• Crown Royal Monarch 75th Anniversary Edition Canadian Whisky 750ml (ships in a 1.5 liter shipping box) (Elsewhere $75) ($49.99) 96 points Whisky Advocate: “Monarch, the 75th anniversary limited edition of Canada’s best-selling whisky, raises the already high Crown Royal flavor bar. Zesty rye from an ancient Coffey still is the throbbing heart of this blend, balancing cloves, ginger, cinnamon, glowing hot pepper, and that gorgeous sour bitterness of rye grain against crispy, fresh-sawn lumber, fragrant lilacs, dark fruits, and green apples. Butterscotch, chocolate, toffee, mint, pine needles, and sweet pitchy balsam enrich a luscious, creamy mouthfeel carefully tempered by grapefruit pith. ” K&L Notes: While many of us in the “serious” whisky crowd tend to avoid Canadian whisky because of all the myths we’ve heard about caramel coloring and neutral spirits, it turns out we’re actually missing out on one of the great renaissances of the genre. There’s a new movement north of the border; a flourishing of new distillation that ranks right there with Kentucky and Scotland in terms of quality and innovation. It also turns out that one of the biggest brand names in the business, Crown Royal, is at the epicenter of this movement. After speaking with renowned Canadian whisky writer Davin de Kergommeaux, I was forced to change my tune.. “Have you tried their new Monarch?” he asked me, “It’s the best Canadian whisky I’ve tasted….probably ever.” I was in shock. I immediately ordered a bottle from our vendor, interested in learning more about the 75th anniversary edition crafted to resemble Sam Bronfman’s original expression for the visiting King and Queen. It turns out that Crown Royal used a large chuck of their “Coffey rye” in the marriage; a delicate and flavorful rye whiskey run through the Coffey still at the Gimli distillery. I received my bottle and poured myself a glass. The nose was a like a lighter rye whiskey highlighted with caramel notes and vanilla; hints of pepper and dill. The palate is lean and haunting, showcasing lighter wood extraction and mellow toffee. This is beautiful whisky; easy to drink, complex, and not at all sweet. Why have we not been drinking this?

• SMWS 36.82 Benrinnes 17 Year Old “Rare Release” Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($149.99) We’re continuing our relationship with the Scotch Malt Whisky Society with this 17 year old cask of Benrinnes; a Speyside distillery that we’ve grown quite fond of here at K&L. Bottled at cask strength, this whisky is a bold blast of rich vanilla and toffee. Perhaps the Society’s own notes say it best, however: “Warm velvet, dusty carpet and oil paintings. A rhumptof of red apples and rhubarb. Pea shoots and tomato leaves in a greenhouse. Juicy sultanas then liquorice and cola cubes. Rhubarb and custard chews with cinder toffee. Lemon posset and cookie dough to finish.” That’s exactly what we were thinking when we picked out this delicious cask! In all seriousness, this whisky is to die for. One of only 198 bottles from this fantastic cask.

• Cut Spike Nebraska Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($59.99) At first we couldn’t believe our mouths. We knew that Cut Spike single malt had just taken Double Gold honors at the 2014 San Francisco Spirits competition (the highest possible honor), so obviously other people thought it was good, too. But after tasting so many mediocre American attempts at single malt whisky, we had become accustomed to the idea that the Scottish style of distillation would never be recreated here at home. There would be spin-offs, and experimental gasps at greatness, but that supple, malty profile would simply be something we needed to import from abroad. Then the folks at Cut Spike sent us a sample of their two year old Nebraskan single malt whisky made from 100% malted barley on a pot still crafted in Rothes, Scotland. Fermented at the brewery next door to Cut Spike in La Vista, the malt was matured for two years in new American oak with varying levels of char. The result is an incredible hybrid: soft, barley and vanilla-laden whisk y that tastes somewhat like your standard Scottish single malt, but has its own unique character simultaneously. It’s the kind of whisky that you taste once and enjoy, but then the next day suddenly crave intensely. It impresses you instantly, yet doesn’t really reveal its full character until weeks later. The new oak blurs seamlessly into the malty mouthfeel, adding a richness on the finish normally not tasted in standard Scottish selections. Cut Spike is a major accomplishment for American distillation, pure and simple.

K&L Wine Merchants
http://www.klwines.com
Phone: 877-KLWines (toll free 877-559-4637)
Email: wine@klwines.com
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA