February Wine Club Spirits Discounts
As I've posted before, now that I'm running the wine clubs I'm going to start throwing all kinds of additional products into the club discount pool for members. If you've already signed up then expect an email next week with these selections, plus additional discounts on Bordeaux picks and other interesting wines I've found from some of my trips abroad. Like I also mentioned, if you're only interested in the discounts and mainly purchase new exclusive casks and rare bottles, the club probably isn't for you. But if you drink wine regularly, I can promise you you're going to like the selections in any of the club tiers and with the discounts your membership will ultimately pay for itself. I'm being super selective and I'm curating the whole thing much like I do here on the spirits blog and over at On the Trail in the monthly newsletter. If you want to get an idea of what's in the discount pool for February, check out the below options. Basically if you buy a bottle of gin, rum, and Aberlour you've paid for the first month of your entry level Best Buy club membership right there. These discounts will disappear in March and a new set will be introduced then.
In case you breezed through that intro and went right down into the products, these prices are not available on the site unless you're a registered wine club member.
Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin ($29.99) NORMALLY $34.99 - Bow down to the new king of gin: Four Pillars. A group of gin crazy Aussies put together one of the most focused and high-quality gin distilleries in the world in the Yarra Yarra Valley and now we're fortunate to get a taste of that goodness here in the U.S. The Rare Dry gin simply explodes with citrus, a burst of fresh orange, but it still packs a lovely balance of juniper and spice with the most delicate and graceful of mouthfeels. This is high quality gin, pure and simple. It tastes like it was fussed over, formulated and retooled until it was perfect. I can't stop talking about it nor drinking it. I'm just so happy we have it.
Potocki Polish Rye Vodka ($34.99) NORMALLY $39.99 - Made from 100% Polish rye, the Potocki vodka might be the best vodka we carry. It's the cleanest, most pure form of vodka I've ever had the chance to taste, and I was floored when I first did so. Jan Potocki's family has been making the vodka in Poland since 1816 (although they did have to flee when the Russians invaded) and have now revamped the brand to its former glory. I made him pour it for me four times because I wanted to make sure it was as good as my palate indicated. My Eastern European friends have always told me that great vodka should be taken neat and the Potocki needs nothing more than a glass and your free time. Quite honestly, given the purity and elegance of the spirit, it's the best vodka I've ever had.
Russell's Reserve K&L Single Barrel #376 Kentucky Bourbon ($52.99) NORMALLY $59.99 - We rummaged through the warehouses with both Jimmy and Eddy Russell to dig out this single barrel of Wild Turkey, cask #376, and instantly pulled the trigger once we tasted the round and mouthcoating texture of the Bourbon, combined with loads of spice and oak char. Originally filled in November of 2008, we bottled this baby right around its 9th birthday, about the time Jimmy Russell believes these Wild Turkey whiskies show their best. Emptied at 113.7 proof, everything about this whiskey showcases the textbook and trademark characteristics of the distillery style: loads of baking spices, vibrant oak tannins, creamy corn, and a finish of both savory pepper and sweet vanilla. Getting to select a barrel like this with the father and son duo is about as fun as our job gets-if you don't count the part where we actually get to drink it. Only 216 bottles from this barrel, so grab one while supplies last!
Bardstown Bourbon Company "Collabor&tion - Brandy Barrel Finish" Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey ($99.99)NORMALLY $124.99 - The Collaboration series is the first release of whiskey from Kentucky's soon-to-be star Bardstown Bourbon Company, a project done in "collaboration" with Louisville brandy specialists Copper & Kings. Using 10 year old stocks of Bourbon distilled at MGP in Indiana, BBCo finished each of the whiskies for an additional 18 months in two different types of casks: American brandy and Muscat Mistelle. Made from 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley, the Collabor&tion expression aged in Copper & Kings American brandy barrels is bottled at cask strength of 113 proof and offers classic, yet bold Bourbon flavor with vanilla, oak spices, and a concentrated richness that speaks to the age of the whiskey. We tasted this on our initial visit to the distillery this past summer and instantly fell in love with the additional fruit and subtle sweetness added from the brandy barrel finishing. It has all the classic flavors of great Bourbon but with extra lift and roundness on the finish. In the spirit of collaboration, the teams at BBCo and Copper & Kings really knocked this one out of the park. NOTE: Due to the shape of the Collabor&ation bottle it cannot be consolidated with other bottles shipping and must ship in its own individual package. Sold only at K&L outside of the distillery.
Aberlour "A'Bunadh" Cask Strength Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($59.99) NORMALLY $68.99 - It's not often we can provide discounts on one of the top-selling, brand name single malt whiskies in the store, but we wanted to start this new club feature off with a bang, so here we are. The Aberlour A'Bunadh has become a global sensation because of its combination of sweet, saturated, sherry-matured whisky with a high, taste bud-bursting, cask strength proof. It's a bold mouthful of toffee, rancio, raisined richness with explosive spice and heat. If you can imagine a high-octane version of Macallan, that's what you're getting here for a slam-dunk price.
Golden Devil "K&L Exclusive" Dark Overproof Rum ($16.99)NORMALLY $19.99 - After watching rum interested at K&L begin picking up again this past year, I reached out to one of our partners in the UK to see if we could come up with an exclusive blend that would give rum enthusiasts a serious run for their money. Tiki cocktail fans are always on the hunt for a new dark overproof option and this baby uses flavorful and expressive Jamaican pot still as the base, fleshed out by the column still rums from DDL Distillery in Guyana. Everyone I've given it to thus far has freaked out and I've got bartenders begging me to let them buy it wholesale. Hints of green banana and molasses penetrate the palate on the first sip, but the power of the proof takes over half way through and turns dry and robust on the finish with notes of earth and oak. Bottled at a whopping 57% ABV.
-David Driscoll