North Star Campbeltown Connection 10Year
$121.99
Evan deserves the credit for sleuthing out this new KWM exclusive Campbeltown Blended Malt. We tried a sample early in the fall, and were suitably impressed by it for the price. 10 years of age and 50.7%.
If the rumours can be believed, the whisky is a marriage of Springbank from 1994 and 2015, with Glen Scotia from 1992. But true to form the chap at North Star Spirits has little to say about it on the record, the official product description "Our own mix of Springbank, Glen Scotia, and other Campbeltown Malts" seemingly raises more questions than it answers.
But perhaps this is a time to not look the proverbial gift horse in the mouth. We have here a 10 year old Campbeltown Blended Malt at just over 50%, with a beautiful label, and the price is very reasonable!
Stillhead Sherry Cask Rye Whisky 50%
$87.99
100% BC Rye whisky initially matured in virgin oak and finished in PX Sherry casks. 50%
Producer Description
"First this 100% B.C. rye grain whisky spent its first few years in new American oak casks. Second, and only once the whisky is already matured, it is transferred to once used Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. These freshly emptied casks are shipped directly from Spain. They come with a complimentary few litres of Sherry wine. Not only is this wine an assurance of cask quality, but we enjoy using it in our lounge cocktails! Finally, we taste the whisky in the casks, only bottling once we’ve achieved the flavour we are looking for."
Giant Steps Coal River Pinot Noir
$87.99
Giant Steps was founded by wine industry pioneer Phil Sexton, who ventured from Margaret River to Yarra Valley to find the ideal site to cultivate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir of purity and finesse. Phil found his holy grail near Gruyere in the Sexton vineyard, which he planted in 1997 on the steep slopes of the Warramate Ranges. A mad jazz fan, Phil named the winery after John Coltrane’s album and fitting metaphor, “Giant Steps.” In 2003, Winemaker Steve Flamsteed came aboard, and the two set about producing a range of iconic Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that express a profound sense of place from six finite sites in Yarra Valley.
Living Souls 19 Year Kildalton Blend Mlt
$279.99
Kildalton is the name of a parish on Islay, and often associated with the Ardbeg distillery, which is its closest neighbour. Bottled at 42% from Refill Sherry Butts.
Producer Description
"This release is an extraordinary 19yo “Kildalton” Islay blended malt matured in refill bourbon and sherry casks. Take a sip and find yourself on a beachside walk, the salty air blending seamlessly with the aroma of an old wooden row boat nearby. You take a lick of creamy liquorice ice cream, the sweetness perfectly complementing the briny breeze. Each sip gives you rich, peated notes that encapsulate the essence of an Islay autumn day, creating a truly memorable whisky journey."
DB Schmitt Erdreic
$34.39
The Schmitt winery has been in the family for over 230 years, with Bianka and Daniel working their 16 hectares for the last decade. They work in full biodynamic, which they learned from legendary Alsace vigneron Patrick Meyer and are one of only 80 producers in Germany to be Demeter certified.
Living Souls 15 Year Blended Scotch Bt.2
$89.99
This 15 year old Blended Scotch Whisky is produced in a solera system, bottled at 46%.
Producer Description
"This release is batch #2 of our lively 15yo blend drawn from our solera system where we continually add exciting new whiskies. Take a sip, and you’ll find yourself at a leisurely afternoon lunch in coastal Spain, the sun casting golden hues over the table. A bottle of sherry gleams alongside bowls of ripe red grapes, juicy cherries, and a hint of warming spice, all capturing the relaxed opulence of a sunlit meal where every taste lingers, every moment hums with the sea’s gentle rhythm."
North Star Inchfad (Loch Lomond) 18 Year
$194.99
This 2007 Inchfad (heavily peated Loch Lomond) was matured in a Sherry Barrel (is that a typo on their part) for 18 years before bottling at 51.1%
Two Stacks Dark Cloud Cask 2 13 Year
$139.99
This 2012 vintage, 13-year-old Cooley Single Grain Irish Whiskey was bottled at 58%, after finishing in a Passito De Pantelleria Dessert Wine for 9 months. The whisky is a collaboration with Dark Cloud Whisky.
Passito di Pantelleria is a style of wine made on the Italian Island of Pantelleria. The wine is made from Muscat of Alexandria grapes that have been left to dry on straw mats, leaving less water and more concentrated flavour and sugars to ferment and create an intensely aromatic and flavourful dessert wine.
Producer Description
"This cask was chosen by Dark Cloud Whisky (Sean Kincaid) & White Cloud Productions (Jeremy Pue) to reflect their friendship & bond through both ancestral heritage and a mutual respect for Irish Whiskey. This particular whiskey was finished in a Passito De Pantelleria Dessert Wine cask and the result is a delightful dram with a floral & sweet nose along with with some honeysuckle notes. On the palate there is some spice up front but the dessert wine cask really shows with a very smooth finish."
SYC Back Handed West Coast IPA
$15.37
From the Brewery
"WEST COAST DIPA 7.0%"Abv
"Sharp, bold, and unapologetically punchy - Back Handed swings hard from the first sip. Expect a blast of bright citrus peel, pine resin, and that classic West Coast bite, backed by juicy tropical notes and a hit of earthy dankness."