Elements of Islay Lg8
$109.99
Only 6 bottles left!
A 12 year old Lagavulin from 2 ex-Bourbon Barrels filled in 2006, bottled at 59.5%. Exclusive to KWM, only 24 bottles. 90pts Serge @WhiskyFun.org.
Producer Description: "That classic mingling of sooty fires, barbecue meat and sweet fruit characterise our eighth bottling from this Kildalton distillery, making for a deliciously comforting dram."
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: grassy and malty with juicy barley sugars, dried apricots and winegums; creamy with soft vanilla and and firm coatal maritime peat.
Palate: round, malty and firmly peated with clean but crisp smoke; tarry with Russian coffee dregs, smoked mussles and salted Dutch licorice; more winegums, dried apricots and peaches n cream; caol soot and cigar ash.
Finish: juicy but drying with more ashy-tarry-peaty-smoke; more malt, smoke, fruit and Russian coffee dregs.
Comment: young and bold but elegant lagavulin; not event a faint rough edge to the nose or palate; terrific.
Producer Tasting Note
Nose: Sweet aromas of caramel, mango and spices contrast with an underlying sootiness like the hearth of a cooling fire.
Palate: An immediate hit of sooty smoke belies the subtle nose but slowly dissipates giving way to sweet, caramelised mango and peach, mingling with salty, charred roast ham. A subtle hint of star anise and clove lie in the background.
Finish: A fresh salinity lingers, with sweet smoke and a hint of iodine.
90pts Serge @WhiskyFun.org
"Lg8 is not the latest smartphone by Samsung, it’s Elixir Distiller’s latest Lagavulin, stemming from two bourbon barrels. I usually like to try my ‘Lgs’ against the newer official 12 yo Special Release, but that one’s not in yet. Colour: white wine. Nose: no surprise, this is brilliant. Simply pristine, bright and brine-y, with some lemon, tree bark, Islay mud, oysters, unripe white peaches, fresh almonds, and roots. Boringly great, I’d almost take sides with Benjamin Disraeli, he who used to say that he hated good wine and preferred bad ones, because good wines were too boring. Well, exaggerating a bot now, I agree… With water: wet fabric, mud and all that. Mouth (neat): it’s the simplicity that’s striking. This is sweet, as any young Lagavulin usually is – it’s almost a tad syrupy actually – and then very smoky, very peppery, very lemony. It’s really simple, but it’s perfect. Malevich’s white square, made whisky. With water: lemon up, sweetness down. We won’t complain. Finish: long, crystal-clean, smoky. Comments: maturation mainly filtered out the undesired molecules here, all the rest remained extremely close to the original distillate. Like in the greatest white mezcals, pears, rums, gentians, grogues, cachaças… etc.
SGP:457 - 90 points"
Elements of Islay Bn7
$105.99
A small batch bottling of Bunnahabhain, filled in to a pair of Oloroso Sherry Butts and bottled at 55.7%.
Producer Description: "Distilled in 2001 and aged for more than 16 years in a pair of oloroso sherry butts. Full of rich caramel and dark-chocolate flavour – a perfect winter warmer. Only 1620 bottles were produced. "
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: old-school sherry; dark chocolate with chilli flakes and a touch of cayenne; classic candied fruit & Christmas cake notes; a touch of earthy-dunnaga notes, soft leather and tobacco.
Palate: big, rich and nutty; loads of spice, from cadied ginger and cinnamon stick to chilli oil and cayenne infused dark chocolate; earthy and a touch leathery with grilled prosciutto wrapped figs and prunes; dry Christmas cake.
Finish: long, fruity, coating and spicy; chocolate, dark fruits, leather and tobacco linger long.
Comment: a lovely old sherried Bunnahabhain, and a steal this price... seriously, 17 year old cask strength sherried Bunnahabhain for a tad over $100; even at 500mls this is ridiculous!
Producer Tasting Note
Nose: A pan of melting milk chocolate buttons with caramel centres. Toasted cinnamon sticks and ground ginger mixed with sultanas and walnuts – the perfect winter cake mix.
Palate: A thick and creamy texture with tones of milk chocolate and glacé cherries. Classic bitter-orange marmalade spread on freshly-toasted granary bread. Mixed spice follows: caraway seeds, cloves and allspice.
Finish: Juicy with red berries, blackcurrant cordial, cinnamon spice and a lingering citrus note akin to candied orange peel.
87pts Serge @WhiskyFun.org
"Bn6 had been very good (WF 86). Colour: amber. Nose: rather coconut than sherry, as if the casks had just been rejuvenated. A lot of custard too, various breads, all-spice, lemongrass, rosehip tea, a little turmeric, then dried figs and honeys, as well as caraway and cloves. Rose petals, even litchis coming out. Very nice, not sherry monster at all. With water: rather wonderful. Proper sangria, peonies, fresh figs… Mouth (neat): rich and yet balanced, with really a lot of fresh walnuts and cigarette tobacco at first, then pumpernickel and some kind of honey-glazed ham. A lot of action in there. With water: a little earth coming out, rather more tobacco, a little tea (oak)… Finish: medium, really fresher than your average ex-butt whisky. Blood oranges in the aftertaste. Comments: I think this one is excellent. Careful, it goes down very well. SGP:651 - 87 points."
Elements of Islay Lp9
$211.99
We Thought We Were Sold Out... But They Found Us More!
Twenty year old PX Sherry matured Laphroaig? Yes please! This is a curiosity, 20 year old LAphroaig from a single Butt, bottled at 54.3%. Only 30 bottles coming exclusively to KWM!
Producer Description
"This whisky was distilled in 1998 and bottled from a single Pedro Ximénez sherry butt. The balance of rich fruit and smoke is perfect and the signature notes of 1990s’ Laphroaig distillate are present and correct. Only 714 bottles were produced."
Producer Tasting Note
Nose: Coal fires, candy floss and lobster pots. Thick, dense smoke combines with notes of kirsch. The peat becomes more medicinal, showing classic distillery character. Darker, almost burnt-tyre notes remain.
Palate: Juicy, with rich stewed fruit and smoked salt. Well balanced and reminiscent of perfectly cooked game meat covered in a port and redcurrant sauce. Notes of beach BBQ, charred mackerel and sweet langoustines develop, reminding us of a perfect summer day on Islay.
Finish: Smoked sea salt and dark fruit linger, leaving the palate slightly dry and ready for a second sip.
Elements of Islay Pl5
$107.24
Exclusive to KWM, a 9 year old Port Charlotte (moderately heavily peated Bruichladdich). Matured in a Refill Hogshead and Fist Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel before bottling at 63.1%.
Producer Description: "Distilled in 2009, this batch is a vatting of a refill hogshead and a first-fill barrel. It is classic Port Charlotte, with dense smoke and sweet peat – like walking past a farmyard bonfire. Only 582 bottles were produced."
Producer Tasting Note
Nose: Sweet tobacco and the farmyard character that’s typical of the best Port Charlottes. Pine wood and smoky oak chips follow, accompanied by sea spray and tarred rope.
Palate: Refined and austere to start with. Lemon oil and woody spice develop in the glass, becoming richer. Dense and aromatic smoke billows around charred pak choi in hoisin sauce. Vanilla sweetness and dirty smoke play against each other, creating deeper and darker complexity.
Finish: Dry and subtle with hints of bottle-aged Italian vermouth, wormwood, cloves and cassia bark.
Elements of Islay Tasting Kit Sherry Ed.
$69.99
A tasting kit from our friends at Elements of Islay, with 5x 30ml bottles, matured in ex-Sherry casks. Exclusive to KWM.
In this pack:
- Bn7 - Bunnahabhain 16 Year - 55.7% - 87pts Whisky Fun
- Peat - Blended Malt - 45%
- Ci11 - Caol Ila 10 Year - 55.4%
- Lp9 - Laphroaig 20 Year - 54.3%
- Pl5 - Port Charlotte 9 Year - 63.1%
Elements of Islay Tasting Kit Bourbon Ed
$69.99
MORE COMING NEXT WEEK! - Wednesday April 17
A tasting kit from our friends at Elements of Islay, with 5x 30ml bottles, matured in ex-Bourbon casks. Unless you grab one of the 24 Ar10 (Ardbegs) we received, this is your only chance to get that whisky! Also the Oc5 didn't even make it to Canada... so this is your only chance on that one. Exclusive to KWM.
In this pack:
- Oc5 - Octomore 7 Year - 59.8% - 91pts Whisky Fun
- Peat - Blended Malt - 45%
- Ci10 - Caol Ila 9 Year - 58.2% - 90pts Whisky Fun
- Lg8 - Lagavulin 12 Year - 59.5% - 90pts Whisky Fun
- Ar10 - Ardbeg 17 Year - 54.4% - 92pts Whisky Fun
Old Pulteney 18 Year
$151.99
Wrong sku!
Westland Peated Whiskey
$118.99
Produced according to the distillery, from "a mash of peated malt that is among the smokiest in the world." The whisky is matured in new (virgin) and 1st Fill American oak barrels. It is bottled at 46% after maturing a minimum of 36 months.
Westland Distillery was founded in Seattle Washington in 2011. The distillery produces only single malt whisky, which is unique for American craft distilleries. The distillery primarily uses Virgin or new American oak, but has also been maturing in Ex-Bourbon, Ex-Sherry and Port casks. The first whisky was released in 2013, and the distillery has quickly risen to the top amongst the crowded field of American craft distillers. In 2016, the distillery was sold to Remy Cointreau, who are also the owners of Bruichladdich Distillery on Islay in Scotland.
Westland American Oak Whiskey
$109.99
Westland is another distillery in Washington state – in this case residing in Seattle. The Westland Distillery forgoes Rye and Bourbon and instead focuses on Single Malt Whiskey – though not entirely in the Scottish style. Most of their releases have had a typical strong virgin oak influence when it comes to the barrels the whiskey was aged in.
Westland American Oak is made from a selection of five different barley malts. It is aged for at least three years in a combination of first fill ex-bourbon casks and virgin oak casks.