Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged, 57.85%

Maker’s Mark have been asked for years from baying customers – ‘Where’s the older stocks?’ The distillery always replied with ‘our liquid just doesn’t work at older ages.’ For years, we’ve all enjoyed Maker’s for what it is, as well as the innovation that they’ve championed over the last decade. But here we have it, the oldest Maker’s Mark ever released to the public!

A combination of 87% 12YO stock and 13% 11YO stock, this is a cask strength, powerful, elegantly put together set of casks that just won’t quit.

I love this liquid, a proud owner of it. But one thing Maker’s really advertised with this was ‘no bitterness’, personally I do taste bitterness, but it’s welcomed and rather complementary to the super buttery, and sometimes very floral aroma that this Kentucky legend has.

It’s a pleasure to have this in my collection, letting people try it, seeing how it develops over time, and the occasional cocktail with it. Congratulations, Maker’s Mark – this thing is a stunner.

Lochlea marks 5^th Anniversary with

statement whisky from across half a decade

Multi-award-winning Ayrshire distillery, Lochlea, is celebrating its 5^th Anniversary this year, marking the milestone birthday with a limited edition first age-statement whisky release. 

Lochlea 5 Year Old is a vatting of five different casks from the distillery – each one showing a different side to the house spirit, hand-selected by Production Director John Campbell and the team.

This exclusive single malt whisky is incredibly special to the Lochlea team – it is their first ever age statement release since the distillery was founded half a decade ago on Lochlea Farm – where Robert Burns lived and worked, inspiring his thinking and development as a poet.

Two of the five casks used are from the very first filling in August 2018, making this the oldest Lochlea whisky that has ever been bottled and released!

The final spirit of this limited 5 Year Old release is made up from two first fill ex-Bourbon casks, one first fill Oloroso sherry cask, one double matured Oloroso Sherry cask and a double matured Pedro Ximenez Sherry cask, giving it a delicious rich flavour and texture.

John Campbell said: “To mark our 5th Anniversary milestone, we wanted to create a whisky that shows off the best of Lochlea spirit that has been matured in different styles of casks over the last half a decade. We have carefully chosen these five casks that have matured our single malt to perfection, then vatted them together to create a unique bottling of Lochlea that we won’t replicate ever again – it’s an incredibly special dram to mark our first special milestone birthday. And as always with our whiskies, it’s made entirely from barley grown on our farm here at Lochlea.”

“In celebration of this special milestone, we felt it was fitting to release it on Burns Night as a nod to Robert Burns who once worked the land that we rely on for our own barley and, ultimately, our final spirit.”

Lochlea is one of the very few full grain-to-cask distilleries in Scotland, growing all its own barley, distilling its spirit, and maturing all stocks on site at the distillery (and farm) in the stunning region of Ayrshire. Not only does this keep production quality consistent, but it also helps to ensure the distillery is naturally as sustainable as possible.

In addition to this special anniversary release, Lochlea has a range of limited-edition seasonal whiskies that are released each year to mark the seasons on the farm, as well as a Cask Strength series. The distillery also released a signature expression in 2022 – award-winning ‘Our Barley’, that is available in over 20 markets globally, throughout the year.

Limited edition Lochlea 5 Year Old is available from 25^th January onwards, from Lochlea stockists* while stocks last, RRP: £89.99.

Lochlea 5 Year Old

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Baked pineapple, brown sugar, hazelnuts, sourdough bread

Palate: Lemon zest, candied pear crumble, orange peel

Finish: Caramel with hints of black pepper, rose petals and leather

About Lochlea Distillery:

Lochlea was originally a 222-acre livestock farm before being purchased by Neil and Jen McGeoch in 2006. After much consideration of the future of the farm and a successful trial to grow its own barley in 2015, the couple transformed the land and existing farm buildings into a fully operational distillery in 2017 and started distilling the following year. The farming side has remained a unique part of Lochlea, with the move into barley production – paving the way for Lochlea to be one of the very few fully grain-to-glass distilleries in Scotland. It also has a rich Scottish heritage with strong links to Robbie Burns, with the bard having worked and lived on the farm a several years.

*For a full list of Lochlea stockists, visit: Lochlea Distillery stockists

Lochlea Distillery has recently won the following awards:

– Icons of Whisky Scotland 2024: Single Estate and Brand Innovator

– Icons of Whisky 2023: Single Estate Distillery of the Year

– San Francisco Spirits Competition 2023: Our Barley – GOLD

– Scottish Field Summer Whisky Challenge 2023: Distilleries under 10 Years Old – GOLD

SECOND-FILL
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Our best kept secret until now, Second-Fill casks reveal Sullivans Cove’s spirit in its purest form. The Second-Fill range presents a softer, less oak-forward profile with a complexity that is unique to Second-Fill casks.

DISTILLED POTENTIAL

Sullivans Cove Second-Fill – ‘A whisky where you can properly taste the barley, the barley sugars, the copper, the time and then the cask.’

MATT BAILEY | BRANCH DIRECTOR
SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

Angel’s Envy “K&L Exclusive” Cask #231050 Private Select Port Finished Kentucky Straight Bourbon (750ml) $89.99

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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

The Good Dram Show – Episode 540 ‘Eden Mill & Dartmoor Whisky’

Welcome to this week’s episode of the show in which I’ll be taking a look at the Eden Mill and Dartmoor distilleries. The Good Dram Show with Chris Goodrum Episode 540 – Bulbous Ball & Paper Mills…! Filmed in The Study Nottingham

Featuring

Dartmoor Whisky Ex-Bourbon 46%

Dartmoor Whisky Ex-Bordeaux Cask 46%

Dartmoor Whisky Ex-Oloroso Cask 46%

Dartmoor Whisky Distillery

Eden Mill Bourbon Cask Single Malt 46%

Eden Mill Sherry Cask Single Malt 46%

Eden Mill 2003 ‘Art of St Andrews’ Single Malt 46.5%

Eden Mill Whisky

Half of the month has been and gone but the distillery team would like to wish you all a Happy New Year!

2023 was one for the Harris history books including launching our first single malt whisky, The Hearach, to an unbelievable response. But, after the peace and quiet of an island Christmas we’re now back to work with lots more great things to come over the next 12 months.

First and foremost, we want to bring you even closer to the work we do and help you feel part of our success as we set out with Two Spirits, One Purpose. We have more batches of The Hearach to share, including new expressions and editions as we begin to explore the influence of island elements on the spirit we make.

Our love of sound and ceremony will come to the fore too, with beautiful objects and aural ideas to help you enjoy our dram and connect with Harris more deeply with every pour. We’ll be spending more time with The Kelp Man, celebrating our maritime nature and enjoying the spirit of The Harris Cèilidh.

And, our storytelling will remain as rich as ever through more wonderful words, photos, film, and sound…all created by our team right here in Harris. Please note, our distillery doors remain closed to the public until Spring while all this is going on, but rest assured a warm welcome will await you once more.

Wishing you all a great start to your own endeavours as the new year gets underway!

Le gach deagh dhùrachd,

Mike Donald, Chief Storyteller

Our historic ‘First Release’ of eight batches of The Hearach single malt are sold out online but you can still find some bottles on the shelves of great spirit retailers across the world. Spring this year will bring more of our island spirt into the world as batch 9 onwards begin to arrive. As always, each batch will have subtle, natural variation and we’ll share the technical details of that particular bottling through our batch numbering system alongside an island story and local tasting notes.

We’ll also be exploring different expressions of our whisky and other special bottling as the months go on. More on all this soon, meantime be sure to open and enjoy the bottles you have, Isle of Harris whisky is made for drinking…

Ben Nevis 10 Year Old Single Malt Whisky

Official notes from the back label

Nose – Abundance of character on the nose with floral, fragrant, honey, citrus fruits of orange and beeswax with elements of toffee and vanilla aromas. Taste – Initial spicy notes lead to cereal flavours. Smooth creaminess of dark chocolate invites you to sample another drop.

Non Chill filtered and Natural Colour. Ben Nevis Distillery was established by John MacDonald in 1825 and only pure highland water collected from the mountain source is used to make this fine whisky.

From Ben Nevis Distillery

£54.00

ORDER NOW

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

Incredible Collectible Buys from Two Single Malt Icons

2002 Caol Ila 20YO “Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseur’s Choice” K&L Exclusive Cask #8378 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel Nonchillfiltered Cask Strength Islay Single Malt 
“This epic, first-fill bourbon barrel of Caol Ila offers well-aged, classic Islay distillery drinking at a very attractive price.” — Andrew Whiteley, K&L Spirits Buyer

2003 Glenlivet 20YO “Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseur’s Choice” K&L Exclusive Cask #800366 2nd Refill Ex-Bourbon barrels Nonchillfiltered Cask Strength Highlands Single Malt 
“Rich, round, and utterly pleasing, this is gorgeous … If the distillery were selling stuff like this at this price, we’d be buying every drop.” — David Othenin-Girard, K&L Spirits Buyer

Our friends at Gordon & MacPhail continue to make their case as the best independent bottler in the business with this pair of 20-year-old rarities from two of Scotland’s most iconic distilleries. Of course, the mature class and bearing should pique anyone’s interest, but the real kicker here is the price. It’s simply unheard-of to find single malts of this age and pedigree for well under $200.

2002 Caol Ila 20 Year Old “Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseur’s Choice” K&L Exclusive Cask #8378 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel Nonchillfiltered Cask Strength Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($170.00)

K&L Notes: A stupendous barrel of Caol Ila that’s simply being sold way under market prices. There’s no reason this special cask should be so affordable, but we’ve worked hard with our supplier to keep these prices reasonable and are able to offer this well below market for at least the short time it will remain on our shelf. Distilled in late 2002 and filled into a first-fill bourbon barrel for just under 21 years, it was bottled at cask strength without chill-filtration or coloring on August 30th, 2023. Only 157 bottles filled at 53.9% ABV. This gorgeous, old Islay malt is truly one of kind in today’s market. Extremely balanced and well apportioned—there are very few single malt lovers who will turn their noses up at this excellent cask.

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: January 16, 2024

This gorgeous cask of Caol Ila is pure class. It’s not a peat monster or powerhouse. Instead, it’s a regal old dame of the highest order. But that by no means should indicate a malt that you should brush off. There’s great tension and depth here that is so difficult to replicate in these old Islay malts, particularly at this price point. In fact, there’s no old Islay at this price from what I can tell, but what’s most important here is the way it tastes. Here we go. A fabulous burnished color. The nose is a gorgeous mixture of sweet, ripe orchard fruit covered in white ash. Cured meats, granny smith, bergamot, dried mango, exotic spices, and sandalwood. On the palate, dense, rich smoke, powerful spice, big oak spice, big clean smoke, smoked meats, citrus oils, smoldering and supple. It’s such a fun, old-school vibe that reminds me much more of older distillery offerings than the punchier, weirder IBs we see. I’ll be very sad when this bottle is gone.

Andrew Whiteley | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: January 02, 2024

As a result of the insane single-malt boom over the last decade, we’ve seen very little in the way of middle-aged malt at reasonable prices recently. Fortunately, our relationship with Gordon & MacPhail still affords us occasional access to gems like this. This epic, first-fill bourbon barrel of Caol Ila offers well-aged, classic Islay distillery drinking at a very attractive price. I’m stunned at how bourbon-like the nose is. Aside from the obvious fact that it is peated single malt, the vanilla, butterscotch, and peanut butter jump out like they’re on fire. Caol Ila’s famous fruit is on full display, paired beautifully with hot peat fire and smoldering BBQ brisket. The dusting of salt does wonders to bring out the intensity of flavors carried comfortably in 53.9% ABV. Yielding a tragically small 157 bottles, this cask (and my bottle) will be gone far too soon.

2003 Glenlivet 20 Year Old “Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseur’s Choice” K&L Exclusive Cask #800366 2nd Refill Ex-Bourbon barrels Nonchillfiltered Cask Strength Highlands Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($170.00)

K&L Notes: The iconic Glenlivet Distillery has become a name so associated with the sale of single malt Scotch that an entire region had to change its name due to its success. But more than a century ago, one company was in the business of selling Glenlivet single malt by the bottle. The famed grocer in Elgin made a nice business of buying malt spirit from the local distilleries and bottling it under now iconic labels. Those original bottlings were some of the first bottled single malt Scotch on the market, and Gordon & Macphail has continued their special relationship with the great distillers of Scotland until today. Only recently have they announced that they would no longer be filling contracts as they had for many decades, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have excellent stocks for the foreseeable future. Considering the provenance and quality of the bottler, this gorgeous single barrel of Glenlivet is an absolute steal. Distilled in early 2003 and filled into a once-used bourbon barrel, it aged for two long decades at the G&M warehouses in Elgin before being hand-selected by K&L Wine Merchants for our exclusive sale. Bottled on August 22nd, 2023 at cask strength without chill-filtration or coloring of any kind. Only 158 bottles were produced at 55.3% ABV. This extremely classically styled Glenlivet showcases the incredible delicacy for which the famous Speysider is renowned. A truly under-valued barrel which would normally cost multiples of this price on the open market.

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: January 16, 2024

This little barrel of Glenlivet is going to be overlooked by many single malt fanatics because it may not seem so special or unique, but in fact, finding an old Glenlivet in the nude is unprecedented. It’s true there was a period where we were selling heavily sherried versions from Signatory that people loved, but honestly those casks could have been from any highlander, and no one would have known the difference. But to see the great Speysider in all its glory, unadulterated by wine influence of any kind, is a real treat. Let’s have a taste! The color is old gold. The nose is a nice balance of punchy fruit—kiwi, green mango, Fuji apple, strong citrus oil, and honeysuckle. Tiny wisps of wildflower honey, fresh vanilla bean, and ripe apricots. On the palate, it’s surprisingly zesty with a big, oily texture. A gorgeous interplay of rich maltiness, dense baked orchard fruit, and oak spice. It’s seamless at full strength, but a drop of water turns this into total velvet. Rich, round, and utterly pleasing, this is gorgeous stuff. Loves air and maybe a bit of water, but lovely right out of the bottle with 30 minutes rested in the glass. If the distillery were selling stuff like this at this price, we’d be buying every drop.

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

Vic Cameron, one of our whisky lecturers says: “Caramel colouring is a process that we are legally allowed to use in the Scotch whisky industry. It’s the addition of E150a, which is a colour compound, generally used for consistency of colour. It can be slightly controversial in that obviously when you add it, that makes the whisky darker and you don’t have to inform the consumer on the bottle. In some countries – like Switzerland and Germany – you do have to declare that you use caramel.”

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