Spirits

After 18 years of buying spirits for K&L, this special parcel may be my crowning achievement. Just a few years ago, it would have been nearly unfathomable that we could gain access to stocks of this quality at such low prices. We have, of course, bottled similar whiskies before. Years back, we secured a 1991 version from Hunter Laing, and only last year we offered a Faultline barrel from 1998 that sold out almost immediately. Now, we bring you another "Single Vintage Blended Malt" a full decade that barrel's senior for exactly the same price. It is an absolute coup and, if I’m honest, may get me in a little trouble, but that surely will not stop me. My style has always been to ask forgiveness rather than permission. The true challenge with stocks like this is how you label them. We cannot, under any circumstances, place the distillery name on the label, even though it is beyond doubt where the whisky comes from. The once-accepted trade name Burnside belongs to our dear friends at Cadenhead, and out of respect (and good sense, given their well-known litigious nature) we would never infringe on it. So the question becomes, what do we call this whisky? Our friends at Duncan Taylor sold us that wonderful barrel for our Faultline label that they dubbed “The Huntley,” a reference to their hometown. That option was off the table for us. After some consideration, we settled on a playful nod to our friends in Campbeltown: “The Sideburns.” We are not the first to use the name, but ours is plural, because who on earth needs just one Side-burn? Needless to say, this is one of the most outrageous deals I have ever had the honor of brokering for our shop. It represents the pinnacle of my ongoing effort to push back against one of the most damaging trends in our industry: the erosion of value for the end consumer. If you destroy the primary market for great whisky by pushing prices beyond reason, you eventually destroy the market itself. Too many producers have forgotten the first rule of selling anything: give customers what they want at a price they can afford. Start with the customer’s experience and build the system backward from there, rather than forcing corporate projections and marketing jargon down their throats. What do customers want? Great old malt whisky. But in today’s marketplace, finding a bottle over 25 years old that delivers real value in the glass is nearly impossible. Certainly there are other ways brands create value for their customers through lifestyle, image, luxury packaging, or grand storytelling. But if the true measure is taste—and for me it always is—you will struggle to point to a single product that offers what this whisky does at anywhere near this price. This parcel is, without exaggeration, one of the finest opportunities ever presented to lovers of Scotch worldwide. I hope this is only the beginning. If we can continue to secure parcels like this through new channels, then perhaps we can begin to chip away at the barriers keeping customers from enjoying extraordinary old whisky rather than just looking at them. For now, I am confident in saying this is easily the greatest Scotch deal K&L has offered in its 40-plus year history.

The wild success of the Sideburns 35 Year has rattled the cage of more than one large company in Scotland. If you haven’t seen my review of that product, I highly recommend taking a look: https://shop.klwines.com/products/details/1918829 . The short version is this: we may be on the precipice of a new golden age of Scotch, and K&L is perfectly positioned to take advantage of the market asymmetry. While our marketing of the previous batch was met with side eyes and raised eyebrows from the original owners of the stocks and trademarks, other suppliers with similar inventories saw it as a signal. This was an opportunity. It would seem our prayers have been answered. Another incredible value in old malt has landed in our lap, and this time the deal is even more impressive. There are, of course, differences in the stock. This distillate comes entirely from November 1989 and was matured in refill hogsheads, rather than the first-fill sherry hogsheads of Batch #1. The proof is slightly lower, but still a robust 47-48% for a whisky of such advanced age. Remember, Scotch typically loses up to 1% ABV per year and enters the cask around 63%. So yes, older, slightly lower in proof, and without the fashionable sherry influence, yet 25% cheaper. If you ask me, old malt like this absolutely thrives in refill hogsheads. While I often insist on first or second fill for younger whisky, at this age the nuance of second or third fill can be profoundly beneficial. In any case, if it’s not already clear, this malt is drawn almost entirely from one of Speyside’s most beloved distillers. Search “Burnside,” the Cadenhead/Springbank-owned blended malt, if you want clues to the source. We’re being intentionally careful about naming names, but suffice it to say this parcel comes from the cellars of one of the industry’s most powerful blending houses. Whether it was once destined as a top note for premium blends or simply forgotten stock, it now stands as perhaps the greatest value I’ve ever offered. Twice in six months. It really does feel like the start of something bigger.

There's something so interesting about what Rare Character does with each of these special lots. The first thing is that the product is basically the same price whether it's 8 or 12 years old. The value comes from their incredible ability to source excellent small lots. The second is that every lot has some specific trait or attribute that distinguishes it from the last. We've done several Indiana bourbons with Rare Character, but not one has been similar to the next. Meanwhile, we still have brands coming to us trying to sell 9- and 10-year-old Indiana bourbon for $150+ a bottle. It's crazy! The distillery itself has seen the writing on the wall and released a 10-year-old, small-batch, high-proof product for under $100 this year. And of course Rare Character lets its customers choose the barrels, so any pick is only as good as the person selecting. Luckily, I've got the edge here. We tend to get first crack at any set of samples that hits the California market. It's rare that I find a sample in an RC set that I think is outright bad. Maybe it's never happened. But getting first crack at those samples definitely has its advantages, and this killer barrel is proof of that. On paper, what we've got here is an unusually high-quality barrel filled with nicely aged bourbon at a lower-than-standard entry proof. That lower entry proof is a super unique factor here. Combined with the heavy-char Canton barrel, it creates an extremely unusual set of characteristics that is simply not the norm in bourbon production, a category that can sometimes feel remarkably uniform. Let's have a go at it! The color is a shimmering chestnut (1.2). The nose bursts forth with beautiful aromas of honey, jasmine tea, honeysuckle, and dried apricots, punctuated by dense savory herbal aromatics of evergreen, mint, charred oak, baking spice, and dill. The palate is bold and spicy, with the barrel and rye spices duking it out up front: peppery, clove-y, and pointed. That tense front palate is juxtaposed perfectly against an almost tropical finish, moving quickly from hearty woody spice into overripe pineapple, sweet wildflower honey, candied peaches, and sweet vanilla bean. I can't tell if it's the barrel, the low entry proof, or just the dope lot, but this is one of the most enjoyable MGPs we've bottled in many years. It falls way outside the norm in the best possible way.

There’s simply nothing more fascinating in the whisky world than the inner workings of the big Scotch industry. From the outside, it looks like an industrial monolith of unfathomable proportions, and it’s easy to forget that the whole thing is run by people doing difficult, often dirty jobs. And people make mistakes! Sometimes someone accidentally empties a tanker of top-tier sherried single malt into a vat containing a tiny amount of young grain whisky. What can you do? In the old days, you might have ended up with a slightly better batch of Cutty Sark. Today, that malt is far too valuable to disappear into an everyday blend. Thankfully, our friends in Dornoch have excellent relationships throughout the industry and get first crack at some extraordinary parcels. Better still, they had the patience to give this one more time. While the front label says nine years, we understand that 99.999% of the contents is sherry-matured single malt from one of Scotland’s most prestigious distilleries, now aged 15 years. Incredible for $65. This is the final batch of this particular parcel, so we’ll have to wait for someone else to make a very expensive mistake before anything like it comes around again. Shall we? The color is a vibrant burnished gold (1.1). The nose is pure oloroso: roasted nuts, oxidative depth, leather, stone fruit compote, marmalade, roasted arabica, and the wonderfully evocative scent of an old dunnage warehouse. The palate opens sweetly with dense stone fruit, mostly apricot, before an oily mid-palate delivers old-school sherry rancio. It’s less sugary and less dominated by red fruit than many modern sherry bombs, but it sacrifices nothing in character. To my palate, these flavors are closer to great old sherry itself than the overtly wine-driven profiles we encounter so often today. This is one of the best Scotch whisky deals we’ve ever offered, a truly special bottle whose quality is immediately apparent, even without knowing the improbable story behind it.

This is one of the most exciting Cognacs we've ever stocked, particularly now that we're able to offer it at a price that better reflects just how extraordinary the age and pedigree are. It's a total bomb, not suited for most large-house Cognac drinkers, but it will easily win over lovers of old, unobtainable American whiskey, intensely sherried malt, or cask-strength Armagnac. Lovers of dense and powerful dark spirits of any kind, take note. This is a selection from Bouju's oldest stocks, with a minimum age of around 40 years and a not insignificant proportion of brandies much, much older, perhaps 80+ years old. According to M. Bouju, it's bottled without coloring, filtration, or reduction of any kind. He insists the excessively dark color is the result of that lack of reduction, something that normally happens several times during an eau-de-vie's maturation and blending. Instead, he distills and reduces slightly before barreling, then does absolutely nothing else for the next four decades. When it reaches 100 proof naturally, it's transferred into a special vat, from which only a portion is removed for each bottling. So the young, 40-year-old Cognac mingles with small portions of every previous batch that has gone into the vat. The resulting Cognac is a force of nature. The nose puts us squarely in bourbon land: dense, dry, and woodsy, with fruit compote of figs and plums, cacao nibs, sweet herbs, and all kinds of baking spice. Relatively gentle on the palate considering the high proof, but very dry, with dark fruit and a huge minty, herbal finish. A benchmark by any standard. 5 Stars.

There have been few greater pleasures in my 20-plus years exploring whisky than the opportunity to taste blind. It happens so infrequently, and I have officially exhausted my credits asking my wife to organize tastings, that I simply never get to do it. So when our friends at Thompson Bros first mentioned this project a couple of years ago, I was absolutely floored. They proposed sourcing a huge variety of single casks and bottling them without revealing any specific details until the bottle was opened. I assumed the federal regulators might object, but it turns out the required information can be concealed beneath the capsule. The craziest part of the project is the extraordinary effort the brothers have made to balance the quality of every six-pack. Buy a sealed case and you are guaranteed six completely different single casks, carefully selected so that the overall quality remains remarkably consistent from case to case. It is a ready-made blind tasting requiring virtually no effort, and the list of possible casks is genuinely exciting and unusual. The project has now attracted significant international attention, and distillers increasingly see it as a calling card for their stocks rather than some goofy side project. As a result, the brothers have been able to source particularly compelling barrels for the series. I opened six and could not have had more fun. With a little care, you can easily avoid identifying the distillery when opening each bottle. Simply leave the foil around the cap intact, note which side conceals the round sticker underneath, and keep it facing away. You will have an instant blind tasting of the highest order. For several of these casks, this is the first expression from this distillery ever sold in the US. The list is HERE of what you might encounter: PLEASE NOTE ALL CASKS ARE BOTTLED 48% without Chill-filtration. Distillery AGE No. Bottles Cask Type Speyside 29 Year 89 Btls Refill Sherry Butt Inchmurrin 28 Year 24 Btls Refill Sherry Butt Inchgower 27 Year 29 Btls Refill Bourbon Hogshead Bruichladdich 21 Year 8 Btls First Fill Bourbon ASB Teaninich 17 Year 30 Btls Oloroso Hhd Tormore 17 Year 173 Btls Sauternes Cask Royal Bra 16 Year 19 Btls Refill Hhd Craigellachie 15 Year 64 Btls Refill Hhd Teaninich 12 Year 36 Btls Stout Barrel Bunnahabhain 11 Year 27 Btls Refill Hhd Wolfburn 11 Year 8 Btls Sherry Hhd Lochranza 10 Year 79 Btls Refill Sherry Hhd Kingsbarns 8 Year 133 Btls First Fill Bourbon Torabhaig 7 Year 149 Btls First Fill Bourbon Nc’Nean 5 Year 159 Btls STR Dornoch 5 Year 56 Btls Rye & Bourbon Lagg 5 Year 21 Btls First Fill Bourbon Glasgow 5 Year 10 Btls American Oak Virgin ASB Lochlea 4 Year 162 Btls Refill Bourbon Raasay 4 Year 120 Btls Dutch Oak Virgin Hhd

One interesting aspect of creating store brands is the inherent skepticism many consumers have when presented with a product that looks too good to be true. That skepticism is understandable when more than one of our competitors is more concerned with the profits their store brands deliver than the quality inside the bottle. I stand by everything we've ever put our name on, from the lowly Faultline Blended Scotch for $20 to the single-barrel Buff Turkeys we bottled for many hundreds of dollars. If I'm going to put our name on it, I'm simply not comfortable having anything less than exceptional in the bottle. That said, it's very, very difficult to put great single malt into a bottle for under $50, and doing so in any meaningful quantity is simply impossible. Yet here we are with this incredible little Balblair, a rarity among independent bottlings, from a forgotten project that seems to have just been left to sit. Now, after many years finishing in old ex-Cognac octaves, this special little Highland malt is a pure joy. And while it won't be available indefinitely, we did get a nice little chunk of it, and I'm hoping we can periodically offer a great 10-year-old malt under our label for less than $40. So let's taste it. The color is a typical and attractive old gold (0.6). The nose offers an almost idyllic deep malt tone, with sweet, fudgy nougat and dense Highland shrubbery of heather and thistle, balanced by twinges of bright citrus and sweet stone fruit. It's not funky at all, as some naked Balblair can be, and the old French oak is extremely subdued, creating a beautiful frame for this special Highland malt. The palate offers chocolate and apricots, with a medium body and a pleasant spicy note that builds into a sweet, herbal finish. It's not a super powerful or in-your-face style, but it's damn drinkable and cheap enough to throw around or make a great Scotch cocktail with. We simply need more wonderful malt at this price point, and this is hands down my favorite thing on the shelf for the money.

There was once a time when we could have nearly anything we wanted in the wonderful Willett warehouses. Back in the day, our friends the Kulsveens didn't have every liquor store in America breaking down their doors to get a barrel of their special bourbon. Until 2012, they had sourced every drop, yet something about those special ricks on the hill behind Bardstown seemed to uniformly create exceptional whisky. Honestly, they were extremely ahead of their time in almost every aspect of their business, but when the distillery opened, the doors to those rickhouses closed. Now we're extremely lucky to get our one barrel a year. It's funny because those stocks are actually controlled by the distributor, and so while we definitely feel like we should be getting the lion's share of the barrels for K&L - after all, we were some of the first to jump on the single barrel bus long ago - it's hard to fault them for only giving us one, considering they have to split their allocations between five states and thousands of stores. But, as I am wont to do, I must push every button when there's something I love and believe my customers will benefit from owning. So the choice to pick a 15-year-old barrel as our only Willett seems easy on paper - an incredibly delicious and rare barrel from the pre-distillation sourced stock - but it was actually incredibly difficult. That's mostly because of this special barrel. This is easily the best own distillate I've yet to taste, and while I'm sure there are many other, perhaps superior, barrels distilled since they opened in 2012, this one was so perfectly balanced and delicious that it absolutely sang to me. So while I ultimately picked the 15-year, I asked Ethan - the single barrel guru at Willett - to hide this sample for a few days while I worked my magic. I began to prod and pester our distributor for an additional barrel allocation, but their hands were tied. They'd already committed every barrel, and I was one of the few in California to get access to a 15-year, so my political capital seemed to be spent. Our final option was to get to the New York market, where our newly opened store had not qualified for an allocation because we were so new to the local distributor there. I begged and pleaded, but the rules in New York are extremely strict. You simply can't be allocated a barrel if there are other accounts that qualify ahead of you. So I simply left it up to fate and begged Ethan to continue guarding that sample. In an amazing stroke of luck, not a few weeks later, I got a call from our supplier in New York saying one of our competitors had backed out of their pick and the allocation had opened up. Without hesitation, I mentioned this incredible barrel, and the rest is history. K&L's first Willett barrel in New York and one of the greatest modern Willetts I've ever tasted. Sometimes the stars align and the gods of bourbon allow you to step through the gates. I'm very lucky to have people in every aspect of this business who care about what we do. They know how much I care for them. They are the bourbon angels who made this possible. I won't go into tasting notes or anything like that here today. I've already been effusive enough, but rest assured, no one who understands the potential greatness that modern Willett can deliver will open this bottle and be disappointed. The barrel is named for the song that came on as we drove up that special drive to the legendary spot, "This Must Be the Place" by Talking Heads. It's true of Willett and that special spot at 270 Madison Ave in the great state of New York. We have arrived.

This special Compass Box tasting pack brings together two of the house’s most celebrated expressions, offering a brilliant masterclass in the art of wood management, at an unbelievable price. While both whiskies showcase the blending house's signature richness and complexity, they approach flavor from entirely different geographic traditions, creating a beautiful study in contrasts.Together, this duo offers a phenomenal look at how the same high-quality malt distillate can be steered in wildly divergent directions by the hand of a master blender. Whether you are looking to explore the fiery depth of high-toast oak or the plush sweetness of European wine casks, this combo pack covers all the bases at a price lower than each individual bottle. And with the discontinuation of The Spice Tree expression, this may be your last chance to grab this classic at an unbeatable price.

Founded by John Glaser in 2000, Compass Box helped make blending one of the most exciting parts of Scotch whisky again. The company built its reputation on creative cask selection, unusual recipes, and a willingness to disclose exactly what goes into the bottle. Secrets of Smoke is a perfect example. Lead whiskymaker James Saxon set out to explore the natural sweetness beneath peated malt, using wine and sherry casks to reveal another side of the smoke. The blend brings together Caol Ila in first-fill Palo Cortado sherry-seasoned butts (33.1%), The Peat Monster in second-fill Spanish red wine casks (33.9%), and Ardmore in first-fill sherry hogsheads (22%). Smaller parcels of Laphroaig finished in Marsala barriques (5.7%) and Bowmore from refill bourbon barrels (2.5%) complete the recipe alongside a small blended malt component. Bottled in September 2024 at 52% ABV, with natural color and no chill filtration, only 9,792 bottles were produced worldwide. The original suggested retail price was $140. At just $60, ours is over 50% off the original price and the best price anywehre around. An extraordinary price for one of Compass Box’s most intriguing limited releases.

I am completely in love with Longmorn, but the distillery has been sadly absent from our shelves for many years. We used to do exceptionally well with the well-priced 16-year, which was creamy, delicious, and easy to recommend. Eventually, though, the price went wild, and then the whisky was discontinued altogether. When the owners relaunched the brand, they got so much right: a limited-release 18-year-old, non-chill filtered, cask strength, small batch whisky from one of Speyside’s great underappreciated distilleries. There was only one problem: the price was absolutely insane. Nearly $300! Now, at more than half off, we are getting serious about this one. Apparently, this is the last discount they will be offering on the product, but who cares? If the price keeps going down, we will keep reloading. Let’s have a go. The color is burnished gold (1.1). The nose is absolutely classic Longmorn: rich roasted vanilla, a huge pan of roasted fruits, persimmon, pear, and pineapple, and dense, zingy barrel spice with galangal, cinnamon, more vanilla, and clove. With water, it opens toward Seville orange peel and fresh-baked biscuits, though the core remains firmly centered on roasted fruits and earthy spice. The texture is full-bodied and almost thick, with wildflower honey, wax fruit, roasted malt, dark chocolate, and buttercream. It absolutely loves a splash of water, softening and broadening in a wonderful way without losing its depth. This is still a special luxury whisky, but at this price it feels extremely fair rather than sort of silly and over the top. If you love Longmorn or Speyside whisky in general, this is an easy choice.

This special old barrel was bottled by our friends at Dornoch Distillery under the festive Dornoch Castle Hotel Anniversary label. This series of exceptionally curated casks was selected to commemorate 25 years of independent family ownership of the special property in the gorgeous little eponymously named town. The hotel is the site of both the original Dornoch Distillery and the fabulous whisky bar that Phil and Simon worked so hard to curate in the early years. It remains one of the world’s great whisky bars, tucked into a little corner of the hotel’s modest restaurant. It is simply unconscionable that the fabulous Glen Garioch distillery remains underappreciated by the wider whisky loving world. Founded in 1797 in the town of Oldmeldrum in Aberdeenshire, Glen Garioch is one of Scotland’s oldest operating distilleries. Long known for its robust Highland character, the distillery always maintained a muscular, cereal driven style that stands apart from many of its softer contemporaries. Today it remains a traditional plant with direct fired heritage and a reputation among insiders for producing spirit of remarkable texture and depth. That relative lack of mainstream recognition has translated into extraordinary opportunities at the higher end of the spectrum. It is remarkable that Thompson Bros has been able to secure such a high quality old Highlander at such a reasonable price. The obvious sleeper this year, but those who take the plunge will be greatly rewarded.

This ridiculous barrel represents what I would consider the pinnacle of craft whiskey in the US today. Westward have been at this for a long time, and they've ridden out an incredible roller coaster as the industry has ebbed and flowed over the last 20 years. Part of what makes Westward so unique is the way they treat their wort, and the resulting spirit is unlike any in the US, Scotland or beyond. Anyone who knows me knows I'm all for experimentation, but the resulting product must be at least as good as or better than products made using tried-and-true methods, or it's simply a waste of time. And we've established that Westward is capable of making incredibly special whiskies on par with the greatest spirits in any category: see the Milestone Solera whiskey. But we've yet to find a single cask that was able to capture that same complexity, unique character and overt opulence...until now. This ridiculous little barrel offers a completely unique experience, producing a similar profile to the absurdly fruity Milestone with the added tension, powerful character and deep woodsy goodness of a cask-strength new oak malt. It may be my favorite malt whisky aged exclusively in new charred American oak that I've tasted in many, many years, maybe ever. Here it comes! The color is a truly dense shade of auburn (1.5). The nose immediately transports me to a forest in the fall: underbrush, dense oak, earthy spice. But with aeration, an incredible transformation occurs, offering tropical mango, coconut oil, cacao nibs, quince jam, persimmon and candied orange peel. On the palate at full proof, the oily texture is the first striking note, and the second is the ridiculous tropicality. While the oak is obviously powerful and intense, it doesn't feel hard or bitter at all. With water, the nose moves more toward red fruit, and the palate totally relents, softening and opening to a huge, fruity chocolate compote, like a chocolate-covered cherry filled with kirsch. This is simply one of the most impressive craft whiskies on the market today and provides a completely distinct experience while matching or besting the experience traditional distillers from either KY or Scotland offer at nearly any price point. BRAVO!!!

I've done some crazy things here at K&L over the years. $180 barrel aged Japanese Gin? 20 barrels of delicious single malt, declassified from that coveted category to meager Blended Malt to avoid tariffs? A whole barrel of Fernet?! Hell yes. Of all the crazy things I've done though, this one might just be the craziest. I was honestly astonished when my Oliver McCrum rep waltzed into the store one morning with six barrel samples from the lovely little Biodynamic farm in Fresno known for producing unusual spirits and collaborating with Thad Vogler and Bar Agricole on one of the best California brandies on the market. Even more intriguing were the random numbers and weird scribbles across the samples: 204 150 prof, 203 150 pr, 200 159pf, 199 160 proos, 178 164 p, 179 174 pF. 174 proof? Holy hell, there’s no way this is real. As is customary, I started with what appeared to be the lowest proof, a mere 75% alcohol by volume. Solid, oaky fruit, but hot. On we went until reaching the silliest of them all, barrel 179 at an astonishing 174 proof, or 87% alcohol. And somehow, it was absolutely incredible. Powerful citrus, deep florals, woodsy aromatics, tremendous concentration. I couldn’t believe I was enjoying it. It seemed almost too good to be true, but amazingly they agreed to bottle the barrel without additions or subtractions. As it turned out, the original proof reading was a bit off, and the final bottling strength came in at a mere 160 proof. It is remarkably drinkable even there, but slowly adding small amounts of good mineral water opens the spirit into something truly otherworldly. Give it a little time in the glass and it becomes so intensely orange confectionary that you might be forgiven for thinking our friend Thad had created some bizarre new Curaçao. This feels somewhere between an aged aromatic varietal of pisco and one of the funky single barrels we used to taste in the cellars at Copper & Kings back in the day. It is utterly delicious and completely unique, but do add the water slowly and give the aeration time to work its magic. So yes, this may be one of the craziest things I’ve ever bottled, but it is also, without question, the best single-barrel California brandy we’ve ever released. Bar none.

This gorgeous barrel of Braeval probably won’t strike a chord with the distillery’s devoted fans because, well, there really aren’t many Braeval fans. That’s not to say we haven’t sold plenty of excellent examples over the years, but the complete absence of official distillery bottlings and lingering confusion around the name, originally Braes of Glenlivet, have kept this excellent little malt off almost everyone’s radar. It doesn’t help that much of the spirit is destined for blending and often filled into less-than-inspiring cask stock, which may explain why only the oldest Braevals have historically achieved true greatness. But take this lovely Highland malt and place it in a fresh Oloroso hogshead, and you have a recipe for something wonderful. Here we go. The beautiful color tells us we’re firmly in sherry-bomb territory, a healthy auburn (1.4). The nose is explosive, with baking spices, roasted almonds, tinned stone fruit, and complex aromas of dark-roasted coffee. The palate is dense and chewy, offering surprising depth of roasted malt and zesty orange oil alongside rich, sweet dried fruit. It’s a classical, if not entirely unexpected, style. We might have assumed that enthusiasm for dense, dark, sherried malt would have faded decades after aficionados first embraced it, but drinkers both new and old still adore this profile. It may never have gone out of fashion, but it has certainly become far more expensive. For sherry lovers, this is the deal of the year. Hands down.

There's no question in my mind that the most rewarding aspect of my job is the ability to create products for my customers that I truly love. When I first took over buying spirits at K&L, we already had a few store labels on the wine side, but at that time spirits was just a tiny blip on the radar, and considering purchasing enough product to merit a store brand was nearly unthinkable. But in a true “if you build it, they will come” spirit, we began traveling to Scotland and finding parcels of Scotch and rum that we simply couldn't leave behind. My colleague at the time, David Driscoll, and I spent hours driving around Scotland, ideating on what to call the new brand. We wanted something that connected our stores and also exemplified our commitment to doing things differently from our competitors. We wanted to show that we were not simply merchants, but curators and creators of the world's best products. The name Faultline fit that ethos perfectly. It has since become a somewhat legendary label, producing everything from inexpensive blended Scotch to absinthe, gin, old rum, and everything in between. The brand became more and more difficult to curate as the demand for great spirits exploded, stocks dwindled, and prices soared, but the tides do shift quickly in the world of wine and spirits. We're now entering a new era for spirits and K&L. We've opened a store in New York, what I consider an earth-shattering achievement, and we've begun to locate stocks of incredible value once again. We've also entered a new era for our department, with a new generation of exciting visionaries taking the reins to produce exceptional products like this. Candidly, it wasn't entirely easy for me to relinquish control of this special label. I've been intimately involved in nearly every expression we've ever put into bottle, but we couldn't have found a more capable and deserving steward of this great brand than the wonderful Stephanie Manning. I also cannot completely express in words just how much energy it takes to create a product like this from the ground up, and creating one with such incredible style and quality is next to impossible. This ridiculously wonderful rye whiskey is truly the single-handed work of one person. I'm certain that Stephanie would insist that I played some role in the creation of this product, but she'd be doing so out of politeness more than anything else. So now the most rewarding moment in my career is seeing this beautiful brand given a new chapter by the wonderful people I work with. I can sit back and simply enjoy it! A true gift from a great friend. So let's go! The color is a simply stunning mahogany (1.6). The nose starts tight but opens quickly into territories previously uncharted. There's something about experiencing a new flavor profile like this that is at once exhilarating and off-putting. Sometimes I forget I haven't tried EVERYTHING out there. The deep, dried plummy fruit couples perfectly with the dark rye spice and tense, almost wild earthiness. This is the “Sir Davis” recipe from MGP, but we're in a world apart from that whiskey. Expect a full-throttled cascade of aromatics: toasted pecans, stone fruit compote, cola nut, balsa wood, allspice, wildflower honey, birch, and coconut husk. On the palate, it's perfectly vibrant and balanced, with dense, jammy sweetness cut through the center by dark herbal rye, woodsy exotic spice, and a lifted early hint of new leather. It's simply delicious and unique without being weird or overtly odd in any way. The only problem with this one is we'll likely never be able to recreate it precisely, nor would we ever want to. The fleeting nature of any special product adds so much to its allure. All I can say is bravo, Stephanie, and thank you!

Founded in 1815 by Donald and Alexander Johnston on Islay’s rugged south coast, Laphroaig has long been one of Scotland’s most distinctive distilleries, famed for its medicinal peat smoke, iodine richness, and unmistakable maritime intensity. There was a period not long ago when independent bottlers across Scotland were sounding the alarm about the availability of Laphroaig. Widespread consensus held that named Laphroaig would no longer trade on the open market as it once had, and for a time many teaspooned or unnamed Islay malts took the place of clearly identified stock. The result was significantly higher prices for casks bearing the Laphroaig name due to their perceived scarcity, and the few we encountered were often too expensive to consider. Fast forward three years and the market remains largely devoid of named Laphroaig, save for a few scattered casks, usually with the requisite markup. So when our friends at Dornoch indicated they had access to well priced, decade old Laphroaig, we knew we had to act quickly. This young and punchy Laphroaig features the famed Bessie Williamson and a peat fork on the label, an ode to the old ways. The whisky in this barrel was distilled on June 6, 2016 and bottled in March 2026. Matured in refill bourbon barrels, it drinks like a single barrel version of the classic 10 year cask strength at a healthy discount. A classical style with plenty of iodine and smoke, balanced by a creamy purity that is undeniable.

The secret history behind K&L Faultline Indiana Bourbon is one of my most prized memories as a buyer at K&L. Nearly two decades ago, when we first began to deploy a larger-scale strategy for K&L's spirits department, my colleague David Driscoll and I were determined to launch a store label. For years, K&L had sold wine under several private brands, but we had never done the same with spirits. We did not want to simply repackage other people's goods as our own. We would seek out the very best products we could find and bottle them under a label that exemplified our commitment to doing things better. We were drawing a line in the sand, making clear that nothing less would ever go into this special new label. If we couldn't get the quality and price we wanted from our suppliers, we'd create our own products that met the highest standards possible. And thus, Faultline was born. It was a seismic shift in how spirits retailers operated at the time. The name was a tip of the hat to the very real fault lines running beneath our California stores, connecting them in both geological and metaphysical terms. After the success of our first batches of Cognac, gin, single malt, and rum, we knew we had to put a bourbon together. It was not so easy to buy barrels in bulk in those days. While there are old stories of fine MGP rye stocks being offered at ridiculously low prices, the bourbons had already become dear. So when my friend John Little sent us a huge set of samples of great 10- and 7-year-old MGP for Smooth Ambler's single barrel program, I asked how many we could have. He said there were no real limits. After tasting through the set and liking several barrels, but loving none of them, I dumped my samples into a glass to see what would happen. A sort of magic spell was cast at that moment. The beauty of blending revealed itself to me right before my eyes, or more accurately, my nose. Together, the two whiskies simply sang, without any effort or real work. It was an epiphany. With a world of possibilities now open, we began tinkering and blending the lot, selecting certain 10- and 7-year-old barrels and carefully bringing them down to 100 proof. The resulting blend would become a staple on our shelves for the next half decade. But with the sale of Smooth Ambler to Pernod Ricard in 2017, our source dried up. That, in conjunction with the unprecedented bourbon explosion, tabled Faultline Bourbon for many years to come. Now, nearly 10 years later, the cycle begins again: amazing bourbon, available at incredible prices, blended to the flavor profile we have always loved. This rich and complex bourbon does what mature high-rye bourbon can do so well. It melds the sweetness of corn and oak sugars perfectly with the deep, satisfying spice of the barrel. The whole thing is tied up neatly with a bow of beautiful rye character, while the slow proofing we employ adds texture and depth throughout. You might argue about the nuances of this batch or that, but nothing can dethrone Faultline Bourbon as the king of K&L's bourbon shelves.

Year after year, Signatory brings us some of the best casks anywhere in the industry, and over the past two years they have recommitted to putting absolutely insane deals on the table for us. This year it’s a selection of classic Islays alongside this impeccable Ben Nevis. There was a period just a few years ago when similar casks were trading for twice this price, but here we have an absolutely perfect refill sherry butt, still very active, that simply transcends the market. There’s almost nothing anywhere in the world that’s better on the market today in this style, dollar for dollar. Here we go! This is ridiculously dark for a second fill sherry cask, a gorgeous mahogany (1.6). The nose is a huge mélange of waxy, earthy funk, pulverized rock, and sweet roasted nuts. It’s clearly holding so much at bay in its cask strength form, and air opens it into a basket of walnut brittle, loose leaf tobacco, dried cranberry, carnauba wax, old bike parts, semi dark chocolate, and dashi broth. Not at all for the faint of heart. We love an idiosyncratic Ben Nevis, but for the uninitiated we may need to take baby steps. On the palate it’s rich and oily, offering huge savory underbrush and salty nuts balanced by sweet raisin fruit and an underlying oily texture. It’s simply quintessentially, unapologetically original Ben Nevis. With water it softens and sweetens somewhat, though in this rare case I truly prefer it with air and time rather than the softening effect of water. The only complaint might come from those hoping for a Nevis in skimpier clothes, but the sherry is so well integrated and never overwhelms the density of the spirit that even the most staunch anti oak brigadier general might admit the superiority of this style. If you have only $80 to spend on malt this quarter and don’t need something peaty, this is the obvious slam dunk you’ve been looking for. I’m buying three.

The Perfect Fifth acquired this exceptional 36-year-old Glenrothes with every intention of releasing it as one of the prestige bottlings in its range, but somehow the whisky never actually made it to market. Had it been released as planned, a single cask Glenrothes of this age would reasonably have carried a retail price around $2,000. Instead, years later, we've managed to get our hands on this tiny parcel under circumstances that make the original economics almost irrelevant. Cask #2128 was filled on March 4, 1986 and matured for more than 36 years in ex-bourbon oak before being bottled on December 15, 2022. After more than three and a half decades in cask, it had naturally fallen to just 43.3% ABV, yet remained above the legal minimum and was bottled exactly there at full cask strength. Glenrothes of this age is already exceptionally rare, but the ex-bourbon maturation makes this particularly fascinating. So much of the distillery's reputation has been built around sherry-matured whisky that an ancient bourbon-cask Glenrothes offers an entirely different window into the character of the spirit itself. A 1986 vintage, 36 years in a single cask, natural cask strength, and a release that essentially disappeared before it ever happened. This is precisely the sort of old Scotch we thought the modern market had made impossible to sell at prices like this.

This exceptional release is exactly what I want to see when brands are resurrected from the dead. It’s not enough to just release a fun, authentic, old-looking bottle—although I’m ABSOLUTELY in love with the look and feel of this release. You need to put exceptional whisky in that bottle and charge a fair price. We’ve always loved the Yellowstone stuff and have supported them by doing single barrels and buying as many of the Limited Editions as they can put our way, but I’ve NEVER had a whisky from them that was this delicious. I don’t know exactly what they put in here, but they list a minimum age (always a good sign) and likely included some much older whiskey to round out the blend. We grabbed every bottle we could snag, and that was before I tasted it. Now that I’ve finally popped a bottle, I wish we could have gotten more. Let’s have at it. A classic auburn (1.4). The nose is absolutely stunningly sweet, with zero grainy character and piles of melted caramel butter, warm cherry compote, graham cracker, wild honey, sarsaparilla bark, candied apple, and roasted oak. The palate is sweet and spicy, extremely balanced, and gives the perfect little hug at 110 proof. It’s simply perfect going down. Big red fruit, cinnamon, clove, candied ginger, and burnt orange peel. It’s classic, but somehow feels like an extremely fresh and refreshing take. It’s simply a coup that we were able to grab enough of this to be talking about it here, because it really won’t last long once people start to taste it. Grab a few, as you’ll feel bad filling this beautiful bottle back up just to keep it on the back bar—and you’ll probably have trouble finding better juice for less, anyway.

Hooten Young’s Jack Carr Warrior Proof hits all the right targets for the bourbon bros out there, and to be honest, there was a time when this whiskey was nearly impossible to get. It’s got the age, high proof, dark color, and plenty of that cultural appeal that’s become synonymous with the category. The owners bring serious military credentials to the table, and in a whiskey business where relationships still count for an awful lot, they’ve certainly found some interesting lots to bottle. We were happy to offer this limited release to those who found value in its age and identity, but as availability improved, the compelling store wasn't enough to keep in on the shelf. Not because it’s bad whiskey, but because at around $160, there’s a lot of competition. Put this bad boy out there at $60, however, and you’ve got one of the best buys in American whiskey today. This isn’t an official price reset. We’re taking advantage of a local distributor’s inventory reduction and passing those savings on to you. What that means is sixteen-year-old American whiskey, made from 99% corn and 1% barley, bottled at 125 proof, for a remarkably reasonable price. Let’s see how it fares. The color is a surprisingly dark russet (1.4), particularly striking for a whiskey in a category that doesn’t require maturation in new charred oak. The nose is packed with sweet character: brown sugar, marzipan, maple syrup, vanilla extract, candied pecans, hints of caramel candy, and old leather. The palate adds a buttery biscuits, cooked apples, baking spice, and a full bodied texture. The proof is evident but not obtrusive, and a bit of water actually adds weight and spice to the whole thing. All in all, for $60, this is an awesome buy and a fun change of pace from the classic bourbon profile. Whether you like to read Jack Carr and chill or you’re simply looking to expand your understanding of American whiskey, this is an easy win. Just don’t count on finding it here at this price again once this parcel is gone!

Bid on this bottle of Medley's 10 Year Old "Private Stock" Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. From father-and-son team Charles and Sam Medley, this limited-release private stock is hand selected by the two Kentucky whiskey masters. The hand-selected casks for this small run have a very distinctive flavor profile from the rest of the Medley stocks (Wathen's, Heritage, etc.) The profile feels like old-school bourbon with lots of sweet spice, corny grains and wild fruit preserves. Limited to 1000 bottles released in 20 select markets, so don't expect to see this one for very long.

Bid on this bottle of 2013 George T. Stagg (BTAC) 128.2 Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

Bid on this bottle of Masterson's 10 Year Old Straight Canadian Rye Whiskey (95WA). Another independently-bottled Canadian 10 year old rye, a la the Jefferson's and the Whistlepig. This one from 35 Maple St. bottlers is much richer than the Jefferson's, but more rye like than the Whistlepig. Nice, supple flavors of vanilla and molasses combine with rye grain spice and subtle herbal notes. This makes a nice sipping rye and is thoroughly enjoyable.

Bid on this bottle of 2023 Stagg “Batch 23C” 125.9 Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, the cult barrel-proof bourbon from Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, and the little sibling of the legendary George T. Stagg from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. Bottled uncut and unfiltered at full barrel strength, Batch 23C is a bold, richly flavored bourbon with dark cherry, brown sugar, toffee and dark chocolate layered with cinnamon, clove, vanilla and toasted oak. The palate is big, viscous and spicy, leading to a long, warming finish of molasses, leather and baking spice. A highly allocated, collectible bottle for bourbon enthusiasts, best savored neat or with a splash of water.

Bid on this 1-700 ml bottle lot of 2026 Jack Daniel's 10 Year Old Batch #5 Tennessee Whiskey (700ml).

Bid on this 1.0 liter of Laphroaig "Four Oak - Travel Retail Exclusive" Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (1L).

Bid on this 1-half-bottle lot of Coppersea New York Green Malt Barley Whiskey (375ml).

Bid on this bottle of Old Pepper Distillery Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey.

Bid on this bottle of Blanton's "Gold" Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Letter N).

Bid on this bottle of Compass Box "Myths & Legends II" Single Malt Scotch Whisky. Another Single Malt created to challenge the Scotch world's perceptions. With Myths & Legends II, Compass Box again pushes the envelope of what a can be achieved in Scotland. M&L II is 100% Glen Elgin ranging from 16-23 years in age. Distiller notes: "Myths & Legends II blends together malt whiskies of different ages from a single Speyside distillery. We wish to show how process matters more than provenance when it comes to the flavours of single malts. In addition to the aromas of tropical fruits and butterscotch you will also discover subtle savoury notes and spiciness."

Earth, roots, Sichuan pepper and fresh tarragon/dragoncello on the nose. Creamy palate reveals the warm spice botanicals. Amazing value!!

Local ingredients in this gin are called Kawakawa and Horopito. Two words that are so fun to say, but this gin is even more fun to drink. Bright citrus, fresh sliced cucumbers, black peppercorns, a touch of bay leaf and a hint of coriander. Super refreshing, with a nice, long spicy finish. The best quality to price ratio bottle in the store right now.

The first time I saw it we were in Scotland. I full on freaked out at a small spirits shop in Edinburgh when I noticed this quirky bottle of gin sitting on the shelf. For years, the Monkey 47 had been unobtanium, a regrettable situation for the knowledgeable and gin soaked. None of us had experienced this legendary gin yet, but thanks to the UK's lax wine shop regulations -the old "taste whatever you like" rule was in full effect. We were soon dunking our noses in a few splashes of its magnificence. I think tasting this after several other gins really put into perspective how special it really is. Created through the confluence of British aesthetics, Indian flavors, and the distinctly Teutonic natural treasure that is the Schwarzwald, The Monkey packs an enormous amount of complexity into that little bottle. It's the sort of gin that will save that cocktail you're about to ruin. You could have just as well served it straight because it sips beautifully even at room temperature. It’s quite a departure from your standard recipe gin, although some familiar elements are layered throughout. There is a strong yet soothing evergreen presence. A keynote if you will, but by no means the only focus. On the nose a dried floral aroma is accented by a twinge of spicy ginger. At the front, what seems like a citrus or chamomile quickly morphs into tea tree and sweet herbs, lemon verbena -now cucumber peel and pepper, it just keeps on going. No point in continuing to describe its flavor, its not working. It has a glorious tendency to be completely different with each sip, a true roller-coaster of flavors. Every single one of its 47 botanicals is tuned to the same perfect frequency. It's wild and utterly fabulous, but not in an awkward way. Instead, it seems to be all very deliberate, even stoic. I gladly forked over the £s the shop was asking, as did my colleagues. We nearly cried when we heard it would finally be arriving stateside.

Craigellachie remains one of the most interesting and complex distillers in the Highlands. One of just 20 or so distillers still using worm tubs, its characterful spirit has many sides to it. This is the home of the heart of the John Dewar’s brand and one of the most interesting plants in all of Speyside. What makes it unique are the fat, onion-shaped stills, the surprisingly steep lyne arm and the steel worm tubs. The resulting spirit tends to be oily and rich and can offer character ranging from industrial engine oil to the ultra-fruity. With that, we often see heavier wood or oak treatments, but it’s refreshing to see the spirit on full display here, with a feeling of great maturity alongside that freshness. Let’s try it! The color is pale gold (0.3). The nose is full of stone fruit and crushed rocks, white cherries, manzano bananas, crisp, fresh malt and baking spice. The beautiful fullness of flavor continues on the palate, but doesn’t wade into the aggressively greasy or weird, with a fruity front palate retaining the nearly tropical fruit and the big, juicy core building through the center. Adding water here is really interesting and adds weight and complexity, but only a couple of drops are needed. Now some of the oilier notes come forward, but the apricot-y tone takes over from the tropical banana stuff. It’s simply a lovely, spirit-driven whisky without obstruction. Considering where many other bottlers put their older Craigellachie, it’s quite a good value as well. A perfect one for someone really into exploring this special spirit, but pretty enough to attract any malt lover’s attention.

This awesome little barrel of wheated bourbon was hand-selected by the K&L Spirits buying team with the team from the Augusta Distillery in spring of 2026, and it is, in fact, the first time I'm tasting this! Augusta has made waves sourcing exceptional casks from across Kentucky as their spirit matures. They seem to have done everything right and have managed to continue to garner interest from aficionados and the general public in spite of the challenges the industry has faced. We're happy to support this wonderful operation and all the excellent people involved, and while this whisky won't win any "affordability" awards, it's damn good juice and only yielded 90 bottles, so it's really very limited. Shall we? The color is a typical chestnut hue (1.2). The nose is pure sweetness with brown sugar, candied pecans and caramel sauce, punctuated only by hints of Tahitian vanilla bean and dark wood spice. With a bit of air, the unrelenting sweetness tames somewhat, releasing citrus oil, sweet, fresh chocolate mint leaf, new leather and golden maple syrup. On the palate, we get a huge vanilla character followed by waves of brown sugar, dense cherry compote, dense dark chocolate and a surprisingly long, dense finish that's full of that red fruit and big baking spice. If you sat me down and said this was a Weller 107 pick, I probably wouldn't have batted an eye. It's a fabulous pick from my wonderful team and will make the very, very few who get to taste it extremely happy.

If you weren’t aware, I’m a total sucker for Caol Ila. It’s a very large distillery, but only a fraction of its output reaches the market as single malt. I’ve even heard rumors that significant quantities of unpeated malt are produced for blending needs. One thing I love about Caol Ila, much like some of its Islay neighbors, is how remarkably multifaceted it can be. It’s difficult to determine whether these stylistic ranges are intentional, as with Bruichladdich, or seasonal, as with Laphroaig, but this year we have three barrels of different styles and ages, each from classic refill hogsheads. The idea was to capture three faces of Caol Ila and present them at stupendous prices. This first cask is the youngest of the three, but also the most vibrant. The color is a juicy pale gold (0.3). The nose is shiveringly good, offering zesty citrus and salt, briny oiliness, salted capers, tense sea spray, and fresh green peat. With air, it moves further into a pure, taut vibrancy. The palate is intense, with a strong citrus character of lime and salt, followed by more brine and a long, peaty finish. An absolute laser beam for serious lovers of the high-intensity style but it also has plenty of sweet barrel and a deep rich texture to keep it balanced. Signatory is not officially offering top tier malt year after year at prices that outperform the market by larger margins.

Fragrant and herbal aromas, with pine needles, basil, green bell pepper, pea pod, black truffle, peppercorn, and smoke from smoldering dry mosses and wood shavings. It’s very smooth and refreshing, with pear, peppermint, lemon, lime, green tea, kiwi, and herbal notes, finishing with chopped mint, more herbal layers, and gentle peppery spice. A unique composition and a quintessential Japanese whisky experience. (JM, Summer-2023)

The groovy guys at Pursuit United are just as fun and cool to hang with as they sound on their show. They've successfully converted a love of whiskey into a proper professional life on so many levels, but what's most impressive is that they seem to have retained their passion for the whole thing. I meet distillers and producers from all over the country and world, and while it's not unusual for them to be interested in their competitors' products, it's extremely rare for them to exhibit high-level expertise about not only their competitors' products, but also antique versions of those products and pretty much every other category of spirits. So it's not a surprise that we got along well, geeking out about crazy Armagnac releases and gossiping about legendary bottlings. We've had a great affection for the wonderful whiskies that PS has been bottling, but I was just blown away by the QPR on their single barrels. This lovely rye is the perfect example. Named, Nec Evitare, a meaningless phrase in bad latin that signifies nothing. The point being this just doesn't make sense. I can't really find another rye single barrel over 10 years old anywhere close to this price point, and even fewer as good. Six months in toasted oak, taking the total time in barrel for the blend to a minimum of 10 years, is simply the icing on top. Let's get it. The color is a not totally restrained tawny (1.4); three different barrels will do that. The nose is dark and brooding, with big peppery rye notes softened perfectly by sweet American oak. Big blue fruit, fresh ginger, roasted oak, sarsaparilla, birch and fennel. The palate is chewy, dense and full of powerful dark spices. It's balanced by rich molasses, but the root beer character doesn't overwhelm the overarching intensity. It's simply out of the realm of most modern ryes and doesn't have a great analogue to compare it to, but it's heartwarming, vibrant and full-throttle in the best way.

Ok ok! We're we go with the new narrative in KY, if you know where to look you can get good old bourbon without dispensing a mortgage payment. Some people might point to the old days when 15 year old whisky was $60 but there hasn't been a period in the last decade where we could readily get 15+ year old whisky from anyone in KY at less than $150. And to be honest I think this price point is super for the quality you're getting here. We must assume this product was distilled at Old Barton as it was the only working plant in 2006 in the area. Aging occurred entirely in Bardstown as well. This is a great old distillery that has many people clamoring for their higher end marks, so unless you're one of the unlucky few who specifically doesn't like the Barton profile, there's a good chance they you're going to dig this. Non-chillfiltred and high proof like all the single rack series, only 19 barrels in the batch. Let's taste it. The color is a gorgeous russet. The nose starts immediately with exotic dark woods, fresh charred oak, sweet dried plum, subtle floral and dark tea aromas. With some air, there's a strong vanilla note, caramel candies, red cherry and French roast. On the palate it's medium bodied and rather dry with a lovely dusty not. Darker and woody with a strong oaky flavor down the middle. This is definitely on the drier side of Barton and very woody. It loves air and I'd reckon the middle of the bottle will be exceptional. Right now, I like to give this 30 minutes of nosing before I dive in deep. A fun old bourbon whiskey at a totally reasonable price.

The first thing you notice is the elegant fragrance of lychee, spring blossoms, lily, rosewater, and raspberry meringue. Deeper in, grassy notes with star fruit, kumquat, and kaffir lime leaves. The flavors offer perfection in their simplicity: silky honey, soft spices, crystalized pineapple, barley sugar, lemon, and orange. On the finish, the spices chatter on and on as the sweet citrus and honey fade in and out. One to cherish. (JM, Spring 2018)

This is a monster. We rarely see high-proof Cognac that's both affordable and delicious, but the Royal is exactly that. The Royal is bottled at an astonishing 120 proof, yet the nose exhibits no bitter ethanol or burn. The high proof is a vehicle for aroma and flavor here. Instead of harshness, we get a pungent mixture of dried stone fruit, varnishy old wood, tobacco, and wooden cellar. The palate is ultra-textured and concentrated, with a building peppery spice that overwhelms the fruit by the finish. A heavy, almost thick, and sweeter-than-expected entry leads to a bold, spicy, dry finish. It's an absolute treat. Bouju claims to add absolutely nothing to this special Cognac, and that big, dry finish might confirm his claims. A stupendous product with a cult following. It never lasts long when we have it.

The original red bitter is vivid scarlet, with a grapefruit peel-like aroma and flavor. The palate is bitter and bright, with a lighter body than many liqueurs and a hint of cinnamon on the bracing exit. Classic for mixing into a wide range of cocktails. (KN)

Never judge a book by its cover, they say, unless it’s gorgeously appointed and unrivaled in its beauty, I’d add. There is no question that in the booze business, your bottle is nearly as important as the stuff that goes in it. Indeed, it was the striking package that drew my eye to this product on the backbar of a Glasgow pub five years ago. I asked to see the bottle and realized that this was not some crass, overdesigned marketing exercise. This was a legitimate and thoughtfully crafted Scottish gin with a character unlike any other I’d tasted. One sniff out of that bottle and I knew I needed to have this stuff – EVERY DAY if possible, but for one massive hurdle. The tiny distillery on the far-flung island in the outer Hebrides was already struggling to keep up with local demand, and the incredible care in the design of the bottle meant that creating a bottle suitable for the US market, which only recently allowed the sale of spirits in 700ml bottles, was next to impossible. So, we waited. I staged a relentless campaign with emails and phone calls to the distillery to make clear our interest. And when this special product final popped up with a small distributor, I bought every single bottle they had on hand. I’ve called this the next great Scottish Gin, and I truly believe that. It offers a complex expression of flavors that are perfectly balanced and wildly appealing. The nose is an ever-evolving explosion of aromas beginning with an ocean breeze. This sensation of being near the sea is so distinct, one must experience it to understand. On second nosing, a flutter of citrus and a deep whole pepper note give way to a bright piney character before the sweet, earthy aromas of licorice, Orris, and cassia come online. The underlying sweetness balances the subtle salinity perfectly on the palate. Of course, no sugar added here, and perhaps it is psychosomatic, but the sugar kelp seems to give it a voluptuous richness that balances the savory perfectly. And while this is slightly lower proof than I usually like in a gin, the texture and balance seem to be perfectly suited for the gin's character. Altogether one of my favorite products to drink, hands down from any category. Plus, that bottle is so beautiful. Now one of the best values for artisanal hand crafted gin in the store as well!

Rich, fruity and enticing, this sweet vermouth is warmed with notes of fig and dried cherries, and just faint hints of spiced gingerbread and bitter orange peel. Drinkable solo as an apéritif, or use it as a cocktail-mixing favorite. (KN)

Bourbon begins with a grain recipe containing at least 51% corn and matures in new, charred oak. The Reveries’ eight-year-old “Toro” is a Kentucky straight bourbon offered as a single-barrel release, drawn from one barrel rather than blended with whiskey from several.

Another ridiculously good barrel from our friends at Stoddard Spirits. Bill Binder is one of those guys whom everybody simply loves. His genuine love for this business is infectious, his legitimacy as an arbiter of taste is unquestionable, and his ability to connect with people is unparalleled. While he cut his teeth behind the bar, he is the ultimate front-of-house curator, making everyone who crosses his path feel welcome and special. So it is no surprise that his good name and equally good intentions have brought about one of the most remarkable partnerships this industry has ever seen. There are brands that have claimed to source whiskey from the famed Willett Distillery, but the mere public mention of that relationship could be enough to bring it to an end. Willett is fiercely protective of its trade name and contractual obligations. They have certainly created collaborative releases before, but never have they allowed their name to be used in association with products sold under another brand. It is therefore a significant coup that Bill and his team have secured access to this incredible source. Even more interesting is that the barrels they are sourcing represent some of Willett’s most prized and unusual experiments. This wonderful bourbon is proof that some of the experimental mashbills produced at Willett can occasionally outshine even the best Estate stocks. I honestly cannot remember a seven-year-old WFE tasting this good, although this whiskey remains distinctly outside the normal Willett profile. That is likely why it was never adopted as a core expression, rather than because of any issue with its quality or character. I think I’m ready. The color is a full, shimmering auburn (1.5). The nose, admittedly after the bottle had been open for a week and was already one-quarter gone, is extremely expressive, showing signs of maturity well beyond the age statement. Deep red cherry compote, stunning whipped caramel sauce, gingersnaps, hipster light-roast coffee, sarsaparilla bark, kola nut, sandalwood, and nutmeg all come pouring from the glass. On the palate, the red fruit dominates at first, with a juiciness that completely subdues the tannins. More stone fruit emerges through the midpalate alongside strong baking spice, strawberry candy, and exotic wood notes. The back end dries up beautifully, keeping the whiskey from feeling overly confectionary, while the tiniest hint of earthy, almost Wild Turkey-like funk provides balance. The lengthy finish brings back the clove-driven spice and a seemingly endless wave of candied red fruit. This barrel is both extremely distinctive and genuinely distinguished. A casual observer who does not understand the extraordinary care that went into crafting this special bourbon might scoff at the price-to-age ratio. For the initiated, who understand just how compelling even these younger barrels can be, the quality and potential here will be impossible to ignore.