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).

Sherry Cask Matured Scotch

Some of the richest and fruitiest whiskies you can taste are matured in sherry wood. Here’s a choice selection of the very best Scotch single malts and blends, old and new, based on customer feedback in 2017.

THE WHISKY BARREL

https://youtu.be/MLiVGQG-zuU

I doubt that back in the early 20th century, Ernest Shackleton thought that his name would be adorning a bottle of Scottish whisky. Either way, here it is! Now, this isn’t the super fancy/expensive bottle that is a replica of the liquids that were found in the Antarctic a few years a go, this is more of a homage to the man himself and his constant chase of adventure and life….it’s a shame the whisky isn’t as challenging on the palate as the man was on the world.