THE HEBRIDEAN WHISKY FESTIVAL

4TH-13TH SEPTEMBER 2025

It’s time to start planning for the 2025 Hebridean Whisky Festival! Once again the festival is offering attendees another adventure-thrilling, island-hopping, sensory-pleasing event celebrating the single malt Scotch whisky distilleries along the Hebridean Whisky Trail. The Festival will culminate in our Finale on Saturday, September 13th, at the stunning Isle of Harris Distillery.

Scheduled with travel convenience in mind, the following days will see unique events celebrating the festival at each distillery. Details will be announced as they become available.

Thursday, 4th September – TALISKER

Friday, 5th September – TORABHAIG

Saturday, 6th September – ISLE OF RAASAY DISTILLERY

Tuesday, 9th September – ISLE OF TIREE DISTILLERY**

Thursday, 11th September – BENBECULA DISTILLERY

Friday, 12th September – NORTH UIST DISTILLERY

Saturday, 13th September – FESTIVAL FINALE AT ISLE OF HARRIS DISTILLERY

One-Time Pricing on a Scotch Treasure

Ardbeg 19 Year “Traigh Bhan – 2023 Release” Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

(750ml) (Previously $375) ($199.99)

“This is exceptionally special whisky…it’s an astonishing old Islay that
no lover of the ‘Beg should miss.” — David Othenin-Girard, K&L Spirits Buyer

Ardbeg, situated on Islay’s south shore, is renowned in the whisky world for its bold, peaty expressions and unwavering quality. The distillery’s limited “Traigh Bhan” series is highly sought after, with each annual batch eagerly anticipated and often selling out within days of release. Not only is today’s parcel offered at market-low pricing, it beats that mark by a significant margin—it’s nearly impossible to find under $250, and most retailers are happy to sell it for over $300. For cult-caliber, collectible whisky, this offer represents one of the best opportunities you’ll find on the market.

Ardbeg 19 Year “Traigh Bhan – 2023 Release” Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) (Previously $375) ($199.99)

This exceptional expression from Islay’s renowned south shore is among the few long-matured Islay whiskies available today. The striking rocky coastline stretching from Port Ellen to Ardbeg culminates at the picturesque Traigh Bhan beach, known locally as the Singing Sands. Pronounced “Tri-van,” Traigh Bhan translates to “heavenly vista,” perfectly encapsulating the allure of both the location and the spirit. While visiting this magical locale offers an unparalleled experience, a fleeting moment of its essence can be captured through this exquisite whisky.

The 2023 release of Traigh Bhan marks the fifth batch in Ardbeg’s series of 19-year-old single malts, bottled in small quantities at 46.2% ABV. Matured in a combination of Oloroso sherry butts and ex-bourbon barrels, this whisky showcases Ardbeg’s signature smoky profile, which, after years of aging, evolves to reveal remarkable tropical aromas. According to Ardbeg, the nose presents perfumed aromas of luscious tropical fruit, followed by notes of herbal incense and smoke.

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: March 27, 2025

The Ardbeg distillery is one of the world’s most exceptional distillers, and we’re always excited to see these older age statements, but they’ve become so limited and expensive it’s very difficult to imagine opening these collectible bottles. Now the supplier is sitting on a release from 2 years ago—after somehow selling through the more current release at normal prices—and now we can finally sell the product at a price I’m willing to crack a bottle and enjoy!

Let’s have a go! The color is a gorgeous deep gold. HOLY heavens, this is real-deal old-school Ardbeg here. Huge notes of salty fish, dense wet peat, turpentine, diesel fumes, bitumen, bakhoor, sweetened mango, pina colada… it’s very big and tense. It loves air and continues to open for ages. The palate is exceptionally lifted and, while retaining the tarry smoke, hits hard with the salt spray and the lemon oils. Zingy and bright at first, and then pulled down by dark, deep, ashy intensity—white smoke, roasted bay leaf, guava, sweet coconut, and a dense nuttiness to remind us of the sherry component! This is exceptionally special whisky, and it doesn’t deserve to be discounted, really, but at this price it’s an astonishing old Islay that no lover of the ‘Beg should miss.

Email: wine@klwines.com
Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637)
K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

Imperial (silent) Limited Single Cask #2069 Whisky 33 Year Old · 1989 Vintage 70cl · 51.3% ABV

£729.95

Since ceasing production back in 1998, single malt Imperial whiskies like these are disappearing forever. Our release comes from a single barrel filled way back in 1989, and only 107 bottles remain. This is a unique opportunity to own a piece of history.

Nose: Bursting with apricots, raisins, almonds, vanilla, sweet honey, lemon zest, and subtle ginger spice.

Palate: Fruity notes of red grapes, plums, and red apples accompanied by warming ginger and cinnamon spices.

Finish: Long, sweet and spicy with toffee, butterscotch, brown sugar, and cinnamon spice.

Limited are an independent bottler who aim to present whiskies that appeal to both connoisseurs and collectors. Exclusively bottling single casks, each release is incredibly limited – once they’re gone, they’re gone for good.

Glen Scotia 9YO Campbeltown Malts Festival, 54.3%

https://youtu.be/UtBseOlcHPc

Welcome, one and all, to one of the most anticipated parts of the year! Glen Scotia and their Campbeltown Malts Festival release. A heavily peated, cask strength, nine-year-old single malt. Initially matured in ex-bourbon casks and then finished for no more than 6 months in Ribera del Duero Spanish red wine casks. What a combination!

The last few years of Glen Scotia Festival release bottles have been good, but didn’t wow me. It’s an unfair thing to say in all honesty. It’s a hard task to like all of them when they’re designed to be so different from the start. This one happily hits all of the sweet spots I want from a limited release, a fairly affordable bottle from Glen Scotia.

The nose is weighted with smoke, sea salt, and ash. However, and this isn’t something I’ve been able to do with a lot of cask strength whiskies, you can take a huge whiff of the liquid, a really deep pull on this thing and it is decadent with cherry, raspberry, strawberry and melted dark chocolate.

It is a truly wonderful thing from the folks at Glen Scotia and something that has honestly rekindled my love for this distillery. It never waned, but it can get lost in the massive world of whisky and everything that it can offer to us.

This is a must buy for all of us in 2025. It is a peated delight that drops you into a world of smoke, salt, rich red fruits, and bountiful amounts of dark chocolate.

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Kentucky Company Combines Bourbon and Technology to Create Hogshead, an Online Barrel Marketplace

Site Brings Buyers and Sellers of Aged Bourbon Barrel Inventory Together

LOUISVILLE, KY – There’s a saying that bourbon brings people together. In Louisville, Kentucky, the heart of bourbon country, the bourbon and technology industries have come together to form Hogshead, the first-of-its-kind online marketplace for barrel-aged spirits.

Named after the old English reference to a large cask that holds liquid, Hogshead Company was formed in 2023 by a bourbon industry insider and a team of tech entrepreneurs based in Louisville with the goal of bringing barrel-aged buyers and sellers together in one seamless platform.  On the site, licensed buyers can browse an inventory of aged bourbon worth more than $310 million, held inside more than 135,000 aging barrels for sale by various proprietors.  Sellers who have an excess of aging bourbon barrel inventory can reach a broad audience of potential buyers, and distilleries can utilize the site to streamline and automate their contract distilling business.

“Hogshead is a one-stop-shop for the online buying and selling of bulk whiskey,” said Chris Wiedmar, co-founder, Hogshead.  “We’ve taken the technical knowledge that all of our team has in software development, IT strategy, applications, data mining and online marketplaces, and brought it together in this site.  We’re a tech company focused on whiskey, and we’ve brought the management of aged barrel inventory up to the 21st century.”  Wiedmar has spent his career in various tech and start up companies, including a founder of a barrel sensor technology company and creating software for a large global distilled spirits company based in Louisville.

Another Co-Founder, Beau Beckman, brings over a decade of experience in managing and developing barrel sales and web-based platforms for one of the world’s largest spirits companies. “In my previous career, I built a marketplace of sorts for single barrel buyers because I recognized the growing need for purchasing barrels online. Now, with Hogshead, we’re doing the same for bulk barrel buyers—making it easy for both buyers and sellers to connect, while also simplifying execution and management for distilleries and bonded storage facilities,” said Beckman.  “When the bourbon industry declined in the 1980s, it coincided with the rise of software and tech. But when the industry bounced back, it lacked the standardization and documentation to keep up. That’s why the first thing we built at Hogshead was a barrel commerce engine—to streamline transactions and create a centralized tool that aggregates, facilitates, tracks, and manages everything from bulk sales to storage contracts, removing complexity from the process. By simplifying how brands source barrels for bottling and adding pricing transparency, buyers can make more informed decisions, finding the best barrels at the right quantities and prices. Ultimately, this delivers more value to the customers enjoying the whiskey—because without them, none of this works.”

All sellers are vetted before they can begin listing their product on Hogshead, and all inventory is checked by the Hogshead team to ensure everything is legitimate.  Buyers must have a federal tax identification number to purchase.  “There are no ‘scams’ on the inventory we list, everything you see on the site is authentic,” adds Beckman.

Buyers may see barrels listed for sale in ages ranging from 16 years old to recently made bourbon, also called “new fill.” The barrels listed are from some of the most recognized distilleries in the world, many with hundreds of years of distilling expertise behind them.  All of the barrels have a minimum order quantity, or MOQ, some as low as one barrel.

Since the barrels are physically located in different storage facilities, depending on the seller’s warehousing location, Hogshead can also assist in the logistics of moving barrels to the buyers.  Financing is also available for qualified buyers.  More updates and opportunities will be added to Hogshead.com as they develop.

About Hogshead

Hogshead is a barrel business company founded in 2023 by five Louisville, Kentucky residents with backgrounds in technology, starts ups and bourbon.  Named one of the 2025 KY Inno Startups to Watch, Hogshead is a first-of-its-kind online marketplace for bulk spirits, bringing together buyers and sellers of barrel-aged spirits.  Hogshead offers solutions for all sides of the spirits industry, sellers, brands, investors and distillers.  For more information on Hogshead visit www.hogshead.com

Highly Anticipated Arrival
2006 Glenlivet 17 Year Old “Signatory Unchillfiltered Collection” 1st Fill Single Sherry Butt #900810 Cask Strength Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

(700ml) ($149.99)

“This is world-class whisky that truly deserves a higher price point—but here we are. We bought every available bottle in the country.”
— David Othenin-Girard, K&L Spirits Buyer

Just landed! This exceptional barrel from a renowned Speyside distillery takes us back to a time when high-proof, sherry-matured single malt was available at accessible prices. Filled in 2006 into a first-fill Oloroso sherry butt, this whisky spent 17 years aging before being bottled at cask strength—unchillfiltered and without added color.

K&L has had the privilege of bottling several standout Glenlivet casks from this era, and this release proudly continues that tradition. Available exclusively through K&L in California, this rare whisky typically commands prices at least $50 higher elsewhere in the global market. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience an exceptionally aged Glenlivet at an unbeatable value.

2006 Glenlivet 17 Year Old “Signatory Unchillfiltered Collection” 1st Fill Single Sherry Butt #900810 Cask Strength Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml) ($149.99)

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: February 17, 2025

There was a time when we could sell 16-year-old Sherried Glenlivet from Signatory for $80. Then, for many years, a similarly aged bottle would easily cost over $200, and even 12-year-old stocks ran $140. Now, we’re back to a world where Signatory dominates both price and quality, offering high-caliber whisky at well below market rates. This exceptional Glenlivet, presented in the iconic Signatory decanter, is part of a notable run of 2006/2007 barrels that Signatory appears to have held onto for quite some time. We’re extremely lucky to have acquired a substantial stock of this remarkable cask. While some Glenlivets from this batch are ultra-clean and refreshing, others present a deeply complex, old-school character—this one definitely falls into the latter category.

The color is a rich burnt umber (1.7). On the nose, it’s dense and layered with notes of dried tobacco, dried plums, fruitcake, dark jam, and a roasty rancio undertone. The palate is unctuous and bold, brimming with jammy flavors and sweet caramel candies, accented by hints of old wood, tobacco, and mineral oils for a bit of sass. This is world-class whisky that truly deserves a higher price point—but here we are. We bought every available bottle in the country.

Email: wine@klwines.com
Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637)
K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

SINGLE POT STILL IRISH WHISKEY

Ireland is in the midst of a golden era for whiskey, and while you’ll find single malts, blends, ryes and more in all corners of the Emerald Isle, there’s one style that’s come to exemplify Irish whiskey above all others: single pot still.

Like single malt, single pot still whiskey refers to whiskey made at one distillery in a pot still. But unlike single malt, single pot still whiskey is made with a mixture of malted and unmalted barley (and often with other grains, too), resulting in a creamy texture and a fruity and spicy flavour profile.

                                                                                                                                                                   DISCOVER                SHOP NOW

There’s no style that captures the history, spirit and flavours of Irish distilling quite like single pot still. Those are just the basics, but the story of its rise, fall and modern renaissance is a must for those looking to expand their whisky knowledge.

EQUINOX & SOLSTICE SPRING 2025 LONGMORN – 11 YEAR OLD

Kicking off our 2025 Equinox & Solstice series, this 11-year-old Longmorn is a blend of two 2013 first-fill barrels. One of which was naturally pretty low and wonderfully syrupy and concentrated as a result. Bottled at 48.5%, this whisky is fruity, luscious, and full of vibrant, natural sweetness.

To top it off, this release features artwork by this years new Equinox & Solstice artist, Kirsty Lorenz. She specialises in artworks that explore and celebrate Scottish flowers and flora – a very fitting theme for our Equinox & Solstice series. We’re delighted with what Kirsty has come up with, and we’re really pleased with how this luscious Longmorn has turned out.

SHOP NOW

One of only 176 bottles – charged from a Refill Hogshead – REF – DL15825. This 2000 Dumbarton is a single cask bottling for Douglas Laing’s Old Particular range of whisky. Distilled at Dumbarton Distillery, bottled by Douglas Laing.

Distilled November 2000
Bottled May 2022.
Cask No DL15825.

£98.00

TyndrumWhisky.com
The Green Welly Stop
Tyndrumwhisky, Tyndrum
Crianlarich, Perthshire FK20 8RY
United Kingdom

The Good Dram Show – Episode 586 ‘Bruichladdich Octomore’ – Welcome to this week’s episode of the show in which peat is definitely the theme as I’ll be looking at the Octomore 14’s and 15’s.

https://youtu.be/aOIJzbqayqs