• 1992 Bruichladdich 21 Year Old K&L Exclusive Signatory Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($149.99)
  Now that Bruichladdich has been purchased by Remy and the older stocks have become harder to find, we just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bottle a 20+ year old hogshead of the unpeated Islay distillery — especially for a price this hot! At 53% cask strength the malt is bold enough to offer a bit of a kick, yet reduced enough to allow the more delicate side of the whisky to shine. The salty, supple notes are apparent right on the initial sip, bringing back memories of Bruichladdich’s “Waves” expression, albeit with much more complexity and age. The stonefruits are soft and enticing, with more saline, maritime notes undulated under “waves” of richness and oily textures. If you were ever a fan of Bruichladdich from the old Susan Purnell days here at K&L, then this whisky is like a nostalgic ride down memory lane. This is the flavor that many a K&L customer cut their teeth upon, and at the price we’re selling it for, it’s not all that much more than it cost back then. For all the whiskies we taste in Scotland each year, this is the flavor profile I’ve found most difficult to duplicate — mature Island whisky without smoke. (David Driscoll, K&L Spirits Buyer)

• 1983 Caol Ila 30 Year Old K&L Exclusive Signatory Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($279.99)
  We just can’t stay away from these old Caol Ilas. Maybe it’s because they’re the last old Islays available, but we keep coming across these casks of Caol Ila that are just on fire. Caol Ila (arguably the most unsung Islay distillery) was spared closure in 1983, while its sister distillery Port Ellen was not so lucky. Caol Ila reliably churned out whisky throughout the 80s whisky slump to provide a smoky base to the big name blends. While collectors the world over search for the final few bottles of Port Ellen left out there, few realize that if they just expanded their horizons slightly, they’ll find equally wonderful old Islay whisky is still available–and I might even call it affordable. This spectacular cask from the Signatory warehouses is strikingly different from the 32 year we released last year. Here, we have much less focus on the exotic wood, earth and funk and much more classic Islay in every sense. We can go down the list and desc ribe the expected and clearly evident flavors of smoke, ash, brine, lemon peel, oyster shell, nuts, it’s all there. It takes a slightly herbal turn on the finish with powerful core, but remains above all other things balanced. Of course, that doesn’t tell you anything about how special this whisky actually is. All I can say is that Caol Ila is one of our favorite distilleries and this malt is exactly why.

• 1995 Glen Elgin 18 Year Old K&L Exclusive Signatory Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($89.99)
  This was the first cask that we cracked into on our five hour odyssey at Signatory this year. Five hours and countless casks later, the Glen Elgin was still in my head. Knowing the amount of single malt we needed to get through that day (upwards of thirty casks), getting excited about the first one seemed a bit foolish; however at the end of the day, there it was with a star next to it in my notes. This malt is absolutely delicious, with beautiful texture and a hint of cream from being in barrel for eighteen years, but there is much more than that. It’s rich and fruity, beautifully fresh and lively, with exotic notes of bubble gum and lavender that are incredibly intriguing. The finish lingers with candied fruits and white flowers. Soft and supple to be sure, but lifted and bright, I am glad the Glen Elgin made the list! (Kyle Kurani, Spirits Assistant)

• 1981 Glenlivet 32 Year Old K&L Exclusive Signatory Single Barrel Cask Stre ngth Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($299.99)
  This cask stands in stark contrast to the other old Speysider that Signatory provided for us this year. While Balmenach requires a minor leap of faith, as it’s so unfamiliar to most, the Glenlivet cask faces the exact opposite hurdle. The name is so popular, the expectations for ‘Livet are only outweighed by the typically massive prices we see. That’s why we rarely buy Glenlivet even when it’s available, which is not often. At Signatory, however, they seem to have a stellar connection for great sherry aged Glenlivet. While there’s no question that these are blue chip stocks, they still represent a solid value for any lover of old Speyside whisky. This special whisky was matured for 33 years in a gorgeous sherry hogshead. By gorgeous, I mean the actual barrel was physically attractive, ultra high quality oak from a top producer of sherry. The result is a stark reminder of what makes single malt so incredible. This is what happens when you p ut great whisky into great wood and forget about it for 3 decades. It is an exercise in extreme balance. Powerfully pungent without being overpowering, richly textured without being heavy, it has that wild complexity at the confluence between the aromas of sherry and aged Speyside single malt. It may not be from some rare closed distillery, but old ‘livet is a rarity in its own right. Nothing in the price range beats it right now and since this is cask strength from a hogshead, we expect fewer than 140 bottles. (David Girard, Spirits Buyer)

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

JULY TOP-UP: COMFORTING, BROODING OR GRACEFUL?

What sensory adventure do you want to go on today? Find comfort in home baking, brood over a smoky bonfire or balance gracefully between juicy flavours… from the lightest to the heaviest, we have a bottling to delight every palate. But hurry: these three are brand new today and available exclusively online, so we don’t expect them to last long!

3 WEB EXCLUSIVES – NEW!

Light & delicate

50.58 A seesaw of spring cleaning and scones!

CLOSED DISTILLERY & LOW OUTTURN – ONLY 90 BOTTLES!

24yo; Refill ex-bourbon barrel

BUY £99.60

Juicy, oak & vanilla

95.15 A graceful tight rope walker

23yo; Refill ex-bourbon barrel

BUY £87.20

Heavily peated

66.53 A study in black

FIRST FILL SAUTERNES CASK!

9yo; Highland Eastern

BUY £48.40

Browse July 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

GlenDronach
Batch 10 Single Casks
New 2014 release of the much anticipated 9 sherry casks from the Highland distillery.

While stocks last….
Shop GlenDronach Batch 10

Here are some full flavored, half-bottles of whiskey at the Park Avenue Liquor Shop

It’s not the size of the bottle. It’s the spirit within.

A few years ago, our friends at Tuthilltown Spirits in the Hudson Valley – started bottling American whiskey in 375ml bottles. The bottles themselves were conversation starters but whiskey drinkers soon discovered that the whiskey itself was equally unique. Now we present to you, some more half-bottles of American whiskey that we feel are deserving of your attention as well as your palate.

Thanks for taking a look.

Let us know if you have any questions.

Cheers!
Jon & Eric

Park Avenue Liquor Shop
292 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10017
212-685-2442
info@parkaveliquor.com
www.parkaveliquor.com

The Rumor Still.
Rumor has it that the following hard-to-find single malts have recently been seen at the Park Avenue Liquor Shop:
– Ardbeg: AuriVerdes
– Jura: Brooklyn
– Bruichladdich: Black Arts
– G&M:15yr Mortlach
Call us to see if these or any other rare bottles are still available.

~ The Catskill Distilling Company ~
Defiant Rye

“Rye whiskey – the first whiskey to be distilled on this continent – became a defiant spirit in every sense during the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791, when the farmers who made it rebelled against our new government’s attempt to tax it. It was this heroic act of defiance that forever defined and ensured our cherished right to protest. The tax eventually stood, but the rebels’ spirit lives on in this Defiant Rye.”

Nose: Caramel, brown sugar, maple, molasses, honeysuckle, vanilla, custard, dried plums, walnut, new wood.
Palate: Caramel, vanilla, crème brûlée, brown sugar, nougat, ripe banana, coconut, dried dark fruits, cinnamon, cloves, toast, walnuts, leather.
Finish: Clean, fresh, smooth, grain, wood notes, lingering.

Tasting notes from ‘Fifty Best.’

Our Price: $43/375ml

~ The Catskill Distilling Company ~
Fearless Wheat Whiskey

Tasting Notes by Heather Green from The Flatiron Room in New York City

It has a warm amber color with aromas of pears, apples, french vanilla, lemon and honeysuckle. On the palate is more pear with cream, a hint of honey and a burst of spice. There’s also some dark-chocolate covered oranges on its bold finish.

As it says right on the label – this is, “The Really Good Stuff.”

Our Price: $43/375ml

~ The Old Pogue Distillery ~
Five Fathers Pure Malt Rye

This limited edition rye bottling contains over 100 years of Pogue family history along with 55% alc./vol and the peppery notes that offer the discerning patron a robust product. Five generations after their forefather founded the H.E. Pogue Distillery in Maysville, Mason County, Kentucky, in 1876, they are proud to continue their family legacy with Five Fathers. Produced using one of the Pogue family’s original recipes and on the same ground as the original H.E. Pogue distillery, Five Fathers honors the tradition and heritage of its namesake. We feel this is a fitting tribute to their forefathers,
the Five Fathers.

Our Price: $45/375ml

Due to our ever-changing inventory, we cannot guarantee bottle availability. We are not responsible for any typographical errors. We are also not responsible for LeBron leaving Miami – although is doesn’t make us sad either.
Please contact us with any questions you have, especially Pop-culture trivia questions.

Glendronach Batch 10 Single Cask Whiskies

It’s that time of year again and Highland distiller Glendronach are gearing up to release their much anticipated single cask bottling series. These whiskies, unlike other single malts, are not a blend of multiple casks, rather these editions are limited to the whisky yielded from just one cask – making them inherently limited.

Glendronach specialise in using casks that previously held sherry in them. The result is a rich, chocolatey flavour with additional notes of dried fruits and spices. Furthermore all of these whiskies are bottled at cask strength, without the addition of colouring nor chill-filtration. They basically pour the whisky out of the cask and sieve out the bits of floating wood – you can’t get much purer than that!

Glendronach 1990
Cask 2970
Pedro Ximenez Puncheon
24 Years Old
51.3%abv
£136.95

Appearance: Rich crimson velvet.
Nose: Generous dustings of allspice over sundried raisins and roasted coffee beans with a delicate barley background.
Palate: Initial intense rich molasses and dark bitter chocolate harmonise with fragrant, toasted oak spice.

Glendronach 1991
Cask 1346
Pedro Ximenez Puncheon
22 Years Old
52.1%abv
£117.95

Appearance: A ruby heart in burnt amber.
Nose: Crisp white pepper and citrus zest flood through dates and sultanas. Hints of ginger and nutmeg give an earthy depth.
Palate: Crisp, fresh oak spices develop to rich orange marmalade drenched over plums, dried prunes and dark chocolate.

Glendronach 1994
Cask 3397
Pedro Ximenez Puncheon
19 Years Old
53.8%abv
£95.95

Appearance: Deep crimson mahogany.
Nose: Luxurious chocolate warmed by aromatic herbs and toasted spices, paired with rum-soaked raisins and sultanas.
Palate: Sumptuous depths of sweet dates and ripe figs hold a fantastic crisp, herbal balance. Milk chocolate rolls through the robust sherry character.

Glendronach 1995
Cask 3025
Pedro Ximenez Puncheon
18 Years Old
51.1%abv
£91.95

Appearance: Antique golden oak.
Nose: A beautiful balance of sherry-soaked apricots and sultanas combines with hazelnut, ground almonds and toasted oak.
Palate: Fresh green apple develops to prunes and raisins with a vibrant spice note of ginger, black pepper and soft clove oil.

Glendronach 1996
Cask 1487
Pedro Ximenez Puncheon
18 Years Old
54.1%abv
£91.95

Appearance: Polished cherry wood.
Nose: An enriched combination of dark Demerara sugar and espresso spiced by gentle herbs and soft touches of liquorice.
Palate: Classic chocolate and orange merge with floods of rich plum juice. Roasted coffee beans enhance the full body and a crisp zest adds a fresh edge to the finish.

Glendronach 2002
Cask 1500
Pedro Ximenez Puncheon
12 Years Old
56.7%abv
£58.95

Appearance: Bright amber with a ruby core.
Nose: Intense waves of treacle toffee and dark fruits are lightened by slight hints of mint and soft clove.
Palate: Sweet figs and chocolate-covered raisins dusted with vanilla are spiced by subtle cigar smoke, candied peel and stem ginger.

The Glenlivet Guardians Chapter limited edition is now available to purchase at The Whisky Shop! Stocks of this rare single malt are very limited and all orders will be dealt with on a first come first served basis.

Simply Click here to buy – £63

Hand selected by members of the Guardians of The Glenlivet – This expression was created using a subtle mixture of casks including Hogsheads and American oak barrels with the addition of a proportion of whisky from Spanish ex-sherry butts to provide a rich, exotic twist.

A classic inspired by The Glenlivet’s timeless sweet style

Tasting Notes

Nose: Sweet toffee with hints of creamy nougat
Palate: Soft caramel toffee with notes of honey
Finish: Long and tangy

Bottled at 48.7% ABV

A couple of Buffalo Trace and Woodford Reserve private barrels have just come in:

Buffalo Trace Bourbon TPS Private Barrel – $22.49
We have the first of three selections coming in at just under 10 Years old.

Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Bourbon
TPS Private Barrel – $57.99
 
We are anxiously awaiting our private Masterson Rye.

In the past two weeks our tasting panel tasted and selected barrel samples from Jefferson Reserve and Jack Daniels. We are quite excited about the barrels we chose.

The inaugural release from our neighbors at New Riff Distilling has just hit The Party Source shelves!

New Riff O.K.I. Straight Bourbon Whiskey 8 Year – $44.99
New Riff OKI Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey 8 Year is comprised of just three barrels. O.K.I. Bourbon Whiskey deftly balances the spicy wallop of a 35% rye grain bill, with the oaky confection of eight-plus years of age. It enters the mouth gently, picking up the rye theme at mid-palate and jamming on from there. The finish is like a swirling cloud of clove-and-pepper rye spice. Hats off to the master distiller of Lawrenceburg, Indiana on a job well done! This unfiltered Bourbon whiskey is scrumptious taken straight up, but opens further with a splash of water. -Jay Erisman

Four Roses is considered one of the best bourbon distilleries in the world. Four Roses utilizes ten distinct recipes and five proprietary yeast strains to produce award winning bourbons. We will taste our way through four bourbons including two non-chill filtered cask strength bourbons.

Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon
Four Roses TPS OBSV (50% abv, 10 Years 10 months)
Four Roses TPS OESV (58.1% abv, 10 Years 1 month)
Four Roses Limited Single Barrel 2014 (OESF, 62.2% abv, 11 Year)

WHAT: The Four Roses Experience
WHERE: The Party Source Spirits Library
WHEN: Tuesday, July 22nd from 6:30-8:00 pm
COST: $15

>>>Click HERE to Reserve Your Seat

The Whisky Shop is pleased to offer you the first chance to purchase the brand new Glendronach Batch 10 releases. Demand is expected to be high for these limited single cask bottlings and all orders will be treated on a first come first served basis. Enjoy!

Glendronach Single Cask Batch 10 – 1990 24 year old
Click here to buy – £152

Glendronach Single Cask Batch 10 – 1991 22 year old
Click here to buy – £131

Glendronach Single Cask Batch 10 – 1992 22 year old
Click here to buy – £131

Glendronach Single Cask Batch 10 – 1993 21 year old.
Click here to buy £122

Glendronach Single Cask Batch 10 – 1994 19 year old.
Click here to buy – £106

Glendronach Single Cask Batch 10 – 1994 19 year old.
Click here to buy – £106

Glendronach Single Cask Batch 10 – 1995 18 year old
Click here to buy – £102

Glendronach Single Cask Batch 10 – 1996 18 year old.
Click here to buy £102

Glendronach Single Cask Batch 10 – 2002 12 year old.
Click here to buy – £66

Glen Moray – Elgin’s hidden gem

With around 100 active whisky distilleries in Scotland, it’s inevitable that some get overlooked. One underrated distillery is Glen Moray. The distillery’s range is prominent in supermarkets, but has managed to stay under the radar of the average whisky drinker. I admit that I have been equally guilty, and have only tried Glen Moray on a handful of occasions at whisky shows. So, to rectify that, on a recent trip to Speyside, booking a distillery visit was my top priority.

Glen Moray has had just a handful of owners in its 117 years of operation – founded in 1897 on the site of the West Brewery, it was purchased by Macdonald & Muir (later to become Glenmorangie plc) in 1920, remaining in the same ownership until 2008 when French spirits group La Martiniquaise took the reins.

The distillery has shown its innovative nature over the past decade. Glenmorangie gained the plaudits for its range of whiskies finished in different types of wood, but not many know that Glen Moray was the spirit used for the trials a decade or so ago. Glen Moray’s Chardonnay-cask-aged expression is still available (although originally released as a No Age Statement, it’s now their 10 Year Old offering). Some of these casks are still kept in the warehouses, having been joined by casks filled after the distillery was taken over by La Martiniquaise in 2008, and include a seven-year-old rum cask and a four-year-old fully matured port cask.

Experimental wood ageing at Glen Moray – some left over from its Glenmorangie days

The cask experimentation is continuing – last year, the distillery filled 95% of production into bourbon casks, but with the increase in costs – Iain Allan (who showed me round) says bourbon barrels are rapidly approaching half the cost of a sherry butt (gone are the days when they were a tenth of the price). Experiments have recently begun with brandy casks being filled with spirit.

More innovation can be seen in the production area; four new washbacks were installed in 2012, with one of the older ones decommissioned and converted into a heated water well. The wash passes through this after fermentation, thus increasing its temperature and reducing the amount of energy needed to heat the stills – lowering costs and improving efficiency.

The distillery has more freedom than it did under Glenmorangie ownership and the team are experimenting with how to get the best out of the entire production process, not just with cask ageing. The distillery’s output is primarily unpeated, with peated spirit produced just one month a year – partly to be used for an upcoming peated release, currently available as a 2 year old in the distillery shop, and also to be used in the company’s Label 5 range of blended whiskies.

With the demand for Scotch growing, Glen Moray is increasing production. Having produced 2.2 million litres of spirit in 2012 and 3m in 2013, they are aiming for 9m in 2015. To achieve this, the building which used to house the on-site maltings (dormant since the late 1970s) has been demolished. In its place, a new production building (which will house an 11-ton mash tun, 12 new stills and around 10 washbacks) is being constructed. This is effectively building a new distillery on site, as it will be larger than the current Glen Moray, which only has six stills and nine washbacks.

Glen Moray’s six stills

We were delighted that Glen Moray were among the first exhibitors to be announced as returning to October’s TWE Whisky Show. If you are attending, I’d recommend visiting the stand and seeing Iain and Emma (who also run the distillery’s visitor centre), especially if you’ve never tried Glen Moray before.

I couldn’t leave without trying a few whiskies from the range:

Glen Moray Classic. 40%.

Aged for an average of seven years entirely in ex-bourbon casks, of which a high percentage are first fill, this is the distillery’s entry-level offering.

Nose: Rather closed, with just the malted sweetness coming through.
Palate: Light, grassy and sweet with notes of green apple and lemon.
Finish: Medium-length and slightly drying, with the lemon notes remaining through to the end.
Comment: It’s not a whisky to set the world alight, but that’s not what it’s meant to do. An easy-to-drink, entry-level single malt that’s a bargain at just a little over £20.

Glen Moray 10 Year Old, Chardonnay Cask. 40%.

Unusually for a Scotch single malt, this has been aged full-term in white-wine casks. This is a whisky that has always intrigued me, so let’s see if it was worth the wait.

Nose: Sweet, with notes of orange and a hint of butteriness in the background.
Palate: Sweet marmalade and butter (in keeping with the nose). The fruit intensity, sweetness and alcohol are very well integrated.
Finish: Medium to long, rich and fruity, with plenty of that marmalade that is a recurrent theme throughout.
Comment: Whiskies aged full-term in wine casks are pretty rare and those aged in white-wine casks even more so. The butteriness comes from these casks, and while it is an unusual trait in whisky, integrates well with the rest of the flavours. At just a smidgen over £25, it’s another excellent-value whisky.

Glen Moray 2 Year Old Peated. 60.6%.
Not yet legally whisky, this will be added to the core range in the next year or so (when it reaches the legal minimum of three years old). We managed to find some stock of this in the past and it flew off the shelves, so I was eager to give it a go.

Nose: A whack of peat – iodine more than TCP.
Palate: Warming, with the youthful peat balanced by sweetness and orange notes.
Finish: The fruitiness slowly dissipating to leave warming iodine notes.
Comment: Rather rough around the edges, but it is very young, so this can be overlooked. A real insight into what the distillery is capable of producing in terms of peated whisky, and shows excellent potential.

Glen Moray is a distillery I’ll be keeping an even closer eye on in the future, with some interesting releases planned – watch this space!

JULY UPDATE: NEW STAR STRIKERS SUBBED ON

The team have barely set out their stall when, just minutes in to the first half, Members all over the country rise to their feet in a frenzy of excitement as nearly half the July players are carried off the pitch. But it’s a game of two halves so we’ve rushed to sub in some star strikers. Wearing number 121.72 is the legendary playmaker form the Western Isles and keep an eye out for fresh talent, 4.193: for a big lad, he’s good with his feet. At the end of the day, it’s a funny old game and none of the pundits can predict the line-up for next week, so get yours in the back of the net today…

Sweet, fruity & mellow

121.72 A curious camping trip

NEW WEB EXCLUSIVE!

BUY £49.20

7.100 Hawaiian holidays

BUY £134.80

Spicy & sweet

36.76 A sweet Winter Warmer

NEW!

BUY £56.70

9.85 A seesaw of sweet and savoury

BUY £54.50

Light & delicate

37.56 Sweet, tart and spicy

NEW!

BUY £45.00

Oily & coastal

4.193 Spicy lamb ’next-day’ sandwich

NEW WEB EXCLUSIVE!

BUY £60.00

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