SAMPLE OLD & RARE WHISKIES

Join us for an amazing night of Old & Rare Whiskies! We dug really deep into our huge range to select 5 that we consider the very best of single cask bottlings: un-filtered, un-coloured & cask strength. Where else can you find a tasting like this? Tue 15 Sept, 6.30-9pm

Details & Tickets >

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at here for membership information

This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!

Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video

Whisky Ramblings Via Video #116

Mark Dermul, Belgian Whiskyblogger, tries the new Ardbeg Perpetuum. Feis Ile is the music and whiskyfestival on Islay – a festival on which all Islay distilleries open their doors to literally thousands of fans. And of course, exclusive whisky releases are an integral part of the festival. During the latest festival, Ardbeggians could drool over the new Ardbeg Perpetuum, a release that sold out over the weekend and is now highly sought after, commanding ridiculous prices. A few months later, a general release of 72.000 bottles at a slightly lower ABV followed. Now that the hype has died down a bit, Mark puts both releases head-to-head. 

https://youtu.be/LdxOiL7OPpA

Save Lars Whisky – The Final Edition

August 2015

At last, the third and final limited fan edition of the Save Lars Whisky Trilogy has arrived!

The Save the Lars Homestead project, in which the iconic Star Wars movie location was restored by fans from around the world, was a great success. To celebrate, two of the project’s crew – Mark Dermul and Imanuel ‘Manny’ Dijk, both whisky aficionados – released 100 bottles of a wonderful Bruichladdich 20 Year Old 1990.

After searching hard and long Mark & Manny found a worthy successor and were proud to announce the Save Lars Whisky – Second Fan Edition: a fantastic Auchentoshan 24 Year Old 1989, again limited to 100 bottles. The first and second edition are now highly sought after bottles.

And now, after more than a year of searching for an exceptional cask to conclude the bespoke Save Lars Whisky Trilogy, they stumbled upon a sherry cask matured Speyside malt: Balmenach 14 Year Old 2001, bottled at a cask strength of 50,2% ABV!

Click here to find out more about this Final Fan Edition! Yes, you read that right. This is the final edition. So do not miss out on this one! It is your last chance to own one of these bespoke bottles of fine single malt in commemoration of a fantastic project.

Expected bottling date: September 2015. Expected delivery date: October/November 2015.

MAY THE MALT BE WITH YOU.

Tasting Notes

Nose: fairly sweet nose on banana and pineapple, but it is dominated by sweet malt. Some silver polish that I quite like, as if it was poured by R2-D2 on Jabba’s Sail Barge. Some pine and grain biscuits. The fruit evolves towards the candied variety. Some vanilla and gooseberries. Nice nose.

Palate: the arrival is powerful and peppery. Immediately sweet on white fruit, pineapple and some banana (although less than on the nose), but now some citrus fruit kicks in. Think grapefruit and lime. Light and fresh with a good body. This is quite enjoyable.

Finish: the finish may be short, but it is spicy with some pepper at the death.

Lovely and accessible whisky that would do well in Chalmun’s Cantina in Mos Eisley and hence a wonderful conclusion of the bespoke whisky trilogy in commemoration of the Save Lars project.

Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire – it’s finally here

A reputation is a terrible thing. You post one thing on the internet, more people than expected read it, and from that day on you are ‘that guy who likes Jack Daniel’s Honey‘.

So, when a new JD liqueur hits our shores, who’s the person who gets presented with a bottle and told to write tasting notes? That would be me. The new release in question: Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire.

Jack Daniel’s fans are an active, watchful and vocal group. Within minutes of JD producer Brown-Forman announcing a limited, experimental roll-out of a cinnamon-flavoured JD liqueur across a handful of US states last year, the questions as to when we would be stocking it started to appear. Unfortunately we couldn’t get any at the time, but suspected that the limited nature of the launch wouldn’t last long. First they expanded the release to the whole of the USA and now, only 18 months later, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire has hit our shores.

Please stop emailing us about it – you can find it here.

It’s what you’d expect – a mix of Jack Daniel’s Old No.7 and cinnamon liqueur. With the flavoured whiskey market booming and cinnamon quickly becoming the flavour of choice, it was only a matter of time before JD dipped their toes in the water. But how does it stack up?

Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire Cinnamon Whiskey Liqueur

Nose: Cinnamon fireballs and Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. Cinnamon is the focus and not much else makes its way through the spicy onslaught.

Palate: Sweet, spicy and alarmingly drinkable – much less fiery than those nose suggests. It has a big hit of cinnamon, a pleasant heat and lots of flavour, but doesn’t take the fire too far. It’s thick and oily in texture, with brown sugar and butter underneath the cinnamon and spice.

Finish: Cinnamon biscuits, more cereal and a hint of barrel char to balance out the sweetness.

Comment: While not wanting to destroy my whisky-connoisseur reputation any more than I already have, this is my favourite of the cinnamon whiskeys on the market. It’s got a concentrated cinnamon core but doesn’t go too far in terms of heat, while also having a rich, rounded and sweet background for when the heat fades.

If you want to join me in liqueur-related shame/enjoyment, then we’re offering an introductory offer of £22.95, £2 off our regular price.

Get it now, while it’s hot! [Ed – We’re done. I told you: no puns]

In these intoxicating times of neo-whisky appreciation, we cannot deny that we as a staff are consuming more single malt than ever in our thirty-plus year history. The world has rediscovered its love affair with Scotch and our motivation to bring K&L customers the best whisky deals possible has never been stronger. But that level of consumption does not come without a price. The Scottish whisky industry has seen its star rise over the last decade, but there have been and will continue to be casualties of that success. When you drink whisky faster than the distilleries can age it, shortages arise. In the case of Glendronach, perhaps our favorite Highland distillery and one of our closest partners, the iconic sherry-aged whisky has recently announced the discontinuation of the 15 year expression; one of the most popular whiskies we sell. They’re hoping to get production back online in 2018, but for the time being we’re planning on a three year gap. What we have left is all she wrote, so if you’re a fan of the dark, supple, rich and round character of the Glendronach single malt, now is the time to load up.

Glendronach 15 year old “Revival” Distillery Bottling Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($89.99)

93 points Whisky Advocate: “Deeper, richer, more viscous, and more intriguing than the 12 year old (and not as sappy as the 18 year old). Complex and intriguing, with raisin, orange marmalade, grape skin, sugar plum, cinnamon bun, raspberry preserve, mixed nuts, and coal ash. Nice tannic grip on the finish. The best of the bunch, and very impressive! (Summer 2010) Reviewed by: John Hansell”

K&L Notes: Distillery notes: “Renowned amongst many whisky enthusiasts around the world, this remarkable and full bodied malt is matured for a minimum of 15 years in the finest Oloroso sherry casks. Bottled at 46%, the GlenDronach Revival is non chill filtered and of natural colour. A truly excellent single malt. Appearance: Deep gold with a lovely mahogany heart. Nose: Incredible concentration of aromas. Treacle toffee and chocolate orange. Palate: A very dynamic and full bodied dram for its age. Chewy with coffee chocolate and treacle scones. Conclusions: A veritable feast to enliven the senses.”
href=”http://www.klwines.com/PersonalReviews/Bio?PRID=163&ReviewerType=S”>David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: April 19, 2015

Big rich sherry flavor for those who like their single malt dark like coffee.

James Knight | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: June 05, 2014

I like Scotch ale, the “wee heavy” beer, and I like this Glendronach 15-year “Revival.” It’s more than a wee bit richer than the 12. It’s spicy, and smoky; candy apples smoking cigarettellos at a pumpkin pie party. Comparisons? Here’s my take: Spicier than Glendronach 12; not quite as intense as Aberlour A’bunadh….but getting there. Way more fiery than Macallan 12, but super sherried and rich. A sort of Lagavulin 16 ashiness on the palate, perhaps. A powerfully inviting detour.

While the older Glendronach whiskies are becoming scarce, that doesn’t mean our friends in Scotland aren’t working on bolder, younger expressions of supreme quality. Glendronach recently released batch three of their cask strength series and we couldn’t have been more blown away by the whisky. While there will be subsequent releases of the cask strength edition over the next few years, supplies will be limited and infrequent. Grab what you can while it’s here!

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

Whisky of the Month

To celebrate our sponsorship of The Glenturret Music Tent at the Crieff Highland Gathering earlier in August, we are offering a complimentary tasting glass with every purchase of our Whisky of the Month; The Famous Crieff Limited Edition carton which celebrates The Famous Grouse brand home in Crieff. You can get your bottle and complimentary glass here for only £20!

GET ‘EM WHILE YOU CAN!

THINGS WE FOUND IN OUR CELLAR

Every now and then we have a rummage through our cellars, and sure enough each time we find something we’d either forgotten we had or indeed something we’d managed to lose. Mostly it’s discarded window displays and glassware, but once in a blue moon we find some whisky! Usually put in the wrong place by a new member of staff and then covered in boxes of Christmas decorations. In the spirit of discovering lost bottles we thought we’d draw your attention to our latest cellar haul. These bottles are all sadly discontinued and what we have is very much the last of what is available, so get ’em whilst you can! Of particular note is the GlenDronach 15 Year Old which has been officially discontinued until at least 2018, a shop favourite and soon to be sorely missed.

GlenDronach Revival 15 Year Old, 46%

Sadly discontinued for approximately three years, and hopefully not permanently, due to dwindling aged whisky stocks at GlenDronach. The 15 Year Old has been a firm favourite with staff for many years, indeed there has never been a member of staff who hasn’t loved this malt! The Glendronach 15 year old is a masterclass in sherried excellence. Perfect for those just getting into whisky and the connoseiur alike. The delicious sweetness is beautifully tempered by the rich spicy sherry influence.

£60

Springbank 21 Year Old, Claret Wood, 46%

We picked this Springbank up from the distillery itself in May this year. This 21 Year Old has been matured in ex-Bordeaux wine casks, lending the whisky notes of cassis fruits alongside that Springbank oiliness and fresh estery fruit!

£450

Ardbeg Perpetuum, 47.4%

This release from Ardbeg celebrates the 200th anniversary of this idiosyncratic Islay distillery. The nose conjures images of waves crashing into the Islay shoreline as hazy peat smoke rolls over the horizon. The palate is dominated by grapefruit zest followed by vanilla and black pepper. The finish is long and succulent with a distinct salinity and a warm smoky character.

£84.95

Old Pulteney 35 Year Old, 42.5%

Released in 2014 to much acclaim. This superb aged Old Pulteney is presented in a beautiful porthole box. Spiced orange, dried lemon peel and rancio notes are complemented by overtones of salty leather, stewed apple and allspice.

£450

George T Stagg Bourbon, 2014 Release, 69.1%

We’ve done well this year, sourcing lots of hard to find Bourbon – from Parker’s Heritage though to Pappy Van Winkle. The most luck we’ve had is finding lots of various editions of George T Stagg. Hidden in the wrong box at the back of our cellar were a few more of the most excellent 2014 edition. These should tide you over until this year’s release in the autumn!

£189.95

Wild Turkey – the true taste of Kentucky

The Wild Turkey distillery was opened in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, in 1869

Associate distiller Eddie Russell led a tasting of his Wild Turkey range at our Vinopolis shop earlier this month. As well as taking us through his excellent range of whiskeys, Eddie talked about how his father Jimmy still rules the roost at the age of 80, and what he likes to drink when he’s not sipping bourbon…

Eddie Russell, associate distiller at Wild Turkey

IN THEIR OWN WORDS – EDDIE RUSSELL

‘My dad Jimmy refers to me as “the new guy” – he’s been here more than 60 years’

‘When I started out, I thought I’d get a nice big office and a good-looking secretary – instead I was stacking casks and rolling barrels! It wasn’t very nice but my dad was teaching me the business from the bottom up’

‘Elijah Craig was selling bourbon as a medicinal drink. Well, there must have been a lot of sick people around!’

‘In the 1960s, people started drinking white spirits and bartenders started making those pretty drinks with umbrellas in them, so a lot of distillers started lowering their proofs and taking the rye out of their mashbill to lighten their whiskey and make it more like vodka’

‘We have never revealed our mashbill, and we never will. I’ve still seen it on the internet a few times, though!’

‘What do I think of craft distilleries? “Craft” is basically a marketing word…’

‘I heard that Jim Rutledge of Four Roses is retiring – that’s BS; he ain’t retiring! He’ll still be there; he just won’t travel!’

‘Other than whiskey, I like Tequila, rum, and a good red wine with a good piece of meat, but I try not to tell Jimmy any of that stuff – he just drinks bourbon, iced tea and water’

‘Our company held a big party because they thought that Jimmy was going to retire at 65. The first thing he said was “I ain’t retiring”, and he’s going to be 81 this year!’

‘There’s only us and Maker’s Mark who don’t make whiskey for other people’

 We tasted

Wild Turkey 81 Proof – soft, sweet and spicy; great all-rounder.

Wild Turkey 101 – big-boned bourbon with ramped-up spice. Delicious.

Wild Turkey Rare Breed – the pick of the bunch – great balance, bags of flavour, superb.

Wild Turkey 17yo Master’s Keep – Eddie’s pet project, fresh and savoury. Keep an eye out for this one; we’re hoping to acquire a few bottles…

Wild Turkey Rye – much softer than other ryes. Elegant and refined.

Wild Turkey American Honey – less sweet than expected – a good thing!

Best #TWETASTING Tweet

Alan Jessup-Peacock @BullJet

 Wild Turkey 101 next, like a bigger, better version of 81. Spiced toffee apples stand out for me, a warming bourbon easily drunk.

Whisky of the night

Without a doubt: Wild Turkey Rare Breed. An abundance of sweet and rich fruit, loaded with spices and honey. A big dram, but very drinkable. The pick of the bunch. Here’s our tasting note:

Nose: Plenty of plump raisins and sultanas, with heady notes of ground almond and marzipan. There’s also the clean fruitiness of green apple to balance things out plus some spice in the form of white pepper to lift the aromas.

Palate: Rich, sweet and spicy – baked apples drenched in honey, dried fruit and cinnamon. Rich texture, mouthcoating and very seductive.

Finish: The rich spiciness and sweetness lingers, with everything in balance.

Comment: A superb bourbon, this overdelivers in terms of the sweet fruit and spice, but it never feels cloying or heavy. Great balance.

As expected, Eddie was a great host, and gave a great insight into the world of bourbon, not just Wild Turkey. The key message he conveyed was that despite the raft of experimental whiskeys out there, his company is about keeping things both simple and traditional – they leave all that new-fangled stuff to others…

Game Set and Cask for Distillery’s Own

From royalty to movie stars, The Famous Grouse Experience has this week, played yet another ace in naming its range exclusive Bottle Your Own Casks after a glorious array of Famous Perthshire Citizens. Global tennis star, Andy Murray, will take to centre court this month as the third in its Famous line-up. Read the full story here.

This week Joe Ellis reviews Glen Elgin 12 Year Old.

https://youtu.be/NfdfvxZ9Aek

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