Category: Whiskey

1. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon –Made in the same tradition as other award-winning Elijah Craig bottlings, this is a Barrel-Proof, small batch bourbon. Bottled straight from the barrel and without chill filtering, the nose, taste and finish are from 12 years of aging are preserved in their purest form.-$59.99

2. Willett 7 Year Bourbon- This limited- release, hand selected single barrel produced just 192 bottles. Willett is known for selecting exceptional whiskies, so grab this one while you can! -$72.99

Hey All,

Got some very small quantities of Balcones Single malt (Castro shop only) and Brimstone, also just a few more bottles left of our private barrel selection of True Blue. Get em while you can!

-Balcones single malt whisky $89.99 (Castro only!)
-Balcones Brimstone scrub oak smoked whisky $69.99
-Balcones True Blue Healthy Spirits Exclusive $68.99

Hey all,

Just figured I’d give a run down of the whiskies we got in the last week or so.

New Arrivals:

-Octomore 10 Year Single Malt (Super Limited) $299.99
-Stein Distillery Small Batch Rye (New Oregon Micro) $59.99
-Stein Distillery Small Batch Bourbon (New Oregon Micro) $59.99
-Gordon & Macphail Cask Strength “Caol Ila” 11 Year Single Malt $119.99
-Four Roses 2013 Limited Cask Strength Single Barrel $108.99
-Bowmore Dorus Mor (Small Batch Release 1) Cask Strength 10 Year Single Malt $119.99

Back in Stock:

-Jefferson’s Presidential 21 Year Bourbon $158.99
-Black Maple Hill Bourbon $49.99
-Hooker’s House Healthy Spirits Exclusive Single Barrel Bourbon $44.99
-Larceny Bourbon $27.99
-Eagle Rare Healthy Spirits Exclusive Single Barrel Bourbon (will arrive Friday 8/2) $32.99
-Henry McKenna Bottled in Bond Single Barrel Bourbon $32.99
-Old Medley 12 Year Bourbon $57.99
-Highland Park 12 Year Single Malt $59.99

All are available at both shops. Feel free to ask me any specific questions about a particular whiskey in the comments section. Cheers!

Nate

What a privilege to have legendary fourth generation distiller Eddie Russell of Wild Turkey stop by the shop. Eddie has been involved in the Wild Turkey Distillery for almost 30 years. About a decade ago he collaborated with his father, Master Distiller Jimmy Russell, to create the “Russell’s Reserve” line of products. Which included a 10 year bourbon, a 6 year rye, and more recently a 55% (110 proof) single barrel bourbon that I’d highly recommend trying next time you see it.

Wild Turkey has been working on building a much larger facility the last five years to keep up with the increased global demand for their products. Eddie told me one of the best aspects of the expansion has been the addition of a bottling line, which used to be completely outsourced. Not having a bottling line on site increased the time it took to get the finished bourbon to market and also added additional layers of costs. Another benefit of having a bottling line is that they can now begin a private selection program for accounts like us, allowing retail shops or bars to choose their own single barrel and have it bottled just for them. He figures the private barrel program is likely to come to fruition early next year.

A couple special releases to look forward to this coming winter are:

-A very limited older bourbon to commemorate Jimmy Russell’s 60 years with the distillery.
-A really unique blend of a bourbon and rye that I’m told happened by accident.

Both sounded amazing, releases we’ll definitely be looking for closer to the holiday season. Cheers

Nate

Hey all,

So finding inexpensive single malt Scotch is getting harder and harder every year. The world wide demand is at an all time high. Some value brands, like Singleton 12 year, have been pulled from the U.S. market entirely just to accommodate the growing Asian and European market’s demand. Islay whiskies are without a doubt at the forefront of this trend with peat-heads world wide having a seemingly unquenchable thirst for all things smokey. Distilleries like Laphroaig have had to take drastic measures. Since there’s no way for them to go back in time and create more whisky, they’ve had to double their prices just to slow down sales. Their flagship 10 year offering that was once $30 a bottle six months ago you’ll find for $50-$60 today.

Enter Bowmore “Legend” one of the last great Islay single malts you can still find at a reasonable price. While Bowmore isn’t quite as smokey as Laphroaig it more than makes up for it by having an intense briny saltiness, a beautiful minerality, and a soft-remarkably well balanced peaty smokiness. Logic tells me they won’t be able to keep this price going for long, as every other Islay producer has long since abandoned the notion of having a single malt around $40. That being the case this is definitely a get it while you still can type of deal with the Bowmore pricing.

As a special offering to our devoted whiskey fans both shops will be featuring Bowmore Legend at $34.99 , while supplies last.

Enjoy!

Nate

Hey all,

Just got in the new sherry cask matured version of Kilchoman Islay whisky. I’ve had my eye on the Kilchoman distillery, established in 2005, since they became the first new distillery built on the island of islay in over 100 years. They are currently one of the few farm distilleries, which means they grow their own barley and malt it on site. They do source a percentage of their malted barley from Port Ellen, just like all the other distilleries on Islay, but its a fun concept none the less. Since they’re such a young distillery I’ve been waiting for some older stocks to come along. That’s going to take some time, but fortunately they had the foresight to use some first fill Oloroso sherry casks for their new release “Loch Gorm”. The first fill casks really give a lot of depth and oak, making it taste much older than a 6 year whisky. Combine that with a super intense smokiness and for me it’s reminiscent of a cross between Laphroaig and Lagavulin. Not quite as refined as either of those two but an incredible flavor profile, and a great new addition to a region Scotch fans can’t get enough of.

Available at both shops!

Nate

Hey All,

Just got in some brand new releases from James E. Pepper including: a high rye content bourbon, a 15 year bourbon and a cask strength 15 year rye. The two year rye, which I’ve stocked for a few months now, was a revelation in quality. It’s bottled at 100 proof and non-chill filtered allowing it to retain a lot of the body, texture and complexity chill filtration removes. It reminds me a lot of the Willett Family Estate rye which has an intensely floral-perfumey spice profile with notes of lavender, jasmine, cloves, peppercorns and fennel. The James E. Pepper brand dates all the way back to 1776, the Revolutionary War era. Washington DC based Georgetown Trading Co. decided to re-launch the brand and spent countless hours gathering original bottlings and researching the original recipes and techniques. The whiskies they settled on are distilled in Indiana, by LDI, and are very much in tune with what whiskies of the time may have been like, given the high rye content, bottled in bond style proofing and non-chill filtration. Here are my tasting notes on the two new 15 year releases:

James E. Pepper 15 Year Barrel Strength Rye
-On the nose I get notes of cinnamon, fennel, marzipan, leather, honey suckle and lavender. Pretty intense aromas with a fair amount of charred oak coming through. On the palate I get notes of baklava, cinnamon buns, toffee, fennel, peppercorns, sweet tobacco, buttery scones and lavender. The flavors are vibrant but surprisingly well integrated. The oak is there but never crosses the line, super soft and engaging tannins. The finish is long and spicy, pretty typical of a great LDI rye.

James E. Pepper 15 Year Bourbon
-This bourbon comes in at a whopping 38% rye content which really comes through on the nose with notes of gravel, mint, charred oak, dulce de leche and apricot preserves. The aromas were as vibrant as the 15 year rye with just a little hint of fruitiness separating the two. On the palate I get notes of lavender candy, vanilla, orange zest, salt water taffy, dates, fudge and toasted almonds. The flavors on this are extremely well layered and evolve with every sip. The finish has a distinct gravelly-earthiness which draws you in for more.

Stocks this old are extremely hard to come by, which means the older bottlings won’t last long. Fortunately the younger bourbon and rye are quite good as well. All are worth a try if you get a chance.

Available at Castro and Clement St. Shops

Nate

Hey all,

The long wait is over! Jefferson’s Presidential 21 year has finally landed. Super limited allocations on this one, I’m fully expecting to sell out today or tomorrow. This incredible small batch bourbon is a blend of 15 barrels ranging from 21 to 24 years old. The barrel character and tannins are sumptuous and engaging and not at all tired. The flavors are super lush with notes of caramel, bread pudding, vanilla, Italian suasage, fennel, rock candy and earth. This stuff is also perilously drinkable and perhaps one of the last ultra aged releases we’ll see. Get it while you can!

Nate

Hey all,

So I’m a big fan of what Trey Zoeller and our friends over at Jefferson’s are doing. The legendary Jefferson’s Presidential 18 year was without a doubt one of the best bourbons ever bottled. Their pedigree for searching out and finding quality lots of bourbon is unmatched. What I love about the Jefferson’s and Jefferson’s Reserve lines are their willingness to actually make “small batch” bourbons. They’re not using a hundred plus barrels like some of the big boys would do. And their taking the time to taste every single component that goes into the blend, a labor intense and time consuming step that few bother doing. Kentucky Bourbon Distillers would be the other bottler I can think of.

-Jefferson’s Very Small Batch $29.99: An incredible value for a whiskey containing 5 to 12 year old stocks. The older bourbon gives this offering alot of depth, earthiness and barrel character while the end result remains soft, lush and creamy. A long-lingering finish makes this a classic

-Jefferson’s Reserve Very Old Small Batch $39.99: Another mid-range master piece at a price point we’ve never had it at before. The Jefferson’s Reserve contains bourbon as old as 20 years, and sinfully inundates the palate with notes of burnt caramel, toffee, butterscotch, roasted nuts, leather, nutmeg and a hint of blackberries and rye spice. The mouthfeel is a little thicker and more complex than the regular small batch, making it worth the extra ten bucks.

These price points will be while supplies last at both the Clement and Castro locations. Happy drinking!

Nate

Hey all,

Let me preface this by saying I have a new favorite single malt in the shop. There were two whiskies at Whiskies of the World Expo that really stood out to me as the best in show. The first one was the Laphroaig cask strength 25 year single malt (which luckily we already have at the shop), the second was the new Highland Park 25 year single malt. I can’t remember enjoying something so much in a long time. Highland Park walks a beautiful line between hints of smoke and sea air, but delicate, rich and approchable flavors. Here’s my tasting notes:

-Nose: Aromas of seaweed, peat, earth, heather honey, butterscotch and crushed minerals. The aromas are really terrior driven, you can almost close your eyes and imagine yourself on the Islands of Orkney.
-Palate: Mouth coating flavors of salted caramel, toffee, gravel, brine, vanilla and white chocolate with a hint of campfire and peat.
-Finish: Super long and lingering with notes of bitter chocolate, burnt caramel and earth.

You want this!

Nate