At NEW MIDLETON DISTILLERY
County Cork, Ireland

Ireland is a green land of rolling hills, sheep and craggy coastline, to be sure. The people enchanted even more… a generous, welcoming, hilarious lot. One of my favorite people in recent Ireland travels was Liam O’Leary, distillery operations manager at New Midleton Distillery in County Cork, near the southern coast of Ireland.

The name New Midleton may not mean  a lot to some, but if you follow Irish whiskey, you know there are merely three distilleries producing publicly-sold spirits in all of Ireland and this one’s the Mother. It’s most famous as home to Jameson (founded in 1780 by John Jameson, originally produced in Dublin at the Old Jameson Distillery, which I also visited). New Midleton also produces numerous Irish whiskies including Midleton, Powers Gold Label, Tullamore Dew, Paddy, and smaller pot still brands like my longtime favorite Irish whiskey Redbreast and new love, Green Spot (oh, that it would become available in the States).

Liam hosted the Renaissance Man and I on a private tour of the grounds. Spending pleasurable hours  talking whiskey and of his 40 year history at Jameson (long before it was the huge company it is now),  we delved into a subject dear to my heart, and, it seems, to every local I spoke to: music. We watched mass distilling in action, and finished with a hearty Irish lunch in the distillery restaurant.

The New Midleton facility is to date the most colossal, high production I’ve yet seen: towering stills, control panels, endless storage buildings stacked with barrels, and the world’s largest pot still (able to hold up to 125,000 liters, or roughly 33,000 gallons), which is no longer in use but is viewable in the Old Midleton museum. Numerous copper pot stills operate simultaneously, holding a massive 75,000 liters each. The facility whirs and buzzes continuously, recalling Ireland’s past, creating its future.

Tasting Jameson

Exploring New Midleton, it’s only fitting we talk Jameson. Possibly the highlight of my trip to Ireland (and there were many), was tasting Jameson 20 year whiskey straight from bourbon barrels (of which the majority of Jameson is aged in), and alongside it, 10 year whiskey in sherry barrels, both of which are blended into higher-end final product.

Both were superb, the purest forms of Irish whiskey I’ve tasted, particularly the golden, 20 year in bourbon barrels. Its layers kept unfolding, warm, honeyed and bright, spicy, fresh with grain and fruit. Already perfection, this stuff should be bottled at cask strength on its own. The sherry cask whiskey adds round, dark notes, giving it fullness and sensual depth.

As I taste through the Jameson line at home, notes from those unforgettable barrels come back to me. I pick up various strains from the bourbon and sherry oak, all with that ever-present smoothness Irish whiskey is known for as it is generally triple-distilled. As the biggest selling Irish whiskey in the world, Jameson has done much to advance the category, while I crave pot still beauties like Redbreast and Green Spot. For further reading, Paul Clarke wrote an article in this month’s issue of Imbibe that illumines Irish whiskey’s growth, history and current status in cocktail culture.

Here are my tasting notes from sipping (multiple times) through the Jameson line:

Jameson Rarest Reserve, $279 – Rarest Reserve is the grandaddy of the line. Winning numerous awards (including this year’s Double Gold at the SF World Spirits Competition), it’s an expensive but truly special imbibement. After one explores the full-bodied aromas of ripe plum and spice, the taste impresses with toasted wood, dusty peach, dark chocolate, a hint of slate, leather and earth. Here I find encompassed the approachable yet elevated possibilities inherent in Irish whiskey.

Jameson 18yr Limited Reserve, $86.99 – The 18yr is another big award-winner, hitting my taste buds with an intense amount of peach. For me it evokes a golden summer freshness. Though I prefer it neat, it’s also lovely on the rocks. A couple drops of water allow other tastes to unfold, including orange marmalade, gentle spice, nuttiness, and biscuit. It’s soft yet bright, and could convert the non-whiskey drinker.

Jameson Gold Reserve, $60.99 – Gold Reserve is a richer whiskey than the 12yr or Jameson Irish Whiskey. I get creamy apple on the nose, a gentle honey texture and a peppery finish.

Jameson 12yr Special Reserve, $39.99 – The 12yr won Gold this year at the SF World Spirits Competition), sweet and spicy with sherry, wood notes. Oddly enough, I find its astringency is softened and rounded out with food.

Jameson Irish Whiskey, $24.99 – The original Jameson has never been my Irish whiskey go-to. I find it a bit hot and thin, despite sweet fruit, vanilla and nuts. But this is the great global seller in Irish whiskey, often the first introduction many have to the category.

 

I sample dozens of spirits, wines, beers in any given month. If there are tasting events (and there are), then multiply that a few times. Here are ones that rose above in recent weeks:

WHISK(E)Y

LAPHROAIG 2011 CAIRDEAS - Laphroaig’s master distiller John Campbell and Global Brand Ambassador Simon Brooking were in SF a couple weeks ago. I spent an afternoon with them sipping Laphroaig’s brand new 2011 Cairdeas, Ileach Edition. Limited release, only 350 cases have been made available to the US, of which SF alone has 75 (at Whiskey Shop on Sutter Street). On the heels of last year’s limited Cairdeas Master’s Edition, this winning version is non-chill filtered, hinting at that quintessential Islay peatiness but rounded out with an overall earthy, slate quality, and gentle sweet notes of candied orange.

Laphroaig is releasing a Triple-wood Quarter Cask scotch this Fall in the US (already a big seller in UK), which is basically their creamy, spicy Quarter Cask scotch finished in sherry casks. Though I have a bottle of their now extinct 15yr, and their 10yr is a peat-heavy Islay standard, my favorite remains their 18yr, a less peaty, more balanced beauty redolent of salt, vanilla, honey, with gentle spice and layered depth.

BALCONES BRIMSTONE - In my 7×7 corn whiskey article, I list Balcones corn whiskey, a 2010 Double Gold medal winner at SF World Spirits Competition. They just released a new whiskey, Brimstone, smoked with sun-baked Texas scrub oak.

My first reaction upon tasting it is to crave BBQ (not unlike with MB Roland’s delightful Black Dog, another smoked corn whiskey, although both have quite a different taste profile). Balcones Brimstone tastes, yes, of fresh corn, but with a bold, smoky, campfire essence, and more than a hint of sweet cumin. Distiller Chip Tate calls it, “Texas campfire in a glass.” That’s exactly it. An intriguing addition to the Balcones line.

I can’t help but be drawn more towards smoked corn whiskeys than to standard, clear corn whiskeys.

1512 SPIRITS - Salvatore Cimino is a Nob Hill barber by day (at 1512 Pine Street), and whiskey distiller by night. Cimino comes from a distilling lineage with a Prohibition-era bootlegger grandfather, whose 1923 photo (right) graces the bottle of 1512 Spirits‘ Barbershop Rye.

Distilled over direct fire in Rohnert Park (using one Portuguese copper alembic still and one 70-gallon finishing still), 1512 is truly small batch at 350 bottles per month. Made from 100% rye grain, his unaged rye ($32-35 a bottle) is surprisingly balanced and flavor-rich for a young whiskey.

I sampled the aged rye (not yet released), aged in 3-gallon new char, American oak barrels. At merely three months, it’s already showing robust color and body, the taste full with rich wood notes. Sal hopes to release a classic bourbon and a cherry-smoked bourbon in the future.

Sip these locally-made beauties at 15 Romolo, 83 Proof, Swig and Rye, or buy a bottle at Jug Shop, Healthy Spirits, Cask, Liquid Experience. Even LA’s Father’s Office is serving 1512 alongside their beloved burger.

GIN

NOLET SILVER DRY GIN - Nolet’s Silver Dry gin is among the most floral gins I’ve had. It gains this profile from Turkish rose, gently sweet with peach and raspberry. At $49.99 at K&L, it’s a pricier gin, showcasing gin’s new wave. Distilled in Schiedam, Holland (by the family that produced a little spirit called Ketel One vodka), it falls into the non-traditional category, its unique properties brought out by fruits such as the feijoa (a pineapple guava native to South America but grown in California), paired in their new Garden to Cocktail Program where produce is sent out monthly for Nolet cocktail experimentation. The pairing amps up the floral aspect, the feijoa’s gentle pear-like notes contrasting with an herbal finish. In a straightforward Martini or Gin & Tonic, Nolet‘s sweeter, fruitier notes come through.

I particularly appreciate what Michael Mina’s bar staff have been doing with Nolet recently – you can also sip it at bars like Rickhouse and Cantina. Nolet Reserve is getting buzz as one of the priciest, rarest gins, though at nearly $700 one expects fireworks. Seems to be the case for F. Paul Pacult, who calls it “one of the finest spirits I’ve ever tasted.”

LIQUEURS

pür•spirits – Recently released in SF (find them at D&M on Fillmore and online at K&L), pür•spirits is a German-distilled spirits’ line with a local connection: it was imported to the US by SF locals, Kiki and Harvey Braverman, from Kiki’s native Germany.

Though there are also two vodkas and a malted barley spirit, I sampled pür‘s three liqueurs:

- Blood Orange: Spiced and sweet, it is redolent of cinnamon and cloves.
- Elderflower: No, it does not taste identical to St. Germain, but is, rather, a little lighter, gently sweet and floral with hand-picked white elderflowers from around Lake Constance, which is situated between Switzerland, Austria and Germany.
- Pear: I’ve tasted a lot of pear liqueurs, from locally-made ones to those only found in Switzerland, Germany, etc… pür•likör williams is unusual not only in its almost lighter-than-air, delicate mouth feel, but in that it tastes just like fresh-pressed pears. It is my favorite of the three.

 

I sample dozens of spirits, wines, beers and beyond in any given month. If there are tasting events (and there are), then multiply that a few times. Here are the ones that rose above, recommends for everyday sipping (and beyond):

COCKTAILS

LOCANDA, 557 Valencia Street between 16th & 17th, 415-863-6800

I am sad not to see the talented Brian MacGregor running this bar (he originally built the program). Interim bar manager Eric Alperin launched Locanda’s bar program (the latest restaurant is from the owners of Delfina). As one of LA’s top bartenders (from one of LA’s best bars, The Varnish), he brings his classy precision to their short but rich cocktail menu.

Though there on my first visit, Alperin is already back in LA, and the bar is now being overseen by Michael Sager, formerly of Milk & Honey London. In the meantime, it’s a worthy stop for understated, elegant cocktails (all $10).

Smoke & Spice really lays on the peat from an Islay scotch float, while gin, Carpano Antica and citrus peel compose the drink. Go refreshing with Nona del Diavolo: rye, Strega, ginger, lime and seltzer on the rocks, topped with a cube of candied ginger. I’m ever pleased to see grappa on a cocktail menu. Here it’s in the Agro Uve with peach, lemon, egg and bitters for another refresher.

My second visit entailed La Bella Confusione (bartender’s choice), a classic Eastside, aromatic with fresh cucumber and mint. They mostly seem to focus on the classics in this category (a bartender suggested a Ward 8 and other classics I love but make frequently at home), while their short list of in-house specials is focused and appealing.

WHISKEY

TRYBOX Series of NEW MAKE AMERICAN WHISKIES

Thanks to Daniel Hyatt at the Alembic, I sampled Heaven Hill’s latest Trybox Series. Un-aged New Make American whiskies, they produced both a rye and a bourbon (or, rather, the same grain recipe, aka mashbill, as bourbon and rye but clear and un-aged).

I love the cask strength intensity of both, both fiery smoothness layered with flavor, particularly the bourbon mashbill with its nose of sweet corn and clean, cornfield taste. It’s the base for Heaven Hill bourbons like Evan Williams and Elijah Craig. New Make rye is is the same mashbill used to produce Rittenhouse Rye, spicy and fruity simultaneously.

Once again, Heaven Hill does it right.

COLONEL E.H. TAYLOR JR. OLD-FASHIONED SOUR MASH BOURBON

Danny Louie, bartender extraordinaire (also launching an Asian food truck, TomKat), turned me on to the new Colonel E.H. Taylor Bourbon at the Alembic recently. Allocated (in the spirits world, this means few bottles set aside for specific bars and shops on a limited basis due to low production and/or high demand), this is a limited-edition bourbon. If you can get your hands on a bottle, it is delightful.

Bourbon Blog deems it “serious, full flavor”, saying “If a glass of ‘Bold Bourbon Pie’ existed, this could be it.” I’d have to agree: it’s bold, rich, yet surprisingly smooth, redolent of oak, spice and candied apple. Go now to Alembic and order a pour ($14) before it’s gone.

TEQUILA

ALQUIMIA

At Taste of Tamales & Tequila By the Bay, I was quite busy judging cocktails over a four hour period. But in between, I made a beeline for tequila tables I was unfamiliar with.

Alquimia is an organic, family-owned tequila that impressed immediately.

Their anejo and blanco secured gold medals in the SF World Spirits Competition, though the entire line is worth trying. Their brand new extra anjeo, as well as their anejo, surprise with a light body but layers of complexity and taste, both unusual anejos. The blanco and reposado are equally clean and bright.

Purchase at Blackwells or order a pour at Tommy’s or Colibri.

I sample dozens of spirits, wines, beers and beyond in any given month. If there are tasting events (and there are), then multiply that a few times. I am working on perfecting spitting… and, yes, some tastes rise above others. Here, I share three (or less) sips in varying categories that rose above others:

COCKTAILS

ALEMBIC, -  Alembic‘s Georgia Mud Squid ($11) may not be the best drink I’ve ever had at one of my favorite bars, but besides a delightfully silly name, the arrival of a cocktail with flaming peanut shell floating on top is the worth the price of admission. What hits you first is a whole mess of corn from its corn whiskey base, followed by black tea, lemon and a splash of pine cone liquor adding refreshing dimension.

WHISKEY

MICHTER’S – Though I appreciate Michter’s American Whiskey, what I really take to is their black pepper, caramel-laden Rye, and sweet-but-dry Bourbon (both around $45).

At Wine Enthusiast’s Toast of the Town last week, I sipped their spicy, layered 10-year Bourbon (around $80). This one is special. A welcome, upper mid-range bourbon option.

WINE

Under $20 – everyday drinking:

Esporao Reserva White 2009 – Redolent of oak, spice and peach, creamy with a touch of acidity on the palate, Esporao gets it right with their reserva white. And their entire line of Portuguese wines: from balanced reds and bright whites to playful animal label artwork by a female Portuguese artist. At Wine Enthusiast’s Toast of the Town, I tasted through eight of their delightful wines.

Rocca della Macie 2006 Roccato - Ah, those Super Tuscans. Transporting me back to days driving around Tuscany through medieval wine towns, this 2006 Roccato is 50% Sangiovese/50% Cab, bold with tobacco and oak but dry, refined and meat-friendly.

Sawbuck Malbec 2008 ($10), Yolo County – This California red is 76% Malbec, 19% Cab, 5% Syrah. What makes Sawbuck playful is its Gold Rush-era label and a name that was slang for the US $10 bill when first created (bearing the Roman numeral X, the shape of a sawhorse, aka sawbuck).

It worked for me with BBQ and pizza, a low-priced pour redolent of berries and vanilla but not too heavy-handed.

SAKE

PURE DAWN – Available to taste at this year’s Wine Enthusiast Toast of the Town, Pure Dawn is a food-friendly sake with floral, orange peel notes and that apple/pear crispness you get from some Junmai Ginjo sakes. At roughly $15 for a small bottle and around $35 for a large, it’s an elegant sake from Akita, Japan.

3/26 WHISKIES of the WORLD

There’s always fine pours to be had at the (12th) annual Whiskies of the World, a.k.a. WoW, particularly from smaller distilleries. Bourbon, rye, scotch, Japanese and Irish whiskies all flow freely. As I said in my coverage last year when it was held at Hotel Nikko, the downside was tight, body-to-body crowds. This year, that was remedied in the still packed but ample space of the SF Belle.

Classes and panels are a highlight at WoW, though this year there was some confusion about where they were held since most were actually on a neighboring boat. But the riverboat setting with cigar pairings, smoking deck, Bushmills rousing pipe and drum band, and convivial spirit set it apart among whisky events.

1. Whiskies on a boat

A little bit Reno and a whole lot of Mississippi, Hornblower’s SF Belle evokes a classic riverboat with pleasingly dated kitsch in casino-reminiscent carpeting and gold brass. As our docked home for the 5-10:30pm event, climbing aboard for dinner and whiskies was transporting. The dispersion of buffet dinner on the bottom floor, spirits on second and third levels, and cigar bar on the top deck, allowed for proper flow and plenty of diversions. Though walking up and down steep steps on a gently rocking boat while whisk(e)y tasting could be hazardous (and was for some), it certainly was great exercise.

2. Small, craft distillers

Whiskyfest may have more whiskies and all those special pours (like 30 and 40 year old scotches during VIP hour), but WoW showcases (alongside bigger names) smaller distillers that may not be able to afford a booth at Whiskyfest, like Corsair out of Nashville, or Bend Distillery in Bend, OR. This year I noticed newer Northern California distillers making white whisky or rye, like Petaluma-based Wylie Howell Spirits or Fog’s End near Salinas. Award-winners like Copper Fox from Virginia had unaged versions of their rye and single malt alongside the aged product. Distillers showcased latest releases of established product. As ever, I take pleasure in sipping the latest from local treasures like Old World Spirits (try their rye or brandy!), or returning to Prichard’s for delightful rum or double barrel bourbon.

There were a few fine cocktails on hand during the event from the likes of the Bon Vivants and Rye on the Road. Jon Gasparini of Rye served his frothy, bright Royal Warrant with a peaty punch from Laphroaig 10yr scotch, balanced by Earl Grey syrup, lemon, egg whites, kumquat bitters and bergamot zest.

3. Cigars on the top deck

Here’s the magic you can’t get at any indoor drinking event in California: on the riverboat’s top deck was an open air cigar bar replete with stunning views of the water, Bay Bridge and city skyline. Sure, cigars ran out early (complimentary, thanks to Rocky Patel — though I fear some attendees did not play fair, as I saw guys walking by with six in their coat pocket). But some of us shared, reveling in the crisp night air and twinkling lights before heading back for more whisk(e)y tasting.

11/17 Indy Spirits Expo

This year’s Indy Spirits Expo was much improved since last year’s inaugural year, though crammed into the cool, brick-walled nightclub space of The Mighty. This event offers one of the better opportunities I’ve seen to sample everything from cachaca and pisco, to absinthe and eaux de vie, all in one room, among the best small batch spirits happening in the US and a few places beyond.

Many favorites you’ve heard me write about were there, like the great St. George, Charbay, Craft Distillers, and more recent greats like Old World Spirits and Don Pilar. Outside of Northern California’s riches, there were my Midwest faves like North Shore Distillery and Death’s Door, plus Oregon delight, Bend Distillery. Amidst a can’t-go-wrong line-up, here are just a handful of highlights:

- St. George did it again with a couple special behind-the-table pours, my number one being a brilliant eau de vie infused with fresh Dungeness crabs. I saw photos of a still filled with crabs, smelled the briney-sea whiff that emanated from the pour, relishing the crabby goodness that screamed Bloody Mary. No complaints about the other pour from the masters of liquid experimentation, an eau de vie infused with seaweed.

- Charbay brought some special hand-marked bottles filled with straight-from-the-keg whiskeys, including the ravishing 12yr whiskey I’ve told you about before in my Guardian column: their incomparable Release II whiskey, just aged another 6 years.

- Old World Spirits poured their latest releases of the gorgeous Indian Blood Peach and Poire Williams (Pear) eau de vie, plus their luxurious Walnut Liqueur. Take a thoroughly different gin route and try their Blade gin aged (called Rusty Blade) in a special, only-through-K&L Wines bottling. Technically you might not be able to call it gin, but the same herbs that go into the regular Blade are aged like a whiskey for 13 months. The gin’s juniper and citrus expand with spice and oak for a truly unique expression (only 250 bottles made with a retail price of $59.99 – contact K&L before they’re all gone).

- A surprising new addition to the rum scene comes from Colorado, of all places: Montanya Rum. It is sweeping up Gold and Silver medal awards the last two years since inception in esteemed places like San Francisco World Spirits Competition. I prefer the light rum Platino to the Oro dark rum, as the former is crisp and clean, nuanced with almond, oak, coffee and vanilla.

- A newcomer, Novo Fogo, ups the cachaça game bringing a 100% organic, gluten-free cachaça to the table. The aged Gold version is reminiscent of a bourbon or a rum, but I prefer the clean Silver, as I get more of those sugarcane cachaça properties, with hints of sea salt, citrus, and sweet peppers.

11/16 Single Malt Extravaganza

I wasn’t sure what to expect at the Single Malt Extravaganza this week at the Intercontinental Hotel, with welcome giveaway of Romeo y Julieta and Monte Cristo cigars as take home treats. Despite the lack of rare pours and master distillers present you get at Whiskyfest or Whiskies of the World Expo, you also (thankfully) get civilized, minimal crowds at Single Malt Extravaganza. I was able to flow, take my time with sips, and cover the whole room easily in two hours.

Though most pours were merely re-visits for me, as there wasn’t a lot I hadn’t tasted before, there were a couple special pours that truly wowed.

The highlight came in the members-only line of whiskies from The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (the co-host of the event along with Robb Report). Mostly from single casks and at cask strength, their rare bottlings are truly unique. I was relishing all five they had on offer this event. Cask No. 123.5 is an 8yr Southwest Highlands scotch described as “feisty but fun”. I loved the heavy marmalade, cinnamon toast overtones, rounded out with salty caramel and rich woods. But the one I couldn’t stop thinking about and returned to during the evening was Cask No. 25.51. A Lowlands malt described as “cherry lips and bitter nuts”, this bright wonder unfolds with passion fruit, spiced honey, and layers of aromatic rose petals. A hint of smoke, grass and tobacco round out cherry, banana leaf notes. I’ve never tasted a scotch like it and could sip it all night. Though they recommended a splash of water since it’s cask strength, I preferred it neat.

I like the Society’s playful bottling descriptors (like “Gateway to Narnia” or “Apples and Hallowe’en”) and singular taste profiles. It’s tempting to become a member.

Spirit Imports/Classic Cask has not much more than 200 bottles left in the world of a brilliant 35-yr Classic Cask Rare Scotch Whisky. I lingered over this beauty awhile. A special millennium release in 2000, it blends 30 different scotches, aged 25 years each, then aged together for another 10 years. While the nose is rich with a buttery sherry from the Oloroso sherry casks it was aged in, the taste covers the gamut from rich butterscotch and oak, to dark chocolate and almonds.

Balvenie’s 21yr PortWood is an ideal after dinner imbibement. Fruity and dry on the nose, it tastes like a Highlands single malt until you get to the long finish of spiced vanilla and nuts, reminiscent of a cognac.

Value sip of the night was Glen Garioch, a small distiller from Eastern Highlands, whose Founder’s Reserve whisky retails around $45 and their 12yr around $60. The first is young, not a showstopper, but fruity with tart green apple and rhubarb, finished with butter cream. The latter hints of floral pears, sweet malt and banana with plenty of oaky notes.

COCKTAILS

Fall cocktails abound on menus around town but leave it to the artful hands behind the bar at Alembic to create a savory pumpkin drink (pumpkin being my most beloved taste of Fall).

Their Pumpkin V. 3.14 ($11) is made with Old Pogue bourbon, Old World Spirits walnut liqueur (which I recently wrote about in the Guardian’s FEAST food & drink issue), pumpkin juice (I watched them squeezing fresh juice from pumpkins), a tiny splash of mezcal and fresh grated nutmeg. Earthy, nutty, bright with the orange squash, this is a sophisticated drinkers’ Fall imbibement…

SCOTCH

For the second time I attended a special single malt tasting on 11/10 with Whiskies of the World Expo and Signatory, an independent bottler of rare single malts who hand-selects single casks from Scotch distilleries. These cask strength scotches are often unchilled and unfiltered, sold as unique expressions only through Signatory. In the swank City Club space, we sipped seven scotches (and one Blood & Sand cocktail) with hors d’ouevres robust enough to pair with scotch, like bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with chorizo.

Though there wasn’t a bad sip among them, I’ve highlighted my three favorites with tasting notes:
- Smokehead, 86 proof, Islay
- Kilchoman, 92 proof , Islay – I’m already a fan of the young but full-bodied Kilchoman, having written about it months before its release; I was delighted with this bracing, cask strength expression which had a hint of the earthy slate of a mezcal, plus a whisper of fire, especially with accompanying beef appetizer; $80

- Edradour 10 yr, 86 proof, Highland – Another brand I’ve enjoyed for years from the smallest distillery in Scotland, Edradour‘s special bottling evolved as the evening wore on; initially tasting of  sweet earth, dried fruit, nuts, it took on caramel spice notes reminiscent of a rich bourbon as I continued to sip; $60
- Highland Park, 18yr, 92 proof , Orkney
- Auchentoshan, 10 yr, 92 proof, Lowland
- Cragganmore, 92 proof, Speyside
- Ben Nevis, 18yr, cask strength, 112 proof, Highland – A surprising sweetness on the nose shows up in the raisin, sherry-like finish but spice, earthiness, balance it out; mellows as it rests; $150

You can purchase any of these through The Whiskey Shop on Sutter Street…