Dear Malt Messenger Subscribers,
HAPPY
DAY!
I don’t want to take much time away from your celebration of our Nation’s 143rd birthday—the Queen is in country, everyone’s partying and having a great time—but I have some big news that can’t wait until next week’s Malt Messenger… we have Ardbeg Corryvreckan! That’s right, the Ardbeg that many of you have been hounding me for, for months is here. It just arrived in store yesterday, and it’s fantastic. I’ll have my own tasting note for you in the next Malt Messenger. The bottles won’t last. We managed to get our hands on 60 bottles and between walk in customers, those who’d pre-ordered bottles and those in the know we have fewer than 30 bottles left. They are limited to 2 bottles per person, and you can find more information on it, as well as scores from John Hansel and Jim Murray below.
It couldn’t be Canada Day with a mention of Canadian whisky. Canada’s sole distillery to have bottled single malt whisky, Glenora Distillery in Cape Breton Nova Scotia won a landmark court case against the Scotch Whisky Association this year. To celebrate they launched a special edition 15 year old. I wrote about it in the last Malt Messenger and thought in honour of our Nation’s birthday I would bring it out one more time.
There’s nothing wrong with a little national pride, and so if you happen to be in the neighbourhood today come by for a taste of Canadian whisky… and maybe a little of the Corryvreckan. We’re open 12 to 6 and I’m on guard of the whisky section for you!
Slainte!
Andrew Ferguson
THIS JUST IN: Ardbeg Corryvreckan – $109.99
Ardbeg is one of Scotland’s most iconic distilleries and has a cult following as strong as any other. The Corryvreckan, like the Supernova and the Very Young before it started out as small batch bottlings which were restricted to members of the more than 50,000 strong, Ardbeg committee. The Corryvreckan bottling has caused quite a stir, and I’ve had customers asking for it for more than a year. It came somewhat as a surprise when I learned a few weeks back that a small allocation of the Corryvreckan was on its way here. 180 bottles for the whole Province, and we’ve managed to get our hands on 60 of them…
The Corryvreckan is named after the tidal whirlpool which forms between the Isles of Jura and Scarba off the western coast of the Kintyre Peninsula and east of Islay. In Scots Gaelic the Corryvreckan means the “Cauldron of the Speckled Seas”. The water way is considered very treacherous, having shipwrecked many a vessel in its strong currents. Peak tides can generate waves of more than 30 feet. Most famously George Orwell and his son were shipwrecked for a short period on a rocky islet south of the whirlpool. While rumours that the Royal Navy considers the passage un-navigable are exaggerated, it does never the less consider the gulf of Corryvreckan extremely dangerous, and recommends that only those with local knowledge and advanced skills should even attempt it.
Ardbeg chose to call their bottling Corryvreckan because its raw power and mystery mirror the “Big Untamed” spirit of Ardbeg. First launched for the Ardbeg Committee in 2008 the bottling replaces the Airigh Nam Beist and contingent on supplies is supposed to be a regularly available product. The whisky has been bottled at a strength of 57.1%, after maturing in predominantly French oak with some Bourbon casks. Jim Murray scored it 96.5pts in his 2010 Whisky Bible, saying: “I doubt if even the feared whirlpool is this deep and perplexing.” John Hansel of Malt Advocate also judged the whisky highly at 96pts; his tasting note follows courtesy of www.maltadvocate.com :
“Powerful, muscular, well-textured, and invigorating. Even within the realm of Ardbeg, this one stands out. The more aggressive notes of coal tar, damp kiln, anise, and smoked seaweed are supported by an array of fruit (black raspberry, black cherry, plum), dark chocolate, espresso, molasses, bacon fat, kalamata olive, and warming cinnamon on the finish. Quite stunning!”
Limited to 2 bottles per customer!
Glen Breton Battle of the Glens 15 Year – $132.49
Glenora distillery in Glenville, Nova Scotia, is Canada’s first single malt distillery. Established in 1990 the distillery released its first single malt whisky, Glen Breton 10 Year in 2000. The whisky, made in the style of single malt Scotch whisky, was clearly marked as a Canadian product. A whisky may only be called Scotch if it is made in Scotland, and Glenora, conscious of that, labelled their product clearly as “Canada’s Only Single Malt Whisky”; the bottle and box both prominently displaying a maple leaf.
Never the less the product caught the attention of the Scotch Whisky Association, or SWA, a very powerful industry funded body which lobbies the UK and EU governments on behalf of the Scotch industry and which directs and funds legal actions against both domestic and international “threats” to the industry. Most of the time the SWA uses its power and resources to combat counterfeit and knockoff Scotch whisky mainly produced and available in developing countries.
However the SWA, which is mostly funded and directed by the multinational beverage giants who dominate the Scotch whisky industry, often uses (or tries to use) its clout against the smaller players in its neighbourhood like Springbank, Arran, Bruichladdich and Compass Box. These smaller players, who generally produce better quality (non-chillfiltered, and no added colouring) and more innovative (different cask types and combinations) products, are seen as a threat to staler big volume brands owned by the likes of Diageo, Pernod Richard and William Grant and Sons. The SWA also goes after producers of single malt whiskies in other countries who they feel are intentionally—or not—misleading consumers into thinking their products are Scotch whisky. Enter Glenora distillery and Glen Breton single malt.
In 2001 the SWA launched a legal fight with Glenora, claiming their product, Glen Breton, was misleading consumers into thinking it was Scotch. The SWA took umbrage with the distillery’s use of the word “glen” which they believe should be reserved for the naming of whiskies from Scotland where the term originates. Glenora took the position that “glen” is an established name in the province of Nova Scotia, and in particular on Cape Breton Island, and that they should be allowed to use it. An opinion I happen to share. In 2007 the Trademark Opposition Board ruled in their favour. In 2008 a Federal Court overturned the ruling. Later that same year Glenora applied to the Federal Court of Appeal which early in 2009 gave another ruling in its favour. But this David and Goliath story wasn’t over yet; 5 months after losing at the court of appeal the SWA figured it would go for broke by appealing to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Finally, in June of 2009, after nearly 10 years of legal challenges and hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees that this small distillery could ill afford, the SWA’s appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada was dismissed without reason and costs were awarded to Glenora throughout. To celebrate their victory and an end to the legal wrangling which very nearly left them financially crippled the distillery has released 4000 bottles of a special edition 15 year old, called, The Battle of the Glens. This bottling will be very limited in Alberta. Kensington Wine Market has purchased just 20 bottles which will be retailing for $132.49. The Distillery’s Tasting Note Follows:
Colour: A rare dissolution of gold – at break of dawn, the first brushing of the sun upon the snow-covered lakes of the Bras d’Or;
Nose: Subtle, summer-cut applewood, with undertones of Highland honey;
Taste: Taking by surprise, come the waves of malt, powerful, but without overbearing, then a complex orchard of flavour;
Finish: Rich, almost lubricious mouthfeel, The malt withdraws into heat, resolving into the warm caress of an enduring companion, Peat character is very subtle – rather wisps of hardwood smoke, evoking memories of autumn leaves;
Balance: The play between lightness of the whisky and the strength of the malt is a work of harmony….and mystery…….
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
