2005 Ledaig 17 Year Old “Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseur’s Choice” K&L Exclusive Cask #18600201 2nd Fill Sherry Hogshead Nonchillfiltered Cask Strength Highlands Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($160.00)

K&L Notes: Ledaig Single Malt is a cherished gem from the Hebridean Isles and comes from one of the oldest distilleries in all of Scotland. Produced on again/off again since its founding in 1798 and licensed since 1823, the Tobermory Distillery on the Isle of Mull is known primarily for its two single malt marks. Tobermory, an unpeated dram and Ledaig, with its heavily peated characteristics. Both are widely regarded as malts of outstanding quality. Both malts owe their rich character to the unusual stills that lie at the heart of the distillery—bulbous stills and curvy lyne arms offer a huge amount of reflux. Ledaig’s heavily peated malt offers a rich array of flavors from smoky to fruity to meaty and with just a whiff of green grass. Pair the malt quality with the excellent wood management and exceptional pricing from the legendary Gordon & MacPhail and we have the first entrant for Best Cask of 2024! A very active refill sherry hogshead, Cask No. 18600201 comes in at 17 years old and 54.3% ABV. Yield 310 bottles. Bottled without chill-filtration and no added color.

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

Liquid amber in color and boasting a nose equally full of fruit, charcuterie meats, and candied smoke. This is a Ledaig like we haven’t seen in ages. Active, clean sherry without a trace of sulfur really lets the fullness of the malt shine. First the fruit: crisp apple, dried orange peel, apricots, hoshigaki, and fruit leather—it smells ripe and sweet. The meatiness is intertwined with the fruit and the smoke, an array of cured and smoked meats. Applewood smoked ham hock comes to mind almost immediately. Candied and smoked nuts make the transition into more pronounced peat smoke, which really shines once you get the whisky on your palate. The wood and malt are so evenly matched it is difficult at times to tease apart which component is contributing which flavors. The palate is thick, a blanket of fresh peat and cold ash, saddle leather, and abundant ripe fruit. A blush of cool mint and dewy grass add lift and freshness. It goes on for days, and yet you can’t help but go back for more. Salted nuts slowly candied in honey and a kiss of sea spray top it all off. Proof positive that G&M still hold some of the finest whisky stocks in Scotland.

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: January 02, 2024

The peated malt from the gorgeous Tobermory distillery is known as Ledaig. It’s not just the same whisky with peated barley, but utilizes specific fermentation and distillation times to create one of Scotland’s most intensely flavored spirits. It’s for that reason and maybe some issues with cask management over the years that Ledaig has a bit of a love/hate relationship for some peat lovers. But when you get a great one, it’s absolutely undeniable. This is one of those barrels. Full term in high-quality (and active) refill sherry with some of Mull’s finest. Stupendous! Let’s taste it. The color is a splendid chestnut! On first nosing it’s big, meaty, sooty smoke. With a bit of air—this one needs air—we move distinctly into the old leather, kippers, sweet orange zest, marmite, apricot jam on pumpernickel, and burnt raisins. On the palate, it’s perfectly salty, savory, and sweet. Almost no sulfur but so much leathery smoke, it’s unbelievable. The long finish offers deep, billowing, ashy smoke along with powerful baking spices and nutty oloroso notes. This is truly a special whisky and highly undervalued thanks to our amazing relationship with Gordon & Macphail. Only rivaled as an exclusive Ledaig by the much more controversial and divisive Chieftain’s 21-Year, this one is so much easier to love. An easy slam-dunk for any peat lover and an absolute must-have for Ledaig people.

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

GlenAllachie Distillery

New branding but the same excellent whisky, here’s the fresh new look from GlenAllachie Distillery.

Again working exclusively with UK-based suppliers for all its packaging supplies, reducing the distilleries carbon footprint, this new luxury design uses uncoated paper and opulent black and gold foils, all wrapped in a bespoke embossed bottle.

The whisky speaks for itself, with Billy Walker at the helm the quality is always going to be excellent.

Head over to Abbey Whisky via the link below to view all things GlenAllachie.

As ever, if you have any questions or queries, please just get in touch.

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Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 534: Teeling Crystal Malt

Mark Dermul, Belgian whiskyblogger, tries a new Irish whiskey. This can certainly be called a world premiere. On February 29, Teeling launched the very first triple distilled Irish whiskey made from Crystal Malt, a malt obtained by exposing the grain to extra heat during malting to crystallize the sugars. The result should provide additional notes of caramel and toffee. The whiskey was matured in Virgin American Oak barrels. It was initially only available in The Loop, the duty-free shop at Dublin Airport, but is now being rolled out to what they call key markets and that means it won’t be long before it will also be on our shelves.

https://youtu.be/QcKPzOmL2mo

Happy St Patrick’s Day!

We want to wish you all a Happy St Patrick’s Day from everyone at Killowen Distillery.

This is a time of the year when we celebrate the contribution Ireland and her diaspora have made around the world while remembering our patron saint; Patrick. 
As Patrick came to Ireland from a foreign land as a young man, many Irish have since made similar journeys over the centuries and have helped enrich the world with many of our customs and personalities, as such this is a perfect day to show compassion and help to others on the move today. 
We hope you all have a ball with your friends, families or favourite bar tenders this weekend but before we go – we would love to tell you the story of St Patrick coming to the site that is now Killowen Distillery.

St Patrick first arrived in the area now known as County Down and set up camp around Downpatrick and Saul.

His area is now generally known as the Kingdom of Mourne …

It’s said, was made unwelcome by some local chief in this Low Mournes where we are today where we continued to abuse the good folk just across the river, Defiantly Patrick threw his sandal to mark out the ‘forbidden area’ and the footwear landed a distance of twelve Irish miles away at the Cassy Water where Killowen Distillery sits today. The Saint didn’t apply curses but he was indicating at least that this area was beyond his blessing and influence! THis likely explains our fighting spirit at Killowen Distillery.

Right up to more recent times this river formed a territorial division between the baronies and later it marked the administrative line between the Councils of Down and Newry and Mourne, before their recent amalgamation.

The story comes to life in Tom Porters version of the local legend, sure its no wonder County Down is the real capital of Irish Whiskey.

Boundaries of Mourne

On his way from Saul to Tara

Patrick stopped to rest one day

On a heather-covered hillside

Overlooking Dundrum Bay

And from the crystal mountain stream

That flows from Donard’s seat

He quenched his thirst, gave thanks to God

And bathed his aching feet.

He sat there on a granite slab

And looked across the Bay

And saw the lovely Mona’s Isle

A wheen o’ miles away.

The day was warm, the sky was blue

The larks sang loud and clear

When round the shoulder of a hill

He saw three men appear.

Now Patrick was a civil man

And he bid them time of day

He could see they looked uneasy

So he let them have their say.

They’d come, they said, from round the hill

Between the mountain and the shore

‘..but ours is not the happy land

That it always was before.

The folk there’s always fighting

They’re murderin’ each other.

We cannot do a thing with them

We need your help, dear brother.

If you could come and see if you

Can make them mend their ways

For if you don’t we’ll all be killed

It’s been goin’ on for days’.

‘I haven’t time to go,’ says he

‘But I’ll tell you what I’ll do.

I’ll stop this fighting here and now’.

And with that picked up his shoe

He stood there at the water’s edge

With his sandal in his hand

‘Blood!’ says he, ‘will ne’er be spilled

From here to where this lands.’

‘Stand back!’ says he. The men stood back

He flung with all his might

They watched the shoe fly through the air

Till it disappeared from sight.

They thought that it was lost for sure

But then they heard next day

It had landed in another stream

Twelve Irish miles away.

The fightin’ stopped right then and there

The blood it ceased to flow

It’s been known as the Kindly Mourne

Since that time long ago.

Those streams still mark the ends of Mourne

They both flow to this day

The one into Lough Carlingford

Th’other to Dundrum Bay.

Get the Teeling VIP treatment

Pick up a bottle from the pioneering maker to be in with a chance of winning

Teeling is making waves on the Irish whiskey scene. Founded by brothers Jack and Stephen Teeling back in 2012, the brand is built on a family whiskey-making legacy. As long ago as 1782 their ancestors were producing whiskey in Dublin’s industrial centre – and it all came full-circle in 2015 when the duo opened the new Teeling Distillery.

Now, to mark St Patrick’s Day, we’re offering one lucky winner and their plus-one the chance to win a VIP trip to the distillery. You’ll be whisked off for a money-can’t-buy tour experience with an expert brand ambassador. After taking it all in, there’s a Teeling tasting right in the heart of Dublin in store for you. That night, you’ll be treated to a fancy dinner and a luxurious stay, with travel from the UK covered, too.

How to enter? Just pick up a bottle of Teeling from the Milroy’s online shop before 28 March, and you’ll be automatically entered into the prize draw. Scroll on for eligible bottles – and good luck!

Milroy’s Teeling competition 2024 is open to entrants aged 18 years and over. Entries accepted from 16:00:00 GMT on 13 March 2024 to 23:59:59 GMT on 28 March 2024. UK only. See full T&Cs for details. Purchase necessary for entry.

Find out more

MILROYS
44 Russell Square
London
WC1B 4JP
02077342277
shop@milroys.co.uk

40TH ANNIVERSARY
RUBY EDITION

70cl | 40% ABV

To celebrate 40 years of excellence, Irish Distillers have released a limited edition Midleton Very Rare, the pinnacle of Irish Whiskey. The 40th Anniversary Ruby Edition is an extraordinary blend of single pot still and single grain Irish whiskeys aged for up to four decades, and finished in a ruby port cask.

With a rich and complex flavour profile, this rare and luxurious Whiskey offers a harmonious blend of sweet and spicy notes, showcasing the expertise of three renowned Midleton master distillers across four decades.

This remarkable expression is a true collector’s item, presented in a bespoke crystal decanter by Waterford Crystal, and a striking handmade wooden display case.

£17,699.95

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Bushmills 1991 31 Year Old

Exclusive to The Whisky Shop in the UK, this ultra-rare Bushmills 31 Year Old whiskey has been initially matured in Oloroso and bourbon casks, before being finished in rare first and second-fill Madeira casks for 18 years. Launching in celebration of St Patricks Day, this unique release is only available in select markets, with just 12 bottles available in the country.

£2,200.00

ORDER NOW ❯

Free Next Day Delivery for 12 Months For just £14.95 you can enjoy free next day delivery on all your orders for a whole year! Geographic restrictions apply, see full T&Cs. Find out more ❯

MARCH AUCTION ENDS TONIGHT!

Not long now! There is still time to bid on your favourite bottles, including this set of two Macallan Home editions, The Distillery & The River Spey, complete with stunning giclee art prints. The artwork for the Home bottling was undertaken by an employee of the distillery, who up to that point, was an amateur artist in his spare time. The Spey edition features artwork in collaboration with renowned photo realist artist Michelle Lucking, of a stretch of the River Spey owned by The Macallan.

Or, how about this 1979 house label, distilled by the now closed Speyside distillery Dallas Dhu, bottled in 1999 by bottling masters Gordon & MacPhail.

Next up, we have a gorgeous bottle of early 2000’s Macallan 10 Years Old Cask Strength. The good news is that it’s presented in a 1 litre bottle, giving you even more of this gloriously coloured malt whisky to enjoy!

Simply stunning, this 1979 Port Ellen was matured in a single Cask before being bottled 26 years later by Douglas Laing & Co. Ltd, for their highly regarded Old Malt Cask range. One of only 332 bottles produced.

We have many other little gems, including this 20 Years Old from closed Inverness distillery Glen Mhor, bottled by independent bottlers the Hart Brothers for their Finest Collection range.

These are only a few of the bottles in our March auction, to view more cracking drams visit clickwhiskyauctions.com. Register to bid. Remember, you’ve got to be in it to win it! Auction ends TONIGHT! (Sunday 17^th March) from 8pm GMT.

WU-TANG DRAM: RZA AND BALLANTINE’S DROP LIMITED EDITION BOTTLE THAT SEES SCOTTISH AND U.S. CULTURES COLLIDE

Hip-hop legend and Wu-Tang Clan frontman RZA and Ballantine’s, the world’s second-most popular Scotch whisky*, have joined forces to release a limited-edition bottle. Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel x RZA Limited Edition is the culmination of their multi-drop collaboration that celebrates going against the norm and staying true to who you are.

The first-ever bespoke iteration of Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel, the bold look of the new bottle is inspired by RZA’s poetry written during his time spent at the home of Ballantine’s in Scotland. The beauty of the surrounding green farmland, blankets of rolling clouds across Scottish Highland plains, and the whisky-making process inspired RZA to capture the experience in a poem that he then left in founder, George Ballantine’s, library.

Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel x RZA Limited Edition epitomises Scotch whisky meeting American attitude. The label features an intricate pattern constructed from the handwritten words of RZA’s poem, complete with the iconic Wu-Tang Clan hands.

The whisky itself is aged for seven years and finished in American oak barrels, expertly combining the depth of Scotch whisky with the sweet touch of American oak to give a true fusion of both Scottish and US cultures. Expect creamy notes complete with the classic vanilla and apple characteristics of the Ballantine’s signature style, as well as extra layers of sweet caramel coming from the American barrel.

When asked about creating the new bottle design RZA said,

“This is a true representation of my entire journey with Ballantine’s. On my first visit to Speyside I found the land and the people so inspiring, it compelled me to capture the experience in a poem. To see this come to life through the bottle design is a true coming together of our cultures.”

Paul-André Vacheron, Ballantine’s Marketing Director at Chivas Brothers adds:

“Our shared belief in doing things your own way is what this collaboration is all about and the unique bottle design adorned with RZA’s words from his time in Scotland, is the perfect poetic note to end our journey together on.”

Over the last year, the partnership between RZA and Ballantine’s has seen the pair launch a bespoke Crosley record player and speaker, a fashion collaboration with Japanese streetwear brand NEIGHBORHOOD, and, most recently, a Ballantine’s inspired hot sauce with Flying Goose. The partnership has been a celebration of RZA’s shared DNA with Ballantine’s, which champions authenticity, showing that when you stay true to who you are there’s no wrong way to live.

The Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel x RZA Limited Edition will be available to purchase worldwide and from thewhiskyexhange.com for RRP £29.99 but is only available while stocks last so is a must-have for whisky lovers and hip-hop fans alike.

For more information on Ballantine’s partnership with RZA visit www.Ballantines.com/RZA or follow @Ballantines on Instagram.

RZA’s Poem

Scotland, greenery on the countryside

Enjoying the scenery on a country ride

Stone cottages adorn the road on opposite sides

It seems beauty has no place to hide

Surrounded by farmland of sheep and grain

Blankets of clouds, skies preparing to release the rain

Showering life-giving water onto the Highland plains

That will be used to infuse the malt and then it’s drained

With the best parts separated from the rest

And we all take a sip, to put the process to its test

Our March 2024 Auction is now LIVE!

100th AUCTION!

Place your bids until 3pm (GMT) Sunday 24th March.

www.whiskyhammer.com

Every month, we present an incredible selection of whiskies and other fine spirits to our members right across the globe. You will find everything here from limited edition releases and vintage bottles to whole casks of rare whisky. There is certainly something for everyone – whether you are looking to collect, invest or enjoy!

Brora – 40 Year Old (1972) Cask Strength

Macallan – 1949 Millennium 50 Year Old

Karuizawa – 1999-2000 (Koi Fish Collection) Wealth Solutions (3 x 70cl)

Tomatin – 50 Year old (125th Anniversary) 70cl + 5cl

Ardbeg – 1976 (Single Cask #2390)

Highland Park – 1955 (R.W. Duthie for Corti Brothers) Narsai’s Restaurant (75cl)

Selling whisky? Why not arrange the pick-up of your bottles using our global courier service? If you’re based in Scotland, you might want to arrange the personal collection of your bottles. Wherever you’re based in the world, we will make getting your bottles into our monthly auction as simple as possible. Get in touch with the Whisky Hammer team now by dropping them a message at sales@whiskyhammer.com.