2017 was a weird one. Lots of great, lots of terrible. Friends lost and babies born. I can’t say that I know 2018 will be any smoother, but I can tell you that we’re going to be working doubly hard to make sure our customers are getting the most exciting spirits in the country. We’re making good on that promise immediately because we thrive on the knowledge that our hard work might grant someone a certain modicum of joy that they otherwise might not have had. We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag of unusual whiskies and special casks that we think will help you start your 2018 off right.
It’s been a long while since we’ve been able to send you an email about limited edition distillery bottled Springbank. That special distillery on the Kintyre Peninsula, which I regularly declare to anyone who will listen is the most authentic distillery in Scotland bar none, has been next to impossible to acquire in any quantity aside from the standard line up. They’re malting their own barley, using natural yeast, distilling slow and with a direct fire element. Their methods are wildly inefficient. One ton of barley at a modern distillery makes about 3 times as much whisky as at Springbank. The lack of efficiency shouldn’t be mistaken for a lack in quality. No not at all. The old school inefficient techniques result in one of the most complex and flavorful spirits in all of Scotland. They’re production is tiny and over the last decade the demand for this special whisky has exploded. People are craving whiskies of character. We want something with a soul and nothing has more soul than Springbank.
We’ve gone from offering single casks without issue to receiving a handful of allocated bottles. That means you have to be waiting for the Springbanks when they arrive and they certainly won’t be sending an email out about the 4-6 bottles we might receive. This special release of Springbank is one for the purists. Naked Springbank is a sight to behold. All the complexity of hand malted Campbeltown peated on full display.
Springbank 14 Year Old Bourbon Wood Single Malt Whisky (750ml) – $119.99 – The wonderful limited release Springbank bourbon wood is a small batch marriage of fresh and refill bourbon barrels distilled entirely in November of 2002 and bottled in August of 2017. Only 9000 bottles were dumped worldwide, so fewer than 40 casks went into this tiny blend bottled at full strength of 55.8%. We are rarely seeing Springbank exclusively in Bourbon these days and many limited releases have various wine finishes and for the Springbank purists this one will be a real treat. Clean unadulterated Springbank at full strength isn’t something we come across regularly and usually when we do it’s usually 6-12 bottles per store max. In this case the importer was looking to pad the books before the New Year closed so they offered us nearly their entire inventory. For once we actually have some descent inventory on a Springbank limited release. Expect some classic flavors bold apple and pear, earthy smoke, fresh cut hay, cristiline citrus and vanilla. Bold and farmy style that reminds us why Springbank is the realest of real deal.
Douglas Laing Remarkable Regional Malts Limited Edition
As someone who believes wholeheartedly that blended whisky (and blended malt whisky) is once again where the future lies, I was completely stoked when David OG told me he managed to snag some of the Douglas Laing limited edition blends previously unavailable on the West Coast. While we work directly with the Laings to bring in our Old Particular casks, we are neither the importer nor sole outpost for their outstanding blends. The Timorous Beastie, Rock Oyster, Scallywag, and Big Peat were four of my favorite whiskies in 2017, the one portfolio that managed to give John Glaser over at Compass Box a little competition in the boutique blend category. While a large majority of our discerning Scotch customers still prefer single barrel, cask strength single malt whisky, I think there’s a growing number of us (I say us because I’m firmly in this camp) who would like a little more curation with our consumption these days. Personally, I want someone to create something delicious that’s beyond than the sum of its parts. I want to be wowed by real whisky craftsmanship and mouthwatering flavor, not by the mere technical idea or concept of a whisky.
I don’t think the blended whisky market ever suffered because the concept of a grand assemblage was stale or outdated, but rather because the industry took its customers for granted. Scotland’s great blending houses assumed they could change the recipes, lower the quality, raise the prices, and no one would ever notice. They were dead wrong. Now, however, the independent bottlers who have filled the void for the last decade are going through a similar crisis: they’re running out of quality single barrels to sell. Now comes the question: do you bottle a cask with a great name, but a less than stellar flavor profile and turn a blind eye to the consumer (following the same path as the blenders before them), or do you attempt to weave a tapestry of harmony, using other whiskies to fill in the gaps and pick up the slack? I think you all know where I stand.
If you were a fan of the four aforementioned whiskies, I think you’re going to be very happy with these special editions, as well as the insane pricing that David OG was able to knock out. The Rock Oyster 18 is pretty much a blend of Jura, Arran, Highland Park, and a mystery Islay distillery (likely Laphroaig or Caol Ila from what I know of the Laing family’s stocks) for less than $100. It’s creamy, and salty, and oily, and just peated enough to please fans of the smoke. While you wouldn’t know it from the color, there are some lovely, rich sherry notes on the nose and more of that classic Oloroso character on the palate. Then you’ve got the sherry-finished edition, which packs in more of that decadence in a younger blend, the 18 year old Timorous Beastie that drinks like a more interesting verison of Glenmorangie 18, the 13 year old Scallywag aged entirely in sherry that brings the Christmas cake spices in droves, and the full proof holiday edition of the Big Peat.
Now the question for us becomes: how many can you afford to buy? Because at these discounted prices you’re going to want all of them; at least I do. David OG’s notes are below:
Douglas Laing’s Rock Oyster 18 Year Old Limited Edition Island Blended Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) (Elsewhere $120) – $89.99 – This limited edition offering of 18 year old malts from Scotland’s famous Whisky islands: Islay, Skye, Arran, Orkeny, and Jura. That makes this one of the most affordable old Islands whiskies in the world. You’ll not find an 18 year old Single Malt from any of these Islands for anywhere close to this price. The glorious truth about Blended Malt Scotch Whisky, when created with care and thoughtfulness, is that the whole is greater than the some of its parts. A properly blended whisky can truly take you beyond any of the components within and the Rock Oyster 18 year is the perfect example. It gives great us incredible depth, elegance and complexity, in a perfectly seemless package for a price almost any Scotch drinker can appreciate. The nose is distinctly maritime with a quick rush of sea spray and a smoldering block of Sweet peat to start. It glances toward the earthy fresh tobacco and rich malt as it enters the palate offering a true Island style rather than allowing the overbaring Islay malt to take over. The finish is perfectly balanced with a sweet barley sugar and spicy phenol playing off each other perfectly for a long smoldering finish. Incredible value here that’s just not available in the price point anywhere else.
Douglas Laing’s Rock Oyster Sherry Limited Edition Island Blended Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) (Elsewhere $70) – $49.99 – Here is the excellent Rock Oyster Blended Malt that we’ve loved so much with additional aging in high quality sherry butts from Jerez. The standard Rock Oyster takes our favorite Island malts, none of which cannot be named, from distilleries you know and love, blends them together thoughtfully and offers them at a very attractive price. That wonderful whisky highlights those special malts created Scotland’s Island distilleries (think Jura, Islay, Skye, Arran and Orkney). Very little go together better than salty maritime malt and sherry, so our friends at Douglas Laing have offered us this spectacular Limited Edition whisky for sale exclusively by K&L in California. What’s even crazier is that we’re able to offer you this special Oyster for LESS than the standard release. True, it doesn’t make sense, but we’re not paid to offer you a rational, just great whisky at the best possible price. This will likely be one of the best values of 2018 and it’s only just started!
Douglas Laing’s Timorous Beastie 18 Year Old Limited Edition Highland Blended Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) (Elsewhere $100) – $89.99 – The Timorous Beastie has long been one of our favorite blends and we’re proud to be offering this exceptional limited edition version at an extremely reasonable price. This special blend highlights some of the Highlands finest, so expect the malt to be front and center here. The primary suspects here are the wonderful Glen Garioch from the east, Blair Athol from the South and Dalmore from the North. These three excellent distilleries offer something of a classic style as compared to some of the more modern Speysiders. Creamy rich and malty, but not overly bready. Sweet dark berries, carmelized sugar, pulvarized apple and pear and a touch of muesli. This is a detailed snapshot of what malty highland scotch is all about. For lovers of the natural unadulterated style of Highland Single Malt, this blend will over deliver at this price point.
Douglas Laing’s Scallywag 13 Year Old Limited Edition Speyside Blended Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) (Elsewhere $80) – $59.99 – The Scallywag blended malt has been well received by Scotch lovers and critics alike for its elegance and nuance. It’s a blended of the great Speyside distilleries, like Macallan, Mortlach, Glenrothes and many more. Typically a small amount of sherried whisky is included in the blend with the majority coming from refill hogsheads and bourbon barrels. The Limited Edition Scallywag, however, has spent 13 long years entirely in Sherry butts from Jerez. It is indeed what some might term a Sherry Bomb, yet it remains balanced and full of life. Expect a nose of dense dried fruit, Christmas cake, tobacco spice and an underlying nuttiness. The palate adds some herbal spice, sweet molasses, and texture for days. Absolutely absurd that we can sell this for less than the standard offering. A totally perfect way to spend a cool winter evening.
Douglas Laing’s Big Peat “Christmas” Limited Edition Cask Strength Islay Blended Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) (Elsewhere $80) – $49.99 – The exceptional Big Peat Christmas 2017 arriving perfectly timed to avoid any holiday gifting or sharing with unappreciative relatives. The 2017 Christmas Edition of Big Peat is the probably the best received of these always beloved annual releases. This is a blend of sevenIslay single malts including the rare closed Port Ellen distillery. Douglas Laing has confirmed Bowmore, Caol Ila and Ardbeg, so that leaves Kilchoman, Lagavulin, Laphroaig and Bunnahabhain for us to speculate about. High quality blended malt bottled at full strength from these rare special distilleries, we’d expect a hefty price tag. Since we have the California exclusive, we can offer you this amazing whisky for the best price anywhere in the world. Enjoy it now or stock up for the 2018 Holidays.
Knob Creek K&L Exclusives
Tiny amounts are left of these two special casks which sold almost entirely without effort on our part. That’s because they’re 13 and 14 years old respectively. Each is very different from what most think of as Knob Creek, but with some subtle allusion to the younger standard release. They’re labeled like all Knob Creek Bourbons as 9 years old, but neither is anywhere close to that age. We’re not sure how much more old bourbon is sitting in Jim Beams warehouses in Clermont, but if it tastes anything like these, we’ll buy it all.
Knob Creek 9 Year Old K&L Exclusive Single Barrel #5300B Kentucky Bourbon (750ml) – $49.99 – Another wild find from deep within the Jim Beam’s Clermont rick houses. This awesome cask of Knob Creek is bottled as a 9 year old, but was distilled on November 11th of 2003 and dumped in November of 2017. It was stored in warehouse W on the 4th floor of that 7 story warehouse. The perfect central location for long term aging, this barrel lost more than half its original volume and was bottled just below the original cask strength of 132 proof. So ultra old Knob Creek aged for 14 years in Kentucky and sold at the same price as there standard 9 year old single barrel. It doesn’t have the age on the label, but once you taste it you’ll immediately realize the difference. Instead of Knobs bold spice and sweet oak, the bourbon has rounded out the edges and exhibits incredible rancio aromas of ripe fruit, well worked leather and fresh vanillas. Knob often has a peanut quality in its youth, but this one has moved away from that with only the most subtle and complex notes of roasted chestnuts, hazelnut and almond butters. The nuttiness and fruit pair perfectly together and build to a subtle flamed orange peel finish. Dangerously easily to consume at 120 proof and lacking the intense bite that cask #5232 exhibits, this is easily one of the best values in old bourbon we will ever see.
Knob Creek 9 Year Old K&L Exclusive Single Barrel #5253C Kentucky Bourbon (750ml) – $49.99 – This exceptional barrel of Knob Creek was distilled on December 15th of 2004 and placed into Floor 5 of Clermont Warehouse F. There it sat on the 3rd tier of rick 11 for 13 long years before being bottled exclusively for K&L. This is one of the oldest Knob Creeks we’ve ever tasting and also one of the most delicious. The powerful nose is bombastic and bold, but showing the extreme age in the best way possible. Dense aromas of exotic sandlewood, dried vanilla bean, cherries and wild honey. The palate is big and spicy with the rye making its presence known through the sweet corn and dense oaky texture. Cut from 127 proof cask strength to 120 for bottling, it’s even better with that little drop of water to open up the intense flavors. This is one of the most affordable old bourbons in the shelf. Of course, they label all the Knobs as 9 years old, but this one is indeed 13 years of age. Only 144 bottles in this special cask.
Odds and Ends
While the following set may not fall easily into a single category that doesn’t mean they aren’t worthy of your attention! From a new Sherry Cask from Stranahan’s in Colorado to a Longrow 15 Year, these new arrivals are favorite’s among collectors and are destined to sell in a flash, especially given their limited quantities. Lock in your bottles today.
Stranahan’s Sherry Cask Colorado Whiskey (750ml) – $79.99
Barrell “Tale of Two Islands” Limited Edition Small Batch Cask Strength Rum (750ml) – $89.99
2007 Hazelburn 9 Year Old First Fill Sauternes Cask Single Barrel Single Malt Whisky (750ml) – $119.99
Longrow 15 Year Old “Bourbon/Chardonnay Matured” Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky (750ml) – $149.99
Denver & Liely Whisky Glass
I’m glad I’m not the only person who thinks this is the best Scotch glass ever created. I went to a whisky tasting a few weeks ago and ran into some of my customers who were bringing their own Denver & Liely whisky glass with them for the event. I’ve been selling out of these babies as fast as I can get Denver to ship them to me from Australia (he’s now working on a Bourbon glass, too!). If you need the perfect vessel from which to drink your new Douglas Laing blended malt whiskies, look no further. This is the glass I use at K&L for my tasting every single day.
Denver & Liely Whisky Glass – $39.99 – Ignore the website’s stock photo. The glass is as shown in my image above.
That covers it this week, but a new Whisk(e)y News is around the corner. Until that time, be sure to check our Spirits Journal for all the latest spirits updates.
Cheers!
David Othenin-Girard & David Driscoll K&L Spirits Buyers
Matured in refill European oak sherry butts, this year’s Special Release has more weight than many previous expressions and a fascinating smokiness that comes across like a just-lit fire: fire lighter, burning paper, fire grate, and wood smoke. The more active oak adds walnut skin notes and rich dried fruits before the smoke returns. All very sophisticated with enough sweetness to balance. Excellent, but, ouch, that price! (DB, Winter 2015) 
