The Epicurean Pays Homage to City of Glasgow with Launch of New Cask Strength Glasgow Edition 

Award-winning Lowland Malt Scotch Whisky brand, The Epicurean, today reveals a new release dedicated to “his” home City of Glasgow – also home to independently family-owned parent company, Douglas Laing & Co. This limited-edition expression marries together the finest Single Cask Single Malts from the Lowland region of Scotland and is offered at a natural cask strength of 56.8% alcohol, proudly without colouring or chill-filtration. Strictly limited to just 3,000 bottles globally, this release is expected to be snapped up quickly.

Presented in a black bottle with gold foiling and packaged in a premium gift tube, the “striking” black and gold design was inspired by the 1920’s Art Deco visual arts era, the same era that inspired The Epicurean’s brand character – a true Glasgow gentleman. Tasting notes are said to reveal “fresh fruits with lashings of runny honey and sweet raspberry jam”, a dram the Douglas Laing team describe as a “spectacular melody of sweet flavours”.

To support the new release, the team behind the iconic Lowland Malt Scotch Whisky brand have partnered with local bar KONG to host an official launch event where invitees will get the chance to sample this new, limited edition bottling plus enjoy several Epicurean based cocktails.

Commenting on the special edition bottling, Cara Laing, Marketing Director, said:

“The Epicurean Glasgow Edition takes our hats off to the culturally unique city that we call home and perfectly encapsulates the ever-friendly, vibrant and energetic spirit of Glasgow. The exceptional liquid quality and premium packaging pay tribute to the values held by our Epicurious gent, who is ever the life and soul of the party and a connoisseur of fine food and drink.”

The Epicurean Glasgow Limited Edition will be available from specialist Whisky retailers around the world, plus online retailers, from May 2022. It carries a suggested retail price of £52.50 / €62.00.

ABOUT THE EPICUREAN

Instagram: @theepicureanwhisky

Facebook: /dltheepicurean

Meet The Epicurean – our 1930s Glasgow man, a real cheeky character who was ever the life and soul of the party and a connoisseur of fine food and drink. A master of versatility, this fresh, zesty, grassy marriage of the finest Lowland malts is perfect for cocktail hour or simply for sipping. 

ABOUT DOUGLAS LAING & CO.

www.douglaslaing.com

Douglas Laing & Co. is a leading independent Scotch Whisky distillery, blender and bottler specialising in the selection and release of Single Cask Single and Small Batch Malt Scotch Whiskies.

The company was founded by Fred Douglas Laing in 1948 and is still owned and run by the Laing family – Fred Laing Jr and his daughter Cara Laing.

The company philosophy is to bottle the way the distiller intended – at a high strength and without chill filtration to preserve the robust and unique character of the Whisky. Douglas Laing’s industry reputation and many awards is testament to this ethos.

Douglas Laing’s Remarkable Regional Malts, the Ultimate Distillation of Scotland’s Malt Whisky Regions, encompasses The Epicurean Lowland Malt Scotch Whisky, Timorous Beastie (Highlands), Scallywag (Speyside), The Gauldrons (Campbeltown), Rock Island (Islands) and Big Peat (Islay).

Beyond its Blended Malts expertise, the award-winning Douglas Laing portfolio also includes Provenance, Premier Barrel, Old Particular, Xtra Old Particular and XOP Black, collectively known as the firm’s “Exceptional Single Casks”.

SCOTCH WHISKY AUTHENTICATION PIONEER THE WHISKY BARREL LAUNCH SECOND RELEASE

Wednesday 1 June, 2022, Fife, Scotland

Scotland’s specialist online whisky shop, The Whisky Barrel launches the second single cask Scotch whisky with a full Digital Provenance Certificate (NFT).

Recognising the growth of digital whisky collections and bridging the gap between the physical and the digital world ‘phygital‘. Fife-based online whisky merchant, The Whisky Barrel, is run by Alastair Brown with his brother, Chris. They have applied blockchain technology to 279 bottles of a single cask of peated Scotch distilled at Annandale distillery, whilst also featuring recognition of the poet and lyricist, Robert Burns, the once local exciseman in Annan.The Whisky Barrel’s Digital Provenance Certificates (NFTs) securely transmit essential product information on a public ledger, helping collectors and connoisseurs alleviate the risk of investing in counterfeit whisky.

“The positive response from customers who purchased our first release a Glen Moray 30 Year Old has emphasised the benefit that this technology brings to rare Scotch whisky. Each individual bottle features a layer of provenance that’s unrivalled in the Scotch whisky industry.” Alastair Brown

Developed in conjunction with Aberdeen-based tech start-up CD Corp. Each Digital Provenance Certificate is minted on the Solana (SOL) blockchain platform, chosen for its verified carbon-neutral, low-energy consumption.

Today sees the release of the second bottling a 6-year-old peated whisky distilled at Annandale distillery in Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Each of the 279 individually-numbered bottles feature a unique QR code that links to its corresponding Digital Provenance Certificate. This token provides digital proof of ownership, as well as the provenance of each bottle, which can be stored in a digital wallet securely on a smartphone.

Owners of the these bottles are granted membership to The Whisky Barrel Scotch Club hosted by Solsea.

The Annandale 6 Year Old is the second release from The Whisky Barrel’s 15th Anniversary Portfolio Series, that will culminate in the bottling of a 50-year-old single cask whisky.

Second release Annandale 6 Year Old

The second release of The Whisky Barrel’s 15th Anniversary Portfolio Digital Provence Certificate series is a Annandale 6-year-old. This modest yield of 279 unique bottles was minted on 12th January 2022. The Whisky Barrel’s decision to digitally certify their provenance adds an enhanced layer of security for buyers.

Lowland single malt distilled at Annandale Distillery.

2015 vintage.

59.7% ALC/VOL

Single cask, 1st fill Oloroso Sherry Butt.

Bottled the old-fashioned way at cask strength with natural colour and unchill-filtered.

Tasting notes:

Nose: Bonfire smoke, shortbread, roasted nuts and sweet sherry.

Taste: Layers of peat smoke and sherry, cherries, warm spices and almonds.

Finish: More smoke, long and oily with pine cones and sugar ginger.

Bottle #001 Digital Provenance Certificate (NFT) on Solsea

THE ENGLISH – 11 YR
4300 bottles available
£59.95
70cl   46% ABV

SHOP NOW

SHOP NOW

Limited edition

BUNNAHABHAIN ABHAINN ARAIG

Fèis Ìle 2022 starts today and in celebration of this iconic whisky festival, Bunnahabhain has released Abhainn Araig, a rich and velvety limited-edition single malt inspired by the waters of Islay. Matured in a combination of ex-bourbon casks, Pedro Ximenez sherry casks and sherry octaves, this bold and spicy dram is packed with flavours of dried raspberries, milk chocolate, macadamia nuts and cinnamon.

SHOP NOW

SECOND BATCH OF 30-YEAR-OLD

GLENALLACHIE HITS THE MARKET

Batch 2 of The GlenAllachie 30-year-old Cask Strength Single Malt is

world-leading Master Distiller, Billy Walker’s latest creation 

Hot on the heels of announcing whisky veteran Billy Walker’s 50^th Anniversary in the Scotch Whisky industry, The GlenAllachie today launches the second instalment of its oldest and most prestigious core offering: The GlenAllachie 30-year-old Cask Strength Batch 2 Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

The annual batch-release by the leading distiller debuted last year to great acclaim, with the small quantity of bottles issued being met with substantial demand.

Batch 2 (UK RRSP £600) is a limited release of just 2,000 bottles globally, each encased in a premium black rigid box with impactful gold foil detailing.

The second instalment marries antique whiskies from eight casks handpicked by Walker from stocks spanning more than 50,000 maturing across 16 on-site warehouses at GlenAllachie.

To create this sophisticated whisky, Walker meticulously selected 1990 and 1991 vintages matured in six former Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso Sherry hogsheads and puncheons, along with two 1990 American virgin oak barrels which were toasted and charred to a medium level.

The result of Walker’s exceptional blending and wood management prowess is an outstanding whisky that epitomises rich Sherry-matured elegance, with flavour profile revealing layers of Seville orange, coffee beans, desiccated coconut and Medjool dates.

The remarkably opulent Speyside Single Malt is bottled at its cask strength of 50.8% ABV, non chill filtered and without added colour.

Reflecting on the exclusive release, Walker comments:

“When we first unveiled our 30-year-old Cask Strength annual release last year, we were completely overwhelmed and humbled by the immensely positive response from whisky fans around the world. This fuelled me with great enthusiasm to get underway with the next batch, endeavouring to raise the bar even higher with this instalment.

“We’re delighted to present the second batch of our eldest core release, delivering a bold and complex organoleptic profile truly representative of our house style and where we are taking The GlenAllachie Distillery.”

The GlenAllachie 30-year-old Cask Strength Batch 2 is available from specialist retailers globally, with a UK RRSP of £600.

ABOUT GLENALLACHIE:

One of Scotland’s few independently owned and managed distilleries, The GlenAllachie is led by industry veteran, Billy Walker, who boasts a 50-year tenure in whisky. With an emphasis on wood policy, The GlenAllachie’s cask budget for 2022 stands at an eye-watering £2m/$2.6m. With 16 on-site warehouses holding over 50,000 casks, we have complete control of the end-to-end maturation process.

The GlenAllachie focusses on quality over quantity, which is why we chose to reduce our production capacity from 4m to 500,000 Litres of Alcohol and increase our fermentation period to 160 hours for an ester rich, fruity spirit.

We believe age and integrity matter, which is why all our whiskies carry an age statement, and are bottled at a minimum of 46% ABV, natural colour and non-chill filtered for maximum flavour experience.

Our other brands are MacNair’s Boutique House of Spirits – encompassing Lum Reek Blended Malt Scotch Whisky and Exploration Rum – and White Heather Blended Scotch Whisky.

Further information on the distillery and company can be found at www.theglenallachie.com

Facebook – @TheGlenAllachie    |    Twitter – @TheGlenAllachie    |    Instagram – @theglenallachie_

TASTING NOTES

The GlenAllachie 30-year-old Cask Strength Batch 2 – 50.8% ABV

Colour: Rich Mahogany.

Nose: Bursting with heather honey, sultanas and mocha, followed by waves of cinnamon, coconut shavings and dried fruits.

Taste: Lashings of dark chocolate, figs and orange zest, with hints of treacle, raisins and cinnamon, with nutmeg on the finish.

Loch Lomond Whiskies Unveils Limited Edition Whisky to Celebrate

The Open’s 150^th Championship

Award-winning, independent distiller Loch Lomond Whiskies has unveiled two limited edition single malt whiskies in celebration of The Open.

Loch Lomond The Open Course Edition 2022, and Loch Lomond The Open Special Edition 2022, have been created to mark the 150^th year of golf’s prestigious The Open Championship, of which Loch Lomond Whiskies is the official spirit partner.

The 150^th Open will be played on the historic links of The Old Course, St Andrews, this July.

Each single malt expression has been carefully crafted using Loch Lomond Whiskies’ remarkable straight-neck stills, which are entirely unique to the distillery.

These innovative stills allow Master Blender, Michael Hendry, to explore the flavour profiles in an imaginative way.

Loch Lomond The Open Special Edition 2022 has been crafted in partnership with legendary golfer Colin Montgomerie, who worked closely with Master Blender Michael Hendry to create a whisky worthy of The Open’s historic anniversary.

Perfectly capturing the distillery’s signature style of fruit, honey and soft smoke, this unique single malt is bursting with flavour, carrying notes of strawberry, peach and lime citrus, a creamy fudge sweetness, a lingering oak spice, and soft smoke finish.

The Open Special Edition 2022 has been aged in American Oak casks before being hand-selected for additional finishing in Bordeaux Red Wine Barriques, creating an additional layer of complexity.

Montgomerie’s signature appears on each bottle, adding an extra special touch to this wonderful edition.

Loch Lomond The Open Course Edition 2022 is a rich and elegant single malt whisky which pays homage to all the golf courses where The Open has taken place, from the first ever championship in Prestwick in 1860 to St Andrews where the 2022 event will be held.

The limited-edition single malt is a rare expression which captures the distillery’s spirit of exploration and unique whisky-making style.

First distilled 22 years ago, The Open Course Edition 2022 delivers notes of stewed apple, pear and black cherry with vanilla and dark chocolate, a warming ginger spice and wood smoke finish. It is aged in American Oak casks before being finished in the finest Haut-Médoc Claret Barriques for 36 months.

The Open Course Edition 2022 is presented in a striking blue case and boasts an elevated bottle design, making it the perfect gift which will stand out on any whisky cabinet.

Andrew Jack, Head of Whisky Marketing at Loch Lomond Whiskies, said:

“The Open is a such a prestigious event, bringing together some of the world’s best golfers. At Loch Lomond Whiskies we are very proud to show our support as the official spirit partner of this momentous anniversary.

“The ties between golf and whisky in Scotland date back generations. Our two new, limited edition single malts are highly valuable additions to our whisky portfolio, demonstrating the breadth of distillation techniques Loch Lomond Whiskies is capable of. We’re confident both expressions will appeal to a variety of tastes, budgets and interests, particularly in the lead up to Father’s Day in June.” 

Loch Lomond The Open Special Edition 2022 (ABV 46%, RRP £45) is available from www.lochlomondwhiskies.com/products/loch-lomond-open-special-edition-2022

Loch Lomond The Open Course Edition 2022 (ABV 48.2%, RRP £225) is available from www.lochlomondwhiskies.com/products/loch-lomond-open-course-collection-2022

For further information, please visit www.lochlomondwhiskies.com.

About the Loch Lomond Group

• Loch Lomond Group is an independent distiller based in Alexandria and is home to several award-winning brands that are sold in more than 125 countries worldwide.

• Loch Lomond distillery has been producing the finest single malt whiskies since 1814.

• Images and interviews with key staff from the Group are available upon request. lochlomondgroup.com

About Loch Lomond Whiskies

• Loch Lomond Distillery has one of the oldest heritages in the industry. It was founded by American, Duncan Thomas, the owner of the Littlemill distillery which was licensed in 1772. In the 1930s Duncan Thomas was at the forefront of innovation within the Scotch whisky industry and his innovative philosophy is ingrained into everything that is done at Loch Lomond to this day.

• The multi award winning Loch Lomond whiskies range includes the Loch Lomond 12-Year-Old Perfectly Balanced which has been awarded the Platinum Award in 2020, one of only 7 single malts to be awarded this honour at the San Francisco World Spirits Challenge 2020.

A selection of other recent medals include:

Loch Lomond 21 Year Old Perfectly Balanced – Double Gold San Francisco World Spirits Awards 2021

Loch Lomond 12 Year Old Inchmurrin – Best Highland Scotch 12 Year Old & Under, World Whisky Awards 2021; Gold International Sprits Challenge 2021; Double Gold San Francisco World Spirits Awards 2020.

Loch Lomond 12 Year Old Inchmoan – Gold San Francisco World Spirits Awards 2020; Gold International Sprits Challenge 2020

Loch Lomond 30 Year Old – Double Gold San Francisco World Spirits Awards 2021

Miltonduff 1990 31 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice #19440

A delectable palate filled with aniseed, cinnamon, and ripe raspberries with a vibrant citrus finish.

A stunning vintage Speyside expression from Miltonduff. Matured in a first fill sherry butt, just 437 bottles of this expression were filled in December 2021.

On the nose, there is dark chocolate, orange peel, and rich toffee. The palate has aniseed, cinnamon, and ripe raspberries before leading into a long finish full of citrus.

£750.00
BUY NOW

Raasay Single Malt R-01.1

The latest single malt release from Raasay distillery has arrived! Raasay R-01.1 has been crafted from peated and unpeated Raasay spirit matured separately in first fill Rye whiskey, Chinkapin oak and first fill Bordeaux red wine casks, then combined resulting in a lightly peated dram.

Each stage in the process, from distillation, maturation and bottling takes place on the Isle of Raasay. R-01.1 was bottled in 2022 at 46.4% vol using water from their very own well, named Tobar na Ba Bàine (the Well of the Pale Cow).

Slàinte

BUY NOW

Found North 18 Year Old “Batch 4” Barrel Strength Unchillfiltered Canadian Whiskey (750ml)

$139.99 View

Nick and Zachary Taylor seem to be two men on a mission. They’re determined to prove that Canadian Whisky is more than just “smooth”. The goal is to sources extremely high quality aged stocks from Canada’s best distillers and blend them uncut and unfiltered. Proving that the category has more to offer shouldn’t be difficult, but getting bourbon nerds and whisky geeks to buy in is another story. That requires actually producing that does more than provide lip service, no they actually have to make something people want to drink. They’ve achieved that whole heartedly with their small batch blends of old cask strength Canadian whisky. Batch 4 is built around a base of 21 year old corn whisky paired with a 25 year old corn whisky aged in Hungarian oak. Balancing the rich sweetness of the two corn whiskies are two 18 year old ryes aged in ex-speyside scotch and recharr used American oak. The resulting blend is a bourbon lovers delight, rich sweet aromas of maple and molasses paired with exotic wood and savory spice.

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

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

2006 Bunnahabhain 15 Year Old “Old Particular” K&L Exclusive Single Bourbon Barrel Cask Strength Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) $109.99 View

2005 Glengoyne 16 Year Old “Old Particular” K&L Exclusive Single Hogshead Cask Strength Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) $79.99 View

The Glengoyne distillery straddles the official dividing line between the lowlands and the highlands, but the famous distillery’s credentials have never been questioned. Founded in 1833 and not ceasing operation during the several industry crises and closures, the Glengoyne Distillery has long been associated with sherry matured single malt production. The distillery name, an anglicization of the term Glen Guin, means to the valley of the wild geese. The distillery received the Royal Warrant to supply the household of the Queen Mother in 1984 and the distillery’s current bottlings still feature the warrant prominently. The distillery boasts long fermentation and a very slow distillation intended to enhance the sweet fruity character of the spirit. While the distillery is typically filling European and American Oak seasoned with sherry, this unusual expression exemplifies the true nature of the spirit perfectly. At a lovely point in its maturation with a nice somewhat active hogshead not completely masking the character of the spirit, few single casks will offer as much inviting fruity character and approachable flavors. A particular strong value considering the current prices of the core range and while some Glengoyne lovers might prefer this whisky matured in Sherry, few would plausibly deny the inherent quality of this exceptional spirit in this rarely seen style.

2009 Talisker 11 Year Old “Old Particular” K&L Exclusive Single Hogshead Cask Strength Island Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) $119.99 View

What can we say about these exceptional Talisker stocks except that we simply wish we could get more. The special distillery on Skye was once completely off limits for independent bottlers. We bottled the first IB Talisker we’d seen in decades back in 2014, a young 5 year old that was unbelievable good. Now more than a half decade later, those same stocks are incredibly still available and significantly more mature. This gorgeous Talisker exemplifies everything we love about the magical distillery. Truly born of the sea, the character of Talisker is distinct from all other peated malts. Wild and complex, it’s very difficult to get a similar experience from even the finest Islay distillery. This one does love water so don’t avoid a few drops or you’ll be leaving at intermission.

1991 North British 30 Year Old “Old Particular” K&L Exclusive Single Bourbon Barrel Cask Strength Single Grain Scotch Whisky (750ml) $149.99 View

Once a bastion of ridiculous value, the single grain market has seemingly jumped the shark over the past couple of vintages. Supplies are tight and prices are high, but occasionally we come across casks that still far outpace their price point in terms of quality. This 30 year old North British is exactly that. One of the more complex grains we’ve had in some time, it was aged for three decades in a fresh bourbon barrel, which likely accounts for the exceptional quality. The North British distillery was established in 1885 not far from Edinburgh Castle. Now controlled as a joint venture between Diageo and Edrington, it can produce upwards of 65 million liters of pure alcohol per year from mostly corn. The exceptional size of this distillery does not proclude it from making high quality grain and while most of the production is used in Famous Grouse and Johnnie Walker, we occasionally get access to product of high quality at reasonable prices. The key, it would seem, to producing high quality grain seems to be using high quality wood and allowing long maturation. This is exactly what we’ve got here. A gorgeous creamy and very approachable old grain for a very solid price.

1990 Isle Islay Malt 30 Year Old “Redacted Bros.” (Thompson/Dornoch) K&L Exclusive Single Refill Hogshead Cask Strength Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml) $299.99 View

The hits never end from the excellent team in Dornoch. This treble of casks from a famous, undiclosed distillery on the southern coast of Islay represents some of the finest values we’ve ever come across. Even considering the extreme inflation in prices on old Islay malts, we would have never previously been able to offer casks of this quality from this exceptional traditional distillery at this price. But thanks to the incredible network that the Thompson Brothers have developed we’ve been able to garner unprecedented access. An exceptional example of the heavily peated style after 3 decades in barrel, unsullied by wine barrels or finishes of any type. Few whiskies offer more distinctly charming examples of this sought-after style. This exceptional cask was distilled in November of 1990 and bottled just before it’s 31st birthday in 2021. It was bottled at cask strength without chillfiltration at 100.4 proof. Sold exclusively at K&L Wine Merchants, the old hogsheads turned out just 252 bottles.