Make no mistake, Scarlet's standard Fernet is fantastic, but this barrel selection is on a whole different level. This K&L Exclusive Amaro immediately hits you on the palate with notes of fresh mint, sugar, vanilla, herbs, and licorice, tied up with a salty, slightly bitter finish. The Laphroaig cask adds the aforementioned salty note along with a subtle smoky note that balances this smooth amaro perfectly. Only a small quantity made, buy while you have the chance!

Look at this smile, oh right. You can't see me, well my picture is somewhere nearby look at that and my smile, the one I have on now is even bigger. This feels like more what I was originally expecting when I tried Scarlet's traditional Fernet, not that I came away disappointed before, but this is just wow. The nose is intense but alluring, I can't stop just going in deeper and deeper, trying to get ever more. There's mintiness, cola, medicinal herbs, and just so much going on, with this touch of that brine in the background. The palate is drier with just a little touch of heat, but really excellent bitterness that's fighting and pushing against the sugar the whole way, but the balance is impeccable this razor's edge brilliance with some chewy smoke in the background as it continues the long and inexorable finish. This is great, I love it, I'm going to marry it I love it so much (I'm kidding, Kristen) but yeah it's very good.

We’ve been following the work of Tatsuya “Moto” Motonaga for a few years now, and every time we check in on his Iseya Distillery, the story just gets better. We recently had the chance to visit Moto-san at his setup in Kanagawa, and let me tell you, this isn't your typical industrial operation. He built his distillery inside a repurposed 100-year-old house nestled near Lake Sagami (or “Sagami Loch” as he says on the label, in tribute to Scotland and the Japanese whiskies he so adores). Moto-san is a veteran of the Tokyo and Taipei bar scenes, having spent years behind the stick at legendary spots like BenFiddich and Bar-Hopping. He brings that obsessive bartender’s palate to everything he touches, farming over half of his own botanicals on-site to ensure the "shibui" - that perfect, understated elegance - is present in every bottle. Stepping into Moto-san’s private quarters is like entering a museum of bitterness. He maintains an incredible personal collection of vintage amari, with dusty bottles of mid-century Fernet and long-lost European liqueurs that serve as his liquid library. This deep respect for history informs every decision he makes, including the aesthetic. Moto-san actually designed and drew the label art himself; his intricate, hand-sketched illustrations reflect the same artisanal precision he applies to his precision blending. Since gentian is restricted in Japan, Moto-san has had to get creative to achieve that classic Fernet backbone. He uses a combination of chicory, aloe, and local roots to provide a bracing, clean bitterness that feels entirely new yet deeply familiar. For this K&L Exclusive Single Barrel, we lucked out while digging through the barrel house. While tasting some of his varietals aging in a variety of casks, including mizunara oak, some sherry and other wine casks, bourbon barrels, and more, we noticed one barrel he pointed out: his Fernet resting in an old Laphroaig cask. We knew IMMEDIATELY that this was the one for us. They wouldn’t turn it over right away, though, as it took a bit of persistent prodding (okay, maybe a little begging) to get him to agree to give us the whole thing. But we knew that the medicinal, alpine intensity of the Fernet meeting the maritime, iodine-soaked smoke of Islay was the ideal spiritual homecoming we wanted all to ourselves. Thankfully, we got it all. Now to the tasting notes: The nose is an absolute trip. You get the immediate blast of menthol and spearmint you expect from a great Fernet, but it is quickly enveloped by a sweet cloud of cold campfire smoke and a hint of salty sea air. There are layers of medicinal herbs, licorice root, and a faint, sweet hint of Okinawan raw sugar. On the palate, the texture is oily and coating. The initial bitterness of the chicory and aloe is beautifully tempered by the spicy-sweet angelica and galangal, and further ensconced by the Laphroaig cask, which brings notes of vanilla, toasted oak, and just the lightest wisp of that savory, first-aid kit peatiness that lingers perfectly. The finish is epic, trailing off with a long, cooling mintiness and a ghostly whisper of Islay smoke. This is a must-have for the amaro geeks and the peat-heads alike, and I promise you, will not last long. This is a one-off for the ages.