www.ralfy.com re-visits an old peaty monster with Whisky Review 571 – Lagavulin 16yo re-reviewed

Macallan 25 year old Platinum Old and Rare

Beware: This price might blow you away!  A single cask Macallan whisky bottled at 44.8% volume. Distilled in 1989 and bottled in 2014, it’s a sweet, smooth and rounded Macallan whisky with a soft, lingering finish.  One of only 188 bottles. Was £560. Save £191
In stock and available for immediate delivery.

£369 Click to buy

Glenfarclas 1967 Family Casks Release W15

Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

 $1,079.79

Glenfarclas 1967 Family Casks Release Winter 2015 Speyside single malt Scotch whiskey. Single cask sherry butt #6356 bottled August 2015. 520 bottles. Glenfarclas Distillery was established by Robert Hay in Speyside in 1836. John Grant purchased Glenfarclas in 1865 and it has remained in the ownership of the Grant family ever since. The interior of the visitor centre is stunning, the walls are lined with the original oak panels salvaged from a lounge on the liner SS Empress of Australia when she was scrapped 1952. Ace sherry casks underpin the ethos of Glenfarclas malt whisky, having released its first cask strength single malt way back in 1968 and in 1973 became the third to open a distillery visitor centre. Glenfarclas Distillery participates in the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival.

Glenmorangie Milsean – sweet drams are made of this

Launched in 2010, Glenmorangie’s Private Edition series has given a home to the experiments Dr Bill Lumsden, Glenmorangie’s director of distilling and whisky creation, had been carrying out on a smaller scale for many years. Starting with what Dr Bill described as a ‘safe bet’, Sonnalta was the first incarnation, finished in Pedro Ximénez casks. These were followed by increasingly experimental cask types: Finealta (lightly peated whisky aged in a combination of sherry and virgin-oak casks), Artein (Italian red wine), Ealanta (virgin oak) and Companta (French red wine), while last year’s Tùsail veering away from the usual theme, with the focus on the variety of barley. For 2016, things have returned to 2014’s theme, with the use of red-wine casks, this time from Portugal – introducing Glenmorangie Milsean.

Dr Bill Lumsden at the launch of the seventh Glenmorangie Private Edition – Milsean

Dr Bill’s inspiration behind the seventh Private Edition was to create a whisky reminiscent of the flavours you’d find in a sweet shop. The packaging is styled on a striped sweet bag, the name Milsean is Gaelic for ‘sweet things’, and at the launch we were treated to a goody bag in the truest sense – pick ‘n’ mix, to help us pick out flavours in the whisky. The casks used formerly held Portuguese red wine, and were toasted in Scotland with a live flame to bring out the sweeter notes in the wood. A total of 269 barriques were filled with bourbon-cask-aged Glenmorangie which, as per the other previous cask-finished releases, is similar in style to the 10 Year Old Original recipe.

Brendan McCarron, Dr Bill Lumsden’s successor in waiting

This year’s Private Edition is notable for being the first major Glenmorangie project for Brendan McCarron, who has assumed part of Dr Bill’s role as head of maturing whisky stocks, and is set to eventually succeed him. One of his first jobs was to assess samples from the 269 barriques. The intention was to finish the whisky in the casks for five years, but after two and a half, it became apparent that it was at its peak and in danger of going too far. The final blend of 154 barriques was therefore removed from wood as soon as was practical and married in a vat for the final six months before it was bottled in October last year. Thus Milsean became the 2016 release, rather than the 2018 as originally envisaged.

Previous Private Editions have had mixed reviews from Jim Murray, ranging from the 70s to 97.5 points and title of World Whisky of the Year for Ealanta in 2014. The early marrying of this year’s release allowed him time to try it for the 2016 Whisky Bible, awarding it 94 points. Here’s what I thought:

Glenmorangie Milsean, 46%

Nose: Overtly fruity and sweet in character with orange, dolly mixtures and lemon sherbet.

Palate: Warm and spicy at first sip, then the sweet fruit comes through, with cherry, mango, plum, orange, grapefruit, lemon sherbet, coconut and ginger all complementing the oily texture.

Finish: Medium in length, with the fruitiness only superseded by ginger spice at the very finale.

Comment: Another excellent Private Edition release, the wine casks have added an exceptional amount of fruitiness. It is very sweet, but this is tempered by the spicy ginger also present.

Glenmorangie Milsean is now available from The Whisky Exchange, priced at £75.95. If you like sweeter styles of whisky, this is definitely one for you.

Strathisla 1967 Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

$551.32

Strathisla 1967 vintage Speyside single malt Scotch whiskey. Matured in First fill Sherry butts, bottled 2015 by Gordon & MacPhail. Strathisla Distillery was founded in 1786 and is one of the oldest working distilleries in Scotland. Strathisla Distillery was built on the site of a brewery on the banks of the River Isla in Scotland’s Speyside whisky region. Now equipped with two pagoda roofs over the old malt kilns, classical stone walls and slate roofs, a water wheel now catching your gaze from the front wall and pulling you into the splendid heather garden of this iconic Scottish distillery. Strathisla Distillery welcomes visitors at the distillery visitor centre where tours of the distillery are available. Strathisla Distillery participates in the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival.

Macallan 21 year old Fine Oak

Our favourite ever Macallan whisky – crafted using both bourbon and sherry casks, this Speyside delight has also been triple-distilled. It offers flavours of soft, rich fruit mixed with a touch of treacle. Delicious! Orders will be dispatched week commencing 1st February. Was £280.  Save £51

£229 Click to buy

This week Joe Ellis reviews Cragganmore 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

https://youtu.be/M2Kh3IN8Okw

http://Twitter.com/whiskytube

https://www.facebook.com/whiskytube

Brora 37 year old – 2015

Introducing one of the most collectable whiskies of 2015 at a price that will make you ask, “How many can I buy?” We have a limited amount of bottles left, so orders will be sold on a first come first served basis. Give your whisky collection a head start with this rare Highland gem. Was £1300 Save £174. In stock and available for immediate delivery.

£1126 Click to buy

Since 1936, Ian Macleod Distillers, through its dedication to tradition and quality, has amassed an unrivaled cask stock from Scotland’s many distilleries. This enviable collection includes extremely rare malts, some from closed or mothballed distilleries. The Chieftain’s collection hallmark is that each bottling must be fit for a King, a Leader or,  in the Celtic world, a Chieftain. The small batch releases of Chieftain’s are selected for the Spring and Autumn collections each year with a variety of distilleries, vintages, wood maturations and strengths. Please welcome Chieftain’s Run #9.

1996 Fettercairn 19 yr, Highland (Oloroso Finish) 57.4%

Nose:  Cottonseed, green apple, marzipan nougat Palate:  Creamy, soft spice of cinnamon and nutmeg Finish:  Long with sweet toffee and light spice.

1997 Mortlach 18 yr, Speyside (PX Cask Finish) 46%

 Nose:  Heavy sweet sherry nutty Palate:  Creamy sweet sherry, hazelnuts, walnuts and tar Finish:  Sherry-ed malt moving to a creamy nutty finish

1996 Braeval 19 yr, Speyside (Beaune Cask Finished) 46%

Nose:  Toffee, nougat, wood tones with vanilla Palate:  Creamy, bright spicy anise, vanilla Finish:  Lingering with a blended mix of flavors and slight peat

1997 Linkwood 17 yr, Speyside (Oloroso Finish) 46%

Nose:  Light tar, sherry and wood tone Palate:  Sweet malt, nutty, some camphor Finish:  Spicy malt finishing sweet

1995 Glen Grant 20 yr, Speyside (Bourbon Finish) 55.1%

Nose:  Light and fruity, soft malt Palate:  Fruity, moving to a creamy toffee flavor with sweet malt. Finish:  Mouth-coating with a sweet, spicy malt finish

ImpEx Beverages Inc.

360 Swift Ave

Side B # 9

South San Francisco, CA 94080

Scotland

Bruichladdich Octomore 7.3 Heavily Peated Islay Single Malt Whisky (750ml) $169.99

1997 Glen Grant 20 Year Old Chieftain’s Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky (750ml) $139.99

Kilchoman Madeira Cask Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)  $119.99

K&L Wine Merchants
http://www.klwines.com
Phone: 877-KLWines (toll free 877-559-4637)
Email: wine@klwines.com
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA