Whisky Season 2016 – Round Three

Now it's starting to get rather exciting, right? We're moving into some of the heavy hitters, but the value is still front and center. We've got three super mature expressions from Old Particular to show you today, in anticipation of our big spirits newsletter Monday. To be honest, I don't think the Invergordon 50 will last until tomorrow as we just did a big email this morning, but (to be honest again) I think it's the third best whisky of the three. The Garnheath is just incredible. It's so supple and soft and creamy on the palate. The Bunnahabhain is a revelation. It's been the staff favorite so far by a mile. It's tough to choose though. Fifty years is a rare thing to see in this day and age. Especially for under three hundred bucks.

1990 Bunnahabhain 25 Year Old K&L Exclusive "Old Particular" Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky $149.99 - In what will surely go down as one of the great single malt deals of the year, we bring you the K&L exclusive cask of Bunnahabhain 25 year old single malt Islay whisky: a malt that appears to be even more of a deal considering the new $900 price tag the distillery is asking for the official release. This particular iteration is like a tropical daydream on the nose, fresh peach and sugar cane float lazily across the surprisingly sweet palate. Aged in hogshead, however, there's no sherry and little to no smoke in this expression. Its brilliance nonetheless is a testament to the inherent fruit of the whisky and the benefits of slow, steady maturation in fine cooperage. The finish is all sweet grains and malted barley with touches of salt and the sea. Islay fans will be thrilled. Bunnahabhain fans won't want to miss it. And you get all of that goodness at cask strength for $149.99 thanks to our direct import pricing.

1974 Garnheath 42 Year Old K&L Exclusive "Old Particular" Single Barrel Cask Strength Grain Whisky 249.99 - In yet another of our lost whisky collection (meaning distilleries that have since closed and/or been demolished), we bring you an absolutely stunning cask of 42 year old Garnheath, a grain whisky from the once-active distillery site inside of Inver House's Moffat site located just east of Glasgow on the road to Edinburgh. The distillery was located next to another closed malt producing site: Glenflagler. Closed in the mid-eighties, now just a memory and a story to share amongst friends, the spirit of Garnheath lives on (literally) in this single barrel, cask strength edition bottled just for K&L. Not only is the Garnheath a lost legend, this 42 year old edition is one of the smoothest, roundest, most luxurious whiskies we've ever had the pleasure of selling. It rolls across the tongue effortlessly, coating the palate with rich waves of caramel, honey, and maple syrup. In classic grain whisky style, there's no maltiness or smoke here. It's just four glorious decades of barrel maturation at work: orange zest, candied sugar, and apricot. A true whisky classic in the making and a piece of history, to boot.

1966 Invergordon 50 Year Old K&L Exclusive "Old Particular" Single Barrel Cask Strength Grain Whisky $279.99 - Last year we sold a fifty year old grain whisky for $300 and it sold out in less than twenty-four hours. This time around we've managed to shave twenty dollars of the price tag without reducing the quality or age one bit! The Invergordon 50 is alive and well after five decades with loads of toasted oak, butterscotch, marzipan, and honey flavors that ease over the palate with delicate and lithe profile. Long one of Scotland's stalwarts for grain whisky production, casks of Invergordon are readily available, but few with this level of maturation and depth. Considering the price and the flavor profile, don't expect this one to last long. Only 247 bottles available.

-David Driscoll