Early December Outturn Offerings 

Cask No. 77.28 is President’s Choice 

Tropical Nights 

Cask No. 77.28                           $175

Highland, Northern 

Candlewax and scented wood – sandalwood, cedarwood – in the foreground and an exotic fruity/floral complex behind – mango and papaya, toasted pineapple, bougainvillea, moon flowers. We were reminded of dining under candlelight in a tropical garden, especially when dark chocolate, marzipan and strong Arab coffee (with cardamom seeds) began to emerge. At natural strength the texture is distinctly waxy, smooth and mouth-filling; the taste full of juicy fruit. Water raises more wax and dark chocolate, and now some passion fruit joins the display. The taste remains fruity, but slightly more bitter, like dark chocolate truffles dusted with cocoa powder. 

Drinking tip: After dinner in a tropical garden 

Colour: Deep gold                                                             Date distilled: August 1987

Cask: New Charred Oak Second-Fill Hogshead                           Alcohol: 54.9%

Age: 25 years                                                         USA allocation: 120 bottles

Cask No. 9.69                                             $130 

Turkish delight and fragrant Thai rice

 Speyside, Spey 

The nose was attractively complex – green apple, kiwi, peach and lemon zest freshness; almond slice, Turkish delight, apricot Danish and toffee sweetness; then floral dimensions in old roses, geranium leaf, straw, Mediterranean herbs and fragrant Thai rice (jasmine). The palate offered toffee, jelly beans and dates, but blackcurrant and liquorice boiled sweets, cinnamon and Pernod provided deeper interest. With water, the palate gave hints of smoke and ash, but mainly cooked fruits – apple strudel, rhubarb crumble, poached pear and baked apple with raisins. The palate was now a triumphant balance of tart and sweet. The distillery has nicer gardens than any. 

Drinking tip: Between the working day and a fun-filled evening – this could be the perfect transition 

Colour: 24 carat gold

Cask: Refill hogshead

Age: 17 years

Date distilled: April 1995

Alcohol: 56.9%

USA allocation: 120 bottles

Cask No. 127.34                                        $90 

Flying saucers and octopus balls 

Islay 

We found an almost endless list of amazing, enticing aromas –– sweet campfire smoke, hay-bales, birch sap, prawn shells, charred smoked mackerel, cinnamon, clove, dried roses, pot-pourri, orange, apricot and peppered ham. The palate did not disappoint – a lively, stimulating, crashing wave of taste – smoke, brine, ash, prawn tempura, Cullen Skink and takoyaki (octopus balls); dry-roasted cashews, roasted chestnuts, lemon sorbet and flying saucers. The reduced nose maintained our interest – great balance of sweetness and smoke – leather, canvas, peanut butter, fried sage, marzipan and pencil shavings. The reduced palate was spritzy, uplifting and full of positive anticipation. Smoky stuff from the Rinns. 

Drinking tip: On the beach – holiday time – gathering driftwood for the bonfire and barbeque – sun sinking towards the horizon – this is the one! 

Colour: Treasure chest gold

Cask: Refill barrel

Age: 9 years

Date distilled: August 2003

Alcohol: 63.2%

USA allocation: 132 bottles

Cask No. 121.61                                        $95 

Pulled pork with chocolate mousse 

Highland, Island 

The nose neat has the aromas one would expect from looking at the colour; figs, dates, muscovado sugar and dark chocolate. Some of us eating ´´Pulled-Pork´´ with a vinegar and mustard based barbeque sauce, whilst others had a spoonful of mousse prepared with Maya Gold Chocolate Orange, cinnamon and the zest of an orange. The taste was like dark treacle – rich, syrupy and slightly bitter. There is a hint of a struck match but balanced by the sweetness of a sip of Tia Maria. With plenty of water the aroma becomes fruitier and sweeter like a slice of Terry’s Chocolate Orange or the Greek dessert baklava. The taste is that of raisins, orange truffles with powdery cocoa, sultana cake and in the finish a glass of Madeira Malmsey. 

Drinking tip: Whilst manning a barbeque 

Colour: Burnt chestnut

Cask: Refill butt

Age: 10 years

Date distilled: July 2002

Alcohol: 61.1%

USA allocation: 120 bottles

Hot chilli peppers and vanilla ice cream

Cask No. 36.61                           $95

Speyside, Spey 

The Panel was greeted by an intriguing combination of vanilla and new oak. Fruity notes appearing over time, juicy red apples, lemons and pink grapefruits. Back to sweet aromas like the ‘honeycombed’ sugared centre of a Crunchie bar and crushed nuts on vanilla ice cream. Very juicy neat on the palate – freshly squeezed white grapefruit, but at the same time the extreme heat of a very hot chilli pepper. With water, more delicate on the nose, flowery – white roses and lilies, and fruity – lychees and kumquats. The oak is now that of wood shavings and a freshly sharpened pencil. Creamy to taste, chilli powder, icing sugar and Bitter Lemon with the bitterness and tannin of a dry white wine in the finish. This distillery is named after the highest mountain in the region. 

Drinking tip: Whilst having a break from DIY 

Colour: Peach gold                                                               Date distilled: May 2002

Cask: First-fill barrel                                                        Alcohol: 58.8 %

Age: 10 years                                                         USA allocation: 120 bottles 

Spun sugar and spooned honey – mmm! 

Cask No. G8.2                            $160

Grain 

The nose was warm, comforting and luxurious – loads of toffee, vanilla ice-cream, crème caramel and butterscotch; we also detected roast beef, hay, red berries and a chest of drawers lined with the Financial Times. The palate did not disappoint – thick caramel, hot fudge, rum and raisin ice-cream and dark chocolate mousse; beyond that, new wood, cardamom and pink peppercorns guaranteed complexity. Water jazzed up the nose producing spices (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, cardamom) like rabbits out of a hat. The palate now mellifluously mouth-coating with ‘monkey’s blood’, chocolate Brazils, spun sugar and spooned honey – mmm! This Alloa grain distillery closed in 1993. 

Drinking tip: If ice-cream parlours sold whisky – this would be the one 

Colour: Cleopatra’s choker                                                              Date distilled: June 1989

Cask: Refill hogshead                                         Alcohol: 62.4%

Age: 23 years                                                         USA allocation: 60 bottles

Please visit the Scotch Malt Whisky Society www.smwsa.com

Another year, another near-20 year old K&L Glendronach cask,” some of you might be thinking. It’s perfectly alright, we were thinking the exact same thing going into our appointment. Did we really want to do another barrel of the same whisky for the third straight season? “Depends on how they taste,” I said to David. Then we sat down, went through the samples, and found this stunning 18 year old aged in PX sherry. Incredibly decadent. – David Driscoll

1995 Glendronach 18 Year Old K&L Exclusive Single PX Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($149.99)

Good grief, Glendronach keeps stepping up. We’ve been obsessed with Glendronach since our first visit to the distillery in 2011. They’ve revamped this distillery, investing in the highest quality wood, using meticulous warehouse management to get the very most out of old stock and continuing to pump out some of the finest juice in Scotland. This year’s offering was aged in Pedro Ximenez casks and shows a totally different type of sherry influence from last year’s powerfully masculine dry oloroso cask. What we have here is the perfect sweet sherry nose, filled with dense dried plums, spiced pears, subtle flintiness, and a rich creamy core. On the palate, the baking spices really explode fresh clove, nutmeg, and freshly dried stone fruits. This balance between spices, dark exotic oak tones, and powerfully rich fruit is the hallmark of Glendronach. I think this cask will be the best received Glendronach yet.

Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: December 06, 2013

This is a crowd pleaser. It is big, soft and round, with the used sherry barrels adding richness and sweetness to the picture. It is not sticky or cloying, but balanced and delicious. There is no smoke to get in the way of this easy-to-drink single malt.

David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: November 26, 2013
This is what we call the Macallan 18 killer. It’s softer, more supple, more complex, and surprisingly less sweet than what you’d get from the renowned Highland giant. Our barrel is incredibly cakey — as in full of Christmas spice cake. Lovely stuff that just about any one can enjoy, especially at a lower-than-normal 52% alcohol. This one glides right over the tongue and into the belly — quickly and easily. A no-brainer.

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

GLENGLASSAUGH LAUNCHES NEW 40 YEAR-OLD SINGLE MALT

GLENGLASSAUGH distillery today, December 3, proudly launches its sumptuous 40 year-old single malt whisky.

With sherry notes complementing the fruit medley and array of spices, it’s typical, classic, gorgeous Glenglassaugh, a 40 year-old marriage of malt and oak and an outstanding representation of this rare and enduring Highland-style dram.

It has an initial run of around 800 bottles but it will be an ongoing product in our range, says Managing Director and Master Blender Billy Walker.

His personal tasting notes show that this is a truly magnificent malt where flavours and styles interlink beautifully to deliver seductive silky sweetness. At 42.5% vol, cask strength, non-chill filtered and at natural colour, this unique expression is full of character and complexity.

Colour: Deep gold.

Nose:  An abundance of sweet, syrupy tropical fruits; banana, pineapple and mango in perfect harmony with gentle Oloroso sherry.

Palate:  Sweet, rich, syrupy and complex. Oloroso sherry, toffee apples, mango and banana sit beautifully in the mouth alongside ginger and cocoa spice.

Finish:  Rich, spiced sherry.

Founded in 1875 by local entrepreneur James Moir, Glenglassaugh has stocks dating back to 1963 and was taken over by BenRiach earlier this year. In August, the owners released their first Glenglassaugh bottling – a superb 30 year-old single malt – and the new 40 year-old continues the Portsoy distillery’s ability to subtly merge tropical fruits with sherry and gentle oak spice.

Billy Walker said: “We’ve inherited some astonishingly fine whisky at Glenglassaugh and we’re delighted to launch our second expression almost nine months after taking over the distillery. There is very strong demand for Glenglassaugh around the world.”

The New Jack Daniel’s Holiday Select Is Now Available To Order – just in time for Christmas. Only available while stocks last.

The Whisky Shop is delighted to announce that hugely popular Jack Daniels Holiday Select is now available to order. This limited release always sells very quickly and the third expression in the series promises to be no different.

This Jack Daniel’s limited edition is from barrels used to craft our Holiday Barrel Tree. For 2013, our Master Distiller, Jeff Arnett, has selected whiskey with the rich character of toasted oak and spice notes drawn from our handcrafted barrels. We hope it brings a special quality to your holiday season.

This limited release is bottled at 49% Volume.

Free postage on all UK orders over £50.00

Simply click here to buy only £78.99

With the return of an iconic Islay distillery we haven’t released for a while, and our first 40 year old release, we’ve got you covered for the holidays! Feast your eyes on the treats below and to purchase please contact one of our exclusive retailers:

http://www.smws.ca/exclusive-retail-stores/ 

Cask No. 35.85 Vivacious, voluptuous and luxurious
17 years old; 1st fill barrel; 56.7%
The nose has floral perfumes, lots of vanilla, toffee, syrup sponge, leather and a sunny basket of fruits. The palate – a treat of total contentment – rose petals on iced honey cake, vanilla cookies, lemon boiled sweets and blood oranges.

Cask No. G3.2 Walnut spelt bread with sunflower seeds
34 years old; refill hogshead; 58.3%
After opening up, the nose has dried fruits, walnut spelt bread with sunflower seeds and iced buns with strawberry jam filling. To taste, hot and fizzy then sweet, golden corn syrup, lychees and apricots.

Cask No. 35.71 Like a hug from your mum
40 years old; refill hogshead; 47.7%
The nose offers maple syrup, heather honey and jaffa cakes, plus menthol cigarettes and After Eights in a wooden box. The chewy-textured palate has flavours of aniseed, tobacco, coconut, orange zest and mint choc-chip ice-cream – a time-stopping, happy, huggy whisky.

Cask No. 76.98 Big and tingly
17 years old; refill sherry butt; 57.2%
Orange dominates the nose (chocolate oranges, orange blossoms, marmalade) – also figs, dried banana and pineapple, coconut and tobacco. The palate, big and tingly, has orange zest, clove, nutmeg, brown sugar, apple, chocolate and oak.

Cask No. 3.198 Smoker’s tooth powder & dentist’s chairs
14 years old; refill sherry butt; 57%
The nose suggests coal, slate and gravel, driftwood bonfires, barbecued ribs, perfumed smoke, toffee and sherry. The palate has big toffee, decent smoke, honeyed chicken wings, balsamic, hot leather, ash and minty notes.

Cask No. 53.172 Unmistakeable Islay
21 years old; refill hogshead; 52.2%
Unmistakeable Islay nose – sea-spray, peat-reek, coal, burnt pork crackling, leather, tobacco and tar. The palate is sweet and peaty, with honey, talcum, pencil erasers, barbecued prawns, ash and soot.

Cask No. 33.124 An engineer’s lunch-box
7 years old; 1st fill sherry butt; 59.7%
The nose combines toffee popcorn, fudge, pecan pie, raisins and molasses with creosote, old wood and compost. The palate encompasses over-done crackling, spiced sausages, chipotle chillies, orange, treacle toffee and walnut whips.

CHRISTMAS PARCELS: 12 DAYS LEFT TO FLY

If your gaggle have been good this year, what better treat than a bottle of something gold? Whether they’re peat freaks (127.38) or a little bit crackers (33.131), there’s something for the whole flock. Whilst you’re there, why not head in for a gift for yourself? The 3 rare, oriental offerings from our newest distilleries in Japan are sure to ruffle a few feathers and unravel a new world of flavour…

PANEL PLUCKED PRESENTS

Peaty Trio: all three heavily peated

33.131, A Mad Scientist on the Dockside

127.38 Enticing fume of peat reek

&

53.183 Hot dog with fried onions

BUY £159

Japanese Duo: both deep, rich and fruity

131.2 Magic carpet in a sweetie shop

&

132.2 Stunning Panoramio of exotic fruits

BUY £299

Too good to share? Pair: spicy and sweet with oily and coastal

121.63 Gentle and reserved – but fascinating

&

129.4 Peat smoke infused Peach Posset

BUY £119

Young and Rare Pair: young and spritely with deep, rich and fruity

96.7 For a sweet tooth

&

125.71 Chocolate Coke Float

BUY £119

* 53.183, 96.7, 125.71, 127.38, 129.4 and 132.2 are exclusive to our offers

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 http://www.smws.co.uk/memberships for your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers.

Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video

GlenDronach 1994 / 19 Year Old / Single Cask #67 Bottled Exclusively For The UK

Single cask #67 from GlenDronach distillery, the final UK exclusive for 2013! (honestly!)

“A full-bodied, robust sherry character holds a balance of dark dried prunes, raisins, sultanas and rich toasted spices. Roasted coffee bean and dark chocolate infuse with delicate herb notes in a long earthy finish.”

£86.95 (£72.46 ex vat)

Click here to buy GlenDronach Single Cask #67 UK Exclusive

2013 Yamazaki Cask Collection

It’s that time of year again, Yamazaki have released their ever popular Cask Collection. Designed to show the whisky building blocks that go into the various Yamazaki single malt whiskies.

These are as limited as ever, and are restricted to one expression per customer, while stocks last.

The Bottles are –

Yamazaki Bourbon Barrel £100

Yamazaki Sherry Cask £100

Yamazaki Puncheon £100

Yamazaki Mizunara £250

Please contact lee.tomlinson@milroys.co.uk or call 0207 437 2385 for more information.

BACK TO BLACK

Burn Stewart Unveils New Black Bottle

Burn Stewart Distillers has unveiled the new Black Bottle Scotch Whisky.

Black Bottle is a premium blended Scotch Whisky which was acquired by Burn Stewart in 2003, and is currently exported to over 30 countries globally.

After 18 months of extensive global consumer research and design development, the new Black Bottle heralds a return to the original Scotch, which the Graham brothers created in Aberdeen at the turn of the 19th Century.

Burn Stewart Master Distiller, Ian MacMillan, was charged with creating a product which would be more in keeping with its original north east recipe. The result is a curiously rich and slightly smoky taste that maintains the distinctiveness of Black Bottle but adds another layer of depth to the liquid.

Ian MacMillan said: “The challenge was to develop a liquid that was more in line with the original character of Black Bottle while maintaining all of the quality for which the brand is renowned. I wanted to reintroduce a richness to balance the smokiness of the blend and in turn allow each component to contribute to the overall flavour.

“This whisky will appeal to the experienced blended drinker who enjoys drinking Scotch neat as well as those exploring whiskies for the first time and who prefer to add a mixer. Restoring the blend to its former glory has been a rewarding and nostalgic experience as it has given me the opportunity to revisit the original identity of Black Bottle.”

Burn Stewart will launch Black Bottle in new packaging, re-introducing the distinctive black glass bottle which was the original inspiration behind the name of the brand. This iconic bottle was used by the Graham brothers up until the outbreak of the First World War when supplies from the German manufacturer ceased and they were forced to revert to a standard green glass bottle which has remained until the present day.

“It was thought that no examples of this once-famous black glass bottle survived,” says Marco Di Ciacca, Senior Brand Manager for Burn Stewart. “However, after months of searching, we managed to find a bottle dating back to 1906, which then became the inspiration for our new design. This new look is in line with the growing global consumer trend for premium spirits with authentic and compelling brand stories.”

Black Bottle has been available to buy in the UK from October 2013 in selected on and off trade outlets. The brand was also launched internationally into selected export markets from October.

Black Bottle
RRP: £17.99 – £18.49
40% ABV

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN: A TALE OF TWO LADIES

A vanilla scented woman wearing a silk dress and smoking a cigarette by an oil painting. A florally scented Parisienne eating pain au chocolat. Have you stumbled into a big-budget Christmas ad? Better – these are just some of the images 125.68 ‘A tale of two ladies’ conjured in the Tasting Panel and it’s on sale individually from today! Plus, two more bottlings released today and festive picks to get you in the holiday mood…

RELEASED NOW

Young & spritely

125.68 A tale of two ladies
The very attractive nose inhabited more layers than an archaeological dig in Troy…

BUY £64.40

Sweet, fruity & mellow

35.92 Butterflies in the stomach
Some of us – not all – were immediately transported to a Luau on Hawaii…

BUY £77.20

Sweet, fruity & mellow

9.75 Imperial Leather in a boat Chandlery
The nose seemed rounded and attractive – hay and pepper on mashed banana…

BUY £64.40

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 http://www.smws.co.uk/memberships for your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers.

Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video