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The 2021 Brunello Di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova pours a deep red hue and opens with an exceptionally layered bouquet of suede, cigar box, tobacco, black cherries, and plum. Full-bodied, it’s packed with youthful tension at this stage, but it has a seamless, weightless feel, with polished tannins, refreshing acidity, and a flinty mineral edge that keeps the finish lifted and long. It’s a gorgeous Tenuta Nuova that has everything working in harmony and will only improve with time in bottle. Drink 2026-2050. (AF)

Note: from 60+ year old vines and the vineyard is a whopping 4 ha monopole within Perrières. Here too the lightly wooded nose displays a panoply of floral nuances that include rose petal, lilac and acacia blossom with additional notes of just grated zest, spice and green apple. There is almost painful intensity to the slightly more concentrated and more mineral-driven flavors that conclude in a chiseled, youthfully austere and sneaky long finale that seems to go on and on. The Clos de la Mouchère is always excellent but in 2024, it is genuinely stunning.*Burghound Outstanding!*

Dark and profound wine of great precision, vibrant cassis, graphite and cedar wood, very balsamic with eucalyptus and camphor. Full-bodied with weight and substance on the mid-palate. It shows an elegant attack with velvety tannins, refreshing acidity and long graphite depth. Drink or hold. (AF)

Just bottled, the 2025 Roero Arneis pours a pale straw/platinum hue and offers an early look at a beautifully balanced growing season. The nose is bright and focused, with flinty reduction and white pepper lifting from the glass alongside white peach, melon, lemon-lime rind, and chive. Medium-bodied, it shows excellent tension and energy, with brisk acidity and a vibrant, electric feel across the palate that keeps it refreshing and precise. It should be ready to drink on release. 70,000 bottles were produced. Drink 2026-2032. (AF)

The 2023 Pinot Noir Pisoni Estate comes from some of Pisoni Vineyard's oldest vines, located at 1400 feet of elevation and planted on granite-based soils. Medium ruby-purple colored, it needs a little swirling to unlock evocative scents of ripe raspberries, kirsch, and mulberries, followed by hints of anise, wild thyme, and underbrush, plus a touch of iris bulbs. The medium to full-bodied palate is taut with muscular black and red berry layers, supported by firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and perfumed. Gorgeous!

Highland Park’s Between You & I by Laila Gohar takes a wonderfully personal approach to whisky making. This limited 17-year-old single malt brings together Master Whisky Maker Marc Watson and Egyptian-raised, New York-based artist Laila Gohar, whose extraordinary edible installations transform familiar ingredients into surreal works of art. For this collaboration, Watson sampled more than 80 casks before selecting a combination intended to evoke Gohar’s Egyptian heritage. New American oak casks lead the composition, offering an intriguing direction for this beloved Orkney distillery. Bottled at 47.5% ABV, the whisky explores the connection between flavor and memory, with Gohar’s first taste transporting her back to Cairo. Her personal associations also inspired the illustrations accompanying the release, extending the collaboration from the glass to the artwork. It’s a fascinating creative brief for a whisky maker, and one that gives Highland Park enthusiasts something substantial to explore: seventeen years of maturation, an unusual emphasis on new American oak, and a cask selection built around one person’s memories. An invitation to pour a glass, take your time and discover where your own palate leads.

Including a splash of Backus Vineyard (8%), the 2023 Insignia is based on 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, and 5% Cabernet Franc, aged 21 months in 100% new French oak. Inky purple-hued, it offers a pure, classic, focused perfume of crème de cassis, melted crayon, lead pencil, violets, and white flower notes. It's full-bodied and has the vintage's pure, focused, incredibly elegant style, with ripe tannins and a great finish. I love everything about this wine, which is pure, balanced, layered, and multi-dimensional. It can be drunk today with incredible pleasure yet should hit maturity in a decade and keep for 30 years thereafter. Drink 2025-2055.

Including a splash of Backus Vineyard (8%), the 2023 Insignia is based on 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, and 5% Cabernet Franc, aged 21 months in 100% new French oak. Inky purple-hued, it offers a pure, classic, focused perfume of crème de cassis, melted crayon, lead pencil, violets, and white flower notes. It's full-bodied and has the vintage's pure, focused, incredibly elegant style, with ripe tannins and a great finish. I love everything about this wine, which is pure, balanced, layered, and multi-dimensional. It can be drunk today with incredible pleasure yet should hit maturity in a decade and keep for 30 years thereafter. Drink 2025-2055.

This is a fascinating showcase of how graceful Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon can age. Now 15 years old, this bottling still shows complex aromas of roasted strawberry, ashy wood, mashed olive, espresso bean and damp mushroom. The palate remains as fresh as many new Cabs, with polished tannins offering dark fruit, dried porcini and bittersweet cocoa flavors. *Editors' Choice* (MK)

The 2023 Poetry Cabernet Sauvignon is blended of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, 2% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, notes of crème de cassis and plum pudding erupt from the glass, with fragrant hints of candied violets, anise, tilled soil, and mossy tree bark, plus a waft of mint tea. The medium to full-bodied palate is fantastically bright and shimmery with super-intense black fruit and mineral layers and a firm, grainy texture, finishing with great freshness and length. Stunning.

In comparison to the 2010 vintage, the 2009 d'Yquem is more concentrated with a stunning "rôti," the consequence of noble rot in French. Developing a powerful, complex bouquet with aromas of pineapple, apricot, saffron, flowers, spices and orchard fruits, it’s dense and concentrated, full-bodied and layered with a crystalline texture complicated by notes of white truffles that reveal a racy, endless and a superb finish concluding with a pristine harmony. Readers with bottles in their cellars will have to be patient before opening this masterpiece with 155 grams of residual sugar. (YC)

The 2010 Château d’Yquem is an utterly stunning young wine and a very worthy follow-up to the magical wine produced at this estate in 2009. The bouquet is deep, complex and flat out brilliant, as it soars from the glass in a celestial mélange of pineapple, tangerines, a touch of passion fruit, honeycomb, beautifully complex and chalky soil tones, spring flowers and a very gentle touch of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, suave and utterly seamless, with great mid-palate depth, bright acids and surreal length and grip on the dancing and very intensely flavored finish. The 2010 d’Yquem is not quite as ethereally complex at this stage as the hauntingly beautiful 2009, but in terms of sheer quality, it seems likely to be every bit as profound. 98+

Perbacco is Vietti's Langhe DOC made entirely from Nebbiolo. The fruit comes predominantly from selected vineyards in the Barolo and Barbaresco zones. Vietti describes keeping the individual parcels separate through fermentation and maturation, choosing which lots will become Perbacco and which will continue ageing as Barolo. Both barriques and large casks are used; the final blend is assembled in steel before bottling.

The Conterno family now waits for 10 years following the harvest to release a Riserva. It is a co-fermentation of the three oldest plots in Romirasco, Cicala and Colonnello. Still impossibly youthful, the 2016 is ever-changing in the glass. Cedar and pine morph into sage and rosemary, with subtle vanillin and perfumed earth weaving through. Saturates the mouth with fleshy cherry and dense plum cake. Nuances of ginger and powdered mint arise. Tannins are steely and rigid, almost immoveable at the moment. There is a smooth seamlessness to their steady power, then a vibrant hook on the finish. Lingers with juniper and heather. This needs much more time in the bottle. (MM)

Octomore's numbered releases are built as a set of experiments, and the .2 is traditionally where Bruichladdich begins to push cask influence against the clean bourbon-barrel reference of the .1. Edition 17.2 begins with exactly the same batch of 100% Scottish mainland Concerto barley as 17.1, peated to 81.0 PPM, but takes a radically different route through oak. The whisky spent four of its five years in second-fill French oak that had previously held Californian red wine and later bourbon, before a final year in first-fill Port barriques. Bruichladdich has never used this precise sequence for Octomore before. Bottled at 59.5% ABV, it remains unmistakably Octomore, but the smoke is wrapped in a darker, more vinous frame. Strawberry, blackberry and cassis meet peppery earth, while lemon zest and lime oil keep the fruit from becoming heavy. The smoke is initially less overt than in 17.1, but it builds steadily and remains profound beneath the berries and spice. Tasted beside 17.1, the value of the series format becomes obvious: identical barley and peat, transformed by an entirely different oak regimen. This is exactly what the .2 should be, not simply a finished version of the reference whisky, but a genuine cask experiment that changes the shape of Octomore without obscuring the barley or peat.

The .3 release is always the most compelling statement of Octomore's obsession with provenance, but Edition 17.3 takes traceability to its logical extreme. This is a single-farm, single-field, single-vintage Islay whisky distilled from 100% Concerto barley grown in Irene's Field at Octomore Farm, just two miles from Bruichladdich. The barley was peated to a colossal 132.1 PPM, then the spirit was matured for five full years in a complex cuvée of first-fill bourbon barrels and second-fill European oak casks that had held Ribera del Duero wine, Sauternes, Eiswein and Syrah. Bottled at 60.9% ABV, it is the most heavily peated and highest-proof release in the core 17 Series, yet brute force is not the point. Salted caramel, smoked apple, toasted coconut, praline and vanilla cream emerge before the peat closes in with dry ash and deeply charred earth. Citrus oils and coastal salinity cut through the richness, while sweet barley remains visible beneath the cask and smoke. It is muscular, certainly, but also remarkably composed. Very few Scotch whiskies can identify their raw material with this specificity, and fewer still can do it at this level of intensity. For all the elaborate oak, 17.3 ultimately returns Octomore to its essential subject: how one field, one harvest and one place can survive distillation, peat and cask to remain recognizable in the glass.

Wow. Seductive aromas of slate, violets and black cherries as well as some graphite and cedar. Full-bodied, this has incredible depth, intensity and purity, building on the palate with focused fruit and pronounced tannins. Goes on for minutes. A wine for the long run. Best of the vintage? Try after 2029. (JS)

A fruity wine with lush aromas of red cherry jam, violets and subtle spices. Light-bodied, crisp, tight and chewy, with balanced tannins. From organically grown grapes. Drink now. (AF)

The 2022 Barolo Bric Del Fiasc pours a vibrant ruby hue and delivers layered aromatics of redcurrants, iron earth, orange spice, incense, and mint. Medium-bodied, focused, and linear, it has remarkable energy and complexity without relying on sheer weight. The palate is mouthwatering and persistent, with dried apricot notes lingering through the finish. Roughly 10,000 bottles were produced. Drink 2027-2046. (AF)

Octomore has spent nearly two decades making a mockery of the idea that young, enormously peated whisky must be crude. Since its 2008 debut, Bruichladdich's "Impossible Equation" has combined five-year age statements, near cask-strength bottling and peat levels that look almost comical on paper, yet the whisky remains remarkably precise. Edition 17.1 is the reference point for the new series, distilled from 100% Scottish mainland Concerto barley peated to 81.0 PPM and matured for its full five years at Bruichladdich in first-fill bourbon barrels. At 81 PPM, this is restrained by Octomore standards, though still far beyond the typical Islay malt. It is bottled at a formidable 59.7% ABV, without the cask gymnastics of the other two releases, allowing the quality of the distillate, barley and Islay maturation to stand completely exposed. The profile is classic modern Octomore: vanilla and warm custard at first, then pear drops, malt syrup and waves of dry, earthy smoke, smoldering oak and ash. A distinct coastal salinity keeps all that sweetness and power in check. This is not merely the simplest whisky in the trio. It is the control sample, and perhaps the clearest demonstration of why Octomore works at all: massive peat, serious proof and youthful energy rendered with astonishing finesse.

*To protect the identity of this wine the content of this tasting note has been redacted*

Few names carry more weight in Formula One design than Adrian Newey, the legendary engineer behind some of the most dominant cars in the sport’s history. For the second year of Glenfiddich’s partnership with the Aston Martin Formula One Team, Newey’s philosophy became the inspiration for a whisky engineered with equal attention to the details beneath the surface. Malt Master Brian Kinsman built this 16-year-old from five precisely chosen components: first-fill bourbon barrels, Port pipes, Oloroso sherry casks, red wine casks, and a final touch of Fino sherry butts. Much like the hidden aerodynamic elements of an F1 car, every cask serves a purpose, contributing sweetness, richness, structure, or lift to the final composition. The whisky moves from rich stewed fruit, flowers, marzipan, and polished leather into silky toffee, caramelized sugar, ripe orchard fruit, and finely controlled dry oak. Bottled at 43% ABV with a long, elegantly sweet finish, Release No. 2 combines Aston Martin glamour, Newey’s relentless pursuit of performance, and Glenfiddich’s extraordinary whisky reserves in one remarkably polished package. This is Formula One engineering translated into single malt.

From own-rooted vines planted in 1999, the 2024 Chardonnay is highly textural, coming from the higher reaches of a historic site in deep granite soils, a blend of two distinct blocks. Made with native fermentation without racking, fining, or filtration and aged in 40% new oak over 17 months, it’s a generous, medium-bodied phenolic white that speaks to a purity of orchard fruit, gravelly stone, and wildflowers, integrated in oak and acidity. This beautiful, layered wine will age over many years. Hold and drink 2028-2038.

There’s simply no question that the great producers in Scotland are going to need to shift their strategy to recapture the hearts and minds of many drinkers who have abandoned the category. The softness in the broader Scotch category has almost nothing to do with changing tastes or the economy, but rather with the increased knowledge and expertise among consumers of single malt and the prices producers felt comfortable asking for their products. This all made sense when consumption spiked and it seemed like the world would be guzzling malt indefinitely. But the truth of the matter is that part of the reason consumption increased so much was that these products were creating a huge amount of value for their customers—not simply because people during COVID had extra money and nothing to do. Even the simplest economic theory should have informed the forecasters at the large producers that if you’re going to raise your prices while lowering the quality of the product available, you should expect to see a slowdown in sales. But instead, people continued to buy. So prices kept going up and quality kept going down. Now, faced with a consumer base that remembers the great deals and exciting whiskies of just a few years ago, producers are struggling to continue to connect. We’ve been incredibly lucky to be positioned in a way that allows us to continue offering great whiskies at incredible prices, thanks to our direct imports and incredible relationships with independent bottlers. But very few of the big brands are nimble enough to react in a meaningful way to the current market conditions. That’s why it’s so exciting to see a brand so near and dear to our hearts bring such an incredible whisky to market and offer it at an altogether reasonable price. Ardbeg at 15 years old is simply wonderful, and this expression does everything I want it to do. Let’s have a go! The color is a simply lovely deep gold (0.8). The nose is exquisite and perfectly Ardbeggian, with sooty white smoke, sweet lemon oils, hints of lanolin, ginger root, and craggy, salty ocean rocks. The smoke is so well integrated at this age that it almost seems approachable to a novice nose—but I know better. The beautiful, oily texture on the palate holds those aromas perfectly, offering green peat, tarry white smoke, sweet, lemony grassy malt, and a tense, wafting sweetness that balances everything perfectly. It’s simply so pleasurable that, in my opinion, it’s an instant classic. They say this will be VERY available, but I’m still buying as much as they’ll give me. I have a feeling they’ve forgotten just how much Ardbeg we can drink when the price and flavor are both there.

Complex and deep character with ripe blackberries, raisins, dried roses, dark chocolate, toasted walnuts, dark licorice and wild mushrooms with a little bit of tar. Full-bodied, layered and compact with a broad and velvety tannin structure that lasts long on the palate. Classy, reserved style with hits of sweet tobacco at the end. Needs three to four years to completely come together. (AS)

Flat-out awesome, the 2023 No 12 is 91% Syrah, 7% Mourvèdre, and the rest Viognier, fermented with 40% whole cluster, from a mix of vineyards, and aged 22 months in 65% new oak. Blackberries, cassis, crushed stone, pepper, and spring flowers all emerge from the glass. It's a Côte-Rôtie on steroids and is full-bodied, has a deep, rich, layered mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. The purity is sensational, and this riveting barrel sample has perfection written all over it. Don’t miss it.

An intense vintage for Vermentino, the 2023 Vermentino was raised with 70% entirely in a stainless steel tank on the lees, with bâtonnage, and with 30% in barrel for six months before blending together. Bottled in June 2024, it boasts a bright medium yellow color and is compact with pure aromas of pineapple, orange sherbert, lemon blossoms, and saline. Medium to full-bodied, it has wonderful extract and a long, balanced finish. While I’ve always been a fan of this wine, this vintage is a step up, with more depth of texture and richness, where past vintages have sometimes been more racy and linear in texture. Almost like Austrian Riesling, it has the depth to be a very, very impressive wine. (AF) 94+

Founded in 1826 near Huntly in Scotland’s Eastern Highlands, The GlenDronach has long been associated with sherry-cask maturation. This sherry-matured 18-year-old single malt carries that tradition forward. Under Scotch whisky rules, its age statement means that even the youngest whisky in the bottle has matured for at least 18 years.

Moreish, confident and well judged, this is smoky yet ethereal, muscular yet light, wonderfully juicy and fragrant, with a perfectly judged blend of lightness of touch set against an unmistakable punch of damson, loganberry and red cherry fruits. Liquorice, tapenade and slate ensure the texture is slow and steady, and this is just a fabulous wine. Marco Balsimelli director, 65% new oak for ageing.

The 2023 Continuum was tasted as a finished barrel sample. The blend is 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot, and 6% Merlot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a lot of coaxing and swirling to bring out notes of crushed black and red currants, fresh raspberries, and Bing cherries, plus nuances of licorice, fragrant lavender, and fertile loam. The full-bodied palate delivers wonderful tension and bright, intense red and black berry layers, supported by a high level of silt-like tannins, finishing long and fragrant.

Toasted walnuts, ground spices and hints of chocolate, oranges and dark berries on the nose, leading to a firm and tense medium- to full-bodied palate with fine tannins and a velvety core of dark fruit at the center. Lingering and structured. Drink or hold. (AS)

Vietti’s Derthona is made entirely from Timorasso, the native white grape of the Tortona hills in southeastern Piedmont. The producer identifies sites in and around Monleale, on soils rich in limestone and clay, with southeastern and southwestern exposures. Derthona is Tortona’s ancient Roman name. Vietti introduced this bottling with the 2018 vintage after several years of experimentation with local winemakers. The 2024 carries the Colli Tortonesi DOC designation.

A spellbinding Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2023 ‘Monte Bello’ was initially blended from 30 lots in the Monte Bello Vineyard. From a slightly cooler vintage, the 2023 has a slightly larger portion of Merlot (9%) added. It offers cool wintergreen notes on the nose alongside sandalwood, orange bell pepper, and fresh sage that combines with shades of boysenberry compote on this intoxicating nose. The palate is lush and round with a terrific mouthfeel and loads of mouth-watering finesse. Showing stunning length, this beauty really needs a year or two in the bottle before savoring. Drink 2028-2050-

Royal Troon hosted the 152nd Open Championship in 2024, the occasion celebrated by this Loch Lomond release. Part of the distillery’s Open Course Collection, this 24-year-old Highland single malt uses Manzanilla sherry casks. Manzanilla comes from the coastal Spanish town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, connecting this golf-inspired Scotch with one of Spain’s distinctive sherry traditions.

From own-rooted vines planted in 1999, the 2024 Chardonnay is highly textural, coming from the higher reaches of a historic site in deep granite soils, a blend of two distinct blocks. Made with native fermentation without racking, fining, or filtration and aged in 40% new oak over 17 months, it’s a generous, medium-bodied phenolic white that speaks to a purity of orchard fruit, gravelly stone, and wildflowers, integrated in oak and acidity. This beautiful, layered wine will age over many years. Hold and drink 2028-2038.

The 2010 Malvirà "Renesio" Roero Riserva Nebbiolo is an absolute standout from a monumental Piedmontese vintage. It retains an electric tension, driven by profound earthy minerality, crushed dried flowers, and a chiseled, architectural structure that shows it still has years of graceful evolution ahead.

A blockbuster of a Les Forts, the 2020 Les Forts de Latour is based on 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26.5% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and aged 18 months in 60% new French oak. Its deep ruby/plum hue is followed by textbook Latour notes of currants, melted crayon, graphite, and lead pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, dense, and concentrated on the palate, it has a powerful, structured mouthfeel, remarkable purity, perfectly ripe tannins, and a great, great finish. It might be the finest Les Forts I've tasted. Hitting 13.1% alcohol, it's approachable today yet has another 30 years of longevity.

Initially, a fleeting aroma of farmyard, followed by furniture polish, spice, apple peel, and cocktail cherries. Smooth on the palate, with dried fruit, chewy oak, raisins, and more cocktail cherries. Spicy dark berries, ginger, and licorice in the finish. (GS, Fall 2020)

A perfect Yquem again after the 2021, which is fresher and more refined than the 2022. The perception of sweetness is super-knit. Lots of botrytis, with turmeric, saffron, cream, roasted meringue, pine nuts, spices and dried mangoes. This is a powerful, seductive and lush wine. Ornamented and richer this year than 2021, but there is so much charm and harmony. Long and spicy, with a hint of petrol at the end. Wow. The second most concentrated Yquem after 1945, according to the winemaker. About 160 grams of residual sugar. So approachable now, but better in five or six years. It will live forever.

A spellbinding Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2023 ‘Monte Bello’ was initially blended from 30 lots in the Monte Bello Vineyard. From a slightly cooler vintage, the 2023 has a slightly larger portion of Merlot (9%) added. It offers cool wintergreen notes on the nose alongside sandalwood, orange bell pepper, and fresh sage that combines with shades of boysenberry compote on this intoxicating nose. The palate is lush and round with a terrific mouthfeel and loads of mouth-watering finesse. Showing stunning length, this beauty really needs a year or two in the bottle before savoring. Drink 2028-2050-

A blend of 70% Fay and 30% S.L.V., the 2023 Cask 23 Cabernet Sauvignon exceeds both of the individual bottlings. Yes, it's a selection of the top barrels, but the two also complement each other nicely: the elegance and finesse of Fay and the power and tannin of S.L.V. Christmas spice-like nuances add to the complexity of violets, sage and thyme, plus black cherries and earth. Most of all, what stands out in this medium- to full-bodied wine is the way it manages to be rich and expansive without being heavy, its seductive texture of fine suede and its long, refreshing finish.

The 1990 Single Cask Armagnac is a fabulous choice for readers looking for an Armagnac with the gentle, burnished character that only comes from long maturation in cask. Soft and engaging, the 1990 is an absolute delight. Scents of dried figs, spice, caramel, crushed herbs, leather, barrel toastiness and dried flowers are all woven together. No topping during aging results in a spirit with gorgeous complexity that develops in a very gradual oxidation that has taken place over more than thirty years. Lovely. (AG)

Looking to the upcoming release, the 2022 Grattamacco pours a more youthful red/purple hue and opens to a more blue-fruited nature at this early stage, with sweetly perfumed aromas of blackberry, violet candies, pressed sage, and fresh earth. The palate is gorgeous and full, with velvety tannins, a youthful plushness of fruit, and its characteristic savory elements highlighting the wine with a long, balanced finish. It’s a very even wine but does show the stress of a hot year with late rains. It feels like the duck on water – graceful and peaceful above water, while underneath it has the structure to go the distance. It’s reminiscent of the 2012, although it seems to have more cushion. Drink 2027-2050. (AF)

Few spirits in Scotland are rarer than those from the two tightly controlled distilleries on Islay's southern coast. Over the years, we have occasionally offered both named and unnamed versions of this special spirit, but every time we do there is a feeling that it might be the last. These stocks almost never appear on the independent market, and true single casks are rarer still. What has never been surprising is the outrageous cost they command. Our last named Ardbeg single cask was a Chieftain's barrel, 15 years old and priced at $240. Before that, only a tiny handful of Ardbeg single casks had been made available to us over many, many years. So when we saw the magic word "Kildalton" on this sample, we assumed it had to be something unusual or off-profile. Perhaps an unpeated version, or maybe a teaspooned blend. Not this time. This exudes that beautiful, ashy white smoke we know and love from the masters at the end of the road on Islay's south shore. Distilled on October 31, 2006, it was filled into a refill butt and aged for nearly 20 years before being bottled at full cask strength of 52.7%, without chillfiltration. Very few barrels at this quality to price ratio have ever existed and while we'd welcome many more like it, its unlikely that these sorts of stocks will become a regular feature of our selection.

*****One Full Sealed 6 Pack Case****** Few releases are as compelling as Thompson Bros.’ Mystery Malt series from Dornoch, Scotland. For a single malt lover, the pleasure of tasting blind is discovering a whisky before its reputation shapes your expectations. Here, that experience comes in a box. Neither the bottle nor the case reveals the distillery or age. The answer is on a small sticker beneath the foil, so with a little care, you can open and pour a bottle without learning its identity first. You can even host your own blind tasting. Every sealed case contains six different bottles. Thompson Bros. has also balanced the cases so each has the same weighted average quality across its six selections, based on the rarity of the casks rather than age alone. The complete list of casks in the series appears in the tasting notes section of this product page or by visiting https://www.mystery-malt.co.uk

For devotees of Springbank, vintage releases occupy a category of their own, and this extraordinary 1994 bottling captures everything that has made the distillery one of Scotland’s most revered producers. Established in Campbeltown in 1828, Springbank remains fiercely traditional, carrying out the entire production process on site and preserving labor-intensive methods long abandoned elsewhere. Its lightly peated spirit and unusual two-and-a-half-times distillation create the oily texture, maritime depth, and eccentric complexity that define the house style. This rare vintage marries whisky matured in 80% bourbon, 10% sherry, and 10% red wine casks, bottled at 45.1% ABV with just 1,180 bottles released. The nose opens with dried pineapple, mango, ripe melon, honey, sandalwood, and that unmistakable earthy, old-school Springbank character. The palate brings caramelized lemon, custard cream, tropical fruit, polished wood, and toffee popcorn before turning savory and herbal on the finish, with coconut, fresh basil, gorse, and lingering Campbeltown earthiness. A deeply individual malt and a genuine piece of Springbank history.

The 2024 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Spéciale Vieilles Clairettes is 100% Clairette Rose from old vines in the Saint Préfert lieu-dit, with just 600 magnums produced. More mineral-driven yet still with this incredibly Burgundian style, it has stone fruits, orange blossom, spice, toasted bread, and subtle chalkiness on the nose. Aged 18 months in a wine globe and a single tonneau, it's medium to full-bodied on the palate and has a seamless, layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, clean, flawlessly integrated acidity, and a lengthy finish. The level of purity, finesse, and just sheer class is off the charts. It will evolve for 15-20 years if well stored.

There's something meaningful and gratifying about bottling an OB Bruichladdich once again. If you're not aware, K&L was Bruichladdich's ride-or-die customer number one. Even before I started here, we were one of the first stores to EVER bottle a Bruichladdich from the new regime. The old distillery was bought by a consortium led by wine and spirits industry veteran Mark Reynier and Bowmore Master Distiller Jim McEwan. Almost exactly 20 years ago, their "First Born" single casks were sold at K&L at the fresh young age of 6 years old (thank you, Susan!!!!). Some of the first spirit produced after the refurbishment was done. When I took over several years later, our first mission was to go to Islay and explore the Bruichladdich warehouses. There we found many of our first "Faultline" barrels, but also the infamous Quarts de Chaume Micro-Provenance barrel. That's a story I won't dive into today, but our time with Jim at Bruichladdich was completely formative, and I still consider him a dear friend, although it's been many years since I've seen him. And while that phase in our relationship with Bruichladdich ended with the sale of the distillery and its old stocks to Rémy Cointreau, our love for the spirit distilled there has not subsided in the slightest. The new team, led by the wonderful Adam Hannett, continue to push the envelope and bring new and exciting things to market from that beautiful Tiffany-blue beacon on the bay. Now, in a surprising twist, where once we were told "never again," we're now told "please and thank you!" A beautiful barrel of Bruichladdich aged full-term in a cask that held the great white ratafia of the Charentes. The vin muté category is severely underappreciated in the States, but it turns out that if you take fresh grape juice pressed from the high-acid grapes grown on the wonderful chalky soils of Cognac, arrest its fermentation with freshly distilled Cognac and age that in old Cognac barrels for many decades, you create one of the most complex and delicious dessert wines available. The closest analogue is the wonderful botrytized white wine from due south of the Charentes, Sauternes, but of course at a fraction of the price. Now imagine taking that old wood, simply brimming with sweet, oxidized glory, and filling it with the fabulous, full-bodied Bruichladdich spirit. It's truly a match made in heaven. I honestly hate to trivialize this spectacular whisky with tasting notes because its existence is so poignant and meaningful to both me and the history of the store, but I will try to do it justice here. The color doesn't fall nicely into the classic "Whisky Magazine" color descriptors I usually use, as there's an almost pinkish-red character to it, but the closest is russet/tawny (1.3/1.4). The nose is impeccable and cleaner than expected for such a unique cask type, with a huge, almost buttery confectionery note followed by lemon curd, candied almonds, Shine Muscat, salted pretzel, nougat, peach tea, mossy rocks, wet gravel, pancake syrup and wildflower honey. On the palate, there's big sweetness at first, with the darker, craggy notes quickly balancing the richness of the wine: barley syrup, shiso leaf, lemon balm, peppermint oil, camphor, mace and pink peppercorn. It's viscous and long. With water, the old-school retro malt character comes forward, as do the sweet lemon oils. It's lovely, classical, eminently drinkable and stupendously delicious. It's not as sweet and juicy as some Sauternes casks, nor as spicy and tense as some Cognac barrels. A totally unique yet somehow totally classical Bruichladdich that we're proud to be selling exclusively at K&L.