After getting utterly destroyed this past weekend, we’re back in the store early today putting the shelves back together and getting our inventory tight once again for another busy week of holiday shopping. There’s a lot of new whiskey coming in and just as much of it going right back out! While we’re getting the next round of Hepburn’s Choice selections together, here are some new things you might want to grab while they’re available:
WESTLAND’S LIMITED EDITION “PEAT WEEK” COMES TO K&L Westland’s 2016 edition of “Peat Week” – a limited edition malt made in celebration of a week-long event the Seattle distillery holds each year in October dedicated to the joys of peated whisky-was a originally a prize for whisky pilgrims who made the voyage to the Pacific Northwest this past Fall (basically their version of the Feis Ile Festival that the Islay distilleries throw each year). Luckily for us, however, we have friends in high places at the distillery. We managed to get our hands on an exclusive allocation of the 100 proof smoky single malt delight and we think fans of Westland and Islay both are going to be pleased. The 2016 Peat Week commemorative bottling drinks like a smokier version of Talisker, in that it’s equally as fruity as it is peaty. There are gobs of creamy banana on the palate that blossom into peaty and smokier notes of campfire framed in sweet barley and vanilla. Think of Caol Ila with less intensity or Kilchoman with more finesse. Or maybe put the Peat Week into its own category as a whole. We’ve certainly never tasted a peated American single malt this delicious. And, believe me, it’s delicious. I can’t stop sipping on it because of all that luscious fruit on the entry that sends me back in for more. The finish is a flurry of cinnamon, cloves, and oak spices that come into focus as the peat begins to fade. Westland continues to impress with its precocious line-up of single malt whiskies and the 2016 edition of Peat Week is one of the best releases yet.
You can secure your own bottle here if you’d like to taste this lovely limited edition malt:
Westland “Peat Week” Limited Edition Single Malt Whisky (750ml) $99.99
…or you can buy a ticket for tomorrow night’s festivities at Hard Water on the San Francisco Embarcadero where we’ll host Westland’s director Matt Freerks for a fancy cocktail party with a full flight tasting (and food!). I just heard from the gang at St. George that most of their distillery will be there as well (considering they’re HUGE fans of Westland), so expect a solid crowd of swell folk.
We’ve still got a few tickets left here:
Westland Peat Week Party @ Hard Water, Weds, Dec 14th @ 7 PM $50.00
Erik Adkins and the Hard Water staff will be bringing out seafood towers packed with smoked clams and Texas toast, shrimp cocktail, oysters on the half shell, and scallop ceviche. There will also be crabby patty bites with Old Bay tartar sauce, fried chicken and waffle bites, along with single bite tarts for dessert (pumpkin custard with Abbott’s Bitters-flavored whipped cream and lemon cream with mascarpone, streusel, and satsuma). Of course, the real story here is the whiskey and Matt Freerks is the perfect person to walk you through a guided tasting of the entire Westland whiskey collection – including the new Peat Week release which will only be available at K&L during December. There are 50 spaces available. There are no paper tickets. Your name will be on the guest list as you arrive at Hard Water.
Either way, you’ll be drinking mighty fine!
ANOTHER ROUND OF HIGH WEST’S “MIDWINTER NIGHT’S DRAM”
After the dust settled and all the retail accounts were spoken for, we managed to get back into the vault for one more round of High West’s coveted “A Midwinter Night’s Dram,” a marriage of rye whiskies finished in French Oak and Port casks that is absolutely jam-packed with richness and holiday spices. We previously had a bottle limit, but we’ve removed it now so grab as many as you need for loved ones:
High West “A Midwinter Night’s Dram” Limited Edition Whiskey (750ml) $89.99
This limited-edition blend of straight rye whiskeys finished in French oak and former port barrels offers huge, rounded notes of rich toffee, dark fruit, orange peel and mulling spices. It’s almost like a wintry whiskey punch in a bottle. The language on the label winks at Shakespeare, making this a special gift for a theater lover as well as a whiskey lover.
KILCHOMAN RELEASES FIRST FULL-TERM SAUTERNES WHISKY
Matured for over five years in Sauternes casks (the renowned sweet wine of Bordeaux), Kilchoman’s new dessert-laden peated single malt combines sweet with smoke in a decadent new expression. Bottled at 50% ABV and limited in quantity, we’ve got a few on hand for your holiday sipping needs:
Kilchoman “Sauternes Matured” Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) $119.99
This limited recent release of just 6000 bottles succeeds the Port and Madiera cask matured whiskies released in 2014 and 2015. The Sauternes version was fully matured (rather than just finished) in ex-Sauternes casks. The resulting spirit has caramel and vanilla notes, along with the peat and fruit of the classic Kilchoman whisky.
IF YOU’RE COMING TO REDWOOD CITY OR SAN FRANCISCO TO PICK UP…
…we need your canned food! Our SF store is running a program to benefit the SF-Marin Food Bank, and in Redwood City we’re working with Second Harvest, one of the largest food banks in the nation that has been serving the communities of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties since 1974. The support of organizations like K&L and individuals like you allow them to provide food for a stunning quarter million people every month. We’ve got bins in both stores where you can drop off canned foods and packaged items to help local families in need. If you’re coming in to pick out a bottle, we’d love to swap you for a can!
That’s it for today! Watch for our new Japanese Ohishi sherry cask later this week, as well as new Scotch barrels from Hepburn’s Choice!
David Driscoll K&L Spirits Buyer daviddriscoll@klwines.com 650-556-2736 http://spiritsjournal.klwines.com
