) has been named as Restaurant of the Year for Scotland at the prestigious AA Hospitality Awards in London.

The Dining Room restaurant, situated on the first floor of the Society’s 28 Queen Street venue, was praised for its superb service and the culinary brilliance of head chef James Freeman and his team.

The Dining Room’s menu combines seasonal local ingredients, inventive cooking and traditional fine dining. Dishes include fillet of hake and langoustine with courgette and yellow pepper stew; and ballotine of Gartmorn farm duck with fermented rhubarb and red onion with duck consommé.

Past winners of the Restaurant of the Year for Scotland award include Inver in Loch Fyne, The Gannet in Glasgow and Timberyard in Edinburgh.

A member of the AA Hospitality Awards judging panel said: “The Dining Room at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society offers a dining experience steeped in French classicism.”

The restaurant was relaunched in the summer of 2016 as part of a makeover of the Society’s Georgian townhouse at 28 Queen Street. This saw the Dining Room moved from the ground floor to the first floor and take on a bright new contemporary look and expanded capacity. The ground floor is now home to the Society’s Kaleidoscope Whisky Bar.

The Dining Room also features an exclusive Charles Heidsieck Champagne Table, where groups of four or more can match five different expressions from the highly regarded champagne house with a specially designed five-course meal.

In January, The Dining Room was awarded two AA rosettes, while in April the 28 Queen Street venue won overall Special Award in The List Magazine’s annual Eating & Drinking Guide. The restaurant previously earned a 10/10 review from The Herald’s restaurant reviewer Joanna Blythman.

Commenting on the success, Venue Manager, Francois Guillemet, said: “Winning Restaurant of the Year for Scotland is a huge achievement for us and I’m incredibly proud of what the team has achieved.

“James Freeman is a superb inventive chef who has been creating amazing food here and has gone from strength to strength since we relaunched last year. Our team work tirelessly to achieve the highest standards of food, drink and service that has earned us this award and we look forward to continuing to wow our customers.”

Head chef, James Freeman, added: “This award is a huge honour for me personally and my team at The Dining Room. I have been at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society since 2004 and have worked hard to create innovative dishes using quality, local produce, so to see the restaurant recognised in this way is extremely rewarding.”

In celebration of the award, The Dining Room is running a special promotion until the end of October featuring a three-course A la carte dinner with a glass of Charles Heidsieck champagne or dram for £45.

 http://www.thediningroomedinburgh.co.uk/

http://www.smws.com/

@SMWSQueenStreet @smwsuk #smws

www.facebook.com/TheDiningRoomAtTheScotchMaltWhiskySociety

Notes:

About The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

• The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is an international whisky club that bottles rare single cask, single malt whisky, and a range of other spirits
• The Society was established in Edinburgh in 1983 and now has more than 26,000 members and branches around the world
• The Society only ever bottles single casks – each cask is unique, making every Society bottling a limited edition
• The Society has bottled whisky from more than 134 distilleries in its history
• The Society releases a new batch of around 30 single cask, single malt whiskies every month
• The Society offers different levels of membership
  • Membership Pioneer with gift box containing three samples, £122
  • Member at £61.50 – without gift box
  • Visit https://www.smws.com/society-membership
• For more information about the Society, visit http://www.smws.com/

NEW FUKANO EDITIONS

As the Fukano brand continues to develop, the whiskies from the Kumamoto Prefecture are not only getting more precise in their balance and concentration of flavor, but they’re also getting older. We’ve got our first ever Fukano single barrel with an age statement -12 years old – as well as another sensational sherry cask that should make sweet Oloroso-chasers very happy. Both are distilled from rice as is the case with all the Fukano editions. I thought both made welcome additions to our Japanese spirits shelf.

Fukano “Sherry Cask” Japanese Whisky (750ml) – $89.99 – Fukano’s rice whiskies continue to populate our shelves here at K&L and the latest Sherry Cask release gives Oloroso fans heaps of what they love: rich, saturated, sweet sherry goodness with a textural mouthfeel and plenty of raisined richness on the finish. While the rice component of the spirit gets lost under all that decadence, fans of the genre won’t care. It’s a perfect vehicle for those who love opulence!

Fukano 12 Year Old Single Cask Japanese Whisky (750ml) – $99.99 – Fukano’s first rice whisky with an age statement is another impressive addition to a lineup that has been a big success thus far at K&L. Full of oak flavor and plenty of vanilla from the extended time in wood, this doesn’t have the sweetness or the extra heft that some of Fukano sherry matured editions have exhibited, but the balance is much more in line with what one would expect from a classic malt whisky. It’s another fun and curious look into the future of rice spirits from Japan.

OUR LIMITED BARDSTOWN BOURBON COMPANY COLLABOR&TION ALLOCATION ARRIVES!

Just wanted to add a quick note for those of you who pre-ordered: your bottles are now available but you may need to contact the store to have your bottles shipped or moved to the store of your choice for pick-up. Because we use the pre-order service mostly for wine, we don’t automatically ship out bottles that are purchased in advance due to weather, etc. You can email me if you need help with that.

In the meantime, these babies are now here and they’re ready to rock!! There’s only about 200 bottles of each, so when they’re gone they’re gone. I’m hoping we can stretch our inventory into November so that we can at least offer these as holiday gift options, but I’m not sure that will happen. The bottles are impressive, as is the whiskey inside them, so I’m not holding my breath on that front. I was just tasting them again this morning and I can’t decide which one I like more. At first, I was definitely all about the American Brandy Barrel finish, simply because I liked how it didn’t alter the traditional flavors of classic vanilla, charred oak, and sweet spices, but rather lifted them and brought them to the surface. The bold proof only accents all of that intensity and the whiskey tastes expensive. But after a few more runs with the Mistelle finish, I’m starting to waver in my support. For those of you who have no idea what the “Mistelle” is, it’s a liqueur made by Joe Heron at Copper & Kings that uses orange peels and coriander, so it almost adds a candied finish to the whiskey. It’s completely decadent on the finish, but I started to imagine drinking it on a cold winter evening after a long day at the office. It’s easily the more unique of the two, so you have to ask yourself: what do I need? More great Bourbon that tastes like great Bourbon, or maybe something sweeter and richer for the coming Fall and Winter seasons that doesn’t taste like everything else I already have?

Maybe one of each? Tough to say. You won’t be sorry either way:

Bardstown Bourbon Company “Collabor&tion – Brandy Barrel Finish” Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) – $124.99 – The Collaboration series is the first release of whiskey from Kentucky’s soon-to-be star Bardstown Bourbon Company, a project done in “collaboration” with Louisville brandy specialists Copper & Kings. Using 10 year old stocks of Bourbon distilled at MGP in Indiana, BBCo finished each of the whiskies for an additional 18 months in two different types of casks: American brandy and Muscat Mistelle. Made from 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley, the Collabor&tion expression aged in Copper & Kings American brandy barrels is bottled at cask strength of 113 proof and offers classic, yet bold Bourbon flavor with vanilla, oak spices, and a concentrated richness that speaks to the age of the whiskey. We tasted this on our initial visit to the distillery this past summer and instantly fell in love with the additional fruit and subtle sweetness added from the brandy barrel finishing. It has all the classic flavors of great Bourbon but with extra lift and roundness on the finish. In the spirit of collaboration, the teams at BBCo and Copper & Kings really knocked this one out of the park.

Bardstown Bourbon Company “Collabor&tion – Mistelle Barrel Finish” Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) – $124.99 – Made from 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley, the Collabor&tion expression aged in Mistelle barrels has an incredible viscosity and chewiness to its texture from the time spent in the used casks. Mistelle is unfermented grape juice (in this case Muscat) fortified with un-aged brandy (Muscat eau-de-vie) and then aged in bourbon barrels for 18 months. The empty barrels are deeply and highly caramelized with the grape sugars and fruit essences and the Collabor&tion whiskey aged in these barrels is pure joy. It’s a completely novel sensory experience; deeply concentrated, rich whiskey that has a supple, fruity, and absolutely delicious finish. It’s both an incredibly unique and divine tasting experience. Bottled at 47% cask strength ABV.

KILCHOMAN RED WINE CASK

Just under 10,000 bottles of the limited edition release will be available worldwide from the 9th of October. Distilled in 2012, the Kilchoman Red Wine Cask Matured has spent its full maturation term in the single cask type rather than being a ‘finish’,
where the whisky only spends a few months in such casks prior to bottling. The casks, from the Douro Valley in Portugal, were personally selected by Kilchoman Founder Anthony Wills. The Red Wine Cask Matured follows Port, Madeira and Sauternes matured expressions released annually by the distillery since 2014.

As with all of the Kilchoman range, the Red Wine Cask Matured is peated, non chill filtered and has a natural coppery red colour as a result of extraction from the oak casks. This particular expression has been bottled at 50% ABV, slightly stronger than their typical 46% ABV, the higher bottling strength adding structure and intensity to the dram.

Red Wine Cask

Bottled at 50% ABV     ||     RRP: $124.99

Nose:   Buttery and creamy with peat smoke lingering in the background.

Palate: Sweet and rounded with bitter chocolate, licorice and integrated peat smoke.

Finish:  Clean and sweet with a rich texture and long finish.

Rosebank, widely acknowledged as one of the finest lowland malts ever produced. The Stark family were rumoured to have been producing whisky on the site during the 18th century. This malt typifies the lowland region with soft, floral grassy undertones and a beautiful balance.

Unfortunately, the distillery was closed in 1993 due to the parent company’s decision not to invest £2 million to renovate the distillery. Many years later, due to the outrage of whisky drinkers, the distillery was set to reopen. That is, until copper thieves stole the stills. Try Rosebank whilst you still can… you never know, those thieves may go for the whisky next!

Buy Rosebank 12 Year Old Flora & Fauna Now

Johnnie Walker Launches Limited Edition Johnnie Walker Black Label The Director’s Cut

Thirty-five years on from being the spirit of choice in cult sci-fi classic Blade Runner, Johnnie Walker Black Label returns to the big screen in its highly-anticipated sequel Blade Runner 2049.

Johnnie Walker Black Label The Director’s Cut is a limited-edition Scotch Whisky created by Master Blender Jim Beveridge in collaboration with visionary filmmaker Denis Villeneuve. The experimental blend is inspired by Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049, and is presented in a futuristic bottle.  With trademark smokiness and a contemporary twist, Johnnie Walker Black Label The Director’s Cut is a rich smooth blend with aromatic and vanilla flavours and is bottled at 49% ABV as a nod to the futuristic period in which the film is set.

 Commenting on the launch, Johnnie Walker Master Blender Jim Beveridge said,

 “What we have created in Johnnie Walker Black Label The Director’s Cut is something really special that fans will be able to relate to and whisky drinkers will love. I was truly inspired by Villeneuve’s artistic vision for Blade Runner 2049 and how it could come to life in this new blend. I learned that filmmaking is much like blending – you have to constantly be committed to creating the best possible outcome.”

 “Johnnie Walker blending tradition dates back to 1820 and I’m honoured to carry on the legacy and collective memory of our other past blenders to ensure that the same whisky enjoyed today can be enjoyed responsibly in 2049.”

GlenDronach 1993 | AW 10th Anniversary Exclusive

This big beauty of a dram, is one of several crackers we’ve lined up to celebrate our tenth year online. Since our previous GD exclusives, (cask 33 & 3400), we’ve been delving through the GlenDronach sample warehouse searching for the perfect dram to follow… In so doing, we believe we’ve found an exceptional dram that surpasses its much loved predecessors.

Pre-order now available for our mailing list members!

(There’s been a lot of excitement and interest in this latest release (and rightly so, its an excellent dram!) We’re not putting a limit on quantity per order at this time…)

PRE-ORDER NOW

A SHOCKER FROM DEANSTON

While Deanston has never been a household name in the whisky world, even with the genre’s most knowledgeable fans, it’s long been a part of the Bunnahabhain/Tobermorey company portfolio now owned by the Distell group and a large chunk of the Highland whisky goes into the blend Scottish Leader, which sells quite well outside the states. Deanston has never been all that successful at K&L. I’ve carried it from time to time when there’s room, but it’s never put out anything exciting that I’ve tasted. Most of the time the whiskies I’ve experienced are dependable, but forgettable.

However, that all changed earlier this week when I tasted Deanston’s new 10 and 20 year old sherry-aged malts.

I was downright floored by the new 10 year old PX sherry cask finished edition, bottled at a whopping 57.5% ABV with a sweet sherry note that is simply gorgeous. There’s no doubt about which of their competitors they have in their sights with this new release. It’s priced and crafted perfectly to square off with the Aberlour A’Bunadh, one of the boldest, sherry-matured whiskies on the market and one that we plow through here at K&L on a regular basis. That being said, Deanston has the advantage here for a number of reasons: the PX sherry butts give it a fruitier, sweeter edge than the Aberlour and the 10 year age statement is a huge bonus for whisky fans who like knowing exactly how old their malt is. Full of caramel and sticky toffee pudding on the nose, the palate explodes with dried figs and rancio notes, but the core flavors of the vanilla from the malt are never lost. This was a total shocker for our spirits department and we responded by loading up on our inventory. It’s a bold step forward for one of Scotland’s most overlooked distilleries.

Deanston’s new 20 year Oloroso sherry-aged release, however, will draw comparisons to Glenfarclas and Aberlour with its concentrated caramel and rancio sherry notes and supreme decadence. More savory on the finish than sweet, it’s one of the best new releases from the distillery that I’ve ever tasted (I still give the nod to the 10 year). Bottled at 55.5%, it’s got plenty of heft, but it carries that power surprisingly well. If you want something more saturated with sherry, go with this. But if you want that sweet, fruity PX sherry note, the 10 will really surprise you.

I absolutely love it when something like this happens. I love seeing underachievers over-achieve!! Maybe it’s the former elementary school teacher in me.

Deanston 10 Year Old PX Sherry Finish Highland Single Malt Whisky (750ml) – 59.99

Deanston 20 Year Old Oloroso Sherry Aged Highland Single Malt Whisky (750ml)- $159.99

We’ve released four preview bottles from October Outturn that are perfect for watching autumn sunsets. Mysterious and marvellously multifaceted, spend time discovering the luscious layers within these sundowner drams.

A great opportunity to buy before next month’s First Friday but be quick to order, only a limited number of bottles are available ahead of the full Outturn release on Friday, 6 October at 9am.

VIEW ALL 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