Firstly a big hello to all our lovely customers.  We hope you have been keeping well.  Things have been quiet our end but most importantly we just hope everyone is keeping safe and as positive as can be in this time.

We couldn’t not release something for Christmas and came across a leaking cask so we have a very special low run of Laphroaig 2006. Just in time for Christmas we are pleased to offer this extremely low run of Laphroaig.  Due to a leaking cask only 48 bottles were saved.  We are lucky we spotted in it time for this short run bottling! Aged for 14 Years old this Laphroaig has gained a good colour naturally from it’s bourbon barrel, especially because the liquid was very concentrated.  Beautiful bourbon flavours along with classic Islay peat and a strength that a dropped to 40.3% makes for a superb dram.

– Laphroaig 2006  –
Aged 14 Years

Distilled 14.8.2006 – Bottled 16.8.2020 – 40.3%vol – Cask No. 01 – 48 bottles

£90

Click here to buy

Bartels Whisky

4 The Old Glebe

Loughborough, LecLE12 8LB

United Kingdom

Free, Next Day Delivery.
(order before 12pm)

Celebrate the festive season in style! The latest drams to drop at whiskyshop.com are the perfect tipples to toast Christmas, Hogmanay and Chinese New Year.

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Glen Scotia unveils rare 30 Year Old Single Malt 

Only 500 limited edition bottles available worldwide  

Award-winning independent distiller, Glen Scotia, has introduced a new rare 30 Year Old Single Malt scotch whisky to its range.

Presented in a luxurious hand-made case, created from sustainably sourced solid oak, the Glen Scotia 30 Year Old is extremely limited, with only 500 bottles available to purchase worldwide.

This exceptional liquid has been created by using a single distillation from 1989, which has been matured in European Oak hogshead sherry casks, giving it the distinct, sweet flavour that Glen Scotia is renowned for.

The Glen Scotia 30 Year Old Single Malt offers exquisite floral notes of violet and lavender on the nose, that develop into hints of green apple and spice. On the palate, the liquid is wonderfully soft and silky, with initial flavours of honeyed pear and candied lemon coming to the fore.

In the mouth, the flavours intensify, with warm notes of cinnamon and ground ginger, leading into dark chocolate and coffee. The finish is long, and ends with sugary sweetness and waves of warming spice.

Iain McAlister, Master Distiller at Glen Scotia, said: “The Glen Scotia 30 Year Old Single Malt is an exceptional new addition to Glen Scotia’s portfolio. The flavour profile is deep and distinguished, showcasing the complex flavours and maritime influence that Glen Scotia has become known for.

“Like our distillery, the Glen Scotia 30 Year Old is steeped in history and after three decades of maturation, I am proud to finally be able to unveil this new expression to the world.”

Non-chill filtered to ensure it is enjoyed as nature intended, Glen Scotia 30 Year Old is bottled at 50.8% ABV and presented in a striking case created using sustainably sourced British oak, keeping each individually numbered bottle in place. Inside, the case boasts elegant black lining.

Priced at £850, Glen Scotia 30 Year Old is available to purchase now from specialist retailers, including Master of Malt.

Glen Scotia is a whisky made by history, reflecting the centuries of craftsmanship and experience associated with the fifth and smallest malt producing region.

Cambeltown is Scotland’s smallest malt producing region. Throughout the Victorian era, it was known as the whisky capital of the world and was home to more than 30 distilleries.

To raise awareness of the importance of the region to Scotland’s whisky history, Glen Scotia campaigned for Campbeltown to be recognised as the “whiskiest place in the world”. A parliamentary motion on the issue lodged at Westminster received cross party support.

For more information, please visit www.glenscotia.com

Tasting notes: 

Nose: Notes of violet and lavender mix with seaspray. Green apple and a gentle spice of nutmeg and allspice.

Taste: Honeyed pear and candied lemon before notes of cinnamon, ground ginger, dark chocolate and espresso.

Finish: Long, with a roasted sugar sweetness and warming cinnamon.

About Glen Scotia: 

• Independent distiller Glen Scotia has been producing single malt whisky in Campbeltown since 1832.
• Glen Scotia is one of three surviving distilleries in Campbeltown.
• Glen Scotia 25 Year Old Single Malt Scotch whisky was awarded a Double Gold medal at the prestigious 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition for the second year running. Almost 30,000 spirits were judged by the competition, the largest number of entries in its 19-year history. A Double Gold Medal is awarded when every judge on the panel gives a Gold medal to the expression.
• Glen Scotia Double Cask was awarded a Gold Medal at the Scottish Whisky Awards 2019.
• Glen Scotia 18 Year Old won Best Campbeltown Malt at the World Whisky Awards 2018.
• Images and interviews with key staff from Glen Scotia are available upon request.
• www.glenscotia.com /Twitter: @GlenScotiaMalts

Cask Collection No.62

Few things have remained constant over the tumultuous last 6 months, but mercifully our whisky has been maturing and developing as ever, in warehouses across the country.

For obvious reasons, our 62^nd Cask Collection arrives later than planned. And this bumper edition of 10 casks and will be our final Cask Collection release of 2020.

Understandably it has not been straight forward to get whisky from cask, to bottle, labelled and distributed around the world, but we have done it!

We would like to thank our customers, and everyone involved in the production of this release, for their patience, help and support during a year that has seen a huge impact on our lives both professionally and personally.

We know whisky may not be a top priority in the grand scheme of things, but we hope our love and passion for Scotch can bring some cheer to you when it is much need.

So without further ado… we bring you our latest Cask Collection release.

Our 62nd Cask Collection highlights include the ever-popular combination of sherry and peat in our Ardmore 2013, a full-flavoured and intense Mannochmore 2008 and a wonderfully tropical Vintage Cask Collection Dalmore 1992. Combining several A. D. Rattray favourites with a few lesser seen distilleries, we hope you agree it is a collection that has been well worth waiting for.

Click here to view the full Cask Collection latest release.

A Glorious Single Cask Exclusive from Hector Macbeth
1997 Hector Macbeth (Glenfiddich) 23 Year Old “Hepburn’s Choice” K&L Exclusive Single Sherry Butt Finish Cask Strength Blended Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($119.99)

For time-sensitive bottles this December, please get your orders in early. Thanks and happy holidays! We appreciate your business. NOTE: Our walk-in retail locations are currently closed. We have curbside pickup and low cost (often free) delivery options available in ZIP codes where we can ship lawfully, including anywhere in California. We can also include any new or existing will call orders in your delivery batch. Choose local delivery at checkout to learn if you qualify.

We’ve featured some pretty incredible “teaspooned” casks in the past, but this delightful 23 Year Old from Hector MacBeth takes things to a whole new level. For those unfamiliar, teaspooning is when a big name Scotch brand sells a cask to the independent market. Before doing so, it adds in a small amount of another distiller’s Scotch, to prevent it from being marketed under their name. The rationale being that they want to preserve their brand’s identity while having easy access to some fast cash. It’s a win-win-win situation for everyone, as it allows us to offer some genuinely spectacular spirits for a fraction of what they would be under their original branded name. In this instance, this cask comes to us from Glenfiddich (you have to say it with a whisper) and is one of the finer examples we’ve encountered. Cask strength, raised in sherry butt, and with 23 years of age, it hits all the marks seasoned Scotch collectors are looking for. Because it doesn’t officially have the Glenfiddich name, we are able to offer it at a very competitive $119.99. Either as a gift or as an addition to your own collection, this is the perfect dram for the holidays and well beyond.

1997 Hector Macbeth (Glenfiddich) 23 Year Old “Hepburn’s Choice” K&L Exclusive Single Sherry Butt Finish Cask Strength Blended Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($119.99)

One of the original teaspooned malts here at K&L that longtime customers may already be familiar with is Hector Macbeth. While nearly all of this year’s blended malts had another distiller’s spirit dropped into it right before bottling, this was teaspooned at the time of production by the original maker with the intention of being sold off to the independent market. This is really how teaspooning came to be a thing in the first place. Blue chip distilleries, like Glenfiddich in this case, don’t want a bunch of people trading on their name. They do, however, still want to sell casks into the blending market to raise quick cash. While we don’t know what they put into the cask in this case (although our money is on the sister distillery next door – Balvenie) we do know that it tastes just like you’d expect sherry-finished Glenfiddich at cask strength to taste. If you’ve ever had the excellent Glenfiddich 15 Year Sherry Solera bottling and thought, “I wish this was full proof,” this is the malt for you. The extra 8 years of aging doesn’t hurt either.

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: December 11, 2020

I’m generally skeptical of finishes, and I know I’m not the only one. That’s not because I don’t believe they can do great things, but because so many people use finishing to try to “save” or “hide” flawed whisky. If you start with great juice and use a great barrel to bring something more special to a whisky, then I’m all for a good finish. Here, though, we’re fully into a double maturation range. We started with the same awesome ‘Fiddich base that we’ve selling for several years. Two of these gorgeous hogsheads were dumped into a freshly emptied sherry butt more than three years ago. The result is something absolutely unique and undeniably delicious. None of the pancake syrup (thanks for that one Todd!) character that you sometimes get with finished whisky. Because the barrel was originally used for many years to age single malt, we’re getting that it’s very different than the seasoned sherry barrels that we normally see used for finishes. The color is auburn. The nose is an exotic bouquet of toasted vanilla bean, exotic wood, nougat, clean fresh leather, dried apricots and Christmas spice. The palate is medium bodied with extremely well integrated red fruit, nutty compote and baking spice. With water the nose explodes with dried stone fruits, exotic honey. nutmeg, clove and fresh sweet buns. On the palate it’s definitely very zesty and easily drinkable, but the water adds texture and length. I couldn’t be happier to have more than 500 bottles from this cask, it’s easily one of the best values we’ve ever put our name on. Stupendously high quality 20 year old malt aged for an additional three years in quality old sherry butt for less than $120? It’s so good I just don’t get why the distillery isn’t doing the same themselves.

In addition to our recently launched single cask GlenAllachie we’re delighted to introduce two further drams which we’ve bottled up just in time for Christmas. The first hails from a distillery located in the Northern Highlands and is the fourth instalment in the Anon series, a stellar dram featuring one of the finest labels we’ve stamped onto a bottle of whisky. The second is a classy number from Tamdhu distillery, a stunning dram which will excite and stimulate discussion.

Both labels have been beautifully illustrated by the talented Peter Heron.

Anon. Batch 4 – 20 Year Old
Tamdhu 12 Year Old

View All Abbey Whisky Drams

It’s never too late for a gift voucher!

Our digital gift vouchers are perfect for all your last minute whisky gifting needs. Choose a voucher based either on the value of a specific course, or a monetary value that suits, which can be redeemed against any course. Purchasing a digital gift voucher creates a unique code which the recipient can use at their leisure. All you have to do is decide whether to send the voucher to yourself for safekeeping or directly to the lucky recipient.

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Edinburgh Whisky Academy

2 North West Cumberland Street Lane
EH3 6RF
United Kingdom

Christmas is just over a week away, so however you’re celebrating it this year, we hope your preparations are well underway. But if you’re still feeling a bit unorganised – don’t panic! The Society is here to help. Check out this month’s Unfiltered magazine where you’ll find our top tips for planning the perfect retro Christmas.

A VERY RETRO CHRISTMAS

VIEW ALL WHISKIES

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

1997 Hector Macbeth (G*******h) 23 Year Old “Hepburn’s Choice” K&L Exclusive Single Sherry Butt Finish Cask Strength Blended Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($119.99)

One of the original teaspooned malts here at K&L that longtime customers may already be familiar with is Hector Macbeth. While nearly all of this year’s blended malts had another distiller’s spirit dropped into it right before bottling, this was teaspooned at the time of production by the original maker with the intention of being sold off to the independent market. This is really how teaspooning came to be a thing in the first place. Blue chip distilleries, like G*******h in this case, don’t want a bunch of people trading on their name. They do, however, still want to sell casks into the blending market to raise quick cash. While we don’t know what they put into the cask in this case (although our money is on the sister distillery next door – B*********e) we do know that it tastes just like you’d expect sherry-finished G*******h at cask strength to taste. If you’ve ever had the excellent G*******h 15 Year Sherry Solera bottling and thought, “I wish this was full proof,” this is the malt for you. The extra 8 years of aging doesn’t hurt either.

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: December 11, 2020

I’m generally skeptical of finishes, and I know I’m not the only one. That’s not because I don’t believe they can do great things, but because so many people use finishing to try to “save” or “hide” flawed whisky. If you start with great juice and use a great barrel to bring something more special to a whisky, then I’m all for a good finish. Here, though, we’re fully into a double maturation range. We started with the same awesome G*******h base that we’ve selling for several years. Two of these gorgeous hogsheads were dumped into a freshly emptied sherry butt more than three years ago. The result is something absolutely unique and undeniably delicious. None of the pancake syrup (thanks for that one Todd!) character that you sometimes get with finished whisky. Because the barrel was originally used for many years to age single malt, we’re getting that it’s very different than the seasoned sherry barrels that we normally see used for finishes. The color is auburn. The nose is an exotic bouquet of toasted vanilla bean, exotic wood, nougat, clean fresh leather, dried apricots and Christmas spice. The palate is medium bodied with extremely well integrated red fruit, nutty compote and baking spice. With water the nose explodes with dried stone fruits, exotic honey. nutmeg, clove and fresh sweet buns. On the palate it’s definitely very zesty and easily drinkable, but the water adds texture and length. I couldn’t be happier to have more than 500 bottles from this cask, it’s easily one of the best values we’ve ever put our name on. Stupendously high quality 20 year old malt aged for an additional three years in quality old sherry butt for less than $120? It’s so good I just don’t get why the distillery isn’t doing the same themselves.