The Whisky Advocate has unveiled their award winners for 2016 and in response we’ve scrambled to make sure our shelves are stocked-up with the top picks. After some urgent calls to our distributors, we’re thrilled to announce we’ve secured the winners for the following categories: Speyside Single Malt, Islay Single Malt, Highland Single Malt, Irish Whiskey, and Japanese Whisky.

2016 has been a banner year for spirits as we’ve seen a meteoric rise in both quality and diversity. The top award winners here reflect the very best in an increasingly competitive market. These category defining benchmarks and are absolute must-haves for collectors. As you would expect, quantities for many of these bottlings are limited, so you’ll need to act quickly to secure these award winners.

Glenrothes Vintage Reserve Single Malt Whisky (750ml) (Elsewhere $44.99) ($32.99)

Whisky Advocate: “The 1989 whisky is said to bring mellow oak and dried fruits to the overall composition, while 1998 whisky accounts for more than 25 percent of the total makeup and gives soft, mature, sweet vanilla notes. The youngest whisky (from 2007) adds lemon citrus character. The overall effect is a beautifully harmonious, complex dram in classic Speyside style. Purists may prefer individual vintage year bottlingsand 1995, 1998, and 2001 expressions are currently available in the U.S., but the price of Vintage Reserve makes it an attractive alternative and allows the imbiber to appreciate all the varying facets of this single malt.”

K&L Notes: The Whisky Advocate’s choice for 2016 “Speyside Whisky of the Year,” the Glenrothes Vintage utilizes whiskies distilled 1989, 1992, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 that have been married together in wood.

Redbreast “Lustau Edition” Sherry Finished Irish Whiskey (750ml) ($64.99)

Whisky Advocate: “Theres something special about the oloroso influence on the single pot still style that works beautifully here. The sherry sculpts the whiskey, giving it definition and producing a clean, refined elegance. The nose is intensely fragrant, bursting with fat dates and squidgy prunes, red apple and Battenburg cake. Its fruity, yet delectably bone dry with oak, walnut, and spices. In the mouth, there are red berry fruits, apples, and marzipan, and the whiskey delivers a creamy yet oily consistency with a clean, sweet oloroso finish.”

K&L Notes: Winner of the Whisky Advocates 2016 “Irish Whiskey of the Year” award. Redbreast’s classic pot-still Irish whiskey collides with rich and round Lustau sherry in this new Midleton distillery edition. What I particularly love about the whiskey is that the sherry is artfully and gracefully integrated into the true Irish character. It’s more like a light frosting on a delicious Midleton cake. The soft vanilla notes are still present, the light fruits and gentle grains that real Irish whiskey fans hold so dearly, but they’re elevated, enhanced, and lifted by the sherry, particularly on the finish where the richness combines to create an oiliness with the grainy notes. I’d drink this over the Green Spot any day of the week. To me, it’s a vast improvement. (David Driscoll, K&L Spirits buyer)

Nikka “Yoichi” Japanese Single Malt Whisky (750ml) ($79.99)

Whisky Advocate: “A compelling nose of black earthy peat, smoldering fires, a turned-out pocket of briny seashells, whole lime, lemon twist, sugared orange, ground ginger, and licorice. Silky smooth on the tongue, with light, fruity sweetness developing into tangy Spangles, kiwi, and lime juice. The smoky peat is the weft woven through the fruit structures warp. Menthol, peat, and leather go the distance. This Japanese whisky is delicious, elegant, and affordable; perfectly pitched for cogitative drinking by those loyal to the Japanese single malt scene.”

K&L Notes: Winner of the Whisky Advocate’s 2016 “Japanese Whisky of the Year” award! Nikka’s latest release from Yoichi distillery no longer carries an age statement, but it does bring a classically Japanese whisky profile back to the market. All the delicacy, grace, and subtle complexity is alive and well in this release, buried deeply into a whisper of malt for those who take the time to let it be heard. The first sip is almost ghostly, but it’s the second and third return that yield the slightest hint of peat smoke, the creamiest of malts, and the lovely roundness of sweet stonefruit. This is textbook Japanese whisky: a flavor reserved so as not to overwhelm potential food pairings like sushi or other delicate offerings, yet a wonderful depth of flavor done with the slightest of hands. Yoichi is located on Japan’s Hokkaido island where such food pairings are prevalent. It’s definitely a single malt with a sense of place. The gentle smell and flavor of the sea linger long on the finish.

Andrew Stevens | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: September 21, 2016

This may be my favorite offering from Nikka, which is saying something. The whisky opens with fruit, hints of spice, and of course a lovely layer of peat. Unlike some of the other Nikkas, this whisky plays on a more fruity note, loaded with baked pears and green apple, and baking spices like cinnamon and cardamom finish it off. The peat here is more smoldering than outright smoke and adds to the complexity. The lack of age statement here in no way diminishes from how good this bottle is, working well either neat or as a highball.

Lagavulin 25 Year Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($1,149.99)

Whisky Advocate: “The 25 year old is fascinating in its complexity, both on the nose and palate. Aromas of new leather, tropical fruits, brittle toffee, and brine are backed by spicy peat smoke, while smoky sherry notes develop in time. It is at its best neat, with the strength being no deterrent. The palate is rich and confident, with sweet peat, brine, muted sherry, figs, gentle spices, tangerines, and lemons. The finish is lengthy, with a barbecue note, malt, and lots of gentle smoke. An extremely fine Lagavulin.”

K&L Notes: The Whisky Advocate’s 2016 choice for “Islay Whisky of the Year,” this 25 year old edition of Lagavulin commemorates the 200th anniversary of the legendary Islay distillery. Aged in prime sherry butts.

Brora 38 Year Old Limited Edition Special Release Single Malt Whisky (750ml)  ($2,199.99)

Whisky Advocate: “It possesses all the balance, variety, and complexity along with the robust, old-fashioned coastal, oily, smoky virtues that make Brora such a consistently high scorer, but there is a greater emphasis on ashy peat than in last years equally excellent bottling. Lost distilleries such as Brora tend to attract a sense of mystique and romanticism simply because they are no longer active and, in many cases, have disappeared beneath shopping malls and housing developments. Brora, however, remains intact with its old, riveted pair of stills in situ, and visitors to Clynelish may get a peek into the stillhouse, if they ask nicely! Mystique and romanticism apart, Brora stands up to any scrutiny as a fantastic whisky”

K&L Notes: The Whisky Advocate’s 2016 “Highland Whisky of the Year” selection, Brora has always held a soft spot in the hearts of single malt’s most devoted drinkers. The distillery was founded in 1819 as Clynelish, and traded as such until the construction of a ‘new’ Clynelish alongside the old two-pot operation during 1967-68. At that point the Clynelish name was brora-38transformed to the shiny, modern version, and ‘old’ Clynelish was briefly mothballed before being resurrected in 1969 as Brora. The 2016 Special Release of 38 year old Brora was the fifteenth, and the oldest house bottling to be released. It was matured in a mix of refill American oak hogsheads and refill European oak butts.

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