Second Saturday Scotch Sipping at Six

2nd Saturday each month 6 – 9 p.m. no reservation required

Enjoy 5 half-ounce samples of single malt Scotch whisky: $20

♦ We feature 3 single malts, including a Malt of the Month *

♦ You roll a die then pick a whisky from one of the six Scotch regions

♦ You pick your Connoisseur’s Choice from our menu of  single malts

Peruse our whisky library. Learn about our single malts in our menu book: distillery info, tasting notes, & more. Enjoy light hors d’oeuvres. Non-whisky drinkers welcome.

December 10, 2011
Glen Moray 12 yo *
Smokehead
Kilchoman Winter 2010

January 14, 2012
Bunnahabhain 12 yo (46.3%) *
Ardbeg 10 yo
Old Pulteney 12 yo

February 11 , 2012
BenRiach Curiositas 10 yo *
Cardhu 12 yo
Arran 10 yo

March 10 , 2012
Ardmore Traditional *
Glenlivet 16 yo Nadurra
Auchentoshan Valinch

April 14 , 2012

Isle of Jura 16 yo *
Bruichladdich Links – St. Andrews
Tullibardine Aged Oak

10% off bottles of the Malt of the Month*

Bob at work....

Visit the Miner’s Delight Inn at http://www.minersdelightinn.com/

We love the festive season here at Abbey Whisky!

The cold and frosty weather, fun times with friends and family and copious amounts of eating and drinking…what better excuse to enjoy a special wee dram in celebration!

December heralds the return of Abbey Whisky’s Winter Whisky Festival for 12 days on the run up to Christmas. On each of these days we will feature a dailyoffer on a range of special malts. In keeping with the season, these prices will remain frozen for the duration of the festival.

On the fourth day of Christmas Abbey Whisky gives to you…

Festival Malts

There are now many whisky festivals throughout the year in Scotland offering an array of whisky related activities for the whisky connoisseur to enjoy, including malt whisky master-classes and tastings to exclusive tours of distilleries no longer operational or open to the public.

To mark the festival, many distilleries release a special festival bottling, available for a very limited time. In a bid to ensure they land one of these elusive malts many of the most dedicated (or a little mad!) camp out over night.

Day 4 of the Abbey Whisky Winter Whisky Festival 2011 gives you the chance to get these great festival malts at a wintery good price…

Auchentoshan Festival 2009 Distillery Exclusive
Lowland Single Malt Whisky

This limited edition single malt whisky was bottled in 2009 to celebrate the inaugural Auchentoshan Distillery Whisky Festival.

List Price £69.00
Festival Price £62.00
Saving £7.00

Bowmore 1983 / Feis Ile 2011
Islay Single Malt Whisky

Another very rare release from Bowmore to celebrate the 2011 Feis Ile. With only 100 bottles filled from a sherry hogshead single cask, this very special whisky is very rare and highly sought after.

List Price £795
Festival Price £745.00
Saving £50.00

Bruichladdich 1998 / Feis Ile 2011 / Ancien Regime
Islay Single Malt Whisky

Bruichladdich treated us to two bottles at the 2011 Islay Whisky Festival (Feis Ile). This dram ‘Ancien Regime’ was amongst the very last spirit distilled under the old owners.

List Price £95.00
Festival Price £75.00
Saving £20.00

Bruichladdich 2001 / Feis Ile 2011 / Renaissance
Islay Single Malt Whisky

The second bottle released by Bruichladdich during the 2011 Islay Whisky Festival (Feis Ile). This dram ‘Renaissance’ arrived from one of the very first spirits run from the new stills back in 2001. 

List Price £95.00
Festival Price £75.00
Saving £20.00

Laphroaig Feis Ile 2007, 1989
17 Year Old
Islay Single Malt Whisky

Specially selected and bottled for Friends of Laphroaig from the finest casks of their age, on the occasion of the 2007 Feis Ile and Opening of the new Friends Lounge. 

List Price £195.00
Festival Price £155.00
Saving £40.00

Abbey Whisky | Specialist supplier of rare, collectable and exclusive scotch malts. | Edinburgh, Lothian PO Box 23996, United Kingdom

www.ralfy.com happy to share some more engaging stuff with WhiskyReview 235 – thegoodspiritco (modern bottle shop) . . . a very good example of a modern, local retailer with a wide range of stuff!

£10 MILLION CAMBUS COOPERAGE FOR WHISKY CASKS BRINGS ANCIENT CRAFT INTO 21ST CENTURY

by Pat Roberts

Recognising the still-growing demand around the world for Scotch, particularly in the emerging markets of Asia and Latin America, Diageo is investing in growing Scotch whisky production capacity across Scotland. To accommodate additional production, a good supply of top quality oaks casks is needed, so Diageo has built a new state-of-the art Cooperage at Cambus, near Alloa in Fife.

Robot loading cask for firing

The coopers there will craft around 250,000 casks each year – all of which will be used to mature Scotch whisky for Diageo’s world leading brands, such as Johnnie Walker and J&B Rare, and Diageo’s famous collection of single malt Scotch whiskies like Talisker, Lagavulin, Caol Ila, Oban and The Singleton of Glen Ord.

The Cambus site – the first new cooperage to be built in Scotland for decades – has been designed “by the coopers for the coopers”, drawing on generations of skill, craft and experience and combining it with the state-of-the-art British engineering – never before used in a cooperage – to dramatically improve the working lives of the coopers.

Diageo has invested £10 million* in the new purpose-built cooperage. It employs over 100 people: 40 coopers, 39 operators and team leaders and has eight apprentices. A further 20 people are involved in maintenance, transport and support services.

The new Cambus cooperage was opened on 28 November by His Royal Highness, the Earl of Wessex, who toured the new cooperage and met a range of time-served coopers, including some with decades of experience in the trade, as well Diageo’s apprentice coopers who are now able to hone their skills in a custom-built coopering school within the new cooperage.

Calum Bruce, Prince Edward, Brian Law

Calum Bruce, 51, one of Diageo’s longest serving coopers with 35 years’ service, having started in the trade at age 16, explained the difference the new ways of working had made to the coopers.

He said: “A lot has changed over the last 35 years, but the basic skills have stayed the same. But Cambus is something different altogether. We still use the same skills to do the same job, but the difference is the machines now do a lot of the heavy lifting so we don’t have to spend time and effort on hard labour and we can focus on the skilled part of the job. That is what has really transformed the way we work.”

Brian Law, one of eight apprentices currently learning their trade on Diageo’s four-year apprentice scheme, also welcomed the investment the company has made in the future of the trade. He said: “It is a really exciting time to be learning my trade as a cooper. At Cambus, Diageo has an investment in the future of coopering and that’s also an investment in the futures of all the guys who work here.”

Classic coopering skills& strength are still needed

“We wanted to maximise the craft skills which are the core of the job, while using smart technology to minimise the back-breaking bending and heavy-lifting which causes physical damage to the guys doing the job.”

Tom Duncan, a manager at Cambus, was one of the team tasked with leading the new cooperage project and explained the ethos behind the cooperage: “It’s not often you get to start with a blank sheet of paper and design something like this from scratch. From the start the basic principal was that this would be a cooperage designed by coopers for coopers.”

“We wanted to maximise the craft skills which are the core of the job, while using smart technology to minimise the back-breaking bending and heavy-lifting which causes physical damage to the guys doing the job.”

To achieve this, the Diageo team turned to Leicester-based engineering firm CI Logistics, which works primarily in the car industry, and together they custom-designed a series of mechanical conveyors to move the casks – which weigh up to 85kg when empty – around the cooperage between the hand-craft elements of the process. The result is the world’s most unique and innovative cooperage.

*Note: £10 million = €11.7 million or US $ 15.8 million

TheWhiskyBarrel.com Whisky Shop Reveals New Logo

Online whisky shop TheWhiskyBarrel.com today reveals its new insignia.

The new logo has been designed by Craig Mackinlay of Breeze Creative, the Glasgow based design company, who have worked with many of Scotland’s successful distilleries.

Craig Mackinlay explains “The new logo design enhances TheWhiskyBarrel.com by reflecting the modern look and feel of the company’s online whisky shop”.

Alastair Brown, Managing Director of The Whisky Barrel says “Our new logo design enhances our online web presence by clearly defining what we do. It blends our modern approach to a historic industry. Craig has designed one hell of a doodle”.

The previous logo, created in 2007, served the company for four years will be retired with a half bottle of Loch Dhu which still hasn’t sold.

You can follow our whisky musings on Facebook, Twitter and The Whisky Barrel Blog.

The Whisky Barrel

www.thewhiskybarrel.com

facebook.com/thewhiskybarrel

twitter.com/whiskybarrel @WhiskyBarrel

www.thewhiskybarrel.com/blog

E: info@thewhiskybarrel.com

T: +44 (0)845 2248 156

Dear Malt Messenger Subscribers,

3, 2, 1, go!!!! Our 2012 Winter Tasting Schedule (January through March) is now open for registration in store, over the phone 403-283-8000 and online https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php  !

Members of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society have had a head start, and have already claimed ¼ to 1/3 of the spots in the three First Friday tastings. For those of you who aren’t already aware of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, it is the world’s largest whisky club. The Society bottles whiskies exclusively for its members, all of them at cask strength without colouring or chill filtering. The First Friday of every month the Society hosts a tasting of its latest offerings, usually 7 new whiskies!

The Society was launched in Canada in October and has been a huge hit. We’ve sold close to 100 memberships and have already launched 22 single cask whiskies, many of which have already sold out! We are launching another 7 whiskies on Friday at our second First Friday Tasting. There are still tickets left for Friday if you’d like to attend. We’ve broken the tasting down into two 1 hour sessions: the first from 6 to 7 and the second from 8 to 9. There is 1 spot available for the 6PM seating and there are currently 3 for the 8PM seating. Drop me an email or give me a call 403-283-8000 if you are interested in either! But if you can’t make it this Friday don’t sweat it, the Society will be hosting a First Friday tasting the first Friday of every month in 2012!

Speaking of upcoming events there is an incredible whisky dinner being put on this coming Monday at Buchanan’s Chop House. The event is being co hosted by Mahesh Patel (Nth, Vegas Whisky Show) and David Robertson (Rare Whiskies Manager of Whyte and MacKay). They’re coming to Calgary (at present the only date in Canada) to put on a very special whisky dinner Monday night, as part of a multi-city North American tour. The event will feature an incredible range of Dalmores: Cigar Malt Reserve, Castle Leod, 1981, 40 Year Astrum and 45 Year Aurora, as well as three whiskies from a new premium independent bottling line. “Sirius” is a line of very old, carefully selected, premium Scotch whiskies being launched by Mahesh Patel. They include a 1965 Carsebridge, 1966 Fettercairn and a 44 year old Dalmore. The dinner costs $350 US, which is a reasonable price given the range of whiskies on offer, not to mention the dinner. There are still tickets for the dinner available, and it would be great to see this event fill, and further cement Calgary’s reputation in the whisky world. You can register for it through: http://universalwhiskyexperience.com/events/tickets .. I have my ticket, do you have one?

Finally, to the meat and potatoes of today’s Malt Messenger Bulletin, the Winter 2011 Tasting Schedule. January, February and March are the coldest and darkest months of the year, but take heed, we’ve got some inspiring and tantalizing events to warm you body, mind and soul during these dark days. Early in the New Year there is the Ultimate Glenmorangie Tasting which will feature the full range of Glenmorangie including the yet to be released 1981 Pride ($4249.99). Right on the heels of this is the First Annual Calgary MS Whisky Festival at the Art Gallery of Calgary. This event will feature whiskies from all the major players and there will be room for 300 participants. Come for a few drams and help support a worthy cause. Later in the month there is our 7th Annual Robbie Burns Supper, Scots Wha Hae! Our special guest will be the larger than life George Grant (6th generation owner) of Glenfarclas distillery who will be helping us celebrate the launch of a new cask: the first private bottling of Glenfarclas in Canada! Moving through February and March there are many other events to delight you including a 40 year olds tasting. That’s right, for two consecutive nights at the end of March we will be cracking open not 1, not 2 but 6 40 year old single malt whiskies for our Ancient Malts tastings which will be sure to blow your mind!

I know Christmas is front of mind and just around the corner, but 2012 isn’t far behind! I hope you find something to enjoy in our winter tasting schedule. Don’t forget you can register online https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php  by phone 403-283-8000, and in store!

Slainté!

Andrew Ferguson

Winter Tasting Schedule

1. Scotch Malt Whisky Society First Friday I – Friday January 6th – Join the world’s largest whisky club and taste their latest, exclusive offerings. We host SMWS tastings the first Friday of each month. Members save $10 on class registration. Want to know more? smws.ca. $35 (members) $45 (others)

2. Ultimate Glenmorangie Tasting – Thursday January 12th – To celebrate the launch of Glenmorangie’s latest opus, The Glenmorangie Pride, we are throwing a no holds barred tasting of the full line: The 10 Year Original, The Pride, The extra matured range, The Signet, The Quarter Century…and all things in between. To commemorate the event everyone will receive a monogrammed whisky glass! – $150

3. MS Calgary Whisky Festival – Thursday January 19th – The Kensington Wine Market is proud to support an unforgettable evening of whisky tasting, art and music in support of The MS Society of Southern Alberta and those affected by MS. The event will feature more than 100 whiskies from the best distilleries in Scotland as well as select whiskies from around the world. 100% of proceeds to charity! **Location: Art Gallery of Calgary, 117 Stephen Avenue Mall 6 to 9PM** – $95

4. Scots Wha Hae! – Wednesday January 25th – Caledonians Unite! It’s time to celebrate all things Scottish. Glenfarclas is the featured distillery for our 7th annual Robbie Burns Supper, and George Grant is our special guest. We’ll have bagpipes, poetry, haggis with neeps and tatties and six amazing single malts all from Glenfarclas, including—a Canadian first—a new single cask bottling of Glenfarclas exclusive to KWM!. No previous whisky experience required. Location: **Fort Calgary 750 – 9th Avenue SE 7:00PM** – $99

5. Classic Single Malts – Tuesday January 31st – It’s called back to basics. Classic Malts is our introduction to the world of Scottish single malt whisky, its regions, history, and taste profile. – $35

6. Scotch Malt Whisky Society First Friday II – Friday February 3rd – Join the world’s largest whisky club and taste their latest, exclusive offerings. We host SMWS tastings the first Friday of each month. Members save $10 on class registration. Want to know more? smws.ca. – $45

7. Whisky, Women & Chocolate – Friday February 17th – Round up the gals and join our scotch expert, Andrew Ferguson, for a pairing of fine whisky and premium chocolate. Lassies only! – $50

8. Rare Malts – Thursday February 23rd – Only the oldest and rarest whiskies need apply. Taste whiskies which have been matured more than 20 years, are from closed distilleries or are exceptionally rare. – $75

9. Scotch Malt Whisky Society First Friday III – Friday March 2nd – Join the world’s largest whisky club and taste their latest, exclusive offerings. We host SMWS tastings the first Friday of each month. Members save $10 on class registration. Want to know more? smws.ca. – $45

10. Ancient Malts I – Thursday March 29th – Our blockbuster tasting for 2012 is going to feature not one, not two, not three, but SIX 40 Year Old distillery bottled whiskies. We are offering two tastings over two consecutive evenings, take your pick. Each participant will receive a monogrammed glass to commemorate the event. – $275

11. Ancient Malts II – Friday March 30th – Our blockbuster tasting for 2012 is going to feature not one, not two, not three, but SIX 40 Year Old distillery bottled whiskies. We are offering two tastings over two consecutive evenings, take your pick. Each participant will receive a monogrammed glass to commemorate the event. – $275

* You can register for these tastings online at: https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php, by phone at 403-283-8000 or 888-283-9004 and in store.

____________________

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

Grant’s in India

Hi,

They say there is more Scotch whisky consumed in India than is distilled in Scotland. Obviously, this isn’t technically true but having been in India for a couple of days now, I am beginning to understand where the saying comes from.

Whisky is THE drink of choice in India and there are many brands to choose…(please click on the link to read the remainder of the article)…

THE LINK

Kind regards,
Ludo

Iconic Scottish drinks brand, DRAMBUIE is to premiere its exciting global marketing campaign: A TASTE OF THE EXTRAORDINARY on 28 November with London getting the first glimpse of the international campaign.

The result of 12 months work and research on both sides of the Atlantic, the new creative territory marks a major departure for Drambuie as it drives forward to the next stage of its rejuvenation and aims to attract a new generation of drinkers. Building on the success of the new bottle design introduced in 2009, the campaign will be rolled out globally in 2012, with Greece, Chile and the UK introducing A Taste of the Extraordinary in 2011.

Developed by London-based creative agency Sell!Sell!, A Taste of the Extraordinary will challenge consumers to re-evaluate their perception of the brand as a drink choice, making it more accessible and appealing, particularly to 25-44 year old professional ‘creative class’ consumers.

With an infinite, moonlit, monochrome landscape the Drambuie bottle and amber liquid is emphasised in sharp relief. Artistic influences from Dali to Escher have helped to inform this incredible, surreal landscape. The creative campaign brings an element of intrigue; crafting a new brand world that tempts consumers to explore and discover the depth and unique taste of Drambuie.

London residents and visitors will receive a preview of the new campaign in the run up to this Christmas, with posters appearing across the London Underground, along with 300 branded taxis in the eye-catching black and white zigzag design and bottle shot.

The UK campaign for A Taste of the Extraordinary will be further supported by an integrated social media and PR strategy led by Freshwater UK. Events22 is also developing an extraordinary range of consumer experiential activities that will support the campaign throughout 2012 and beyond.

The photography commissioned for the new advertising campaign is by London based photographer John Ross. John is best known for his award-winning album artwork photography for the Pet Shop Boys, Manic Street Preachers, Spiritualised and DJ Shadow. Most recently he shot the striking Crouch, Touch, Pause, Engage in time for the Rugby World Cup Final.

Vicki Wonders, Drambuie Liqueur Co.’s UK senior brand manager commented: “We’re delighted to offer consumers a sneak preview of A Taste of the Extraordinary in the UK this Christmas. A fully integrated campaign combining advertising, social media, PR and experiential activity will be rolled out later in 2012. This campaign offers an engaging platform from which we will present Drambuie to potential consumers, as well as our on and off trade partners, as we encourage them to reconsider the brand and its place in their repertoire.”

Tim Dewey, global marketing director commented “Our research in both the UK and USA found that there was a real need to educate our consumers as to what the ‘taste’ of Drambuie actually is – a unique blend of aged Scotch whisky, spices heather honey and herbs. Combining this message with our bold new direction, we are in a much stronger position to further target a new generation of Drambuie drinkers. A Taste of the Extraordinary has given us the assets to deliver an impactful campaign across all channels and markets for years to come.”

www.drambuie.com

Notes

Drambuie can be found in all good drinks specialists and supermarkets, UK RRP £23.99

About DRAMBUIE®

A unique blend of aged Scotch whisky, species heather honey and herbs, the Drambuie recipe was created more than 260 years ago exclusively for Prince Charles Edward Stuart of Scotland. 

The first commercial production of Drambuie took place in Edinburgh 1909 and became popular internationally as it was taken abroad by the Scottish Regiments in the two World Wars.

In the USA post prohibition, it became synonymous with the classic cocktail The Rusty Nail ™. Today it’s enjoyed neat, over ice and as a long refreshing drink mixed with soda, ginger beer or ginger ale.  For more information visit www.drambuie.com

About photographer John Ross

A commercial photographer, John specialises in liquids, still life, portraits and cars and is currently working on a charity book about children orphaned by AIDs in South Africa. 

John also coincidentally shares the name of the first ever maker of Drambuie. www.johnross.co.uk

About Sell!Sell!

Sell!Sell! is advertisings naughty stepchild, an independent creative advertising agency based in London. We help companies large and small to grow their business.

Feast your eyes on the Sell! Sell! Blog: http://sellsellblog.blogspot.com 

Amrut Portonova receives 2011 Malt Maniac Award

Malt Maniacs released their annual awards on December 1, 2011 and the limited edition Amrut Portonova received the “Best Cask Innovation Award (Premium)”. The Best Cask Innovation Award is presented for the Best whisky matured or finished in ‘special’ or unusual casks. In addition Amrut Portonova received 88.15 points and was awarded a Silver Medal.

For 2010 in addition to a number of Malt Maniac Awards, Amrut received a special award for “Young World Distillery of the Year”, which recognized the quality of whiskies being produced by Amrut.

Amrut Portonova is a unique Single Malt Whisky that was first matured in new American oak and ex-Bourbon barrels. The whisky is then transferred to Port Pipes for further maturation of 1 year and then back to ex-Bourbon barrels for finishing, Bottled at Cask Strength 61.2% abv this is a limited edition release of less than 1250 bottles worldwide.

An allocation of 312 bottles of Amrut Portonova will be available in the US by mid-December at a price of $115 per bottle.

Amrut Distilleries is a family owned distillery based in Bangalore India and has been in operation since 1948. They released their first Single Malt Whisky in 2004. Now available in 20 countries, Amrut Single Malts continue to surprise and impress critics and connoisseurs.

Since 1997, the malt maniacs (an international collective of malt whisky enthusiasts) have been enjoying and discussing the pleasures of (single malt) whisky with like-minded whisky lovers from all over the world. Since 2003, they have organised their very own annual ‘amateur’ whisky competition.”We like to think that, over the years, our modest little initiative has evolved into one of the leading (and most independent) whisky competitions in the world.” You can find more details about the collective and its history on: www.maltmaniacs.org.

Amrut Single Malts are imported by Purple Valley Imports USA and distributed in over 20 States. For further information contact Raj Sabharwal, Managing Director, Purple Valley Imports at raj@purplevalleyimports.com or 704 497 2493.

Amrut NAS Portonova (62.1%, OB, 2011)

Ah, Amrut! The familiar joy on the nose there is a rich earthiness intertwined with fruit and a delightful spiciness from the cask. There is also some good fragrance but ever present is the richness. A little cocoa and cinnamon; all very delightful. A little water reveals brings out some warmth and further sweetness. The taste is still Amrut (happily enough) and quite strong, dry, peppered and very active. Luscious fruit and a huge spiciness that is quite excellent. With water it is decidedly gentler and becomes very syrupy and some tobacco is very evident. The finish is also very spicy however the Amrut character is never far away nor is the fruitiness and the continued effect of the pepper. It’s very long and very good. After a minute or two some nice malt arrives.

Strap yourself to the chair and enjoy the rollercoaster without water.

Advance sample no price available

Score 86 points