BUNNAHABHAIN 10 YEAR OLD 2009
(ADELPHI)
70cl | 49.3%

A single cask Bunnahabhain aged
for 10 years in a first fill Sherry cask.

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With First Friday on the horizon, click over to our website to view our next botting list release. October Outturn sees us celebrating our founder Pip Hills, with 22 new casks to taste and explore. Plan your wish list now and make sure you place your order fast to avoid disappointment. October Outturn will be released on Friday, 4 October at 9am (GMT). Get ready to order your favourite bottling.

NEW BOTTLINGS        READ OUTTURN

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

A Can’t-Miss Single Malt from the Speyside Legend Macallan

2007 Unnamed Speyside (Macallan) 12 Year Old “Signatory Unchillfiltered Collection” 2nd Fill Single Sherry Butt Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($109.99)
“To get an idea of how absolutely unusual it is for us to find a cask of Macallan in sherry to sell as an exclusive: this is literally the first time in a decade of selecting single casks that we’ve ever offered Macallan aged in sherry.” — David Othenin-Girard, K&L SoCal Spirits Buyer

This is truly a one-of-a-kind opportunity. From our good friends at Signatory, we’ve secured a cask of 12-year-old, sherry-aged single malt from an unnamed distillery. The truth is it’s not unnamed at all, as with a modest degree of sleuthing, we’ve determined it comes from the famed Speyside distillery: Macallan. We couldn’t believe our good fortune when we happened upon this very special cask while touring Signatory’s warehouse. Transcendent, ethereal, and sublime don’t even come close to capturing the unbridled beauty of this single malt. From the first sip, one is immediately taken by all the majesty that is Macallan. As one might expect, it is a potent expression that’s perfectly accented by its time in a second fill sherry butt. Because it is not officially labeled as Macallan, we are able to sell this singular expression for a tiny fraction of what the market demands for such a bottling. Only 604 bottles were produced, and we expect them to disappear in short order once word gets around. If you are a fan of Macallan, or simply Scotch in general, the decision is clear—you must own this bottle.

2007 Unnamed Speyside (Macallan) 12 Year Old “Signatory Unchillfiltered Collection” 2nd Fill Single Sherry Butt Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($109.99)

As you might have noticed the market for Macallan has gone absolutely bonkers. We can’t get old Macallan on the shelf for under $2000 and young Macallan is completely unavailable. In fact, over the years we’ve only bottled one other young Macallan and it was likewise not named. But this is the first and only sherried Macallan we’ve ever had the honor to put our mark on. I have no clue why the distillery is divesting stocks, especially those aged in ex-sherry (even refill). We hear rumblings that the distillery needs cash flow for the extremely expensive new distillery that they’ve built. Seems unlikely. Perhaps there are cracks in the crown, but there’s no question the worldwide clamoring for the great malts from this Speyside master continues. And of course, the distillery name cannot be used on the labels, but when we saw this beautiful second fill sherry butt in the Signatory warehouse, they didn’t need to say a word. We knew immediately where it came from. Further confirmed after one tiny whiff from the barrel. Now this is a big boy, a high proof, powerful malt that does need some water to coax it out of its shell. One of the most astounding examples of this special distillery’s supremacy. The sherry is there, but the malt stands tall. Unctuous, inviting, complex, and unabashed. Truly one of the world’s great spirits, on full display like we’ve never been able to offer before.

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: September 26, 2019

To get an idea of how absolutely unusual it is for us to find a cask of Macallan in sherry to sell as an exclusive: this is literally the first time in a decade of selecting single casks that we’ve ever offered Macallan aged in sherry. Our teaspooned cask of William Hepburn three years ago was of course aged in ex-bourbon hoggies, as were the very expensive and older ones we’ve occasionally acquired as a thank-you from our best suppliers. Usually if it’s available it’s so outrageously priced we can’t even conceive of a world where our customers would consider paying a premium at, or above, the ridiculous premium the distillery already charges. So we were extremely excited to taste this gorgeous butt when our guide brought us into the warehouse. This will most closely resemble the highly sought-after Classic Cut offering that’s now popular in terms of its style, but of course we’ve got an older, single cask, and higher proof. The nose initially is punchy and full of dark malt, fudge, praline, hints of flint, and stone fruit. With air, more of the sherry character comes out, with a little bit of nutty oloroso aromatic framing the bold malt nicely. On the palate, sweet biscuits; very textured and rich, almost chocolatey finish. But this whisky at full strength is simply hidden, packed with quality, but slightly monotone. Now add water, not just a drop, but enough to see a little bit of cloudiness develop as the oils coalesce. Now we’re truly in rarefied air. The nose is now this absolutely pristine expression of exotic fruits: kiwi, passion fruit, jujubes, quince, candied lemon peel, and nougat. On the palate, the dark malt is gone and replaced with candied nuts, creamy custard, hints of lemon oil and anise. It somehow gains weight and texture with water. So if you’re one of those people that refuses to water down your whisky for whatever reason, than you should skip this. If you love to add water and experience a whisky in its many chimeric forms, then you’ll fall in love just like I did.

Will Blakely | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: September 26, 2019

This converted me from a Macallan naysayer into a stalwart fan, and it’s a perfect example of why the distillery is a household name nigh synonymous with Scotch whisky as a whole. Powerful and dense, it does not lack one single iota of flavor. Sipped raw, it assaults the senses with crunchy, nutty malt–at once sweet and savory like hearty, homemade biscuits. With time, however, it reveals a gorgeous, seamless amalgam of flavors, and a healthy dose of water brings more of those to the forefront. Cocoa and baking spice, swathes of flowers, even hints of mango and barbecue pork reveal themselves with a cheeky confidence befitting the distillery’s reputation. And my god, that MALT–it just keeps coming, so rich and hedonistic it’s almost addictive. This bottle is dangerous and exciting, and I’m so happy it’s here.

Neal Fischer | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: September 24, 2019

Unnamed, but not unwanted. The nose starts with soft orange and peach notes as well-worn leather emerges. Then, unexpectedly (for a Macall… um, I mean, *whatever* this is…) the nose gets earthier rather than richer. Cardamom and a little caraway show up with Earl Grey Tea. The palate combines the tea and spice with salted caramel and even more leather. Some dry fruits come out to play, but this Scotch stays away from the ultra Sherry-forward tones that *Unnamed Distillery* is often known for that I sometimes find cloying. With water, more spiced/candied orange appears and the texture gets extra heavy and oily, which is quite nice.

Cameron Hoppas | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: September 24, 2019

This is a pure pleasure to drink. This Unnamed Speyside has sweet cereal, a dense center of dried fruit and the perfect salted peanut brittle — medium caramel, toasted nuts and salt. What’s best is that this reminds me of the best parts of Macallan, but this unwatered-down single cask has the high proof to really make this whiskey sing.

Andrew Whiteley | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: September 24, 2019

One of the many advantages of selecting casks in Scotland instead of from shipped samples is that you sometimes get a behind the scenes peak at things. This unnamed Speyside had the remnants of the distillery’s paperwork left stuck on the side of the cask. The scrap of paper just read “llan.” More than enough supporting evidence for the rich, unctuous nose – especially when paired with classic sherry notes. Big, rich, and oily, this baby truly sings with the addition of a little water. Take it a notch back from the 63.4% cask strength ABV and release gobs of burnt orange peel, candied stone fruit, and the underlying malt base for the drinking experience you always wish you could have with the standard Macallan 12.

#ardbeg #islay 

PREPARE FOR A CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH ARDBEG SUPERNOVA 

— This year’s limited edition arrives with a mission – to take Ardbeg Committee Members on a journey of unbelievably peaty proportions —

In October this year, still in the glow of winning Distillery of the Year 2019, Ardbeg Distillery will take its Committee Members on a journey like no other – as Supernova 2019 makes one more brief and earth-shattering return.

The Supernova Series is a collection of limited edition Committee favourites, first released in 2009 and most recently in 2015 to celebrate the groundbreaking Ardbeg space experiment. This experiment saw Ardbeg become the first whisky brand in space, where a vial of Ardbeg spirit orbited the earth for three years aboard the International Space Station.

Still in pursuit of the phenomenal, this year’s Supernova limited edition challenges sensory perceptions of what a whisky can be, as it transports the taste buds to peaty parts unknown.

Dr Bill Lumsden, Director of Distilling, Whisky Creation & Whisky Stocks at Ardbeg, said: “Supernova is the peatiest expression we produce at Ardbeg. The way the flavours build and build and then explode in a burst of pungent peat and smoke is truly astonishing.”

Mickey Heads, Ardbeg Distillery Manager, said: “The incredible peat explosion in Supernova probably explains why these bottlings have been so popular with the Ardbeg Committee over the years. Supernova 2019 is the fifth edition in the series, and I’m sure it will be snatched up in no time at all.”

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NOTES: 

Tasting Notes:

ABV:             53.8%

Colour:          Pale Bronze

Aroma:         Clouds of pungent aniseed, menthol and eucalyptus are underscored with sweet notes of treacle toffee. Hints of peppermint, a frisson of fennel, and a mysterious camphorous scent in the far distance… With water, more toffee notes emerge with a burst of dry, earthy peat.

Taste:           A tingly, peppery mouthfeel leads to a veritable explosion of intense, earthy, smoky notes – a nebular of bonfires, soot, charred oak, birch tar and menthol.

Finish:           Unbelievably long, with layers of treacle toffee, aniseed, oak tannin, clove and just a hint of bittersweet, tangy Seville orange on the aftertaste.

RRP: £140 

Ardbeg:

Ardbeg prides itself on being The Ultimate Islay Malt Whisky. Established in 1815, Ardbeg is revered by connoisseurs around the world as the peatiest, smokiest and most complex of all the Islay malts. Despite its smokiness, Ardbeg is renowned for its delicious sweetness, a phenomenon that has affectionately become known as ‘the peaty paradox’. During the 1980s and 1990s, Ardbeg suffered from an uncertain future and it was not until the brand was purchased by The Glenmorangie Company in 1997 that the Distillery was saved from extinction. Since then, the Distillery has risen like a phoenix and today Ardbeg is well established as a niche, cult malt, with a passionate following.

Ardbeg Committee:

The legacy of the whisky was safeguarded in 2000 by the formation of the Ardbeg Committee. The Committee is made up of thousands of Ardbeg followers worldwide who are keen to ensure that “the doors of Ardbeg never close again”. Today there are members of the Ardbeg Committee in over 130 countries. Committee members are regularly consulted on new bottlings and expressions and are offered exclusive Committee bottlings. Members also receive invitations to special gatherings, tastings and events. The Committee, chaired by Mickey Heads, is free to join at ardbeg.com.

Awards:

Ardbeg is the world’s most highly awarded smoky single malt whisky. Since 2008, Ardbeg has won more than 50 gold and double gold medals in key whisky competitions. Ardbeg was voted ‘Scotch Whisky of the Year’ twice by Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible (2008, 2009) and has twice been awarded ‘World’s Best Single Malt’ at the World Whiskies Awards (2010, 2013). At the 2014 Global Icons of Whisky Awards, Mickey Heads was voted ‘Distillery Manager of the Year’. The following year, Ardbeg’s expressions took the top three spots in Whisky Advocate magazine’s review of the best single malt Scotch whiskies under US$100. Both Ardbeg Corryvreckan and Ardbeg Uigeadail were awarded gold medals at the 2016 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. In 2019, Dr Bill Lumsden was awarded ‘Master Distiller of the Year’ for the third time in four years. Ardbeg 10 Years Old also won the Best Single Malt Scotch 10 Year Old at the International Whisky Competition 2019, while the Ardbeg Distillery won the Distillery of the Year.

The Glenmorangie Company:

The Company is one of the most renowned and innovative distillers and marketers of Scotch whisky brands worldwide and is part of Moët Hennessy, the wine and spirits division of Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.  Headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, the Company produces Glenmorangie Single Highland Malt whisky and Ardbeg Single Islay Malt.

Responsible Drinking:

Ardbeg and The Glenmorangie Company advocate responsible drinking and suggest that drinkers savour Ardbeg whiskies in moderation and in line with recommended daily guidelines for alcohol consumption

Balcones “K&L Exclusive” Cask Strength Single Barrel #16003 Texas Single Malt Whisky (750ml) 

$79.99 View

This is our first single barrel of the wonderful Balcones Single Malt. The outstanding distillery in Waco has been at the forefront of craft distilling since the start. They’re making ultra high quality single malt and aging it in a variety of barrel types. This exceptional single cask was aged in New American oak for 2.5 years in the very hot and dry Waco weather. The resulting whisky is incredibly mature and complex for it’s youthful age statement. Chalk for of spicy woodiness, deep chocolatey malt and sweet roasted vanilla bean. Bottled at a staggering 128.2 proof, this stuff doesn’t drink hot and shows an unbelievable amount of sweet maple syrup and heady raw honey to balance out the intense oak. Balcones has been named the world’s best single malt and it’s barrels like these the remind us that the little distillery in Waco is a real heavy hitter. This barrel of new heavily charred American Oak was distilled on December 17th, 2017 and bottled on July 4th, 2019. We’re calling it the “Independence Barrel” because one taste of this stuff and you’ll be throwing all the tea into the bay. Awards received for Balcones: World Whiskies Awards, 2016: Best American Single Malt Whisky; International Wine & Spirit Competition, 2015: Silver Outstanding; World Whiskies Awards, 2015: Best American Single Malt; International Wine & Spirit Competition, 2014: Bronze; World Whiskies Awards, 2014: Best American Single Malt No Age Statement.

This limited edition is the fifth release in The Macallan’s ‘Edition’ series of annual releases. Inspired by the natural colour of The Macallan’s whisky, the renowned Pantone Color Institute have created a unique and complex shade of purple especially for this release.

Made with a vatting of 525 American oak casks from three distinguished bodegas, each one primarily chosen for its colour and matched to their closest Pantone colour references, this expression has been bottled at a strength of 48.5% abv, at natural colour – naturally.

£99.00

COTSWOLDS DISTILLERY ANNOUNCES NEW PEATED CASK WHISKY

The Cotswolds Distillery is set to release the inaugural batch of its peated cask single malt whisky

The whisky is aged in ex-peated quarter casks to develop a balanced rich and fruity flavour with notes of peat smoke

The Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky Peated Cask will be bottled at cask strength and will be available on the Cotswolds Distillery online shop and from specialist retailers with an RRP of £64.95

The award-winning Cotswolds Distillery is set to release the first batch of its Single Malt Whisky Peated Cask, the first-ever whisky matured in peated barrels in the Cotswolds.

Available for sale from the 1st October, the whisky is made using un-peated local barley which is mashed and fermented before being distilled in bespoke copper pots. The whisky is then aged in ex-peated quarter casks from Scotland, creating a balanced rich and fruity flavour with subtle notes of peat smoke.

Dan Szor, founder and CEO of the distillery said: “The subtle notes of smoke and peat which these wonderful Islay casks impart to our Cotswolds Single Malt complement the fruity notes of our spirit without overwhelming it.  The result is an eminently drinkable and very moreish dram, even at cask strength.

What started as an experiment now becomes the newest addition to our growing core range of Single Malt Whiskies.”

The release comes following a year of success for the distillery’s whisky offerings. The flagship Single Malt Whisky has won multiple awards across the world including the World Whisky Awards, San Francisco World Spirits Competition and International Wine & Spirits Awards, while the Founder’s Choice cask has won multiple gold medals and was the only whisky to be given three stars at this year’s Great Taste Awards.

Consisting of 2,950 bottles per batch, the peated whisky is bottled at cask strength (59.3% ABV) with no added colouring. The whisky is available from specialist retailers and the Cotswolds Distillery’s online shop from October at an RRP of £64.95.

Notes 

Peated Whisky

Peated Single Malt Whisky is available to purchase from the Cotswolds Distillery online shop and via specialist retailers.

Founders Choice

Founders Choice is available to purchase from Harvey Nichols and specialist retailers Master of Malt and Gordon and MacPhail.

The Cotswolds Distillery

Located in Stourton, Shipston-on-Stour, the distillery has become a premier local attraction, offering tours and tastings daily, and now receives 30,000 visitors a year.

Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky was launched in October 2017. Each bottle lists the barley variety, harvest year and local Cotswolds farm it was grown on. It recently won Gold at the World Whiskies Awards 2019 and took 2 stars (one of only two whiskies to do so) in the 2019 Great Taste Awards. The distillery’s cask strength whisky release, Founder’s Choice Single Malt Whisky, was recently awarded the title of Best English Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards 2019.

In Jim Murray’s 2019 Whisky Bible, the Cotswolds Distillery received 5 ‘Liquid Gold’ awards. Three of their whiskies scored 95 points, with all of the distillery’s samples scoring over 88 out of 100.

Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky is available nationally and in 31 countries across the world. Key UK retailers include Waitrose & Partners, Majestic Wine, The Whisky Exchange, Harrods and Laithwaites.

The distillery also produces Cotswolds Dry Gin, which was named Best London Dry at the 2016 World Gin Awards and received the top Gold Outstanding award in the 2017 International Wine and Spirits Competition. Difford’s Guide recently ranked the Gin as one of the top 20 Gins available in a survey of 450 brands.

Cotswolds Dry Gin is on sale nationally and in over 30 countries.  Key national accounts include Waitrose & Partners, Majestic, Oddbins, Laithwaites, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, and Fortnum & Mason.

For more information, please visit www.cotswoldsdistillery.com.

BRORA 40 YEAR OLD
200TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
70cl | 49.2%

One of the oldest ever Brora single malts released,
marking the 200th anniversary of this
silent distillery’s original opening.

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Rare Bourbons at Loch Fyne Whiskies 

We’ve recently got hold of some incredible bourbons from the heart of Kentucky, including this very special expression from Pappy Van Winkle. Don’t miss out on this increasingly hard to get hold of Family Reserve bottle!

Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 23 Year Old

Distilled and bottled by the Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery in Frankfort, this limited edition Kentucky straight bourbon has been matured for 23 years. Bottled at 47.8% abv and presented in an embroidered velvet bag. This bottle has come from a private collection. Please note the bottle number may differ from that shown in the image.

£2,750.00

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