This months collection schedule and request form is available HERE . Please complete the form to  register your interest in our free collection service.

The deadline for collection requests is 12noon on Monday 9th February 2026.

Home collections are available for those customers sending 10+ bottles or bottles to the value of £1000. Lots can be split over the next three auctions.  Unfortunately this service is not available in London. Although we do have four collection points in London.

Collections are limited and offered on a first come first served basis.It is essential that a submission sheet is completed, you can find the link to do so under the selling section on your ‘My SWA’ page. It would be appreciated if bottles could be packed for uplift with your name clearly marked on the front of the box. A winner in our auction? We are now offering a delivery service to customers who are dropping bottles off for a future auction. This service is charged at £12 (inc. VAT), optional loss and breakage cover is available.

Bunnahabhain 18 Year Old, 46.3%

THE VIDEO REVIEW

We’re back again with a whisky that I’ve often described as sherried, but not necessarily sweet. Bunnahabhain 18 Year Old is a very solid offering from the northern Islay distillery. A combination of around 50/50 ex-bourbon and ex-sherry, mostly Oloroso with possibly a touch of PX. It is known for not only being an incredible natural colour, but also showcasing how Islay whisky can still be stunning when unpeated. It’s a deep, rich, sticky classic sherried style, when compared with the last time I tried this, it certainly has more of that classic ‘sherry bomb’ qualities, but without being as 2D as those styles can be.

It’s a dream to be able to have a bottle of this stuff in the house, it’s an impressive thing to be able to give people who want something that is complexly flavoured but without being off putting, shall we say.

Four Acclaimed Bourbon Producers Unite for a One-of-a-Kind Military Barrel to Honor Veterans During America’s 250th Anniversary Year

Four acclaimed bourbon producers, J. Mattingly 1845, Heritage Distilling, Four Branches Bourbon and Pursuit Spirits, have donated barrels that were expertly blended by Pursuit Spirits to create the one-of-a-kind “United We Stand” military barrel.

The barrel will be auctioned at the inaugural Kentucky Bourbon Country Auction on Feb. 14, 2026, with proceeds benefiting the Bob Woodruff Foundation, continuing the distillers’ long history of donating millions to military and veteran charities.

Additionally, each distiller will release 100 limited-edition bottles for sale with a commemorative label in honor of the inaugural KBCA event and America’s 250th anniversary.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Jan. 28, 2026) — The inaugural Kentucky Bourbon Country Auction & Celebration today announced a powerful and unprecedented auction lot titled “United We Stand,” a special military barrel created through a historic collaboration among four acclaimed American whiskey producers with long-standing ties to military and veteran philanthropy in honor of one of America’s most enduring principles, unity.

The lot begins with donated barrels from J. Mattingly 1845, Heritage Distilling, Four Branches Bourbon and Pursuit Spirits. From these individual contributions, Ryan Cecil, Master Blender for Pursuit Spirits carefully selected and blended the finest elements of each barrel to create a singular expression: the United We Stand barrel.

“This barrel represents everything the Kentucky Bourbon Country Auction & Celebration stands for, unity, craftsmanship and purpose,” said Andrew Varga, founder of the Kentucky Bourbon Country Auction & Celebration. “Four respected producers, each with their own identity and legacy, have come together in service of something bigger than themselves. In America’s 250th anniversary year, this collaboration honors our nation’s origins, our military’s shared sacrifice and the idea that we are strongest when we stand together for a common cause.”​​

The United We Stand barrel will be auctioned as part of the inaugural Kentucky Bourbon Country Auction & Celebration this Presidents’ Day Weekend, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the United States. Proceeds from the KBCA will benefit the Bob Woodruff Foundation, supporting veterans, service members and their families, reinforcing the event’s mission to honor America’s native spirit while giving back to those who have protected its freedoms.

“Developing this expression has been a highlight of my career,” noted Ryan Cecil, Master Blender for Pursuit Spirits. “Bringing together these incredible distillers and our own Pursuit United barrel resulted in a beautifully balanced harmony. Narrowing down the barrels was a challenge, but the end result is a pour I’m incredibly proud of.”

In addition to the auctioned barrel, each participating distiller will release 100 individual bottles featuring a commemorative label honoring the collaboration and its mission, with a suggested retail price of $250 per bottle.

Each of the four producers involved has earned significant critical acclaim and numerous industry awards for their bourbons, making United We Stand a once-in-a-lifetime blend and an extraordinary collectible. The collaboration represents not only the highest level of whiskey craftsmanship, but also a shared mission to honor those who provide the greatest service of all.

Together, J. Mattingly 1845, Heritage Distilling, and Four Branches Bourbon have donated millions of dollars over many years to military and veteran causes, supporting more than 50 organizations nationwide. Beneficiaries have included Folds of Honor, Bob Woodruff Foundation, Disabled American Veterans, Navy SEAL Foundation, Green Beret Foundation and the Combat Infantry Badge Association, among many others.

Previously announced Bourbon Lots

The United We Stand barrel joins these previously announced lots:

• Elijah Craig Single Barrel experience at Heaven Hill Distillery
• Four Roses private selection barrel pick
• Old Forester Single Barrel, Barrel Strength Selection Experience
• 12 Bottles of King of Kentucky Small Batch
• A 2002 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon First Release – Signed by Garvin Brown IV

The Kentucky Bourbon Country Auction & Celebration will take place Feb. 13–15, 2026, bringing together rare bourbon, historic experiences and philanthropic impact in honor of America’s Native Spirit during its milestone anniversary year. For those who cannot attend in person, the auction will feature a virtual option at the following link.

KBCA Virtual Viewing Link

For updates, auction lot announcements and ticket information, visit www.KYBCA.com and follow the Kentucky Bourbon Country Auction on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

About the Kentucky Bourbon Country Auction

The Kentucky Bourbon Country Auction and Celebration is a first-of-its-kind gathering honoring Kentucky’s bourbon legacy while giving back to the heroes who protect our nation. Founded in Louisville by Andrew Varga, a longtime spirits industry executive, the inaugural KBCA committee includes bourbon industry luminaries, authors and executives such as America’s CEO- Chief Entertaining Officer Tim Laird and Lori Laird, former PriceWeber VP, Executive Creative Director Larry Profancik and brand strategist Henrietta Pepper. KBCA unites distilleries, chefs and bourbon enthusiasts for three unforgettable days of tastings, events and philanthropy, all “for the greater great.”

Kildalton 22 Year Old 2003 Milroy’s Vintage Reserve 53.7% 70cl

£284.99

Shop now

Kildalton 22 Year Old 2003 Milroy’s Vintage Reserve 53.7% 70cl

An exquisitely aged, ex-bourbon Islay treasure here, sourced from an unnamed distillery on the famed island. It is profoundly complex with deep tropical sweetness in with pronounced peat smoke notes, along with a smattering of dark florals for good measure. Have a look on a map for the Kildalton Cross and it might give you a clue as to this extraordinary 22-year-old single malt’s provenance…

Tasting notes:

Nose: Rich, round and cold with cake mix, milk chocolate, something deliciously funky. Stewed tropical fruits and nutty, creamy marzipan emerge with the pronounced peat smoke. Liquorice, nori and a touch of floral potpourri add to the complexity.

Palate: A dense, earthy peat smoke comes to the fore along with a surprising basket of confectionery. The tropical fruits transform into boiled sweets before a wave of iodine arrives. Darker florals appear alongside dark chocolate, oudh-like, and more liquorice.

Finish: Incredibly long with lingering, earthy industrial smoke, oak spices and citrus peels.

The Whisky Shop Uncorked – Blended Whisky

The Whisky Shop Uncorked Journey Continues!.

The best selling Blended Whisky of 2025 was the Loch Fyne Blend… Which of the fantastic blends that we stock should you keep an ear to the ground for in 2026? We’ve read the tarots, star gazed, and most importantly consulted our wealth of industry experts to find the answers, and here they are!

Explore & Enjoy!

EXPLORE NOW

Free Next Day Delivery for 12 Months For just £14.95 you can enjoy free next day delivery on all your orders for a whole year! Geographic restrictions apply, see full T&Cs. Find out more ❯

Whisky Festival season has begun…

The 20th annual Victoria Whisky Festival was a great success. We kicked things off Friday with a Shelter Point Whisky Club evening at Artemis Whisky Bar, sharing rare drams and welcoming Trenny & C to check in on their Ultima barrel pick.

Saturday featured our Shelter Point Masterclass, where Chris Read poured core releases alongside a few upcoming specialties, followed by the always-lively Grand Tasting. Guests sampled the range and got a first look at the Evans Family Reserve Coruja Cask Finish, which received enthusiastic praise.

The following weekend wrapped with two sold-out nights at Whisky Global in Vancouver, where Alberto and Kelsey enjoyed pouring and chatting with whisky fans. We will be attending more whisky festivals on Vancouver Island over the next few months. If you’re attending any of the below events we look forward to seeing you there!

Comox Valley Whisky Festival – February 6th

Nanaimo Whisky Festival – February 7th

Vancouver Island Whisky Festival – February 28th

Cowichan Valley WhiskyFest – March 7th

ralfy review 1113 Extras – ‘Developing’ our malt-experiences.

THE EXPERIENCE

Tomatin unveils Year of the Horse single cask whisky to celebrate Lunar New Year

Award-winning Highland distiller Tomatin has released a highly limited new single cask whisky to mark the 2026 Lunar New Year, the Year of the Horse – a symbol of strength, vitality and adventure in the Chinese Zodiac.

The Tomatin Year of the Horse 2026 release is a 2011 single cask bottling, matured in a first fill Pedro Ximénez (PX) sherry butt. The cask used, known as a ‘bota gorda’, is larger than a standard sherry butt and has been sourced directly from a bodega in Jerez in southern Spain. Its use in a sherry solera has added depth and intense PX flavours to the whisky, while its size has allowed the more subtle complexities of the Tomatin spirit to shine.

Non-chill filtered and natural in colour, Tomatin Year of the Horse 2026 is presented in the distillery’s signature bottle finished with ornate artwork detailed on a red label, with this colour symbolising good fortune, positivity and energy at Lunar New Year.

Jamie Muir, distillery manager at Tomatin, said: “We don’t often release single cask whiskies to the global market, however this sweet, fruity and structured Tomatin single malt seemed the perfect way to toast the Lunar New Year.

“As well as being renowned as the home of sherry, Jerez is also famed for its horses and is the birthplace of the legendary Carthusian breed which dates back to the 15th century, the era in which Tomatin is rooted. This rich heritage makes this whisky a fitting tribute to the strength, elegance and spirit of the Year of the Horse.” 

This expression opens with a burst of orange zest and dried cranberries on the nose, before imparting sweeter notes of honeycomb and candy floss. Notes of cinnamon, tiramisu, mulled wine and jalapeno leap out, with something new to be discovered each time. On the palate there are varied flavours of candied almonds, toffee apples, sultanas, and salted liquorice, while the finish is long and round, with lingering baking spice.

The Lunar New Year is a celebration of shared traditions and community which aligns with Tomatin’s ‘To What Matters’ ethos which focuses on cherishing the moments that count and the connections and memories that last.

With a proud heritage dating back to the 15th century, Tomatin has been a home for its dedicated craftspeople since it was established in 1897. Today, more than half of the team still live on site with their families and Tomatin is also one of only a handful of Scotch whisky distilleries with its own cooperage.

Bottled at a natural strength of 56.5% ABV and retailing at £95 per 70cl bottle, Tomatin Year of the Horse 2026 is limited to only 817 individually numbered bottles and is available now from specialist retailers globally.

For more information on the Tomatin Year of the Horse 2026, visit HERE

Tomatin Year of the Horse 2026 tasting notes

Nose:  Orange zest, dried cranberries, honeycomb and candyfloss.

Palate: Candied almonds, toffee apples, sultanas and salted liquorice.

Finish: Long and round with lingering spice bake.

Tomatin is located in the Scottish Highlands, 16 miles south of Inverness, and is famous for its portfolio of refined and elegant whiskies.  The distillery has a proud heritage stretching back to the 15th century when illicit production was likely to be taking place, but it wasn’t until 1897 that the first formal distillery was established by John MacDougall as the Tomatin Spey Distillery Company.

In 2022, Tomatin was awarded ‘Scotch Whisky Producer of the Year’ and ‘Outstanding Spirits Producer of the Year’ at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC). Later that year, it was recognised as ‘Sustainable Distillery of the Year’ at Whisky Magazine’s Icons of Whisky 2023, in recognition of its continued contribution to sustainably at the distillery.

In 2023, Tomatin took home seven awards at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, while Cù Bòcan, took home three. Tomatin’s 36 Year Old was crowned the ultimate winner at SFWSC for malts, being named ‘Best in Show’, officially making it one of the best whiskies in the world.

Building upon this triumph, 2024 saw Tomatin’s 18 Year Old secured Double Gold for the third consecutive year at the SFWSC, elevating it to Platinum status. Meanwhile, both Tomatin’s 45 Year Old and 12 Year Old, alongside Cù Bòcan’s 15 Year Old took home Double Gold Awards, and Cù Bòcan’s 12 Year Old also secured a prestigious Gold Award.

This year, Tomatin has been awarded Gold designation for its Tomatin Sherry Collection Ximénez Edition and Silver for both its Sherry Collection Manzanilla Edition and Sherry Collection Palo Cortado Edition in the inaugural 2025 Whiskey Wash Awards.

Tomatin has a first-class wood policy and an enduring commitment to knowing the history of each cask that passes through its warehouses. It is one of only a handful of Scotch whisky distilleries to have its own cooperage on-site, with cooper Allan Bartlett being named ‘Cooper of the Year’ at the 2025 Icons of Whisky Awards.

‘To What Matters’ is the latest chapter in the brand’s evolution; it is a positive call to arms that represents the spiritual DNA of Tomatin – a belief in savouring what is truly important in life and time spent together. Tomatin is owned by the Japanese company Takara Shuzo International: www.takara-intl.co.jp/en/

Well folks, Christmas has been and gone but not to worry for our 176th auction is now live and bursting with thousands of amazing bottles all vying to be the one which helps you drive those winter blues away!  To get your watchlist moving we’ve picked out a few highlights from the plethora of goodies on offer this month.

The Macallan Cask 888 debuted in Hong Kong at the Lalique Lounge to much fanfare, befitting its status as a limited edition single cask release from one of the world’s most collectable distilleries.  Bearing the prized ‘888’ moniker, a number deemed to be highly fortuitous in Chinese culture, only 720 bottles were made, 24 of which were made available in Hong Kong at the time.

Next up is a fantastic little piece of Scottish material culture, this is the Killyloch 1972 22 Year Old Signatory.  Killyloch distillery made a lightly peated Lowland style whisky that was used exclusively in blends for an exceptionally short period of time, production began in 1965 and ended in the early 1970’s.  With only one official single malt release in 2003, if you want to try this amazing little curio then this incredibly rare indie bottling might be your best chance.

Every month there must be the obligatory ‘I want to drink this immediately’ bottle, and this month’s winner is the Longrow 1998 26 Year Old Society Bottling.  Those lads and lassies in the Society sure know how to pick ’em, this absolute corker was distilled in 1968 and spent 26 years ageing in refill Oloroso and fresh PX casks.  One of only 485 bottles produced this is a fantastic bottling, and if sweet and smoky is your favourite flavour profile then this one is most certainly for you.

We started with a sherry bomb from a Scottish heavyweight distillery so let’s finish with one too, this is the GlenDronach 1971 43 Year Old Single Cask #2920.  GlenDronach has come a long way since founder James Allardice’s marketing strategy of offering free drams to Edinburgh’s “ladies of night”, and they now produce some of the finest sherried whisky in Scotland.  This beauty has spent an incredible 43 years ageing to perfection in a single PX sherry puncheon, while still retaining a highly respectable ABV of 48.6%.  Perfection doesn’t exist in whisky but if it did it would probably look something like this.

As always we have an enormous selection of drams to suit every budget on offer this month, so now is the time to delve into this month’s offerings and start building that watchlist.

Best of luck to everyone in the auction, and as always………..don’t lose your bottle.

Limited Follow-Up Allocation on a Rare Bottle at a Compelling Price

Blanton’s “Gold Edition” Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon

(750ml) (Pre-Arrival)

($169.99)

“Simply put, it’s just damn good every time.”
— David Othenin-Girard, K&L Spirits Buyer

We recently offered a small pre-arrival allocation of this 750mL Blanton’s Gold, and it disappeared almost immediately. We’ve secured another limited allocation and are pleased to share it with those who missed out the first time.

People talk a big game about Blanton’s Straight From the Barrel, but it is, in fact, this product—the 103-proof Gold version—that is the most perfect Blanton’s in my mind. It’s not only the beaming gold horse on top, but there’s something magical about this proof point for this liquid. Each barrel is unique and different, but I’ve never come across a barrel of Gold that felt mid—which I can’t say the same for the regular Blanton’s—no offense, Mr. B. The Straight From the Barrel is equally consistent, but there’s something about Gold that speaks to me—a richness that the lower proof offers that’s somewhat lost with the intensity of the full strength.

It’s just damn good every time. We’ve had no trouble selling these for $200-plus over the years, so right now this feels like a pretty dang good deal.

–David Othenin-Girard, K&L Spirits Buyer

Blanton’s “Gold Edition” Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon (750ml) (Pre-Arrival) ($169.99)

This product is estimated to be available by 01/31/2026.

Blanton’s—the world’s first single-barrel bourbon—was created in 1984 by Elmer T. Lee and named for Colonel Albert B. Blanton. Lee had often watched Colonel Blanton hand-select “honey barrels” from the center of Warehouse H to share with special guests at the Old Stagg Distillery he cared for so deeply. The rare 103-proof Gold Edition is an exceptional bottling, and many connoisseurs’ preferred version of this venerable label. It’s exceedingly scarce at retail, so we’re proud to offer it at a compelling price. Please note: this is the standard U.S. 750ml bottle—not the 700ml export format.

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