Cadenhead’s Small Batch Collection
Caol Ila 22 Year Old 52.2%
One Week Special on a Federal wine Exclusive

The William Cadenhead Company has claim to being Scotland’s oldest independent bottler, making fine handcrafted spirits since 1842. They have been owned for the last forty years by the family that owns the famous Springbank Distillery. Cadenhead made a brief appearance in the American market in the ‘90s but we haven’t been able find it since.

Caol Ila is the largest of all the Islay distilleries. Malt lovers prize Caol Ilas because because they have a softer, subtler smoke than many others on the island.

Aged for 22 years, this cask strength bottling is one of the oldest Caol Ilas we have been offered in quite some time. It’s is a wonderful peaty whisky for the warmer months (or the colder ones!) as it shows very little oak but has very nice depth. Like other Cadenheads it is all natural, not chill-filtered and with no caramel coloring.

We took all we could. There is no more at Cadenhead. We have only 18 bottles of this rare old malt. Our sale will go for only a week or until they are sold, whichever comes first. 

Cadenhead Caol Ila  22 Y.O. 52.2%

Nose: Fruity and malty, dark fruits, black currants followed by rhubarb and custard.
Palette: Toffee, hints of peat /smoke, peanut butter, oily, mellow and soft smoke.
Finish: Dry Finish

Regularly 199.99 — On Sale 169.99  –  one week only

Joe Howell

Federal Wine & Spirits

Phone: 617-367-8605

Web: http://www.federalwine.com

The Single Malts of Scotland – new look and new whiskies

Our sister company, Speciality Drinks Ltd, has unveiled a stylish new look for its Single Malts of Scotland (SMOS) range, as well as – count ‘em – FIVE new bottlings. 

The two previous SMOS incarnations, with the new look pictured on the right

The new whiskies comprise a trio from Speyside, one from the Northern Highlands, and one from the Isle of Mull, but the overall spectrum of flavour is vast: one displays fresh, zingy citrus notes, another heads down the waxy, fruity and peppery route, while a third brings dried meat and spicy barbecue notes to the party.

As with all previous SMOS bottlings, none of the whiskies are chill-filtered, and no colouring is added. So, let’s get on to the fantastic five new bottlings:

Glenrothes 1990 23 Year Old

Nose: Zingy! Aromas of lemon sherbet and bitter orange dominate, with a touch of fruit-cake richness and subtle spiciness lurking in the background.

Palate: Beautiful balance between the refreshing lemon and ginger notes and the rich spiciness, and dried fruits and nuts. Lemon meringue pie in a glass. Doesn’t need water.

Finish: Clean, zesty and moreish, with that sweet spiciness hanging on in there.

Clynelish 1995 18 Year Old

Nose: The freshness of cut green apple, then that classic Clynelish waxiness takes hold, with honeyed peachiness, a little peppery spiciness and an appealing leathery note.

Palate: Much fuller than expected, with pink peppercorns and burnt sugar taking charge. The addition of water brings out lighter, cleaner flavours, as well as malty, biscuity notes. A lot going on here.

Finish: Powerful and spicy – but clean and precise – and long lasting.

Glen Grant 1992 22 Year Old

Nose: An unexpected but delicious whack of barbecue sauce, with smoke and smoked-meat notes wafting out of the glass, softened by lemon, red-fruit and floral notes.

Palate: The meaty, smoky flavours persist – treacle-and-mustard-glazed ham with star anise and some spicy fruitiness. Hold the ketchup; this is the perfect accompaniment to a burger.

Finish: Rich, warm and satisfying.

Longmorn 1992 21 Year Old

Nose: Fruity and spicy: cinnamon, Seville oranges, cherries and cocoa powder, balanced by refreshing citrus and ginger notes, then a curiously dusty/leathery note, like an old library.

Palate: Restrained Christmas cake flavours, then notes of malt loaf, treacle toffee and Black Forest gateau all fighting for attention.

Finish: An enveloping blanket of warming autumnal spice.

Tobermory 1994 19 Year Old

Nose: Boozy Dundee cake with spicy Maya Gold chocolate. Fruitiness comes through with the addition of water.

Palate: Intense chocolate notes – The River Café’s Chocolate Nemesis http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNWTpsNa0oc , with bags of dried fruit and spice. Very rich and mouth-filling, and definitely one for after dinner, or with pudding.

Finish: Rich and intense, with the spicy chocolate notes persisting.

All in all, a fantastically diverse bunch.

Originally published on The Whisky Exchange Blog – The Single Malts of Scotland – new look and new whiskies

The Balvenie Single Barrel Sherry Cask 15yo – My Sherry Amour

Ears certainly pricked up at TWE HQ when news came in of a new release from The Balvenie. There will be those still mourning the loss of the bourbon-matured 15 Year Old Single Barrel (officially discontinued, but we still have a few bottles left). Well, cheer up, because we have good news: it’s been replaced by The Single Barrel Sherry Cask 15 Year Old. 

This new Balvenie follows on from last year’s Single Barrel First Fill 12 Year Old, which we rather liked. David Stewart (we’re still impressed by the coolness of his job title, ‘Malt Master’) and his team drew 650 bottles from each oloroso sherry butt. Our sample was from butt number 4440 – obviously, each cask is different, so flavours will vary, but note that this is an ongoing release, not a limited edition.

So, how does this new sherrified 15YO compare to its younger brother? Well, as expected, it doesn’t pussyfoot around. There’s much more depth and richness compared to the lightly honeyed, floral notes of the 12YO First Fill. It feels more grown up, like that buzz you get when you’re get in to see a 15-certificate film for the first time, leaving the 12s behind – from Spiderman to Final Destination, if you will.

The dried-fruit elements are more pronounced on the nose, with more obvious oak influence, too. On the palate, real swathe of sherry influence, with rich dried fruits and nuts, burnt sugar and a hint of milk chocolate, finishing with a creamy flourish. 

The Balvenie Single Barrel Sherry Cask 15 Year Old

Nose: Rich aromas of candied fruit and mixed peel, slight creaminess, with notes of almonds, Christmas cake and Toffifee, countered with some soft fruits – green apple and pear.

Flavour: Obvious sherry influence: concentrated dried fruits, toasty oak, milk chocolate and burnt sugar, with some biscuit in there.

Finish: The creaminess mingles with the rich fruit. Very precise.

In all, a good crowd-pleaser, and Balvenie fans will not be disappointed. And towards the end of the year – hey, just in time for Christmas – The Balvenie will be releasing its third Single Barrel release: a 25 Year Old drawn from refill American oak.

The Balvenie 15 Year Old Single Barrel Sherry Cask is now available on the TWE website for £77.95.

Originally published on The Whisky Exchange Blog – The Balvenie Single Barrel Sherry Cask 15yo – My Sherry Amour

Stock Image

Arran Premium Sherry Single Cask 1997 2014 Release

Cask number: 217
Bottled date: 02/05/2014
Distillation date: 02/17/1997
53.2% alc. by vol.
562 bottles total.

Stock Image

Ardbeg Auriverdes with Dr Bill Lumsden – liquid football!

It’s almost that time of year again – Ardbeg Day, with events happening all around the world.

Each year the distillery releases a limited-edition whisky to commemorate the day (click here for our post on last year’s Ardbog or here for 2012′s Ardbeg Day).

This year’s bottling, being a World Cup year, is named Auriverdes (the nickname of the Brazilian football team) and I was given the opportunity to speak to the Ardbeg (and Glenmorangie) Director of Distilling, Whisky Creation & Whisky Stocks, Dr Bill Lumsden, about the latest release.

A Scot holding aloft the World Cup? Er, no, it’s Dr Bill Lumsden with the new Ardbeg Auriverdes

While it is being released just before the start of the World Cup, the original inspiration for the bottling was nothing to do with it. ‘I wanted to create a particular flavour,’ he told us, ‘the target image in my mind was a basket of soft fruits.’ The whisky was distilled back in 2002 and is 10-11 years old. Its tweak on the regular Ardbeg 10 year old is that it was matured in second fill ex-bourbon casks, each fitted with a specially toasted head – specially toasted in a secret manner.

It slots quite easily in to the general Ardbeg line-up, being inspired by some of the other whiskies that Dr Bill has created over the years, but it is still its own animal. ‘I’m not just doing another Alligator,’ he said, ‘those barrels were unbelievably charred. Auriverdes is altogether more gentle; it is almost my beloved 1977, almost Airigh Nam Beist. It’s a cross between Airigh Nam Beist with a bit of Alligator thrown in.’ Switching from a heavy char to a toast really makes a difference.

Despite not starting out as a World Cup tie-in, it has certainly now become one. Ardbeg Day is now celebrated around the world, and this year’s they will be focusing on football-related events.

Here in the UK, there’s the Ardbeg Peat Football Championship, for which St Andrew’s Square in Edinburgh will be turned into a peat-bog football pitch – all the Ardbeg embassies have been invited to take part, and we will have a TWE team up there on the day (hopefully) doing us proud.

One thing we couldn’t pass up the chance to ask about was the recent auction sales of the special-edition gold bottles of Auriverdes, sent out to a few lucky writers and retailers. While Dr Bill isn’t a big fan of limited editions and single casks, as there are so many loyal fans that won’t get the change to taste them, he understands that certain bottlings will always be collectable. His view on the £2,500 auction prices for the gold Auriverdes bottles was clear – ‘…it was absolutely inevitable that it would happen.’ Ardbeg will certainly be thinking twice about doing something similar again in the future.

Stuart and I were then offered a chance to taste the Auriverdes for ourselves:

Ardbeg Auriverdes. 49.9%. £79.95

Rocky:

Nose: Notes of dark chocolate, mocha, tar, peat and vanilla.

Palate: A creamy texture, with the mocha notes continuing, being joined by liquorice, tropical hints of pineapple and mango, and a whack of vanilla from the bourbon barrels. The peat is on the lighter side for an Ardbeg and isn’t overpowering.

Finish: Pretty long finish with the fruity notes slowly dissipating to leave spicy liquorice and peat smoke.

Comment: The peat is nowhere near as strong as I was expecting, with the toasting balancing it elegantly. This Ardbeg Day release is certainly very different in style to the previous editions, but is just as intriguing.

Stuart:

Nose: Hang on, this is Ardbeg? Much lighter than expected, with the peat fighting for survival against the toasty oak, mocha and peppery notes.

Palate: Creamy coffee to the fore, joined by dark chocolate and mocha, then a refreshing peachy character kicks in alongside peat and black pepper.

Finish: The creamy fruitiness gives way to the trademark (if subdued) Ardbeg peat.

Comment: After some of Ardbeg’s recent big-hitting releases, this is an intriguing, pastel-shaded malt.

It will be available in our shop on Saturday 31 May and online the following day. Bottles are available for pre-order on the website.

Originally published on The Whisky Exchange Blog – Ardbeg Auriverdes with Dr Bill Lumsden – liquid football!

We have received our second Private Weller Antique 107 7 Year Barrel. We will not see any more Weller Antique Private Barrels until the fall. After selling through Ridgemont Reserve 1792 Barrel 17 in under a week we are releasing Barrel 22. Both of these offerings are exceptional; we don’t expect to have them very long. We also have a new barrel of Elijah Craig 12 Year non-chill filtered #689. There are a still a few more barrels we are waiting on: Four Roses, Buffalo Trace and Masterson Rye.

The Balvenie Single Barrel 15 year old sherry cask is now available to order via The Whisky Shop. This unique expression follows up the highly popular first fill 12 year old that was launched last year.

If you only drink one more whisky this year make sure it’s this stunning new release from Balvenie.

Each Balvenie 15 year old is a product of just one single cask with unique, unrepeatable qualities which vary from one cask to the next – no more than 650 hand numbered bottles are drawn from each sherry butt.

It has been matured exclusively in a single European oak sherry butt for at least 15 years. Held in an Oloroso sherry cask, this single malt is characterised by dried fruit richness, nuttiness and spice.

Curated by the nose of our Malt Master David Stewart, Scotland’s longest serving Malt Master with over 50 years service at The Balvenie.

Bottled at a natural cask strength of 47.8% volume.

Simply click here to buy – £80

A note from the folks at Echlinville Distillery;

Echlinville Distillery is the first licensed Irish whiskey distillery in Northern Ireland in over 125 years. The distillery is set in the magnificent grounds of the Echlinville Estate located within the Ards Peninsula. We are blessed with perfect surroundings & a unique micro climate, making the location perfect for whiskey production.

Our current range of maturing stock will allow us in time to release Pot Still & Malt Irish Whiskeys from August 2016. In the meantime we are lovingly taking care of the barrels we have filled with the finest distillate casked between 63.5% & 70% abv.
 To celebrate the founding of the Echlinville Distillery, we present you with the Patron’s Promise, an inaugural distillation of only 144 casks of the finest Irish Whiskey.

Selectively available to collectors and connoisseurs, each cask of this strictly limited edition distillation will be individually and expertly matured by our distilling team, creating a Single Malt or Pot Still Irish Whiskey uniquely tailored to your individual taste.

To mark this momentous occasion, all purchasers will be cited as distillery ‘Patrons’ & will appear on a commemorative celebratory wall for evermore.
Please find attached a list of current cask options and pricing with more options to become available soon. In order to find out more details please contact Echlinville Distillery at: info@echlinville.com

*For full terms and conditions please visit www.echlinville.com*

Loch Fyne Whiskies gives you the first chance to purchase the highly anticipated new limited editions from GlenGlassaugh. Both expressions have been finished in wine casks sourced from the famous Massandra Winery in Crimea. 

GlenGlassaugh Massandra Sherry Finish 1973 41YO
Dried pineapple, banana and golden sultanas warmed by hints of stem ginger and white pepper spice. Candied peel notes soften to a unique sweet oak character.
A fresh crisp lime zest flows over green apple and pear. Hints of tantalising ripe tropical fruits emerge in the mid palate and combine with delicate cigar box spices and a gentle oiliness, bringing great depth to the long exclusive vintage.

A fantastically vibrant expression for a malt of this vintage, giving a diverse combination of classic fruit and spiced flavours.

Simply click here to buy – £600

GlenGlassaugh Massandra Madeira Finish / 1978 / 35YO
Rounded, creamy notes of cantaloupe melon open to beautiful depths of gentle sweet oak. Waves of a subtle sea air, coastal note balances the rich ripe fruit character.

A fantastic contrast of luscious ripe melon and sharp sour plums softens to boiled sweets and dried apricots with the smallest hint of ripped mint in the background. A gentle dry oak note sweetens to a dusting of icing sugar on the palate giving yet another dimension to the ever changing finish.

Layer upon layer of subtle fruit characters come together with delicate aged oak to give a delicious range of flavours in the unique Glenglassaugh style
only 1320 bottles ever produced.
Bottled at 41.7% cask strength Massandra Madeira Puncheon

Simply click here to buy – £370

• Kavalan King Car Conductor Taiwanese Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($109.99)
  After so much time spent merely reading about the great single malt whiskies from Taiwan’s Kavalan distillery, we can finally get our hands on them here in the states! The first release from Kavalan back in 2008 was their classic King Car Conductor expression that uses ex-sherry, ex-Bourbon, and ex-wine casks of between four and four and a half years of age for the marriage. It’s this whisky that I suggest those who are looking to try out one selection from the Kavalan portfolio begin with. The first thing that strikes you as you taste it is how un-youthful it is. It might as well be a 12 year old malt from the Scottish Highlands, but with an incredible supple-fruited character. It tastes like well-made, mature, Scottish single malt with extra concentration. It’s new and exciting, yet familiar and easy-to-place. There’s a soft, supple, raisined fruit and sweet sherry flavor right on the entry and a long, rich finish that continues to bring tof fee and caramel for minutes. It’s the humid conditions of Kavalan’s warehouse that allows the maturation to take place much faster — and while I’m normally skeptical of such accusations, the proof is in the pudding here. This is real deal whisky from the next big thing. (David Driscoll, K&L Spirits Buyer)

• 1996 Arran 17 Year Old K&L Exclusive Single Sherry Hogshead Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($109.99)
  While peat ruled the day in 2009, the current whisky craze is all about sherry — that special wine from Spain whose barrels are used to mature numerous Scottish single malts. Macallan is known for its Oloroso sherry influence, and we’ve had a number of Glendronach casks aged in Pedro Ximenez. That rich, unctuous character is what whisky fans are after right now, which has lead to an increase in pricing on these expressions. While we continue to supply the household names, we’re also keeping a watchful eye on the independents like Arran distillery — an island producer with a penchant for using sherry maturation in some of their higher marks. We recently found a lovely little hogshead recoopered from fresh sherry wood that had spent 17 years in the Arran cellar. At 56.1%, the aromas drift right out of the bottle into a bouquet of raisined fruit and buttery toffee. The palate is surprisingly dry, however, with all the nuances of European oak making the ir way through layers of almond and sandlewood. There’s a bit of earthy rancio on the finish, as more fresh sherry flavor beings to saturate the dry, woody aftertaste. Water really brings out the fruit and opens up a bit of the sweetness. Similarly mature whiskies from Glendronach and Macallan sell for $150 to $200, so at $109.99 we’re pretty happy with the result; especially at cask strength. This one isn’t nearly as sweet as the some of the other sherry bombs we’ve had, and that’s quite nice for a change. (David Driscoll)

• 2002 Bowmore 12 Year Old Signatory K&L Exclusive Single Refill Sherry Hogshead Single Malt Whisky 750ml (Pre-Arrival) ($74.99)
  Bowmore is ALWAYS such a sleeper for us. Each year, we find a cask or two of Bowmore that we absolutely fall in love with. There are so many reasons why Bowmore is special, it’s hard to pinpoint why exactly we love it so much. Is it because they are malting more than 25% of the barley on site? Or perhaps it’s the fact that the distillery’s main warehouse sits below sea level. Maybe it’s the incredible resources and expertise that the distillery has or the peculiarity of the stills. Either way, we are absolutely entranced by most millennial Bowmore. This 2002 was so taught and powerful at full strength that we decided to experiment with bottling at lower proof. When we added water the whisky turned around and smacked us right in the face! What started as a sharp spear of smoky and peat seamed more like a catapult with a flaming ordinance. Not as bracing or angular, the lower proof actually broadens the whisky considerably. It’s smoked seawa ter, strange spices, and wisps of wild dried fruits. Bowmore deserves to be expensive, but this whisky delivers far beyond its price point. Inevitably it will go unnoticed, until you know, someone notices and buys it all. It’s always the same with Bowmore, so get a head of it. (David Girard, K&L Spirits Buyer)

• 1992 Bruichladdich 21/22 Year Old Signatory K&L Exclusive Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml (Pre-Arrival) ($139.99)
  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 Signatory K&L Exclusive Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml (Pre-Arrival) ($259.99)
  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 80’s 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 strickingly 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 describe the expected and clearly evident flavores, 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.

• 1998 Laphroaig 15 Year Old Signatory K&L Exclusive Single Refill Sherry Butt Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml (Pre-Arrival) ($159.99)
  Des McCagherty is a man of few words, but when he said to us, “You might want to load up on Laphroaig this year,” we listened. Apparently, this is one of the most difficult and costly distillates to purchase on the independent market and stocks are depleting faster than ever from Signatory’s Pitlochry warehouse. A yearly barrel of two of Laphroaig at K&L has become commonplace since we started our barrel program and we don’t want that to change — at least not while we can help it. That’s why we snagged this 16 year old sherry butt of peaty goodness, full of big smoke, cinnamon, tar, and brine, but rounded out by a rich, sherry-laden note that fans of Laphroaig’s PX edition will recognize. That combination of sweet and peat is one of the most popular flavor profiles on the market right now, which always adds a few dollars to the cost. In this case, it’s fully worth it. The sherry adds the perfect raisiny balance to the bold, ashy flavors of the 61% spirit. If you’ve already loaded your cabinet with numerous, collectable bottles from Islay’s iconic distillery, then I won’t say that this bottle will offer anything new to your selection. However, if you’ve been taking mature, full proof, relatively-affordable, single barrel expressions of Laphroaig for granted, you might want to start thinking about snagging a few of these. That’s what we did, at least. (David Driscoll, 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