JURA WHISKY SERVES UP NEW RELEASE – JURA PALE ALE CASK EDITION

UK’s #1 malt brand, Jura, announces new release – available now in UK stores

Jura Pale Ale Cask Edition (40% ABV) joins the ‘Cask Edition Series’

Jura Pale Ale Cask Edition is a collaboration between Jura and local craft brewers

UK number one malt brand[1], Jura, has unveiled a new addition to its ‘Cask Edition Series’, with Jura Pale Ale Cask Edition.

Available in stores across the UK, including Tesco, from now (April), Jura Pale Ale Cask Edition is perfect for beer lovers looking to get into whisky and for whisky fans looking to try something a little different.

During lockdown, Jura, its people and its whisky making faced many challenges, but adversity inspired creativity. With many breweries slowing production as pubs and bars were closing, Jura’s whisky makers, Gregg Glass and Joe Ricketts, saw this time as an opportunity. They collaborated with local craft brewers, respected makers in their own right, to source beer casks, each full of flavour and well suited to maturing Jura’s signature flavour profile.

Jura Pale Ale Cask Edition is the result of a dedicated and ongoing collaborative seasoning programme, led by Jura’s whisky makers, Joe Ricketts and Gregg Glass and is testament to the tiny island community on Jura and the ongoing resourcefulness of the people that live there.

Jura Pale Ale Cask Edition opens with aromas of honeyed cereal, vanilla spice and hints of pineapple. Bright and fruity on the palate, there are notes of sweet citrus and a subtle, tropical hop character. This is rounded off with vanilla and a smooth and creamy finish.

At 40%, this whisky is purposely intended to be one that can be enjoyed as part of sociable occasions, ideal for sipping in a beer garden with friends in the sunshine, matched with a blonde or pale ale beer of your preference.

For those feeling a little more adventurous, a Jura Hopscotch Highball cocktail offers a refreshing long serve and a twist on the classic beer cocktail combinations:

• 35ml Jura Pale Ale Cask Edition whisky, 15ml lemon, 10ml sugar, 50ml grapefruit
• Shake first four and strain over ice into an 8oz highball
• Top with an IPA of your choice
• Garnish with grapefruit wedge and mint sprig

Jura Pale Ale Cask Edition joins three others in the Cask Editions Series – Jura Winter Edition, Jura Red Wine Cask Edition and Jura Rum Cask Finish.

Available in the UK from April from retailers including Tesco, Jura Pale Ale Cask Edition has an RRP of £35 and comes in 70cl format with an accompanying tube in an eye-catching design, making it an ideal option for gifting.

About Jura:

A few miles off the west coast of Scotland you’ll find our island; isolate, sometimes wild, yet always beautiful. Home to roughly 230 islanders, one road, one pub and one whisky distillery. Our beachside distillery was established in 1810 and reborn in 1963 to bring life back to the island and the community. Ever since then, Jura Single Malt Whisky has flourished and our tiny island community has been making whiskies that reflect their unwavering passion and tenacity, so it tastes distinctively better because it matters more to those who make it.

[1] Nielsen. Year Data to 31.12.22

2012 Bunnahabhain 10 Year Old “Signatory” K&L Exclusive 1st Fill Sherry Butt Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml) ($149.99)

K&L Notes: Bunnahabhain, originally founded in 1881, has, like many distilleries, had a rocky history. Built at a heady time for the Scotch industry, it is simply massive. The huge size helped it supply Highland Distillers (the precursor to Edrington) with copious amounts of smoky malt for blends like Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark. The ’60s saw a doubling of the stills and the removal of the floor maltings, but eventually the 1980s took their toll, and the remote distillery was mothballed in favor of easier-to-operate venues. While the closure was short, the distillery wasn’t really returned to its former glory until recent times. Now under the stewardship of Distell and with massive upgrades underway, Bunnahabhain, while still hard to pronounce, has become a household name (at least in those households that drink single malt). The enormous still provides ample copper contact giving a lighter profile to the spirit, but in a return to the classic style of the 19th and early 20th centuries, this cask from Signatory is a first-fill sherry butt of the highest order.

Andrew Whiteley | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: October 27, 2022

The color of this 10-year is outrageous. It’s dark like molasses in the bottle and pours looking like XO Cognac from a big house. The nose is sherry-forward and loaded with toasted nuts, orange peel, and raisined fruits. If you diligently examine the aroma, you’ll find a plethora of malty goodness underneath. Sweet grain tea, chocolate malt balls, and the salty influence of the sea. On the palate, stewed fruits and a mushroomy umami note arise from the complicated interaction of spirit and cask. In a short 10 years, this has become a bomb of flavor from an epic distillery in an equally epic sherry butt. The finish highlights citrus, chocolate, and salted caramels and lingers for a long time. At 65.4% ABV, it’s no wonder it’s a powerful Scotch. With a touch of water, fruit tumbles forth bouncing between fresh and rancio notes. It’s a delightful cask with tons to offer. If you like a sherry bomb, you’ll be happy with this with no effort required. If you want a complex malt with a big sherry profile, but one that isn’t a one trick pony, this will reward the patient drinker willing to sit with a dram for an extended period of time.

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: October 21, 2022

Lots of B distilleries coming from Signatory this year. I think the B distilleries rival the C distilleries in terms of the finest set of Scotch distilleries associated by an arbitrary factor like the first letter in the name. Nonetheless, we do very well with the B distilleries and a big part of that is Bunnahabhain! Somewhat like Bowmore, which offer some interesting if not always very exciting distillery releases, it is the independently bottled stock from Bunnahabhain to which we can attribute its stellar reputation. Although the quality contrast between distillery releases and IB bottlings is not as stark as its Islay neighbor, there seems to be a lot of really good Bunnah that makes it out of the clutches of corporate ownership. That’s likely due to the multiple owners this old distillery has had over the years, but as we see younger stocks in high-quality barrels come through, it becomes clear that the current owners aren’t opposed to divesting high-quality stocks to the right partners. The worry with such an active sherry butt and the sometimes more subtle spirit of the famously unpeated Islay, is that its character gets lost behind the bold sherry flavors. We’re very grateful to not have that problem with this stupendous cask. That’s not to say that it’s not absolutely packed to the brim with intense sherry goodness. The color is a deep, brown sherry. The dark nutty aromas of oloroso are tempered by the robust savory character of the malt, adding salty umami and an almost sweet, oceanic character. Less like the sea itself and more like the windswept sands and rocky beaches of Islay, with the salty churning currents of the straights of Islay bubbling in the distance. Rich roasted espresso beans, black berry jam, cedar, sweet tobacco leaf, dried mango, salt- and caramel-covered nougat candies. Rich and surprisingly drinkable at the extremely high proof, offering tins of molasses cookies and dark fruit compote, with a dark herbal quality. With water we have more vibrant plum and stewed peach. This thing absolutely loves water. Super complex now, with lots of dark chocolate and salted caramel. On the palate, it sweetens considerably, adding fruit and a caramel finish to the tanned hide and the old, antique wood. I just can’t believe this thing is only ten years old. So much going on here, this bottle will keep giving and giving for ages.

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

WIN 1 of 4 sets of Noble Rebel!

To celebrate Spring, we have a wonderful prize up for grabs. Noble Rebel is fabulous new range of blended malts from Loch Lomond, each highlighting a key flavour profile in whisky. We will select four lucky winners to each take home a set of 3 bottles, when purchasing a bottle from our selected Spring Drams range from now until the 1st of May. Best of luck!

Full ‘Spring Drams’ Range →

Spring Drams

Win with Noble Rebel

We have selected the very best sweet and floral whiskies for you to peruse for, after all, spring has definitely sprung! Indulge in a delightful dram to complement all of those daffodils, tulips and daisies sprouting across the land.

To celebrate, we have a wonderful prize up for grabs. Noble Rebel is fabulous new range of blended malts from Loch Lomond Distillery, each highlighting a key flavour profile in Scotch whisky. We will select four lucky winners to take home all three, when purchasing a sweet and floral whisky from this selection by the 1st of May.

Bruichladdich Classic Laddie

Jim McEwan originally crafted this single malt whisky to showcase the floral and elegant style of the distillery. Unpeated, it has become Bruichladdich’s signature bottling.

NOSE: Opening with barley sugar and a hint of mint before leading into the most wonderful notes of freshly cut wild flowers; buttercup, daisy, meadowsweet, myrtle, primrose and cherry blossom. The cleanliness of the spirit is remarkable.

PALATE: The fruits from distillation drift in on an Atlantic breeze and pop on the tongue like champagne bubbles. Finally, combining ripe green fruit, brown sugar, and sweet malt brings closure.

£44.99

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ralfy review 973 Extras – Using our brain to smell & taste.

MAC-TALLA SET TO LAUNCH NEW EXPRESSION AT FÈIS ÌLE 2023 

Mac-Talla Limited Edition: Pedro Ximénez Fèis Ìle 2023 

will be unveiled at the festival in May  

April 2023, Aberargie, Scotland – Mac-Talla PX has been announced as the second limited edition release from the Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky brand. Building on their core range of Islay whiskies, each expression further demonstrates the diversity of the iconic island, featuring specially selected cask types and maturation styles, all with exceptional liquid quality.

For this year’s release, the team have selected 26 exceptional casks of Islay Single Malt, with the influence of PX Sherry Casks bringing a rich, fruity sweetness, as well as structure and depth to this smoky Islay malt. It will be launched on Islay during Fèis Ìle—Islay’s iconic festival celebrating the island’s whisky and heritage—as an official festival bottling and available in the UK from 1^stJune.

The bottling will be officially launched as part of a program of events at Fèis Ìle 2023, starting with a ‘Journey of Taste’ Whisky Dinner on 30^thMay at the Machrie Luxury Hotel and Golf Links, and ending with a festival day at the Machrie on 1^stJune with live music, games and a BBQ.

The Mac-Talla range aims to take the drinker on a taste journey across Islay, demonstrating the multiple dimensions of flavour that come from this legendary whisky island. Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers have a long history and connection with Islay which spans 4 generations of whisky brokers, bottlers, blenders and distillers, with the Morrison family owning and running Bowmore Distillery for many years.

Douglas Crawford, Managing Director, Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers, said: ‘Launching Mac-Talla PX as a limited edition Fèis Ìle bottling on Islay is a very special event for Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers. Our company’s close ties with Islay continue and we are proud to represent the high-quality output of Islay’s distilleries with our Mac-Talla range.’  

Mac-Talla Pedro Ximénez Fèis Ìle 2023 is a complex whisky with the perfect balance of jammy sweetness and peat. A sweet, smoky symphony of burnt toffee, stewed berries and maritime smoke.

Niel Hendriksz, Sales Director, Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers, said: ‘We are thrilled with the results of PX maturation on this smoky Islay Single Malt. The sweetness of the PX settles the peat, adding structure and depth, resulting in a deliciously complex balance between fruity, jammy notes and smoke.’

Tasting notes: 

Mac-Talla Limited Edition: Pedro Ximénez Fèis Ìle 2023 

RRP: £72

Sumptuous PX Sherry Wood, rich with the flavours of the luxurious grape of Southern Spain, picked at the peak of sweetness & natural acidity. Creating a complex whisky with the perfect balance of jammy sweetness and peat. A sweet, smoky symphony of burnt toffee, stewed berries and maritime smoke.

Colour: deep copper

Nose: maritime smoke, burnt toffee, stewed berries, bonfire, dates, rum and raisin, orange marmalade

54.6% ABV   

Mac-Talla will launch their new limited edition with a series of events taking place during the Islay festival. The‘Journey of Taste’ Whisky Dinner is now sold out, however there are still tickets available for the Mac-Talla Festival Day at the Machrie here.

Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers is solely owned and operated by one of Scotland’s oldest and most prominent whisky families, Jamie and Brian Morrison. There has been over five generations of the Morrison family involved in the whisky business including grocers, brokers, blenders, bottlers and distillers, making them one of Scotland’s oldest whisky families.

Their heritage gives them access to a wide variety of unique and exceptional casks from pedigree distilleries across Scotland. Their family’s values are run through everything they do and they proudly showcase these underneath each of their bottles reiterating their commitment to Patience, Intuition and Integrity.

In every whisky they release, they are committed to continue to impart the knowledge that has been passed down from generations of family whisky makers. Our chairman’s great-grandfather, William Walker, one of the pre-eminent whisky brokers of his era, worked closely with various distilleries on the island, even advocating on behalf of the Islay whisky trade to American businesses on the repeal of US prohibition in 1933.

Walker grew very fond of Islay, where he eventually purchased a home, and played an integral part in developing transport, trade and marketing of the Island’s produce.  His philanthropic nature was deeply appreciated by Islay residents – with the Glasgow Islay Association (of which he was a life member and chairman) noting in 1934 “In the Island itself, he has closely identified himself with every cause worthy of support”.

In 1963 a chance lunchtime encounter at a Glasgow restaurant led to Stanley P Morrison, the son-in-law of William Walker, purchasing of Islay’s oldest distillery — Bowmore (established in 1779) — that evening. Morrison Bowmore Distillers was created and emerged as a globally-recognised brand of quality Single Malt Scotch Whisky, producing a characterful spirit with some legendary bottlings. Morrison Bowmore Distillers was acquired by Suntory in 1994.

To find out more about Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers visit www.morrisondistillers.com or for MacTalla visit www.mactallawhisky.com

Stunning Single-Malt Rarities from a New Independent Bottler
“Rites Of Passage, while just delivering their first releases to the U.S., will surely be a household name in no time if the quality of their casks are all this high.”
— Andrew Whiteley, K&L Spirits Buyer

We just secured a unique opportunity on a set of limited-release Scotch gems that have all the ingredients of instant best sellers. The crown jewel is an iconic 30 Year Old Bunnahabhain, but we’re already seeing a run on a sneaky good Mannochmore 13 Year Old and an Orkney 16 Year Old from Highland Park. One barrel of each of these was produced, meaning there’s just a few hundred bottles for the world, and a fraction of that for the California market. Thanks to some strong relationships, we were able to secure a meaningful allocation, but quick action will be rewarded, as these one-of-a-kind gems are already moving fast.

Orkney (Highland Park) 16 Year Old “Rites of Passage” 1st Fill Oloroso Hogshead Cask Strength Orkney Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml) ($129.99)

K&L Notes: Disitlled July 21st, 2006 and aged in a refill cask until 2018 when it was reracked into a first fill Oloroso sherry hogshead. Bottled 9/22/22. 287 bottles produced and just a fraction of that available in California. Bottled at a cask strength of 59.3% ABV and without chill-filtration or added color. There is no shortage of Orkney on the independent market these days. Nearly always sold without the accompanying Highland Park name, it is a terribly kept secret where these casks are coming from. The racking into first-fill sherry here really sets this one apart. A beautiful amber in color it’s not nearly as powerful a cask as we see on Rites of Passage’s other sherry releases, but in this case, that is actually a great thing. The cask was perfectly matched to the spirit. It doesn’t cover up that delicate honey and heather note and gentle smoke of modern HP, but rather it just frames it all perfectly.

Andrew Whiteley | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: April 20, 2023

Flavors as golden as the pure gold color. Sweet orange marmalade, tart lemon bars dusted in powdered sugar, and a gently wafting heather smoke mark this wonderful cask. At nearly 60% ABV, it is full-flavored and powerful yet remarkably restrained. With a dollop of water, the smoke really comes forward, and the profile mellows into a summertime sipper. I am craving this by the pool in a highball on a sunny day. It feels like a garden party on a crisp spring day combined with the delights of a stonefruit orchard in late summer. Roasted malt and succulent peaches, nectarines, and plums are bright and clear. Modern HP can be a bit of a chameleon, and here we have the lighter profile of this special distillery showing off its colorful plumage. The cask influence is more wine-driven than the other sherry casks in the Rites of Passage line-up, a distinctly different feel on sherry, but a magic whisky nonetheless.

Mannochmore 13 Year Old “Rites of Passage” 1st Fill Bourbon Hogshead Cask Strength Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml) ($149.99)

K&L Notes: Rites of Passage by Epicurean Selection has fired the opening salvo in the war for the future of independent bottling. Delivering casks of the utmost quality with respectable age stagements and carefully managed wood selection at prices that are fair is no easy task, and many new bottlers don’t even seem to be trying on the last part. This 13 Year from Mannochmore shows, more than the Blue Chip distilleries of ROP’s other releass, what exactly we can look forward to in the long run. A surpsingly active refill hogshead from a workhorse Diageo distillery that was surely destined to be blended away has been revitalized into one of the most exciting casks we’ve seen in the 12- to 15-year-old space in quite some time. Reracked in 2019 into a first-fill bourbon hoggie, this cask really highlights the best of Mannochmore. Malt- and fruit-forward, it is pretty and creamy and everything you want out of a Speysider. Bottled at cask strength (54% ABV) and without color or chill-filtration.

Andrew Whiteley | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: April 20, 2023

Easy to overlook in a line-up that includes 30 Year Bunnahabhain as well as mature Laphroaig and Highland Park, it would be criminal to pass up this humble Mannochmore. At ‘just’ 13 years of age, this is a cask for the true malt lover. If you cannot get enough of a quality malt that brings pure joy to your palate, make space, as this is a cask whose photo should sit next to Single Malt Scotch in the dictionary. The long and clear ferments at the distillery and nondescript stills provide a lively and fruity, malt-forward whisky. Designed for the heart of many a Diageo blend, this workhorse plant just makes damn good whisky. When you put it into a first-fill bourbon hoggie of the highest order, you get the magic that has made Single Malt a choice beverage for the last couple of centuries. The liquid amber color is reminiscent of the fields of grain from which the raw materials came. As you nose your glass, you can see the tall stalks of barley waving in a gentle breeze. You’re transported to the malt room or a busy bakery with its toasty goodness hanging in the air. Sweet fruits in a sticky mix like the filling of a Danish provide just the right counterpoint to the more earthy tones of the grain. Thick vanilla pudding and butterscotch are clear indications the bourbon hogshead was a cracking cask. I haven’t been this enthralled with a bottling of a random distillery in a long time. I could drink this every day and be perfectly content. It reminds me of when I first fell in love with Scotch.

Bunnahabhain 30 Year Old “Rites of Passage” 1st Fill Oloroso Barrel Cask Strength Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml) ($599.99)

K&L Notes: Rites of Passage is a new independent bottler committed ot the old way of doing things. Lamenting the loss of medium- to long-term aged single casks, they only bottle superlative quality casks in premium barrels with a minimum age statement of 12 years. Many of their casks will greatly surpass that, like this 30-year, first-fill sherry cask from Bunnahabhain. Double barreled in first-fill olorosso, this particular whisky was distilled on December 2nd, 1991 and filled into first-fill sherry and was reracked into a new first-fill sherry cask in 2017 by Epicurean Selection, the company behind Rites of Passage. It was finally bottled on October 5th, 2022. It is dark as chocolate and clean as a whistle. 47.3% ABV natural cask strength with no added color or chill filtration. Only 249 bottles produced.

Andrew Whiteley | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: April 20, 2023

We have not seen full-term, sherry-aged Islay single malt approaching this quality in nearly a decade. I’m not sure we’ve ever had a double first-fill cask like this from Scotland. The whisky is darker than Coca Cola thanks to aging in two consecutive first-fill sherry barrels. Twenty-five long years in first-fill followed by five more years in another first-fill barrel! The fact that this barrel saw not one, but two squeaky clean sherry casks is a miracle. Not a trace of stinky sulfur here, but a deep and heady mix of raisins, maple syrup, brioche, toasted graham crackers, dried dates, figs, and baked pie, all with a trace of ancient Islay smoke and salt that was surely bombastic in its youth but has mellowed into the graceful, mature adult of any parent’s dreams. A zestful citrus note provides the perfect amount of lift and freshness to what would otherwise be a heavy and thick profile. It’s glorious and criminally underpriced by today’s standards. The only tragedy here is that we weren’t able to secure the entire barrel as an exclusive.

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

Golden Dram:
WIN Loch Lomond 21 Year Old

Purchase either of the delicious new Single Grain expressions from Loch Lomond –  Distiller’s Choice or Cooper’s Collection – up until Sunday 30th April for a chance to win the stunning Loch Lomond 21 Year Old. We will take all the entries and select one winner who will be sent the the prize. Win or not, you’ll still add a fantastic new dram to your collection!

Loch Lomond Golden Dram →

New and exclusive single casks have landed!

We have 3 smoky drams or all you peaty lovers! In our constant search for gems we have uncovered for our customers a variety of bottlings from our unique and exceptional private cask selection. View the latest bottles from the Loch Fyne Range below…

🔥 Free delivery over £99 🔥

The Loch Fyne Single Casks →

The Loch Fyne Ledaig 11 Year Old 2023

We have selected this heavily peated Ledaig, a single malt hailing from the luscious shored of the Isle of Mull. One of only 454 bottles – get yours whilst you can! Our last Ledaig single cask went quick… Bottled for Loch Fyne Whiskies, and matured for eleven years in our specially selected cask, this heavily peated Ledaig single malt hails from the Isle of Mull. One of only 454 bottles, and decanted at 53.0% abv.

£95.00
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The Loch Fyne Islay 12 Year Old 2023

We have dipped into our private cache of single casks to bottle this mystery smoky Islay dram, aged for 12 years and limited to 504 bottles. Bottled just for us here at Loch Fyne Whiskies, and matured for 12 years in our own specially selected cask, this rare single malt hails from the wonderful whisky land of Islay. One of only 504 bottles, and presented at a lovely 54.0% abv.

£115.00
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The Loch Fyne Williamson 7 Year Old 2023

A rare release of only 277 bottles from one of the big peaty players on Islay! Bottled at a lovely cask strength 53% abv. Bottled only for us at Loch Fyne Whiskies, and matured for seven years in our specially selected cask, this special wee Williamson single malt is an cracking example of Islay whisky. One of only 277 bottles, and presented at a lovely 53.0% abv.

£92.00
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WE CLEANED UP AT THIS YEAR’S IWSC!

This year’s iteration of the International Wine and Spirits Competition saw the Wemyss Malts Core Range attain gold, silver and bronze. Up against the very best of the best of the Spirits industry, our three vivid expressions performed extremely well across the board and scooped the judges’ approval.Celebrate with us and explore our award winning Core Range yourself! Use the code IWSC10 to get 10% off any order of the Core Range.

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