• Lagavulin 12 Year Old 2014 Edition Natural Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($105.99) Lagavulin’s string of 12 year old releases has always begged the question from consumers: why is the 12 year old forty dollars more than the older 16 year expression? Good question! For one, the Lagavulin 16 is made in gigantic quantities and sold in every liquor store from San Francisco to Shanghai, making it a competitively-priced product. On top of that, the 12 year old is bottled at cask strength and not produced in nearly as high of a volume. Fans of the distillery have long lusted for a higher-proofed version of their beloved Islay legend, and Diageo has sought to pacify that demand with the lovely 12 year expression. The 2014 release is bottled at 54.4% and is a golden straw color. The nose is simply perfect: smoke, salted caramel, vanilla, and the sea. The palate lives up to the aromas and explodes with campfire smoke, nougat, white pepper, and medicinal peat notes that linger for minutes after you’ve coated your stomach with warmth. Tasting t he 12 next to the 16, there’s no doubt as to why one is more expensive than the other. Yet more proof that age can be incredibly deceiving.

• Oban Little Bay Limited Edition Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($72.99) It’s not often we see the classic malts of Diageo expand into new releases of their iconic whiskies, but the Oban Little Bay marks that very occasion. Aged in smaller casks to increase the ratio of wood to whisky, the influence is perceptable in the weight of the Little Bay and not so much the flavor (which is a welcome relief!). There is no toasty quarter cask flavor, but rather a soft and supple nose of stonefruit and a rounded, mellow mouthful of dried apricots with just a bit of phenolics on the finish. Those looking for bold flavor should look towards Lagavulin or the other Diageo classic malts because this is yet another gentle dram from Oban; as it should be.

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

Dare to be honest and fear no labour.  The spirit behind these words – taken from the pen of Scottish bard and renowned whisky lover Robert Burns – has been at the heart of our business since we started making whisky nearly fifteen years ago.  

Like the great poet himself, we have always aimed to learn from the past without being enslaved by it.  And there is surely no better example of this than our Great King Street Glasgow Blend – a whisky inspired by the artisan recipes of 19th century blending houses but reinvigorated with the technical expertise of a 21st century whiskymaker.

Glasgow Blend harks back to a golden age of whiskymaking that Burns himself would recognise to create a style of whisky that nobody else is even trying to create today.  You will find full-blooded flavour, complex character and a rich, indulgent body – perfect for enjoying neat, with your Burns’ Night feast or in a celebratory cocktail.

Twice the Spice

Sometimes the most straightforward combinations are the best. And in our estimation, it’s hard to beat the warm-reeking’ spice of haggis alongside the rich pepper, clove and ginger notes of Spice Tree this Burns Night.  You can read more about how we create the distinctively complex Spice Tree character here but as for the haggis, let’s just say some mysteries are perhaps best left unsolved.

Win a signed copy of The Manual

We love to explore progressive approaches to enjoying whisky.  So this Burns Night, we’re asking for your help to find new ways to enjoy our range.  Simply visit our facebook page, tell us how you’ll be using your favourite Compass Box whisky in your Burns Night celebrations and we’ll send a signed copy of Dave Broom’s inspirational Whisky: The Manual to whoever comes up with the most imaginative suggestion.

Springbank 18 Year Old Burns Malt

Every Burns Supper has its own special form and flavor. Why not make one of our very own Burns Malts yours on Sunday 25th January. Freedom and whisky gang thegither!

Springbank 18 Year Old $116.92

Ireland – Irish

• John L. Sullivan 10 Year Old Irish Whiskey 750ml ($36.99)

Scotland – Irish and Blended Scotch

• Black Bottle Blended Islay Scotch Whisky 750ml – 6 available ($19.99)

Scotland – Single Malt Scotch

• Cardhu 12 year old Distillery Bottling 750ml ($49.99)

• Clynelish 14 Year Old Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($49.99)

• Dalwhinnie Distiller’s Edition Oloroso Cask Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($84.99)

• Longrow 18 year old, Campbeltown Single Malt Whisky 750ml (Previously $200) – 6 available ($179.99)

• Talisker 25 Year Old Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 6 available ($549.99)

• 1985 Talisker 28 Year Old Maritime Edition Isle of Skye Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 5 available ($599.99)

• Talisker 30 year old Isle of Skye Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 4 available ($749.99)

United States – Bourbon and Rye

• Tuthilltown Hudson Baby Bourbon (375ml) – 12 available ($42.99)

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

THIS IS A SPECIAL YEAR IN OUR LONDON STORE 2015 Marks the 20th anniversary of Cadenhead’s Whisky Shop in London.

When we opened in Covent Garden 20 years ago nobody expected whisky to become the world wide success that we have seen it become today. It’s strange to see how the whiskies we sold 20 years ago become so collectable and expensive today on some collectors sites & auctions, what we offer as ordinary has become extraordinary. So lets have a look at some new iconic vintages due out very soon…

DEMOLISHED BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

After a long wait the much wanted St. Magdalene is finally due out by the end of this month, I am told along with a few others under the Authentic range. This 32 Year old vintage from the long dismantled lowland distillery is going to be gone very fast, we can only allow 1 bottle per customer due to the already high demand. St. Magdalene distillery was opened in the late 1800s on the site of a former leper colony that dated back to the 1100s, the distillery was one of the first to have a licence to distil, sadly like so many others it was closed during the 1980s. When the distillery closed in 1983 the site was soon snapped up by developers who converted most of the distillery into housing but using the structure of the distillery rather than demolish and build again, mainly due to the historic significance of the site and protection of the buildings.

Imperial Distillery 1977 37 Year Old – 70cl / 53.5% Small Batch

Next on the list is Imperial 1977 vintage 37 years old, this is a dram that’s lost no power given its age. Founded in 1897 during the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, I think we can safely guess its name was in no small part down to the jubilee. The distillery has closed several times but finally closed this century 2000 the site was fully cleared by 2012/13 with plans for a new distillery to be built on the site but it can’t be Imperial.

Speyside’s Finest 100th Anniversary

50 year old 1964 vintage distilled at Glenfarclas Distillery. Single cask bottled on 18th December 2014 to mark the 100th anniversary of Fred Douglas Laing – founder of Douglas Laing & Co.

Glenfarclas 50 Year Old $453.37

This week Joe Ellis carries on his vertical tasting of the Springbank whiskies and reviews Hazelburn CV

http://youtu.be/Kh5I-iT2PIA

http://Twitter.com/whiskytube

https://www.facebook.com/whiskytube

Benrinnes 21 Year Old Distillery Edition Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 3 available ($399.99)

Cragganmore 25 Year Old Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 6 available ($499.99

Macallan Royal Wedding Malt Whisky – 1 available ($4,999.99)

Port Ellen 35 Year Old Distillery Edition Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 5 available ($3,099.99)

Rosebank 21 Year Old 2014 Special Release Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 3 available ($449.99)

The Singleton of Glendullan 38 Year Old Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 6 available ($1,199.99)

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

www.ralfy.com tells you a bit about it because we all need to look after our whisky collections !  . . . with Whisky Review 515 – looking after your whisky collection.

Highland Queen 1561 30 Year Old Blended Whisky 40% ABV | 70cl

Save over 40% (RRP £120.00) IWSC Gold Medal Winner 2014 Highland Queen 1561 has been produced using traditional cask maturation, where the malt and grain whiskies are blended together and then recasked into barrels for further maturation for a period of at least six months. This allows the whiskies to marry together perfectly to give us an incredibly smooth blended whisky. This is a superb example of a vintage, traditionally produced super premium Scotch whisky. “The result we leave, with confidence to your judgement”   Tasring Notes. The sweetness from the sherry cask comes through on the nose, together with notes of butterscotch, leather and spices. We can also detect hints of cinnamon and apple. In the mouth the whisky is exceptionally smooth and elegant, there are hints of smoke and an underlying flavor of cinnamon apple crumble. The finish is long and elegant.

Price:£58.33 ex VAT £70.00 inc VAT