Here in California K&L Wines is known for their amazing wine selection, but if you also happen to be a whisk(e)y nerd this vino Nirvana holds hidden treasures for you as well. Though not too hidden as the spirits section takes up a sizable portion of the stores and is headed up by a two-man team of Davids. David O.G. and David D, and they do their best bring a good selection of great spirits to the discerning palates of their customers – which is exactly what this write up is about.
Thanks to a generous friend I was able to sit down and taste through the latest Signatory releases the Davids got in at K&L. Signatory only deals which scotch so if you’re hoping for a bourbon or rye then I’m sorry to say that you’re out of luck on this particular post, but you should check out their Faultline bourbon because It’s good stuff. Also, if you don’t live in CA don’t fret too much because if something below piques your interest you’re in luck because they ship.
Enough chit-chat, on to the whisky!
1985 Linkwood 29 Year Old
Price: $200 ABV: 46% Hogshead
- Nose: Malt, caramel, complex orchard fruit, light spice, banana nut muffin, light vanilla and light cocoa.
- Palate: Malty, earthy and fruity with notes of cocoa, dark sweets and spice. Light notes of wood and minerals.
- Finish: Medium and malty with notes of sweetness and wood.
- Overall: 89 (B+) This is a tasty whisky and one I’d be happy to sip any day of the week. There’s a good reason this fruity and slightly earthy malt is seen as a great blenders canvas, it provides a bold base of fruity Speyside character. This Linkwood is so close to an A- you could consider this an 89.999
1995 Imperial 19 Year Old
Price: $100 ABV: 50.9% Hogshead
- Nose: Caramel, butterscotch, fruit, hay, toasted grains, dried berries and Tootsie Rolls.
- Palate: Apricot and banana heavy fruit, vanilla, caramel, malt, nuts and a light bit of wood and, again, Tootsie Rolls.
- Finish: Long and fruity with notes of malt, caramel and char.
- Overall: 87 (B+) Another whisky I could sit and sip all day long with no complaints. Not quite as complex as the Linkwood, but one heck of a nice sip from this dead distillery.
1990 Glen Elgin 24 Year
Price: $110 ABV: 50.1% ex-Bourbon
- Nose: Light notes of malt, vanilla, dried fruit, salted butter and “sweets”.
- Palate: Like the nose it’s light with notes of banana heavy fruit, spice, grassy hay and a bit of woody astringency.
- Finish: Short lived notes of malt, fruit, sweets and astringency.
- Overall: 84 (B) I want to preface this by saying that I’m not a huge Glen Elgin fan in general. When we did the Glen Elgin vertical for Malt Nuts there were some good whiskies that night, but the majority of my Glen Elgin experiences have been so-so. I’ve never had an A- level Glen Elgin and It’s not because there’s anything wrong with them, just that Glen Elgin always comes across so light and limited to me.
1995 Benrinnes 20 Year Old
Price: $100 ABV: 52.8% Hogshead
- Nose: Malt, caramel, apple heavy orchard fruit, spice, vanilla and a touch of minerals and wood.
- Palate: Malt, orchard fruit, dark sweets, paprika, savory herbs, smoke and a touch chalk.
- Finish: Long and fruity accompanied by notes of smoked meat, malt and chalk.
- Overall: 92 (A-) The smoky notes in this are odd and incredible all at the same time. In contrast to Glen Elgin, the majority of the Benrinnes I’ve had has been stellar stuff and this is no exception.
1988 Blair Athol 26 Year Old
Price: $180 ABV: 54.37% Refill Sherry
- Nose: Sherry, dark fruit leather, malt, vermouth, tart cherry juice, iodine and almonds with some light notes of ash, brown sugar and dark sweets.
- Palate: Sherry, malty sweetness, nutty, dried berries, vermouth, brown sugar and light notes of char / ash, anise and powdered sugar.
- Finish: Long and sherry heavy with notes of nuts, ash and dark sweets.
- Overall: 91 (A-) A fully enjoyable whisky that fills the senses. Nothing to really complain about here.
1981 Glenlivet 33 Year Old
Price: $400 ABV: 51.1% Refill Sherry
- Nose: Sherry, cherry heavy dark fruit, complex spice, dried strawberries, nuts, orange peel, malt, cocoa and a light simple syrup style sweetness.
- Palate: Sherry, iodine, dried strawberries, vermouth, Almond Roca, complex orchard and tropical fruit, citrus peels and a hint of Whoppers.
- Finish: Long and sherried with layers of vermouth, iodine, dried dark fruit and a light bit of earthy wood.
- Overall: 94 (A) As dense and deep of a whisky as you could want. It’s a magnificent example of a complex sherry influenced whisky. I wish I had a spare $400 laying around.
Outside of the Glen Elgin, which is quite possibly my own bias, the 2015 Winter Signatory releases from K&L consist of some great whisky and you really couldn’t go wrong picking up any of them. My obvious favorites are the Benrinnes, Blair Athol and Glenlivet and I’ve already picked up a bottle of the Benrinnes with a second bottle being heavily considered.
Hope you enjoyed the write up, cheers!
