A. Dewar Rattray Independent Bottler is offering through their Alberta agent, Purple Valley Imports, mature casks of single malt scotch whisky which is ready for immediate bottling.

The very exclusive and limited selection is as follows;

Coleburn (Closed) 1983 25 years old  48% 47 cases*
Auchentoshan 1991 18 years old 59.9% 35 cases*
Glenrothes 1990 19 years old 55.7% 35 cases*
Strathmill 1989 20 years old 59.9% 35 cases*
Aberfeldy 1994 15 years old 57.5% 35 cases*
Laphroaig 1996 13 years old 59.9% 35 cases*
Cragganmore 1997 12 years old 59.9% 35 cases*

* cases are 6 bottles each and the number of cases is approximate. Please contact Jonathan Bray of Purple Valley Imports for further information. Sale of these exclusive casks are strictly on a first come first serve basis. Exclusive casks will be offered only once a year and are highly sought after by markets worldwide. No guarantee is made that a particular cask will still be available. Case numbers are approximate and may vary considerably.

Jonathan Bray  (403) 862 3577 or jonathan@purplevalleyimports.com

And for information on A. Dewar Rattray please visit http://www.adrattray.com/

Guests will have a chance to meet modern-day world explorer Colin Angus and taste a range of single malt Scotch whiskies from Glenfiddich, the most awarded single malt Scotch whisky in the world.  Please see the evite below (and attached) for more details on the event, Colin or the Glenfiddich brand.

In terms of the product, as you surely know, Glenfiddich is available across Canada (no new product release here), and is the world’s most awarded single malt Scotch whisky.

For more award information, you can visit www.glenfiddich.ca.

Anyone interested in attending the event can RSVP to glenfiddich@ddbcanada.com to reserve a ticket, as space is limited for this exclusive event. 

After a long wait the excellent single malts from the Glencadam Distillery are now available in Canada (currently in British Columbia).

The Glencadam DISTILLERY
The distillery is capable of producing around 1.5 million litres per year and has a storage capacity of approximately 20,000 casks. Plans are under way to increase capacity for storage in the vicinity of the town. The distillery holds stocks of quality whisky up to 30 years old. Glencadam has operated two pot stills since the beginning. The shape of the stills at Glencadam has never altered over the years. An unusual feature about the stills is that their lye pipes run upwards at an angle of 15 degrees rather than downwards. The belief is that this helps to produce a particularly delicate and mellow spirit which after maturation yields sweet and fruity notes in the final product. The essential supply of pure water for distilling depends on Glencadam’s long-held rights to springs at The Moorans, some 8.7 miles away and perhaps the longest water supply for distilling purposes of any Scottish distillery. This precious resource then flows through the Unthank hills on its way to the distillery . The distillery also has rights to draw water from Barry Burn for cooling purposes.

Two editions of Glencadam are being introduced;

Glencadan 10yo Highland Single Malt #656561
Grassy freshness and citrus on the nose and a pleasing harmony between a natural sweetness and the soft spicy oak on the palate.

A Whisky Intelligence tasting note for the Glencadam 10yo can be viewed at https://www.whiskyintelligence.com/2009/05/glencadam-10yo-46-ob-2009/

and the Glencadam 15yo Highland Single Malt ;

Colour: Pale gold; Nose: Salty notes with balance of sweetness. Delicate, elegant and charming. Palate: Cut-grass juiciness with mouth-watering malty signature. Restrained sweetness caressed by soft oak. Finish: Medium length. Oak balancing sweeter characteristics.

For more information on the Glencadam Distillery please visit http://www.glencadamdistillery.co.uk/glen/welcome.htm

or http://www.raredrams.com/

Issue #113 of the Malt Maniacs newsletter has now been published online with eight new Single Malt Scotch Whisky articles.

Visit  http://www.maltmaniacs.org/malt-113.html to read these excellent articles today.

The hotly anticipated new offering for the famed distillery on Islay; for a distillery of such note the official bottlings have been quite rare (10yo, 10yo Cask Strength, 15yo, and 30yo along with a handful of special bottlings at various ages and vintages). Not a huge ramge but highly sought after! Additionally the new 18yo is replacing the beloved 15yo in the line up; and bottled without chill filtration too! The nose is immediately of peat smoke, delicate coal smoke, iodine and gauze and a faint burnt stick. Mild oak wood dust intermingled with a faint fragrant furniture polish and the ever slightest hint of fruit cake. Very typical of other Laphroaigs. The taste is of sweet strong peat smoke intertwined with malt and oak followed by mild oranges and apricots, vanilla, honey and a light mouth feel. The time in the cask has mellowed the famed Laphroaig attack but this is sensational whisky. Toasted oats? The finish is quite long and warming with more smoke and oak notes followed at the very end by some slight floral notes. Also honey and some more smoke and the slight hints of seaweed and/or the beach. Quite mellow (for an Islay) and lacks any rough edges or elbows. Well integrated bits make this a welcome addition the line up.  

£62 

Score 90 Points

For the full details on Laphroaig Single Malt please visit http://www.laphroaig.com/ and become a Friend of Laphroaig!

Kate Hopkins’ new book “99 Drams of Whiskey: The Accidental Hedonist’s Quest for the Perfect Shot and the History of the Drink” is getting a lot of attention from whisky lovers…and with good reason. She’s been blogging as the Accidental Hedonist since 2004, and I think it’s one of the best whisky books of the year. We’ll hear from Kate in this episode…and in the news, the legal fight over Glen Breton Rare Single Malt Canadian Whisky may be over after a Canadian Supreme Court ruling, Isle of Jura shuts down because of ferry problems, and new whiskies from The Glenrothes and Douglas Laing.

Visit http://whiskycast.com/ to listen to this Episode

RARE DRAMS June 2009 CURRENT PORTFOLIO
Rare Drams imports rare single malts from Scotland. We have carefully selected our partnerships based on reputation and quality of product above all. We currently work with 3 suppliers to bring BC one of the most varied and sought after whisky portfolios. For the past two years we have the honor of being the top selling independent bottler in BC. Douglas Laing is a well know blender and bottler in Scotland. They specialize in single cask single malts. With offerings from virtually any distillery in Scotland.

OLD MALT CASK – SINGLE CASK SINGLE MALTS 50% abv – 6/case

LAPHROAIG 13 YO
A very popular whisky, hard to get anything but the quarter
cask – not yet tasted by Jim Murray 1 case

BENRINNES 14 YO
A lesser known distillery 1 case

LITTLEMILL 16YO –
(LOST DISTILLERY) 89 POINTS
“A little cracker! Littlemill as never seen before”. JIm Murray 1 case

MACALLAN 21YO

GLEN GARIOCH ( pronounced Geery ) 3 cases

GLENTAUCHERS 89 POINTS 2 cases “A delightful, ever-shifting malt – it plays with your tastebuds”

OLD & RARE BOTTLED @ CASK STRENGTH 3/case

GLEN GRANT 31YO Sherry finish 58.6% abv featured at Victoria Whisky Festival

GLEN KEITH 35YO Rum Finish 52.6% abv

MACALLAN 21YO Sherry Finish 54.4% abv

TOMATIN 31YO 55.6% abv

VATTED MALTS 46% abv – 750ml glass decanter

SPECIFIED ISLAY VATTED MALT – 5 SINGLE MALTS: BOWMORE, BUNNAHABHAIN, LAPHROAIG, COAL ILA & ARDBEG

SPEYSIDE VATTED MALT – 4 SINGLE MALTS: DUFFTOWN, LINKWOOD, MOTLACH & GLENDULLAN.

For more info and a list of stores please visit http://www.raredrams.com/

For more information on Douglas Laing Independent Bottlers please visit http://www.douglaslaing.com/

Glen Elgin has been a slight mystery; flying below the radar with Official Bottlings so it’s gratifying to see some new official expressions available from this Speyside distillery. The nose is a delight; lightly floral with bourbon, cedar, oak, fruit and elder flower. There are both delicate and rich notes intermingled, this is a multifaceted dram and the aroma is quite lovely, also a hint of peat moss.  The taste is powerful; the delicate notes previously described in the aroma are not in evidence, after a few minutes the cedar and wood notes burst forth. Very warming and succulent at the same time.  The finish is woody, dry and then some sweet malt at the very end. Also very dry tea and a hint of citrus, possibly orange? All in all an excellent dram of a very good quality; well worth a try.

No official website. Bah.

C$82

Score 89 Points

Tomintoul – the gentle dram Speyside Single Malts

Tomintoul Single Peated Malt #114900
a gentle coating of sweet peat, that multiplies in
intensity and spice. The finish is long, luscious and
not a little oaky” Jim Murray 94 POINTS

Tomintoul Single Malt 10yo # 353961
Soft, gentle, delicate. Some sweetness and toffee on the
nose Palate: Light, gentle and soft with a long finish.

Tomintoul 12yo Oloroso Sherry Finish #836494
“…about the cleanest sherry nose I have seen in a
long time. Wonderfully long and seductive.”
Jim Murray 95.5 POINTS

Tomintoul Single Malt 16 yo #808170
(gold medal San Francisco)
“… crisp, juicy barley and a wonderful array of sweet notes.

Visit Rare Drams and Tomintoul Distillery for more information on these wonderful single malts;

http://www.raredrams.com/ or http://www.tomintouldistillery.co.uk/