Exclusive Rarities Extreme Values
We’ve already told you how extremely lucky we are to be partnering with the John Milroy Selection to bring you EXCLUSIVE single malt at incredible prices. What we may have not told you is that we have these casks for sale in California for 40-50% the price their asking in the rest of the country. In addition to the outrageous value you’re getting by purchasing ANY of the Milroy casks from K&L you’re also getting access to some rare and wonderful stocks that don’t just show up every day. These casks were selected by one of the top noses in the business for their incredible depth and complexity. All the John Milroy Selections seek to highlight the incredible quality of the spirit going into these casks and that means they’re often going to come from refill hogsheads or bourbon barrels. This type of casks is truly the distillers’ preferred vessels because maturity is achieved through subtle concentration over decades rather than addition of oak or wine flavors to influence or detract from the exceptional flavor of the great spirit inside. Truly great Scotch doesn’t need much more than that to be spectacular.
We’re offering today an exceptional Ben Nevis aged 18 years. This special distillery is becoming one of the most sought-after Highland offerings thanks to its robust and full flavored profile. The distillery stands at the base of the highest mount in the British Isles and is owned by the famed Japanese distiller Nikka. Founded in 1825 in the far-flung town of Fort Williams, it's definitely worth a detour if ever possible as the Western Coast is simply breathtaking. The distillery sells a single cask at 15 years for nearly $200. Retailers in other states who snagged a bit of this before we moved in and are asking upwards of $130! We’re selling the very SAME CASK for $60. It boasts big malty flavors with tons of coastal influence and deep mossy finish. While the Ben Nevis is becoming more popular and more regularly on offer here at K&L, it will rarely be available at such a stupendously low price. Grab this one quickly!
From the famous stalwart of the eastern Highlands this cask of Glen Garioch represents some of the finest in this style we’ve seen in ages. Glen Garioch produces one of the highest quality distillates in Scotland, historically quite peaty; it’s now a fruity, bready, malty magician. You might liken it to a fuller bodied version of Clynelish. Subtle and brimming with complexity, Glen Garioch is a true BLUE CHIP distillery and we’ve only managed to bottle it exclusively only twice before. Both of those casks were bottled by the distillery and distilled after the 1995 closure. This cask represents some of the oldest stocks of Glen Garioch we’ve seen on the open market and comes from the period right before the distillery was mothballed for several years. A very rare treat indeed! This little single cask Glen Garioch is of such high quality that our out of state competitors feel confident in asking nearly $200 a bottle for this special whisky. It likely is worth at least that, but our price is nearly 40% less. These special casks don’t come around very often and if you know Glen Garioch than you’ll know that you must have this special whisky.
Finally, the very first cask of Tormore we’ve ever bottled and likely the only Tormore we’ve had in stock this century and it is a real treat. The distillery is extremely beautiful, built in 1958 it’s rather young by Scottish standards. The striking copper roofs are unforgettable, but usually we see them wiz by as we drive the A95 toward Aberlour and Dufftown. The attractive and inviting look of the distillery belies the extremely limited offerings within. Recently released 14 & 16 year old versions are available at the distillery, but not yet exported by parent company Pernod Ricard (Chivas Brothers). A huge majority of the production goes into the blends. IN fact, I’ve only tried one other Tormore in the last decade and it was an 80 proof single cask 16 year old bottling from Signatory that retailed for about the same price as this one. That was 4+ years ago. Tormore is known for its malty fresh style and medium body. This particular cask has some dark gravelly edges to round out by a wonderful fruity floral quality and loves a few drops of water. A fun and different malt driven whisky that’s perfect for summer sipping. I'm assuming this will be a first Tormore for many of our customers.
There are still a couple of more gems coming down the line from Milroy and K&L, so keep your eyes peeled for these very special limited bottlings.
-David Othenin-Girard