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Staff Favorites - David Driscoll
David Driscoll
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David Driscoll likes to drink alcohol when he is not working at K&L. His main interests include wine, beer, and distilled spirits. Before he worked here he went to college at a decent school, got a masters degree from an OK school, worked as a waiter and taught elementary school in Chinatown. He decided to get into the wine business after reading a few books about wine and realizing that one cannot seriously learn about wine solely through reading. His career goals include: trying to convince K&L customers that he does know something despite his youthful appearance, and learning everything about everything about every single wine ever made.
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Reviews
Petit & Bajan Nuit Blanche Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne
Review Date: 04-12-2018
The nuttiness on the palate of this graceful and elegant "Nuit Blanche" is the stuff of pure magic. I was immediately taken aback by this new arrival when Gary poured me a glass. It's fresh, lively, and simply gorgeous on the palate with plenty of depth, but that note of toasted almond brioche on the finish is simply to die for. I'd buy as much of this as you can afford.
Domaine Hubert "K&L Exclusive" Pays d'Auge Vieux Calvados (750ml)
Review Date: 02-04-2018
If you're buying your bottle of Hubert in 2018, then you're getting the domaine's new blend based primarily on the 2008 vintage with bits of 2006 and 2010 blended in. It's textbook Astrid—friendly, feminine, but with a bit of a spicy kick. At thirty bucks, to think we can offer an apple brandy of this quality that's mostly 9 years old with 11-year and 7-year added for good measure is astounding. There's a reason this is the top selling Calvados in our store's history. 2000 bottles and counting!!
Price:
$29.99
Ariston Aspasie "Réserve" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 12-22-2017
I know what you might be thinking: "I've had the Ariston Aspasie Carte Blanche dozens of times at this point." I've consumed at least 100 bottles of this in my 10 years at K&L, but unless you've bought a bottle post-November 2017 then you haven't had the new and improved Carte Blanche. You can look at my colleague Gary Westby's review for the technical details, but the short version is that the technological advancements put into place six years ago at Aspasie are just now showing up in the bottle, after five years of lees aging. If you thought you were getting a bargain for a sub-$30 Champagne before, you're getting a better version today. The control that the Aspasies have over the fermentation and pressing now results in a much fresher wine. More dynamic on the palate, cleaner on the finish, and livelier in every way, my most recent experience with the Carte Blanche was like drinking it again for the first time. If it's been a while since your last bottle of Aspasie Carte Blanche, you may want to consider revisiting this soon.
Price:
$34.99
Golden Devil K&L Exclusive Dark Navy Strength Rum (750ml)
Review Date: 12-06-2017
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 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. I'm hoping it's a big hit because we can definitely keep this going should rum drinkers want us to!
Price:
Hidden
Four Pillars "Faultline" K&L Exclusive Australian Gin (750ml)
Review Date: 10-03-2017
I've been obsessed with Four Pillars gin since the very first moment I tasted it in January of 2015 when the distillery gang flew out from Melbourne for the Superbowl that year in SF. They dropped by the store unannounced, put a bottle of the Rare Dry in my hand, and the rest is history. I'd never had a gin that good before and I've still yet to have one since—and I drink a LOT of gin. But beyond the flavor, what I respected most about Four Pillars was that they were ONLY making gin; not single malt, or vodka, or whiskey, or some other spirit to help pay the bills, but just gin. They're like gin specialists, concocting incredible flavors on their copper stills in the Yarra Valley. After two years of huge customer support, monstrous sales, and positive feedback like you wouldn't believe, I decided to head Down Under and create a special gin with distiller Cameron MacKenzie for K&L using our Faultline label. My goal was simple: make something distinct, exciting, new, but also characteristic of everything I already love about Four Pillars. I won't rehash the specs as they're all listed above, but Cam knocked this baby out of the park. Listing me on the label as the "co-distiller" is a bit misleading because I didn't do anything but taste and edit, however, I appreciate the acknowledgement. In the end, this gin is all about Four Pillars and their incredible talent. Our job is simply to put fantastic new spirits in your hands and I think we're living up to our end of the bargain there.
Price:
$34.99
Ardbeg "An Oa" Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 09-30-2017
The An Oa is the best new Ardbeg I’ve tasted in more than five years and it’s the roundest and easiest to drink of the regularly available editions. While it doesn’t pack the power that both the Uigeadail and Corryvreckan offer with their bold proofs, it makes up for it with richness and a rounded sweetness on the finish. You get all the peat, brine, smoke, and salt that you could ever want, but with more texture and perhaps finesse—not something we normally associate with the beastly Islay profile. In any case, this is the first bottle of Ardbeg in some time that I’ve been adamant about buying for my own personal daily enjoyment, not just my collection.
2009 Coufran, Haut-Médoc
Review Date: 08-18-2017
It's great to see how this wine has come around over the years. We've been getting shipments of the 2009 Coufran since the vintage was released in 2012 and I've been slowly tasting bottles throughout the years, watching what was once a merlot-driven and supple wine from a ripe vintage mature into a savory, complex, and serious bottle of mature Bordeaux. Tasting it today, it's at its most profound position yet. The wine is much leaner than it was a few years back and has shed some of that baby fat, now resembling something with age from St. Emilion or Pomerol. For the price its tough to beat, especially when stacked up against some of the other $20 bargains we have in the store. Few, however, show as much evolution as the Coufran. This is a Wednesday night steak frites wine at its finest.
Paranubes Oaxacan Aguardiente de Caña Agricole Rum (1L)
Review Date: 07-14-2017
The Paranubes Oaxacan aguardiente de caña is one of, if not the, best agricole rhums I've ever tasted and it beautifully balances a smooth and fruity character with the grassiness and the intense cane flavor of something like Neisson. What it removes is the funk, the earth, and the sometimes bitter notes that send some people running for the hills. The aromatics are absolutely stunning—there is a pure and unflinching note of raw cane that absolutely explodes from the bottle. At 54%, the rum is no slouch. But it's clearly distilled with a master hand because it's incredibly polished despite all that intensity. I could drink this straight out of the bottle, neat in a glass, on the rocks, in a cocktail, or simply with soda. I can't get enough of it—it's that good.
Price:
$39.99
Suntory Hakushu 12 Year Old Japanese Peated Single Malt Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 05-08-2017
Personally, I’ve always been surprised how much more popular the Yamazaki 12 is compared to its sibling the Hakushu 12. To me, the Yamazaki has always been a fine whiskey, but the more dynamic malt is easily the Hakushu, which as pretty much the same delicate and light-drinking flavor profile as the Yamazaki, but with just the faintest touch of smoke. It's so ethereal straight out of the glass, but I feel like it tastes even better with ice (I know that's tough for some people to handle). The subtle peat is like a ghost that moves slowly around every part of my palate, brushing it with hints of earth and phenolic goodness after coating it with sweet grains. With our new pricing, this is a can't miss deal. It's nice to have some real quantity again!
Price:
$169.99
Suntory Toki Japanese Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 05-08-2017
When the Suntory Toki first launched at $45, it was a bit of a stretch because of how hot the market was for Japanese whisky. I'm much more comfortable selling this in the mid-thirties, however, and with our new pricing we can do that. While you sip on your bottle of Yamazaki or Hakushu, you pour this one on the rocks, add some soda water, and make yourself a real mizuwari--the great whisky soda that dominates Japan's drinking culture. The fruitiness on the nose really blossoms with the addition of bubbles, so don't be shy here. Do Japanese whisky right and drink it how it's intended!
Price:
$29.99
Lagavulin 8 Year Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 04-06-2017
This 8 year version of Lagavulin is even more quintessentially Islay than the 16. It's fresher, livelier, peatier, and simply more dynamic on the palate. I also love that Lagavulin paid homage to the classic whisky travel book "The Whisky Distilleries of Scotland" by Alfred Barnard, a writer who visited all 150 active distilleries in the UK back in the late 19th century. He specifically mentions an "exceptionally fine" Lagavulin 8 year expression, and it's clear from tasting the modern rendition why he felt so strongly. It's a lovely whisky and it very much speaks to the strength of what may be Scotland's top producer.
Old Forester "1920 Prohibition Style" Kentucky Bourbon Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 02-03-2017
This was my favorite single Bourbon release of 2016 and I'm thrilled we were able to get another large allocation of it. Regardless of whether you want to get wrapped up in the story about how this was based on the Prohibition era recipe, there's no doubt about it: this is a delicious bottle of American whiskey and it easily stands out from the crowd of currently available options. There's a weight and a richness that coats the palate and the 115 proof brings plenty of punch with a flurry of baking spices. I love the graham crackery goodness as well. I don't taste a lot of Bourbons these days that really have a deeply concentrated flavor of dark grains. This has it in spades. Add this to your short list of new and exciting Bourbons right now.
Domaine d'Ognoas Reserve Armagnac (750ml)
Review Date: 12-20-2016
For those of you who enjoyed our Ognoas XO editions of the past, this is pretty much the same Armagnac. A gorgeous, round, and elegant sipping Armagnac with plenty of fruit and soft richness for a great price. This batch is based on the 2006 vintage, so it's a minimum of 10 years of age. I've drunk two bottles already and we just got this in last week :)
Price:
$79.99
Baron-Fuenté "Esprit" Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne
Review Date: 10-07-2016
This is a tremendous wine and one that I think fully conveys the thought and the effort that goes into our direct import Champagne program. For the price of a standard grade big house-blended cuvee, you're getting a single vineyard, single varietal expression of incredible beauty and depth. There's a nuttiness on the palate from the extended lees aging (keeping the spent yeast in the bottle) and a crispness that comes from the cool weather in this particular vineyard site. All in all, it's a fascinating bottle with unique spice and character for a price that still comes in less than the entry-level Veuve Clicquot!
Four Pillars Navy Strength Gin (750ml)
Review Date: 05-28-2016
The Navy Strength gin is not simply a higher proofed version of the Rare Dry from Four Pillars, but rather an entirely different formula. This one uses finger limes for a different citrus tone, but the balance of spice and botanicals is what ties both gins together. This is a bolder, brighter, more intense experience, but it's obviously made by the same team because the same attention to detail is prevalent. This is a world class gin of the highest quality, pure and simple.
Price:
$44.99
Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin (750ml)
Review Date: 05-28-2016
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.
Launois "Quartz" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Review Date: 05-17-2016
The Quartz is the leaner, more focused entry level wine from Launois and it might be my favorite. Underneath the fruit you get down into the minerality and the oyster shell notes that you expect from a fine Chablis. It's just that this wine has bubbles and it makes you feel like you're floating on air. Stunning.
Price:
$39.99
Launois "Cuvée Réservée" Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Review Date: 05-17-2016
An absolutely delicious, world-changing, life-altering experience. When you taste Launois's Cuvee Reserve and you realize that you only paid $35, you start to wonder what else you've been overpaying for? What about those shoes you ordered online? What about that special cheese you bought from the artisan market? Maybe there are other secrets like this out there that you just don't know about. Credit our own Gary Westby for the epiphany. Just don't bother him once we're sold out again. This is bright, clean, refreshing, and stunningly elegant 100% Grand Cru quality fruit and it's TO DIE FOR.
Price:
$34.99
Launois "Veuve Clemence" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Review Date: 05-17-2016
This is gorgeously lush wine made from hillside grapes and the top and bottom of the slopes. The nose is yeasty and voluptuous with a richness on the palate that maintains its elegance under the weight. Truly a fine wine.
Price:
$44.99
2009 Capbern Gasqueton, St-Estèphe
Review Date: 12-28-2015
Maybe as good a deal as anyone is likely to find in this vintage. Made by the same team from Calon Segur, this is an affordable wine built for the long haul. I bought half a case without blinking. Delicious black cherry flavors with minerality to balance it out. Fine tannins. Buy fast.
Copper & Kings "Butchertown" Reserve Casks Brandy (750ml)
Review Date: 11-16-2015
This is the ultimate crossover bottle for bourbon fans looking to explore the new age of brandy. It's a 62% monster that drinks more like some of our Four Roses single cask selections than our French imports. The flavors just explode from the 124 proof blast of oak, fruit, spice, and herbaceousness. I've found that I love this brandy on the rocks, straight, but also as a highball cocktail. The spirit cuts through all that soda water and never tastes diluted or minimized by the additional liquid. It's a brandy that will change the way you think about brandy. It's a brandy that will change the way you think about spirits in general.
Price:
$54.99
Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey (750ml)
Review Date: 11-12-2015
I remember when I couldn't even get Wild Turkey Rye 101, but it appears the Kentucky stalwart is now rebounding from the last seven years of shortages. What a comeback! This is single barrel, high proof rye whiskey that tastes like 2008--back when I could find rich and powerful rye whiskies full of peppery notes and classic dill flavor. This is rye in the vein of of what you remember before everything started coming from LDI Distillery in Indiana. It's like getting to know an old friend again.
Price:
$69.99
Henry McKenna 10 Year Old Bottled in Bond Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey (750ml)
Review Date: 09-17-2015
McKenna is one of those under-appreciated gems of the booze industry. A throwback Bourbon made by Heaven Hill (the home of Elijah Craig, Evan Williams, Rittenhouse Rye, and many other great brands) that's all from a single barrel, bottled-in-bond at 100 proof, and well-priced to boot. There's not much of a reputation for it out west, so it tends to go rather unnoticed, but the quality is highly-regarded by those in the know. Our inventory on McKenna is inconsistent and spotty so we tend to load up when it becomes available again. I taste inferior Bourbons every week that sell for $40, $50, and $60 per bottle based on hype and perceived rarity. But this guy just keeps truckin' along. What a deal. What a whiskey.
San Venanzio Fortunato Brut Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore
Review Date: 06-10-2015
This is stunning for the price. Light, airy, a touch of stone fruit with a hint of what seems like sweetness, but really is just ripeness. It's fresh and dry and lovely. And the price!
Price:
$15.99
Glenlivet 15 Year Old "French Oak Reserve" Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 04-28-2015
One of the last great deals in age-statement whiskies. At a time when maturity labels are dropping like flies, Glenlivet still has the 15 year French oak reserve for $40. That's something to hang your hat on!
Glenlivet 12 Year Old "Double Oak" Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 04-28-2015
Glenlivet is removing the 12 year old from many major markets in favor of the new "Founder's Reserve", which has no age statement and a higher price. Get your Glenlivet 12 before it goes the way of the Dodo.
Ketel One Vodka (750ml)
Review Date: 04-28-2015
$20 is a hot price for the biggest brand name in all of vodka. Get it while the gettin's good.
El Dorado 12 Year Old Demerara Guyana Rum (750ml)
Review Date: 04-23-2015
A must-try-before-you-die spirit. One of the all-time greatest deals in all of spirits in general.
Price:
$44.99
El Dorado 15 Year Old Demerara Guyana Rum (750ml)
Review Date: 04-23-2015
The best rum on the planet for under $50. It's made mostly from DDL's old wooden pot still with more of that funky molasses note through the mid-palate. Love it. All day, every day.
El Dorado 21 Year Old Demerara Guyana Rum (750ml)
Review Date: 04-23-2015
Made from older stocks of DDL rums before the big transition into one consolidated Guyanese distillery, this is the ultimate aged rum. Rich oak, pure cane flavor, a bit of funky molasses, and a spicy, robust finish. I can't believe it's still $99.99
Price:
$149.99
El Dorado 3 year Old Demerara Guyana Rum (750ml)
Review Date: 04-23-2015
In lieu of Havana Club 3 year, the El Dorado 3 year is just as good and made the same way: three years in wood, then filtered to be a white rum. It's round and easy-drinking with pure rum flavor. Why use anything else for Daiquiris?
Price:
$22.99
Glenmorangie 12 Year Old "Lasanta" Extra Matured Range Sherry Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 04-20-2015
This is the original 10 and 2 whisky--10 years in bourbon casks, with 2 years finishing in sweet sherry wood. Glendronach, Balvenie, and Aberlour all do it down, but Glenmorangie did it first and they're still the best at it. Lovely spice cake and dark toffee notes round out the finish.
Basil Hayden's Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml)
Review Date: 04-20-2015
The best and the most classic of the Beam bourbon portfolio. Big oak flavor, smooth and rich on the palate, and a finish that brings baking spices and vanilla goodness. YUM!
Springbank 15 Year Old Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)
Review Date: 04-19-2015
All the great richness and weight of the 10 with more sherry and more spice cake. A true classic.
Germain-Robin XO California Alambic Brandy (750ml)
Review Date: 04-19-2015
The king of California spirits. There's nothing else out there this good and this old with this type of heritage and history. A must try before you die type of bottle.
Ardbeg 10 Year Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 04-19-2015
Still the best deal for 10 year old whisky. Still the best deal for peated whisky. Still the best deal in whisky--period. I'm never without a bottle on my bar. A true classic of the single genre. You're never too cool, too rich, too knowledgeable, or too refined for Ardbeg 10.
Carpano Antica Formula Sweet Vermouth (1L)
Review Date: 04-19-2015
The classic sweet vermouth. THE one. End all. Be all. Period.
Caol Ila 12 Year Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 04-19-2015
The most classic and most reliable of the Diageo "classic" malts. God bless Caol Ila and its peaty goodness with a rich, round, fruity core of flavor to balance it all out. I'm never without a bottle.
Laphroaig "Quarter Cask" Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 04-19-2015
All the peat and power of Laphroaig, put into smaller barriques for extra richness and vanilla flavor.
Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva Venezuelan Rum (750ml)
Review Date: 04-19-2015
A classic darker rum that offers richness and bold vanilla flavor, but without the sweetness and added caramel that many big brands offer. A true insider's rum if there ever was one.
Price:
$39.99
Nikka Yoichi 15 Year Japanese Single Malt Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 04-19-2015
Nikka's northern distillery on the island of Hokkaido makes a slightly peated style of whisky; more along the line of Talisker, however, rather than Lagavulin. It's rounded and supple on the palate as well, making it one creamy, and slightly smokey delight.
Darroze Les Grand Assemblages "20 Year Old" Bas-Armagnac (750ml)
Review Date: 04-19-2015
The great Armagnac we carry at the moment. A marriage of 20 year old brandies from various properties, distilled by Marc Darroze, and packaged at one hot price. Bourbon drinkers might want to take note. This smokes Pappy 20 any day of the week.
Nikka 17 Year Old Taketsuru Pure Malt Japanese Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 04-19-2015
Nikka 17 is the lightest and least heavy of the small portfolio the Japanese distillery has sent stateside. It's still packed with flavor, albeit more nuanced and less obvious than some of their other expressions. It's a concentrated palate of toasted almonds, soft vanilla, creme brulee, and sweet barley. One of the great whiskies of the world, let alone Japan.
Price:
$499.99
| Limit of 1 per customer |
Bowmore 15 Year Old Sherry Cask Finish Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 03-31-2015
I think the 15 year is probably the most iconic of the standard Bowmore selections because of the extra sherry maturation. The richness really drives home that combination of sweet and peat that makes Bowmore what it is. Campfire smoke, phenolic elements, but ultimately a softer, more rounder mouthfeel. Lovely stuff.
Glenmorangie 10 Year Old "The Original" Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 03-17-2015
The best single malt deal there is--period.
Johnnie Walker "Green Label" 15 Year Old Blended Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 03-07-2015
Yes, it's Johnnie Walker, but that doesn't mean it's a blended whisky! The Green label is actually a blended MALT, meaning it's comprised only of single malt whiskies from Diageo's prestigious chain of malt distilleries. Rich, creamy, supple malt flavor, brimming with fruit and soft toffee come strong on the entry. The finish shows a trace of smoke from the addition of Caol Ila to the formula, but it's never more than a whisper. Considering the size and scope of the Green's production, the quality is incredible. I'd easily drink this over a number of pure single malts in the same price range. Great stuff.
St. George Green Chile Vodka (750ml)
Review Date: 03-03-2015
Love it. My Bloody Marys will never be the same. It smells like a big bowl of salsa and tastes like an explosion of Mexican cuisine. The applications are endless. It's basically gin made entirely with chiles.
Price:
$24.99
St. George All Purpose Vodka (750ml)
Review Date: 03-03-2015
Again, don't let the vodka moniker fool you: this isn't some BS, grain neutral throwaway. This is an art that Lance and Dave have perfected over at St. George. The all-purpose is actually made from a large proportion of pear distillate to give it a creamy and soft texture. They're not just trying to make a flavorless spirit. They're trying for ethereal beauty. And they've done it. The great vodka from the U.S. is now here.
St. George California Citrus Vodka (750ml)
Review Date: 03-03-2015
While you may think of this as flavored vodka, this is really just orange gin. At least, as far as the process is concerned. Lance and Dave made this incredibly beautiful spirit through multiple macerations of separate varietals of orange, along with individual distillations. The amount of skill and blending is paramount to the finest of ginmakers. It's just that they didn't use juniper. Don't let the vodka moniker make you think this isn't something great. It is.
Price:
$24.99