Kirkland Highland Sherry Cask Finish – 18 year (2014)
If you are a budget-minded single malt lover who has a local Costco that sells whisky, you can rest assured that the latest release is (still) worth your money. For how much longer? Who knows.
Tag: Independent Bottlers
Kirkland Speyside Sherry Cask Finish – 18 year (2013)
…There’s a delicate balance of nice fresh black berries with the standard hallmarks of ex-bourbon aging (namely the butterscotch/caramel note that I can never pin down). It’s a well-constructed malt with no obvious flaws.
Older is Not Always Better
I have good news and bad news for you. The bad news is that the statement “Older is not always better” has proven true in my own experience. Sorry. The good news is that you can take it with a grain of salt
Kirkland Speyside Sherry Cask Finish – 20 year (2013)
This is 20 year-old malt whisky with no major flaws for under $50. That’s unheard-of, especially in today’s overheated scotch market. If your wallet is hurting from the price hikes on official bottlings of your favorite scotches, and you don’t mind a slight downgrade in quality in your value malts, then I recommend grabbing a bottle while it’s still available.
Bourbon Still Confuses Me
Bourbon, although on the face of it a simple drink made only of corn, grains, water, yeast, oak, and time, it still has more capacity confuse than the ancient and (to some) arcane system of nomenclature used in Scotch distribution.
This is Why Independent Bottlers Matter – an Anecdote
Independent bottlers. Are you paying more and getting less for distillery throwaways? Or will you get lucky and pay bargain dollars for something fantastic that will be gone forever once the last drop is consumed? For some (including me), that’s a lot of gamble for upwards of $50 to $80. On this particular day, I got lucky.
Whisky Prices Trend Upwards
Right now, like it or not, we are experiencing a boom. Distilleries are opening or ramping up production, prices are ratcheting higher, and limited-edition bottles are making headlines with record prices at auction. Many distilleries are riding the boom by releasing special bottlings and limited-editions at inflated prices because they know there’s consumer demand for them. So what’s to be done?
A.D. Rattray: Craigellachie (8 year)
Nicely complex. This whisky does not tow the line of Speyside style, instead branching out in eclectic ways. Raw cane? Anise and lime juice? I would not have pegged this as a sherried Speysider.
A.D. Rattray: Macduff (10 year)
Not a great introduction to Macduff. It’s hard to say if the few unpleasant notes were a result of cask choice or simply reflect the distillery style. If I had spent $66 on a bottle of this, I might be disappointed. At least it’s cask strength and craft presentation.
A.D. Rattray: Glen Ord (12 year)
I don’t really consider mild 12 year-old highlanders without complexity to be worth $60 a bottle, so I can’t say I would shell out for this. However, there are exactly zero flaws in the presentation here, and if you’re trying to check every distillery off your list, this one may be worth seeking out.