Hi folks. We’re live with the 67th auction – the biggest ever. Enjoy and #dontloseyourbottle

Kind regards from Glasgow

The SWA Team

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 147: Auchentoshan 18 Year Old 1978 Signatory

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tries another one from his favorite Lowland distillery. An 18 Year Old Auchentoshan distilled in 1978 and bottled in 1996. This means it has spent 20 years in the bottle, which is longer than it did on the cask. Might this be a golden oldie from Signatory? Oh, yes indeed!

https://youtu.be/OQ9lu_p5Fmc

The second in an annual series of limited editions, this Speyside Single Malt is a the fruit of a creative partnership between Bob Dalgarno, Whisky Maker at The Macallan, and the Roca brothers of restaurant, El Celler de Can Roca, in Catalonia. The nose has layers of vanilla, tropical fruit and subtle green wood with treacle, ginger toffee apples and rich fruit. The palate brings cracked black pepper, chocolate, nuts, cloves, oak, brown sugar, liquorice and brandy snaps, before a full, slow and warming finish.

£85 Buy Now

Kilchoman: Sanaig

“Sanaig, a small rocky inlet North West of the distillery, is the name given to this continuously available release. Sanaig has a predominantly sherry cask influence owing to the significant time spent in oloroso sherry Hogsheads. These aged oloroso casks contribute a drastically transformed depth of color and character compared to Kilchcoman’s mostly Bourbon cask matured ‘Machir Bay’. “A beautiful marriage of bourbon and sherry maturation balanced with classic Islay peat smoke and light citrus sweetness” – Anthony Wills, Founder. Sanaig was awarded Best Single Malt Scotch Whisky – Non Age Statement at the IWSC 2016.  $73/btl

Inchmurrin: Madeira wood finish
Loch Lomond Distillery

Master Distiller Bill White selects individual casks matured exclusively in traditional American oak whisky barrels before marrying them together for further maturation in casks that have previously been used for making fortified Madeira wine. This finish enhances the orchard fruit character of peach and pear with marzipan and nutmeg and gives a dry nuttiness to the long, oak finish.

Nose: Fresh citrus orange bursts on the nose giving way to almond marzipan comes through with nutmeg.
Palate: Velvet smooth and welcoming on the tongue. Fruity character of peach and fig is overlaid with rich butterscotch and delicate walnut.
Finish: Long finish, dry grape tannins and oak, lingering nuttiness.
$85/btl

Due to ever-changing inventory – we cannot guarantee bottle availability. We are not responsible for any typographical errors or the poor performance of your Fantasy Football team. Please contact the store with any questions.

The Park Avenue Liquor Shop | 212-685-2442 | 212-689-6247 | parkaveliquor.com

GOLDEN DECANTERS LAUNCHES FIRST COLLECTION OF THE

FINEST SINGLE CASK SCOTCH WHISKIES

London – October 18th, 2016. Julia Hall Mackenzie-Gillanders and Ann Medlock, Owners, today announced the launch of Golden Decanters, independent curators of exceptional and distinctive single cask whisky, bottled for collectors globally.

By leveraging its status as an independent bottler Golden Decanters is able to explore Scotland’s exclusive and finest distilleries, tasting some excellent casks of single malt. It acquires only a small number of the best tasting casks, to bottle a limited edition collection of distinctive and singularly great single malt whiskies.

Golden Decanters’ inaugural collection is diverse in age, flavour and hue, taken from four of the finest casks of single malt Scotch whisky. The casks are from the distilleries of Glenlivet in Speyside, Bowmore in Islay, Ben Nevis in the Highlands and Auchentoshan in the Lowlands.

“Our two year journey has taken us across Scotland, tasting hundreds of the best single malt whiskies,” said Ann Medlock, Owner. “As independent curators we were able to select the finest casks from each distillery, basing our decisions on what tasted exceptional. Not just our own taste, but also that of industry experts to corroborate the selection.”

“Once the whiskies were selected we commissioned iconic Scottish designers Timorous Beasties to design the etched bottles and carved oak presentation boxes, creating works of art, both inside and out,” said Julia Hall Mackenzie-Gillanders, Owner. “The result is a collection of four single cask whiskies that looks and tastes spectacular. This is proving extremely attractive to collectors and investors around the world, with pre sales already accounting for nearly 10 per cent of this first release.”

“The first Golden Decanters’ selection showcases outstanding single cask malts from Scotland’s four leading whisky regions,” said Charles MacLean, the well-known independent whisky expert. “I enjoyed all of them hugely and can say without hesitation that they all merit their place in this exclusive collection.”

The cask in which the whisky matures is recognised as the single most important factor in terms of the final aroma and taste. Single malts seemingly identical on paper have different tastes and Golden Decanters has embraced this fact, conducting extensive sourcing and tasting of single cask whiskies over a two-year period, to deliver some of the finest Scotch whiskies available today. The collection is less about the age of the whisky or which distillery is in fashion, rather each bottle combines exceptional taste from four different Scottish regions with a striking and elegant design.

Golden Decanters has created something unique which portrays the traditional icons of Scotland in a modern and refreshing manner, which is reflected in all aspects of the collection, from the names of individual whiskies through to the bottle and presentation box designs. The collection comprises:

– The Tight Line (34 Year Old, 41.8%) from the Glenlivet distillery in the River Spey Valley, famous for its fishing.

– The High Drive (26 Year Old, 46.8%) from the Bowmore distillery in the Isle of Islay, an area with a long history of stalking and shooting.

– The Golf Widow (22 Year Old, 59.8%) from the Auchentoshan distillery in the golfing country of the Scottish Lowlands.

– The Highlander (19 Year Old, 55.5%) from the Ben Nevis distillery in the Scottish Highlands, the home of Highland cattle.

The first release from Golden Decanters is limited to 180 sets of four bottles. The set is available to purchase at The Conran Shop, Hedonism and direct from Golden Decanters.

This is what is being said about Golden Decanters –

“An excellent assembly of whiskies representing the major distilling areas of Scotland, presented with style. A must for the serious collector.” Private Client, Edinburgh.

“The Golden Decanters set gives the buyer a wonderful opportunity to experience four very individual and above all, excellent-quality whiskies whilst being immaculately presented.” Hedonism.

“An exquisite collection of the finest single malt Scotch whisky, with each individual bottle capturing the essence of Scotland’s finest regions. The passion for whisky behind Golden Decanters is evident in the detail and dedication to this limited edition collection. Each bottle has been incredibly hand etched and the collection is truly a work of art. The ultimate gift, a unique sensory experience, and it tastes great too!” The Conran Shop. 

About Golden Decanters

Launched in 2016, Golden Decanters is an independent curator and bottler of some of the finest single cask Scotch whiskies, continually exploring Scotland’s oldest and most exclusive distilleries to offer limited edition collections to collectors, connoisseurs and investors globally. The first collection comprises four individually selected single malt whiskies, representing the finest flavours sourced from four different Scottish regions.

Golden Decanters plans to release future limited edition collections, once further sourcing of single cask malt whiskies has been completed.

http://www.goldendecanters.com/

ralfy.com visits New Mexico for an Irish malt with Whisky Review 603 – Colkegan New Mexico Whiskey @ 46%vol

Caol Ila 18 Year Old

1997 vintage single cask expression of the smokey Islay single malt at an unmissable price for this age. Selected and bottled by our chums at Berry Bros & Rudd.

£58.60

SHOP NOW > 

Hello again everyone! Another busy week in the spirits department has yielded another bountiful series of deliveries, bursting with more exciting whiskies to tell you about today. We’ve got more fun stuff from Islay, another single cask of ancient grain whisky, and some fun events to talk about as well. Let’s not waste any time!

MORE LAPHROAIG CAIRDEAS (NO LIMITS NOW) AND MORE BOWMORE DEVIL’S CASK

If you’ve never watched Laphroaig’s head distiller John Campbell shovel peat into the distillery’s kiln, it’s a beautiful thing. As is the new Laphroaig Cairdeas, the 2016 special release from the Islay stalwart finished in Madeira casks. We had to limit customers to one bottle last week, but this time around we’ve got enough for everyone so the limits are off! Get yourself some smoky Laphroaig goodness to prepare for the upcoming holiday season.

Laphroaig 2016 “Cairdeas” Madeira Cask Islay Single Malt 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. If one bottle of deliciously-limited Islay whisky isn’t enough for you, then you should grab a bottle of the Bowmore Devil’s Cask. Not only is it extra peaty, it’s extra sherried! We sold out quickly last time around, but we managed to snag an extra serving of batch three today. This is for fans of the Aberlour “Abunad’h” whisky who want a bit of smoke to go with all that high-proof sherry action.

Bowmore Devil’s Cask “Batch 3” Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) $99.99 Bowmore’s limited edition, 56.7% sherry-matured whisky is so powerful and intense, it must have been the work of the devil! From the distillery: On the eye: Deep mahogany. Breathe in a cornucopia of rich, dark, exotic fruits, sultana, mango and raisin, fused with earthy angelica root and treacle toffee. Sip the smooth, rounded taste of date oil, chocolate fudge and salted treacle, warmed by orange-laced Aruba coffee. Savour the long-lasting finish of smoked fruitcake, blood orange and sea salt.

MORE JAPANESE RICE WHISKIES

For those of you who loved the K&L single cask selections from the Fukano and Ohishi distilleries, we’ve just re-upped with more inventory. These are not exclusive selections for K&L this time around, but the whiskies definitely stay true to the original character of what we sold you last time around. Check out what just came in:

Fukano Japanese Whisky (750ml) $79.99 This exceptional distillery in the city of Kumamoto on the southern island of Kyushu has been distilling since 1823. They’re famous for a diverse offering of Shochus and high quality liqueurs, but a tiny portion of their production is devoted to malted rice distillation. In Japan, these old whiskies are not bottled as such, though they do meet the definition by American standards. Instead they use them to make their high-end liqueurs, which is sad for them, but GREAT for us. This new offering from Fukano Distillery showcases a blend two cask types, new oak and sherry. Same exquisite quality as previous offerings although now featuring the distinct influence of sherry along with the rich wonderful flavors we expect from Fukano.

Ohishi Japanese Whisky (750ml) $69.99 The Ohishi distillery is located on the banks of the Kuma River, one Japan’s fastest flowing rivers. The distillery was founded in 1872 and produces some of the most exciting whisky coming out of Japan. Ohishi grows at least 30% of the rice that they distill, and the fertile soils and exceptional growing climate make for some of the finest base ingredients available. The strain of rice is called “gohyakumanishi” (meaning “five million stones”), and an organic method of cultivation is utilized that requires the use of koi carp for weed control. The rest of the grain is procured from local farms in Kumamoto prefecture and is of the short grained Mochi variety. The grains are partially malted and then distilled on the traditional Japanese stills before being filled into ex-sherry and brandy casks and aged in high-altitude warehouses.

Ohishi Single Sherry Cask Japanese Whisky (750ml) $69.99 Another single sherry cask release, this is full of that soft, rich, Oloroso flavor whisky drinkers love. This cask brings in a great balanced sherry influence and definitely feels more like Scotch than our single cask from the Fukano Distillery.

COME MEET BRUICHLADDICH’S NEW HEAD DISTILLER: ADAM HANNETT

Bruichladdich Single Malt Tasting & Dinner w/Adam Hannett @ Donato $50.00

Come out to Donato Enoteca in Redwood City on Tuesday night, November 8th, at 7 PM for an unforgettable event with Bruichladdich’s young new leader Adam Hannett. We’ll have some Botanist gin cocktails for you, as well as a full three course meal along with a trip through the distillery’s core whisky range. Adam will be there to introduce himself, unveil what the future of Bruichladdich holds, and talk you through the malts as we taste them. Those who haven’t yet caught wind of how important the specific origins of barley are going to be to the future of single malt whisky will want to be hand for this one. Bruichladdich is already at the forefront of this movement and Adam is ready to continue that push forward. Once again, tickets are a ridiculous fifty dollars, so they will likely go fast. They’ll have the full line up as well as the Black Art and Octomore whiskies on hand to taste. This will be a formally scheduled event, however, so expect a guided tasting, a Q&A session, and a full presentation from the Bruichladdich team. There are no refunds once you’ve purchased your seat, so please check your schedule before committing! We’ll see you there!

That’s it for today, folks! You know where to find me if you need more help!

David Driscoll K&L Spirits Buyer daviddriscoll@klwines.com 650-556-2736 http://spiritsjournal.klwines.com

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

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 146: Auchentoshan 24 Year Old 1991 Asta Morris

Mark Dermul, Belgian Whisky blogger, tries another of his favorites. The Belgian bottler Asta Morris found a beautiful single sherry cask of his favorite Lowlander. The Auchentoshan spirit went to sleep in 1991 and was bottled at the age of 24 years, cut to a drinking strength of 50%. Meant for the Japanese company Gaia Flow, Mark feels lucky to have been able to secure a few bottles. It is a grand Auchentoshan!

https://youtu.be/KAkvP-1IjnE

Kavalan Solist

Bottled by Kavalan for their Solist series is this beautiful sherry cask matured whisky from Taiwan. 526 bottles have been filled at cask strength, without any colouring or chill-filtration.

£124.80