As we hear and heed warnings about high pressure over Greenland and cold Arctic air tumbling towards our island, it’s clear seasonal change is afoot.

Officially, the season really should begin on the 21st of December with the winter solstice and the shortest day of the year. But, our Irish and Swedish friends will tell us that November 1st was the day that matters, farmers far and wide would point to Martinmas on the 11th as the marker, and meteorologists will insist that December is the date for your diary.

Here in Harris it’s probably a more phenological and gut feeling thing, as we witness nature’s fading, bemoan the local ferry delays, and realise that the dark nights are well and truly here. So, we’re declaring it now. Light the fires, get the drams in, and let winter begin!

Wherever you are in the world reading this, we wish you a fine season ahead and invite you to read on to discover ways to keep your hearts warm and island spirits high as it all unfolds…

Have a great weekend from all of us here in Harris!

Le gach deagh dhùrachd,

Mike Donald, Chief Storyteller

Our historic single malt whisky takes its name from the Scottish Gaelic word for a native of Harris. Like many words in our language, it can sometime be a little tricky to trip off the tongue. So, if you’ve ever wondered how to pronounce our whisky’s name, let our islanders help you out with a wee film we made. Once you’ve got the hang of it, try it out with friends, family, bartenders, and in your favourite spirits stores this winter…just say The Hearach!

WATCH THE FILM ON VIMEO

When the weather outside is frightful, there are few things more appealing than the prospect of a fireside dram, particularly if you’ve just escaped inclement island weather. The Hearach single malt was made for drinking, and the elegant, complex flavours captured in every glass promise a perfect pour at this time of year.

Gentle aromas of peat smoke give way to notes of toasted malt in your glass as flavours of apple, wildflowers, spice, clotted cream and candied sweets unwind. It’s a true Outer Hebridean whisky and full of local character. Simply order your bottle online or from your nearest stockist, and open to discover more…

DISCOVER THE HEARACH SINGLE MALT

The second expression of our whisky-making brings plenty of warmth to the proceedings this season, thanks to its connections to southern Spain. The Oloroso First Fill Cask Matured single malt draws wonderfully rich, bold, and aromatic flavours from sherry butts sourced from this special region of Andalusia.

The results bring a fine array of winter spices and woodsmoke to the dram, alongside festive notes like cloves, dried oranges and white chocolate. If you’re looking for something which captures a sense of an island Christmas, the one’s for you and yours…

It’s a delicious dram designed to be enjoyed with friends and family so order yours and open to discover more…

DISCOVER THE HEARACH OLOROSO CASK

Very Secret Speyside (Glenlivet)

 26 Years Old 1998

This single malt was distilled on the 10th of June 1998 at a very secret Speyside Distillery. It was aged for 26 long years in a single bourbon hogshead, resulting in sweet and tropical flavours with notes of coconut and crème brûlêe. It was bottled without chill filtration or artificial colouring by Little Brown Dog Spirits in October 2024.

£290.00

LOW STOCK!

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Old Elk “Rum Cask Finish” Straight Rye Whiskey (750ml) (Elsewhere $100) $20 View

According to the distillery: “Finished in 14-year-old Barbados rum barrels, Rum Cask Finish offers a harmonious balance of richness and complexity. It features aromas of allspice and a bold, complex flavor profile, ending with tobacco and overripe pineapple.”

Booker’s “Master Distiller’s Batch” #2024-03 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) $89.99 View

This #2024-03 rendition is the third in Booker’s Master Distillers Batch series. It aged more than 7 years in new white oak barrels and was bottled at 103.3 proof.

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

ralfy review 1054 – Timorous Beastie Cheese Cellar @48%vol: (Douglas Laing & Co.)

Aultmore Distillery

Bacardi Invests in Future of Premium Scotch Whisky With Multi-Million Pound Distillery and Warehousing Investments

NEW Old Grand-Dad 16YR | Limited 2024 One-Time Only Release

We are launching a new ONE-TIME ONLY Old Grand-Dad expression – a delicious bourbon aged 16 years. First bottled in 1882, Old Grand-Dad is a traditional and storied bourbon. This iconic brand is known to be a favorite among bartender, collectors and whiskey aficionados – and now there’s a new expression to add to the shelf (or gifting list!)

This limited 2024 one-time only Old Grand-Dad^® expression is aged a minimum of 16 years and pays homage to the brand’s legacy as one of the industry’s preeminent whiskies of its time. Historically inspired by vintage releases, this bourbon is cut to 100 proof to reach its optimal and distinctively classic OGD flavor and body. Patiently aged while converging the high rye recipe bourbon drinkers know and love with significantly extra time in the barrel.​

Tasting Notes:

Color: Deep copper tones

Nose: Charred oak balanced with notes of leather & caramel

Palate: Notes of tobacco, vanilla, caramel & oak

Finish: Full-bodied with lingering notes of baking spice

SRP: $194.99 for a 750ml bottle.

What if we told you that peated Scotch whiskies aren’t all they seem?We’ve always had a fascination with the things you can uncover through blending. Sometimes we blend to build and combine flavours, other times we use blending as a tool to unlock the secrets hiding within different parcels of whisky.

In the world of peated Scotch malt whisky, intensity of smokiness tends to dominate the discussion. What is often overlooked is the inherent sweetness of peated malts, hidden behind the bonfires. We have long believed there is more to the story than smoke alone. A hint of honey, a flash of fruit – there have been signs of sweeter delights hiding in plain sight beneath the sootiness. Our experiments with sherry and wine casks have unearthed extra dimensions to Islay malts.

We can now reveal the curiously sweet Secrets of Smoke.

For Secrets of Smoke, we allow those wine casks to crack the smoky outer shell and release the unexpected sweetness at the core of peated whiskies. Palo Cortado sherry-seasoned butts enhancing the toffee apple qualities of malt whisky from the Caol Ila Distillery. Refill red wine barrels tempt bright cherry notes from the depths of The Peat Monster, our own assemblage of Islay malts. And those Marsala barriques bring blueberry flapjack flavours to the surface of malt whisky from the Laphroaig Distillery.

Taste beyond the smoke screen.

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Willett 8 Year Old Wheated “2024 Release -Fall Release” Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

(750ml)

$215.00

View

For years, Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, run by the Kulsveen family, has been bottling fantastic whiskey under their numerous labels; Willett being just one of the expressions (along with Noah’s Mill, Rowan’s Creek, Johnny Drum, etc.). Willett Distillery was actually founded in the 1930s by former Bernheim superintendent Thompson Willett, but subsequent generations of the family would become disinterested in bourbon until the distillery finally closed. Evan Kulsveen, who married Willett’s daughter, purchased the abandoned site in 1984 with plans to reopen his father-in-law’s once-great operation. Almost thirty years later, his son Drew has built one of Kentucky’s most sought-after producers.

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

Living Souls 40 Year Old Blend

THE REVIEW

Living Souls are a new kid on the block with indie bottlings, and what a way to kick it off! A 40 year old blended whisky with an absurdly affordable retail price of £120.

I’ve got no information about the contents of this blend, just that it was all recasked into a sherry butt in 1998. However, the depth of flavour in this liquid is something to rival and indeed beat, most of the classic ‘premium’ blended whiskies.

Moving from tropical fruit, herbaceousness, waxiness, gentle sherried aromas, and a little blast of peat smoke… maybe. If you’re looking for something quite special and quite affordable, this is the only thing you should be looking at if you want an insane age stated whisky.

Diageo Unveils The YunTuo Single Malt Whisky Distillery in China

ERYUAN, 15 NOVEMBER 2024, — Diageo, the world’s leading whisky producer and premium beverage alcohol company, today unveiled the YunTuo 云拓Single Malt Whisky Distillery in Eryuan County, Yunnan Province, opening an exciting new chapter for Chinese whisky and further cementing Diageo’s position as a whisky leader in China.

With an investment of US$120 million (RMB 800 million) that will span nine years, the YunTuo云拓Single Malt Whisky Distillery is Diageo’s first whisky production site in China and represents the Group’s ongoing commitment to provide Chinese consumers with the finest products and contribute to the sustainable and innovative development of China’s beverage alcohol sector.

“This stunning new distillery marks a significant milestone for Diageo in China and reflects our confidence in the future of Chinese whisky,” said Debra Crew, Diageo’s CEO. “We are proud of the leading role we have played to grow whisky in China with our iconic brands. Our ambition is to combine our global heritage and whisky making craftsmanship with deep local insights to create the highest quality China-origin single malt whisky that will fire the imagination of whisky enthusiasts worldwide and place China firmly on the global whisky map.”

The name ‘YúnTuò’ 云拓 expresses the brand’s natural surroundings and vision; ‘Yún’ (云) meaning ‘clouds’ and synonymous with ‘Yunnan’, evokes a highland of unparalleled natural beauty. ‘Tuò’ (拓) meaning ‘exploration’ captures the brand’s spirit of enterprise and innovation to explore new frontiers in the art of whisky making.

At 2,100 metres above sea level, the distillery benefits from a temperate climate, rich biodiversity and natural resources, including access to fresh spring water that feeds the region’s pristine Erhai highland lake. This unique terroir will provide YunTuo 云拓 with abundant raw materials to innovate, such as Yunnan oak for cask maturation, and other local ingredients.

Drawing on Diageo’s 200 years of whisky heritage, YunTuo 云拓 will be crafted by a team of remarkable young talents led by Distillery Head Jiao Changyi, who will in time become the next generation of Chinese whisky masters. This journey of creativity and exploration will be supported by globally renowned whisky legends Jim Beveridge OBE, Master Blender Craig Wallace, and Master Distiller Andrew Millsopp, who will bring their rich experience and knowledge to the process.

Designed by award-winning architects OLI, the state-of-the-art distillery incorporates local cultural elements and blends seamlessly into its surroundings, complementing the area’s natural beauty. The distillery also features a visitor centre which will immerse whisky lovers and tourists in an interactive Chinese whisky experience including a holistic tour of YunTuo’s 云拓 production, craftsmanship, tasting, gifting and cultural elements, and culminating in the centrepiece 29 metres high whisky barrel tower decorated with 1,000 original used whisky barrels from iconic distilleries around the world. The visitor centre will in time become a popular tourist destination which will contribute to the development of the local tourism economy.

Reinforcing the Diageo Spirit of Progress sustainability action plan’s commitment to grain-to-glass sustainability, the YunTuo 云拓 distillery is 100% carbon neutral thanks to sustainable production technologies such as highly efficient electric boilers, and the sourcing of renewable green energy. All production water is recycled for industrial purposes, maximising water use efficiencies and reducing waste.

Diageo has established a local Community Fund to promote inclusion and diversity around the distillery, and a new community centre is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Partnering with the Tourism Association in nearby Dali, the Fund is also supporting business and hospitality skills training for young adults under Diageo’s Learning for Life programme, improving local employment opportunities for over 600 graduates.

Debra Crew concluded, “The beauty of Eryuan has inspired us to build this wonderful beacon of local whisky culture that will make YunTuo the pride of Chinese whisky and a jewel in our global whisky portfolio. We look forward to an exciting journey filled with adventure, exploration and discovery.”

To find out more about the Distillery please visit: https://youtu.be/q6w5fVo09RM

About Diageo:

Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands across spirits and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B and Buchanan’s whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is a global company, and our products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEO). For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo’s global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice.

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