Share the Society love this Christmas as December Outturn brings seven sparkling new single casks, sure to be at the heart of your festive celebrations.

CASK NO. 35.172  ALPACA FLEECE

20 years old; 1st fill barrel; 52.9%; Light & delicate

We imagined a tiled floor in a vestibule with new Barbour jackets and waxed leather boots. We were invited in for toast with clover honey. A drop of water and it turned very delicate, almost fragile; candied angelica and alpaca fleece.

CASK NO. 64.91  PORRIDGE OATS ON A TROPICAL BEACH

10 years old; 1st fill barrel; 58.8%; Juicy, oak & vanilla

The sun was beating down on the upholstery as we sat down to honey nut cereal and porridge oats with lingonberry jam and banana. Honeydew melon was thrown in with pear drops, blackcurrant tea and malted milk as we admired the tropical scene of pineapple trees.

CASK NO. 9.124  MADEIRA MARKET COFFEE BREAK

12 years old; refill hogshead; 56.2%; Spicy & dry

The nose is a granary mill next to a Madeira market. The palate contrasts juicy citrus and rosewater against dry ginger, nutmeg and pepper.

CASK NO. 55.44  HONEY ON A STRADIVARIUS

16 years old; 1st fill French oak hogshead; 57.1%; Spicy & sweet

The nose – imagine Baklava in cigar boxes, treacle tarts in spice cupboards, honey on a Stradivarius, weavers glugging Calvados. The palate – syrup, toffee and chocolate sweetness combined with coy, wood-derived spices (nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, clove). This was previously in ex-bourbon wood.

CASK NO. 28.32  SOLAR ECLIPSE

8 years old; 1st fill Oloroso butt; 60.3%; Deep, rich & dried fruits

Bittersweet chocolate ganache, Madeira soaked raisins and dark roasted coffee beans on the nose, whilst 99% cacao chocolate melting slowly in your mouth made this an overall intense experience. Water added tobacco aromas and on the palate now sweet chewy Medjool dates.

CASK NO. 4.227  DREAMING TO THE SOUNDS OF THE SEA

12 years old; refill hogshead; 58%; Lightly peated

Seaweed swayed in the tide, imagining a seafood platter of shrimps and mussels with tempura and sushi. Sweetly floral with a herbal finish.

CASK NO. 3.300  DIRTY MARGARITA ON A YACHT

17 years old; 2nd fill toasted oak hogshead; 59.7%; Lightly peated

The nose is maritime and malty, with heather, smoke, tar and barbecued ribs. The palate has deeper smoke, lavender, pecan pie, bacon Frazzles and ‘dirty margaritas’ on a yacht. This was previously in a bourbon hogshead.

SMWS Canada

Edradour 14 Year Old 2002 IBISCO

Single cask sherry butt #1413 bottled August 2017 into stunning IBISCO decanters, the ideal gift for the festive season. 693 bottles of the Highland single malt brimming with flavours of sweet sherry, raisins, chocolate and fudge. Edradour Distillery was formed in 1825 by a group of eight local farmers. Situated at Milton of Edradour near Pitlochry and still just a farm sized distillery equipped with a Morton refrigerator to cool the worts and two wee stills with their spirit cooled in a single worm tub. Whilst ranked amongst the small working distilleries in Scotland its owners Signatory Vintage have plans to increase its size and output. Official distillery releases include the Edradour 10 Year Old, Barolo Cask and Sherry Cask Ibisco decanters.

Shop – £83.41

Our “Old Particular” program continues to be a favorite among Scotch drinkers. And today’s offering, the 1974 Garnheath 43 Year Old Single Barrel Cask Strength Grain Whisky, is a classic example of why. From a now closed or “lost” distillery, the Garnheath offers both exceptional rarity and unparalleled value. We got out of the “lost distillery” game years ago, no longer willing to pay the crazy prices for Port Ellen and Brora, but luckily for us there’s still not much of a market for grain whisky despite the huge success of brands like the Nikka Coffey Still. We’re not complaining, however! We went back and dug out a second cask of 43 year old Garnheath, the long lost facility from Scotland’s Lowland region that operated between 1965 and 1986 before closing forever. Considering both the age and the rarity of the whisky, the price is downright ridiculous for something this delicious and exotic. But, so long as we keep finding deals like this, we’ll keep passing on the savings to you!

1974 Garnheath 43 Year Old “Old Particular” K&L Exclusive Single Barrel Cask Strength Grain Whisky (750ml) ($249.99)

Part two of Garnheath is finally here! Part of our lost whisky collection (meaning distilleries that have since closed and/or been demolished), we bring you the follow-up to our absolutely stunning cask of old Garnheath, a grain whisky from the once-active distillery site inside of Inver House’s Moffat site located just east of Glasgow on the road to Edinburgh. The distillery was located next to another closed malt producing site: Glenflagler. Closed in the mid-eighties, now just a memory and a story to share among friends, the spirit of Garnheath lives on (literally) in this single barrel, cask strength edition bottled just for K&L. Not only is the Garnheath a lost legend, this 43 year old edition is one of the smoothest, roundest, most luxurious whiskies we’ve ever had the pleasure of selling. It rolls across the tongue effortlessly, coating the palate with rich waves of caramel, honey and maple syrup. In classic grain whisky style, there’s no maltiness or smoke here. It’s just four glorious decades of barrel maturation at work: orange zest, candied sugar and apricot. A true whisky classic in the making and a piece of history, to boot. The whisky is a year older, but the price remains the same. This is the last cask of Garnheath in the warehouse and it will be the last we bring in under the Old Particular label.

David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: November 15, 2017

If you want to knock someone’s socks off this year with the perfect bottle of Scotch, go with the Garnheath. Few people will know what it is, but everyone who has tasted this whisky thus far has been absolutely bowled over by its richness and concentration of flavor. Not only is the whisky absolutely delicious, it’s unbelievably rare. Garnheath was only open for two decades during the sixties and seventies before it was shutdown for good. It’s a forgotten piece of the past come back to life in this bottle. Old grain whiskies are still incredibly affordable for the price (even rare ones like this), but that’s starting to change. Nikka has seen tremendous success with its Coffey grain expression at $60 per bottle, so imagine a more intense version of that whisky, more than four times as old, and 1000x as rare. That’s what you’re getting for $249.99. Creamy on the palate, and reduced down to 47% naturally after four decades, this is an ultra smooth Scotch with loads of fudge, maple syrup, and spice. This is the rare, limited edition bottle for people who don’t want to drop $10,000 for Macallan.

Alex Schroeder | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: November 17, 2017

This Garnheath grain whisky aged 43 years is, simply put, a beautiful thing. After over four decades in the barrel, its taken on a beautiful light brown color with vanilla, cocoa, and honeyed cereal notes that are smooth and creamy all the way across the palate. Its an experience to behold, not even considering its an irreplaceable piece of history.

Joe Manekin | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: November 16, 2017

This is one of the richest, most burnished and appealingly maple/cola/sweet-ish grain whiskies I have yet to try. The alcohol is perfectly balanced, the lush burnt sugar and spice notes are expansive and linger on the palate for a long while. If you’re after older grain whiskey, or even if you’re a Bourbon fan chasing after something rare, old and delicious, I would strongly recommend the Old Particular Garnheath 43 Year Old. Yes, 43 year Old! Delicious stuff.

Andrew Stevens | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: November 16, 2017

I love when I get a chance to taste any whisky with significant age on it and the single grains we get in from Old Particular are always the best way to get truly older whisky. Even so I was surprised in the best way possible with this bottling from Garnheath. I did get some older wood characteristics in the nose alongside vanilla, and white toffee the palate was shockingly young and vibrant. It did not necessarily taste like a younger whisky, it has the elegance and complexity that age brings. However it was brimming with power and flavor, vanilla notes with white fudge swiftly turn to rising spicy layers and finish with a maple syrup sweetness. There is nothing off putting or odd in this bottling, just spectacular old whisky that reminds me more of an older American than an old Scottish whisky.

Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: November 16, 2017

At 43 years old this grain whiskey is still alive and delicious. Beautiful caramel aromas lead to a whiskey that is packed full of concentrated flavors. It is big and round with sweet richness and a touch of spice. There is a long sweet tongue coating finish that helps make this a good selection for grain whiskey lovers.

Andrew Whiteley | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: November 15, 2017

The delights of old grain whisky are numerous. The sweetness, the round profile, the cream and vanilla, and of course, the price! Where do you find 43 year old cask strength whisky at this kind of price!? No where but K&L. The nose is seductive and warm and gives fair warning that whisky in your glass will be creamy and rich. Toasted coconuts, grain tea, sweet oak spices carry the palate through to a long and enjoyable finish. This is the kind of whisky that makes a perfect gift. It has a huge number on the front, tastes delicious and there are few people who, when poured a glass, won’t enjoy it.

1996 Caol Ila 20 Year Old “Old Particular” K&L Exclusive Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky (750ml)

SKU #1298483

Caol Ila’s whisky can be as transitive and unpredictable as the Islay weather itself; sometimes it’s light and breezy, while other times powerful and thunderous in its character. At cask strength, the salt, smoke, and peat aromas often leap out of the glass, but when tempered the creaminess and fruitiness of the spirit itself is allowed to shine, fat and unctuous in its texture. With this cask of 20 year old Caol Ila, we have the best of both worlds: a full proof, no-water-added single barrel whisky that has naturally proofed itself down to 46% after two decades in wood. The nose is an absolute dream: sweetly-tinged smoke, burning embers, with faint aromas of peach and apricot in the background. The palate is simply perfect: sweet vanilla intermixed with peat, salt, and ash, but always with a roundness of texture that’s a product of the distillery’s wide-necked pot stills. It’s a perfect Caol Ila specimen, highlighting the strengths of the Islay distillery’s personality, each with equal concentration and intensity, all in harmony and balance.

$129.99

If you’re fixin’ for some Four Roses going into the holiday season, we’ve got you covered with two new potent potions that I picked out at the distillery this past September. The more moderately-proofed OESQ is a 53.9% ABV specimen for those who enjoy a bit of banana in their Bourbon. The nose is a mix of bananas foster and pencil shavings with accents of baking spices in the background. There’s more banana on the mid-palate and the more peppery oak spices come out for the finish. It’s a balanced Bourbon from front to back, with equal parts fruit, oak, and savory/sweet spices. At 8 years and 9 months of age, it’s in a lovely spot. The OBSV is a 60.8% ABV beast, but it never feels that big on the palate. It’s a strong one, but there’s loads of cinnamon, clove, oak spice, and vanilla to temper that storm. Bottled at 8 years and 8 months, it’s not quite as rich as some of the 9-10 year olds we’ve bottled in the past, but it makes up for that lack of maturity with precocious punch and intensity. Both are in stock now while they last!

Four Roses 8 Year 9 Month Old “K&L Exclusive OESQ” Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon (750ml) ($64.99)

Four Roses K&L Exclusive OBSV (8 Years Old, 8 Months) Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) ($64.99)

The third release in our series of special 10th Anniversary drams shall remain ‘Anonymous’. What we can reveal, is that this stunner of a dram, released under our Rare Casks Anon. banner is a peated malt, distilled in 1999 at a famous distillery on the Isle of Orkney and matured for 17 years in a refill sherry butt. Bottled a day before it’s 18th birthday and certainly come of age, the perfect marriage of peat and sherry!

Long story…bond, labels, wax… meant this latest Anon. release was due for launch at a later date, however we’ve managed to pull out all the stops and offer an early number of bottles in time for Christmas. Once we have word of the remaining bottles we will let you know!

Order Now!

Four Roses K&L Exclusive OBSV (8 Years Old, 8 Months) Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) $64.99 View

Four Roses K&L Exclusive OESK (10 Year Old) Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon (750ml) $64.99 View

Four Roses 8 Year 9 Month Old “K&L Exclusive OESQ” Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon (750ml) $64.99 View

Oban 18 Year Old “Limited Edition” West Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) (Elsewhere $150) $119.99 View

Kavalan Solist “Sherry Cask – K&L Exclusive” Cask Strength Single Barrel Taiwanese Single Malt Whisky (750ml) (Elsewhere $300) $209.99 View

Bunnahabhain 1980 Canasta Cask Finish

A limited edition 36 year old whisky from Islay’s Bunnahabhain distillery, first filled to Oloroso sherry casks before being finished in sweet Canasta sherry casks. Only 1,200 bottles have been produced at a cask strength of 49.5% abv.

£1,800 Order Now

Orders will be dispatched week beginning 4th December

Bunnahabhain 2003 Pedro Ximenez Finish

Distilled in 2003 at Islay’s Bunnahabhain distillery, this limited edition single malt spent the first 11 years of its life in 2nd fill sherry butts before being transferred to 1st fill Pedro Ximenez casks in 2014 for another 3 years’ finishing. Presented free from chill-filtration and artificial colouring at a cask strength of 54.8% abv.

£85 Order Now

Orders will be dispatched week beginning 4th December

JAMESON CASKMATES IPA EDITION GOES ON SALE WORLDWIDE

Global launch follows success of Jameson Caskmates IPA trial in Ireland

Irish Distillers, producer of the world’s most well-known and successful Irish whiskeys, today announced a new, global extension to the innovative Jameson Caskmates range with Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition, following a successful trial run in Ireland in September 2017.

Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition is a triple distilled Irish whiskey finished in craft IPA-seasoned barrels. The result is a whiskey that features the signature smoothness of Jameson alongside hints of light hops, fresh citrus and floral notes, and can be served neat, on the rocks, or paired with a beer.

Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition is the next chapter of a story that began in 2013, when Brian Nation, Master Distiller in Midleton Distillery, and Dave Quinn, Master of Whiskey Science in Midleton Distillery, met Franciscan Well Founder and Head Brewer, Shane Long, in a local Cork bar. The Midleton masters agreed to loan some Jameson casks to the brewery to discover their influence on Irish stout and when the stout-seasoned barrels were returned to Midleton Distillery, Dave Quinn re-filled them with Jameson Irish whiskey – a finishing process that created Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition. Having previously hit it off with stout, the team in Midleton were curious to try a new beer mate, and after much exploration discovered that a zesty IPA was the perfect partner.

Commenting on the announcement Jean-Christophe Coutures, Chairman and CEO of Irish Distillers, said: “Irish Distillers has a long history of innovation within the Irish whiskey category and we are incredibly proud of the latest chapter in this story of creative experimentation. This new addition to the Jameson Caskmates family was trialed in the Irish market exclusively since September 2017 and the response has been fantastic. We have no doubt that Jameson Caskmates IPA will be as popular throughout the world as it has been in its homeland of Ireland.”

Dave Quinn, Master of Whiskey Science in Midleton Distillery, added: “Without the curiosity and collaboration that took place that night in Cork and the expertise, passion and dedication that followed, we may have missed out on what has become a staple innovation within the Jameson family. It’s great to see the range growing so that more craft beer and whiskey fans alike can experience Jameson Caskmates. I recommend that you try the new release on the rocks or paired with a craft IPA but always with good friends over great conversations.”

Since launching in 2015, Jameson Caskmates has satisfied the appetite for new, innovative and authentic tastes among whiskey enthusiasts, Jameson drinkers and craft beer fans in over 40 markets worldwide.

Bottled at 40% ABV, Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition is available from December 2017 in the USA and January 2018 in Ireland. RRP is €38.

Notes:

Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition Tasting Notes, by Brian Nation, Master Distiller in Midleton Distillery

Nose: Floral, herbal hops, grapefruit citrus notes with subtle orchard fruits, complimented by wood shavings and a little nuttiness.

Taste: Hops and light citrus with sweet herbal notes and delicate spicy tones.

Finish: The lingering fresh fruit and hops give way to grains of barley and a signature smooth finish. 

About Irish Distillers

Irish Distillers is Ireland’s leading supplier of spirits and wines and producer of the world’s most well-known and successful Irish whiskeys. Led by Jameson, our brands are driving the global renaissance of Irish whiskey. Jameson is the world’s fastest-growing Irish whiskey, experiencing 28 years of consecutive growth and hitting sales of 6.5m cases in 2017. Our brands are exported to 130+ markets, with over 71 of those experiencing double- or triple-digit growth.

Irish Distillers was formed in 1966, when a merger took place between John Power & Son, John Jameson & Son and Cork Distilleries Company. In 1988 Irish Distillers joined Pernod Ricard, gaining access to unprecedented levels of investment and an extensive global distribution network. Since 2012, we have invested over €250m to double our production and bottling capacity to meet global demand for our products.

We employ over 600 people across our operations in Cork and Dublin. 

About Pernod Ricard

Pernod Ricard is the world’s n°2 in wines and spirits with consolidated Sales of € 9, 010 million in 2016/17. Created in 1975 by the merger of Ricard and Pernod, the Group has undergone sustained development, based on both organic growth and acquisitions: Seagram (2001), Allied Domecq (2005) and Vin&Sprit (2008). Pernod Ricard holds one of the most prestigious brand portfolios in the sector: Absolut Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine’s, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Malibu liqueur, Mumm and Perrier- Jouët champagnes, as well Jacob’s Creek, Brancott Estate, Campo Viejo and Kenwood wines. Pernod Ricard employs a workforce of approximately 18,500 people and operates through a decentralised organisation, with 6 “Brand Companies” and 86 “Market Companies” established in each key market. Pernod Ricard is strongly committed to a sustainable development policy and encourages responsible consumption. Pernod Ricard’s strategy and ambition are based on 3 key values that guide its expansion: entrepreneurial spirit, mutual trust and a strong sense of ethics. http://www.pernod-ricard.com/