Hi folks, that’s us live with the 83rd auction!

Happy Bidding!

THE MACALLAN SELECT RESERVE 52 YEAR-OLD 1946 LEADS BONHAMS EDINBURGH WHISKY SALE

A bottle of the Macallan Select Reserve 52 year old-1946. Estimate £12,000-14,000 

A bottle of the Macallan Select Reserve 52 year-old 1946 bottled on 1st May 1998 leads Bonhams Whisky sale in Edinburgh on Wednesday 7 March. It is estimated at £12,000-14,000.

The 1946 Macallan was produced in an unusual way. Coal was scarce and expensive in the immediate post-war era, so the malt was dried in peat-fired kilns instead resulting in a whisky with distinct and complex tastes and aromas. The bottle for sale is numbered 72 and comes in a wooden presentation case within the original carton. It is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.

Bonhams whisky specialist in Edinburgh, Martin Green, said, The Macallan Select Reserve- 52 year-old 1946 is widely regarded as one of the great Macallan expressions, and is keenly sought after by collectors, both in this country and around the world.”

Other leading bottles in the sale include:

• A bottle of Black Bowmore 1964, bottled in 1994, and estimated at £8,000-10,000. This limited edition bottling was distilled on 5 November 1964, and laid down for 30 years in Oloroso sherry casks in the cellars below sea level at Morrison’s Bowmore Distillery.
• A bottle of the Macallan 1959. Distilled by Macallan-Glenlivet Ltd., Craigellachie, it was bottled by Campbell, Hope & King in 2002. One of Macallan’s Fine and Rare Series, it is estimated at £3,500-4,000.

NOTES

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s largest and most renowned auctioneers, offering fine art and antiques, motor cars and jewellery. The main salerooms are in London, New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong, with auctions also held in Knightsbridge, Edinburgh, Paris, San Francisco and Sydney. With a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 22 countries, Bonhams offers advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full list of forthcoming auctions, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, please visit bonhams.com.

A Gorgeous and Remarkably Complex 20 Year Single Malt

1997 Highland Park 20 “Old Particular” K&L Exclusive Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch ($199.99)
“This is one of the most complex Old Particular casks we have ever bottled.”
– Andrew Whiteley, K&L Assistant Spirits Buyer

While we love every bottle in our “Old Particular” program, there’s always that one that shines a little more brightly. The 1997 Highland Park 20 Year Old Particular is just such a bottle. Coming from one of the most highly regarded distilleries in all of Scotland, this stunning expression is wonderfully complex and thoroughly engaging from the first sip to the last. Its time in a re-coopered sherry cask has imbued this classic malt with an endless parade of flavors that a even the most florid prose would be unable to capture. Given its age and Highland Park’s unblemished reputation, you’d normally expect to pay in the neighborhood of $350, but as with all of our “Old Particular” bottlings, we’re offering it for a fraction of that.

Many consider Highland Park to be crafting the best whiskies in the world, and given what we’ve experienced here, it is easy to see why. For fans, this is a requisite bottling and those who may be making their first foray into high end Scotch, we can’t think of a better place to start. Scroll below for the staff reviews and see why we were so enamored with this utterly profound (and delicious) single malt.

1997 Highland Park 20 “Old Particular” K&L Exclusive Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($199.99)

Highland Park is truly a product of its environment. The distillery lays just a few degrees outside the bounds of the Arctic Circle on an island devoid of trees and ravaged by wind, yet relatively mild in temperature swings. This unique location coupled with the extra effort of floor malting their own barley on site are some of the components that lead to an awards list a mile long. This list includes many Gold and Double Gold medals for the distillery and its various bottlings. The barley is malted with local peat from Hobbister Moor, dense in heather, and providing an unusually floral characteristic to the smoke. The gale force winds carry the salt sea air through the barrel houses giving the whisky a salty tanginess that is all together different than the iodine characteristics of Islay. Weighing in at 53.1% alcohol and well below the $550 price tag of the 25 year old distillery bottling, this 20 year old Old Particular cask really struts the salt air and delicate floral smoke. Charged from a refill hogshead.

Andrew Whiteley | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: February 14, 2018

This is one of the most complex Old Particular casks we have ever bottled. The nose is at first full of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies sprinkled with a touch of cracked rock salt but gives way to the much more delicate aroma of stone fruits and tree blossoms. The palate is dense with dried figs, caramel, brioche, Christmas spices, and the savory notes of lightly smoked meats. The barley itself seems take center staged for a moment before fleeing into the background leaving behind a wisp of orange and smoke, like a hip bartender flashing the citrus oil before dropping the garnish peel into your Old Fashioned. The finish is particularly lengthy here and changes slightly with each sip. Every sampling leaves you with a different impression than the one before, but each contributes to building the complete picture of what 20 long years of age does for one of the world’s greatest distilleries.

David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: February 15, 2018

If you look at the label of the new Highland Park 20 exclusive K&L cask, all it tells you about the barrel is it was a “refill hogshead.” That being said, all you need to do is look at the color and take a small sip to know that hogshead was most definitely re-coopered from a sherry butt. I’ve been sipping on a sample all morning long, letting the sweet, raisiny flavor coat my palate, while chewing on the subtle smoke that permeates the finish. I was thinking about how one of Scotland’s most famous distillers (one that I won’t name since he works for a rival company) once told me: “Highland Park is the king of all malts.” There are numerous single malt fanatics who consider Highland Park the world’s best whisky, right along side Macallan at the top of the food chain (both are owned by Edrington as well, if you didn’t know). This 20 year single cask, full proof expression should help to bolster that case. It’s rich, textural, utterly complex, and runs the gambit from sweet to peat with incredible nuance. While $200 isn’t exactly what I’d call a “value,” let me contrast this price with the 12 year old distillery-direct sherry hogshead I purchased from Highland Park this past January (due in later this year). That full proof edition should come in somewhere between $150 -$170 per bottle. That’s the added premium that a distillery-bottled expression carries. Nevertheless, I bought it because it was one of the best sherry-aged whiskies I’d tasted in months. That being said, for an extra $40 or so in this case, you can get a 20 year old version of the same make and provenance.

Gary Westby | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: February 15, 2018

I was blown away by this cask strength Highland Park from the first little sniff. After adding a few drops of water, it only got better. This has it all: rich, almondy nuttiness, sweet and savory sherry depth and more than a hint of Orkney smoke on the super long finish. With supplies of great distilleries like Highland Park disappearing from the stocks of specialty bottlers, this extraordinarily fine 20 year old is looking like a value, even if it is not inexpensive. If you are looking for profound, old, sherry influenced malt from one of the great island distilleries, you have found it!

Sullivans Cove
Double Cask DC094

Just released DC094 is comprised of one 16 year old 300L French Oak ex-tawny cask, one 16 year old 200L American Oak ex-bourbon cask, and two 9 year old 200L American Oak ex-bourbon casks. Double Cask is our most versatile style, winning Best Australian Single Malt 13-20 years at the World Whiskies Awards and gold at the Luxury Spirits Masters in 2017.

Now available on our online store.

Please click on the link below to purchase ($170 per bottle)

PURCHASE NOW

Ralfy with the first Tulli bottle in Ralfy Review 714– Tullibardine 21yo @ 46.9%vol: (Cadenhead)

Saturday, March 3rd, 12-3 PM:

Scotch Tasting: Bruichladdich

Trickle Distilled from 100% scottish Barley, Bruichladdich distillery’s methods date back to the 19th century – including some of the original Victorian machinery still used today. The process is both time and labor-intensive, but the results are well worth it.

Guests will be treated to a variety of Bruichladdich’s highly-rated catalogue, presented by whisky ambassador Trent Simpson. Pourlist to be revealed as event approaches – RSVP to find out soonest.

Click Here to RSVP

Cotswolds Distillery named Craft Producer of the Year – Rest of the World in Whisky Magazine’s 2018 Icons of Whisky Awards 

The Cotswolds Distillery has begun its first full year of whisky sales with a ground-breaking win in the annual Icons of Whisky Awards. The distillery, which only began production in September 2014, has been named ‘Craft Producer of the Year’ in the awards’ ‘Rest of World’ category – beating the likes of esteemed Japanese whisky artisan Chichibu.

The awards, organised by Whisky Magazine, have run since 2007. This year they were organised into six regions, reflecting the exponential rise of new distilleries outside the traditional whisky producing nations. Winners from each region will go head to head in March to compete in the global finals.

The distillery also picked up another award in the category, for Visitor Attraction Manager of the Year, which went to Alison Dinnie. Dinnie has looked after the distillery shop and tours programme for the last year and oversaw the distillery’s rise to #1 in TripAdvisor’s ranking of visitor attractions in the Cotswolds, beating more established attractions such as Gloucester Cathedral and the Royal Gardens at the Highgrove Estate. 

Daniel Szor, Founder and CEO of the Cotswolds Distillery said “We are so pleased to have won this award, particularly in the “Rest of World” category of which we are so proud to play a part.  The World Whisky movement is a very exciting part of the single malt whisky scene, encompassing high quality production from diverse corners of the world like Japan, Taiwan, England, Sweden, Italy, Switzerland, USA etc. These producers share a strong devotion to the highest quality, transparency and originality, and the passion that goes into every bottle is there for all to see.  We have been waiting impatiently to show our whisky to the world and receiving this prestigious award less than 6 months after the launch of our first whisky release is a wonderful testament to the hard work of our very dedicated team.”

The Cotswolds Distillery will play host later this year to many of world’s most exciting new whisky producers when they gather for the second World Whisky Forum in June. The Forum, moderated by Dave Broom, looks at progress and growth across the whisky industry.

Notes: 

About the Cotswolds Distillery

Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky was launched in October 2017 and is just over three years old. It has been aged in first-fill ex-Bourbon barrels and specially shaved, toasted and re-charred red wine barriques. It is bottled non-chill filtered, with no added colour and at 46% ABV. RRP £44.95. Each bottle lists the barley variety, harvest year and local Cotswolds farm it was grown on.

Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky is available nationally and in 12 countries across the world. Key UK retailers include Majestic Wine, The Whisky Exchange and Laithwaites.

The distillery also produces the Cotswolds Dry Gin, which was named Best London Dry at the 2016 World Gin Awards and received the top Gold Outstanding award in the 2017 International Wine and Spirits Competition.

Located in Stourton, Shipston-on-Stour, the small distillery now receives 27,000 visitors a year and runs tours and tastings every day. For more information, visit www.cotswoldsdistillery.com 

About the Icons of Whisky Awards

The Icons of Whisky Awards are run annually by Whisky Magazine. Nominations are open to the industry, and a shortlist for each category is then selected by the editorial panel. Shortlisted entries are then voted on by the industry to establish a winner and highly commended in that category. The winners of each regional category will be entered in the global final, in which the editorial panel will select the overall winner. Winners will be announced at the awards dinner in March.

Chinese New Year Gift Pack

       Exclusive Collector’s Edition available now!

The Year of the Dog has just begun and to celebrate we’ve created this one-of-a-kind gift pack in lucky red.  With every purchase of The Glenrothes Sherry Cask Reserve from our online shop, you’ll receive this exclusive pack alongside a special miniature.

This luxury edition retails for £48. But be quick: we’ve only got a few left…

From our team at The Glenrothes Distillery, we’d like to take this opportunity to say Happy Chinese New Year! Gong Xi Fa Cai!

The GlenDronach & Glenglassaugh

We cater to all tastes here at Loch Fyne Whiskies, from peaty to fruity, Highland to Island, and everything in between! No matter your preference, this week’s new arrivals are sure to please with some fantastic expressions from The GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh including peated and unpeated, as well as sherry cask and port cask finishes.

Next day UK delivery available
We ship all over the world!

Glenglassaugh

Peated Port Wood  £72

GlenDronach

Peated Port Wood Finish £72

 Glenglassaugh

1986 30 Year Old £310

GlenDronach

1994 22 Year Old £210