K&L spirits buyer David Driscoll likes to take the ferry, not the plane, from Glasgow to Islay. The Caol Isla distillery is one of the first sights to greet the visitor. Photo borrowed from K&L’s highly entertaining spirits blog.
At the beginning of 2018 we bemoaned the lack of Hepburn’s Choice single malts in the inventory of K&L Wines, dubbed the best wine store in America by the Wall Street Journal. Good news! At the beginning of 2019 there are four new Hepburn’s Choice choices available, as well a very special cask strength Caol Ila that ranks with the best bottles we’ve ever tasted.
Hepburn’s Choice, according to the label on the back of the sole remaining bottle in my current stock, is “named in honour of our directors’ late maternal grandfather, William Hepburn, who travelled the globe with his job in the Diplomatic Service.” Presumably the “our” is Langside Distillers, the captive label of K&L. The bottles are “chosen to showcase the specific characteristics of one of Scotland’s whisky producing region, or those of a distillery in particular.”
You can read about the new bottlings in the copy on the K&L website, after doing a search for “Hepburn’s Choice”. Sample, for the Croftengea 12 year old (which we ordered): “The heavily peated malt from the reclusive Loch Lomand distillery is easily the best thing they make. A stupendous Highland peater that definitely has some of the more woodsy earthy smoke as well as hints of briny kippers and sea spray. A gorgeous pointed citrus quality and warming fresh bread note round out this powerful yet elegant peater and solidifies it as one of the most affordable and interesting malts we’ve ever sold this year.”
If you live in a state that allows liquor shipments, you’ll find K&L’s shipping rates reasonable. If you don’t, you’ll have to arrange a will-call and visit their stores in Hollywood, Redwood City or San Francisco. Our order is already packed and waiting for us to collect it next week on Harrison Street, which is why we’re willing to share news of these very limited bottlings.
And speaking of limited bottlings, check out the 2009 Caol Ila 8 Year Old “Signatory” Single Hogshead Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) at $89.99. We thought our previous Caol Ila from the Hepburn’s Choice collection was the best dram we’d ever tasted, but this may top it. From the tasting notes: “It has a freshness and intensity unsurpassed by any similarly priced peater in the shop and beats even the wonderful young Ardbegs in terms of sheer power.” Just get some now.
