K&L Direct Import Feature: Hepburn’s Choice Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Now that we’re into September and there’s the slightest semblance of Fall in the air, we can start thinking about peat; specifically Islay whisky. After spending the last month and a half getting you acquainted with some of our lighter, easy-drinking, and substantially well-priced Highland offerings, our palates are now craving something different. As the leaves start to change color and the evenings begin just a bit earlier, that heartier, smokier, unique Islay character becomes all the more desirable. It entices our imaginations: a roaring fire, the cold night outside, a glass of Scotch in hand to sip as we spend more time in doors.
Now that we’re transitioning into that mindset, it’s time to show you our first two peated Islay selections from Whisky Season 2016, still very much value-driven as has been the case with all our offerings thus far. A young Caol Ila, this time from a sherry hogshead, that offers punch as well as precision. A dark and heady Bowmore that reminds us of how rich and quintessential the iconic distillery’s character truly is.
2009 Caol Ila 6 Year Old “Hepburn’s Choice” Single Sherry Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($49.99)
On the strength of the previously popular young, peated whiskies we’ve been importing, we went back to the well again this year. This time, however, we asked the folks from Hepburn if they had any of that same fiery Caol Ila aged in sherry cask. Luckily they did and it’s that little highlight of sweetness that makes all the difference between this year’s selection and older editions. The classic elements of Islay are at play, of course: smoke, peat, earth and sea salt, but they’re accented by a richness from the sherry. There’s a nice little coating of cakebread and cocoa around that core of Caol Ila, rounding the edges and tempering the bold 58.9% cask strength character just the slightest bit. The best part, however, is the price. We managed to keep the cost right at $49.99, despite the extra year in barrel and the added bonus of the sherry. For the money, you’d be hard pressed to find a more potent Islay value anywhere.
Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: September 18, 2016
A beautiful cask of Caol Ila . The thing that I think sets this cask apart is the balance between all of the different flavors. In the nose there are light smoke aromas. In the mouth it is bright , creamy and complex, with a light peat influence. It is easy to drink and has a wonderful long finish with all of the flavor profiles working together.
David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: September 17, 2016
Young peated whisky is the new hot thing around these parts. In the case of this precocious Caol Ila 6 year, imagine the best parts of the Kilchoman sherry-finished whiskies, but at full proof and half the price! I’m hoping folks don’t sleep on this one because I’m imagining hoards of customers coming back, looking for a second bottle, only to be dismayed by its limited quantities.
Andrew Stevens | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: September 17, 2016
Not too long ago we brought in a Caol Ila 5 year from Hepburn and I thought it was good and fun for a young Scotch. I was expecting much the same when I went to taste the new young Caol Ila David bought this trip and was astounded by how much more I enjoyed it. Something about that extra year, or more likely the sherry hogshead it was aged in, added a complexity and helped this whiskey truly come together. Like the 5 year this beautiful bottle has light dense fruit with plenty of peat and iodine, however, the mid-palate is balanced and all of the parts work together. This is still a very young smoky and peaty Scotch, but it is worth getting into.
2001 Bowmore 14 Year Old “Hepburn’s Choice” Single Sherry Butt Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($82.99)
While Bowmore seems to play second (or even fourth) fiddle to the Ardbeg, Lagavulin and Laphroaig selections on our shelf, we’ve always been enamored with Islay’s most historic distillery. We’ve never let popular whisky culture or changes in the portfolio diminish the fact that Bowmore tastes pretty damn good in a number of iterations. While tasting through single-cask selections this year, we found a 14-year-old sherry butt that was so dark and so soft we couldn’t pass it up. The best part about this particular expression was the texture; it mirrored the most popular Bowmore edition we sell: the 15-year-old “Darkest,” albeit at full proof and from one concentrated cask (and despite the fact this was supposedly a “refill” barrel). The flavors are dark and rich, brooding and slow-moving over the palate. Dark chocolate accented by a beach bonfire oozes over the tongue, buoyed by toasted almonds and earthy peat. The nice part about sherry butts is that they hold more whisky! In the case of this 14-year-old Bowmore, we figured we were going to need every drop. We expect this to be one of the most popular K&L casks of the fall season; while it lasts, of course.
Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: September 18, 2016
The color of this wonderful cask is a dark brown reflecting the sherry barrel aging. In the nose there are inviting light smoke aromas. In the mouth it is rich and round, showing the influence of the sherry.The sherry barrel did not make this Bowmore overly sweet but added complexity and helps make this single malt so good and easy to enjoy . There is a nice long finish.
David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: September 17, 2016
An absolutely delicious smoky whisky that should please any fan of the genre. This has everything: smoke, peat, sherry, campfire, earth, chocolate, toffee, and even a nuttiness that finishes with poise and presence. I’ll be recommending this to everyone looking for something beyond Lagavulin 16.
Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637) Email: wine@klwines.com K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA
