Month: January 2014

Hey All,

You know what type of barrels I like my single malt Scotch to age in? First fill sherry casks. You know why? Because of all the barrels you can age Scotch in, first fill sherry has the most color, flavor and tannins to give. It’s one of the reasons I’m such a big American whiskey fan, the oakier-more viscous flavor profiles just appeal to me. Now the problem is ex-sherry barrels are in such high demand that the Scotch industry has essentially out grown Spain’s ability to produce them, forcing prices to sky rocket. One sherry barrel is now equal to the cost of 15-20 bourbon barrels. This has seriously impacted the Scotch whisky industry, in fact the majority of whisky is now aging in ex-bourbon barrels.

Which leads to this weeks new arrivals, two incredible cask strength first fill Pedro Ximenez single casks. Both of these releases are one time bottlings, and are also great examples of oak driven, tannic, mouth coatingly awesome single malt Scotches:

–Glendronach 1996′ 17 Year Cask Strength Pedro Ximenez Sherry Single Cask: Comes in at a surprisingly approachable 53.2% alcohol, making this single malt concentrated yet perilously drinkable. Flavors of toffee and nougat dominate with hints of roasted nuts, dessert wine, rasins, dates and earth. $159.9

–The Ben Riach 1994′ 19 Year Peated Cask Strength Pedro Ximenez Sherry Single Cask: A very special limited peated version from Ben Riach. If you thought first fill sherry barrels were hard to find, try finding heavily peated Scotch aged in first fill sherry. They pretty much don’t exist, mostly because the oak and sherry notes mask the peatier-smokier notes, not exactly ideal for peaty Scotch producers. But this is a different beast, coming in at a robust 51.9%, Ben Riach manages to retain an intensely smokey-earthy flavor profile, but with extremely lush notes of dark chocolate, stewed fruits and toffee-sticky pudding. This is pretty much the balls. Fans of Lagavulin Distiller’s Edition will certainly like this. $169.99

Come and get it!

Nate

Hey All,

Happy to announce the arrival of this year’s Private Edition from Glenmorangie. This is the fifth release in a series that’s always extremely limited. Each new iteration represents a one of a kind bottling that will never be made again. For “Companta” Master Distiller, and creator of awesome whiskey, Dr. Bill Lumsden traveled to the Burgundy region of France and hand selected some barrels from the Grand Cru vineyards at Clos de Tart. On a separate trip Bill found his way down to the Cotes du Rhone region and came away with some fortified red wine barrels from Rhone Valley.

Using both the Burgundy and Cotes de Rhone barrels to finish Companta turned out to be a match made in heaven. The flavors of berries and plums from the red wine perfectly compliment the notes of honey, citrus and crushed minerals already found in Glenmorangie. Unlike some red wine finished single malts Companta’s wine notes are beautifully integrated and add to the overall depth of flavor without being overpowering or musty. This is an exceptional Private Edition and one to seek out quickly if you want a shot at getting one. Cheers

Nate

Hey All,

Just landed a very limited allocation of the Jefferson’s Presidential Select hyper-aged 25 year Bourbon and 25 year Rye at both shops. These are absolute oak bombs with a super viscous mouth feel, sure to become some of the favorites released in 2014. In recent years, the 18 year and 21 year Presidential Selects have been some of the best and most sought after bourbons on the market. Get these while you can! Both varieties are available at the Castro and Clement locations. Cheers