1995 Craigellachie 18 Year Old Hepburn’s Choice K&L Exclusive Single Sherry Butt Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($99.99)

It wouldn’t be a whisky season without some big rich sherried malt to round out the selection. Craigellachie is becoming a serious force now that the owners have finally decided it should be marketed as a single malt. This exceptional distillery was almost exclusively reserved for the blends until very recently, but the heightened profile means that procuring more in the future might become more difficult. That’s why we knew we had to jump on this spectacular sherried ‘llachie. This has everything you want in a sherried malt and nothing that you don’t. It starts with a slight flintiness (don’t worry it’s not sulfur, just a spark on the front), this quickly blows off to reveal a magnificent bouquet of dried cherries, fudgy cacao nibs, roasted coffee beans, and freshly polished sandalwood. The dark aromas translate well to the palate, but never go bitter and the malty spirit adds lift and sweetness. Here is a truly balanced sherried malt like none other on the shelf right now. Sure we all sometimes love a big hammer of sherry right in your sensory organs, but sometimes you want the sweet velvety caress of that special wine from Jerez. Balanced, yet not lacking depth or power in anyway.

Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: April 06, 2015
For fans of sherry-aged single malts the Craigellachie 18 is an absolute bargain. It is mouth-filling, with rich and round flavors. In my tasting notes I wrote “Wow.” For fans of Macallan 18 who want to branch out and try a similar yet different whisky.

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: March 25, 2015
This massive cask is definitely one of my favorites from this year. Craigellachie is a wonderful and under-appreciated distillery that’s only now getting recognition as a true Scottish Blue Chip. Its OB 17-year offering has recently won Speyside whisky of the year and this 18-year-old first-fill sherry version is another example of why the distillery is so well regarded by those in the know. Here we have some really classic sherry aromas, some fudge, wisps of gun smoke, dark dried plummy fruit. The palate dries up nicely (this is definitely Oloroso, not PX), but still brings out some Christmas cake and other dense fruity/spicy aromas. A real winner and an absolute steal considering where other malts in first-fill sherry are fetching these days.

David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: March 03, 2015
For those who enjoyed the sherry casks we once were able to secure from Glendronach, this is our current replacement–and it’s far less expensive. Lovely richness, cakebread and spice, good weight on the palate. It’s a solid 18 year old sherry-aged whisky for an outstanding price.

Crafted only from handpicked Spanish oak casks, which previously contained sherry. The Macallan’s casks are amongst the most precious and scarce used in single malt whisky. The rich, ruby colour distinguishes this as a classic Macallan whisky, and it is the interaction of spirit and wood which delivers this vibrant colour. The intensity of Rare Cask’s character was made by The Macallan’s Master Whisky Maker, Bob Dalgarno.

The Taste:

Silky smooth with lots of the rich, dried fruit flavours expected of The Macallan. Lots of dried fruit and raisins, with toasted oak, vanilla and a chocolatey sweetness. A full and warming finish with light citrus notes.

£200 Buy Now

Japan – Single Malt Scotch

• Shinshu Mars Iwai Tradition Blended Japanese Whisky 750ml ($54.99)

• Suntory Hibiki Harmony Japanese Whiskey 750ml (Ships as 1.5L) (1 bottle limit) ($59.99)

K&L Wine Merchants
http://www.klwines.com
Phone: 877-KLWines (toll free 877-559-4637)
Email: wine@klwines.com
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

FIRST & LAST DROPS

“Stop press!” came the lunch-time call. The press may be a metaphor these days, but the excitement is real. “There’s a first bottling in the warehouse… and it’s Japanese!” A moment of silence is followed by hubbub in the office. “Oooh the one from the Coffey still” said one, and “Where was that hiding?” said another. We may never know its journey, or that of the bottles found with it – but it’s unlikely to happen again, so hurry and order yours now to get the last drops of Tongue tingling intensity!

FIRST (UK) DROPS

Spicy & dry

G11.1 Tongue tingling intensity!

Japanese Grain Whisky
Re-charred hogshead
Only 42 bottles found!

£125.00

112.8 “Vegetarian!”

14 years old
Refill, ex-bourbon barrel
Only 20 bottles found!

£63.50

Sweet, fruity & mellow

48.46 Exploding flower

12 years old
First fill ex-bourbon barrel
Only 72 bottles found!

£43.80

LAST (UK) DROPS

Sweet, fruity & mellow

46.25 Soft, elegant and intensely creamy

£77.60

Light & delicate

55.28 Dainty, measured and delicate

£42.40

Spicy & sweet

46.28 Booze Soaked Fruits

£51.80

Browse New Outturn >

Browse All Bottlings >

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

NEW ARRIVALS: MALTBARN

MORE INDIE BOTTLED SCOTCH FROM GERMANY!

You can probably remember our excitement when we received our first shipment of Malbarn single cask Scotch whisky back in May. Needless to say they have been very popular! Naturally we have been eagerly awaiting the next release of casks and we haven’t had to wait long – in a bid to lift our spirits following the end of the sunny spell, they arrived.

This release has some real gems including the ever popular Clynelish, a full-on Miltonduff and even the return of our favourite from the previous batch, the Dailuaine 1996.

Have a browse of the selection, and if you’re in the neighbourhood, pop by our whisky bar where they will all be open to purchase by the dram! Happy hunting.

Miltonduff 1989, 25 Years Old, Maltbarn, 51.2%

This is a full-on Miltondufff with a funky aroma that is reminiscent of frying bacon in a private library! The palate is malty, almost Marmite like, developing into notes of prunes macerated in golden rum. The finish lingers with a charred oak profile and a hint of Bovril. Weird but delicious!
156 bottles from an ex-Bourbon cask.

£122.50

Clynelish 1997, 17 Years Old, Maltbarn, 48.6%

We all know it is physically impossible for a Clynelish to be anything other than excellent, and this 17 year old from Maltbarn is no exception to the rule. Classic waxy fruit notes dominate the nose, leading to a creamy palate of sherbet lemon and cloudy apple juice. The finish is long and succulent with a hint of coastal salinity.
152 bottles from an ex-Bourbon cask.

£99.95

Linkwood 1998, 16 Year Old, Maltbarn, 49.3%

A classic Linkwood with notes of star anise, lime flavoured boiled sweets, greengages and treacle, leading into a waxiness with the addition of water. The palate is silky with well integrated oak and a flavour profile of ripe apples. Those boiled sweet notes return on the finish with undertones of freshly cut hay.
205 bottles from an ex-Bourbon cask.

£90.50

Glen Spey 1988, 26 Year Old, 43.6%

This Glen Spey has powerful liquorish notes on the nose chased by fennel, a yew tree glade, all butter fudge and assertive juniper. The palate is smooth with the sweet return of that fudge, with a hint of sea salt and a little more liquorish. The finish is full of cracked black pepper, barley sweets and a slight herbacious quality. Superb balance!
101 bottles from an ex-Bourbon cask.

£126.95

Dailuaine 1996, 18 Years Old, Mlatbarn, 48.7%

This is one of those estery malts on the nose: kiwi, pear drops and granny smith apples. Spearmint and white pepper on the palate with a soupcon of sweetness. The long finish is minty with poached pears stealing through.
159 bottles produced from a single ex-Bourbon barrel.

£94.95

Cornelia Parker – Blue Luna, 2015

Single malt Scotch whisky, includes a series of 6 lithographs and a photographic print. £1000 plus VAT (strictly limited to first 5 customers)

We thought you may like to know that we currently have a half price offer on our forthcoming edition by Cornelia Parker.

For this McLean’s Artist Malts commission, Parker has been intrigued by whiskies maturation process, how time and more specifically the moon cycle can effect the spirit. In a continuation of Parker’s lunar series, this latest work “Blue Luna” is very much a time orientated piece. Currently you do not get to see the spirit but an empty vessel. For Parker’s whisky remains in the cask in the highlands of Scotland. Blue Luna will be bottled upon a blue moon on the 31st of July 2015, a rare event of two full moons in a single month. The total age of the whisky is stipulated on the label by full moon cycles rather than years – the final colour, nose, taste and alcohol volume of Parker’s whisky will be unknown until this special date. As well as this fine whisky filling the empty vessel, the piece will be accompanied by a photograph by Parker taken during the Blue Moon on the 31st July 2015. How this photograph looks is also dependent on many unknown particulars; location of the artist, weather, and equipment will be significant to the outcome. What we do know is that the accompanying photograph is as mystifying as the whisky itself.

As with all of our editions a printed element is produced by one of the world’s most respected print houses, Poligrafa Obra Grafica. Cornelia Parker’s bottle will be accompanied by six lithographs listing each and every full moon that has influenced the spirit whilst in the cask since August 1997. Upon payment you will receive the signed series of 6 lithographs. The entire completed artwork  including the whisky is due for delivery in September. This offer is set at £1000 plus VAT and is limited to the first 5 customers. Once sold out the edition will return to £2000 plus VAT. Please contact us on email for any further information.

A new single cask release from Arran distillery. This special Island single malt scotch whisky was distilled on the 19th July 1999 and aged for 15 years in single bourbon cask #88. 204 bottles filled in 2015, 56.9% vol.

£66.90

Heaven Hill Brands Launches Super-Premium Pikesville Rye

6-Year-Old, 110-Proof Spirit Salutes Traditional American Straight Rye Whiskey

Bardstown, Ky., July 8, 2015—Heaven Hill Brands, now in its third generation of family ownership and celebrating 80 years of crafting whiskey and curating all-American spirits brands, today announces the launch of a super-premium spirit, Pikesville Straight Rye Whiskey. At 6 years old and 110 proof, this new expression of Pikesville Rye is produced at Heaven Hill’s historic Bernheim Distillery in Louisville and aged in its premier rickhouses in Bardstown, Ky. With a suggested retail price of $49.99 for a 750ml bottle, it will roll out in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles in Summer 2015, with allocated national distribution to follow in the Fall.

During previews, Pikesville Rye earned spirits industry acclaim, including a Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and 95 Points at F. Paul Pacult’s Ultimate Spirits Challenge. Distilled from at least 51 percent rye, with corn and malted barley as the “small” grains, Pikeville Rye has an appealing pale copper color, reflecting its extra aging. Its aroma evokes earthy cocoa notes with oaky smoke underneath. On the palate, Pikesville Rye is dry and spicy, with hints of honeyed rye and cloves. Soft vanilla and baking spices round out the finish.

“Heaven Hill has a tradition of keeping storied brands alive,” says Max L. Shapira, President, Heaven Hill Brands, and second-generation family member. “We purchased the Pikesville brand as the Maryland Rye industry was disappearing and have distilled it for decades for the local market. As consumers have fallen in love with Straight Bourbon Whiskey, they have naturally expanded their passion to Rye. We wanted to update this authentic artifact of Americana for contemporary palates and offer this super-premium expression nationally.”

This marks the first major new product launch since Denny Potter was named Heaven Hill Brand’s Co-Master Distiller. Potter carefully selected each extra-aged barrel and determined the spirit’s ideal proof level.

“Pikesville Rye is the text book example of the traditional three-grain American Straight Rye Whiskey that laid the foundation for Rye’s current renaissance,” says Potter. “To set it apart from other Ryes, I selected barrels at a minimum of 6 years old from high storage and bottled it at a proof that allows the most character from the barrel to come through without overpowering the spicy grain notes. It will appeal to American Whiskey connoisseurs seeking a robust and flavorful sip and to today’s bartending community, as it mixes well in classic cocktails.”

With its Maryland roots dating back to 1895, Pikesville Rye returned after Prohibition, surviving ownership changes and the decline of the Maryland Rye whiskey industry. With Maryland production coming to a close in the 1980s, Pikesville Rye was kept alive by Heaven Hill Brands, which has produced the spirit in Kentucky ever since. It is a prominent brand in Maryland and is served throughout the Baltimore metropolitan area. The traditional 80-proof, 3-year-old Pikesville Rye will remain in production and will continue to be distributed in Maryland.

About Pikesville Straight Rye Whiskey: Pikesville Straight Rye Whiskey is a 6-year-old, 110-proof super-premium spirit that salutes a historic Maryland mark dating back to 1895. It is distilled by Heaven Hill Brands at the company’s historic Bernheim Distillery in Louisville and aged in its premier rickhouses in Bardstown, Ky. Co-Master Distiller Denny Potter carefully selected each extra-aged barrel and determined the spirit’s ideal proof level. With its mashbill of at least 51 percent rye, with corn and malted barley as the “small” grains, Pikesville Rye embraces the tradition of American Straight Rye Whiskey that set the stage for Rye’s current renaissance. For more information, please visit www.pikesvillerye.com.

About Heaven Hill Brands: Founded in 1935, Bardstown, Ky.-based Heaven Hill Brands is the nation’s largest independent, family-owned and operated spirits producer and marketer and the world’s second-largest holder of Kentucky Bourbon. Heaven Hill’s diversified portfolio of brands includes Evan Williams Bourbon; Larceny, Elijah Craig and Henry McKenna Bourbons; Burnett’s Vodkas and Gin; Admiral Nelson’s and Blackheart Rums; HPNOTIQ Liqueur; The Christian Brothers Brandies; PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur; Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur; Lunazul Tequila; Cinerator Hot Cinnamon Flavored Whiskey and Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey. For more information, please visit www.heavenhill.com.

Tomatin 36 Year Old Batch 1

Batch 1 of this 36 year old Highland whisky has been created using a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-Oloroso sherry casks. 800 bottles have been produced, each bottle is individually numbered and comes with it’s own certificate…

Read More…

New Signatory TWE exclusive whiskies – a sherried trio

Over the past few years we’ve been working closely with some of the world’s best independent bottlers to release whiskies exclusive to The Whisky Exchange. We’ve produced a range of great bottlings, but we’ve returned to one producer more than the rest – Signatory Vintage.

Casks and casks and casks and casks and…

Andrew Symington and his team have an incredible range of casks in their warehouses at Edradour, and despite having seen inside a few years ago, I’m still impressed by the whiskies that they’ve given us the opportunity to have as exclusives.

This time we have three exclusive single casks: Clynelish 1996, Laphroaig 1998 and Glenlivet 1981.

GLENLIVET 1981, 33 YEARS OLD. REFILL SHERRY HOGSHEAD #9464. 175 BOTTLES. 51% ABV

It was the Glenlivet that started it all. Last year, we chose an excellent 1981 vintage from the distillery and decided that we wanted another. Fortunately they had a sister cask – #9464 compared to last year’s #9460 – and with a bit of cajoling they let us have it as an exclusive release.

Nose: Barley sugar, light fruit cake, salted caramel, poached apples and pears, Demerara sugar, flapjacks and hints of honeysuckle.

Palate: Lots of cream and grain to start, with orchard fruit bursting through the middle after a few moments. Darker notes develop and sit around the sides of the palate – sweet liquorice and stewed fruit – with cinnamon spice and crunchy apples building down the centre.

Finish: Apple and spice to start, fading to creamy apple sauce and a lingering hint of anise.

Comment: A sweet and fruity dram which has a well-balanced spiciness. Perfectly aged, with the cask allowing the orchard-fruit character of Glenlivet to shine through.

Clynelish 1996, 18 years old. Refill sherry butt #6509. 606 bottles. 55.5% ABV

At the same time as asking about the Glenlivet, we decided not to waste the opportunity and requested a few more samples. First on our list, as it often is, was Clynelish. Last time we bottled a Clynelish with Signatory, a 1995 vintage, we were blown away by the quality of the whiskies they had to choose from. Asking for a similar cask was not a difficult decision.

While they were both matured in refill-sherry casks, the first was a classic Clynelish with sherry notes that grew the longer you left it in the glass, whereas this new one is quite the opposite:

Nose: It starts dark and rich, with layers of polished leather, warm raisins, rich earth, bark, damp wax jackets and spiced baked apples. However, behind that are softer, sweeter notes, with honeysuckle, apple blossom and sweet fruit.

Palate: After the heaviness of the nose, the palate starts surprisingly soft and rounded, with sponge-cake batter and sweet raisins accompanying spicy ground cinnamon. Apples and aniseed balls come in behind that, with fruity dark chocolate and vanilla cream icing softening the spicy heat. As the fruity core fades, rich earthy notes develop with soft nutmeg and stewed fruit.

Finish: Long and lingering, starting with caraway-spiced shortbread and apple crisps, before fading to rose water and dried fruit.

Comment: An intense, rich and mouth-watering dram, which opens up to reveal the traditional Clynelish fruitiness after a little time in the glass. One to savour as it develops.

LAPHROAIG 1998, 16 YEARS OLD. REFILL SHERRY BUTT #700389. 585 BOTTLES. 59.9%

For our final choice we wanted something smoky, and remembering the range of casks in the warehouses from Laphroaig, we asked for one.

They sent over a selection of samples, and while there were stunningly fruity ex-bourbon casks, it was a refill sherry butt that we liked the best. Similar to the last cask of Laphroaig that Signatory bottled for us – a whisky that went on to win Whisky Advocate magazine’s Islay Single Malt of the Year 2014 award – it was just what we were looking for.

Nose: Rich and earthy to start, with damp soil, mulchy leaves and Laphroaig’s classic coastal notes – rock pools and sea spray. Leather jackets and raisins sit behind that, with medicinal notes bringing up the rear – TCP and menthol – along with bacon-tinged smoke. With time in the glass, sweet fruity notes step out from behind the smoke – candied lime, apple and star fruit.

Palate: Mineral-led, with slates and damp limestone joined by spiced apples and pears at the front of the palate. The flavours grow more intense, with Fisherman’s Friends, liquorice, dark chocolate and leather spreading across the palate. Despite the dark flavours and weightiness of the dram, it is still remarkably fresh, with the darker notes balanced by sweet fruit and a touch of salty caramel.

Finish: Sweet and spicy, with chocolate raisins, burnt fruit cake and cinnamon fireballs. The finish fades though fruit cake to fresh apple and lingering peat smoke.

Comment: A densely flavoured whisky which successfully balances pungently peaty Laphroaig with sherry cask spice and sweet fruity notes. A dram that rewards a long examination – give it some time in the glass to reveal its secrets and you won’t be disappointed.

All three whiskies are available online and in our shop now.