Jennifer MacMillan

Globe and Mail Update, Monday, Jun. 08, 2009 07:26PM EDT

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/

A nine-year battle over the labelling of a Cape Breton whisky has followed the course of a fine single malt, gaining complexity as it ages.

The Edinburgh-based Scotch Whisky Association is turning to the Supreme Court of Canada to stop a small Nova Scotia distillery from calling its product “Glen Breton,” arguing the word “glen” will lead consumers to believe the whisky was produced in Scotland.

The Scotch group is asking the Supreme Court for permission to appeal a lower court ruling that allows Glenora Distillers of Glenville, N.S., to use the name.

Distillery vice-president Bob Scott says the “Glen Breton” label is justified.

“It’s because we’re located in a glen, we’re near Glenora Falls and we’re in Cape Breton,” Mr. Scott said, adding that the name reflects the history of the region, settled by Scottish immigrants in the 1820s.

“It’s rich in Scottish heritage and people in the area still speak Gaelic.”

The Federal Court of Appeal sided with the distiller in January, allowing the company to register the trademark and reversing an earlier decision of the Federal Court of Canada. The transatlantic fight started in 2000, when Glenora Distillers applied for the “Glen Breton” trademark.

The Scotch group has argued the popularity of Scottish-made brands like Glenlivet and Glenfiddich links the word “glen” in consumers’ minds with whiskies distilled in Scotland.

A lawyer for Glenora Distillers has filed a formal response with the Supreme Court. Mr. Scott points out his company has never called its product “Scotch,” a name that only applies to whisky produced in Scotland. Instead, the Glen Breton brand is sold as a single-malt whisky.

Glen Breton is marketed across North America and Mr. Scott says the company would like to make a bigger push into Asian markets, but the ongoing legal battle has made that potentially expensive, since the company could be forced to rebrand if it loses in court.

“We’re a small, independently-owned company,” he said. “This legal thing is certainly hurting us.”

Visit;

www.glenoradistillery.com/ 

www.scotch–whisky.org.uk/ 

The Malt Maniacs have updated their Monitor; a list of scores from over 12,107 whiskies for a total of 37,805 individual scores.

You can view this great resource at http://www.whiskyfun.com/MaltManiacsMonitor.pdf and visit the Malt Maniacs at http://www.maltmaniacs.org/ or http://www.maltmadness.com/ and http://www.whiskyfun.com/

EPISODE 203: JUNE 7, 2009

Harlen Wheatley of Buffalo Trace usually comes out with something unusual every summer when he unleashes his latest Experimental Collection releases on the world. This year, he’s releasing one of the distillery’s older experiments — bourbon aged in two different types of oak casks for 15 years. One batch was aged in coarse-grained oak from fast-growth forests, and the other was aged in fine-grain oak from slow-growth forests. He’ll tell us what he found in this week’s episode.

Visit http://www.whiskycast.com/ to listen to Episode 203 today.

The Whisky Exchange “Straight from the Cask” NAS Celebration 60.1% 50cl

The Whisky Exchange in London has a number of small casks in the shop where they will bottle a 50cl bottle for you. One of their current offering is a NAS (No Age Statement) ‘Celebration’ bottled at 60.1%. Further information on the age and distillery is a closely held secret. The nose is not over powering considering the bottle strength and is quite sweet, pleasing with a buttery, creamy back ground. Well integrated with loads of peat smoke that battle with the buttery sweet creaminess, some hints of oak and pepper also. Some later hints of paint thinner or plasticine? Actually very nice on the whole. Water opens up the nose to really increase the peat smoke with a tiny hint of juniper and heather. The taste is strong at first with absolute buckets of smoke and sweetness all rolling around in abandon with a oily syrupy mouth feel, a follow up of more smoke. Water greatly improves the whisky, this is a prime example of a dram that should really be bottled at a lower strength but thankfully it wasn’t other wise we’d never know! The finish is full of sweet smoke and ashes, a full Islay impact; this whisky shares many characteristics with Bruichladdich Port Charlotte or Octomore. Not a lot of malt but a continuation of the peat, ashes, oak and sweetness. A little sweet and sour at the end, like acid drops. After a few minutes the experience is still rolling along with the peat smoke arriving in waves with some very dry wood and malt notes followed by more smoke. After 10 minutes the finish rolls on changing to peat smoke ashes and malt.

A peaty devil this one is but a sweety too.

Whoever chose this cask did very well and despite the mysterious origin and lack of age statement it’s a great dram. Limited to 25 litres total availability at the Whisky Exchange.

Score 88 points

Visit the Whisky Exchange at http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/

Port Ellen 1983 ‘The Golden Cask’ (a closed distillery)

Kilkerran ‘Work in Progress’ (a very new distillery)

Visit Loch Fyne Whiskies to order yours today at https://www.lfw.co.uk/blog/

Dear Malt Messenger Subscribers,

I’ve been back from Scotland for a little over a week, and what a busy time it’s been. Only days after returning the first of two Port Ellen tastings was held, conducted blind, and out of 6 different bottlings of Port Ellen I am thrilled to report that the overwhelming favourite was the cask bottled for KWM.  For those of you who missed out on this event you have another chance to taste your way through a vertical of six Port Ellens. The second night for this tasting will be Friday June 26^th. For more information on all things Port Ellen see below.

More pressingly, KWM’s annual Spring Single Malt Festival is coming up next Thursday. There are still some tickets left for this festival tasting where you will have the opportunity to sample from close to 80 single malts, bottled by some of Scotland’s finest distilleries and independent bottlers. The $60 attendance fee includes your own Glencairn glass and the opportunity to sample any of the whiskies being poured. This night, and this night alone, all of our single malts will be at least 5% off and the first 50 purchases made will include a free copy of the latest issue of Malt Advocate Magazine. More specific information on the tasting including some of the whiskies that will be sampled has been provided below.

Finally, tomorrow afternoon we will be receiving the last of our Springbank 18Yr and Springbank 11Yr Madeira Wood. These are both very limited products, and the first half of our allocation of the Madeira Wood sold out in just 2 days… they won’t last! I have rehashed some information for you below.

Look for the next full edition of the Malt Messenger which will be out Tuesday May 8^th.

Slainte!

Andrew Ferguson

Spring Single Malt Festival – Thursday June 11^th – $60

It’s that time of year again, Spring Single Malt Festival time. This is our second annual spring malt festival, and we have some excellent whiskies lined up from some of Scotland’s finest producers for your enjoyment. As with last years’ event we will be clearing the floor to make room for this year’s tasting, and have invited the representatives of various distilleries to come and sample our customers on their products. We will be sampling whiskies from the following distilleries and independent bottlers:

• Gordon & MacPhail
• Signatory
• Old Malt Cask
• Springbank
• Benromach
• Edradour
• Yamazaki
• Bowmore
• Glen Garioch
• Auchentoshan
• Isle of Arran
• Finlaggan
• Ileach
• Bruichladdich
• Glenfarclas
• Glenfiddich
• Balvenie
• Jura
• Dalmore
• BenRiach
• Glen Elgin
• Clynelish
• Lagavulin
• Caol Ila
• Port Ellen
• Glen Grant
• Johnnie Walker
• Bushmills

Some of the rarer whiskies we will be sampling include: G&M KWM Glen Grant 1966, OMC KWM Port Ellen 25Yr, Springbank 18Yr and 11Yr Madeira Wood, Octomore, Arran Burns 250^th Anniversary bottling and others. I also have brought a couple of rare whiskies back from Scotland, that are not even available for purchase in Canada, that you will have the opportunity to sample, including: two whiskies from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society distilled at Bowmore and Ardbeg respectively, and a massively sherried bottle of Glenallachie only available at Chivas distillery visitor centers in Scotland.

All this, your own Glencairn glass, a 5% discount on all single malts for one night, and a free copy of Malt Advocate Magazine with the first 50 purchases that evening. For more information or to register call the store at 403-283-8000 or visit our website at www.kensingtonwinemarket.com..

Port Ellen Tasting #2 – Friday June 26^th – $99

How often do you get the chance to sample 6 different bottlings of Port Ellen in a vertical tasting? That is provided you weren’t at last week’s Port Ellen Tasting. Port Ellen distillery was closed in 1983 and has since become the most mourned of all of Scotland’s closed distilleries. Its whisky style ranges from elegantly smooth and smoky-sweet, to rough peaty and earthy. Its whiskies are among the most highly sought after in the world. Diageo still owns the brand, and has for the last 8 years released annual limited edition bottlings from the distillery, but these can be rare and hard to come by. Rumour has it as well that Diageo’s stocks of Port Ellen are getting thin. Some independent bottlers like Douglas Laing and Signatory frequently release single cask bottlings of Port Ellen, but that doesn’t change the fact that the whisky is becoming older, rarer and more expensive with every passing year.

Join us on Friday June 26^th for a special tasting where you will taste what makes Port Ellen single malt so special. We’ll sample 6 different expression of Port Ellen including: the 8^th official release Port Ellen 29Yr, the OMC KWM Port Ellen 25Yr (our exclusive cask, more info below), the Signatory 25Yr Port Ellen that which I describe as being obnoxious (in the best possible way) as well as three others. The cost to attend is $99 and is limited to 20 attendees. More than half of these spaces are already sold. For more information or to register call the store at 403-283-8000, or visit our website at www.kensingtonwinemarket.com..

OMC KWM Port Ellen 25Yr – $249.99

In 1983 Mount Kilauea on the big island of Hawaii began erupting molten lava, which it continues to do to this day; Pioneer 10 became the first man-made object to leave the solar system; Vanessa Williams is the first African American crowned Miss America; the Nintendo Entertainment System debuts in Japan; Microsoft Word is sold for the first time; and the video for Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” is first broadcast, going on to become the most viewed video of all time!

1983 is also a significant year for Scotland’s whisky industry; it is in fact one of the darkest years. Tough economic times and a surplus of capacity prompt the closure of  at least 13 single malt distilleries in 1983 alone (there are further closures in ’82, ’84, ’85 and ’86) 10 of these distilleries will never produce again! Among the distilleries closed in 1983 were Banff, Brora and Port Ellen. There is no bigger cult distillery in Scotland than Port Ellen. This long-lost Islay distillery is believed to be by many–myself included–the smoothest and most elegant Islay whisky ever distilled.

Our cask of 25 year old Port Ellen Single Malt Whisky was distilled in February of 1983, the last year the distillery was in production. It was filled into a refill sherry hogshead where the spirit was nurtured 25 long years; that is until it came to our attention. This cask has been purchased from Douglas Laing, which is one of the finest independent bottlers in Scotland. The family owned business has been bottling single malt whisky for more than 50 years and has an unrivaled reputation for quality. Douglas Laing also has larger stocks of Port Ellen single malt than any other independent bottler, possibly even more than Port Ellen’s owner Diageo.

There were 210 bottles of the OMC (Old Malt Cask) KWM Port Ellen 25Yr released, of which more than half have sold. They were officially released at our Port Ellen Cask Release Party on Thursday November 13th. Stewart Laing was on hand to help us celebrate the release of the whisky and sign any purchased bottles. It was one hell of a night, with close to 50 bottles selling on the spot.

Tasting Note:

Nose: the light peat, heather and honey are right in your face, and there is much more to this whisky than is hinted by its colour. Later it becomes salty, and a touch tarry while keeping the sweet and herbaceous notes. Do I detect a hint of citrus behind the smoldering peat?

Palate: the first sip has some heat, but it’s clean and rolls out into green earthy notes, then sweet honey and finally salty smoke. The second sip is classic Port Ellen, all the taste buds in my mouth are alight with sweet, smoky, earthy, fresh and fruity notes. Towards the back of the palate the smoky-briny take over and lead the charge with some dark chocolate-peat close behind. The third sip is creamier, with buttery-briny-peat; very lovely!

Finish: soft rich buttery peat with highland toffee and a touch of sea-breeze!

 The Two New Springbanks

Springbank 18Yr – This is the oldest Springbank bottling available at the moment. Only 180 bottles of it are coming to Canada, all of it to Alberta, and KWM is getting 60. The Springbank 18Yr is the newest permanent addition to the distillery’s core range. The whisky is a vatting of 80% sherry casks and 20% bourbon barrels and has been bottled at 46% without colouring or chill-filtering. The first year’s release is of only 7,800 bottles Worldwide, which are not expected to last long; the product is already sold out in Europe. Of the 180 bottles that are coming to Alberta, I expect most will sell out in a matter of months if not weeks. Of the 60 bottles KWM will be getting more than two dozen were pre-sold.  They are retailing for $148.99/bottle. Preliminary Tasting Note (mine): Nose: salty smoke dominated the first pass, the second was round and creamy, the third herbaceous and earthy showing trace of peat, and my final pass showed traces of–dare I say it–cannabis, with a saline quality and gentle oils. Palate: richer than I expected, soft, smoky and bitter-sweet and at the same time very perfumy. Sour, and spicy elements dance around my tongue. There are fruits here, and flowers, in fact the complexity is a little overwhelming. The smoke has a pine-needle edge to it and the fruits taste poached. Finish: sour poached fruits, clean salty smoke, fresh mint and drying traces of viscous mouth coating oils.

Springbank 11 Yr Madeira Wood 1997 – Gold Medal Winner Whisky Magazine New Releases Tasting July 2009. Dave Broom 9/10 – Martine Nouet 8.6/10 – Tasting Note by Dave Broom: “Nose: big, layered and soft. Oak/cedar notes and smoke. Linseed oil, sesame, melted candle, wet vegetation. Light heather, peat then dried fruit. Great complexity. Palate: Needs water. Rounded, sweet and complex with a concentrated wild berry fruit character intriguingly mixed with tarry ropes. Black cherry. Tongue-coating and oily flow. Finish: smoke, dark chocolate. Briary fruits. Comments: Substantial, multifaceted and complex. Highest recommendation. 9/10” Only 120 bottles of this whisky have been released in Canada, and KWM has acquired 48 of them of which more than 2/3 have sold. The Madeira finish selling for $91.49/bottle.

_____________________

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!

Thanks for reading the Malt Messenger!

Slainte!

Andrew Ferguson
KWM Scotchguy

403-283-8000
888-283-9004
1257 Kensington Rd. NW
Calgary, AB, Canada
T2N 3P8

scotchguy@kensingtonwinemarket.com

A 46% Peated Amrut Indian Single Malt has been introduced into the Alberta market as an alternative to the Amrut Cask Strength Peated Single malt. It will be available at Willow Park, Highlander, Kensington Wine Market, Crowfoot Liquor and Skyway.

A. Dewar Rattray is working on their Christmas bottling list for Canada and are currently exam several samples. Watch this space for advance warning of new arrivals!
 
Also from A. Dewar Rattray is an exclusive barrel of 1967 Tamdhu that be will be arriving in Alberta for the Co-Op Supermarket Chain within the next few weeks. There are only 78 bottles from this barrel and it is described as being quite amazing considering the age.
 
And if you would like to have your very own mature cask bottled with a unique label then A.Dewar Rattray have various single malts available for you under their Exclusive Cask Program.

A. Dewar Rattray have samples from the following distilleries; Strathmill 1989, Auchentoshan 1991, Glenrothes 1990, Cragganmore 1997, Laphroaig 1996, Aberfeldy 1994, Coleburn (Closed) 1983, Pulteney 1982, Inchgower 1974, Glen Mhor 1982 and Tomatin 1988.

For further information on either Amrut or A. Dewar Rattray please contact Jonathan Bray of Purple Valley Imports at (403) 862 3577 or jonathan@purplevalleyimports.com

For further information on A. Dewar Rattray please visit them at http://www.adrattray.com/

Please visit http://www.amrutwhisky.co.uk/ or http://www.amrutwhisky.com/index.asp for further information on the Amrut Distillery.

As you may recall, last year, to commemorate the first 180 years of The Spectator, we commissioned a limited edition of 180 bottles of Highland Park 30 year old which was sold through the magazine’s website. As it is no longer the 180th Anniversary of The Spectator we have reclaimed the last few remaining bottles and wanted to let you have a last chance to get your hands on one.

Highland Park was established 30 years before The Spectator so it is fitting that the anniversary bottling should be a 30 year old, the age of the distillery when the magazine was launched. Like The Spectator, Highland Park is uncompromising in its approach with a belief in heritage and a respect for tradition.

Highland Park 30 year old 48.1%
Colour: Natural colour, dark red golden, clear and bright
Bouquet: Very rich, mature oak, chocolate, fudge
Palate: Full, rich burst of flavour, soft honey, nutty toffee
Finish: Rich, long and surprisingly sweet for its age

Or, as John Hansell wrote in Malt Advocate: “An exemplary Highland Park… Whiskies like this one remind me why I fell in love with whisky in the first place.”

The Spectator 180th Anniversary bottling of Highland Park 30 year old is available exclusively at http://www.highlandpark.co.uk/ priced at £180, numbers are extremely limited, so don’t delay click through today.

For more information about the Best Spirit in the World visit http://www.highlandpark.co.uk/

Gerry
Head of Brand Education, Highland Park

This bottling was the Loch Fyne Whiskies bottling of the year for 2008;

This year was a more difficult decision. It was whittled down from either Ardmore OB or An Cnoc 16 to Ledaig CC 1990. All three are worthy of the accolade but the Ledaig wins on unusualness of taste and the unexpected suggestion. The better sell of the three, our customers are very happy with it.

This distillery is now named Tobermory but it was originally called Ledaig and now their peated out put is called Ledaig. The nose is a little stronger than anticipated for a 43% bottling; sharp, a slight bit of cheese and loads of lemon and sharp varnish aromas followed by oak and a wood workers shop but not in an over whelming sense. Sweet wine notes, very pleasant without any smoke. The taste is at first blush a little smokey which builds in the mouth, sweetness and citrus and more smoke with a back ground layer of oak. The flavour only improves with time and is quite complex with smoldering smokiness intertwined with sweet wine notes and then some slight bitterness in the back ground, like a good dark chocolate. Later oily development. The finish is very malty with the previous noted wine notes, the smoke dissipates quite rapidly and then it’s wave after wave of malt and a slight green tinge like asparagus however only a tinge; nothing to become alarmed about.

£29 (Somebody is having a laugh; an 18yo of this quality for this low price!)

Score 87 Points

Visit https://www.lfw.co.uk/ to buy yours or for more information on Tobermory Distillery visit http://www.tobermory.co.uk/tobermory_distillery/tobermory_whisky.htm

June 4: Bourbon & American Whiskey Class, Brandy Library, New York City

June 6-7: Wild West Whisky Fest, Kortrijk, Belgium

June 6-7: Whisky Live at the Texas Highland Games & Scottish Festival, Arlington, Texas

June 8: Cooley Distillery Tasting, Milroy’s of Soho, London

June 9: Introduction to Scotch, Brandy Library, New York City

June 12: Precious & Rare Scotch Class, Brandy Library, New York City

June 13: Kentucky Bourbon Festival Sampler, Frankfort, Kentucky

June 20: Woodford Reserve Bourbon Academy, Versailles, Kentucky

June 24: The Whisky Guild Whisky Dinner Cruise, Washington, DC

June 24: Precious & Rare Scotch Class, Brandy Library, New York City

June 26: Introduction to Scotch, Brandy Library, New York City

July 8-12: Tales of the Cocktail, New Orleans, Louisiana

July 11-25: Classic Malts Cruise, Scotland

August 3-5: Glenlivet Whisky School, Glenlivet Distillery, Ballindalloch, Scotland

August 31-September 6: Whisky Live, Sydney, Australia

September 4-6: Maltstock, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

September 6-7: Whisky Live at the San Francisco Highland Games, Pleasanton, CA

September 10: The Whisky Guild Whisky Dinner Cruise, New York City

September 12: Whisky Live, Glasgow, Scotland (NOTE DATE CHANGE)

September 15-20: Kentucky Bourbon Festival, Bardstown, Kentucky

September 17: Whisky Live on the Docks, Newport, Rhode Island

September 17-19: Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival, Stockholm, Sweden

September 18-20: Whisky Galore Festival, Isle of Barra, Scotland

September 25-29: Autumn Speyside Whisky Festival, Dufftown, Scotland

September 24-28: Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival, Stockholm, Sweden

September 26-28: Whisky Live, Paris, France

October 5-7: Glenlivet Whisky School, Glenlivet Distillery, Ballindalloch, Scotland

October 15: Whisky Live on the Docks, Annapolis, Maryland

October 16: Malt Advocate’s WhiskyFest, San Francisco

October 20: Whisky Live, Los Angeles, California

October 23: Whisky Live, Toronto, Ontario

October 28: Whisky Live, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

November 7: Whiskies of the World Expo, Washington, DC

November 10: Malt Advocate’s WhiskyFest, New York City

November 12-14: Whisky Live, Cape Town, South Africa (Tentative)

November 13-15: International Whisky Festival/Whisky Live, Leiden, The Netherlands

January 22-24, 2010: Victoria Whisky Festival, Victoria, British Columbia

April 24, 2010: Spirit of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario

Visit WhiskyCast at http://www.whiskycast.com/