New Stuff for T-Day

Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinally, our single barrel of Bruichladdich has arrived. I had no idea when this was going to get here, but it's in stock as of now in Redwood City.  SF will get some tomorrow and LA later in about a week.

2003 Bruichladdich K&L Exclusive Peated Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky $72.99 - Originally slated for Bruichladdich's short-lived 3D3 Peat expression, this malt began its life in Bourbon casks until it was dumped into a refill Sherry butt for extra maturation. That classic Bruichladdich tang is on the nose, the briny aromas that meander between rich, earthy, and tart. The peat shows itself first, bringing bright smoke and peat moss similar to Laphroaig, before the mild dose of Sherry kicks in, finishing more like Lagavulin with some nice oak and caramel. After a disasterous recall on last year's Chenin Blanc barrel, this new offering from Bruichladdich comes just in time for the holidays to fill the hole. Now that Remy Martin has acquired the once-independent distillery, we're not sure if this will mark the end of the independent cask program at Bruichladdich. Is this the last time we team up with our friends on Islay, or is this just another great chapter in an incredible relationship? We hope to continue our business with Bruichladdich, but if this peated cask is the last of its kind, it's a hell of a way to go out. Big smoke, big flavor, tons of complexity, lots of chewy richness. This is Islay through and through. It's Bruichladdich at its smoky best.

This stuff is very special. I can't wait to do another one of these if they're all going to be as good as this.

Germain Robin K&L Single Barrel Alambic Brandy $56.99 - Labeled as single barrel no. 125, batch 2012-F, this is our first collaboration with the legendary Ukiah distillery, known for its exceptional California brandy. Aged in French Limousin oak, this brandy begins with a lovely flurry of fresh fruit before settling into more classic Cognac flavors of caramel and subtle toffee.  The balance of this batch is impeccable and the brandy is decidedly better than the standard Craft Method in our opinion.  Germain Robin already makes an amazing and affordable brandy, so we weren't going to take a cask unless it was significantly better or different than the standard expressions.  In this case, it's both. Round, supple, but full of life and character. This is a bottle you won't want to miss. Only 108 bottles available.

This just in from St. George. Dave Smith and I tasted some samples of the Faultline Gin Batch 2 today. We took thin-skinned oranges, juiced them, distilled the juice, then put the peels in a rotisserie-style smoker to give them a bit of an edge before putting them in the gin to macerate.

Thin peels!

Into the smoker.

The result.

You really get the rotisserie flavor in the gin. Does it still taste like gin? We'll see what you think.  It will be here before Xmas.

-David Driscoll