Reviewers
- All Staff Reviews
- Aaron Hughes (10)
- Adam Winkel (97)
- Alex Leonardini (8)
- Alex Schroeder (149)
- Alex Pross (594)
- Alexandre Tweedie (7)
- Amy Monroe (1)
- Andrew Nunes (1)
- Andrew Kitz (1)
- Andrew Whiteley (125)
- Cindy Westby (60)
- Clyde Beffa Jr. (809)
- David Othenin-Girard (335)
- Dejah Overby (147)
- Diana Turk (125)
- Dulcinea Gonzalez (115)
- Gary Lai (56)
- Gary Westby (540)
- Greg St. Clair (389)
- Illya Haase (147)
- Jacques Moreira (704)
- Jason Marwedel (73)
- Jeffrey Jones (372)
- Joel Nicholas (29)
- John Flanigan (1)
- John Downing (80)
- John Majeski (296)
- Julio Santos (1)
- Kate Soto (11)
- Keith Mabry (432)
- Kirk Walker (276)
- Lilia McIntosh (44)
- Mandana Tourani (12)
- Michael Benoit (7)
- Michael Pires (14)
- Miles Philippe (7)
- Neal Fischer (33)
- Ralph Sands (222)
- Ryan Kewin (4)
- Ryan Moses (388)
- Ryan Woodhouse (891)
- Sal Rodriguez (34)
- Scott Beckerley (307)
- Shaun Green (82)
- Thomas Smith (357)
- Tom Martinez (1)
- Trey Beffa (183)
- Will Blakely (26)
- Zaitouna Kusto (3)
K&L Email Alerts
Sign up to receive custom alerts, new arrivals and the latest happenings from K&L Wines
Staff Favorites - James Knight
|
Reviews
2011 Chateau Montelena "Estate" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Review Date: 01-15-2018
2011, rain, boo, right? Nope, think again on this one: Montelena is so old school about their picking regime, they picked before the drenching rains of the later fall of 2011. The rest of the year was cool, true, but basically the year that Napa became Bordeaux-for-a-season. This wine, tasted January 2018, initially shows an aroma that could be called herbal, maybe mineral, but then the red fruit flavor shows up, intense and alluring. It's the vintage, out of a lineup, I kept thinking about again.
Laphroaig "Quarter Cask" Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 10-22-2015
My journey back to Laphroaig has been long, but it's got a well-earned place in my short list of single malt favorites. The Quarter Cask is kind of like an elaboration on that rich, vanilla oak note that I retrieved from my first smoky, leathery bottle of Laphroaig 10. It's less rich and opulent than the Triple Wood, to be sure, but I enjoyed every pour of this--it even held up to a little ice, over the summer, purists be darned. I'm a Talisker fan, and love the Ardbeg Corryvreckan, but this well-priced Laphroaig shows, with just a bit of extra barrel treatment, the quality of the spirit that's coming out of the distillery.
Talisker Distiller's Edition Isle of Skye Single Malt Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 03-07-2015
Of all the expressions of Talisker I've enjoyed so far, I believe that this may be my favorite. It's got the ashy peat, the caramel and sherry, and the chili pepper heat. My tasting notes don't record a kippers/smoked fish character, however: more like cream soda, cinnamon spice, and peat that smells like a spaded-up dry lawn, not like the iodine or burning leather like some Islay single malts that you may have tried. If you would like to sniff some smoky peat in your whisky, but don't like it too dry, hot, or ashy, I recommended Talisker, by all means: get both the Talisker 10 and the Distillers for comparison; both are immediately enjoyable on the caramel-sherry, subtle smoky peat and salty sense-of-place spectrum. 2002 version, bottled 2013.
Price:
$89.99
Bowmore 12 Year Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 03-05-2015
I'm pretty pleased with the standard Bowmore 12, in fact, just a little beyond expectations, for the price. I have to agree with Enthusiast's mention of the cookie dough in the background, but there's also a bit of wet plaster, rancio and roasted walnut lurking--a hint of some of the older, single barrel expressions. It's drier and less "maritime" than Talisker 10, and the peat is more ashy like an Ardmore Traditional Cask or Lagavulin 16. A nice cabinet standby, or at least a reference point.
Ardbeg "Corryvreckan" Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 12-05-2014
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.
Ardbeg "Uigeadail" Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 06-05-2014
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.
Aberlour 16 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 05-05-2014
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.
Talisker 10 Year Old Isle of Skye Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 04-29-2014
Goodness, I love the Talisker 10. It hits just about every note that I want to hear, when a single malt sings to me. To get an idea of whether it will sing for you, here's the way I came about it: After ignoring whisky for a decade-plus in favor of wine, I rediscovered scotch. I set about finding out what I liked, what I didn't, and what grew on me. I like sweet, sherried single malts, but I also like smoky peat--not too much--and most importantly, a sea shore, briny sense of place. This is Talisker 10, in a nutshell, a light amber, buttery, butterscotchy single malt smelling of scones baked with smoked ham, somewhere near the sea shore. Finishes hot and spicy, but like they say about Talisker, more like nice, spicy "chili pepper" than just plain alcohol heat. It's always a fun dram.
Springbank 15 Year Old Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)
Review Date: 04-28-2014
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.
Cragganmore 12 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 04-28-2014
When I'm not tasting single malt whisky, I'm tasting and rating wine, and a recent Russian River Valley Chardonnay made me think of Cragganmore whisky. I couldn't include the reference in my review, because, well, a little too arcane, right? But when you've got caramel-coated apples, golden sherry aromas with sweet hay and spring flowers, it sounds like a good beverage, either way. The Cragganmore has chocolate mint hints over sweet heather, hay, and caramel notes. Sort of like: Talisker 10, without the smoke and heat; Kilchoman, but imagine it older. Recommended: If you've only had Glenfiddich and Glenlivet thus far, step up to Cragganmore.
Bowmore 15 Year Old Sherry Cask Finish Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 04-28-2014
"Amber. Whoa. Campfire...peaty fire...suede jacket (nice, not Laphroaig shoe); smoked ham. Some old deli memory, 70s, 80s?" That was my first impression of the Bowmore 15 "Darkest" from a 30cl sample. Later I purchased a full bottle. Initial impressions were consistent: It's a meaty, dry, savory single malt. There's a strong, sherried, rum-raisin component, for sure. There's intensity, but don't expect peatiness like an Ardbeg or Laphroaig. To put it in perspective, I'd say: Dryer and meatier than Talisker 10; may appeal to fans of Glendronach 15 Revival, though smoky; maybe, maybe somewhere in the neighborhood of Lagavulin 16. The last of my notes read, "Have to revisit!"
Laphroaig 10 Year Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 04-25-2014
Caution! And good news! True, we're trying to sell some single malt here, but to those customers who have not delved into peaty single malts much, I would counsel caution and/or patience, and here's why: I purchased the classic Laphroaig 10 early in my single malt rediscovery series...probably after the mellow Balvenie 12. Holy burning shoe leather! The level, and character of the peat is so serious, it almost made my eyes sting. So I left it alone for a long time, revisiting it from time to time. And eventually, I noticed the richness underneath. The sweet caramel. The seaweed. The beauty...of that burning shoe. By the last few drams, I was almost telling the Laphroaig 10 how sorry I was that I had misunderstood it...but I didn't have that many drams.
