TOP 10 WHISKIES

Discover our favourite fruity and full-bodied sherry cask-matured single malt Scotch whiskies, offering rich layers of dark fruit and sweet spice. Our top 10 whiskies focus on our favourite bold and fruity single malts that have been matured or finished in ex-sherry casks, including rich and sherried Speysiders from Glenallachie and Aberlour, a peaty and fruity Ledaig which has spent 13 years in a single sherry butt, and impressively-aged drams finished in sherry casks from Tobermory and Royal Brackla.

Fantastic Independent Bottles

The world of the Independent Bottler is still a relatively new one to some. We are delighted to be working with some of the finest bottlers in the world, releasing single casks and blended whisky from the most famous and sought after distilleries in Scotland (and beyond!)

If this is new to you, we highly recommend that you grab a copy of Independent Scotch, a book by David Stirk, celebrating the history of Independent Bottlers. It is a fascinating read and a must-buy for the whisky enthusiast.

Here are some of our top picks from this extraordinary range…

FIND ALL OUR INDY BOTTLERS HERE

Our Vaults Collection offers members the chance to journey back into whisky history – and we are delighted to offer you these exceptional bottlings from Islay which are AVAILABLE NOW to buy (Membership info shown below).

These drams will not only transport you to another place, but to a different era. We’ve delivered timeless twins, with a split oloroso sherry butt from Distillery 53 which we divided into an ex-bourbon barrel and an ex-rye barrel after 27 years, for a further four years of maturation. From Distillery 29, prepare to find a tropical flavour paradise, with elegant perfumed spice and ripe tropical fruits finding perfect harmony after 27 years of maturation in bourbon wood.

Keep scrolling to learn more about each of these bottlings, or WATCH our introduction below.

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SHOP NOW

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

Wild Turkey “Kentucky Spirit” Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey $59.99 View

This historic 101 proof bottling is one of the first ever single barrel offerings on the market. It’s classic Wild Turkey with the added nuance of a single cask. For drinkers who love the Kickin’ Chicken and want to see what it looks like before being blended, the Kentucky Spirit bottling is perfect. Blanton’s who?

Knob Creek 12 Year Old Small Batch 100 Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) 95 $64.99 View

95 points Whisky Advocate

 Until now, most Knob Creek has been bottled at 9 years of age or younger for good reason: There’s no guarantee that bourbon will taste good after a dozen years in the barrel—let alone great. This one is richly complex from the start: York Peppermint Pattie, raisins, baking spice, dark chocolate-covered cherries, iced tea, and tobacco barn appear on the nose, followed by a chewy, full palate laden with cinnamon, allspice, and ginger, and perfectly balanced with sweet berry cobbler, chocolate ganache, and caramel. The finish goes on and on. Add in a fair price and excellent availability as part of Knob Creek’s core lineup, and only one question remains: What are you waiting for? *#2 WHISKEY OF 2020* (SSB, Winter 2020) 

K&L Notes

#2 Whiskey Advocate Whiskey Of The Year 2020. The return of the age statement! As we’re now over a decade into the whiskey boom, and producers have done everything possible to massively increase supply, we are finally reaching a point where there are enough aged stocks for brands to bring back long-gone age statements, or to introduce ones. Knob Creek hits the scene now with a much sought-after 12 Year Old age statement. This is classic Kentucky bourbon at its best.

Email: wine@klwines.com
Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637)
K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

IT’S TIME TO RAISE A DRAM
TO THREE UNMISTAKABLE DRAMS

We are thrilled to announce Glengoyne has been awarded three golds at this year’s world-renowned International Wine and Spirit Competition. Glengoyne’s favourite after-dinner dram 21 Year Old, and our distinguished 25 Year Old picked up Gold. Also scooping Gold was travel exclusive Glengoyne 15 Year Old PX Cask Edition from our  Spirit of Time range. It’s proof that sometimes the long way is the right way.

Here’s what the judges had to say about our three award-winning drams.

SHERRY, SPICE AND FRUIT

The 21 Year Old’s “lovely sherry notes, spicy cloves, candied orange, with a nutty character bringing additional texture with a liquorice and raisin fruit length” proved to be a winner with the expert panel.

21 YEAR OLD

RICH, COMPLEX and BALANCED

Glengoyne 25 Year Old, was sure to impress with the panel noting its “rich, complex and mature style showing sweet cooked apple, milk chocolate, soft spices, tobacco leaves, plenty of oak characteristics in the aroma and flavour on the nose and palate. Full-bodied style with a well-balanced finish lingering between sweet and dry notes.”

25 YEAR OLD

RICH, FRUITy and
A LINGERING SHERRY CASK FINISH

“Rich aroma characteristics of sherry, prunes and cloves combining on the palate with nuttiness, raisins, dark chocolate and classic ex-sherry-cask flavour characteristics. A long complex finish where the influence of the sherry-cask wood keeps on lingering until the end.”

Glengoyne 15 Year Old PX Cask Edition travel exclusive is available at World Duty Free stores across UK airports.

15 YEAR OLD PX CASK EDITION

Whisky Magazine issue #190We’re excited to announce that our latest issue is out now, so make sure you don’t miss out!

This issue is our Awards Special Edition, with the cover featuring a number of whiskies which have been declared the World’s Best in the World Whiskies Awards. The global winners of the Icons of Whisky are also showcased in this issue, as well as five of the deserving Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame inductees for 2023.

GET YOUR COPY TODAY

SUPPORTING WOMEN IN DISTILLING

To celebrate Women’s History Month, we are thrilled to announce the Angela H. Moore – Women in Distilling Scholarship, and in support of the initiative, a new limited edition release: Scholar’s Craft Coffee Cask American Single Malt.

The scholarship will provide $100k of aid for students at Appalachian State University entering the field of distillation and whisky production.

The renewable scholarship will provide annual aid to fermentation sciences majors above the age of 21 in a 5 year endowment. Half of our investment will be used to conduct student driven research projects on distillation. With our help, students will now have the necessary funds to develop research ideas and carry them out under the mentorship of the fermentation sciences faculty. Additionally, we’re offering paid-internship opportunities to those students that receive aid from this scholarship, giving them on-site, real world experience working inside a whisky distillery. Interns will work across all facets of whisky production including distilling, cask house operations, and packaging.

“I’m incredibly proud to launch this program and hope it encourages those who are interested in a career in distilling to pursue their passions,” said Angela H. Moore, Board Chair at Virginia Distillery Company. “As a minority in a male-dominated industry, my goal is to grow representation and create opportunities for women in the production of world-class whiskies.”

BUY SCHOLAR’S CRAFT

The Scholar’s Craft Coffee Cask is made from 100% malted barley, aged in ex-bourbon casks and finished in barrels that previously held ethically sourced small-batch coffee. Coffee was selected for this expression to acknowledge the vital role that it plays in the lives of college students. All proceeds from Scholar’s Craft will go towards the scholarship fund. We invite you to try this exceptional whisky, and in doing so, join us in supporting women in distilling.

Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to sharing a dram of Scholar’s Craft with you.

Cheers,

Virginia Distillery Co. 🥃

CHEERS!

Cheers to the Aussies for presenting Journeyman Distillery with five awards at this year’s Melbourne International Spirits Competition, including Rye Distillery of the Year!

Alistair Walker Whisky Company was established in 2018, based in Grangemouth. One of Scotland’s newest independent bottling companies specialising in single cask Scotch whisky. The inaugural release of the flagship brand ‘Infrequent Flyers’ was released in July 2019. Small batch releases, un-chillfiltered, natural colour and cask strength. The whiskies will include single malt and single grain releases with the first batch including distilleries such as Glen Keith, Auchentoshan, Cameronbridge, Loch Lomond, Benrinnes and undisclosed Orkney and Islay.

We secured some lingering stock from the most recent batch of Alistair Walker Whisky Co Infrequent Flyers which sold out quickly at the time.

VIEW

NEWS FROM CAPE CLEAR DISTILLERY

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

There was good attendance at our AGM on 1 March which was very positive and upbeat. The works done to complete fire, disability and other certification for our proposed new Cask Store has been accompanied by work on our business plan and prospectus for the next tranche of share capital through which we plan to raise €1.5m. This will support the development of the Cask store and working capital over the next few years. This is attached to this newsletter.

G1 STATUS IRISH WHISKEY

A small but significant quantity of Irish whiskey has been purchased and is currently maturing in another West of Ireland location with the goal of transfer to Cape Clear. For this we have applied for the necessary G1 Status Certification from the Irish Revenue. We will be in a position to mature modest quantities with this status and it will put us in a better position in regard to the licensing of the proposed cask store later on.

TRIAL BARLEY PATCH

We are preparing a patch of ground about 600m2 for a trial sowing of barley this Spring. If successful the barley will be harvested and milled by hand for a trial distillation, subject to Revenue approval.

Click here to download the Funding Document

Our mailing address is:
Cape Clear Island Distillery
Cape Clear Island
Skibbereen, CO P81 AX89
Ireland