Dear Malt Messenger Subscribers,

As I write this I am contemplating a glass of Peat Monster Reserve (see below) from Compass Box.  I hadn’t intended to write anything further on the Malt Messenger before the New Year, but I’ve some big news, two exclusives we’ve long awaited are finally here, and the word must be spread.  Further, Saturday’s free drop in Kilchoman Duhies Tasting was so successful I’ve decided to put another event together for this coming Thursday. So while the buttery vanilla and soft oily peat roll around my palate like lovers under the covers I’ve found the time to flesh out one final Malt Messenger Bulletin for 2010. 

John Glasser of Compass Box is without doubt one of the world’s finest blenders of Scotch whisky. His whiskies are soft, elegant and complex. Kensington Wine Market has exclusively acquired two of his 10th Anniversary releases as exclusives. The first is a reserve bottling of Peat Monster($154.99) his most famous bottling, in a 1.5L bottle. The whisky is great and the magnum(1.5L) format very cool! The second is called Hedonism Maximus($259.99), an older finer version of the now discontinued Hedonism bottling, and is a Blended Grain Scotch Whisky. Both whiskies are very limited, with only 24 of each coming to Canada exclusive to Kensington Wine Market. These whiskies will be available for sale and sampling as of 5PM on Wednesday, December 22nd. More on both whiskies below!

Thursday December 23rd, between 2 and 7PM Andy Dunn of Gold Medal Marketing and I will be conducting another free drop in tasting and mini sale. Thursday’s focus will be Gordon & MacPhail, Benromach and our exclusive single cask bottlings: Glen Grant 1966, Springbank 1996 Oloroso, Kilchoman KWM Fresh Bourbon Cask, Glendronach 1995 KMW PX Sherry and Jack Daniels KWM Single Barrel. The whiskies will be on sale in store, on the wesb www.kensingtonwinemarket.com and by e-mail scotchguy@kensingtonwinemarket.com during this 5 hour window. So please feel free to drop by for a wee taste or two and some great deals on whisky whether it be for your bar or gift.  More details below!

Thank you for reading the Malt Messenger and once again let me wish you and yours a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 Slainté!

Andrew Ferguson

GORDON & MACPHAIL BENROMACH DROP IN TASTING AND MINI SALE – Thursday December 23rd 2-7PM – Free

Kensington Wine Market brought in 4 new Gordon & MacPhail whiskies this fall, all of them exceptional, and all of them from closed distilleries. We have brought in whiskies from Rosebank, Glen Keith, Convalmore and Imperial, and still have a few bottles of our private cask of Glen Grant 1966. Andy Dunn of Gold Medal Marketing and I will be pouring samples of these and other Gordon & MacPhail bottlings, as well as whiskies from the Benromach distillery and our exclusive Kensington Wine Market bottlings from 2 until 7 PM on Thursday December 23rd. For the duration of this free drop in tasting all of the whiskies on offer will be on sale in store, on the web www.kensingtonwinemarket.com and by e-mail scotchguy@kensingtonwinemarket.com..

The list:

1.       G&M KWM Glen Grant 1966 – Bottled Exclusively for KWM – $449.99 – Save 20%

2.       G&M Cask Strength Rosebank 1993 – Exclusive to KWM – $175.49 – Save 10%

3.       G&M Cask Strength Imperial 1997 – Exclusive to KWM – $114.99 – Save 10%

4.       G&M Conn Choice Glen Keith 1993 – Exclusive to KWM – $87.99 – Save 10%

5.       G&M Conn Choice Convalmore 1984 – Exclusive to KWM – $184.99 – Save 10%

6.       G&M Cask Strength Old Pulteney 1993 – $119.99 – Save 7%

7.       G&M Cask Strength Highland Park 1995 – $111.99 – Save 7%

8.       G&M Cask Strength 1996 – $119.99 – Save 7%

9.       G&M Smith’s Glenlivet 21 Year – $119.49 – Save 7%

10.   Benromach Traditional – $49.49 – Save 7%

11.   Benromach 10 Year -$68.99 – Save 7%

12.   Benromach 21 Year – $129.99 – Save 7%

13.   Benromach Organice Special Edition – $71.49 – Save 7%

14.   Benromach Peat Smoke – $69.49 – Save 7%

15.   Benromach Origins #2 – $83.49

16.   Benromach Origins #3 – $83.49

17.   Springbank 1996 KWM Oloroso Cask – Bottled Exclusively for KWM – $109.99 – Save 20%

18.   Glendronach 1995 KWM PX Sherry Puncheon – Bottled Exclusively for KWM – $114.99 – Save 10%

19.   Kilchoman KWM Fresh Bourbon Cask – Bottled Exclusively for KWM – $114.99 – Save 10%

20.   Jack Daniels KWM SingleBarrel – Bottled Exclusively for KWM – $49.99 – Save 10%

COMPASS BOX PEAT MONSTER RESERVE – $154.99

Only 5,300 magnums (1.5L) bottles of this whisky have been bottled, and for the time being but 24 have come to Canada, all of them to the Kensington Wine Market. When Compass Box launched the original Peat Monster more than 5 years ago it was as the name implied, intended to be a peaty beast. In the years since we’ve seen the likes of Port Charlotte, Octomore, the Big Peat, Supernova and more, all of which make the Peat Monster seem tame. This special bottling has combined whiskies from Caol Ila, Ardmore and Clynelish. In the words of its creator it is “even peatier, smokier, richer and higher strength than the classic version”. Jim Murray scored it 92pts in the Whisky Bible:

The Peat Monster Reserve Towering Over Its Lesser Namesake!

“Nose: comfortable, thickish smoke and a dusting of peppers: complex and well balanced; Taste:silky soft malt oils cleverly disguise the big punchy peat which is to follow; lovely touch of golden syrup here and there, but mainly towards the delivery; Finish: smoky sweetened mocha; Balance: at times a bit of a Sweet Monster… beautiful stuff!” 48.9% – 92pts

I’ll write my own tasting note for the next Malt Messenger.

COMPASS BOX HEDONISM MAXIMUS – $259.99

Hedonism Maximus is a Blended Grain Scotch whisky created by blending select casks of 42 year old invergordon with a smaller quantities of 29 year old Cameronbridge. Cameronbridge is interestingly Scotland oldest continuously operating distillery! The constituent parts, distilled in 1965 and 1979 respectively were matured in first fill American Oak bourbon barrels. It is deeper, sweeter and richer than the original Hedonism bottling hence the designation of “Maximus”. 46%

The whisky’s label is an homage to one of the Scotch industry’s long lost brands, Andrew Usher & Co.s “Old Vatted Glenlivet Whisky”. The label was inspired by an advertisement from OVGW from 1905 found in the National Archive of Scotland. Only 1500 bottles were produced, with but 24 coming to Canada, all of them to the Kensington Wine Market.

An elegant whisky packaged with sophistication!

“Nose: the kind of aroma your nose was invented for: lots of rich bourbon swirls, with butterscotch, liquorice and chocolate-covered honeycomb arriving—big time!—on cue…; oh, and a few gooseberries and greengages tossed in for an extra dimension: it just doesn’t get any better… Taste: the oak is a bit top heavy on arrival, but lush malt cushions its impact to a degree; still juicy tongue-teasing; Finish: retains its overtly bourbon character to the end with massively chewy oak extract, but always enough sweetness in reserve to cope; Balance: Bourbon Maximus…”

As with the Peat Monster Reserve I will include my own tasting note in the next full Malt Messenger.

——————–

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!

 You can follow me online on Twitter at www.twitter.com/scotch_guy..

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

… Single Malts are not the only options at the Whisky table! Older Blended Scotch’s can educate and engage … with a little prompting from Ralfy at www.ralfy.com Whisky Review 172 – Recommended Older Blended … yummy!

Mid-Island Whisky Club

Invites you to attend our 2011 Fundraising Tasting Evening with the proceeds donated to the Nanaimo/Ladysmith Schools Foundation. Presented by ANDREW GRAY, The Brand Ambassador for Bruichladdich Distillery. Thursday, January 20, 2011 @ 6:30pm Costin Hall, Lantzville, British Columbia.

Condition of Entry: No drinking &driving-Transportation home provided.  Tickets are $100 each. To purchase contact Roger Killin 250- 758-1860 rkillin@telus.net

Merry Christmas from all the team at  The Irishman Irish Whiskey!

Don’t forget to leave out a nice glass of The Irishman at Christmas for Santa Claus… 

Sláinte!

www.thehotirishman.com

Hi All,

Well better late than never I suppose! It really has sneaked up on me this year and I can’t believe Christmas is next Saturday!

So just a quick note as I know you will be inundated with emails at this time of year…

For those of you not sorted for Xmas yet or looking at ways to spend your Xmas pocket money, I have a few ideas for you…

Dram 101
Where other whiskies fear to tread…

Our first attempt at a blended malt whisky and it is pretty good – even if I do say so myself – read more here http://www.thewhiskylounge.com/products.aspx. We would love to hear your comments on it and have set up a discussion page on facebook.

Only a few remain of Batch 1 and I reckon if you were to order over the weekend I might still be able to get it to you before Xmas – weather permitting of course! £15 per 20cl bottle, including delivery…

Burn’s Night/s
A couple of fantastic Burn’s Suppers, one in York at the fabulous Grand Hotel and one in Newcastle at the atmospheric and appropriate Blackfriars Banqueting Hall. Dates are Friday 28th and Saturday 29th January respectively.

First 2011 Tastings
Independent’s Day? is the title and as it sounds we are to be tasting some fab independent bottlings…but against their distillery bottled equivalents! Three distilleries, two bottlings of each tasted blind – who will come out on top? You will decide once again! These are now in place and available for purchase on the website.

Gift Vouchers
Again, for those of you not sorted for Xmas or with Birthdays or other occasions coming up, these should prove popular with the whisky lover in your life! These can be purchased  (the new ‘shop’ feature of the website) and can be emailed to you via PDF up to and including Xmas Eve, for you to print out and pop in a card…

Blind Islay Fury Results
A fantastic series and thanks to all for making it our most successful so far. If you are interested in seeing the whiskies, scores and notes then you can visit our Facebook review page. If you don’t Facebook please email me and I will send you the results.

Prices
Due to the imminent rise in VAT and various factors, I have had to increase the price of regular tastings to £22. I’m sorry about this but I hope you will agree they still represent excellent value for money and that you keep coming!

I’ll leave you with that for now, but if I can just take this opportunity wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and a great New Year. Many thanks again for helping make this our best year so far and I very much look forward to seeing you in 2011!

Sláinte
Eddie

Eddie Ludlow
Whisky Evangelist

thewhiskylounge
IWSC Spirit Panel Judge 2009-present
www.thewhiskylounge.com
eddie@thewhiskylounge.com

01904 466227
07515 854210

It is with great sadness that we have lost our friend Mike Smith. Mike was very well known in the western Canadian whisky community for his friendship, his generosity with his whisky and for his jaw dropping collection of single malts.  Whether at home or ensconsed in his hotel room while on the road at a whisky related event you were always welcome for a dram, usually something exoctic that had just recently been released in the United Kingdom and had miraculously surfaced moments later in Western Canada.

His last email to me shortly before he died said it all; “My new Laphroaig”.  

He will be missed immensely by his wife Barbara,  his puppy Coco and his many friends.

Lawrence Graham
Whisky Intelligence

“My new Laphroaig”

The Claymore Times

~ All The News That’s Fit To Drink ~
 
 Hello malt lovers

Here’s another wee whisky that the LCBO has just put on their shelves (5 stores only), a very rare 1975 DALLAS DHU  from a distillery that went silent in 1983.  Fortunately we still had a few bottles put aside and some have been shipped to Canada for release this week. Very limited numbers, if you’re a collector you may wish to buy two bottles – one as an investment and the other to enjoy.

I know what you’re thinking, “how come all these whiskies are so expensive?” and this one is no exception at $250 per bottle but, don’t be dismayed we have a 10yo Benromach coming over for Robert Burns day in January which is not only priced very reasonably (without being parsimonious) but it’s also being called ‘dead sexy’ by some connoisseurs.

Let me know if you’re attending any tastings locally and I’ll publish to the group and try and join you.

Regards,

Bill

Malt head and owner of a brand new anorak

Claymore Imports Inc.

Mail:     bill@claymoreimports.ca

1975 Dallas Dhu (LCBO # 208603)

History

Dallas Dhu was the idea of an entrepreneur named Alexander Edward. In 1898, he built two new distilleries on land outside Forres – Benromach and Dallasmore. Both were in response to the demand for malt whisky for blending.
Before Dallasmore went into production in 1899, Edward sold the distillery to the Glasgow blending firm of Wright & Greig Ltd. They wanted  the distillery to ensure a supply of malt for their popular blend, Roderick Dhu. To emphasise the link, they changed the distillery’s name to Dallas Dhu.

The distillery employed a manager, a brewer, and a number of other staff – around 15 men in all. These were divided up into different groups, each headed by a lead man. Workers included the maltman, the mashman, the stillman, the warehouseman and the cooper. The men were expected to turn their hand to anything from unloading barley and shovelling peat to rolling out the barrels. The exception was the taxman, he was employed by Customs and Excise and not the distillery, although the latter had to provide him with a house and office!

Dallas Dhu Distillery produced whisky from 1899 to 1983. The first barrel was filled on 3 June 1899, and the last on 16 March 1983. In the intervening years, it had a chequered existence. During the First World War it was closed. After the War, Wright & Greig sold it to J. P. O’Brien & Co Ltd of Glasgow, but they went into liquidation in 1921, and Dallas Dhu was sold to Benmore Distillery.The new owners invested heavily in developments to the site, including a new railway siding. But the Great Depression forced closure in the early 1930s. Soon after reopening production, the distillery was badly damaged by fire, on 9 April 1939. Production began again in 1947, but was finally closed in 1983, largely because of a water shortage caused by prolonged drought.

Description

Undiluted
Nose: Fruity notes – fresh pear and peaches. Subtle estery influences, a delicate malt edge is present. A complex aroma.
Palate: Mouth watering, remains fresh – peach elements, a subtle vanilla comes to the forefront.

Diluted
Nose: Prominent malty note, with more subtle influences of fresh and ripe water melons. A subtle chocolate coffee note becomes apparent.
Palate: Heavy tropical fruits initially, retains a certain freshness and becomes mouth drying.

You can order directly from any LCBO store quoting LCBO# 208603 at a cost of at $250 or pick up at one of these locations.
 
1. TORONTO-CENTRAL 2 COOPER STREET
QUEENS QUAY & YONGE
(416)864-6777 
 
2. TORONTO-CENTRAL 10 SCRIVENER SQUARE
YONGE & SUMMERHILL
(416)922-0403 
 
3. OTTAWA 275 RIDEAU STREET
RIDEAU & KING EDWARD
(613)789-5226
 
4. OAKVILLE 321 CORNWALL DRIVE
CORNWALL & TRAFALGAR
(905)845-8100
 
5. TORONTO-NORTH YORK 2901 BAYVIEW AVENUE
BAYVIEW & SHEPPARD (BAYVIEW VILLAGE)
(416)222-7658

Also arriving very soon: Benromach 10 yo and a Glen Grant, we`ll keep you posted.

Holiday Single Malt Tasting

Last week we tasted some wonderful single malts from the Gordona & MacPhail MacPhail Collection . We have a few left which we are offering along with a free Glencairn whiskey glass. These are perfect gifts for your favorite malt drinker.

Bunnahabhain 8 Y.O. $35.99 $32.99 $36.99-w/Scotch Glass
This line includes Highland Park and Tamdhu; all three from real sherry casks. Sherry is very light but all three all wonderful. All at the same price.

Benromach 10 Y.O. $53.99 $48.99 $53.99-w/Scotch Glass
This 10 Y.O. is just brilliant, a wonderful malt that the sherry works without overpowering the malt,and just a little whiff of smoke on the back palate but not over-bearing. This is a whisky not to miss and a distillery to watch for the next 20 years.

Miltonduff 10 Y.O. $56.99 $51.99 $56.99 -w Scotch Glass
This distillery is not seen very often. It’s more like a highland malt in style, perhaps from a refill sherry cask, with a nice mouth-feel and good balance; A wonderful everyday dram.

Mortlach 21 Y.O. $154.99 $144.99-w/Scotch Glass
This is a favorite of many. Nice sherried malt, intriguing mouth-feel, with complexity and great balance; multilayered with a gracious finish. This is why they call it top dressing of the Johnnie Walker Blue blend. Simply Stunning!!!!!

Strathisla 44 Y.O. $349.99 $299.99-w/Scotch Glass
This Single malt is one reason that Gordon & MacPhail are called “The Speyside Specialists.” Elegance in a glass,
this is a multilayered malt that has great depth without being too sherried and shows amazing balance and finesse with elegance. A Show Stopper. Limited Quantity. Don’t Miss This One.

Federal Wine & Spirits
————————————————
Email: info@federalwine.com
Phone: (617) 367-8605
Web: http://www.federalwine.com/

Glenfarclas 45 Year Old 1965 Vintage 52.7%

Probably Speyside’s Finest now upgraded to Douglas Laing’s Old & Rare cask strength range.

Very well priced single cask perfect for the Holiday season.

Why not treat yourself?

£249.99 (£212.76 ex VAT)

www.thewhiskybarrel.com

Scotland’s Online Whisky Shop