G&M Private Collection St Magdalene 1982
$4,199.99
We love the lost distilleries. Any chance to try whiskies from silent stills nowadays is an occasion to drop everything and clear the calendar. Especially nowadays, when every drop is, give or take, 40 years old. They're never cheap (those days are long gone), but unforgettable experiences rarely are anymore.
In one of the more interesting bits of whisky lore (alongside tales of the wartime bombings and fires at the lost Banff distillery, the flintlock pistols that George Smith used to carry 'round Glenlivet, the early 20th century p*ssing contest between Laphroaig and Lagavulin, and the ever elusive promise of extant drops of Malt Mill), the St. Magdalene distillery (also known as Linlithgow) was actually built on the site of a former leper colony. So, if you're picking up on any meaty notes...
Kidding. (I hope)
This is a trophy bottling, for sure, and incredibly scarce. Refill American Hogshead #2094 gave up only 165 bottles.
Natural colour, non-chill filtered, and bottled at 54.8%
G&M Connoisseurs Choice Teaninich 2009
$149.99
This 13 year old Teaninich was bottled exclusively for Canada at 55.9% after 13 years in a First Fill Sherry Hogshead.
Brave New Spirits Craigellachie 14 Year
$165.99
From the 'A Cask Noir Production' series with those wicked retro labels, a neat Craigellachie, and one of the most interesting cask types we've seen to date. In fact, we had to look it up. This was matured in a First Fill Pacherenc Barrique, a sweet white wine. Intriguing, to say the least. Only 262 bottles from cask #315065.
Natural colour, non-chill filtered, and bottled at 52.3% abv.
Mr. Peat Single Malt Scotch Whisky
$59.99
We weren't looking for Mr. Peat... he found us... and we're glad he did! This heavily peated Scottish single malt is exactly what it promises, nothing more, nothing less... and it is bottled at 46% without colouring or chill-filtration. Best of all, it is very well-priced!
Who is Mr. Peat?
"Mr. Peat is typically Scottish: he is straightforward, he says it as it is, he is pale, relaxed, and exudes self confidence.
"BUT
"Beware the simple brute force of peat will hit you before yo know it so keep the extinguisher ready!"
Claxton`s Tomintoul 2014
$167.99
Distilled in 2014 this 8 year old Tomintoul was bottled at 56.7% after maturing in an Oloroso Sherry Hogshead.
Claxton`s Arran 2011
$259.99
This peated Arran single malt was filled into an ex-Bourbon Barrel in 2011, and was bottled in 2021 after 10 years at 56.3%. 87.5pts Whiskybase
Okayama Japanese Cedar Cask Strength
$949.99
From the Miyashita Sake Brewery, which has been producing a very limited amount of single malt whisky since 2011, comes this mysterious little gem. Matured for 3 years and 9 months in a cask tricked out with Japanese cedar heads, it would seem. Cedar? We're beyond intrigued. This wouldn't fly in Scotland, of course, but Japan is a bit more 'Wild West' (Wild East?) when it comes to their regulations. A high price point, for sure, but is there anything like this out there? This release was from Cask No. 1514, and it is bonified made in Japan single malt whisky.
Natural colour, non-chill filtered, and bottled at 60% abv.
Miyashita Shuzo has been brewing sake since 1915. In 1994 they started brewing beer, becoming one of the pioneers of craft brewing in Japan. They began experimenting with distillation in 2003, putting their hoppy beer through a shochu still. After being granted a license to produce malt whisky in 2011, they began distilling single malt whisky. Since 2015 this has been done in a hybrid copper pot sill.
BenRiach 16 Year
$194.99
There's simply not enough BenRiach on the market anymore. We miss the days when Billy Walker owned the distillery, and this fruit-driven malt was everywhere. Sadly, that's not the case any longer, but the arrival of this 16-year-old has us buzzing. Hopefully, it's a sign of things to come.
Producer Note: "After sixteen years of maturation, Benriach develops a richly balanced evolution of our signature Speyside style. Three cask maturation in bourbon, sherry and virgin oak brings layers of stone fruit, smooth creamy malt, wild honey and nutty oak spice."
From Master Blender, Rachel Barrie: "Our signature Speyside style blossoms at ten years old, finding depth and richer layers of orchard fruit character as it turns sixteen. Our core flavour components of fruit, malt and oak become more concentrated, enriched with age at sixteen years old, bringing layers of stone fruit, smooth creamy malt, wild honey and nutty oak spice."
43%
G&M Distillery Label Mortlach 15 Year
$154.99
This whisky was featured on Day 14 of our 2023 KWM Whisky Calendar. You can check out Evan's blog post on the whisky here.
Matured in First Fill and Refill Sherry before bottling at 46%, this 15 year old Mortlach is part of the G&M Distillery Label range.