SINGLE MALTS OF SCOTLAND
RESERVE CASKS

For those looking to dip their toe into the world of independently bottled whiskies or for an affordable exploration of your favourite distillery, the Single Malts of Scotland Reserve Casks make an excellent choice.

Bottled in small batches of three to ten casks, this is Elixir Distillers’ approachable collection of flavour-led single malts, exploring the variety of styles and flavours found across Scotland. This latest series features expressions from Dailuaine, Caol Ila, Glen Garioch, and Benrinnes, unrestrained by the distilleries’ usual house style or traditions.

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Raise a dram to Address the Haggis!

Below are our section of the finest ‘amber bead’ to raise a glass of this Burns Night on Wednesday 25th January.

🔥 Free delivery over £75 🔥

New Releases →

The Akkeshi Distillery, based on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido has been releasing fantastic whiskies since its inception. Explore these fabulous expressions now.

Dekanta

2-49-7 Minamiikebukuro Toshima-ku, Tokyo,

Silver Springs “Barrel #15321” Cask Strength Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey (750ml)

$39.99 View

This undeniably original expression comes one of Kentucky’s finest operations, while the contract prohibits the disclosure of its source and it is from one of the new distillers in the state, there are few out there who would argue that it’s not making some of Kentucky’s best rye whisky. This special mashbill was developed by the illustrious Ed Kohl, industry veteran and Keeper of the Quiach, a totally original take on the old recipe. Distilled on the traditional Kentucky bourbon column still with a traditional doubler. Ed envisioned fa “sweet rye” with a higher-than-normal malt and corn content. This might give you some clues to the source as the great rye recipe he’s referring to when telling this story is from across the river and has migrated to Kentucky at certain choice establishments. The mashbill -65% Rye, 15% Corn, 20% Malt-was distilled in a single batch and filled into newly charred 200L white oak barrels in fall of 2018 and transported to Ed’s warehouses in Tennessee. The barrels are stored in the hot and humid southern climate and this barrel was harvested in fall of 2022 at cask strength without chillfiltration. No other high quality American whisky distiller is offering 4-year-old cask strength single barrel rye for less than $40. You may try to guess the source and we’re certain hope that you do as it’s one of the best values in rye whisky on the market today. Expect it to be a deeper, sweeter side of rye that still packs plenty of spicy character.

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

The First Cask Collection: A Missed Opportunity? 

Direct Wines commissioned the First Cask bottlings for their exclusive members’ club. 

The First Cask collection is something of an enigma in the whisky world; high age statement, vintage releases, but at a fraction of the cost of most modern releases. They are often overlooked on the secondary market too. But what on earth are they?

Direct Wines created the First Cask Collection in order to distribute vintage whiskies to their members on a quarterly basis. The members were part of the First Cask Whisky Circle, entitling them to some impressive bottlings throughout the year. The series includes whisky from the likes of Caol Ila, Balvenie, Highland Park, and Macallan.

Direct Wines Ltd are a Berkshire-based wine merchant company which has an impressive outreach, with operations in Europe, the USA, and Australia. Although mainly dealing in wine, Direct Wines Ltd have also bottled numerous single malt whiskies and well over 500 casks since this venture first began in the early 1990s.

The First Cask Collection began in the 1990s and continued until the late-2000s. There is a very impressive range of whiskies in the collection, with 60s and 70s vintages and high-age statements (the oldest being a 41 year old Strathclyde released in 2007). As the collection was released exclusively to First Cask Whisky Circle members, it was not highly publicised, meaning that many of these bottlings have been flying under the radar on the secondary market.

First Cask is a generally undervalued series, with some fine examples of well-aged whiskies from renowned distilleries going for relatively low prices compared to similar ages and vintages from other independent bottlers or official releases.

With an incredible range of bottles to collect, the First Cask Collection is a great venture for any whisky enthusiast or collector.

Just some of the bottlings available on the Mark Littler Shop are a Caol Ila 1981 21 Year Old (£510), a Highland Park 1975 22 Year Old (£345), a Glenlivet 1968 27 Year Old (£498), and a Glen Grant 1976 24 Year Old (£615).

Browse the full collection on the Mark Littler Shop.

About Mark Littler Limited

Mark Littler is an independent whisky broker, market analyst and consultant with over a decade of experience in the industry. Each week he publishes new videos on his YouTube channel about topics such as cask investment fraud (and how to avoid it), the history of distilleries and bottles, debunking whisky investment myths and much more. For more information visit www.marklittler.com

If you are interested in the First Cask bottles or would like to chat with one of the team about our other services, please get in touch.

Email: whisky@marklittler.com

Telephone: 01260 218 718

Macallan Robert Burns Semiquincentenary

A very highly prized Macallan decanter released to coincide with Homecoming Scotland 2009 marking the 250th anniversary of Robert Burn’s birth. A mix of two casks one each from 1997 and 1998 with identical cask numbers #1759 (the year of Burn’s birth). The presentation box is made from Scottish red pine and includes a Burns poem unique to the individual bottle. Limited release of 250 bottles which were only available to visitors at the distillery shop.

Buy – Macallan Burns Semiquincentenary – £25k / us$25.3K*

The latest stunning single casks on offer at Loch Fyne!

We have a fleet of indie bottlings and single casks from the likes of First Editions, Duncan Taylor, Old Malt Cask and more! If you’re after something a bit out-of-the-ordinary then look no further.

🔥 Free delivery over £75 🔥

View all Single Casks →

The Octave Brackla 2011 11 Year Old LFW Exclusive #9336209

A stunning release from Duncan Taylor’s Octave series bottled specially for Loch Fyne Whiskies. This eleven-year-old Brackla single malt aged in oak casks before a nine-month finish in an octave cask. Just 84 bottles were filled in 2022 at 54% abv.

£110.00
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93 points Wine Enthusiast

 This is a perfect match for the season’s gingerbreads and spice cakes. Look for a warm, toasted-brioche aroma and pronounced flavors of vanilla, oak, dried figs, clove and allspice. (KN)  (12/2013)

90 points Whisky Advocate

 Weighty and deep. Instantly seductive: vanilla pod, rich fruits, the smell of fur coats. A femme fatale of a malt. A base of crisp malt mixes with oak to give balance and structure. Water brings out apple leaf, even a little grassiness. The palate is broad and balanced, with real sweetness and a tongue-coating quality which softens to dried fruit, earthy density, with a whiff of smoke. Redolent with the aroma of a dunnage warehouse. A class act. (DB, Fall 2015) 

Glenfarclas 17 Year Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) $119.99 View

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

Lochlea ‘Our Barley’

Celebrating Scotland’s most famous poet, Robert Burns (1759 -1796), the annual Burns Night supper is not complete without a dram of Scotch whisky.

And there is no better choice than a single malt distilled at the farm that Robert Burns once called home. Lochlea distillery located on Lochlea Farm produces once of the most exciting young new whiskies making it perfect for a toast to The Baird.

Matured in first fill Bourbon barrels, STR barriques and Oloroso Sherry butts with notes of marmalade, pears, pepper and orange beeswax this will suit all whisky palates and pairs perfeclty with a haggis!

“Freedom ‘an whisky gang thegither!”

Buy – Lochlea Our Barley – £47.00 / us$48* / €44*

Bimber Distillery reveals The Spirit of the Underground Release No.4

London’s Bimber Distillery today announced the launch of the fourth release of its well-regarded The Spirit of the Underground Collection, produced in conjunction with Transport for London (TfL).

Release No.4 showcases four new stations: Covent Garden, Green Park, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus – each featuring stunning iconography presenting unique pieces of London’s history, and adorned with striking labels and packaging design that observes the significance of each station’s location. The collection also complements TfL’s celebrations of the 160^th anniversary of the opening of the Tube this month.

In contrast to the fortified wine finishes of Release No.3, the latest editions all focus on full-term maturations. Drawing from the distillery’s finest casks, they present the distinctiveness of Bimber’s spirit alongside an intensity that has been derived from impactfully active maturations within each cask. Each is bottled at natural cask strength and without filtration:

Covent Garden – fully matured in oloroso sherry, 59.2% abv, 321 bottles

Green Park – fully matured in moscatel sherry, 59.4% abv, 285 bottles

Leicester Square – fully matured in virgin American oak, 60.3% abv, 271 bottles

Piccadilly Circus – fully matured in Pedro Ximenez sherry, 62.1%, 314 bottles

The Collection, which will total 44 individual releases, features a selection of iconic single malt whiskies that celebrate the heritage and diversity of the distillery’s home city. With stunning individual designs, each bottle presents a different Tube station on the London Underground network – the oldest underground passenger railway service in the world. The Tube opened on 10 January 1863, with services running on the then named Metropolitan Railway from Baker Street to Paddington.

Release No.4 of The Spirit of the Underground Collection will be available directly from Bimber’s Spirit of the Underground website from Monday 23^rd January till Friday 27^th January via a ballot, and with an RRP of £125 per bottle.

Speaking of the launch of  the fourth release of the Collection, Matt McKay Bimber’s Director of Marketing and Communications said: “We’re delighted to unveil the next release in The Spirit of the Underground Collection. For Release no.4, we’ve aligned the four single cask whiskies with four iconic Underground stations which all sit alongside each other on London’s Piccadilly line – the adjacency reflecting the full-term maturation and shared intensities that these exceptional casks all showcase. ”

Ellen Sankey, Brand Licensing Manager at TfL, said: “We are delighted to once again see Bimber Distillery use our unique brand and heritage in such a creative way, especially as we celebrate the 160th anniversary of London’s first Tube service this January. Collaborations like this show just how innovatively our designs can be used to bring new ideas and our history together for customers across the world.”

All the expressions in The Spirit of the Underground Collection were crafted to Bimber’s exacting standards. The spirit was produced from the distillery’s single farm barley and malted on a dedicated floor at Warminster Maltings before being fermented for seven days in bespoke, on-site constructed American oak washbacks. Distillation took place in Bimber’s customised stills which possess an increased copper surface area, which results in a rich fruit-forward, layered spirit.

The Spirit of the Underground Collection – Release No.4

The Spirit of the Underground – Covent Garden

Ex-oloroso sherry cask – Ref 441 

Nose: Warmed fudge cake served alongside a bowl of freshly picked raspberries joins mirabelle plums, sponge cake and stem ginger

Palate: A syrupy arrival packed full of sticky toffee pudding, red berry compote and chocolate sauce. Spice tingle through the development – ginger, cinnamon and chilli pepper

Finish: Lingering berry fruit sugars together with piquant spices

321 bottles

70cl

59.2% abv

The Spirit of the Underground – Green Park

Ex-moscatel sherry cask – Ref 443

Nose: Baked apples and peach melba join tonka and coffee beans whilst macadamia nuts are scattered atop of gingerbread

Palate: An elegant combination of orchard and stone fruits that develops into orange jelly, pineapple chunks and chocolate and vanilla choux buns

Finish: Sustained brown sugars together with mentholated oakiness 

285 bottles

70cl

58.4% ABV

The Spirit of the Underground – Leicester Square

Virgin American oak – Ref 331

Nose: Smooth toffee and desiccated coconut sit with pineapple juice and apricot flans whilst brown sugars and nougat are joined by freshly planed oak

Palate: An intense arrival of stone and tropical fruits supported by burnt toffee, cask char, chilli and mustard seeds

Finish: Long with residual fruits joined by tingly pepper and root ginger

271 bottles

70cl

60.3% ABV

The Spirit of the Underground – Piccadilly Circus

Ex-Pedro Ximenez Sherry – Ref 436

Nose: Sticky toffee pudding and Black Forest gateau are joined by leafy sherry – fresh red and black berries, moist tobacco leaves and new chamois leather

Palate: Rich and fulsome with fruit-packed Christmas cake, gooey toffee, coffee grounds and dark chocolate. Fruit loaf follows with cherries, ginger, clove and a drizzle of balsamic

Finish: Prolonged with fresh sherry sweetness, green leafiness and fading chocolate

314 bottles

70cl

62.1% ABV

About Bimber 

Bimber Distillery produces world-class single malt whisky, handcrafted with passion in West London. As a leading distiller of English whisky, we combine generations of rich distilling heritage with the finest quality ingredients to create the ultimate craft whisky experience.

About Transport for London 

Transport for London (TfL) is the integrated transport authority responsible for delivering Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s strategy and commitments on transport. It runs the day-to-day operation of the Capital’s public transport network, including London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway, London Buses and Elizabeth line services, as well as managing London’s main roads. TfL does all it can to support the millions of journeys that are made every day and keep the city moving, working and growing. TfL reinvests all income generated through fares and commercial revenue to run and improve services and is committed to reducing costs. The licensing deal for this product was delivered through TSBA Group, TfL’s brand licensing partner.