As my colleague Jeff Jones and I sat on the plane to Scotland this past March, I said to him, “I’d like to find some alternatives to the standard heavy peat, heavy sherry formula that we seem to have fallen into. Rather than respond to the market, I’d like to start guiding it.” I don’t think I’m alone in my appreciation for nuance, subtlety, complexity and delicacy when it comes to classic Scotch whisky. While I’ve enjoyed the last decade of fashionable trends as they pertain to single malt, I don’t know anyone out there who cut their teeth on bold, brash whiskies like the heavily sherried, cask-strength Aberlour A’Bunadh or the incredibly peaty blast of pepper that is the Bruichladdich Octomore. Most of us started with old-fashioned Scotch like Glenlivet 12 or Glenmorangie 10, then worked our way forward from there.
Lately I’ve been feeling a little nostalgic for those early days of drinking, so I decided to make that a theme for this year’s trip: getting back to basics. That not only meant the basics of classic Scotch whisky enjoyment, but also a time when whiskies were interesting, dynamic and much more affordable. Of course, we’re not in control of pricing when it comes to supply. All we can do as a retailer is find creative ways to work backward once we know the costs. As someone who’s spent the better part of two years reeling from the housing costs of the Bay Area, I was even more determined to alleviate some of the frustration that has resulted from the rising price of fine Scotch whisky. How we were going to do it, I wasn’t sure, but come hell or high water I was going to find a way.
-David Driscoll, K&L Spirits Buyer
1991 John McCrae (Balvenie) 24 Year Old “Hepburn’s Choice” Single Barrel Cask Strength Blended Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($129.99)
While it’s become common practice over the years for independent bottlers to label their single malt whiskies by distillery, there are a handful of producers who do not want their brand name to be mentioned or utilized by a competitor when selling casks to a third party company for blending use. To prevent that from happening, some producers practice what’s called “teaspooning,” meaning they add a teaspoon of a second whisky into the cask, instantly changing the whisky from a “single” malt into a “blended” malt. Once the whisky is “blended,” the name of the distillery can no longer be used on the label because it’s technically no longer a single distillery bottling. However, when you taste this single barrel of John McCrae blended malt whisky (aka teaspooned Balvenie) we’re pretty sure you’re going to be as thrilled as we are. To get a single cask of Balvenie is almost unheard of, and getting one this good for this price is a rare treat indeed. The nose is candied ginger, round vanilla, and sweet malty grains, and the palate builds into more cereal grains, dried fruits, honey, resin, and a beautiful, classic, old fashioned Highland Scotch finish of sweet biscuity malted barley. It’s the whole package from front to back and it’s naturally proofed down to 47.6% ABV. We think this will be one of the most spectacular deals of the year for fans of both Balvenie and delicious, no frills malt whisky.
Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: August 18, 2016
This is an interesting and lovely whiskey. There is a nice balance between fruit and malt flavors. It is drier and slightly lighter than distillery bottlings of Balvenie but offers the same high quality.The John Mccrae is a very good whiskey and should please most single malt drinkers.
Andrew Stevens | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: August 16, 2016
This bottle is ridiculous on so many different levels (and I mean this in a good way). First and foremost, it is ridiculously good, it is 24 year old whiskey that is complex and full of fruit. There is a subtly smoke that completely enhances the whiskey and notes of spice on the finish. The second reason this is ridiculous is that it is essentially Balvenie that has had a “teaspoon” of another whiskey added so as to not be true 100% Balvenie whiskey. It is also less sweet and richer than other Balvenie I have tried. The final reason is that with all of this amazing goodness going on it is $130, that price is simply ridiculous.
David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: August 11, 2016
Teaspooned Balvenie for a HOT price. Don’t sleep on this guy because it really is the quintessential great bottle of Scotch. Everything is in perfect harmony, the fruits, the richness, the grains, and the texture. It’s a smooth, supple, oily, and remarkable cask we managed to find and I think once you taste it you’ll be thinking about how many more you can afford to squirrel away for later.
1991 Glen Keith 24 Year Old “Hepburn’s Choice” Single Sherry Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($89.99)
This single sherry butt cask of Glen Keith is another K&L “refill” selection, meaning we purposely looked for whisky that had been matured in sherry casks that had been used previously. The result of refill aging is that the whisky still takes on some of the richer, fruity, sherry-esque flavors, but much more mildly, helping to maintain the integrity of the inherent malt character. In looking for delicious Scotch whisky that tasted like old-fashioned Scotch whisky, we came upon this outstanding Glen Keith: a Speyside distillery that’s part of the Chivas portfolio. The whisky is classic Highland in style. The nose explodes with cereal grains, apricots and pear, vanilla, and the faintest hint of almond. The palate shows a bit of rich Oloroso character briefly before giving way to the more standard dried stone fruit flavors and supple, malty deliciousness. It’s the price, however, that really grabs your attention: 24 year old, cask strength, single barrel, Speyside single malt for $89.99??!! Sherry-aged, no less! Thank goodness it was a big barrel because we’re sure this is going to be quite popular.
David Othenin-Girard | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: August 24, 2016
This is almost the perfect Speyside malt in my opinion, a true Speysider in style, meaning elegant, herbal, floral, and ultra balanced. 24 years old (nearly 25) – Refill sherry, so right out of the gate we’re getting the wonderful juicy fruit on the nose. The palate is sweet floral honey and a wonderful rich mineral ton, with a slight fudginess on the finish. One tiny drop of water heightens the flavors gloriously and at this price is absolutely unacceptable to miss this one.
Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: August 18, 2016
This is a joyful and delicious single malt. In the nose there are rich and soft malty aromas. This leads to juicy and pretty flavors. The sherry aging is integrated and does not dominate but adds complexity.
David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: August 11, 2016
Our goal this year was to definitely shock the market and get people excited about old fashioned Scotch once again. I think this is about as exciting of a deal as we can offer: 24 year old cask strength, sherry-aged Highland single malt for less than a hundred bucks! Here we get nothing out of the ordinary, just rich grains, hints of sherry, sweet vanilla, and soft fruit. If you thought top shelf Scotch had been priced out of reach, we’re back to save the day.
1998 Royal Brackla 17 Year Old “Hepburn’s Choice” Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky (750ml) ($59.99)
The Royal Brackla 17 year old completely caught us off guard on our recent trip to Scotland. We’d of course heard of the Bacardi-owned distillery, known for its role in blended whiskies, but we’d never tasted one quite like this. Joining us for the first time this year during the meeting was Hunter Laing’s master blender Tom Aitken who used to blend for Dewar’s back when Bacardi first bought the brand. Tasting samples with a veteran who understands the inner workings and the history behind some of these lesser-known distilleries is invaluable. Tom explained that former owner Diageo used the distillery as a sort of experimental lab during the nineties. They made all sorts of different styles back then apparently and the quality could be wildly variant. This particular cask was absolutely stunning. It was straw colored and light to the eye, but packed with so much flavor it was deceiving. There were definitely phenolic elements at play; very subtle hints of peat that worked as an undercurrent to all the sweet stone fruit and vanilla. The combination of grain and fruit was like a burst of classic malt goodness, but on the finish it turned savory with hints of sage brush and white pepper. All in all, this is an incredibly dynamic malt for the price and a great introduction to the distillery for newcomers. Bacardi has since turned Royal Brackla into its own single malt brand that should be on American shelves soon.
David Othenin-Girard | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: August 24, 2016
What little Brackla we see on the secondary market is typically overpriced and under performing. This creamy little cask is NEITHER of those, instead it’s ultra affordable with maximum drinkability. This is what I’d easily categorize as a summer whisky. Fresh and open, but not boring. Creamy fruit all the way but not just one note the whole way through. Tons of citrus and meaty fruit, great vanilla and malty grain. A real treat to cheat the heat!
Andrew Stevens | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: August 23, 2016
In the embarrassment of riches coming from Scotland to us, there are always a few bottles that just absolutely stand out for me. On this incredible wave of whisky the 17-year-old Royal Brackla is one of those bottles. This distillery is owned by Bacardi and most of it goes into Dewars, so it is super rare to see any of it by itselfbut of course the geek factor of this only works if what is in the bottle is any good. It very much is good, in fact it is so good that one is almost forced to wonder why we are selling it at this price. The secret is that we can sell it as this price and so we choose to do that rather than be another place that overcharges due to high demand for whisky. On the nose there is almost a maple bar sweetness with notes of peat and orange peel. Elegant smoke balances the peat and salted notes and leads to a spice finish that is super smooth. This whisky is way to good to miss out on so I would recommend that you do not.
Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: August 19, 2016
I am really happy to see this product arrive. It is one of the single malts that stayed foremost in my mind from the buying trip I took to Scotland with David Driscoll. It is a bright , fresh and lively single malt that is maltly and complex with a subtle hint of smoke. Highly recommended.
Uberach “Assemblage” Alsace Single Malt Whisky (750ml) ($59.99)
The special single malt of Alsace is a recreation of an age of tradition of distilling beer in the region. Jean Metzger is the force behind this very special malt, which is without a doubt the finest whisky being produced in France today. Alsace whisky has recently been afforded an official AOC, but Metzger has been producing whisky in Uberach for more than a decade. The distillery has always been considered one of France’s finest, renowned for their exacting distillation of perfectly ripened local fruits, but, with the help of local Brasserie, Jean Metzger had a vision of transitioning into a new era. Now they distill only malted barley. Using organic pilsner malt, about 1/3 of which is very lightly peated, Metzger adds the purest water in France sourced from the legendary Vosges Nature Reserve. The beer is fermented using the brewer’s yeast from the organic brewery down the way to about 6% abv. It is then meticulously distilled twice in tiny traditional Alsatian copper pots before being filled into either Vin Jaune, Rivasalte, Rasteau, new French oak or Banyuls casks. Each of these unique barrels provides a completely different flavor after maturation. This small batch is a selection from some of the distillery’s older stocks (around 6 years old), of reused french oak barrel and a second use Banyuls cask, selected and bottled by hand exclusively for K&L Wine Merchants. Expect big powerful aromas of ripe pear, candied yellow plum, and malty grains. Only 160 bottles.
Andrew Stevens | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: June 19, 2016
In the spirit of finding exciting new whiskey from non established whiskey places we bring you an excellent single malt from Alsace. A fruity, rich nose on the whiskey leads to a medium body with some vanilla, golden baked apple notes and a touch of baking spice. Medium heat and a somewhat spicy finish can be calmed down with a little water. Now I have another reason to love alcohol coming from Alsace.
Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: June 10, 2016
I think that this whisky should be in every whisky lover’s collection. It is delicious, interesting and a little different. There are pretty delicate floral aromas that almost cherry eau-de-vie like. In the mouth it is complex and soft with malt and fruit like nuances.
Hedgehog Single Grain French Whisky (750ml) ($44.99)
Theater lovers from across France congregate each summer to enjoy the Hérisson’s cultural gifts. Here, in the department of Allier – the center of France and the historic realm of the Duke of Bourbon – another gift awaits those who seek it. It was the Honorable Mr. Balthazar who, in 1983, decided to create a product of the region that captured its essence. Allier is renowned for two products, grain and oak. Together these two special ingredients make something that hadn’t been produced in the region in modern times, whisky! The Duchy of Bourbon would indeed inspire another great whisky to be created, The Hedgehog. Mr. Balthazar begins with the finest organic corn grown within miles of the distillery. These are then milled with locally malted barley and mixed with a small amount of milled local rye. In the American style, the entire wort – with no filtration – is fermented slowly over 10-14 day fermentation. A double distillation in a copper pot and filling at 60% ABV into new barrels fashioned from the famous Tronçais oak. These barrels, used by the world’s great wine and cognac producers, are the most sought-after in the industry. After one year in these new casks, the whisky is transferred for a minimum of 3 years into ex-cognac barrels where it mellows and matures. The result is one of the most unique spirits available anywhere in the world and K&L is the exclusive US purveyor of this fine whisky. We received a tiny allocation.
Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: June 12, 2016
This Whiskey is interesting, flavorful and off the beaten path.It has a mixture of grain, malt and spice aromas.In the mouth it is soft and dry with the influence of the wood showing itself with some spice flavors. One could say that there are cognac, single malt and bourbon influences in this delicious drink.
Michel Couvreur “Peaty Overaged” K&L Exclusive Malt Whisky (750ml) ($82.99)
The chance to work with Michel Couvreur on a special K&L whisky project was something that David and I had been dreaming of for years. We had heard the stories. This crazy Belgian had moved to Burgundy in the ’60s, carved out a wine cellar inside a mountain, only to fill it with Scottish single malt whisky instead of Pinot Noir. He set up camp in Beaune, ordered new-make spirit to be delivered by tanker, and drove down to Jerez himself, selecting his own sherry butts to insure only the finest quality casks for his contracted spirit. Unfortunately, Michel Couvreur passed away in 2013 from pancreatic cancer, thus ending the career of one of the industry’s most courageous pioneers. Luckily for us, however, apprentice Jean-Arnaud has carried on after studying under Michel for more than a decade. When we visited the underground cave, we were all in total awe. The tunnels of dripping stone go on forever, and the amount of whisky stored in this secret lair is jawdropping. We put our trust completely in Jean-Arnaud and are happy we did. Our peated version of the incredible sherry expression is a seamless creation that drinks like the best version of Johnnie Black ever, mixed with the most supple and soft expressions of Macallan. It’s a lush, unfiltered, creamy, caramel-laden dream of a whisky composed only of malts 12 years and older. There’s a bit of peat on the finish, but the soft sherry is the star. (NOTE: do NOT cut the hard wax seal, tap it so that it breaks)
Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: July 25, 2016
This Michel Couvreur Malt Whiskey is a perfect marriage of smoke and sherry aged spirit. There is a nice amount of smoke aromas and flavors that are integrated well with the richness from the sherry barrels. On top of this it is complex and will surprise and delight.
Andrew Stevens | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: July 24, 2016
For those who missed out on the Compass Box “5th and Harrison” K&L Exclusive, for those who are starting to realize how good blended whiskey can be, or for those who simply love good Scotch here is a bottle for you. From Michel Couvreur comes a truly beautiful peated smoky whisky that is elegant, balanced, smooth, and just so good. A rich nose resplendent with notes of caramel, toffee and a hint of butterscotch lead to a full, rich Scotch. There is a lot of good baked fruit notes here with the peat accenting them and swaddled in smooth smokey notes. Despite the richness of this whiskey it is well balanced and never feels to full of itself and leads the palate to a lovely soft finish that fades slowly. Get a bottle of this now and buy another for a gift. This is completely worth it.
David Othenin-Girard | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: October 14, 2014
The magnificence that is Michel Couvreur has always been clear, but it wasn’t until we stepped into the special cave, carved out of the rock, in Bouze-Les-Beaune that you can full appreciate the incredible endeavor in process at this fine producer. While this is by definition NOT scotch, because it is aged outside of the country, the old school practices utilized at here are unusual back in Scotland. The fact that these guys literally drive to Jerez to pick out fresh sherry casks (from Equipos Navazos no less) is totally unique in modern times. In fact, no producer of malt whisky is getting access to fresher barrels than these guys. Despite not being able to use the famous moniker, does not preclude this from being one of the most authentic and absolutely delicious malts on the market. Stupendous depth and complexity even at 86 proof, while the sherry is toned down from the standard version a subtle fino/amontillado quality exists in the back ground. This is pointed by a fabulous smokey sweetness, which hints at the source whisky. Maybe an island somewhere, maybe a drop of Islay, wildly high-quality Highland whisky with a French sensibility. A truly unique gem.
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