Bowmore 21 Year Old Platinum Old & Rare

£225 Buy Now

Jura 28 Year Old Platinum Old & Rare

£199 Buy Now

The Loch Fyne Aultmore 10 Year Old

£65 Buy Now

Bunnahabhain 1988

A distillery from the idyllic island of Islay, Bunnahabhain bucks the trend of the heavily peated offerings of the region. Instead maritime notes dominate with gentle salinity. This is an excellent example of a well aged Bunnahabhain bottled by Carn Mor. The 1988 vintage has some legendary bottlings we have seen, this is no different. Bottled at an impressive 59.9%, thankfully the angels were not too greedy on this one…

Web Exclusive Price of £279.95

BUY WHISKY NOW

We are proud to present our exclusive single sherry cask whisky from this beloved maritime distillery.

Nose:
Hints of butterscotch and toffee are followed by notes of Christmas cake and dried fruit drizzled with honey.

Palate:
Spicy vanilla is followed by dried fruits and a hint of dark chocolate. The finish is long with hints of saltiness, which is signature to Old Pulteney single malt whisky.

  SHOP NOW  

The K&L Spirits Department has always been about getting our customers the very best available products. We have no trouble selling this stuff, not only because it’s hard to get, but also because we actually love the products that we offer. Whether you look at our role in your spirited exploration as a guide or teacher, a trusted voice, a source of information, or just a place to go because the prices are good, our motivation is greater than just making the sale. We care about the products that we offer. We can’t help but share that excitement with you because that’s what you do when you’re in love. YOU TELL EVERYBODY!

Over the past 10 years, I’ve had the incredible privilege to work beside David Driscoll telling the world just that. David saw early on that there was a better way to sell spirits. We didn’t have to rely on anything, but our own palate and enthusiasm. When I started in this industry, knowledge was a weapon to be held by the few and used against the masses. Now, thanks in large part to David, knowledge is a tool to build bridges and bring people together. No single voice in our industry has done a better job of illuminating what was once a very closed and insular world to new people, new voices and new products. His communication style is complex, entertaining, intelligent and thoughtful, but most of all it is genuine. True passion cannot be feigned and David’s is infectious. I owe so much of the success of our department to him, but what I’m most grateful for is his friendship. Whether it was feuding brothers in Galloway, the dusty streets of Georgetown, or Foie Gras overload in Gascogne, David always found a way to make our customers feel like they were part of the journey. I pray that I can be even half as good at trumpeting the amazing things we do here as he was, but I won’t sugarcoat this – there will be less wrestling.

The one thing I can guarantee we won’t offer less of is Whisk(e)y. We’re going to be out there scouring every cellar and shed, rickhouse, or bit of dunnage for the very best the world has to offer. Indeed, what 10 years ago was a whiskey glut is now a barren desert, but if you know where to look you’ll find the odd oasis of beautiful brown spirits. Here are four special single casks from Kentucky that remind us that they’ve still got plenty of delicious whiskey ready for us in the Bluegrass State – getting it out of there is a different story:

Four Roses K&L Exclusive OESK (9 Years Old, 7 Months) Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) ($64.99)

This great little OESK is the most familiar of this round of casks. The recipe is almost always one of my favorites and shows up in the standard Small Batch in a big way. The nose on this one reminds me alot of this year’s Limited Edition Small Batch with tons of orange liqueur, stone fruits, sweet corn, menthol, and oak spice. After the high proof of the other two this one starts supple and hints that it will be sweet and easy, thanks to the opulent nose and the easy entry. But the finish goes in a different direction completely, building a big warming spice on the back palate and finishing with a deep fudgy note at the end. It might not be the most exciting on paper, but it’s a real star in the glass.

Wathen’s Private Barrel #59 “K&L Exclusive” Single Barrel Straight Kentucky Bourbon (750ml) ($39.99)

Here’s another stupendous cask from our friends at Wathen’s. If you don’t already know, Wathen’s (bottled by father and son team Charles & Sam Medley) is one of the country’s most well respected non-distillery producers. We refer to them as non-distillery producer rather than non-distiller producer because of course Charles Medley is one of Kentucky’s most well respected distillers. He had decades of experience running the old Owensboro plant, before moving toward contract production. That means he’s got a special relationship with his contracted producers. He gets to call the shots, use proprietary yeast, dial in his specifications for fermentation, distillation and barreling. Other NDPs, even those buying contracts rather than bulk, likely rely on the expertise of their distilling partner to determine these important specifications. The Medleys do it themselves. The result is something that is uniquely Medley and always delicious. Ultra round and approachable, this single barrel was dumped all the way back in 2016 and has been sitting in glass since then. Always a mystery regarding the actual distillery here, but my money is on Barton in Bardstown. They’ve got a great old school facility and some extra capacity since their brands are mostly sold regionally. No matter who actually distilled it, the key to this cask is BALANCE. Few single barrels are so overtly “smooth” as this little gem. A supple corn driven bourbon with just the right amount of spice to keep it in check.

Knob Creek K&L Exclusive Single Barrel #5851 Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey (750ml) ($47.99)

The fabulous new single barrel offering from Knob Creek is truly in a class of its own. Very different in character than the standard single barrel rye, we were extremely happy to see that they’d be bottling it near cask strength at 115 proof. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what the various differences between Jim Beam’s Rye offerings, but presumably this is the same recipe as both the new Prohibition and the old school Overholt, although some reports have it listed at 55% Rye, 35% Corn, and 10% Malt. Beam is very coy about exactly what goes into these barrels. Perhaps they’re using different distillation methods or warehouses, but it seems to all be the same mashbill. That said, this cask shows a very different character than those other stalwart brands. The whiskey also doesn’t remind us of the regular Knob Creek either, which typically shows a nutty quality that doesn’t exist at all in this whiskey. Instead, this new offering is a zesty spice bomb with tons of bright ginger and sweet candied notes and bright citrus aromatics. The palate is rich and filled with wonderful herbs. The obvious caraway, dried grass, and pepper are pointed by striking lemon peel, fresh tanned hide, cinnamon, and roasted cloves. Spicy and hot on the finish yet eminently drinkable way. We’ve got alot of great rye, but this is one of the most exciting single cask we’ve had to date.

Old Forester K&L Exclusive Single Barrel #3650 (7th Floor, Warehouse B) Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whisky (750ml) ($39.99)

The final cask from our selection last October at the old factory on the outskirts of Louisville. I’ve always wondered why Brown-Forman kept this special place all hidden away from the public since it’s so close to one of the most important Bourbon capitals and there are no big public distilleries around. I suppose they want push us toward the polished Woodford facility outside Lexington because the Old Forester distillery is anything but polished. The sense of history and authenticity is second to none in the great Bluegrass state. They’re also making serious amounts of REALLY good bourbon here and the patent warehouses mean that they’re getting great maturity in a relatively short amount of time. The Old Forester brand is on fire right now with a renewed interest in Kentucky, owners Brown-Forman have done a lot of things right. Letting us see the beautiful facility to pick casks in their historic rickhouses is definitely one of them. This lovely cask was aged atop warehouse B and is certainly on the spicy side of things. It doesn’t show a big varnishy note that the Shively plant is sometimes associated with, but there is a great deal of cigar box and savory influence on the nose. The richest of the three casks we selected that day, with big dark roasted coffee bean note is softened by an almost caramelized demerara quality. Chewy salt water taffy, nutty toffee and a long woodsy exotic spice quality taking hold through the dry and delicious finish.

That’s it for this week, but stay tuned for the next edition of the Whisk(e)y News!

David Othenin-Girard
SoCal Spirits Buyer
davidgirard@klwines.com@klwines.com
323-464-9463
http://spiritsjournal.klwines.com
http://onthetrail.klwines.com

Springbank Society – April 2018 Bottling  

The new Society Hazelburn 10yo Sauternes is available to order now!

Hazelburn 10yo Sauternes 53.9%

Cask type;    Refill Sauternes Hogsheads

Distilled;    December 2007

Bottled;     March 2018

Strength;    53.9%

Outturn;    846 bottles

Price;         £50.00

Tasting notes

Nose : Orchard fruits; fresh juicy green apples and pear skins. Rich and creamy; creme brûlée, hints of toffee and Seville Oranges.

Palate : Syrup engulfs the mouth. Honeycomb emerges with milk chocolate, prunes, vanilla sponge cake alongside oak and nut notes.

Finish : Raisins and pecan pie develop, followed by liquorice root, coffee bean and blueberries.

Purchasing and delivery/collection 

The bottle is available to purchase for £50.00.  Given the limited number of bottles available, this release is limited to one bottle per member. 

We will only process email orders.

When you place your order, please supply the following information;

• If you would like to collect it from one of our Cadenhead shops

• If you are based in Canada

• If you have any other delivery preferences (not covered by the points above) then it may be helpful if you include them in your email order.

Once you place your order you will receive an email back letting you know that your order has been received and that a bottle has been reserved for you.  This may take several days.  Please do not be alarmed if you do not hear back immediately.

If you wish for your Society bottle to be sent to a Cadenhead shop for collection only (Edinburgh, London, Berlin, Baden, Cologne and Odense) payment is required before your bottle is despatched to the shop.  The shops are not obligated to send bottles on to another address within their country although if this arrangement has been agreed with a shop there will be a delivery charge from the nominated shop.  We will contact you when your bottle is available to pick up.  There is no delivery charge for sending your bottle to a Cadenhead shop.

Similarly if you wish to pick your bottle up from the Campbelltown shop (we’re sure some of you will be in town for the Malts Festival!) payment is required when you have been notified that a bottle has been reserved for you.  Please also let us know if the Campbeltown shop is holding other bottles for you which you intend to collect at the same time.

Slainte

Springbank Society

Contact the Society at society@springbank.scot to join!

Diageo Introduces the Impeccably Crafted 2018 Special Releases Collection

Ten remarkable Scotch Whiskies will be released in limited quantities this autumn, as part of Diageo’s annual Special Releases collection. Eagerly anticipated worldwide by whisky enthusiasts, the limited edition natural cask strength bottlings are meticulously selected each year by the masterful blending team, to form a rare and sought after collection.

Attentively crafted and beautifully packaged, the collection encompasses some of the rarest and oldest whiskies from classic, lesser known and often closed distilleries. Each whisky within the range offers complex flavours of the highest quality, representing a fragment of Scotch Whisky history.

We can now confirm the following bottlings in the outstanding line-up of this year’s collection below, all selected by the skillful Diageo master blending team, for their flavour and historical intrigue:

CARSEBRIDGE 48 year old
ABV 43.2%
Region: Lowlands
Cask: Refill American Oak Hogsheads
No. of bottles: 1,000

CAOL ILA UNPEATED 15 year old
ABV 59.1%
Region: Islay
Cask: Refill & Rejuvenated American Oak Hogsheads and Ex-Bodega European Oak Butts
Limited quantities worldwide

CAOL ILA 35 year old
ABV 58.1%
Region: Islay
Cask: Refill American Oak Hogsheads & Refill European Oak Butts
No of bottles: 3,276

INCHGOWER 27 year old
ABV 55.3%
Region: Speyside
Cask: Refill American Oak Hogsheads
No of bottles: 8,544

LAGAVULIN 12 year old
ABV 57.8%
Region: Islay
Cask: Refill American Oak Hogsheads
Limited quantities available worldwide

OBAN 21 year old
ABV 57.9%
Region: Highlands
Cask: Refill European Oak Butts
Limited availability worldwide

PITTYVAICH 28 year old
ABV 52.1%
Region: Speyside
Cask: Refill American Oak Hogsheads
No of bottles: 4,680

THE SINGLETON OF GLEN ORD 14 year old
ABV 57.6%
Region: Highlands
Cask: Refill American Oak Hogsheads and Ex-Bodega European Oak butts followed by a unique maturation and marrying process
Limited quantities available worldwide

TALISKER 8 year old
ABV 59.4%
Region: Island
Cask: First fill Ex-Bourbon American Oak Hogsheads
Limited availability worldwide

Donald Colville, Diageo’s Global Malts Ambassador, said: “The Special Releases launch is a highlight in our whisky calendar year. It’s a collection that allows both knowledgeable whisky fans and those new to Scotch to hunt out truly unique limited editions. The range delivers memorable taste experiences unlike any other and the exceptional variety and quality of whiskies in this year’s collection will not disappoint.”

The final tenth bottling will be revealed later on in the year, kept as a surprise for the fans and enthusiasts of the collection. Each whisky in the 2018 Special Releases range is a limited edition,rare bottling. These whiskies have been crafted to be cherished and enjoyed responsibly.

For more Malts news please visit: www.malts.com

Distribution/Availability

Autumn 2018, from specialist retailers in Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, South Africa and selected Asian markets. Imagery and RRP will be available later in the year.

Additional Information

For the first time since the collection’s launch in 2001, Port Ellen and Brora will not be included in the range. Port Ellen and Brora are among the rarest Single Malt Whiskies still being released and will continue to be available for purchase as annual bottlings outside of the collection. This move follows the news of the re-opening of the Port Ellen & Brora distilleries.

About the Special Releases

During the late 1980s, the benchmark expressions of single malt whiskies from six single malt distilleries became well known under the CLASSIC MALTS name. Interest in older and rarer malt whiskies in general also grew during this period. One product of this was the RARE MALTS, a series of rarer releases begun in 1995, and which ended in 2005. There remained a demand for unusual, distinctive, often older, unrepeatable cask strength bottlings, usually of the CLASSIC MALTS. Such bottlings allowed collectors, connoisseurs and enthusiasts to enjoy and experience remaining older stocks, and/or unusual expressions of a distillery’s character – a treasure trove of priceless malts.

To satisfy this demand, the SPECIAL RELEASES series was born in 2001, and the annual collection – with familiar names and some surprises – has been eagerly awaited by enthusiasts ever since.

DIAGEO

Diageo is the world’s leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, beer and wine. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, JεB, Buchanan’s and Windsor whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Baileys, Captain Morgan, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is a global company, with its products sold in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at Diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com. Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.

Blair Athol 22 Year Old First Editions

ABV: 57.7%
AGE: 22 Year Old
VINTAGE: 1995
CASK TYPE: Sherry Butt
CASK #: #14656
BOTTLER: Hunter Laing & Co.

Blair Athol 22 Year Old 1995 vintage Highland single malt Scotch whisky. Single cask sherry butt #14656 bottled 2018 by Hunter Laing & Co. for the First Editions series. 234 bottles. A peppery nose with notes of citrus fruit and green moss. The palate is spicy with cinnamon, as well as red berries and fresh tea. The finish is long, with lingering pepper and spice.​ Blair Athol Distillery was established in 1798 in Pitlochry and with footprints in four centuries it is one of oldest working malt whisky distilleries in Scotland. Purchased by Arthur Bell & Sons in1933 it is the spiritual ‘home’ of Arthur Bell’s range of blended scotch whisky complete with distillery visitor centre and Blair Athol Distillery tours. Although a large proportion of Blair Athol’s malt whisky cascades into blends, Bell’s to be precise, independent bottlings of Blair Athol single malts feature in the popular Connoisseurs Choice and Signatory Vintage ranges.

Buy – £106.67

Kilchoman 100% Islay Cask Release Loch Fyne Exclusive

Distilled at Kilchoman, Islay’s farm distillery, on 6th March 2008 and matured in a fresh bourbon cask from Buffalo Trace for 10 years, this single cask expression was bottled exclusively for Loch Fyne Whiskies on 19th March 2018. One of Kilchoman’s unique ‘100% Islay‘ releases, this single malt Scotch has been produced with barley grown, malted, distilled and bottled on Islay. Only 239 bottles have been filled from cask 84/2008, each one presented free from chill filtration and artificial colouring at a strength of 53.2% abv.

Bold peat notes come to the fore and are met with a complex balance of vanilla sweetness. Notes of icing sugar, custard sweets and light fruit flavours add further depth, with the finish introducing a gentle spiciness to the palate.

£125 Buy Now
Only available while stocks last

In celebration of Tartan Day, April Outturn brings a colourful parade of flavour with 7 spectacular single casks, all marching to a different beat.

CASK NO. 41.99  A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

10 years old; refill barrel; 58.1%; Light & delicate

Walking through an apple orchard with coloured candy floss. Water released a cool mountain spring flowing over mossy rocks and iced mocha.

CASK NO. 96.12  SWEET LEMONS AND SOUR GRAPES

9 years old; refill barrel; 58.8%; Sweet, fruity & mellow

A fascinating mix of Middle Eastern fruits was followed by quince jelly. Water released sugar cane juice and fresh sweet peppermint creams.

CASK NO. 39.146  SANGRIA IN AN ARTIST’S STUDIO

8 years old; refill barrel; 61.8%; Spicy & sweet

The nose has aromatic herbs, scented leather, honey and tropical fruit. The palate combines perfumed sweetness, acidic fruit and warm spice.

CASK NO. 73.87  DARE YOU ENTER?

14 years old; 1st fill PX butt; 59.5%; Spicy & sweet

A gently fragrant introduction shrouds a hidden door of dark and spicy indulgence. Previously matured in an ex-oloroso sherry butt.

CASK NO. 35.185  FRIGHTFULLY DELIGHTFUL

22 years old; 1st fill toasted oak hogshead; 57.5%; Deep, rich & dried fruits

Frightfully delightful – the nose has polished wood, spun sugar, coffee with Danishes, raisins, dates, orange peel and floral confectionery. The palate is textured, warming and flavoursome, with maple syrup on French toast, crème brûlée, rum and raisin and sinfully sweet cinnamon.

CASK NO. 66.100  RELAX IN A RECLINER

12 years old; refill barrel; 55.5%; Lightly peated

The sweet scent of a Thai starter platter with smoky spicy prawn crackers and a chili dip combined with menthol and lavender essential oil created a very chilled-out atmosphere. Water added a Smoky Grove cocktail and loose ginger tea with lemongrass.

CASK NO. 29.226  SEASIDE SURPRISE

18 years old; refill oloroso butt; 56.8%; Peated

Smoked fish with seaweed and driftwood concealed behind a sweet disguise of spiced apple crumble, dessert wine and Battenberg cake.

SMWS Canada

A Dangerously Delicious Bourbon of from a Historic Distillery
Maker’s Mark “K&L Exclusive” Private Select ($69.99)

One of the most successful programs in our Spirits Department is the Private Select project done in partnership with Maker’s Mark. Through this innovative program our spirits buyers are given the opportunity to blend their own unique K&L bottling based on the addition of different wood stave types to the barrel of Maker’s 46. The barrel is then aged in a specially designed warehouse carved into the side of a hill that allows the perfect ageing conditions. The results carry the trademark characteristics of Maker’s Mark, yet possess their own distinctive stamp.

Our buyer, David Othenin-Girard, hit this most recent edition right on the mark (or should we say, the Maker’s Mark?). Rich, layered, infinitely complex, it is pretty much Bourbon nirvana. Be sure to read David’s note below, as he delves into the painstaking process involved in crafting this truly singular bottling. It is clear no stone was left unturned and this Bourbon is all the better for it. Coming from only one barrel, there is a limited amount of the Bourbon to go around, so time is of the essence in securing this treasure. Whether you are a longtime fan of Maker’s, or simply love a classically styled bottle of Bourbon with a special twist, the Private Select belongs on your shortlist.

Maker’s Mark “K&L Exclusive” Private Select Kentucky Bourbon (750ml) ($69.99)

Maker’s Mark 46 Cask Strength Private Select is BACK! We’ve been incredibly successful with the exciting program from our friends in Loretto. Usually bourbon “innovation” is a category I like to avoid, but Maker’s Mark is pushing the limits of tradition with this unique program. Adding specially toasted staves to cask strength Maker’s barrels? Why adulterate such a perfect thing? The reasoning from Loretto was that the consistency between casks due to Maker’s Mark’s special warehouse management negated much of the excitement of a standard single barrel program. The solution was to incorporate the successful Maker’s 46 system into the barrel selection process. 5 stave types, 12 slots, and 90 days in the cool dugout warehouse built specifically for this program. The key, of course, is to add something special to the already exceptional juice without taking anything away. Given all the possible permutations, it was easy to eliminate the staves that had a more overt influence on the spirit. This left the “Baked American” and “Seared French Cuvee” split evenly, which offered interesting additional aromas (baking spice, vanilla bean, a toasty smoke) without masking completely the special Maker’s profile. We tossed in a couple 46 staves to give a bit something extra. It’s all a bit dicey since you’re blending samples rather than tasting a finish product, but when the whiskey arrived everything was there in perfect harmony. Allow some air to open it up; once it does it absolutely sings!

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: April 03, 2018

While selecting single barrels is good fun it’s also bit nerve racking. You open a cask and stick your nose in the glass and often have to make a decision relatively quickly on the quality of the juice. After 10 years though I’m pretty confident in my palate, but there’s still a feeling that each barrel is a bit of a referendum on my taste. But of course, I don’t make the whiskey that we sell, I just buy it! That’s what makes these Maker’s Mark Private Selects so interesting. This is the first time, outside of blending in Scotland, that I’ve truly had a hand at whiskey creation. I took my time with it. The whole operation is kind of outrageous. Maker’s Mark has built a custom warehouse into the side of the hill behind the distillery. They had planned to build out the warehouse inside the hill underground, but an esoteric Kentucky law prohibits the aging of bourbon underground. So instead this massive warehouse is built against the hill, the coolest – in temperature and style – I’ve ever seen. Right in the center of this heavily traffic tourist attraction is a private tasting area enclosed in glass. There they’ve got samples of the five stave types aged and ready to be sampled along with expressions of EVERY barrel bottled to date. You sit down in this extremely well-appointed room at the Maker’s Distillery in Loretto and watch as tourists gawk behind thick glass walls. It’s all a bit over the top, these random people examining you as you blend the various flavors. That of course didn’t detract from the exciting task at hand. The key to building a great whiskey in this program is to influence and enhance without masking the inherent deliciousness of the Maker’s itself. I tried every possibility, equal parts of each expression? Nope, felt muddled and unbalanced. Tiny bits of each with a high level of American. Definitely not, even the tiniest addition of the Mocha stave and you start to get a bitter note that is very UN-maker’s in my opinion. In an effort to be innovative and not rehash recipes we’d already bottled, I started to toy with different proportions of the three staves that I felt actually enhanced the whiskey drinking experience, those being the “Baked American Pure #2”, The “Seared French Cuvee” and the classic “Maker’s 46.” Each offered a subtle, but distinct addition to the potpourri of delicious sweet flavors that make Maker’s one of the world’s best bourbons. I ultimately settled on something that I felt was going to retain the balance and sweetness of Maker’s, but enhance the barrel and add additional complexity. I waited nearly 6 months to find out how my experiment developed. On first nosing, I was astonished by how prominent the woodsy staves showed. I honestly thought I’d missed the mark completely. But I set my glass down and returned in 15 minutes to a totally different whiskey. The nose is constantly morphing beast, bold and full of spice, but tempered with gorgeous sweet tea, peach, and fresh vanilla. I knew this whiskey would be rich, but it’s absolutely thick on the palate. Creamy and sweet up front with a big bold spice on the back. The finish is all vanilla bean, roasted coffee beans, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove and dark wood. This CERTAINLY is not how I imagined this whiskey to be, but it IS absolutely delicious. Warming rich and overtly pleasurable with tons of nuance and depth. The scariest thing is how good the glass smells when you’ve finished your pour – that always means I end up pouring another. Dangerous…

Andrew Stevens | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: April 05, 2018

I had a customer today ask me if we had any great bourbon in stock that he had not tasted yet which got me to thinking about the bourbon, or American whiskey, market as a whole. To be sure there is a ton a good bourbon in the world now, but it is also sometimes difficult to get a great bourbon. Which is why I have liked the Private Select that Maker’s started last year. More than just another single barrel program the Private Select allows those who decided to partake a chance to really play with the flavor through the selection of the staves. In addition, the cask strength allows these barrels to really shine. The selection we have here is all about the exotic spice and beautiful rich chocolate. That being said the classic vanilla and baking spice are still present along with more exotic spice notes and everything is cranked up to be completely unabashed.

Andrew Whiteley | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: April 04, 2018

This cask is Maker’s all the way, but with an extra spicy and chocolate driven twist and full proof to boot. The rich creamy vanilla and shortbread cake are full throttle. The mocha, coffee, and spicy cinnamon and cloves sing out on the finish. David OG has done a hell of a job blending this masterpiece together. If you’ve been a fan of the other Private Select editions in the past, this will offer you a brand new experience while feeling like you’re visiting an old friend.

Anthony Russo | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: April 02, 2018

If the Wathen’s single barrel smells like a Butterfinger, this one smells like a Milky Way. At 55.05%, its no baby, but its certainly has loads of creamy caramel flavor. Even more pronounced on the palate, this Maker’s barrel really stands out with a touch a water, which brings out the woody phenols.