MACHIR BAY CASK STRENGTH 2021

“Machir Bay at cask strength has such intense flavours, the tropical fruit on the nose jumps out of the glass, and the citrus sweetness on the palate is so concentrated and powerful. Cask strength whiskies are such a pure representation of a distillery and maturation, they are hard to beat.” 

~Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder.

Back by popular demand, the Machir Bay Cask Strength is set for its latest edition, With new look packaging!

Delayed from its scheduled release last year, the 2021 Machir Bay Cask Strength is finally here (in 2022). This limited edition is made using the same vatting recipe as the regular Machir Bay bottling however, rather than reducing the strength to 46% abv, this one is released in a limited number of bottles at cask strength; of 58.3% abv. The higher abv allows for the quality and intensity of the Kilchoman spirit to shine.

Only 18828 bottles were produced.

NOSE: Opens with light, fruity notes influenced by the distillation. Intense waves of fresh green apples followed by candied tropical fruits. Lasting hints of dry, earthy peat smoke become the backbone for this release.

PALATE: Powerful, combining citrus notes of lemon and orange peel. Dominant honeycomb sweetness that makes way from a profile driven by milk chocolate.

FINISH: Slight cracked black pepper spice and nutmeg. Oily rich texture delivers an increasingly smoky influence. Nice balance of heavy peat, slow distillation and oak character.

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WOW… time flies when your having whisky fun, we’re now only FOUR WEEKS to Christmas. In sheer anticipation and excitement, we’ve released some fantastic feel-good flavours to get us in the mood for the festive season. Warming with real depth and a sense of mischief – these whiskies are ideal for sharing with loved ones.

Keep on scrolling to discover more or click on over to our website to browse our new November Outturn bottling list. For the ultimate festive feast, our Christmas Collection brings an exceptional selection of specially priced whiskies to enjoy, buy now before they are gone forever.

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CHRISTMAS COLLECTION

ADVENT CALENDAR

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ

Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at here for membership information

This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!

Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video

Glen Scotia Christmas Gift Guide 2022

Double Cask, 15YO and Victoriana miniatures set; RRP £23

The ultimate discovery pack for whisky newbies and whisky aficionados alike. Give the gift of a sensory experience with Glen Scotia’s classic Campbeltown single malt whisky trio gift box, featuring three award-winning whiskies that perfectly capture the spirit of Glen Scotia. The gift pack (3 x 5cl) is an introduction to whisky made by history, influenced by people, and enduring in every way.

Available at www.glenscotia.com and specialist whisky retailers.

Glen Scotia Victoriana, RRP £73

 Winner of the ‘Best in Class’ award at the 2022 World Spirit Competition, Victoriana is a modern interpretation of a classic Victorian style Campbeltown Malt Whisky. Ideal for an introduction to the classic Glen Scotia style that will surprise and delight whisky explorers and connoisseurs alike.

Matured in a combination of first and second fill bourbon barrels and finished in a combination of Pedro Ximénez and heavily charred oak casks. It is a delicious drink to enjoy over the festive period and winter months with a comforting and indulgent nose of Crème brûlée, melted sugars, caramelised fruits and oak, tasting notes of roasted sugars, blackcurrants and spice, with a finish of cocoa, dark chocolate and dark fruits.

Personalised engraving also available for an additional £5. Available at www.glenscotia.com and specialist whisky retailers.

Glen Scotia Limited Edition Seasonal Release 2022 – launching 1st October 2022 worldwide, RRP £80

The annual Glen Scotia Seasonal Release is a toast to the tight-knit Campbeltown community that has helped Glen Scotia to prevail. This is the ultimate dram to be enjoyed during a celebration with great food and exceptional company.

This 12 year old unpeated spirit has been matured in first fill Bourbon barrels before a final twelve month finish in Amontillado Sherry Casks. The result is a warm, nutty dram with long lingering vanilla notes and a mildly dry finish. Subtle maritime nuances on the nose and palate transport you to Campbeltown, as if walking along on our harbour at Christmas time. Natural colour and bottled at cask strength, it’s a true taste of Glen Scotia’s home.

Personalised engraving also available for an additional £5. Available from 1^st October 2022 at www.glenscotia.com and specialist whisky retailers.

Glen Scotia Double Cask Rum Finish – launching 10th October 2022 worldwide; RRP £49

As one of Scotland’s most internationally connected ports in the nineteenth century, Campbeltown enjoyed access to some of the finest produce from abroad. Records as far back as 1815, before Glen Scotia’s founding, show casks of rum present and for sale in the town.

The Glen Scotia Double Cask ‘Rum Finish’ showcases the quality and versatility of Glen Scotia’s no-aged-statement single malt whiskies. The alternative finish in guyanese demerara rum barrels for a minimum of eight months gives an exotic and mouth-watering dram for those not afraid to explore and who will be wonderfully surprised.

This rich and exotic whisky is matured in the finest American oak barrels and has tasting notes of cooked sugar, molasses and tropical fruit notes.

Personalised engraving also available for an additional £5. Available at www.glenscotia.com and specialist whisky retailers.

About Glen Scotia: 

Distiller Glen Scotia has been producing single malt whisky in Campbeltown since 1832 and is one of three surviving distilleries in Campbeltown. The distillery still maintains much of its original design, including the fermenters, the stillroom, and the dunnage warehouse dating from the 1830s.To this day, the distillery team follow in the footsteps of their founders, using traditional methods, carefully creating the unique Campbeltown maritime style the brand has become world-famous for.

In 2021, Glen Scotia’s 25-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch whisky was awarded ‘Best In Show Whisky’ at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Over 3,800 entries across 31 categories were judged with Glen Scotia being awarded the overall winner across all countries and styles, making it ‘Best Whisky in the World’. Later that year, Glen Scotia was named Scottish Whisky Distillery of the Year at the Scottish Whisky Awards. It is the first time a whisky distillery has received both accolades.

In 2022, Glen Scotia’s Victoriana won Best In Class in the Distillers’ Single Malt Scotch – No Age Statement category at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Due to be bottled in January, and shipped in February 2023. Special owners card from Master Blenders will be shipped following purchase. Our iconic first release represents a historical moment in Wolfcraig’s history.

This luxurious Blended Scotch Whisky is unique, not only because of the complexity and finesse that 30 years of maturation brings, but because of the partnership that has collaborated on it’s finishing touches.

£425.00

IAN MACMILLAN

“Between Richard and I, we have almost 100 years of experience. I don’t think there’s ever been another project like it”

It is very rare that two Master Blenders work together on one project, with each bringing their individual style. Richard Paterson and Ian Macmillan have utilised their long friendship and combined their peerless knowledge to become the ultimate partnership of Master Blenders under the Wolfcraig banner.

RICHARD PATERSON

“This is a rare and luxurious whisky that really is something out of the ordinary. It is impeccably groomed and polished as a unique experience for the true whisky connoisseur”

Read the full tasting notes below to be taken on a sensory journey by the first expression of Rare Aged Blends from Wolfcraig.

Colour: Rich mahogany gold with dazzling copper highlights.

Nose: Bold & majestic as a veil of exuberance immediately arouses your senses with tantalising aromas of Seville orange marmalade, creamy caramel, Manuka honey and hints of lemon drizzle cake. Another wave of enticing nuances quickly follows on with freshly baked banana bread, sweet pineapple, Devonshire fudge and caramelised pear. A whisper of Ogen melon and sun kissed raisins completes this panoply of sensory pleasure.

Taste: This noble 30 Year Old Premium Blended Scotch Whisky has been specially selected from the Highlands of Scotland, in particular from the Speyside Valley to provide an additional level of pure elegance and refinement. However to take our Premium Blended Scotch to the peak of perfection, we finally married this icon in Aged Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks from Bodega San Andres in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain before we finally bottled it.

This meticulous wood enhancement programme has ensured the exceptional quality of the whisky is unsurpassed. Since it has remained in the finest casks for 30 long years, this masterpiece must be given all the respect and reverence it richly deserves by holding long in the mouth to fully tease out all these wonderful flavours of maple syrup, bitter chocolate, Pontefract cake and sweet sultanas.

A divine decadence of Cara Cara orange, crushed almonds and Napoleon cake drenched in Madagascan vanilla custard leads on to enrich the palate even further. A finale of creme brûlée, cape gooseberries and toffee apple completes this compelling portrait of pure beauty. A pleasing aftertaste of aged balsamic, espresso coffee and ginger drifts slowly away in the background.

Impeccably groomed and polished for the true whisky connoisseur.

The final outrun of 2022 is here! 

Our final outrun for 2022 contains 6 exceptional single casks. We’ve got a great selection of whiskies from a variety of cask types. There’s a great Balmenach with a re-char cask finish, a first release from this distillery for Lady of the Glen and also our first re-char finish. We’ve also got a very rare 27 year old Glenburgie with loads of complexity, sweetness and spice. For the peat fans we have an excellent Caol Ila finished for three years in an ex-oloroso sherry cask. All releases were bottled at our site in Dalgety Bay by hand.

If the bottle you want is sold out don’t worry as we have sent orders to various independent shops and traders across the UK!

Outrun 4 2022
Below are some selected highlights from our new outrun.
There are 6 casks in this outrun.
you can check them all out on our shop here.

1991 Longmorn 21 Year Old “Old Malt Cask” K&L Exclusive Single Refill Hogshead Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

SKU #1636997

$149.99

Hunter Laing has been sitting on this one for some time. This is not a true K&L Exclusive, as it was sold in the UK and Europe, but it’s sat in bottle at the Hunter Laing warehouses for almost 10 years now. This is a fun peppery style from Longmorn that offers rich malty, citrus oil and savory spice. The Longmorn Distillery was founded outside of Elgin in 1894 by John Duff. Just one year later, he built a second adjacent distillery now called BenRiach. Longmorn was unique in the area for keeping their direct fire stills operational until 1994. That means that this old bottling is likely some of the last malt to be distilled over burning coal embers and perhaps this is what gives it such wild oldschool character. The intensity of flavor is unique and somewhat surprising as modern Longmorns can be very soft and creamy, but certainly for anyone who loves an old style malt, this will be a very fun and exciting bottling. 700ml. 50% ABV. No color added, no chill filtration.

2006 Orkney 15 Year Old “Old Malt Cask” K&L Exclusive Single Refill Hogshead Cask Strength Orkney Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)

SKU #1636995

$79.99

We continue to get lucky with these lovely no name Orkney’s. While some suppliers are confident to charge prices similar to what we’d expect from the named version of this, others are offering incredible values for these lovely classic Orkney stocks. Over the past several years, it seems that the owners of this wonderful traditional distillery had decided to liquidate some of the stocks. Perhaps they had miscalculated there blending needs or simply needed cash, but the result is a plethora of high-quality single cask offerings in various age ranges. While we’re not at liberty to discuss the exact origins of this lovely malt, we can narrow it down for you: It’s not Scapa! Considering the pedigree, we’d have been comfortable selling this whisky for much more, but this whisky isn’t just good on paper. It’s a fabulously balanced version of the great Orkney malt with plenty of hearty heath character and twinges of gorgeous ocean-y smoke. An excellent malt by any measure made that much more delicious its ease on the pocketbook.

2008 Benrinnes 13 Year Old “Old Malt Cask” K&L Exclusive Single Refill Hogshead Cask Strength Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)

SKU #1636993

$59.99

While Benrinnes complex partial triple distillation has become a simpler and more straightforward affair since 2007, the distillery hasn’t lost it’s charm. In large part that charm is due to the use of worm tub condensers – the old fashioned (read ‘slow’) way to return spirit vapor to liquid form. This slower process typically results in a much richer and fuller spirit but most modern producers have moved away from the worm tub in favor of greater efficiency and control provided by shell and tube condensers. This has made Benrinnes something of a rare bird and that weight and texture is a prized quality for blending to this day. When you get a chance to have it on its own in single malt form, it’s a treat and an opportunity not to be missed.

2010 Auchroisk 11 Year Old “Old Malt Cask” K&L Exclusive Single First Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel Finished Cask Strength Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)

SKU #1636971

$59.99

The wonderful Auchroisk distillery is one of Speyside’s truly unsung heroes. Often filled into subpar casks, intended only for blending, it’s unique character can still shine through even when the wood is lacking. Add a great high quality barrel and you’ve got a recipe for a gem. The fact that it’s so affordable shouldn’t not scare off the more discerning malt nuts out there, we are the lucky beneficiaries of some outstanding relationships in Scotland, which has afforded us unparalleled access and pricing in the market. The Auchroisk distillery is relatively young in Scottish terms, built to bolster the stocks of the famous J&B Blended Scotch, along with their other stalwart malts – Knockando, Glen Spey and Strathmill. Based near Mulbern, the single malt brand was not used initially, instead opting to use “The Singleton” name, presumably due to the difficult pronunciation. It should be said, “Ah-Thrusk!” Meaning the shallow burn beyond the red stream, it’s remarkable how much meaning can be packed into so few syllables. Likewise, it’s a shock they’ve been able to pack so much flavor into this humble little bottle. It was originally distilled and filled into a 3rd fill sherry butt in 2010 before being transferred to a freshly dumped bourbon barrel in the middle of 2020. Bottled at cask strength of 56.6% abv without chillfiltration or coloring of any kind.

2009 Macduff 12 Year Old “Old Malt Cask” K&L Exclusive Single Refill Hogshead Cask Strength Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)

SKU #1636994

$54.99

Macduff sits well under the radar in the single malt world. The official bottling from the distillery goes by the name of Deveron – the river on which the distillery sits. The only Macduff the world sees comes from the indendent bottlers and with the current ownership falling to Dewar’s under the Bacardi umbrella, it is a wonder we see any at all. Fortunately this 12 year old hogshead snuck away from corporate ownership and wound up in our hands. Bottled at 57.9% ABV without chill filtration or coloring, it’s a beautiful malt highlighting sweet vanilla and rich fudge notes all with a bit of fruitiness to round it out.

2010 Benrinnes 10 Year Old “Old Malt Cask” K&L Exclusive Single First Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel Cask Strength Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)

SKU #1636992

$54.99

The gorgeous Benrinnes malt is one we’ve come to seek out. All it needs is a bit of good wood and a decade or so. We’ve rarely found such inviting and approachable pure Speysider’s of this quality at such exceptional prices. This 10 year malt comes in at a price point that is untouchable by our competitors for single cask Scotch bottled at cask strength and without chill filtration or color added. It’s a terrific deal for a classic malt. Charged from a Bourbon barrel this cask yielded just 236 bottles at 57.5% ABV. It’s loaded with Benrinnes classic array of fruits and a hint of floral and herbal notes. The sweet vanilla from the Bourbon barrel is the perfect canvas for an elegant painting from “The Ben.”

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

ARRAN DISTILLERY

18 Year Old (2022) Bundle

£193.99

Arran 18 Year Old Island single malt Scotch whisky. Sherry cask matured is a wonderfully balanced expression of The Arran Malt which displays the tremendous depth of character of the Distillery. Caramelised citrus and tropical notes on a background of toasted oak have created an intense, well rounded dram with charm and personality. A luxurious mix of our finest aged Sherry Casks, this fully mature expression of The Arran Malt is exceptional.

This bottling is being sold as a bundle which includes:

1x botte of Arran 18 Year Old (2022)

1x bottle of Arran 10 Year Old Core Release

1x bottle of Arran Quarter Cask Core Release

MAXIMUM 1 SET PER CUSTOMER.

Buy Arran 18yo »

Arran Distillery was commissioned by the Isle of Arran Distillers in 1995 and lies amid stunning scenery just to the south of Lochranza on the northern tip of the Isle of Arran. This distillery has four stills, dunnage warehouses, a visitor centre offering distillery tours and a distillery café. Arran distills both un-peated and peated malt spirit and matures its whisky in sherry, bourbon, port and wine casks in order to produce an ever-evolving and expanding range of whiskies including Arran single malts such as Arran Machrie Moor and The Illicit Stills, and Arran blended scotch.

INTRIGUING INTENSITY: BUY BOTH TOGETHER FOR £145

134.8 SPICE UP YOUR LIFE & MARMALADE OVERDRIVE

These two whiskies make a powerful pair. Cask No. 134.8 is an Indian whisky, that at only 5 years-old is a beauty to behold. With whisky maturing much faster in hotter climates, the layers and depth of flavour in this bottling are quite something. Fast track over to our Marmalade Overdrive bottling for another unique experience with lashings of crimson marmalade and popcorn in melted butter. You can’t help but be captivated by these characters AND with Cask No. 134.8 usually priced at £145 this is a complete whisky winner.

INTERESTING

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ

Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at here for membership information

This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!

Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video

Bimber debuts first peated single malt whisky 

Bimber becomes first 21^st century English distillery to entirely floor malt and kiln its peated spirit onsite

‘Bimber The 1^st Peated’ displays an ‘in-bottle’ PPM in order to kickstart a new dialogue about what’s actually inside a bottle of peated whisky

London’s Bimber Distillery today announced the upcoming release of ‘The 1st Peated’ – the distillery’s inaugural peated single malt whisky. Crafted from a marriage of four heavily peated American oak ex-bourbon casks, The 1^st Peated is entirely composed from the distillery’s earliest fully peated distillation that took place in May 2019.

The release consists of 1,140 bottles at an ABV of 54.1% and possesses an ‘in-bottle’ PPM of 14.4. Bottles are priced at £130 and will be available via a weighted ballot on the Bimber website from Monday 28^th November.

The 1^st Peated began its journey at Bimber’s single farm (Fordham & Allen in Basingstoke) where 100% of the distillery’s barley is grown. Two-row Concerto was transported to London where it was steeped 3 times over 40 hours before being turned every 8 hours over the following 5 days. The barley was then dried using a combination of dry and wet Aberdeenshire peat by the Bimber team in a custom-made kiln.

The pungently smoked grains were than mashed and fermented for seven days in the distillery’s iconic in-house crafted washbacks, before being unhurriedly distilled using two directly-fired alembic pot stills.

The four casks married together to create The 1^st Peated (#463. #464, #470 and #471), were selected to produce the perfect partnership of Bimber’s fruity and textural single malt whisky style with the intensity of fragrant and smouldering Highland peat smoke.

Speaking of the launch, Bimber Founder and Master Distiller Dariusz Plazewski said “The team and I are truly thrilled to be able to share The 1^st Peated with whisky lovers. This release represents a major milestone on the continued journey of Bimber and of our single malt London whisky. Not only is it the culmination of several years of investigation and passion, but being entirely produced by-hand, in-house –  it is also truly embodies our continued dedication to traditional production methods.”

The 1^st Peated is presented with an ‘in-bottle’ PPM, standing in contrast to most other the whiskies which indicate the initial phenolic content of the barley prior to distillation. Distillery spokesperson Matt McKay noted the reasoning behind this decision by stating “For too long the debate about peat levels has been a race to the top. Producers have sought to display the biggest PPM numbers possible without ever trying to contextualise to customers what these numbers mean in terms of the actual peated character of a whisky once it is inside of a bottle.

Barley PPMs ignore the fact that at every stage of the whisky-making process there is a decrease in the volume of phenols present. They also ignore the large variations that distinct production methods across different distilleries have on this inevitable decline. A 50 PPM barley utilised at one distillery will not directly equate to 50 PPM barley used by another. By presenting The 1^st Peated with an in-bottle PPM we’re looking to kickstart a dialogue about PPMs which hopefully leads to a more considered reflection of what’s actually inside a bottle of whisky.”

Bimber The 1^st Peated

A marriage of four heavily peated ex-bourbon barrels (#463. #464, #470 and #471),

Nose:               Pineapple juice and apricot cobbler sit alongside creamy toffee whilst damp, feathery smoke envelopes fallen leaves and touches of salinity.

Palate:             A weighty arrival delivers immediate peat influence – smouldering logs, leaf mulch and smoked vanilla fudge. The development unleashes a wave of bright, vibrant fruitiness together with wood spice.

Finish:             Mentholated oak with lingering vivid fruit sugars.

70cl

14.4 PPM (in-bottle)

54.1% ABV

RRP £130

Available via weighted ballot from 28^th November 

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.

www.bimberdistillery.co.uk

Benriach The Sixteen

For fans of The Ten, this has the same cask make-up yet is elevated in richness and complexity by age

£77.00
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Benriach The Sixteen Description