In order to finish out 2016 with a bang, we put together a few last minute deals with some of our most beloved suppliers to take normally limited and allocated whiskies and unleash them with hardly any restrictions for your New Year’s party needs and well beyond. We’re talking about some of the whiskey world’s greatest gems including WL Weller, Sazerac Rye, and Blantons. We even have more of our previously sold out High West Midwinter’s Dram and a standard-setting Laphroaig 2016 Cairdeas. If you’ve been without any of the following selections these past few months, now is the time to load up while the shackles have been removed! While supplies last…
W.L. Weller Special Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) ($21.99)
K&L Notes: This Special Reserve is the bottle of bourbon that our staff take home and enjoy! W.L. Weller replaces the rye in their bourbon recipe with wheat, creating a Kentucky straight bourbon with an exceptionally smooth, full-bodied taste.
Sazerac 90-Proof Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey (750ml) ($29.99)
93 points Wine Enthusiast: “*Best Buy* The aroma entices with bold caramel and vanilla. The palate is brisk and relatively dry, despite the succulent aroma, showing vanilla and oak up front, and rounding into nutmeg, almond, vanilla and bitter orange on the finish. Versatile for cocktails, including its namesake Sazerac. (KN)” (07/2016)
K&L Notes: The K&L Sazerac Cocktail: 1/2 oz Kubler absinthe, 2 oz Sazerac Straight Rye, 1/2 oz simple syrup, 2 dashes of Peychaud bitters, Lemon – twist as garnish. Fill an old fashioned glass with ice. Add the absinthe to the glass. Combine all other in a shaker and mix over ice. Discard the ice and absinthe from the old fashioned glass, letting the absinthe coat the glass. Strain shaker ingredients into prepared old fashioned glass. Garnish with the lemon twist.
David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: February 19, 2015
The ultimate rye whiskey for the money. It doesn’t get better.
Blanton’s Original Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) ($49.99)
96 points Wine Enthusiast: “Bold and well structured, this Bourbon features warming vanilla and caramel accented by orange peel, stone fruit and a dry baking-spice finish. Sip it with a chunk of ice, or mix up a round of juleps. The trademark round, faceted bottle with the horse-topped cork is perfect for Derby Day. (KN)” (09/2014)
David Othenin-Girard | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: January 06, 2016
The special Blanton’s single barrel has been a staple of any solid back bar since its release in 1984. Truly a pioneering effort from the new owners of the George T Stagg distillery as it was known at the time, Blanton’s was indeed the first single barrel to be marketed by any Kentucky distillery since before prohibition. Despite coming from the standard “Buffalo Trace” recipe, Blanton’s is unique for being drawn from Warehouse H, the only warehouse on the property built from metal. The metal warehouses absorb more heat and therefor add something extra special to the aging liquid inside. Appropriately enough this warehouse was commissioned by Albert Blanton, one of the early owners of this very old distillery. Despite spending decades under the radar the recent explosion in interest in bourbon has hit the Blanton’s stocks hard. Production on this brand is capped due to the single barrel requirements, each barrel must be dumped and bottles filled by hand. Needless to say, we’ve had a very hard time keeping it on our shelves, often seeing several months without a single bottle to sell. More recently, the product has been allocated to levels similar to the ultra-popular Weller brands, i.e. 12 bottles per week. Blanton’s being a single barrel is never quite exactly the same, but it’s ALWAYS delicious. Certain bottles, coming from the cherry casks, are absolutely exquisite. Expect rich caramelized sugar, strong notes of vanilla, and spicy drie
Laphroaig 2016 “Cairdeas” Madeira Cask Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($79.99)
Each year Laphroaig’s Master Distiller, John Campbell, handcrafts a limited edition malt to celebrate friendship (“Cairdeas” in Gaelic). The 2016 bottling features fully-matured Laphroaig aged in ex-bourbon barrels before being blended together for a second maturation in Madeira-seasoned traditional hogsheads. The result is a classically smoky Laphroaig with accents of sweet fruits and honey around the edges. Bottled at 51.6%, the extra kick helps balance out the additional richness.
High West “A Midwinter Night’s Dram” Limited Edition Whiskey (750ml) ($89.99)
98 points Wine Enthusiast: “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. Its 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. (KN)” (07/2015)
K&L Notes: The rye forms a beautiful base of vanilla, caramel and cinnamon; the port barrels enhance with plums and dried fruits; the French oak provides a spice accent.
Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637) Email: wine@klwines.com K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA
