Two New K&L Exclusive Whiskies

It's finally here! This single cask of Fukano is a deal that my brother David OG worked out via a new Southern California importer. It’s taken two years to get it here, but the boys finally pulled it off. Fukano single cask Japanese whisky distilled from rice! Not only is this cask of whisky only available at K&L, this whisky is NOT sold in Japan. It’s a U.S. exclusive for only a few select stores. Here are David OG’s notes:

This exceptional distillery in the city of Kumamoto on the southern island of Kyushu has been distilling since 1823. They're famous for a diverse offering of Shochus and high quality liqueurs, but a tiny portion of their production is devoted to malted rice distillation. In Japan, these old whiskies are not bottled as such, though they do meet the definition by American standards. Instead they use them to make their high-end liqueurs, which is sad for them, but GREAT for us. This rare spirit is aged much like bourbon in new charred oak casks. The result is something absolutely sublime and uniquely Japanese. While one might be expecting Shochu squared, we're in fact in a totally different arena altogether. Nothing like you might have had from other producers bringing in similarly labeled product. Somewhere between scotch, bourbon and "other whisky", both the complexity of aromatics and texture on the palate are surprising. This cask has a vibrant nose of nut brittle, spiced fruit, lemon rind, and almond butter. A very subtle oceany quality persists in the back ground. Supremely drinkable but not without a pop on the backend, this is a true bridge between Single Malt and Bourbon. We have no doubt that everyone is going to love drinking this, although its limited nature makes it a strong candidate for most regrettable failure to click of the year. It's our first single cask Japanese whisky since the famous Karuizawas of 2013, don't expect it to last much longer than those did.

I’m a big fan of this and I commend the boys from SoCal for getting this thing done. I think people are going to go bananas for it. It’s soft, rich, easy to drink, and it offers a fruity, spicy note that really hits home. As David OG said in his notes, it’s not often we get a single cask exclusive from Japan. These aren’t going to last.

Fukano K&L Exclusive Single Cask #282 Japanese Whisky $79.99 – Bottled at 40.7%. Get one. You’ll be very happy you did.

David OG’s SoCal dealings continue to impress, however. Don’t think it ends with the Fukano. He managed to snag this little Irish cask from David Stirk’s Exclusive Malts inventory. Check out his notes here:

Here is a fun one from our friends at the Creative Whisky Company. They made waves last year by bottling a single barrel of Irish Malt at full strength and 13 years of age. While those details are unusual without a doubt, what shocked the whiskey world was that very humble cask (#20012) received a WHOPPING 96 points from the Whiskey Advocate. While we've become accustomed to seeing high scores in the wine world, this type of score is reserved at WA for the most special offerings and is never doled out lightly. The list of whiskies scoring above 95 points is short and reads like a list of legends. Needless to say we were sad to only acquire a few bottles of that spectacular whiskey. Luckily our good name and strong ties put us first in line when Mr. Stirk offered up a sister cask for sale in its entirety. This special cask #20024 is unique, yet very reminiscent of that special beauty. The third fill Madeira casks has still done wonders to the this already spectacular malt. This is bottled at full strength and only 380 bottles were made despite the large size of the cask.