Stunning Quality and Value from a K&L Speyside Favorite

2006 Craigellachie 15 Year Old “Old Particular” K&L Exclusive Cask Strength Single Sherry Butt 

“These sherried Craigellachies are an absolute delight … when they keep dropping these on us and the price goes DOWN, we just can’t say no.”
— David Othenin-Girard, K&L Spirits Buyer

Bottled at cask strength from a first-fill sherry butt, this is a spectacular expression of the Craigellachie style, as the distillery’s singular profile is a perfect match for the barrel’s influence. This 15-year-old iteration offers arguably higher quality and an absolutely more distinctive profile than a previous 16-year-old cask, and for a significantly better price.

2006 Craigellachie 15 Year Old “Old Particular” K&L Exclusive Cask Strength Single Sherry Butt Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($99.99)

K&L Notes: Another stupendous sherried Craigellachie from Old Particular. Like 2021’s 16 Year Old, this butt retains significant distillery character while not forgetting that it aged in a sherry butt for a decade and a half. The fabulous distillery just across the river from the famous Macallan distillery was once one of Speyside’s most undervalued. Now, due to repositioning and tariffs, even the entry-level distillery offerings seem out of reach in value terms, let alone their extremely well regarded “Exceptional Cask” bottlings, which have gone up in price 30-40% over the last year. We’ve managed, on the other hand, to lower the price of this exceptional malt by over $20 for something of equal or greater quality and just one year younger than the former offering. The bold, sometimes funky malt character of Craighellachie does wonders when married with sherry, and the resulting malt won’t disappoint sherry lovers, although it’s not the sweet, raisiny style some drinkers have come to associate with modern, sherry-matured single malts. Instead, it’s a deeply complex and slightly esoteric style that will appeal to drinkers looking for something more classical and contemplative.

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: June 08, 2022

These sherried Craigellachies are an absolute delight. We don’t like to do the same thing year in and year out, but when they keep dropping these on us and the price goes down, we just can’t say no. This new one is a classic funky Craigie, which reminds us that this is one of Speyside’s most flavorful malts and loves to play against a great sherry butt. The color is deep gold. The nose offers that great Craigellachie funk, industrial and old school, which few modern malts offer. The sherry is there, but it doesn’t feel artificially vinous like some modern bottlings can. We get almond butter, roast pecans, bright red fruit, slight camphor smoke, wisps of engine oil, black olive, kirsch, and golden raisins. On the palate, it’s sweeter than expected, now offering some gorgeous dark chocolate, Figgie pudding, sweet candied plums, and a slight minty note on the finish. With water we add some nutty notes on the nose, but it stays pretty much in line. On the palate, there’s now a wonderfully rich, velvety texture and more tropical fruit. This is an absolutely wild whisky and definitely one for the lovers of a bit of funk, although I waffle on whether to add water or not. It’s not sulphuous though, so if you’re sensitive to that, I don’t think it will be a problem. I feel like this is a very underrepresented style that I wish we saw more of—even last year’s excellent 16-year was much more straightforward, and this one offers much more nuance.

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

A Vibrant masterpiece,
coloured by our highland landscape

A limited release of 1134 bottles, The 42 is the 2^nd oldest whisky to be released by The Glenrothes, and one of the first to be created by Master Whisky Maker, Laura Rampling.

A union of just 4 exceptional casks, that over 42 years have matured our spirit among the ever changing colours and evolving landscape of The Glenrothes Estate in Speyside.

The changing colours of the terrain are represented within the bold, contoured pack that houses the whisky, and shines through in the vibrant flavour of the whisky itself.

A new crystal decanter, an interpretation of The Glenrothes iconic bottle, holds the whisky with cuts inspired by the oak staves of our casks and crowned by an elegant crystal stopper.

The 42 boasts an intensely aromatic fragrance, distinctly sweet taste, yet a smooth, velvety mouthfeel. Bottled at natural colour, like all our whiskies, its naturally deep amber tone is a result of the four decades’ long maturation in oak casks.

if you haven’t done so already, register your interest in this rare and coveted release so that we can keep you updated on availability where you are.

Register your interest

Glenfarclas 35 Year Old

1st Release – Bottled 2022

Distillery Manager, Callum Fraser. During one of his regular visits through the traditional warehouses at Glenfarclas Distillery came across a parcel of casks approaching their 35th birthday. He found them to be exceptional and as a result, Glenfarclas decided to create their first release of the 35-Year-Old, in the classic red warehouse doors series.

Shop – Glenfarclas 35 Year Old 1st Release

ralfy review 964 – Springbank 12yo Cask @53.2%vol (OSWA Winner 2022)

Delos is the whiskymakers’ first limited-edition of 2023

February 2023: Award-winning Scotch whiskymakers Compass Box introduce a new, limited-edition expression with Delos; a delicate and soothing Scotch inspired by flavours of the past (RRP £265, ABV: 49%).

Available from February, Delos is a reimagined study of Compass Box’s much admired extinct blend, Asyla. Delos focuses on capturing Asyla’s vibrancy and soothing sweetness, turning to older stocks to achieve this. First created in 2001, Asyla was the ethereally beautiful cornerstone of the core range until its retirement in 2018.

Delos is the second release from the whiskymaker’s Extinct Blends Quartet series and will only have 5,520 bottles available worldwide. The Extinct Blend Quartet celebrates discontinued characters and flavours, reappraising four very different expressions of blended Scotch. The remaining two from the series will be introduced in late 2023 and early 2024.

Named after a Greek island said to be the birthplace of the god Apollo that is blessed with mosaics and ruined ancient temples, Delos signifies Asyla’s beauty and serenity as a whisky. Blended to entice the senses, the sumptuous and meditative flavours of Delos provide a moment of sanctuary, embodying a rare escape to a sun-kissed paradise of great antiquity.

With an interplay of grain and malt, Delos balances some of Compass Box’s rarest and most idiosyncratic stocks of whisky to create an elegant and refined flavour. Malt whiskies from the much sought-after Glen Elgin, Imperial and Miltonduff distilleries – all aged in American oak barrels – bring a sweet yet mellow medley of ripe pear, pineapple, orange, and vanilla notes, while the maturity of the grain whisky gradually builds to reveal guava, heather honey, and chai spices.

The captivating label art features a female lute player from the original Asyla label, reimagined in mosaic form. However, she now plays a lyre, the instrument classically associated with Apollo, with the outline of the tiles broken away to reflect the coastlines of Delos and Greece.

James Saxon, Compass Box lead whiskymaker says, “While inspired by the style and recipe structure of Asyla, Delos has richer and rounder flavours from using older stocks of whiskies which amplify the character, bringing more grandeur to it and making it more resonant. The delicate mouthfeel and transportive aromas within Delos are nevertheless familiarly delicious. For me, sipping Delos feels like a holiday.”

Curious whisky lovers can find out more about Delos and other Compass Box whiskies at compassboxwhisky.com or follow @compassboxwhiskyco on Instagram.

Compass Box whiskies are available to purchase at compassboxwhisky.com, masterofmalt.com and thewhiskyexchange.com.

 ABOUT COMPASS BOX

Compass Box are Scotch whiskymakers. The word ‘whiskymaker’ is their word – it does not appear in a dictionary. For over 20 years they have been relentlessly focused on reinventing Scotch whisky, with every new blend designed to help make the world of whisky a more interesting place. They have not done it on their own and have collaborated with some of the world’s most visionary bartenders and designers to really push the boundaries of what is possible. They are always experimenting, always looking for sparks of creativity that will deliver something totally compelling, yet completely surprising. This vision motivates them as whiskymakers. 

ABOUT COMPASS BOX LIMITED EDITIONS

Compass Box’s Limited Editions allow them complete creative freedom, often using smaller parcels at greater ages. Each Limited Edition is one-off in nature. Every year, Compass Box creates a number of Limited Editions from very rare releases of a few hundred bottles to more accessible runs of several thousand bottles. Each one boasts a different identity, each expresses deliciousness in Scotch whisky in a different way.

Mark Littler Ltd Creates Comprehensive List of World Record-Breaking Whisky Sales 

The extensively researched list is the subject of Mark’s new YouTube video. 

It might come as a surprise to know that, until now, there has been no comprehensive list of all of the world record-breaking whiskies sold at auction. Even the Guinness Book of World Records only lists the most recent title holder: The Macallan 1926 60 Year Old. Whilst this particular bottle has certainly set an extremely high bar with a £1.5 million sale, there has been a long history of world record-breaking whisky sales dating all the way back to 1983.

In their new YouTube video and an extensive article, published in issue 15 of Cask & Still magazine, the Mark Littler Ltd team shed some light on this long history of auction records and the surprising bottles that have once held the title of ‘World’s Most Expensive Whisky’.

Check out the video and the article and let Mark Littler Ltd know your thoughts.

About Mark Littler Limited

Mark Littler is an independent whisky broker, market analyst and consultant with over a decade of experience in the industry. Each week he publishes new videos on his YouTube channel about topics such as cask investment fraud (and how to avoid it), the history of distilleries and bottles, debunking whisky investment myths and much more. For more information visit www.marklittler.com

If you have any thoughts on the video/article or would like to chat to one of the team about our services, please get in touch.

Email: whisky@marklittler.com

Telephone: 01260 218 718

Oh Canada! We’re feeling the love this month as we celebrate the first ever Canadian single malt to be bottled by the SMWS in its 40 year history – Cask No. 152.1 “Vibrant and vigorous.”

And of course we have several other wonderful whiskies in this Outturn, including the first Rye Whiskey to be released by SMWS Canada – Cask No. RW5.3 “Exploring new frontiers” and an elegant small batch Speyside single malt – “Full Bloom” – that spent time in Australian Muscat wine barriques.

There’s a lot to love in February’s Outturn, and you can also look forward to another Vaults Collection release in mid-February, this time a 31 year old sherry-matured whisky from Speyside’s most famous distillery, so watch your email for details!

SWEET MEMORIES ON DESERTED BEACHES

CASK N0. 48.138

CASK TYPE:  Refill ex-bourbon hogshead

AGE:  12 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Spicy & sweet

BOTTLE NOTE:  “The cool sea breeze touching our warm cheeks as we enjoyed peppermint tea and saltwater taffy. Water added marshmallows and Dutch stroopwafels.”

FULL BLOOM

FB18

INITIAL CASKS:  1st fill ex-bourbon barrels

FINAL CASKS:  Ex-Muscat wine barriques

AGE:  18 years

“For the creation of this small batch single malt we teamed up with our friends at Nebb Whisky Barrels, who specialise in Australian vintage wine barrels. We selected some top quality Speyside single malt that had matured for 16 years in 1st fill bourbon barrels. We then transferred the whisky to some beautiful barriques that had been filled for 20 years with heady Muscat wine in a family run winery in New South Wales.”

EXPLORING NEW FRONTIERS

CASK NO. RW5.3

CASK TYPE:  New oak barrel

AGE:  5 years

BOTTLE NOTE:  “Sandalwood, orange oil and spicy Jamaican dark chocolate rum truffles with candied almonds. 95% rye and 5% malted barley.”

VIBRANT AND VIGOROUS

Cask No. 152.1

CASK TYPE:  1st fill ex-bourbon barrel

AGE:  9 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Young & spritely

BOTTLE NOTE:  “Attractively sweet (caramel log, toffee, Lebkuchen, marzipan); but zingy and vibrant at the same time (citrus, white pepper, wasabi, pine).” 

GOING LUXE

CASK NO. 64.127

INITIAL CASK:  Ex-bourbon hogshead

FINAL CASK:  1st fill custom hogshead

AGE:  12 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Sweet, fruity & mellow

BOTTLE NOTE:  “Sweet Virginia tobacco, frankincense and a chocolate and raspberry crème brûlée followed by churros dipped in hot chocolate and café con miel.” 

TANNIC, SHAMANIC, OCEANIC

CASK NO. 16.64

CASK TYPE:  Refill re-charred hogshead

AGE:  8 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Peated

BOTTLE NOTE:  “Sauna wood and burnt twigs, bonfire of driftwood and peat (tatties roasted in the embers), burnt sage leaves; caramel popcorn and neoprene.”

THROW THE CORK AWAY!

DISTILLERY 53 SMALL BATCH

INITIAL CASKS:  Ex-bourbon hogsheads

FINAL CASKS:  1st fill Oloroso hogsheads

AGE:  8 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Peated

BOTTLED FOR THE 2022 ISLAY WHISKY FESTIVAL

LIMIT ONE BOTTLE PER MEMBER

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society Canada
Suite 160
104 – 1240 Kensington Road NW
Calgary, AB  T2N 3P7
403-969-8225
curious@smws.ca
www.smws.ca

ROSEBANK ROSES
ENCHANTMENT

It’s a big day for Rosebank fans and collectors as we launch the final instalment of 21-year-old single malt from Elixir Distillers’ extremely rare Rosebank Roses series. Matured in a combination of bourbon and madeira casks, Enchantment brings together the lost distillery’s signature floral and grassy character with orchard fruit sweetness and subtle spice.

Closed for more then 20 years, Rosebank distillery produces some of the rarest and most sought-after Scottish single malts. We have a limited number of bottles available for purchase via ballot until 23:59 GMT on Wednesday 15 February 2023. Details of how to enter are below.

  ENTER BALLOT 

Blanton’s Gold Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon (700ml~European Import)

$240.00

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The rare Blanton’s Gold has become beloved by connoisseurs and collectors world wide. The ultimate single barrel bourbon and founder of the category, Blanton’s has become one of the most asked for and hardest to obtain bourbons on the market today. We’ve found some limited stocks of European bound product that would otherwise have not been available. The famous “Gold” Blanton’s is so named for its unique golden horse and golden writing. Bottled at a perfect 103 proof, the Blanton’s Gold ups the complexity considerably from the standard release without the heat that the Straight From the Barrel offers. This is the perfect whiskey to offer nearly any bourbon lover if you’re looking for a special bottle that they’ve never had. It’s a true Kentucky benchmark and should be considered one of the truly great whiskies on the market today.

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