Can’t-Miss Exclusive Gems from Knob Creek
“Bottled at 120 proof, these 9-year-old casks are incredible values when measured against their Bluegrass State peers.” — Andrew Whiteley, K&L Spirits Buyer

Not one but two exceptional K&L Exclusive Casks have just landed from Knob Creek, and fans of the iconic Kentucky distillery should take serious interest. Our long-time relationship with them allows us access that few others in the industry have, and we’ve brought in some true showstoppers over the years. But thanks to surging demand in the market, the distillery is starting to hold back some of these stocks, meaning opportunities like this may very well become increasingly rare. The two 9-year-olds on offer today boast distinctly different profiles, but they each offer an equally thrilling, cask-strength drinking experience. Barrel #14479 is the brash and boisterous one, as it aged in a much warmer warehouse location. “Big and spicy,” according to spirits buyer Andrew Whiteley, “this specimen is sure to please” any avid Knob Creek aficionado. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Barrel #14675 “is superbly easy to drink and go back to time and time again for neat pours, rocks pours, and it’s got the stuffing to stand up to any cocktail recipe.” At under $60 each, these are two of the finest buys in our bourbon inventory. As the market for stellar finds like these changes rapidly, collectors and connoisseurs should take advantage of every opportunity that comes along.

Whiskey fans should also be on the lookout for our spectacular, best-in-market price on the Knob Creek Rye Whiskey in 1.75L format. At a can’t-miss Insider’s deal of just $39.99, it can become a regular staple on your bar for over 30% less than you’ll find it anywhere else in the market.

Knob Creek “Single Barrel Select” K&L Exclusive Barrel #14479 (Distilled 10/10/12, Warehouse I, Floor 6, Rick 68) Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) ($59.99)

Andrew Whiteley | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: June 02, 2022

Knob Creek routinely offers some of the finest drinking out of Kentucky at very fair prices. The single barrel program has always had a 9-year-old minimum age statement, but folks really took notice when they started routinely bottling 13- to 15-year-old barrels. While they’ve moved back to barrels in the 9-10 range thanks to surging demand (and the creation of much more expensive 12- and 15-year-old official releases), the drinking is still excellent. It would be a mistake to overlook these 9-year-old gems due to the relatively younger whiskey—nine years is still a mighty long time in today’s bourbon landscape. Bottled at 120 proof, these 9-year-old casks are incredible values when measured against their Bluegrass State peers. Both of our current casks were distilled on 10/10/12, but saw considerably different aging conditions. This cask was aged in warehouse 1 on the 6th floor, a much hotter location than Barrel 14675’s 3rd floor resting place. The result is a bourbon with lots of barrel extraction. It is big and spicy with sweet maple tones on the nose. The palate is a bold amalgam of succulent raw corn, brown sugar, maple, cinnamon bark, just a touch of fresh cut grass, and feels thick like syrup on the tongue. Cooked down vanilla on the finish leaves a very pleasant aftertaste. At 60%, it’s big, but no monster hazmat-style bourbon. With an ice cube it drinks very easy without losing intensity. If you’ve ever enjoyed a sip of any Knob Creek, this specimen is sure to please.

Knob Creek “Single Barrel Select” K&L Exclusive Barrel #14675 (Distilled 10/10/12, Warehouse G, Floor 3, Rick 48) Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) ($59.99)

Andrew Whiteley | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: June 10, 2022

Cool and easy going—this cask is Arthur Fonzarelli. Laid back, emanating chill, but not lacking a fiery, tough-guy attitude when he needs to step up. Beautiful copper in color, it’s a striking pour. Barrel #14675 was, like its sister barrel, distilled on 10/10/2012. It did, however, age in the center of the rickhouse on the 3rd floor, rick 48. It’s a much cooler profile than our other in stock cask. It’s more sandalwood than cinnamon, more mint than grass, and of course still tons of that sweet corn and butterscotch/vanilla profile at a robust 60% ABV. There is a freshly popped popcorn note, sweet, buttery, and while not salty, it is set off by a more herbaceous tone in the whiskey—a cool spearmint. Tobacco leaf makes an appearance along with freshly cut cedar. Maple and butterscotch sweeten the aromatic profile up a bit. With time in the glass, things tend towards more spice. On the palate, it is a rich, mouth-coating pour. More cinnamon and pepper heat things up, but there is still an overarching mellow note that carries on through the finish. This cask is superbly easy to drink and go back to time and time again for neat pours, rocks pours, and it’s got the stuffing to stand up to any cocktail you want to throw it in. While just a few short years ago we were spoiled for choice on as many Knob Creek casks as we could shake a stick at, these days we are getting fewer and fewer barrels allocated to us as nationwide demand for these epic casks skyrockets. While we don’t expect the tap to get shut off completely, we don’t know how many more of these we will be able to bottle this year.

Knob Creek Rye Whiskey (1.75L) (Elsewhere $60) ($39.99)

Whisky Advocate: “Unlike the Knob Creek bourbons (which are 9 years old), theres no age statement with this new rye, which tastes relatively younger. Its bracing, vibrant, and spicy. (The rye contribution is unmistakable.) Cinnamon spice and crisp mint dominate, with charcoal, botanicals, ginger, nutmeg, honeyed fruit, vanilla, and caramel. Warming spice finish. Its dynamic personality should shine in cocktails, but from a sipping, drinking neat perspective, I wish it was a little older like its siblings. (Summer-2012)”

Wine Enthusiast: “Look for a dry, distinctly oaky, toasty profile, with plenty of deep, dark toffee and cayenne winding into the spicy, warming finish. Dilution pulls the flavors back to vanilla and buttered toast. Small batch. (KN)” (07/2016)

K&L Notes: An insane price on the 1.75L bottles of Knob Creek Rye—there is no better time to stock up on one of the best cocktailing Rye whiskeys in the store than on this one-time deal. Jim Beam’s entry into the super-premium Rye has really made some waves. While there is no age statement, this contains Rye up to nine years old. Voted “Best Rye” and brandishing double gold medals, the Knob Creek Rye has elevated Jim Beam’s profile in the burning hot cocktail scene. While this bottling shares the eminent Knob Creek name, the profile is very different. Losing the ultra-forward sweetness, you’re going to feel a strong herbal rye spice in its place. Very robust without being overly thick, you’ll find this holds up nicely in your cocktails thanks to the Knob Creek tradition of bottling at 100 proof. A nice addition to the burgeoning Rye category.

As we head towards the historic release of our first whisky, we’re proud to have two local folks in the distillery blender and assistant blender roles. Shona Macleod and Harrison ‘Harry’ Wood have taken on these respective titles, and both are drawn from our existing Harris team.

Alongside friend and collaborator Gordon Steele, they’ve been honing the ‘recipe’ for The Hearach Single Malt, referred to behind the scenes here as ‘R18.’ We’ll be spending more time with Shona, Harry, and Gordon as the months go by to learn more about their work.

Meantime, we raise a glass to the day we can share this dram with you all. Learn more about our whisky-making via the button below…

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR WHISKY

Friday Focus – Raasay Distillery

The Island of Raasay, located between its larger neighbour the Isle of Skye and the rugged West Coast of Highland Scotland, is 14 miles long and just 3 miles wide with a population of approximately 160 residents.

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GIRVAN DISTILLERY 42 Year Old 1979 Sovereign Cask #18972

A glorious 1979 vintage bottled at 50.5% from a refill hogshead for The Sovereign series. Girvan 42 Year Old 1979 vintage Lowland single grain Scotch whisky. Single refill hogshead #18972 bottled November 2021 by Hunter Laing & Co. for the Sovereign series. 268 numbered bottles. This light gold whisky has a nose of blackcurrants, raspberries, and apples. The palate is sweet with fruits and of the forest, mint, and a hint of vanilla. The finish is long, with lingering sweet oak.

£230 / us$240 / €225

Buy Girvan 42 YO »

Girvan Distillery is a Scottish Lowland grain whisky distillery situated on the Ayrshire coast. It looks out to the island of Ailsa Craig the source of granite from which curling stones are shaped. William Grant and Sons Ltd opened this distillery in 1963 to supply grain whisky to their blends of scotch but with careful maturation in quality casks Girvan is also able to produce excellent single grain whiskies.

ralfy review 930 Extras – My journey with Aultmore

A Bourbon Capital Homecoming:  

Heaven Hill Springs Distillery underway in Bardstown; name honors distillery lost in 1996 fire

Family-owned spirits company expanding production with $135 million state of the art distillery

BARDSTOWN, Kentucky (June 6, 2022) – The Bourbon industry marked a special homecoming today as Heaven Hill broke ground on a $135 million distillery in Bardstown – with a name paying tribute to the family-owned company’s original distillery that burned in a devastating fire in 1996.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear joined Heaven Hill President Max Shapira and Master Distiller Conor O’Driscoll to commemorate the start of construction and reveal the new distillery’s name: Heaven Hill Springs Distillery.

“We’re honored to celebrate this homecoming with a return to distilling in Bardstown to augment our overall bourbon-making capacity, as well as continue to make an impact in the Bardstown community,” Shapira said. “I’m proud to salute our history and the many Bardstown men and women who helped build our brands over the years by naming our new facility in honor of the original Old Heaven Hill Springs Distillery that my father and uncles founded in this community nine decades ago.”

The new, state-of-the-art Heaven Hill Springs Distillery is being built in the heart of the “Bourbon Capital of the World” at 1015 Old Bloomfield Pike, off KY 245, and is expected to be operational by the end of 2024. Initial production is slated for 150,000 barrels a year, and over time will have capacity to ramp up to producing 450,000 barrels annually. This will be in addition to the company’s distilling that occurs at the historic Bernheim Distillery in Louisville, which will continue to operate at full capacity of 450,000 barrels annually.

As part of Heaven Hill’s 2030 Environmental Sustainability Strategy, the new distillery has been designed to create a more environmentally conscious distilled spirits industry and ensure a thriving environment for generations to come. Heaven Hill Springs Distillery has been engineered to minimize water use to below industry benchmarks and reuse certain water streams. The site will use native plants and natural systems to manage stormwater runoff and improve habitat on the property. The distillery will include a wastewater pretreatment system to ensure discharged water exceeds environmental standards and greatly reduces the load on the city’s treatment plant. Heaven Hill also will plan to utilize energy creation and recovery, lessening the distillery’s demand on the city’s electrical grid.

The new distillery adds at minimum 38 jobs to the company’s 381 people already working in Bardstown at Heaven Hill’s Loretto Road bottling, aging and tourism facilities.

“This is a significant day for Heaven Hill and Kentucky. The return of distilling operations to Nelson County is a return to the company’s roots, and the investment highlights the continued growth of bourbon and spirits in the commonwealth,” Gov. Andy Beshear said. “I am incredibly happy for the residents of Bardstown and the surrounding area, and I want to thank the leaders at Heaven Hill for this commitment to create new job opportunities and build the company’s presence in our state.”

Heaven Hill and Bardstown: ‘a shared and storied history’

Max Shapira’s father and four uncles, along with a group of Bardstown-area investors, founded “Old Heaven Hill Springs” distillery in 1935, and filled its first barrel on December 13 of that year.

The company grew over the years and added several acclaimed brands, including Evan Williams, Elijah Craig, Larceny, Henry McKenna and more, which have earned numerous spirits-industry accolades. Master distillers of the Old Heaven Hill Springs Distillery over the years included Joe Beam, Harry Beam, Earl Beam, Parker Beam and Craig Beam.

In 1996, a fire resulted in the loss of the distillery, seven rickhouses and almost 100,000 barrels of whiskey. After the fire, Heaven Hill moved distilling to the historic Bernheim Distillery in Louisville. However the bottling and aging of whiskey along with other functions proudly continued in the Bardstown area where they remain today. In addition, in 2004, the company dedicated the Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center—most recently expanded and renamed to the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience—that has become an award-winning focal point for the region’s bourbon tourism and has greeted millions of visitors over the years.

ABOUT HEAVEN HILL DISTILLERY: Founded in Kentucky by the Shapira family in 1935, Heaven Hill Distillery continues its legacy as one of the foremost American Whiskey producers. Heaven Hill has cultivated the traditions and history of America’s Native Spirit with its fierce independence, passionate family ownership, dedication to quality, and thoughtful innovation. Today, Heaven Hill Distillery maintains over 1.9 million barrels aging in more than 60 warehouses throughout Nelson and Jefferson Counties. It is home to an award-winning collection of American Whiskeys including Elijah Craig Bourbon, Larceny Bourbon, Evan Williams Bourbon, Pikesville Rye Whiskey, Rittenhouse Rye Whisky, Parker’s Heritage Collection, and Old Fitzgerald along with its extensive Bottled-in-Bond label collection. Heaven Hill Distillery was named 2020 Whisky Advocate Whisky of the Year, the second Whisky of the Year for Heaven Hill Distillery in the past four years. In 2019 Heaven Hill Distillery was named San Francisco World Spirits Competition Distillery of the Year, Best in Show Whisky, and previously held the titles of 2018 San Francisco Spirits Word Spirits Competition Best Bourbon, 2016 Whisky Magazine Distillery of the Year. For more information, please visit www.heavenhilldistillery.com.

DUMBARTON DISTILLERY 31 Year Old 1987 Sovereign Exclusive Cask #15477

A glorious 1979 vintage bottled at 50.5% from a refill hogshead for The Sovereign series. Dumbarton 31 Year Old 1988 vintage Lowland single grain Scotch whisky. Rare example of the lost Scottish distillery. Single cask refill barrel #15477 distilled March 1987 bottled September 2018 by Hunter Laing & Co. for the Sovereign series. Selected and bottled exclusively for The Whisky Barrel. 207 numbered bottles. This golden whisky has a nose of apples, blueberries, and molten toffee. The palate is soft and sweet with notes of salted caramel, forest fruits and marzipan. The finish is medium length, with a hint of lingering pepper.

£125 / us$157 / €147

Buy Dumbarton 31 YO »

Dumbarton Distillery is a lost Lowland grain distillery opened by Hiram Walker in 1938 on the site of the former McMillan shipyard. The distillery sat on the banks of the River Leven and River Clyde in Dumbarton and was equipped with one continuous still manufactured in Cincinnati. It was one of the largest grain distilleries in Scotland however it closed in 2002 with most of its buildings demolished by 2008. Spirit was produced primarily from maize with water originating from Loch Lomond with spirit destined for Ballantyne’s blends. Single cask bottlings have been released by Hunter Laing & Co.

Just Landed!
Talisker 44 Year Old Forests of the Deep

A maritime delight from the Isle of Skye! Released today on World Oceans Day, this beauty of a malt was created in collaboration with ocean conservation group, Parley, to celebrate and help preserve the natural beauty and wonder of the world’s oceans. A great whisky for a great cause – seems like it’s also a great excuse to nab a bottle.

🔥 Free delivery over £75 🔥

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Talisker 44 Year Old
Forests of the Deep
in support of Parley

Nose: sea salt, seaweed, smoke, toffee.

Palate: smoky, salt, white pepper.

Finish: particularly long and waxy.

£3,800.00
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Rock Island blended malt is a part of the Remarkable Regional Malts collection from Douglas Laing. It was created using single malt from Scottish Islands, showcasing their maritime, salty and slightly peaty character.  This limited-release from the Rock Island range was finished in Ex-Mezcal casks for 12 months, creating a unique spirit with heightened smokiness and amplified saltines.

TASTING NOTES

NOSE: Opens with Scottish sea salt and roasted Mexican agave, balanced by tangy gooseberries and fresh floral notes.

PALATE: Barley-sweet and super smooth, moving to earthy, light smoked style alongside barbeque meats.

FINISH: Oceanic and elegant, with citrus fruits, juicy blackberries and honeycomb.

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Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 447: Lagavulin 11 Year Old Offerman 2^nd Edition Guinness Cask Finish

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tries the 2^nd Offerman edition from Lagavulin. At the end of last year Mark tasted the first release of the Lagavulin Offerman Edition, named after Nick Offerman, American actor and comedian who makes no secret of the fact that he loves to drink Lagavulin. Now let him also like to drink Guinness. It was then no art for this Islay distillery to give some of their 11-year-old whisky a finish on such casks. The Offerman 2nd Release was born.

https://youtu.be/szklLmqspGk