Summer’s nearly over, and in some ways it feels a little like we didn’t even have one. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had some good weather the last few weeks, and while life has returned to a relative normal, the city feels eerily quiet since the June floods. That is all about to change however, as its only a little more than a week now until kids return to school, and Calgarians begin closing up their cottages for the summer.
Those Calgarians with a taste for whisky will return to town to find some new drams on the shelf and some exciting new tastings. Our fall tasting schedule will go on line here: https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php on Tuesday September 3rd. While the full list is still a bit more than a week away, and we aren’t yet taking registrations, there are a couple of tasting I can’t wait to spill the beans on. First up is a Jura tasting with the enigmatic Wee Willie Tait on Tuesday September 17th. The short statured duirach makes up for his size with his larger than life personality. This incredibly entertaining ambassador for the Jura distillery, with a sharp with and even sharper tongue will guide us through a range of whiskies including the new 1977 vintage and 30 year old bottling. More info the Jura tasting and these whiskies can be found below.
Later in September, Friday September 27th to be specific, we are honoured to welcome Jim McEwan of Bruichladdich fame to a tasting at Kensington Wine Market on . Jim McEwan is a legend in the Scotch whisky industry having led the effort to revive the fortunes at Bruichladdich distillery, and having served as the longtime distillery manager at Bowmore. Jim will guide our guests through a selection of new Bruichladdichs, as well as a few bottlings which are to be pulled from the market. The distillery recently sold and the new owners and brand managers have decided to cut back on the number of expressions in Alberta. We’ve just brought in the new Cuvee range (which is very good) and it won’t be here for long. Below you will find tasting notes on some of the Bruichladdich expressions which will no longer be available in the months ahead, including the new Cuvees.
There is news on the Macallan front as well. Brand Ambassador Dan Volway was here in July to put on a tasting of the new 1824 Collection. Facing the pressures of increased demand and insufficient stocks Macallan has withdrawn its age statement expressions from the Canadian market. We have limited quantities of the 18 year and other aged Macallans still available to us. I’ve provided some details on the departing Macallans as well as my own tasting notes on the 1824 Collection below. The new range has been greeted with some criticism, but the whiskies are good, far better than I expected, and I encourage everyone to approach them with an open mind.
I’ve also written detailed tasting notes on some of our new Japanese whiskies, specifically those tasted at the Last Samurai tasting in July. We have some incredible expressions from Karuizawa as well as four new Nikka single casks. All of them very limited. And we’ve added a Last Samurai Part 2 tasting for early September, where we will sample some other new and exciting Japanese whiskies. Further into the Malt Messenger you will also find tasting notes on a pair of new Signatories exclusive in Alberta to KWM, and the newly available whiskies from Wemyss Malts.
Finally, if you follow me on Twitter, www.twitter.com/scotch_guy you may have come accross the following hashtag: #BowmoreOnTheRockies . I’ve been longing to put on a epic tasting of the Bowmore 1964 Trilogy (Black, White and Gold Bowmores), and I’ve finally managed to get the ball rolling. Rolling may be an understatement, the event is virtually sold out, with just a handful of spots remaining. Details on Bowmore on the Rockies can be found below, as well as on my website: http://fergusonwhiskytours.com/bowmoreontherockies/
I’m off for the next week, but my Whisky Padawan Hunter Sullivan is back. I hope you had yourselves a great summer, and that this newsletter finds you well.
Slainte!
Andrew Ferguson
Kensington Wine Market
PS- PS – Don’t forget you can follow me on twitter www.twitter.com/scotch_guy and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/scotch.guy.1
www.kensingtonwinemarket.com
www.fergusonwhiskytours.com
Glenglassaugh 1972 KWM Sherry Cask
ON SALE FOR THE SUMMER!
This single cask bottling of Glenglassaugh was selected by and bottled for our store because it is an exceptional example of a nearly 40 year old whisky…..
$699.99 Regular
$524.99 Special Price
Whisky Advent Calendar
Pre-Order Yours Before They Are All Gone!
Behind each of the 24 doors is a different 30ml sample of delicious whisky! Behind one a sample of 50 year old Scotch, the full-sized bottle of which is worth $600! Exclusive to KWM in Canada!
$299.99
BenRiach 1983 KWM Cask 298 29 Year
Only 18 bottles left of our stunning exclusive cask!
This 1983 vintage 29 Year old BenRiach cask is a steal at just over $200. The angels were greedy with this one, sapping the strength down to just 44.2%. Very creamy with loads of tropical fruits.
$205.99
Ardbeg’s Ardbog Running Low & Won’t Last Long!
Limited Edition
Rreleased to celebrate Ardbeg Day 2013. This 10 year old limited edition expression has been matured in Ex-Bourbon and Manzanilla sherry casks before bottling at 52.1%.
$119.99
In This Edition
1. Our KWM Benromach Casks
2. New Japanese Whiskies Tasted
3. The Last Samurai Part 2
4. Two New Exclusives from Signatory
5. A Pair of New Older Juras & a Tasting with Willie Tait
6. Kentucky Bourbon Tour in 2014
7. Macallan Coming and Going
8. Bruichladdich The Times They Are a Changing
9. Introducing New Whiskies From Wemyss
10. Bowmore on the Rockies
OUR KWM BENROMACH CASKS
Already 1/4 Sold!
Our sibling Benromach casks have been well received this summer, with a 5th of each having sold over the summer months. There really are tremendous value with both being cask strength (curiously an identical cask strength of 60.4%) and under $85. The whiskies are also from the same cask type, First Fill Ex-Bourbon, with one being a 9 year old distilled in 2004 and the other an 8 year old from 2005. The 2004 is creamy with some nice citrus and chocolate, the younger of the two, the 2005, was made with peated malt and has some similar notes as well as a nice clean smokiness. Don’t let their youth fool you, these are deep, complex and mature tasting whiskies.
1. Benromach 2004 KWM Cask 246 – 60.4% – 9 Year – 1st Fill Bourbon Barrel – 258 Bottles – My Tasting Note: “Nose: very creamy and grassy with celery, toasted coconut chips, honey dew melon and orange slices; doughy with a faint hint of peat and juicy malt; Palate: loads of honey, cream, fruits and malt; there are both citrus and soft melon fruit notes with vanilla milk shake and sweet chewy malt; though more than 60% alcohol the spirit is soft and smooth; Finish: lingering, sweet and malty with more melon notes, late dried orange and vanilla/honey; Comments: proof positive you can have a very complex whisky at a young age!” – $84.99
2. Benromach 2005 KWM Cask 126 – 60.4% – 8 Year – 1st Fill Bourbon Barrel – 245 Bottles – My Tasting Note: “Nose: very malty and chewy with honey and clean wood smoke; there is some orange peel and a hint of chocolate with aloe like vegetal notes and a trace of cantaloupe; Palate: sweet, smoky and slightly salty to start; honey, chocolate, orange peels and big chewy malt quickly follow; there are notes of melon and white fruits under the smoke, malt and big honeyed oak; peat and chocolate are the last elements to come to the party; Finish: juicy and sweet with soft peat smoke honey and malt; Comments: this is a Benromach for Islay drinkers and those wanting to dip their toes into peatier waters!” – $82.49
Feel free to drop in to the store to taste our Benromach casks and decide for yourself which one you prefer.
NEW JAPANESE WHISKIES
TASTED AT THE LAST SAMURAI PART I
If you are a patron of our shop or regularly read the Malt Messenger you’ll know we’ve built an excellent little collection of Japanese whiskies. We do our best to get our hands on everything we can from Nikka single casks to bottlings from the closed Karuizawa distillery and the latest expressions from Ichiro Akuto’s new Chichibu Distilery west of Tokyo. I’d sorely love to stock some Suntory whiskies like Yamazaki, Hakushu and Hibiki, but for now we’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed.
A couple weeks after the flood waters had abated in July we held The Last Samurai tasting at the Kensington Wine Market with a truly incredible range of Japanese whiskies from Karuizawa, Yoichi, Miyagikyo as well as Coffey still whiskies from the Nikka Whisky Co. It was easily one of the best tastings of the year, which also showcased photos from the first half of my whisky tour of Japan in May. Here are the tasting notes on those whiskies:
1. Karuizawa Asama -46% – 12 Year – Ex-Sherry European Oak – The name Asama comes from the active volcanic mountain in who’s shadows the distillery is built. – My Tasting Note: Nose: nutty, earthy and leathery; there is a touch of Nutella, clove, burnt orange, struck matches and citric malt; layers of honey and toasted oak; Palate: sweet, nutty and toasty with some firm spice, leather and even a touch of tobacco; honey baked ham with cloves; raisins, dates, figs and burnt bacon; possibly a touch of sulphur (struck matches), but not enough to ruin it; Finish: leathery and fruity with spicy chocolate, brown sugar and more honey glazed ham w/ cloves. – $109.99
2. Nikka Miyagikyo 2002 – 62% – 9 Year – Cask No. 101127 – Refill Sherry Butt – Distilled: 12/13/2002 – Bottled: 7/4/2012 – My Tasting Note: Nose: thick, creamy and perfumed; big juicy malt, honey and mint with milk chocolate; crisp green apple, Demerara sugars, nougat and intense but rounded floral top notes; Palate: big, chewy and punchy; more nougat, loads of honey, candied apple, more Demerara and hints of dark fruits; thick creamy oak, juicy barley and subtly leathery sherry notes; the spices are a little hot but decadent and tingling with traces of minty milk chocolate; Finish: coating, creamy and fruity; soft toasted oak, tingling mint and smooth milk chocolate; very long, floral and layered. – $268.99 *Only 6 left!?
3. Nikka Coffey Malt 1998 – 58% – 12 Year – Cask No. 218774 – American Oak – Distilled: 9/19/1998 – Bottled: 7/6/2012 – My Tasting Note: Appearance: I don’t normally dwell on this, but it is so dark for American oak! Nose: soft, creamy and chewy; honey comb, coconut icing, juicy California orange, aloe-like floral tones and Scottish Tablet; very Bourbon-like, soft like Marker’s Mark; Palate: big and Bourbony on the palate this is one very sweet dram; white grape juice, liquid honey, canned pineapples and huge Demerara notes; molasses, almost like an El Dorado rum; becomes more floral with white chocolate Hershey’s Kisses as it settles down; Finish: long, creamy, toasty and floral with hints of pineapple, Bourbon and Demerara rum. – $264.99
4. Nikka Coffey Grain 2000 – 63% – Cask No. 231198 – Distilled: 11/9/2000 – Bottled: 7/5/2012 – My Tasting Note: “Nose: very doughy, cookies & cream, soft toasty oak and cooked raisins; loads of honey, reminiscent of Sauternes wine on the nose and big American oak whiskies; Palate: very honeyed and toasty, floral with loads of oily grain; syrupy and spicy like a straight rye whisk(e)y ; becomes darker, more leathery and peppery with strong notes of clove; Finish: drying and toasty sweet with more honey, bright grain and peppery spices. – $246.99
5. Karuizawa 1984 – 59.3% – 28 Year – Cask No. 7975 – Maured in a Shery Butt – Distilled in 1984 – Bottled in 2012 – My Tasting Note: Nose: “dark chocolate shaving, Christmas cake, leather, tobacco and all the best classic sherry cask elements; brown and Demerara sugars, polished mahogany and a well-worn leather cigar humidor; the dried spices show last, with aromas reminiscent of an Indian spice market; Palate: oh so rich, elegant and smooth; the flavours come in waves: dried fruits, dark chocolate shavings, old musty oak, new leather wallet, Cuban cigars and dark earthy spices (clove, fennel and allspice); very well balanced with loads of depth and complexity; Finish: long, rich and still elegant with more chocolate, dried fruits, tobacco and leather: seems to be a theme in this whisky! – $403.99 – SOLD OUT!
6. Karuizawa 1969 42 Year – 61.3% – Cask No. 8183 – “400L ex-Bourbon CasK” (something smells wrong here-including the whisky: Bourbon? Really?) – Distilled: December 1969 – Bottled: August 2012 – My Tasting Note: “Nose: very woody, oak shavings, cedar shakes, cigar boxes and softened old leather; rum raisin pudding, burnt butter, hard toffee and melted brown sugar; there are some notes of melon and other tropical fruits too and surprisingly a little malt; Palate: very toasty and oaky with more wood shavings and musty old oak; there is some underlying vanilla extract, more hard toffee, coffee beans, a hint of clean wood smoke and floral honey; its becomes more spicy, leathery and darker while retaining its softness; the fruit is still there: rum raisin and melons with the addition of strawberry licorice; Finish: both drying and coating, the oak is showing its age but this is not over the hill; it finishes in a flourish of creamy oak, melons and fading sugars; Comment: I must admit I am not familiar with 400L Bourbon casks, didn’t think they were possible, and given Karuizawa almost exclusively used sherry casks this whisky is an oddity. Is it truly American oak or a mislabeled ex-European oak whisky? When I first sampled it I would have said European oak, now I’m not so sure! Never the less it is a lovely, rare and very collectible whisky. – $1176.49
7. Nikka Yoichi 1989 – 60% – 23 Year – Cask No. 206497 – Recharred Hogshead – Distilled: 2/13/1989 – Bottled 9/21/2012 – Heavily Peated – My Tasting Note: Nose: meaty, honeyed and malty to start; ripe melons, Sunkist oranges, ocean seasoned creosote covered piers and steamed mussels; the nose is layered but understated; after some time candied nuts emerge as well as white chocolate; Palate: the oily peat and chewy malt roll onto the palate and cling on for dear life; very medicinal and maritime with notes of tar and creosote; under the peat reek layers of spice, floral notes and vanilla cream struggle to get loose; smooth caramel and chcocolate espresso beans make a late appearance; Finish: maritime, peaty, salty and oily with some salty fish on the one hand, but also honeyed oak, melon and white fruits. Comment: lots of layers to this one, even with the huge peat influence. – $293.99 – Only 4 left!
Feel free to drop in to the store to taste our Benromach casks and decide for yourself which one you prefer.
THE LAST SAMURAI PART II
Thursday September 12th – $50
I will be the first to admit that my enthusiasm sometimes gets the best of me. I have conceived of this tasting for the summer, and planned it with little more than a week’s notice. Well suffice to say I had to postpone it. We’ve rescheduled this tasting for the 12th of September.
My recent whisky trip to Japan left me with a treasure trove of photos and insight into one of the world’s lesser known whisky producers. We are proud to offer North America’s largest selection of Japanese whiskies at Kensington Wine Market, and when it came time to putting on July’s Last Samurai tasting it quickly became apparent we had too many photos and too many whiskies to limit ourselves to just one tasting. The Last Samurai Part 2 will consist of four whiskies from the Chichibu distillery, as well as others from Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries. This event is sure to delight, and not leave you feeling Lost in Translation!
To sign up for this tasting please call the store at 403-283-8000 or register online at: https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php
TWO NEW EXCLUSIVES FROM SIGNATORY
Teaninich 1983 & Dalmore 1990
Signatory Vintage is one of my favourite independent bottlers, we had a number of great single cask whiskies from them over the years, up to and including a pair of 40 year old Bowmores. Our latest offerings from Signatory include a 29 year sherry matured Teaninich for less than $200 and a very sherried first fill 22 year old Dalmore. The Teaninich is one of the better bottlings I’ve had from that distillery, though it has to be said I haven’t seen too many. The Dalmore is an even rarer single cask, let alone independent bottlings, I’ve only ever had two others in the shop and this one is a classic.
1. Signatory Dalmore 1990 22 Year – 57.1% – Sherry Butt – Distilled: 11/09/1990 – Bottled: 10/04/2013 – 55 Total Bottles – My Tasting Note: Nose: classic Christmas cake sherry notes, molasses, chocolate and candied orange slices; very fruity with soft leather and hints of tobacco, mangoes and papaya; Palate: big spice, bigger fruit, lovely round chocolate and fine cigar tobacco; this is the kind of Dalmore I’d like to see bottled more often… meaty, round and unleashed; earthy oak, more Christmas cake, Dutch licorice, candy coal, soft old leather and big dried dark fruit; Finish: fruity, spicy and leathery with old earthy oak; classic older European oak. – $187.99
2. Signatory Teaninich 1983 29 Year – 57.5% – Refill Sherry Butt – Distilled: 07/12/1983 – Bottled: 04/04/2013 – 471 Total Bottles – My Tasting Note: Nose: red and white fruits: apples, pears, strawberries and raspberries in white chocolate; more exotic tropical fruits start to emerge with mango and cantaloupe; Palate: creamy and toasty with more spice than expected; the white and red fruits are still there along with melon, floral notes and sturdy oak; clove and anise develop with burnt fruits, a hint of smoke and earthy leather; Finish: fruity, spicy and toasty with lingering earthy leather. – $191.99
A PAIR OF OLDER JURAS & WEE WILLIE TAIT
Jura 30 Year & the Jura 1977 Vintage
Our Fall tasting schedule doesn’t go online until Tuesday September 3rd, just two weeks before the very entertaining Wee Willie Tait graces our store for the third straight year. Regardless of the whiskies, if you’ve never been to a Willie Tait tasting, you owe it to yourself to make this one. Willie will fill us in on the myths and lore surrounding the lonely whisky isle of Jura while ably guiding us through a range of at least 7 Juras including the new 1977 vintage and 30 year old. Speaking of the 1977 and 30 year old, they’ve just landed and are now available for purchase. My own tasting notes will follow in September!
1. Jura 30 Year: Camas an Staca
- 44% – The whiskies name is a reference to the largest standing stone on the island. This 12 foot 3000 year old obelisk is the sole remaining standing stone from what was once a stone circle. – Matured in American Oak before finishing for three years in Oloroso Sherry Butts from Gonzalez Byass. Distillers: Tasting Note: Nose: The seductive nuances of sandalwood, tuberose, lime and spicy patchouli soon usher in hints of vanilla, Java coffee, tangerine and crushed Ogen melon. Whispers of sea spray, spicy apple and honeyed figs linger in the background. Taste: Fleshy oranges, tangy liquorice, coconut and sweet pineapple are followed by orange rind, black cherries, dark toffee and sun dried raisins. – Very limited in Aberta! – $509.99
2. Jura 1977: Ju Ar: The Yew Tree – 46% – 498 Total Bottles – Matured in 3 First Fill Bourbon Barrels before finishing in a Ruby Port Pipe for 12 months. – Whisky is presented in a solid oak box made by renowned Scottish cabinet maker John Galvin. – Distillers Tasting Note: Nose: Subtle notes of peach melba, creamy caramel, ripe sweet pineapple and maple syrup. Taste: Prolonged sensations of crushed pear, passion fruit, kiwi and sweet apricots. – Exclusive to KWM in Alberta – Only 5 bottles – $879.99
KENTUCKY BOURBON TOUR
2014
I’ve been to Scotland a dozen times or so, and recently to Japan and Taiwan; all in the name of whisky. A visit to Kentucky and the Bourbon Trail is long past due. So to correct this scenario I’m planning a tour of Kentucky’s finest for early in 2013. I haven’t fixed on a date yet, but it may look something like this.
We’ll spend our nights in Louisville hitting some of its best whiskey bars after spending the days touring the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. We will make stops at Buffalo Trace, Four Roses, Maker’s Mark, Woodford Reserve, Wild Turkey and more. The tour price will include accommodation, distilleries and ground transportation in Kentucky. Participants must make their own flight arrangements.
If this is something which might interest you, please drop me a note.
• Estimated tour price based on four days and five nights.
• Estimated Price – 3 Participants = $1789.00 CDN
• Estimated Price – 5 or more Participants = $1735.00 CDN
• Estimate Price – 7 or more Participants = $1579.00 CDN
• Actual price will be determined once the level of interest is determined and dates are fixed.
MACALLAN COMING & GOING!
Enter the 1824 Collection – Exit the Aged Expressions
The Macallan’s matured stocks of whiskies are under a lot of pressure. Demand for Macallan in Asia and other markets is such that the distillery can no longer supply the global demand for brands like Macallan 12, 18 and 25. What to do? Raise prices? Restrict allocations? Pull the brand from certain markets? For almost a year now we’ve known that Macallan would be pulling all of its age statement whiskies from the shelves in Canada, and that they would be phasing out their Fine Oak range altogether. The first whisky to disappear was the Fine Oak 21 Year; it will be followed by the 12 and 18 year olds from the Sherry Matured range and the 10 and 15 year olds from the Fine Oak series this fall. Kensington Wine Market is down to the last dozen bottles of Macallan 18 and some of those are already spoken for. Exactly how long supplies of the 12 year and Fine Oak 10 and 15 will last is unknown. Curiously, we managed to put our hands on 60 bottles of the Fine Oak 17 year. The first dozen of these disappeared from the shop this week. We can only get 48 more. Suffice to say, if these drams are some of your staples, now is the time to stock up on them.
The news is not all doom and gloom however, as there will always be Macallan in the market. A few weeks back we held a tasting here at the Kensington Wine Market with Macallan Brand Ambasador Dan Volway. With the proceeds going to a Calgary flood related charity, we sampled through the new 1824 Collection as well as the 1824 Duty Free Collection which Dan contributed from his own personal collection. The whiskies are good, and showed far better than I expected, but are not without controversy.
The four whiskies in the 1824 collection: Gold, Amber, Sienna and Ruby are named for their colours, all of which are natural. None of the whiskies have age statements and their names have prompted some mockery with the range being euphemistically referred to as “Crayola Whisky” and the “Stripper Collection” to note just a few. The bottom line is this, stocks of Macallan are tight, and as has been demonstrated by many other distilleries, age is no guarantor of quality. Young whiskies can have a lot of character, think Kilchoman, Kavalan or Amrut. Macallan believes that they can more consistently bottle good quality single malt whiskies and better supply the demand, if they are freed from the constraint of age statements.
My tasting notes on the whisky follow below. We have sample bottles of the Gold, Amber and Sienna in store for sampling and all three on the shelf for sale. Ruby will be available early in the fall. Change is often greeted with suspicion and fear; I encourage everyone to try the Macallan 1824 Collection with an open mind and objective palate. Decide for yourself if the new Macallans are worthy of your whisky dollars.
1. Macallan Gold – 40% – Mostly 2nd Fill American Oak Ex-Sherry Casks – My Tasting Note: “Nose: honey, toffee, browning apple, lemon drops and citric candies; some brown sugar emerges with new leather and Strawberry Twizzlers; Palate: sweet, honeyed and malty with some white and citrus fruits; lots of creamy oak notes, juicy oranges and floral-grassy-malt; Finish: honeyed, malty and toasty with candy apple and more waxy Stawberry Twizzlers; Comment: sweet and youthful but very pleasant. – $63.99
2. Macallan Amber – 40% – Mostly 2nd Fill European Oak Ex-Sherry Casks – My Tasting Note: “Nose: nutty and leathery with fleshy red fruits, wet leaves, chocolate and candied fruit; marmalade, hard orange candies and pipe tobacco; Palate: nutty, leathery and earthy with dark chocolate shavings, more pipe tobacco and Panda Brand Black Licorice; cinnamon hearts, cardamom and candied ginger join the party with candied fruit, musty-earthy-oak and wet leaf litter; Finish: drying with firm leather, more pipe tobacco and memories of moms aged Christmas cake; Comment: very smooth and complex with strong sherry notes and a big mouthfeel. – $83.99
3. Macallan Sienna – 43% – First Fill American Oak Ex-Sherry – My Tasting Note: “Nose: leather seats in a high-end sports car; fruit leather, dried dark fruit, fresh oak, apple crumble, dark milk chocolate and melons; Palate: big, round and fruity with layers of spice, leather, chocolate and vanilla cream; candied orange and dried orange peel, candied ginger and melons under a blanket of the finest leather and chocolate covered espresso beans; lots of layers and good depth with some clove, anise and tobacco showing later; Finish: leathery and fruity with a base of creamy oak and some tingling spice; good length; Comment: good, but how much better could this be at 46%! – $159.99
4. Macallan Ruby – 43% – Spends the longest time in the barrel of the entire 1824 range with a high proportion of First Fill European Oak Ex-Sherry casks – My Tasting Note: “Nose: dark chocolate, well worked leather, macerated raisins and dates; brown and Demerara sugars with cigar tobacco, mellons and some mango; Palate: big, fruity and smooth with the finest leather and Cuban cigars; premium dark chocolate, candied cherries and treacle sauce with candied orange slices; round and lush with notes of cantaloupe, honey dew and freshly sliced mango; Finish: smooth dark chocolate, treacle sauce and Christmas cake with more cigar tobacco and smooth leather; Comment: my favourite in the lineup, this is a whisky for pairing with a big heavy cigar! – $TBA
We have limited stock of the following Macallans:
1. Macallan 12 Year – $69.99
2. Macallan 18 Year – $175.99 + GST *Less than 12 Bottles Left
3. Macallan Fine Oak 10 Year – $54.99
4. Macallan Fine Oak 15 Year – $104.99 *Only 3 left!
5. Macallan Fine Oak 17 Year – Not only was it a complete surprise that this came back, as it was dropped from the range well over a year ago, but the price dropped by a 3rd. We were selling this for over $100. We only have access to 60 bottles, and the first dozen have already sold. – $74.99
BRUICHLADDICH THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGING
Bruichladdich Cuvees We’ve Only Just Met You & a Jim McEwan Visit September 27th!
As with Macallan, there have been some significant changes at Bruichladdich in the last year. The distillery was bought from its private owners by Remy Cointreau for an enormous sum. After years of concerns over the financial health of the distillery, its owners and backers had the last laugh. The new owners have also changed representation in Canada, to put the brand in the hands of the same firm that represents their Cognac and other products.
What does this mean for the consumer, it is hard to say. From a retailers perspective the Bruichladdich of old was a blessing and a curse. They had some great whiskies and many of their products had a great buzz about them. But then there was the brand’s proliferation. Starting with 3 core whiskies the expressions seemed to expand exponentially over the years so that by 2010, they had as many as 25+ different whiskies available in Alberta at varying peat levels and with an astounding range of flavour profiles. Some of the whisky was great, most was good, but some just didn’t cut it. Bruichladdich had lost its identity with a bewildering range of products, we had to caution customers that just because they liked one expression, didn’t mean the next would be anything like it. Well the new owners and Alberta representatives are rationalizing the brand down to just four skus. These will rotate from time to time, but the days of 20+ different Bruichladdichs on store shelves in Alberta are a thing of the past. Fans of the Laddie, may want to stock up…
We recently brought in the newest Cuvee range, which we will feature at a tasting with Jim McEwan on Friday September 27th (save the date). Tickets for that tasting will go on sale on the 3rd! I really enjoy this range of whiskies, but of course have my favourites… The Cuvee 407 PX is superb, especially for fans of sherry cask whisky! The other two are also very well put together with lots of layers and complexity! These have just come in, but won’t last long as they are to be withdrawn from the market:
1. Bruichladdich 21 Year Cuvee 640 Eroica: Oh Mensch! Gieb Acht! – 46% – Matured in American Oak & Then Further Matured in Limousin Oak – My Tasting Note: Nose: crème brule, fruit flan and Scottish tablet; treacle sauce, white fruits like apple and pear; vanilla custard, fresh mint and malt; Palate: rich, spicy, fruity and decadent; the American oak has left traces of vanilla and honey to which the Limousin oak has contributed decadent sugars, sweet spice and even a little bit of premium licorice; treacle sauce and burnt sugars and depth to the white fruits found on the nose and some candied orange; Finish: the oak becomes drier and toastier though there is still a lingering creaminess; the spices still decadent become drier and more brittle; white fruits linger long into the finish. – $165.99 – Less the 24 bottles still available to us!
2. Bruichladdich 21 Year Cuvee 382 La Berenice: MG41 [L'Age D'Or] – 46% – Matured in American Oak & Then Further Matured in Barsac and Sauternes casks – My Tasting Note: Nose: round with dark fruits, strawberries, plums and figs; black licorice nibs, candied spices and creamy vanilla oak; Palate: very sweet and fruity to start with licorice and dark chocolate quickly rolling in to provide backup; sautéed strawberries, fresh plums and burnt raisins emerge to be greeted by some clove and subtle peppery spices; the base of creamy vanilla and smooth liquid honey become more apparent with every passing sip; Finish: drying and sweet with some hot spice and dark fruits; clove and leather linger longest. – $165.99 – Less the 24 bottles still available to us!
3. Bruichladdich 21 Year Cuvee 407 PX: La Berenoche Bocca Arriba – 46% – Matured in American Oak & Then Further Matured in Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks – My Tasting Note: Nose: dark, rich, chocolaty and spicy; leather, tobacco, Christmas cake and snuff; becomes more decadent with notes of Jelly Beans and Wine Gums and curry spices; Palate: big fruit, soft leather, treacle sauce on sticky toffee pudding and sweet dark chocolate and fine cigar tobacco; this is a lovely sherried whisky with excellent balance; candied fruit and Christmas cake along with some honey and smooth toasted oak; becomes drier and more leathery with growing tannins, but the fruit is never far; Finish: long, rich and deep; more Christmas cake, dark chocolate and cigar tobacco with smooth leather. – $165.99 – Less the 24 bottles still available to us!
Kensington Wine Market also currently has a good range of Bruichladdich whiskies, but many of these will not be available in a month or two’s time:
1. Bruichladdich Laddie 10 Year – 46% – My Tasting Note: Nose: subtle but layered with a mix of toasted vanilla American oak notes along with some liquorice notes, figs and a whiff of salty smoke; lemon rinds, creamy honey and Jolly Ranchers candies; Palate: very fresh, rich and toasty with gentle spices, Highland toffee and cream; the palate is light and delicate but complex and well balanced; some candied fruit, gentle spice (cinnamon, ginger, clove and cardamom) and black liquorice; there are also some citrus notes, grassy malt and creamy vanilla which coat and caress the palate; Finish: more toasted oak, light sweet spices and drying grassy malt. – $59.99
2. Bruichladdich Laddie 16 Year – 46% – Matured in American Oak Finished in New French Oak – My Tasting Note: “Nose: dark chocolate sea-salt caramel tarts, toasted coconut and fruity-floral tones: fruit flan and rose hips; oily oak and vanilla extract; Palate: still very toasty and creamy with peppery spices and loads of fennel/anise, brown sugar and Scottish tablet; ginger and mint show later with wet leaves; Finish: “creamy, sweet and spicy with more oily oak.” – $92.99 – Only 12 bottles left!
3. Bruichladdich Laddie 22 Year – 46% – Matured in First Fill & Second Fill American Oak – My Tasting Note: Nose: “very soft and perfumed, toffee chews, Worther’s caramels, browning and caramelized apples, white fruits, sugared short bread and lemon drops; Palate: very fruity and creamy with lush vanilla and white chocolate Hershey’s kisses; pan seared apple and pear, with Graham Wafers; Finish: drying, toasty and creamy with more sugars, white fruits and toffee/caramel notes.” – $158.49
4. Bruichladdich PC 10 Year – Final bottling in the PC Series. Also somewhat limited, and not to be confused with the Port Charlotte 10 Year ($65.99. We have access to just 6 more bottles! – $119.99
5. Bruichladdich Port Charlotte Peat Project – $61.99 – Only 1 bottle left!
6. Bruichladdich Islay Barley Dunlossit – $60.49 – Only 2 bottles left!
7. Bruichladdich Bere Barley – $66.49 – Only 3 bottles left!
INTRODUCING WEMYSS MALTS
Reasonably Priced Summer Sippers
Wemyss is a family firm that creates its own blends and independently bottles single malts. The family’s name pronounced “Weems” comes from the Scots Gaelic word for caves, which stem from the rocky outcrop on the Firth of Forth on which their family home, Wemyss Castle sits. The castle has been the family home for six centuries. The family has played a role in the whisky industry since the 19th century and even today, barley from its estate is highly prized. The firm’s nosing panel is chaired by Charlie Maclean a well-respected author and authority on Scotch whisky.
Kensington Wine Market has recently stock 3 Blended Malt Scotch whiskies from Wemyss. They are very reasonably priced, youthful and tasty drams we brought in as summer sippers. They all showed very well at a recent tasting “The Whiskies of Summer” held here at KWM. All of them are surprisingly complex for their age, and low strength of 40%. Drop in to the store to sample them!
1. Wemyss Smooth Gentleman – 40% – My Tasting Note: “Nose: honey, leather, some dried ginger and Dutch licorice; Palate: malty and honeyed with butterscotch, vanilla cream and floral grasses; leather develops with some fresh berry fruits; Finish: clean, malty and fresh with floral tones and creamy vanilla. – $51.59
2. Wemyss Spice King – 40% – My Tasting Note: “Nose: dried dark fruit, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg; vegetal with soft round malt; Palate: rich, spicy and creamy with dried and dark fruits; hints of Christmas cake and nutty notes with floral grassy malt; Finish: fruity, honeyed and malty with tingling spice. – $51.59
3. Wemyss Peat Chimney – 40% – My Tasting Note: “Nose: creosote logs soaking in a briny seaside marsh; clean smoke, earthy leather and Eatmore candy bars; Palate: round, malty, earthy and grassy with some salty medicinal notes and a backbone of honey; Finish: honeyed and malt with fading peat and chalky ash. – $51.59
BOWMORE ON THE ROCKIES
November 1st-3rd at the Rimrock Hotel in Banff
This event won’t come as a complete surprise to everyone. I’ve been bouncing ideas off the wall for years and just a few weeks ago one finally stuck. When Bowmore launched the Black Bowmore 1964 42 Year about 4 years ago, they indicated they would be following it with White and Gold expressions. The Black was stunning; we poured it at two separate tastings, and sold close to 30 bottles of the stuff. The White was sampled in the No. 1 vaults at Bowmore (still a whisky highlight o my life) and the Gold opened for a KWM event didn’t disappoint either. All the while I had a vision to put on an Epic once in a lifetime tasting of the trilogy that would draw people to it from across Canada and around the world. A sit down in store tasting or whisky dinner wouldn’t do, this was going to be a weekend extravaganza.
For about the last 2 ½ years ideas have been batted around with the good people at Bowmore and their local representatives at Lifford. Whiskies were horded and what was initially just a Trilogy tasting turned into a Trilogy +2. In the wake of the 1964 Trilogy, Bowmore released the 1964 Fino, so we set one of those aside. Around that time I managed to put my hands on one of the original Black Bowmores, the 1995 bottling. Well the time has come; these whiskies aren’t going to sit idle any longer, we’re going to open them all at a never to be repeated event November 1st and 2nd 2013.
Bowmore on the Rockies will be held in Alberta’s scenic resort town of Banff Friday November 1st and Saturday the 2nd 2013, hosted by myself along with Jamie MacKenzie and Iain Macallum of Morrison Bowmore. The price for the weekend includes 2 nights of accommodation at the Rimrock Hotel, 4 tastings, 2 dinners, a breakfast, lunch and other goodies. A Bowmore Dinner will be held on the Friday night at the Maple Leaf Lounge followed by VIP seating at a dueling pianos bar. Saturday will feature Auchentoshan and Glen Garioch tastings, tickets to some Banff Film Festival screenings and the climactic Bowmore Trilogy +2 Dinner at the Rimrock. The price for the weekend is $1350 +GST for a single occupant for a standard room. Upgrades are available on request. Couples or guests sharing a room with another participant can save $400 on the second ticket. There are also a limited spots for spouses/partners who will not be drinking whisky available at an add on price of $500 +GST.
Visit: www.fergusonwhiskytours.com/bowmoreontherockies for more information or to register!
At the time of writing, there are just 3 whisky drinking spots left!
If you have any whisky questions or comments concerning The Malt Messenger please contact me by e-mail, phone, or drop by the store. Feel free to forward me any whisky news you feel should be included in a future issue of The Malt Messenger; it might just get included.
All of the products mentioned in THE MALT MESSENGER can be purchased in store, over the phone or from our website at www.kensingtonwinemarket.com. All prices quoted in the Malt Messenger are subject to change, don’t include GST. In the case of discrepancies in pricing, the price in our in store point of sale will be taken as correct.
Thanks for reading the Malt Messenger.
Slainte!
Andrew Ferguson
Manager & Scotchguy
Kensington Wine Market
403-283-8000
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
www.kensingtonwinemarket.com
scotchguy@kensingtonwinemarket.com
Owner & Opperator
Ferguson’s Whisky Tours
www.fergusonwhiskytours.com
scotchguide@fergusonwhiskytours.com
Kensington Wine Market
403-283-8000