No US retailer maintains a single cask program at the level of K&L, though it does feel like even they have pulled back slightly. No doubt the math is more difficult than ever with increased shipping costs and the unpredictability of tariffs. Many of the casks K&L picks are cost effective and often with fairly minimal cask influence— you get your sherry bombs, but there are a lot of these “naked” malts from wonderful refill casks.

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Whisky: Tormore 13 Year (2010), Douglas Laing Cask DL17588 for K&L

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 48%

Cask: Refill Bourbon Hogshead

Age: 13 Years (Distilled 2010, Bottled 2024)

Notes: Fruity, malty, lively, and spirited— simple and refreshing with orchard fruits and digestif biscuits. Quince jelly and newly milled oak carried on with some youthful spirited pepper, vanilla, white flowers, and honey graham cookies. Medium-bodied and oily on the palate, the arrival was sweet with orchard fruits, loads of apples, honey, and vanilla as spirited pepper and more freshly milled lumber followed. Maltier notions sat further in the background, but were never absent, while the orchard fruits were always more apples than anything else. Herbal and grassy toward the end with wild mint, dandelion greens, and some fermented sour funk— a touch of boggy decay which gave it an old fashioned quality on occasion. The finish was medium-length with vanilla, apples, digestif biscuits, and just a kiss of spirited pepper—elements of the meadow, or bog, sat further in the background and did not always how.

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Score: 6 (77)

Mental Image: Napping under the Apple Tree

Conclusion: This was fine. Spirited and lively, the flavors were generally clear and well-defined with an occasional bit of funk at the end. It was a touch sweet for my taste, and I was surprised at how much the oak started to slide in with each sip. Perhaps a touch “anonymous Speyside,” though Tormore often toes that line.  Overall, a casual dram— I did not record the price for this one, but knowing K&L it was likely very affordable.