New K&L Exclusive Single Malt Pre-Order Release

   

Today we've got another new release from our most recent trip to Signatory, the whisky deal that just keeps on giving!

While this one may not shock the insider crowd, it’s going to absolutely kill with the general public. It’s just too good. Tooooo good. Everything you want from sherry-aged booze, in the style of Glenfarclas and Glendronach. We decided to proof this one down for the masses, however.

1997 Glenlivet 16 Year Old K&L Exclusive Signatory Single Sherry Barrel Single Malt Whisky $66.99 - Although we didn't advertise it at the time, we actually selected this first-fill sherry barrel of Glenlivet from Signatory as part of our 2012 trip. We thought the whisky was simply outstanding, a shining example of what the classic Speyside distillery can accomplish when one fantastic barrel is isolated from the rest of the batch. What we wanted to do was wait until this cask hit its 16th birthday, then bottle it immediately. You could tell it was right on the cusp of greatness, but it just needed an extra year. While the standard Glenlivet expressions are soft and supple on the palate, they rarely exhibit the amount of fresh sherry influence that this 16 year old barrel exudes. The result is a whisky that's more like Macallan or Glendronach than what we think of as Glenlivet. Toffee, raisined fruit, baking spices, and cocoa came blasting out of the glass when we first pulled the sample straight from the barrel. This whisky was a beast! Since we knew that a cask of Glenlivet would encompass a larger tent of customers than some of our more esoteric selections, we thought that proofing the whisky down to 46% might be a good idea in this case. After tasting it we knew this was the right move. The spice and heat turn into creamy, unctuous sherry, melting over the palate at a slow crawl. While the whisky isn't at full proof, it is still unchillfiltered and from one single barrel. For the price, it's hard to find a single fault with this single malt.

This should be here by September with the rest of the Signatory releases. Also, we’re down to 22 bottles of Jura left for pre-order if you’re still on the fence. The Glenlivet will go out on a BIG email next week with the Miltonduff and Imperial.

-David Driscoll