K&L Whisky News – Scotch Whisky News
It’s been a hectic week around the spirits department as we continue to speed up delivery of more single cask Scotch whiskey selections and work tirelessly to keep bottles on the shelf. We’ve got a fantastic new shipment of K&L exclusive barrels working its way through label approval at the moment, but in the meantime let’s talk about what’s new from some of the more established names.
Macallan Releases a New 12 Year Old “Double Cask”
Macallan “Double Cask” 12 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) $54.99 I was completely caught off guard by this whisky, both because of the exquisite flavor and the reasonable price. When Macallan releases something new these days I usually expect it to be very expensive, and/or have some sort of color code or name designation rather than an age statement. In the case of the Double Cask, we’ve got a “12” front and center and a sub-$60 price point. Fans of Balvenie, Glendronach, Aberlour, and Glenmorangie’s Lasanta might want to check this guy out. It’s all cocoa, dark chocolate, and sweet spices on the nose, followed by a rich and mellow palate that eases over the palate without ever going sweet or too supple. It’s exactly what I expect Macallan to be and it’s everything that a true Macallan fan wants: elegance, balance, and restraint. In this case, the Double Cask had me doing double takes. This is quite a nice surprise from the luxury-oriented distiller.
Macallan’s latest release is a twelve year old “double cask” malt, meaning the whisky spent time in both American and European oak (or as we know it, ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks. In a sense, it’s Macallan’s version of the Balvenie Doublewood or the Glenmorangie Lasanta: a rich and cocoa-laden malt that encompasses the sweeter and more decadent flavors of the sherry while still maintaining the malt’s inherent flavors at the core. The result is quite splendid. Macallan fans will revel in the Double Cask’s richness, it’s intensity and weight, and the creamy goodness of its palate. The flavors are dark and supple with plenty of cakebread, dark chocolate, and toasted oak. Fans of fine Scotch whisky will appreciate the price and the age statement, especially given the current trend of young whisky being sold at higher costs.
Laphroaig’s 2016 Cairdeas Arrives
In what’s become one of my favorite yearly releases, Laphroaig’s latest Cairdeas edition has arrived and this one’s been finished in Madeira casks. It’s bottled at 51.6% and it spent the first part of its life in ex-Bourbon barrels before being blended then finished in Madeira. As you many know, the combination of sweet and peat is often irresistible. I haven’t tasted this one yet, but if you wait for me to open a bottle and review it, you’ll likely miss out! These will go fast. ONE BOTTLE LIMIT PER PERSON HERE! Laphroaig 2016 “Cairdeas” Madeira Cask Islay Single Malt Whisky (750ml) $79.99 One bottle allocation. If you miss out, however, there will likely be more in the subsequent weeks ahead so check back from time to time.
KILKERRAN 12 LAUNCHES IN THE U.S.
Kilkerran 12 Year Old Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky $64.99 Last night we hosted Springbank’s first launch party for the newly released Kilkerran 12 year old single malt-the creation of the company’s second distillery, Glengyle. We had twenty-five lucky customers in attendance for snacks and Scotch, while Springbank’s manager Ranald Watson spoke about the journey of the project, one that originally began in the year 2000 when the SWA tried to strip Campbeltown of its regional designation. Springbank’s fiercely independent owner Hedley Wright decided to rebuild the extinct Glengyle in order to provide the Scotch Whisky Association with its minimum requirement of at least three distilleries for any given whisky region, and twelve years later we’ve got the first major full-term release: the Kilkerran 12 year.
As for what it tastes like, I purposely held off of tasting the new Kilkerran 12 year until last night because I wanted to be there with Ranald and the group to experience it for the first time together. I was not disappointed. The Kilkerran 12 tastes like an improved version of Oban 14: there’s just a bit more of a mouthfeel, a touch more sweetness, and a slightly peatier finish. It’s everything I’ve always liked about Oban, just more fine-tuned and focused. Ranald added: “It has a little bit of everything, doesn’t it?” Yes, it does. It’s got the fruit and vanilla of the Highlands, just enough roundness like to be a modern Speyside, the subtle brine of the islands, and a bit of peat like Islay. But it’s also light on its feet like a classic Lowlander. I think just about everyone there wanted to grab a bottle before the night was over because it’s definitely not just Springbank light; it’s an entirely different whisky with a different set of strengths. I bought my bottle this morning when I got to work. I’d recommend getting one to just about anyone who likes ANY kind of Scotch whisky because it truly delivers on all fronts.
SPRINGBANK
Then, as promised, I broke out two bottles of cask strength 19 year old Springbank from the distillery’s recent American single cask allocation: one aged in refill sherry, the other in a “recharred” sherry butt. Both whiskies were incredible, albeit in totally different ways. It was also my first time tasting either one. The recharred sherry is exactly what it sounds like. “Nineteen years ago we took ten sherry butts and had them sent to our cooperage to be blowtorched,” Ranald explained. I’d never heard of such a thing! Wouldn’t that caramelize the sherry? The result is a whisky that’s as black as black can be. It looks more like a dark Demerara rum than a single malt and it tastes like something in between El Dorado and Springbank, yet entirely natural. The refill sherry was simply perfect. If I were a whisky customer looking to spend $300 on a bottle, this is what I would spend it on. It delivers on all fronts. It has the rich fruit and oiliness of a classic Springbank whisky, but with balance, length, and finesse. My co-worker Andrew and I were spellbound.
We got a few more six packs of these casks this morning. If you’re looking for a high bottle of Scotch whisky for yourself or for a gift, it would be hard to do much better than one of these:
Bottled at 55.6%, this whisky is the color of a dark rum, yet it comes from the charring and not from a heavy sherry component in the flavor. This is not a sherry bomb in any way despite its incredibly black hue. It’s more savory and herbaceous with some sweeter notes from the caramelization of the Oloroso sherry. It’s fascinating in every way and it’s a whisky I kept going back to over and over again after first tasting it. I’ve never had anything like it.
1996 Springbank 19 Year Old Single Refill Sherry #507 Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) $259.99 Perfect Springbank, in my opinion, and a true specimen that showcases everything I love about this distillery. It has 19 years of fruit, subtle sweetness, an oily character, and just a hint of smoke on the finish. Totally balanced and satisfying. If I were a whisky customer looking to spend $300 on a bottle, this is what I would spend it on. It delivers on all fronts.
We’ll have a lot more to talk about later in the week, so MAKE SURE you check in with the spirits blog as sometimes we sell out of things that way before we even have the chance to email them!
David Driscoll K&L Spirits Buyer daviddriscoll@klwines.com 650-556-2736 http://spiritsjournal.klwines.com
