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- Gary Westby (541)
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- Kirk Walker (276)
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Staff Favorites
| If you’re going to have Robert Parker or Stephen Tanzer over for dinner, selecting a wine they’ve rated highly will be a nice choice. However, when you’re buying wines for yourself, we’d love to see you find wines that match up your unique palate and pocketbook. We have a large staff of friendly and knowledgeable wine professionals that taste hundreds of wines each week. They can put you in touch with bottles that you are likely to love, often at a much lower cost than the highly-rated gems that often see a run-up in price and frequent availability issues. Like any great group of opinionated professionals, our staff has varied tastes themselves. Often our customers will find a particular staff member with a style that corresponds to their own. That concept works extremely well in our retail stores, and this section is our effort to bring you the same online. Don’t get us wrong, we love the highly rated wines from the press and will continue to offer them, but we think you’re missing out if you’re not augmenting those selections with picks from our excellent staff. Here are their favorites. (Click on a name to see their other selections - or to drop them a line.) Cheers! |
Reviews
2000 Cantemerle, Haut-Médoc
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 2/26/2015 | Send Email
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 2/26/2015 | Send Email
A very nice contribution from Jeff Garneau at our 2000 Bordeaux wine dinner, this wine was more “Margaux” than the Margaux that we drank! It is composed of approximately 60% Cabernet Sauvignon 30% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petite Verdot. It was a beautiful charmer, generously aromatic, strikingly pure and effortlessly natural. This wine had no hard edges at 15 years old, and was very long and lively. Given how well the 1966 showed recently, it should also have a very long life!
2000 Montrose, St-Estèphe
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 2/26/2015 | Send Email
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 2/26/2015 | Send Email
Given that some of the Montrose from the 1960’s is only just now starting to drink, this exotic 2000 drank very nicely this evening. It is composed of approximately 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petite Verdot. The wine was very dark, full of spice and kirsch like fruit on the nose. In the mouth it had lots of richness, more dark fruit and a powerful tannic punch. It will no doubt be even better in another five or ten years.
Veuve Clicquot Brut Champagne
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 2/24/2015 | Send Email
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 2/24/2015 | Send Email
This is the best selling Champagne in the USA.
Franck Bonville Brut Rosé Champagne
By: Kyle Kurani | Review Date: 2/19/2015 | Send Email
By: Kyle Kurani | Review Date: 2/19/2015 | Send Email
What do you do when you only grow Grand Cru Chardonnay but what to make Rose? Well you trade a little bit for Grand Cru Pinot of course. That is exactly what Mr. Bonville did to make a wine that puts together my two favorite things, Blanc de Blanc and Rose. This wine has all the drive and minerality you would expect from a top end Blanc do Blanc, but with the added complexity and downright deliciousness of a Rose. Wild cherry and raspberry provide perfect base notes, while the Chardonnay adds high tones of Fuji apple and zippy lemon zest.
Price:
$59.99
Franck Bonville Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
By: Kyle Kurani | Review Date: 2/19/2015 | Send Email
By: Kyle Kurani | Review Date: 2/19/2015 | Send Email
Update 2014: The 2011 Vintage in Champagne was pretty terrible, turns out to be a blessing in disguise for one of my favorite bottles of Champagne in the store. Wanting to make sure he kept the quality up, Olivier Bonville declassified all of his high end and old vine vineyards into this little gem. The depth of fruit and minerality is what catches me off guard when I drink this wine, light and elegant, the chalk in the soils sing through the nose and offer a back bone that frames the entire wine. White flowers, golden apple, and a hint of spice cake. Vintage Champagne in disguise.
2011: The picture of elegance and class. Such pure and clean lines, a touch of citrus, a hit of minerality all delivered effortlessly on a find bead and sensuous mouth feel. One of my annual holliday favorites and sure to please any Champagne snob that might haunt your gatherings.
Ariston Aspasie "Réserve" Brut Champagne
By: Kyle Kurani | Review Date: 2/19/2015 | Send Email
By: Kyle Kurani | Review Date: 2/19/2015 | Send Email
Update: This wine continues to amaze me year after year. Each time I open a bottle I marvel at the quality of the wine for the price tag. Re-reading my review from 2011, I have tasted hundreds of different bottles of Champagne, and this bottle of wine still makes me incredibly happy. With 6 years on the lees, the integration is wonderful, soft mouth feel, ripe orchard fruit, toasty at the back. Still good after all these years.
Wonderfully balanced bubbles for a wonderfully balanced price tag. The Carte Blanche is my most often used excuse to open bubbles just for the sake of having a glass of Champagne, there are always a couple of bottles stashed away around my house. Powerfully elegant, with toasted nutty notes and a length on the finish that reasserts why I love this wine.
Price:
$37.99
The Botanist Islay Dry Gin (750ml)
By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 2/19/2015 | Send Email
By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 2/19/2015 | Send Email
Fantastic gin from Bruichladdich distillery on the famous island of Islay. Potent and punchy flavor with an elegant mouthfeel. You can't go wrong.
Price:
$34.99
Eagle Rare 10 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml)
By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 2/19/2015 | Send Email
By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 2/19/2015 | Send Email
10 year old Bourbon for a hot price. Buffalo Trace's classic whiskey is still a steal of a deal.
Price:
$54.99
| Limit of 1 per customer |
Blanton's "The Original" Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey (1 bottle limit) (750ml)
By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 2/19/2015 | Send Email
By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 2/19/2015 | Send Email
Blanton's is always my first choice when someone asks me for a "nice" bottle of Bourbon. It's about as "nice" as Bourbon gets. Extra richness, a smooth and silky finish, and an elegant bottle. It's still the one great value in today's high-end Bourbon market.
Sazerac Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey (750ml)
By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 2/19/2015 | Send Email
By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 2/19/2015 | Send Email
The ultimate rye whiskey for the money. It doesn't get better.
Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml)
By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 2/19/2015 | Send Email
By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 2/19/2015 | Send Email
Still one of the best bang for your buck spirits of any kind on the market. Serious Bourbon that gets overlooked in the face of Pappy, even though this is the distillery's flagship product. There's a reason the distillery is called Buffalo Trace. This is the workhorse.
Piper-Heidsieck Brut Champagne
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 2/18/2015 | Send Email
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 2/18/2015 | Send Email
If I were to pick one Grand Marque Champagne house as most improved over the last 10 years, it would certainly be Piper Heidsieck. This clean, refreshing Champagne is sourced from 100 different villages in Champagne and aged for two years on the lees.
Ariston Aspasie Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne
By: Sarah Covey | Review Date: 2/15/2015 | Send Email
By: Sarah Covey | Review Date: 2/15/2015 | Send Email
I just threw our family's first baby shower for my brother and sister-in-law, and this was the Champagne of choice to celebrate the new little life on the way! I love this Champagne for its easy and yet elegant personality. Apple, cream, citrus, and mineral with the stunning golden wine visible through the clear glass. It looks gorgeous on ice at a party, and its accesibility make it a total win for Champagne neophytes and connoiseurs alike!
Price:
$44.99
Jefferson's "Ocean Voyage" Aged at Sea Very Small Batch Bourbon (750ml)
By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 2/13/2015 | Send Email
By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 2/13/2015 | Send Email
This is by far the best Ocean release I've yet tasted. I'm not sure if it's the additional time at sea or simply they're getting better at blending this unusual product once it returns to port. The rarity of the release is not the only reason to grab a bottle, it really does benefit from the abnormal aging technique. It's not particularly more or less saline than the others, but the depth is on the next level here. Powerful dense woodsy flavors meld perfectly with the subtle salty taffy sweetness. Candied orange peel and baking spice continue as it opens in the glass. The aromatic complexity is mimicked on the palate where the sweet oak and salt soften the powerful spice. Looks like Jefferson has found something special with this ocean line. What we got is all we'll get.
Price:
$79.99
Ariston Aspasie Brut Rosé Champagne
By: Heather Vander Wall | Review Date: 2/4/2015 | Send Email
By: Heather Vander Wall | Review Date: 2/4/2015 | Send Email
Lovely rose champagne from one of our favorite producers! With a pale coral color, this is a light bodied rose with hints of wild strawberry, vanilla, clove, and a gorgeous, creamy texture. Certainly one of my top rose champagne picks!
Price:
$42.99
Ariston Aspasie Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne
By: Heather Vander Wall | Review Date: 2/2/2015 | Send Email
By: Heather Vander Wall | Review Date: 2/2/2015 | Send Email
Elegance and complexity combine to make this an incredibly intriguing champagne. Delicate white flower and toasted almond/hazelnut on the nose give way to soft pear and a hint of vanilla on the palate. Gorgeous now, but I'm excited to see how this wine develops in the next few years!
Price:
$44.99
Franck Bonville Brut Rosé Champagne
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 1/31/2015 | Send Email
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 1/31/2015 | Send Email
Hello, cherry pie! It is amazing how a much a very small amount of pinot noir can change this (mostly) blanc de blanc into rose! Start with the nose, deep, ripe, bing cherries and tart raspberries. In the mouth, the same order...initially, fleshy cherries, cream and a hint of pomegranate. Then, the raspberries and minerality march in and demand your attention. Long, long finish. If you like "bright" Brut Rose and are seeking to expand your horizons, this is the one to buy. This gem, and the wonderful Ariston Aspasie Brut Rose, are my go-to picks for affordable rose sparklers that taste as if they are much more expensive. Olivier Bonville really is a fantastic winemaker!
Price:
$59.99
Ariston Aspasie Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 1/26/2015 | Send Email
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 1/26/2015 | Send Email
The Ariston family are some of my favorite winemakers who produce some of the best small-estate champagnes that we carry. This blanc de blanc is no exception. It carries their reputation for excellent quality at an affordable price. This is a creamy, rich style of blanc de blanc with a rich mousse and lemon meringue flavors. Fleshy, without being heavy, it has a long, subtle finish of apple and pear fruit. A great way to start a party or meal!
Price:
$44.99
Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. Bottled in Bond Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
By: Sarah Covey | Review Date: 1/8/2015 | Send Email
By: Sarah Covey | Review Date: 1/8/2015 | Send Email
Fans of soft, supple, easy-sipping bourbon should snap this puppy up immediately. Sweet corn, vanilla, spice and light caramel with a long, lingering finish. You will absolutely want to have this on your bar for sipping on the rocks, or as a killer component in any bourbon cocktail. It's awesome!
Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. Bottled in Bond Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 1/3/2015 | Send Email
By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 1/3/2015 | Send Email
The E.H. Taylor series is an interesting side project from the Buffalo Trace distillery portfolio (Eagle Rare, Weller, Elmer T Lee, Pappy, etc) offering a drier, less sweet profile than what many of us expect from Bourbon. For me, the Taylor Small Batch 100 proof is the most intriguing of the series; truly a grainy and evocative Bourbon that goes from oak, to oil, to sweet corn, and then back to a dry grainy finish. For me personally, the whiskey is great on the rocks, but really shines in a Manhattan or Old Fashioned. The 50% helps bump up the flavor, allowing it to hold its own with the added sweetness, and the drier profile doesn't add too much extra sugar. The oak and corn flavors are really well balanced as well, creating a back and forth of sweet vanilla and baking spices that goes on forever even after you drink it down. It's a fun change of pace from the standard Bourbon fare and a chance to really delve deep into the complexity that Bourbon can offer. There's a lot going on in this whiskey; perhaps more than you're really looking for. Each time I taste it I find something I didn't taste the previous time. It's almost like the Boigneires Armagnac equivalent; that's a brandy that cuts out all the sweetness and gets right down to the core flavor. It's the Bourbon version of that.
Seikyo "Omachi" Junmai Ginjo Sake 720ml
By: Jeff Garneau | Review Date: 12/31/2014 | Send Email
By: Jeff Garneau | Review Date: 12/31/2014 | Send Email
A real treat for sake lovers - a chance to try a sake made from the historic "Omachi" rice rather than the dominant "Yamada Nishiki" variety. Fat and spicy with hints of melon and grapefruit.
Price:
$29.99
Ariston Aspasie Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne
By: Jeff Garneau | Review Date: 12/31/2014 | Send Email
By: Jeff Garneau | Review Date: 12/31/2014 | Send Email
The current disgorgement of the Ariston Aspasie Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne is perhaps a little firmer, a little less open knit than previous bottlings. But the tradeoff is more focus, more purity, and more length. Quite dry, but with remarkable sweetness of fruit and a light toast that adds depth and character. The ideal New Year's Eve companion - complex enough to be interesting but not so serious as to dominate the conversation.
Price:
$44.99
Ardbeg "Corryvreckan" Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
By: James Knight | Review Date: 12/5/2014 | Send Email
By: James Knight | Review Date: 12/5/2014 | Send Email
For sure, the next time I have enough spare change to be able to decide between purchasing a Talisker 18 or the Corry, I am likely to experience some cognitive dissonance--and I mean before I have had any whisky! UPDATE: After first sampling the Corryvreckan, I was able to purchase a bottle and am very happy with it. This whisky presents luxe aromas of vanilla, caramel, and a hint of chocolate liqueur, haunted by a roasted seaweed, smoked fish and bacon sort of peatiness. If you've tried the Ardbeg 10 but felt it was just somewhat too aggressively peaty for you, at least for now, check out this one. It's got all the soft, lovely smoky beauty of a Talisker Distiller's, say, but with a spicier, cinnamon mint finish--like a younger Islay, like our Kilchoman single barrels, for instance. If you don't mind a hot finish, and love a single malt that tantalizes your nose with seductive, smoky and sweet aromas, this is it.
Chartreuse "V.E.P." Green (1L)
By: Adam Winkel | Review Date: 12/1/2014 | Send Email
By: Adam Winkel | Review Date: 12/1/2014 | Send Email
The most extraordinary digestif ever made. The most extraordinary anything ever made. My desert island one-and-only.
Ariston Aspasie Brut Rosé Champagne
By: Jeff Garneau | Review Date: 11/29/2014 | Send Email
By: Jeff Garneau | Review Date: 11/29/2014 | Send Email
Always my favorite rosé champagne here at K&L. Drank it with Thanksgiving dinner this year. Quite dry with a pronounced red fruit character - crisp red apple and tart cherry. For die hard Pinot fans - 50/50 Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
Price:
$42.99
Ariston Aspasie "Réserve" Brut Champagne
By: Jim Barr | Review Date: 11/14/2014 | Send Email
By: Jim Barr | Review Date: 11/14/2014 | Send Email
It is remarkable to me, and to much of our wine staff, some of the unique, profoundly produced Champagnes from the small producers that Gary Westby, our Champagne Wine Buyer, has discovered over the last decade. Virtually all of these producers, including the Aristons, are making sparkling wine strictly from estate fruit from Grand Cru recognized vineyard sites, and in small lots. As with any small producer, these wines are “hands-on” creations that are given extensive individual attention and long term aging before being disgorged. The Ariston “Carte Blanche’s” exquisite, superb quality is at a mind boggling low price vis-à-vis its style and complexity. Rich and authoritative both on its nutty, doughy yeasty nose and in the mouth, the very fine mousse leads to an amazingly rich, full style brut, with a long, intense finish. Some of you will probably not enjoy this Gem, due to the fact that you have gotten use to flavorless, bulk productions from the international, well-known, simply made name “brands,” but for those of you that seek complexity and profoundness in your Champagne, you will not find one even close in quality to this Gem at this price. The Guys (Rusty, Eby, The Beaner, and Rizzo) have forcefully made this our house sparkling wine forever. Don't be afraid to age this wonderful Champagne; it will only keep getting better. ABV 12%
Price:
$37.99
Lustau "Los Arcos" Amontillado Jerez
By: Olivia Ragni | Review Date: 10/22/2014 | Send Email
By: Olivia Ragni | Review Date: 10/22/2014 | Send Email
This dry Amontillado is a perfect accompaniment to cured meats and other Spanish style snacks. With its beautiful amber color, this Amontillado has pungent aromas of roasted nuts, coffee and dried figs, while the palate includes candied orange peel, seawater, toffee and butterscotch. Its pronounced flavors open up your pairing possibilities to more than just snacks, it could even hold up to a full array of grilled meats.
Singani "63" Bolivian Muscat Brandy (750ml)
By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 9/15/2014 | Send Email
By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 9/15/2014 | Send Email
Seriously one of the coolest things I have tasted in a while. It's amazing how this retained so much of the pure Muscat flavor profile through distillation. Fantastically floral aromatics, very delicate and yet flavorful all at the same time. Like the finest Muscat-based wines this is not about sweetness but about perfume and delicacy on the palate. I can only imagine what people will think up to do with this intriguing little spirit but it is certainly something worth having on your bar.
Price:
$29.99
Singani "63" Bolivian Muscat Brandy (750ml)
By: Kyle Kurani | Review Date: 9/15/2014 | Send Email
By: Kyle Kurani | Review Date: 9/15/2014 | Send Email
Exactly what we love to drink. After a "serious day in the office" tasting as many as 40 different whiskies, the Singani is the type of spirit I want to come home to, delicious. Fresh, and lively, you get the essence of the Muscat grape, floral, with ripe peach and apricot, this is super clean and dangerously drinkable.
So much to do with it: Pisco sour stand-in, add some tonic, or lemon soda with a twist; I would even venture to say it would be killer in a Mojito.
Price:
$29.99
Singani "63" Bolivian Muscat Brandy (750ml)
By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 9/15/2014 | Send Email
By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 9/15/2014 | Send Email
The is the do-it-all spirit for your liquor cabinet (and you don't even know what it is!). Fruity, floral, and clean, this can be substituted into a number of different cocktails in place of tequila, vodka, gin, and rum. I've made Singani Daiquiris, Singani Margaritas, Singani Negronis, Bloody Maries, Singani and Tonic, Singani Sangria--they're all fantastic. Bolivia's finest export may indeed be Singani. Now you just need to queue up "Che" on Netflix-instant, imagine you're Soderbergh drinking Singani on the set, and drink until your heart's content.
Price:
$29.99
Ariston Aspasie "Réserve" Brut Champagne
By: Jeff Garneau | Review Date: 9/2/2014 | Send Email
By: Jeff Garneau | Review Date: 9/2/2014 | Send Email
I think the Ariston Aspasie Carte Blanche Brut was one of the first grower-producer Champagnes I ever purchased from K&L. It remains to this day our best value in Champagne, and a superb introduction to the grower producer (RM) Champagnes. If your usual Champagne experience is Veuve Clicquot or Moet & Chandon, you owe it to yourself to try the Carte Blanche from Paul-Vincent Ariston. With roughly equal parts of the three classic Champagne grapes, and a retail price comfortably south of $30, this is a no-brainer. Open a bottle for no reason in the middle of the week. You'll feel like royalty.
Price:
$37.99
La Cigarrera Manzanilla Sanlucar de Barrameda (375ml)
By: Olivia Ragni | Review Date: 8/27/2014 | Send Email
By: Olivia Ragni | Review Date: 8/27/2014 | Send Email
A true Manzanilla with a bouquet full of oysters, clams and salted toffee. A flavor intense palate of oceanic salt and seaweed, peanut butter, bitter almonds and squash. Impeccable quality, a crazy value. What a steal!!!
Price:
$18.99
El Maestro Sierra Fino Jerez de la Frontera (375ml)
By: Olivia Ragni | Review Date: 8/27/2014 | Send Email
By: Olivia Ragni | Review Date: 8/27/2014 | Send Email
At this stage, this delicate Fino has subtle notes of pecans, fresh apples, pie crust, and toasted pumpkin seeds with a mildly salty palate of butterscotch, almonds and bitter orange peel. Great companion to a tomato, basil salad!
Westland Flagship American Oak Single Malt American Whiskey (700ml)
By: Shaun Green | Review Date: 7/15/2014 | Send Email
By: Shaun Green | Review Date: 7/15/2014 | Send Email
I hardly need to second the choices of David, but wow this one is very cool! Its rich, deep color at first made me worry that this was going to be a little too woody and sweet, but the nose suddenly changed that. Very full and deep with a somewhat roasted nut nose, and on the palate it has nice, long walnut, vanilla, barley and subtle raisin and caramel notes. Delicious and mouth-filling, yet vibrant and zesty. It has just enough sweet notes and a fantastic finish. The closest I've seen to a single malt Scotch from the U.S.!
El Dorado 12 Year Old Demerara Guyana Rum
By: Jeffrey Jones | Review Date: 7/14/2014 | Send Email
By: Jeffrey Jones | Review Date: 7/14/2014 | Send Email
A great rum that is distilled from molasses. It is rich, round, sweet and delicious. While this rum is on the sweeter and richer side, it is not sugary and has complexity to balance it out.
Price:
$36.99
El Dorado 15 Year Old Demerara Guyana Rum (750ml)
By: Jeffrey Jones | Review Date: 7/14/2014 | Send Email
By: Jeffrey Jones | Review Date: 7/14/2014 | Send Email
This rum is both tasty and interesting. It has the winning sweetness that one would expect from a rum from Guyana. The El Dorado 15 is also very complex, with layers of flavors from sweet to an almost subtle earthiness.
Bigallet Viriana China China Amer Orange Liqueur (750ml)
By: Leah Greenstein | Review Date: 7/14/2014 | Send Email
By: Leah Greenstein | Review Date: 7/14/2014 | Send Email
This is a cane-based French bitter macerated with bitter oranges and distilled three times. The floral orange aromas are complemented by flavors of clove and anise, with added bitterness from China bark. Quite viscous and mouthwatering. Use in place of Aperol in a spritz!
Price:
$36.99
Nonino Quintessentia Amaro (750ml)
By: Leah Greenstein | Review Date: 7/14/2014 | Send Email
By: Leah Greenstein | Review Date: 7/14/2014 | Send Email
There's a reason this grape distillate-based Amaro from Friuli is one of our biggest sellers, it's the easiest-drinking Amaro I've every tried! Cocoa-dusted orange, cream, butterscotch, roasted nuts, lemon pitch and rosewater notes. Don't waste this in a cocktail, it sips smoothly on its own.
Amaro Montenegro Di Bologna (750ml)
By: Leah Greenstein | Review Date: 7/14/2014 | Send Email
By: Leah Greenstein | Review Date: 7/14/2014 | Send Email
This is one of the most popular Amari in Italy. Packed with notes of nutmeg and bitter orange, it's very pretty and soft on the palate. It has a creamy, not-too-bitter creamsicle character. Medium-sweet.
Lucano Amaro (750ml)
By: Leah Greenstein | Review Date: 7/14/2014 | Send Email
By: Leah Greenstein | Review Date: 7/14/2014 | Send Email
The last time I ordered an Averna at the end of a meal, I sat considering its medicinal, bitter qualities, and lamenting its syrupy sweetness. The Lucano has the best of Averna's herbaceousness, with earthy, bitter citrus flavors and a light, balanced texture.
Caves Messias Santola "Crab Wine" Vinho Verde
By: Jeffrey Jones | Review Date: 6/26/2014 | Send Email
By: Jeffrey Jones | Review Date: 6/26/2014 | Send Email
Lively, clean and crisp with nice citrus overtones. The Messias Santola has a hint of fizz to provide a delicious freshness to the wine. Great alone or with light foods. Very dry and very good.
Price:
$9.99
Ardbeg "Uigeadail" Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
By: James Knight | Review Date: 6/5/2014 | Send Email
By: James Knight | Review Date: 6/5/2014 | Send Email
Recommended for those with a love for--or a tolerance that may blossom at some time in the indeterminate future--peaty, sherry-influenced single malt. After I had tasted a sample of the Ardbeg Uigeadail and sort of gave it thumbs down in my personal notes, later I purchased a whole bottle and followed it over a while. Why? There's just something about it. There's dried seaweed, some plaster from a seaside cottage renovation, perhaps, some dried fish on a grill fired by beach brush. And mid to high-toned sherry underneath. But there's more, and whatever that more is, it keeps me coming back from time to time.
Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Gin (375ml)
By: Jeffrey Jones | Review Date: 5/27/2014 | Send Email
By: Jeffrey Jones | Review Date: 5/27/2014 | Send Email
Exciting, expressive and a great drink. The Monkey 47 has bursts of juniper that subtly integrate with nice spice aromas. In the mouth this combination continues with a added dimension of softness that is more fruity than sweet.
Price:
$39.99
Gunma Izumi Yamahai Honjozo Sake (720ml)
By: Jeffrey Jones | Review Date: 5/27/2014 | Send Email
By: Jeffrey Jones | Review Date: 5/27/2014 | Send Email
Nice and inviting aromas lead to a wonderful, slightly round but dry sake. The splash of distilled alcohol adds a new dimension to this sake, making it more aromatic than usual.
Price:
$24.99
Ariston Aspasie "Réserve" Brut Champagne
By: Joe Manekin | Review Date: 5/7/2014 | Send Email
By: Joe Manekin | Review Date: 5/7/2014 | Send Email
Carte Blanche is always tasty, a Champagne with a soft bead, nice toast, crowd appeal and great value. This current batch, though, based on the very strong 2008 vintage, is impressive. Brighter than usual, with great purity and tasty fruit, easily the most impressive batch we have received. I'd be happy with this at $40, but for $28 it's one of our great values right now.
Price:
$37.99
Aberlour 16 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)
By: James Knight | Review Date: 5/5/2014 | Send Email
By: James Knight | Review Date: 5/5/2014 | Send Email
Apple pie is right--or more like hot apple cider, for me. Warm, spicy holiday punch, with ginger and cinnamon and delicious, caramel and apple flavor. Not as hot and spicy as the A'Bunadh, the dignified Aberlour 16 is a rich, smooth, and delightful companion to, say, a good book; to be sipped and savored.
Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Gin (375ml)
By: Mellyn Craig | Review Date: 5/2/2014 | Send Email
By: Mellyn Craig | Review Date: 5/2/2014 | Send Email
This gin is so amazing and complex that it is hard to put it all into words! It is so smooth and clean, yet the most complex gin I have ever had. Juniper, spice, berries, citrus peel, herbs are all there and so balanced. This gin is so gorgeous, that drinking it neat is the best way to enjoy this gin. Buy this now! It is selling fast with both customers and staff!
Price:
$39.99
Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Gin (375ml)
By: Kyle Kurani | Review Date: 5/1/2014 | Send Email
By: Kyle Kurani | Review Date: 5/1/2014 | Send Email
This was the only bottle I brought back from our recent trip to Scotland. When you spend all day tastings as many as 60 Scotches, the idea of buying booze was pretty much the farthest thing from my mind...until I tried this gin. We were lucky enough to stumble into a very reputable bottle shop where the lovely lady was kind enough to let us try this. As soon as I did, I was hooked. This is by far the most complex and intriguing gin I have ever tasted. Layers of herbal notes that keep revealing themselves, juniper, bay leaf, and lemon zest, to name a few. It is so fresh and clean, not a rough edge to be found. I couldn’t believe that it was a gin I was drinking. If you are a fan of complex spirits, this is worth getting into a glass near you.
Price:
$39.99
Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Gin (375ml)
By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 5/1/2014 | Send Email
By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 5/1/2014 | Send Email
Up until now, Monkey 47 Schwarzwald gin was only available in Europe, which is why David OG, Kyle, and myself all purchased a bottle while traveling through Scotland earlier this March. I smuggled my bottle home and gave it to my mother -- another esteemed lover of gin, who inherited quite the palate from her mother. I opened the bottle and poured her a glass; her eyes widened and her face went slack. "Wow," she said. "I know!" I answered. "Now you know why I smuggled this tiny little expensive bottle of gin back for you to taste!" When I found out the Monkey was set to hit the states, I made sure K&L was ready. The combination of berry flavors, fresh juniper, heady spices, and the ease with which it flows down is unmatched in any gin I've ever tasted -- and I've had a TON of gin in my life. Now this gin is expensive -- it's $45 a half-bottle (making it a $90 bottle, really). But man is it worth it. You can just drink it straight, no mixer, no ice. My mom and I are in for a case each. I don't ever want to be without this.
Price:
$39.99
Springbank 15 Year Old Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)
By: James Knight | Review Date: 4/28/2014 | Send Email
By: James Knight | Review Date: 4/28/2014 | Send Email
Richer and more mellow than: Port Charlotte Peat. Much less peaty than: Talisker 10. Kinda maybe like: Cragganmore 12. I got butterscotch candy and salty, nutty notes a little like a Jura whisky from a sample of this dram; it's got nice lemony, butterscotchy notes that are appealing.