Saturday, January 27th

2:30-5:30 PM

Glenlivet

“The Single Malt that Started it All,” Glenlivet distillery was founded in 1824 in Moray, Scotland- and has operated almost continuously since. Guests will be treated to a selection of award-winning drams, with distillery representatives and whisky experts present throughout.

Pourlist to be revealed as event approaches – RSVP to find out soonest.

Click Here to RSVP

THE WHISKY EXCHANGE;

Glenglassaugh: Revival, Evolution and a new chapter

When it comes to revivals, Glenglassaugh has had one of the more impressive crawls back from the dead in recent years. A decade of stuttering resurrection has been rewarded with the dawning of a new era for the distillery, with a future that’s still to be decided.

The distillery is a few miles to the east of the Highland/Speyside border, on the coast at Sandend. Rather than the more maritime spirits that many coastal distilleries produce, Glenglassaugh focuses on old-school fruity flavours. While that fruitiness is reminiscent of sister distillery Benriach‘s famous character, Glenglassaugh has a more modern feel – it may be more than 140 years old, but the distillery’s current incarnation is much more recent.

In the beginning…

A hodge podge of architectural styles, expanded over more than 100 years

While Glenglassaugh opened in 1873, it’s seen extensive rebuilding over the years and the current distillery only settled down into its current state in the 1960s. A casualty of the industry downturn of the 1980s, it was mothballed in 1986 and it looked like the end was in sight. For 22 years, the distillery sat silent, but in 2008, the current chapter begun.

A new challenger

It started with an investment group, which bought the distillery, refurbished it and started production again. With a minimum of three years to wait before the spirit could be called whisky, the distillery released old stock as well as some youthful spirits to raise capital – the older releases remain legendary, while the younger are a curiosity that are well worth trying.

Eventually, in 2011, a whisky appeared – Revival, the first spirit to be distilled at Glenglassaugh in more than 25 years. It wasn’t enough to keep things going, however, and in 2013 a seasoned player stepped in: The Benriach Company.

The Benriach Company

Former Burns Stewart director Billy Walker had struck out on his own in 2004, leading a group that bought Benriach distillery. In 2008, he added Glendronach to the company’s portfolio and by 2013 he was looking for a third distillery. Glenglassaugh was the perfect fit.

While reviving Benriach and Glendronach had given the company experience with creating ranges that relied on spirit distilled before they took over, Glenglassaugh gave them a unique challenge – no whisky at all between five and 27 years old. They rose to the challenge, launching Evolution, a whisky vatted from bourbon casks distilled since the reopening, and a a 30-year-old, drawing on the extensive stocks in the warehouses.

Brown-Forman

It looked set to continue, with Benriach and Glendronach taking the limelight, and Glenglassaugh slowly building up its stocks, now including peated whisky, released as Torfa. But in 2016, things changed again – The Benriach Company was bought by Brown-Forman, the American distillers best known for producing Jack Daniel’s.

Rachel Barrie, contemplating whisky and the meaning of life. while trying not to fall out of a boat

Billy Walker was replaced by experienced master blender Rachel Barrie, known for her work with Glenmorangie and Ardbeg, as well as more recently curating the ranges at Auchentoshan, Glen Garioch and Bowmore. With production now settled after 10 years of distillation and the core range of whiskies tasting better than ever, Rachel has arrived ready to push the distillery into the next era of its development.

The range

It all starts with fruity new-make spirit – it’s packed with estery fruit – pear drops and Fruit Salad chews – as well as a touch of farmyard funkiness. The Revival, bottled at around three years old, takes that fruitiness and adds in layers of sherry-cask spice, thanks to a short finish before bottling. The result is a whisky that has changed a lot since its initial release, now showing that young whisky doesn’t need to be run through with peat to taste good.

Spirit running from the Glenglassaugh stills

Like many distilleries across Scotland, Glenglassaugh has been making smoky whisky alongside its more traditional unpeated output. This has resulted in Torfa, which allies the Revival’s combination of fresh fruit and sherry spice with smouldering peat and singed citrus. Again, it’s a youthful dram, but zesty and full of life – another whisky that has developed since its first appearance on the market.

The present

For the past few years, the distillery’s focus has been on its whiskies produced since reopening, but the warehouses are far from bare – while there’s a two-decade gap after 1986, there’s still a lot of whisky from before then, and it’s still tasting excellent. I look forward to seeing what the new owners decide to do with this nest egg.

The latest arrivals from Glenglassaugh – a range of four cask finishes

While Benriach and Glendronach have continued as before, it’s Glenglassaugh which has received the most attention since Brown-Forman arrived on the scene, with four new releases arriving at the end of 2016. Focusing on more mature spirit, peated virgin oak and unpeated Pedro Ximénez finishes are joined by both peated and unpeated port-finished whiskies, giving a hint as to what Glenglassaugh has hiding in its warehouses and maybe what might appear in the future.

With Rachel Barrie taking up the blending reins and supported by an experienced team at the distillery, the next few years should be interesting. With the 10th anniversary of the stills restarting popping up later this year, we will hopefully see more from Glenglassaugh even sooner.

Russell’s Reserve K&L Single Barrel #998 Kentucky Bourbon (750ml)

If you’ve ever dipped your nose into a box of cinnamon red hots and inhaled all that sweetly-spiced goodness, then consider yourself well prepared for our latest single barrel (#998) from Wild Turkey Distillery, the spiritual home of fine Kentucky Bourbon. We rummaged through the warehouses with both Jimmy and Eddy Russell to dig out this concentrated cask and there was a unanimous sense of awe in the room after we tapped this particular barrel. Originally filled in October of 2008, we bottled this baby right after its 9th birthday, right about the time Jimmy Russell believes these Wild Turkey whiskies show their best. Emptied at 118.4 proof, everything about this whiskey showcases the textbook and trademark characteristics of the distillery style: loads of baking spices, vibrant oak tannins, creamy corn, and a finish of both savory pepper and sweet vanilla. Getting to select a barrel like this with the father and son duo is about as fun as our job gets-if you don’t count the part where we actually get to drink it. Only 120 bottles from this tiny, concentrated cask.

$59.99

Product Reviews:

David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 1/11/2018 
Eddy, Jimmy, and I dug through about ten barrels to reach this cask, #998, located in the heart of the H warehouse at Wild Turkey. When it comes to the Kickin’ Chicken, I’m not looking to reinvent the wheel. I’m not searching for the anomaly or the unique gem that stands in contrast to what made Russell’s Reserve famous. I wanted classic, true to form Bourbon that tastes like vintage Wild Turkey and that’s exactly what I got from this 9 year old single cask. Everything in harmony, just dialed up in proof. Vanilla, oak, creamy corn, and that youthful vigor that pops on your palate like a bag full of cinnamon candy. Jimmy Russell doesn’t like any Bourbon older than 10 years old, which I think is awesome. I’m trying to be more like him, so with this cask I relied completely on his guidance.

By: Gary Westby | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 1/11/2018 
I love this whiskey! The feral rye character of this Bourbon marries perfectly with corn richness and fabulous new American oak vanilla roundness. The Russell’s have another winner with this big, 110 proof whiskey. Our stocks of this are limited, so I better buy my bottle of this single barrel stuff now.

Thursday, January 25th 5-7PM

Bourbon Tasting: Smooth Ambler

Hailing from West Virginia, Appalachia distillery Smooth Ambler is a world-class spirit crafter. From grinding their own carefully selected regional grains, to labeling and signing each bottle, Smooth Ambler does everything by hand, the old-fashioned way. Their signature bourbon, Contradiction, has been highly praised by mixologists and bourbon fans alike, scoring 96 points in the 2017 American Bourbon category for The Ultimate Spirits Challenge.

We’ll be pouring a variety of favorites and new releases, presented by distillery representatives and our own in-store whiskey experts.

 Click Here to RSVP

Ralfy travels across the Irish Sea for Ralfy Review 710 – Dunvilles PX 10yo @ 46%vol.

GlenDronach 18 Year Old 2018

Bottled January 2018. A Whisky Barrel favourite from the Highland distillery matured in the finest Oloroso sherry casks. Shhh.. the price is increasing significantly very soon… stock up now while you can! Sweet aromatics of fudge and muscovado sugar. Fruit compote and glacier morello cherries provide added complexity. On the palate remarkable flavours of stewed fruits and all-spice marry together with classical aged Oloroso and toasted walnut bread and chocolate orange. Glendronach  Distillery was established north east of Huntley in the Highland whiskey region by James Allardice in 1826. The malting floors at Glendronach Distillery closed in 1996 and it was the last distillery in Scotland to heat its stills directly with flames from a coal-fired furnace, until it had to comply with new regulations in 2005. Glendronach Distillery is resplendent with a traditional cask iron mash tun, wooden washbacks, four stills. Famous for its well-aged and top quality sherried single malt, for example Glendronach 21 Year Old Parliament, and single cask releases. The distillery is now owned by Brown Forman of America.

Buy – £76.72

Infinity bottles: blending whisky at home

Blending whisky is hard. It takes master blenders years to hone their skills, working up slowly through the ranks to take on the creation of new whiskies. However, that shouldn’t stop you having a go yourself at home. One of the easiest ways of examining this facet of the world of whisky creation is to make yourself a never-emptying infinity bottle – whenever it gets low, top it up with some more whisky.

I’ve currently got four different blends on the go: Speyside, Highlands and Islands, Islay and ‘Misc’. The final one is my longest running and I have a notebook listing everything I’ve added to it over the past five years – odds and ends, the occasional specially purchased bottle, and lots of great drams. Whenever I taste it, I have a think about what it needs next and add a little slug of that from my collection of open bottles. Slowly but surely, with an occasional backward step, all four of my blends move towards being my ideal drams.

However, as with everything, there are a few rules of thumb to follow:

Starting out…

There are many schools of thought to this. The two I like most are:

1) Start with a bottle of reasonably priced whisky you know you like – this will give you a good base and allow you to build on flavours you are already familiar with.

2) Start with a random mix of odds and ends – whisky doesn’t last forever in the bottle once it’s opened, and if you only have a dram left, then it’s probably going to become flat and lifeless before long. Why not combine all of your dregs into a starter blend? It might be confused, but finding the threads and dragging it into excellence can be fun.

I’ve done both, and while the first method creates more reliably decent whisky, the occasional flash of excellence from a random mix and the subsequent work to polish its edges is immensely satisfying.

Have a plan before you add anything

Chucking any old whisky into your infinity bottle is probably not going to make the best blend. However, a few minutes’ thought about where you want it to go can help make sensible choices. Is it too dry? Add something sweet. Is it too heavy? Add some lighter whisky. Does it need some richness? Add some sherried whisky. Is it too smoky? Add something unpeated. Simple decisions that can push your blend closer to your ideal whisky.

Be careful with smoke

Smoke is a powerful flavour and should be used in moderation. For a demonstration, grab a glass of your favourite unpeated dram and add a few drops of a heavily peated whisky. You’ll be surprised how few you need to add before it becomes very smoky.

Remember: you can always add a splash more whisky, but taking it out again gets very complicated…

Don’t be afraid to experiment

Want to see what will happen if you add some bourbon to a blend of Scottish whiskies? Want to add something that isn’t whisky? Go ahead! You don’t need to use your whole batch, but have a play in a glass if you want to try something whacky – it might be excellent and be worth a test on the full infinity bottle.

While my regional blends have fairly obvious rules as to what I’ll add, for my Misc bottle, anything goes. It contains whisky from around the world, whatever I thought might make it taste good. I’ve not stretched across drink boundaries yet, but rumours of Compass Box’s Scovados (Scotch and Calvados) experiments make me think I should…

Taste, taste and taste again

The whole point of having an infinity bottle is to explore the flavours of whisky, so make sure you taste it regularly. Not only will you see how the whisky slowly changes as the components marry – whisky is a complex mix of compounds and they take time to settle down – but how else are you meant to make space in the top for the next dram you want to add?

Good luck, and may your infinity bottle never be emptied.

If you want to step things up and start making bigger batches of blended whisky, check out former TWE blogger Tim Forbes’s excellent guide

Ralfy uncovers an obscure and delicious malt in Ralfy Review 709 – Glentauchers 14yo @45.8%vol (The Single Cask)

The recent Kilkenny Whiskey Guild (KWG) tasting event – an occasion in celebration of Irish Distillers next chapter in its Virgin Irish Oak Collection of Single Pot Still Irish Whiskeys; Midleton Dair Ghaelach Bluebell Forest edition. This exceptional offering has been finished in barrels made from Irish oak grown in the Bluebell Forest of Castle Blunden Estate in County Kilkenny. Host Eddie Langton (KWG and Langton’s Hotel) was in good company in Kilkenny Castle with guests including the following;

Cyril Briscoe, KWG

Paddy Purser, Forestry Consultant

Dave McCabe, Midleton Blender

Ger Buckley, Midleton Master Cooper

Jim Rafferty, KWG and The Dylan Whisky Bar

Kevin O’Gorman, Midleton Master of Maturation.

Patrick Blunden, Castle Blunden

Sullivans Cove
American Oak
Cask HH0312

This 200L American Oak ex-bourbon cask produced only 200 bottles in the classic Sullivans Cove American Oak style.

A limited number of bottles from this cask are available now on our online store.

American Oak Cask HH0312, a seventeen year old whisky, was distilled in May of 2000 and bottled in July of 2017.

“This whisky has an incredible range of flavours. It’s inspiring to see an Australian whisky of this age with such depth and complexity.”
Heather Swart, Distiller

Please click on the link below to purchase ($295 per bottle).