More New 2013 K&L Exclusive Cask Scotland Pre-Arrivals
It's time to start working through our new whiskies from David Stirk and the Exclusive Malts. We've got some real stunners in this lineup. Remember, ordering ahead saves you money down the road, so if any of these whiskies look like winners, you'll save some moolah by paying upfront. Again, value continues to be the focus, as you'll see with what evolves over the next week or two. Check out these babies!
Due to arrive later this Fall...
2002 Bowmore 10 Year Old K&L Exclusive "Exclusive Malts" Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky $69.99 PRE-ORDER - We love us some Bowmore here at K&L. When Bowmore is on, it's unstoppable, mainly because no other Islay distillery has the same richness of fruit and oily texture in conjunction with all the peaty campfire smoke. This young barrel of Bowmore we found outside of Glasgow represents everything we love about the distillery's special style: light in color, smoked plums on the nose, fresh fruit and vanilla on the palate, swimming with the perfect amount of saline seawater and peat. The first thing David and I said to each other was: "this tastes like a younger version of the 17 year old!" Alas, the wonderful, magical, ethereal 17 year old is no longer in production at the distillery and we'd both finished our last bottles. The chance to perhaps replicate that gentle flavor profile at full proof was just too good to pass up. For the price, this is a no-brainer. There's not one Islay fan out there who wouldn't go ga-ga for this whisky. Supple, fruity, smoky, salty, luscious, nutty, complex, and tasty. Now we just have to hope there's enough to go around for everyone. (David Driscoll, K&L Spirits Buyer) 56.8%
1995 Fettercairn 17 Year Old K&L Exclusive "Exclusive Malts" Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky $84.99 PRE-ORDER - Fettercairn distillery has been around since 1824, when it was established by Sir Alexander Ramsay, and has enjoyed a tumultuous sales history since that time. It was sold in 1830 to Sir John Gladstone, turned over to his son John Roberts in 1890, who then bought out the other investors in 1912. The distillery was closed in 1926, but reopened in 1939 by new owners Associated Scottish Distillers. In 1971 it was purchased by the Tomintoul Distillery Co, which was subsequently bought out by Whyte & Mackay in 1973, which experienced nothing but mergers and buy outs over the next three decades. Today Fettercairn is owned by United Spirits, which is partially owned by Diageo, again leaving the distillery in a netherworld of confusion. Fettercairn is pretty much absent in the states because most of the whisky is used in bulk production for private UK businesses like Tesco and Asda, leaving the distillery little chance to showcase its potential as a single malt. This 1995 vintage barrel we found outside of Glasgow is simply charming with aromas of ripe fruit and flowers on the nose. The palate exudes a classic malty core of flavor with wood spices and rich vanilla on the finish. It's almost too easy to sip. This is a fantastic deal for mature, full-proof, well-made Highland single malt whisky. It's also a chance to learn more about a historic distillery completely lost in the shuffle of industry business and financial uncertainty. We jumped all over this. (David Driscoll, K&L Spirits Buyer) 56.1%
-David Driscoll