Spirits of Über-Geekdom

Keep your eyes peeled for these goodies very soon.  Charbay distillery in Napa acquired about 6,000 gallons of the super popular Racer 5 IPA a while back and, in classic Marko style, decided to distill it rather than drink it.  The spirit was then split off into two batches - one that was aged in stainless steel for a little more than a year and another than was put into French Oak for the same amount of time.  For beer fanatics that want to taste some super hoppy whiskey, these are for you.  I thought they did their job very well, exhibiting that fruity and fragrantly bitter character of the beer in the form of a spirit.  We won't have them in stock for another week or so, but expect the unaged to list around $50 while the aged will come in around the $75 mark.  Marko has continued his experiment of transforming drinkable, high-quality beer into high proof booze with great results.

We've got this one in stock right now, but it's only for the most fanatical spirits geeks that exist, who at the same time also happen to have a passion for the most esoteric, remote wines in the world (i.e. me, David and Kyle).  Macvin is like Pineau des Charentes from France's wild and mountainous Jura region - a sweet wine fortified with unaged marc (like grappa from France).  If you've ever had the Domaine Labet Marc de Jura we carry (another incredibly geeky thing to love), the Domaine Macle Macvin de Jura has those same hay-like, grassy aromas with that hint of funk on the nose.  The finish, however, is all sweet, golden raisins and slightly oxidized sherry.  This style of wine has been made in the Jura since the 14th century, but we've never seen one at K&L until today. It's quite delicious and should make a fantastic addition to that Jura wine and spirit party you were planning on throwing this weekend anyway.

-David Driscoll