Arran Rare Batch 15 Years Old 

Peated Sherry Butts

This Arran Single Malt was produced from malted barley peated to 20ppm and fully aged for 15 years in ex-Oloroso Sherry Butts. These casks were sourced from a well-respected producer in the Jerez region of Spain whose family has been making Sherry for generations.

£147.00

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ralfy review 1073 Extras – An overview of Glenglassaugh Distillery.

Keeneland® and Maker’s Mark® Introduce Latest in Commemorative “Greats of the Gate” Bottle Series Honoring Hall of Fame Thoroughbred Lexington

The Annual Release Coincides with the 250th Anniversary of the City of Lexington;  Proceeds will Support Kentucky Nonprofits

LEXINGTON, KY – Wednesday, April 2025 – Keeneland Race Course and Maker’s Mark, the iconic handmade Kentucky bourbon, today announced the second bottle in the “Greats of the Gate” 10-year commemorative bottle series celebrating Thoroughbred racing’s most iconic horses. Proceeds from each year’s limited-edition bottle benefit nonprofits that support Kentucky’s horse racing industry and vibrant culture of hospitality and the arts.

The limited-edition bottle will arrive on shelves on April 11th – the same day as the prestigious $650,000 Maker’s Mark Mile (G1) during Keeneland’s Spring Meet. The bottle will be available exclusively at select Kentucky retailers that sell Maker’s Mark with a suggested retail price of $179.99. The 2025 “Greats of the Gate” bottle will honor the legendary racehorse Lexington, who competed from 1853 to 1855, winning six of seven races, and was famously sold to stud for the highest price ever paid for an American racehorse at the time.

“The ‘Greats of the Gate’ series is a unique opportunity to honor the legendary horses who shaped the sport while also supporting the organizations that allow Kentucky’s culture to thrive,” said Rob Samuels, eighth-generation whisky maker and Managing Director, Maker’s Mark. “We’re incredibly proud to continue our longstanding partnership with Keeneland, which has deep roots in Kentucky’s horse racing heritage and whose patrons enjoyed the very first Maker’s Mark cocktails in the 1950s.”

The bottle features an illustration by Kentucky artist Tyler Robertson with artwork wrapping around the bottle in orange and black – the racing silks colors of Lexington. The bottle’s crown will be dipped in bright orange wax and topped with a white silk ribbon. Every bottle will include a certificate of authenticity signed by Maker’s Mark Managing Director Rob Samuels; Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin; renowned artist Tyler Robertson; and Bret Jones, President of Airdrie Stud, and a descendant of the horse’s owners.

“Keeneland and Maker’s Mark share a mission of service and philanthropy that benefits both the horse industry and our community,” Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said. “We are proud the commemorative bottles continue to be both a prized collectors’ item for our fans and a successful fundraiser for so many worthwhile organizations.”

Proceeds from the commemorative bottle will benefit the nonprofits Kentucky Classic Arts by providing support for musical theatre performance opportunities for Central Kentucky; Kentucky Harvest by expanding their food rescue and donation efforts across the Commonwealth; Kentucky Arts Center of the Bluegrass providing free entry to guests for the museum along with arts programming; and Blue Grass Farms Charities through building a new pantry opening this summer at The Thoroughbred Center.

Over the course of the 10 years, Keeneland and Maker’s Mark are committed to raising $4 million for various Kentucky nonprofit organizations through this bottle series.

For more information, please visit www.makersmark.com and www.keeneland.com.

About Keeneland Race Course  

Since its first race meet 89 years ago, the Keeneland Association has devoted itself to the health and vibrancy of the Thoroughbred industry. The world’s largest Thoroughbred auction house, Keeneland conducts five on-site sales a year, in January, April, September and November. Graduates of Keeneland sales dominate racing across the globe at every level. In April and October, Keeneland offers some of the highest-caliber and richest Thoroughbred racing in the world. Keeneland hosted the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in 2015, 2020 and 2022. Uniquely structured, Keeneland is a privately held company with a not-for-profit mission that returns its earnings to the industry and the community in the form of higher purses and millions of dollars donated in support of horse industry initiatives and charitable contributions for education, research and health and human services throughout Central Kentucky. Keeneland also maintains Keeneland Library, a world-renowned public research institution with the mission of preserving information about the Thoroughbred industry. To learn more, visit Keeneland.com.

About Maker’s Mark

Maker’s Mark® is the iconic handmade Kentucky bourbon driven by a vision for better flavor and a better world. Maker’s Mark began with the innovative spirit of Margie and Bill Samuels, Sr., who in 1953, fulfilled their dream to create a delicious bourbon without the bite, using soft red winter wheat instead of rye to enhance the softness, sweetness and signature creaminess. Highly desired around the world, Maker’s Mark is handmade, hand-dipped in our signature red wax, and every barrel continues to be rotated by hand and is aged to taste not time.

Always true to the founders’ vision, Maker’s Mark continues to shape the brand’s future through purposeful, flavor-driven innovation. In recent years, the brand has introduced thoughtful, super-premium expressions to its portfolio, including Maker’s Mark 46, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength, and Maker’s Mark Cellar-Aged, all Double Gold winners of the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, as well as Maker’s Mark Private Selection: the brand’s custom barrel program.

Advancing its mission to cultivate bourbon that betters the world, while crafting the most flavorful product possible for consumers, Maker’s Mark is the largest bourbon distillery in the world to achieve B Corp Certification and the first distillery to achieve Regenified Certification, a reflection of the brand’s dedication to sustainable agriculture practices at Star Hill Farm, home to the Maker’s Mark Distillery. For more information, visit www.makersmark.com.

Rare Find reveals celebratory ‘firsts’ to mark the start of its decaversary

Rare Find, the well-regarded single cask and small batch independent bottler is marking the start of its 10th anniversary by revealing a lineup of new single malt whiskies that feature unique ‘firsts’ in the brands’ continuing journey.

Founded in Leith, Edinburgh, Rare Find bottles limited-edition whiskies sourced from sought-after distilleries – meticulously selecting, maturing, and finishing in the highest quality casks to deliver whiskies that are rare by design. The anticipated new expressions from the bottler showcases four exceptional Scotch single malt whiskies, including a debut from Glen Ord, a collaborative team selection, and a first experiment using a rum cask sourced from Foursquare in Barbados.

The 2025 Spring Rare Find releases consist of:

• Glen Garioch 16-Year-Old (Ribera del Duero Finish): A milestone selection, this marks the first cask chosen collaboratively by the entire Rare Find team. Finished in a Spanish Ribera del Duero wine cask, it delivers a deep, complex profile with layers of dark fruit and spice.

• Glen Ord 10-Year-Old (Châteauneuf-du-Pape Finish): The first Glen Ord ever released by Rare Find, this exquisite Highland single malt has been given a sophisticated twist with a finish in Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine casks, adding rich berry notes to its signature malt character.

• Secret Lowland 11-Year-Old (Sherry Hogshead): A classic sherried Lowland malt, this expression offers a harmonious balance of dried fruit, toffee, and warm spices, perfect for sherry cask aficionados.

• Dailuaine 16-Year-Old (Foursquare Rum Finish): A pioneering release, this is the first time Rare Find has worked with a Foursquare Rum cask. The result is a beautifully layered whisky where Dailuaine’s rich, malty character is complemented by tropical sweetness and oak spice from the renowned Barbadian distillery.

Speaking about the upcoming release, Greg Urquhart, Spirits Manager for Rare Find shared his excitement: “This latest collection is a testament to our relentless pursuit of quality and flavour, and each bottle tells a unique story, both of the liquid’s maturation and of the journey of Rare Find over the last decade. We can’t wait for whisky lovers to discover them and to find new favourites!”

The Rare Find Spring 2025 releases will be available in select retailers from 7th April 2025. Given their limited nature, whisky enthusiasts are encouraged to act quickly to secure a bottle before they disappear. Further details of Rare Find stockists can be found at www.rarefindwhisky.co.uk/stockists

Rare Find 2025 Spring Releases

About Rare Find

Each Rare Find release is an unrepeatable, limited-edition whisky sourced from sought-after distilleries. With every bottle, we celebrate liquid excellence – meticulously selecting, maturing, and finishing in the highest quality casks to deliver whisky that’s rare by design.

From the millions of casks maturing in Scotland, only a small percentage are destined for single malt bottlings, and from those, only the best become a Rare Find.

As our 166th auction approaches the midway point now is the time to start getting your bids in for any of the bottles which have caught your eye this month.  We have a plethora of superb bottlings this month as well as some really interesting full casks so without further ado here are a few of the great offerings we have in the auction this month.

Brora Triptych – 1972 Elusive Legacy, 1977 Age of Peat and 1982 Timeless Original 3 x 50cl

Our first stop is in the Highlands with this fabulous collections of whiskies, this is the Brora Triptych – 1972 Elusive Legacy, 1977 Age of Peat and 1982 Timeless Original 3 x 50cl.  A distillery with a somewhat troubled past Brora has nonetheless gained a fearsome reputation for quality over the years.  This extra special set of bottlings from Brora was produced to celebrate the reopening of the distillery in 2021. With only 300 sets released, this is a genuine piece of history and includes a 38 year old, a 43 year old and a 48 year old!

Full Cask Offerings

If owning your very own cask of maturing whisky has ever been a dream of yours then we have fantastic opportunities to do just that in our auction this month.  With 5 casks available there is plenty to choose from with all casks currently in storage at Whisky Broker in Dumfries and Galloway.

BenRiach 2013 Butt #101 – 60.3%
Staoisha (Bunnahabhain) 2019 First Fill Oloroso Hogshead – 64%
Whitlaw 2016 Ex-Bourbon Barrel #655 – 59.6%
Whitlaw 2016 Ex-Bourbon Barrel #654 – 60.1%
Whitlaw 2016 Ex-Bourbon Barrel #653 – 58.8%

Chichibu Cyborg Trilogy Series 3 x 70cl

Japanese whisky has been going from strength to strength for a number of years now and with their focus on traditional methods and high quality production Chichibu have been at the forefront of the Japanese whisky revolution.  This is the Chichibu Cyborg Trilogy Series 3 x 70cl and is comprised of 3 single cask bottlings, two of which were aged in ex-Bourbon barrels and one aged in an Imperial IPA cask.  Following on from the Sci-Fi theme of the popular Intergalactic series the cyborg series features Ghost in the Shell style augmented humans on their rather cool labels.

Longrow 1974 25 Year Old

From Japanese Sci-Fi ladies to the picturesque Mull of Kintyre, this understated beauty is the Longrow 1974 25 Year Old.  The first distillation of Longrow was carried out in 1973 as an experiment, when the Chairman of Springbank Distillery set out to prove that it was possible to produce an Islay style single malt whisky on the mainland, and boy are we glad he did.  With its pungent punch and muscular finish Longrow has long been a favourite dram of us whisky nerds here at SWA, and this one is as good as they come!   Distilled just after production began in earnest and aged for a whopping 25 years this a very special dram indeed.As always, we have a wide range of drams with something to suit everyone, so now is the time to get moving picking out your own personal favourites for your watchlist. Best of luck to everyone in the auction, and as always………..don’t lose your bottle.

Thinking of selling your bottles? 

We still offer 0% commission to all sellers making Scotch Whisky Auctions the best place to sell bottles.

For all relevant information just click here.

PART OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

While The Cairn Distillery is owned by Gordon & MacPhail, a fourth-generation family business, the Cairn has it’s own identity, is true to the heritage it comes from, but is proudly modern and forward thinking.

While their own distillate matures in their warehouse, the distillery would like to introduce you to their CRN57° a collection of blended malts, which evoke the style and character of their future single malts, giving us a sneak preview of what’s to come.

CRN57° 12 Years Old

The 12 year old blended malt is part of their core range. It has a sweet palate, hints of pepper, and candied undertones.

£39.99

CRN57° 18 Years Old

The 18 year old blended malt is part of their core range, with has a sweet palate, hints of pepper, and oaky notes.

£79.99

CRN57° 25 Years Old

The 25 year old blended malt is part of their core range. It has a sweet palate, hints of pepper, and candied undertones.

£149.00

CRN57° 30 Years Old

The 30 year old blended malt is part of their core range, with has a sweet palate, hints of pepper, and oaky notes.

£299.00

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Email: wine@klwines.com
Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637)
K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

ralfy review 1073 – Glenglassaugh Sandend @ 50.5%vol:

Maker’s Mark Celebrates its Warehouse Team with Latest Wood Finishing Series: The Keepers Release 2025

LORETTO, Ky., Maker’s Mark, the iconic handmade Kentucky bourbon driven by a vision for better flavor and a better world, today announced the next iteration of its Wood Finishing Series, The Keepers Release 2025 – inspired by the warehouse team who ensure every barrel of Maker’s Mark matures consistently to the founders’ taste vision.

“From the beginning, our founders – my grandparents – went to remarkable lengths to create an uncompromisingly delicious bourbon,” said Rob Samuels, eighth generation whisky maker and managing director, Maker’s Mark. “We are delighted to introduce this latest Wood Finishing Series expression that celebrates the team who still rotate each and every barrel of Maker’s Mark by hand and who continue to embrace our founders’ perfectly unreasonable pursuit of excellence.”

Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series is a collection of one-of-a-kind expressions that use an innovative wood stave-finishing technique to enhance distinctive characteristics already present in the brand’s iconic bourbon. The Keepers Release 2025 showcases rich, oak-forward aromas of seasoned wood, brûléd sugar, and tobacco, leading to a long, enveloping finish characterized by dried dark fruit and a lingering roasted sweetness.

“The Keepers Release was born from our close collaboration with the Maker’s Mark warehouse team, the guardians of our barrels,” said Dr. Blake Layfield, master distiller, Maker’s Mark. Their sensory experience of Maker’s Mark is unlike anyone else’s — the aromatic oak at different times of the day, evolving tasting notes of our whisky as it ages over multiple seasons — which provided inspiration and helped us shape the flavors of this release.”

At 54.6% ABV / 109.2 proof, the release will be available at U.S. retailers for $74.99 beginning today. For more information, please visit www.MakersMark.com.

BOUT MAKER’S MARK  
Maker’s Mark® is the iconic handmade Kentucky bourbon driven by a vision for better flavor and a better world. Maker’s Mark began with the innovative spirit of Margie and Bill Samuels, Sr., who in 1953, fulfilled their dream to create a delicious bourbon without the bite, using soft red winter wheat instead of rye to enhance the softness, sweetness and signature creaminess. Highly desired around the world, Maker’s Mark is handmade, hand-dipped in our signature red wax, and every barrel continues to be rotated by hand and is aged to taste not time.

Always true to the founders’ vision, Maker’s Mark continues to shape the brand’s future through purposeful, flavor-driven innovation. In recent years, the brand has introduced thoughtful, super-premium expressions to its portfolio, including Maker’s Mark 46, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength, and Maker’s Mark Cellar-Aged, all Double Gold winners of the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, as well as Maker’s Mark Private Selection: the brand’s custom barrel program.

Advancing its mission to cultivate bourbon that betters the world, while crafting the most flavorful product possible for consumers, Maker’s Mark is the largest bourbon distillery in the world to achieve B Corp Certification and the first distillery to achieve Regenified Certification, a reflection of the brand’s dedication to sustainable agriculture practices at Star Hill Farm, home to the Maker’s Mark Distillery. For more information, visit www.makersmark.com.

APRIL 2025 AUCTION NOW LIVE!

The clocks have sprung forward bringing us all an hour closer to our April auction! We have a wide variety of whiskies on offer this month, with a few ones that we think may require closer inspection, including this stunning 30 Year Old Glenglassaugh.

Distilled in 1972 by the now closed Speyside distillery Caperdonich, then bottled in 2011, this Connoisseur’s Choice bottling is a cracking example of the range that George Urquhart pioneered in the late 1960’s by selecting casks from from distilleries all over Scotland.

Officially released in the beginning of October 2023, the inaugural and historic first expression from the Isle of Harris ‘The Hearach’ derives It’s name from the Gaelic word Na Heardh, translating to ‘a person from Harris’. The 1,916 bottles produced for this momentous bottling, signifies the total number of people living on the Island. This is bottle number 1,356 of only 1,916 bottles produced.

Or how about this extraordinarily rare Macallan miniature which has rarely appeared at auction. No definitive age or abv is stated but the whisky itself was distilled in 1985 then bottled in 1995 for the 3i Group, which is a British multinational private equity and venture capital company based in London, England. 3i is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

These are only a few of the old, limited and collectable bottles featured in our April 2025 Auction, to view more wee gems visit clickwhiskyauctions.com. Register to bid. Remember, you’ve got to be in it to win it! Auction ends Sunday 20^th April from 8pm BST.