New Whiskies at K&L California – Scotch Whisky News
Hello Whisk(e)y Lovers! Welcome to October and that magical time of year when the new whiskey releases start coming fast and furiously! I’ve been on the road for most of the past month, hoping to shore up our stocks and solidify any outstanding deals we have coming for the big holiday rush. Having made an emergency trip to Scotland a few weeks back in search of supplies, I did make some time to stop by a few of my favorite distilleries and taste what was on the horizon. Having traveled with the Laing family over to Islay to visit their new Ardnahoe distillery site near Bunnahabhain (check out the info and photos here if you missed my blog piece), I was able to make my over to Ardbeg and Bruichladdich as well. Ardbeg was a total zoo as they were releasing their new 21 year old limited edition release in the distillery gift shop that day, but they did have a few bottles open to taste.
ARDBEG 21 YEAR OLD “2016 COMMITTEE RELEASE”
The whisky is quite delicate and light on its feet in contrast to what Ardbeg has been become known for over the last decade. Fans of the more restrained and ethereal style of whisky will be pleased. There’s long and lovely note of faint vanilla with overtones of creamy malt that mellow out the peat and the salt. Those looking for a big, bold, and brash expression of Ardbeg will want to look elsewhere. The new 21 year old release is an exercise in total restraint and balance, unlike the uber-peaty editions we’ve become used to as of late. It’s an elegant and sophisticated Islay malt, one that should be sipped and savored slowly (as there ain’t much to be had!).
We’ve got a little over fifty bottles in stock now. It’s a strict one bottle limit per customer and the inventory is live now! First come, first served. We’ve been getting phone calls all week about this release, so don’t snooze on this offer if it’s something you know you really want!
BRUICHLADDICH
As many of you know, we’ve been working closely with Bruichladdich distillery for over a decade and their former master distiller Jim McEwan is pretty much family at K&L. That being said, Jim retired last year and the new guy in charge of distillation is this young whippersnapper in the photo to the left: Adam Hannett. I spent the entire afternoon tasting through Bruichladdich’s new barley-specific whiskies with him, getting to know the man up close and personal. I left utterly enthused about Bruichladdich’s future. You can read the full story here, but in the meantime look for a special Redwood City dinner with Adam in early November and check out these distillery arrivals below:
1990 Bruichladdich “Black Art – Edition 4.1” 23 Year Old Islay Single Malt Whisky (750ml) $299.99
Well known amongst whisky fans as Jim McEwan’s special brew, this 23 year marriage of various casks continues to captivate and enthrall malt drinkers everywhere. We just got more of this dark art masterpiece in time for Halloween! While the recipe is a secret, it’s well known that various wine finished whiskies were used on the concoction of this special brew. Rich, oily, red fruited, and decadent in every way. It was a blast tasting this again recently.
This is one of Bruichladdich’s old Octomore experiments, what they call a, “what if,” project. In 2008, someone decided that putting fresh Octomore at 167ppm into virgin oak casks was a good idea. Nearly a decade later, we are the lucky beneficiaries of that experiment. The fresh oak does something that neither used cask nor the ubiquitous wine casks used at Bruichladdich can match. The rich caramel and vanilla notes soak up that smokiness in a very unique way. The result is a stark departure from the usual Octomore, but in the very best way possible. Big nose of toasties with butter and apricot perserves. Bitter Cocoa, fresh espresso, barbeque sauce, spruce nibs, and bright citrus notes point the sweet stone fruits and toasty smoke. On the palate the sweet coconut meat, spices, and that big peat note coming through. The palate is as big and bold as you’d expect, moving more herbal and medicinal than some of the wine cask finished Octos. On the finish the floral elements of the new oak come through, but without astringency. Bottled at 63% for maximum impact!
KILKERRAN
We’ll be announcing the Bruichladdich dinner on the spirits blog later this month, but in the meantime let’s focus on next week! If you didn’t get the memo, Springbank’s other distillery-the resurrected Glengyle facility (located right next door)-just released it’s very first age-stated whisky: the Kilkerran 12 year old! If you’ve ever wondered why they just don’t call the whisky “Glengyle” it’s because the distillery and brand name legally belong to the nearby Loch Lomand group who own the trademark for the marketing rights. Therefore: KILKERRAN!
To celebrate this tremendous achievement you can join us at Donato next week for a meet and greet tasting event with Springbank’s manager Ranald Watson! We only have room for twenty five people (as we want to make this an intimate affair) and we’ll not only have the new Kilkerran 12 year old, but also a selection of rare Springbank single casks as well as plenty of finger foods. I’m not talking about some dainty little ten year old cask offering either, but rather the 19 year old cask strength sherry butt editions that run nearly $300 a pop. You can taste all these and eat delicious Donato appetizers for only $25. We’ll be meeting in the front room at 7 PM next Wednesday! 25 spots available.
Kilkerran 12 Year Launch Party w/Ranald Watson @ Donato – Oct 12th, 7 PM $25.00
If you can’t make the launch party, but still want to get a bottle of the delicious new 12 year old release, we’ve got you covered:
Kilkerran 12 Year Single Malt Whisky (750ml) $64.99
When the doors opened at the Mitchell’s Glengyle Distillery in March of 2004, it became the first new distillery to open in Campbeltown in more than 125 years. Campbeltown, once the center of whisky production for Scotland, had been hit hard over the last century and had dwindled down to two distilleries – Springbank and Glen Scotia. When the SWA threatened to take away the Campeltown appellation, Springbank was told a region needed at least three distilleries to consider itself a specific locale. The decision was then made to reopen the long-dormant Glengyle distillery located immediately next door to Springbank. Kilkerran is the name that was chosen for the single malt produced at Mitchell’s Glengyle Distillery because the name Glengyle is already used for a blended Highland malt and they also wished to avoid any possible confusion between the newest single malt to come from the Campbeltown region and a pre-existing blended Highland malt.
David Driscoll
K&L Spirits Buyer
daviddriscoll@klwines.com
650-556-2736
http://spiritsjournal.klwines.com
