Buffalo Trace Distillery Opens New Experimental Warehouse

Warehouse X Will Enhance Whiskey Research

In Search of the Holy Grail

FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (Nov. 22, 2013) Buffalo Trace Distillery will hold the grand opening today of its experimental barrel warehouse, Warehouse X, that will allow the Distillery to take its quest for the “perfect bourbon” even further.

Comprised of brick, concrete block, and skylights, Warehouse X is the first new building Buffalo Trace has added to its 130 acre complex in more than 60 years.  This is no ordinary warehouse though – with a small footprint of only 30 feet by 50 feet, Warehouse X has the capacity of around 150 barrels. Its most compelling feature, however, is four independently operating chambers that allow specific variables to be tested in order to determine their effect on aging barrels. There is also a barrel breezeway with an open air rick underneath a roof in which a small number of barrels will age while being exposed to the natural elements.

The first four variables Buffalo Trace plans to experiment with are natural light, temperature, airflow, and humidity. Warehouse X will test one variable at a time.  For example, the first experiment will focus on the effect of natural light for at least two years. Each chamber will have varying degrees of light, ranging from 100% natural light to complete darkness.  After the natural light experiment is concluded, a new experiment will start on temperature, and then studies will start on the effects of humidity, and so on.

Local officials will join Buffalo Trace executives in the ribbon cutting to open the experimental warehouse this afternoon, and soon afterwards the warehouse will be filled with barrels and the experiments will begin.

“Through the years, there’s been a lot of research done on barrels, and a lot done on bourbon, but none done on the actual structure of a warehouse,” said Mark Brown, president and chief executive officer, Buffalo Trace Distillery. “What is the best warehouse structure to yield the best results?  No one knows.  But the construction of this warehouse will give us invaluable insight into what light, temperature, airflow, and humidity do to the barrels and the bourbon inside, and hopefully put us one step closer to producing the perfect bourbon.”

Buffalo Trace Distillery broke ground on Warehouse X in the spring of 2013. The construction progress was documented on the blog www.experimentalwarehouse.com and the blog will continue to be updated as new findings are released and new phases of experiments begin.

The whiskeys that will be aging inside Warehouse X will be bottled under the Experimental Collection line. It will be a minimum of eight years after the warehouse is complete before any whiskey will be bottled from Warehouse X.    Visitors to Buffalo Trace Distillery will be able to walk inside the breezeway of Warehouse X and learn about the current experiment occurring inside through computer screens. An educational Master Distiller’s Garden is also being planted outside the new warehouse that will contain the four grains necessary for bourbon production: corn, wheat, rye, and barley. A more formal tour that will include Warehouse X is being developed for the future and will be announced soon.

The grand opening today is for tourism, local officials and invited guests of Buffalo Trace Distillery. The public may view the new warehouse starting on Saturday, Nov. 23^rd.

About Buffalo Trace Distillery

Buffalo Trace Distillery is a family-owned company based in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich tradition dates back to 1786 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee.  Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational Distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site and is a National Historic Landmark as well as is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Distillery has won seven distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. It was named Whisky Magazine 2010 World Icons of Whisky “Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year” and 2014 Icons of Whisky America “Whiskey Distiller of the Year.”  Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 200 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit www.buffalotracedistillery.com.

Special Whisky Tasting Event
Thursday 5th December
presented by
WHISKY AMBASSADOR OF THE YEAR*
*Whisky Magazine “Icons of Whisky” 2012

 We are delighted to be hosting what promises to be a truly great evening this week – just a few tickets remain for Thursday 5th December.

If you’ve never seen the brilliant Ashok Chokalingam before, you’re in for a treat.  He will entertain and inform us with a selection of Amrut’s award winning whiskies, ( click here to see their amazing collection of awards and accolades ) including a preview of two new single casks to be released in December.
The first will be a single cask Pedro Ximenez sherry matured and the second a peated malt in port pipe. Be the the first on your block to taste these remarkable whiskies. And don’t blame us if you miss out on the last of Ashok’s unique presentations!
But not content with these two we’ll also have five others (click on the links for more info:)
• Amrut single malt
• Award-winning Fusion
• Intermediate Sherry
• Portanova
• Kadhambam  

Starts 7.30 p.m Thursday 5th December, tickets just £20.00 each (Buy here)  Contact David  for further details

November has gone by so quickly it seems like a blur, and Christmas is nearly upon us. We’ve been slowly rebuilding from Whisky Week, The Fall Single Malt Festival and our Annual Fall Sale. The last of the scheduled whisky tastings for the fall was last night, Master Malt, and we had an incredible lineup. But don’t despair, we’ve added a few tastings to the December Calendar to keep the party going.

Next Thursday, December 4, we are putting on a tasting of our new range of whiskies from Master of Malt’s “That Boutique-y Whisky Company” range. Exclusive to KWM in Canada we have a selection of seven very tasty single malts from: Bowmore, Clynelish, Caol Ila, Highland Park, Macallan, Secret Distillery No.1 (Glenfarclas), and Springbank. We’ll be sampling this range in the “Master’s of Malt?” tasting, only $60 for 7 delectible malts! Further details below.

The following week, on Thursday December 12, we’ve added a Wilson & Morgan Launch Tasting, to highlight some impressive new whiskies just in from independent bottler Wilson & Morgan. A few of them are exclusive to KWM in Calgary, all of them are very limited. We have a pair of Bowmores at 15 and 22 years of age, whiskies from Clynelish, Bunnahabhain and Glen Keith as well as two oldies: MacDuff 32 Year and Caol Ila 30 Year. I’ve already sampled 3 of these, and can assure you, you are in for a treat! Just $65 gets you in the door for this one. Further details below.

The Whisky Advent Calendar may have come and gone, but if you’re looking for some great gift ideas still readily available, we have lots of options for you. The two most popular annual whisky books are back in stock, Malt Whisky Yearbook 2014, as well as Jim Murray’s 2014 Whisky Bible. Links to both of these books can be found on the sidebar. They’re a great addition to any gift this fall, as are some of the gift packs we’ve been stocking up on. We have miniature gift packs from: Auchentoshan, Benromach, Bowmore, Glenfarclas, Glenglassaugh, Tomatin and more! Our annual Malt Messenger Gift Guide will be out in a few weeks, but in the meantime you can feast your eyes on some of gift packs an miniatures available below!

More than a few new whiskies have found their way through our doors over the last couple of weeks. Detailed information on most of these will come out in the next full Malt Messenger, in the meantime I’ve included a list to tease you with which can be found below. It includes whiskies from the aforementioned Master of Malt and Wilson & Morgan, as well as Gordon & MacPhail, Glenfiddich, Kavalan, Tomatin, Littlemill, Highland Park, Cadenhead, Springbank and more!

The most exciting new whiskey in our store is our very own cask of Breaking & Entering Bourbon by St. George Distillery. This blended bourbon is very soft and smooth, and available no where else in the world but our shop. This is our 5th cask of Bourbon in the last 6 years, and as with the previous ones, we expect it will disappear quickly. Drop in for a taste! Further details below.

Finally, ticket sales for the MS Calgary Whisky Festival have been brisk. We crushed our goal of 50 by November 21, and are already well above our goal of 100 by December 1 (125 and counting!). Kensington Wine Market is the retail sponsor of the 3rd Annual MS Calgary Whisky Festival, January 16 2013, and the official ticket seller. We are forecasting 25 presenters and more than 150 whiskies at this years event, building on the successes of the previous two. Anyone who purchases their tickets for the MS Calgary Whisky Festival before December 3 will be included in the early bird draw for a bottle of 24 year old Highland Park. More details on the MS Calgary Whisky Festival and the draw can be found below.

I hope this Malt Messenger Bulletin finds you well, and keeping warm by the fire with a seductive dram. If you’re running low, we have some options for you…

Slainte!

Andrew Ferguson
Kensington Wine Market

PS- PS – Don’t forget you can follow me on twitter twitter.com/scotch_guy and Facebook facebook.com/scotch.guy.1 .

Malt Whisky Yearbook 2014 Now In Stock!

$29.99

The 9th Edition is revised for 2014 with updated distillery information, new tastings notes and more great articles and insights on the whisky industry.
The best reference on Malt Whisky period!

Click Here For More Info

Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2014

$21.99

The 10th Anniversary Edition of Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible. 4,500 whiskies reviewed, including 2,500 single malt Scotch whiskies, 375 blends and 634 American Whiskies.

Click Here for More Info

Scotch Malt Whisky Society Canada Tasting Added for December 11

$55 Members / $45 Guests

Note this tasting is only open to those not registed for the December 6 event. Both members and the uninitiated are welcome to join us! The Calgary branch of the World’s largest whisky club will be holding an overflow tasting at Winebar Kensington to showcase December’s new releases. Members, guests and non-members are all welcome. 7 rare, limited, cask strength, single cask single malt Scotch whiskies will be sampled!

Click Here to Register

MS Calgary Whisky Festival 2014 Tickets Now On Sale!

Thursday January 16 2014 $95

25 stations, more than 40 different distilleries, a dozen brand ambassadors and 150+ whiskies, all for a good cause! We’ll also be announcing shortly a trio of Master Classes which will run concurrent to the event.

Buy before December 3 to be included in the early bird draw!

Click Here to Register

December KWM Whisky Tastings

Our Winter 2014 schedule will be out soon, but in the meantime here’s a couple of

1. Masters of Malt? – Thursday December 5, 2013 – 7PM – Peasant Cheese Shop (next door to KWM) – There are no age statements, no details on the type of casks the matured in and all we really know is the distillery of origin, the strength and the number of bottles. They have such great labels…, but how good are they? Join us for a tasting of our colour new exclusives from Master of Malt’s “That Boutique-y Whisky Company” range, and decide for yourself. We’re moving next door to the new Peasant cheese shop for this tasting! – $60

2. SMWS Canada December Overflow Tasting – Wednesday December 11, 2013 – 5:30PM – Winebar Kensington 1131 Kensington Rd NW – This is an overflow seating for the SMWS December release. It will consist of the same lineup of whiskies as the First Friday tasting. 5:30PM, Wednesday Nov 11 at Winebar Kensington, 1135 Kensington Road NW. Please note this tasting is not open to anyone attending the Dec 6 tasting. – $55 Guests / $45 Members

3. Wilson & Morgan Launch Tasting – Thursday December 12th – Wilson & Morgan is a boutique independent bottler, and they have some real gems! We’re taking over the neighboring Peasant cheese shop for a tasting of 7 Wilson & Morgan single malts from Bunnahabhain, Bowmore (15 & 22 Year), Caol Ila (30 Year), MacDuff (32 Year), Glen Keith 21 Year and Clynelish! – $65
You can register for our tastings in store, by phone, or through our website: https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php.

New Editions of Popular Whisky Books in Stock

The 2014 Editions of the Whisky Bible and Malt Whisky Yearbook are in!

1. Malt Whisky Yearbook 2014 – In my humble opinion this is the best and most comprehensive whisky book out there. Wikipedia can only tell you so much, and there is something satisfying about leafing through the pages of this book discovering facts about distilleries you didn’t even know existed. Publisher Iggvar Ronde finds a way to make this annual reference interesting, fun and fresh every year. This is a must have for the dedicated lover of malt whisky, and a great gift for any whisky fanatic. We are proudly the only Canadian store listed for the 2nd straight year! – $29.99

2. Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2014 – The self-proclaimed prophet of whisky scoring is back with his 10th Edition of the Whisky Bible, featuring 1,100 new entries. Controversial, opinionated and brash he may be, but you at least have to respect the amount of work that goes into this book. I frequently disagree with the scores, but find most of the tasting notes helpful. First and foremost the Whisky Bible is a buying guide, and there is no substitute for it. – $21.99

3. Whisky Advocate Winter 2013 – Why not put out a quick plug for John Hansell’s fine whisk(e)y magazine, it is just in. Features a special report Blended Scotch Whisky, a whisky lover’s Guide to Golf in Scotland and much more. – $6.50
Gift Packs R Us

We’re Stocking Up on Popular Gifting Items at All Ranges for December.

It’s hard to stuff a stocking with several whisky bottles, though I’ll give full props to anyone who takes on the challenge… Around this time of year we start to see a proliferation of gift packs offering a selection of malts from various distilleries. We have some great standbys this year, like the Auchentoshan, Bowmore and Glenmorangie gift sets but also some new and exciting ones. Glenfarclas has come out with a gift pack featuring a more mature range of whiskies 15, 21 and 25 years of age, and has also released a miniature of their 40 year old, complete with tube. Benromach has also come out with a handsome gift set featuring 3 200ml expressions and we even have 200ml sets of our best selling Montifaud Cognacs.

The king of the Gift Packs is the Glenglassaugh Rare Cask Series. This leather bound pack is a steal, containing 3 200ml Glenglassaughs: 26 Year, 37 Year and 43 Year. A 200ml of the 43 Year alone should be $714, based on the price of the full bottles (when it was available), meaning you are effectively getting this charming little set at 35% discount, and they are throwing in the 26 and 37 years olds as a bonus! We sold nearly 30 of these last year, and are only getting 5 this year. This is a once in a lifetime bargain that will not come again. The distillery’s new owners are not likely to continue giving away the farm! Just $499.99…

1. Auchentoshan Gift Collection – 3x50ml – 12Yr, 18Yr & Three Wood – $22.99
2. Benromach 10 Year 200ml – A perfect miniature replica including tube and cork. – $23.99
3. Benromach Tri Pack – 3x200ml: Organic, 10 Year & Peat Smoke –
4. Bowmore Gift Collection – 3x50ml – 12, 15 & 18Yrs – $22.99
5. Glenfarclas 40 Year 50ml – A true miniature of their classic 40 year old… The only 50ml 40 year old in our market! – $47.49
6. Glenfarclas 15, 21 & 25 Year Gift Pack – Another great offering of more mature malts! – $49.49
7. Glenglassaugh Rare Cask Series – As described above, 3x200ml in a leather bound case. 26, 37 and 43 Year olds. – $499.99
8. Glemorangie Gift Parck – 4x100ml: 10 Year, Lasanta, Quinta Ruban & Nectar D’Or – $67.99

Scotch Malt Whisky Society – $230

More than just a gift pack, this is your hall pass to the World’s Largest Whisky Club! Membership in The Scotch Malt Whisky Society will not only entitle you to The Society’s wonderfully packaged Membership Pack (including four 100 ml bottles of Society whisky (shown here), but also: the ability to purchase Society bottlings: the monthly Outturn (the list of the Society’s latest releases) and Unfiltered (the quarterly award winning whisky magazine). For more information on the Society visit www.smws.ca.

2014 MS Calgary Whisky Festival Tickets on Sale!

Buy your tickets before December 3rd to be included in the Early Bird draw!

The 2014 MS Calgary Whisky Festival’s 3rd incarnation will be held for the second time at the Epcor Center on Thursday January 16, 2014 at 6pm. 100% of the proceeds raised are going to the MS Society of Calgary and Southern Alberta. Tickets for this event are only available through the MS Society of Calgary and Kensington Wine Market, for $95. Last year’s event featured 25 different exhibitors and more than 150 different whiskies. This year’s event will be even bigger and better! Three Master Classes, to be announced at a later date will be offered before and during the event at an additional cost of $20/each. Master Class tickets will go on sale in December. Physical tickets for the Festival and the Master Classes will be mailed out, or made available for pickup until December 3rd. Please note these tickets are NON-REFUNDABLE, and NO Store Credit will be issued on cancellations. If you find you cannot attend, you can give your ticket (s) to someone else. If you wish to purchase a Master Class ticket when available, you must first have a Festival ticket.

Buy your ticket(s) before December 3rd and you will be included in the early bird draw for a special whisky gift basket valued at more than $250, featuring a highly sought after bottle of Cadenhead Highland Park 1988. This sold out, cask strength. 24 year old whisky was matured in Ex-Sherry casks and has a very rich palate. The gift basket includes a pair of glasses, a whisky book, some whisky magazines and a flask. The winner will be drawn on December 3rd, and will be able to claim their prize at or after the event from the MS Society.

To purchase tickets for the MS Calgary Whisky Festival visit our website https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php or call 403-283-8000.

Introducing our New, Exclusive, KWM Bourbon Cask

The St. George Breaking & Entering KWM Cask – $65.99

It is barely through the door and it is already rolling off the shelf. This is a blended bourbon, bottled by St. George Distillery in San Francisco (technically Alameda). St George has been craft distilling since 1982, and is at the forefront of that movement in the United States. While they will eventually have their own proprietary Bourbon, they are the moment buying casks from Kentucky and blending them to create their own unique style of Blended Bourbon. We’ve been carrying their stock bottling, Breaking & Entering, a reference to their pillaging of casks of Kentucky Bourbon for their blends, for about 6 months. A few months ago we hit upon the idea of selecting our own exclusive cask of their blended bourbon for our store. Samples were sent up and reviewed by Hunter Sullivan (AKA The Whisk(e)y Padawan), Bryan Childs (AKA my older son) and yours truly. We selected the bottling now gracing our shelves for its elegance and subtlety. This is a Scotch drinkers Bourbon! Proper tasting note to follow in the next Malt Messenger. Drop by and give it a taste for yourself. We’re very proud of it! $65.99

Summary of New Whiskies at KWM

Lots of exciting and tasty new drams!

We’ll have time to go into greater detail and provide tasting notes on many of these whiskies in future Malt Messengers. In the meantime, you might be curious about what’s new! Here a list, of all the new whiskies at KWM:

Exclusive Whiskies
1. Cadenhead Small Batch Bowmore 1998 – A Bowmore of a different sort, creamy, subtle and floral! – $101.99
2. Cadenhead Small Batch Capperdonich 1977 – A sherry-bomb without the sulphur or bitter notes, this is a superb older dram from a closed distillery. – $364.99
3. Cadenhead Small Batch Dalmore 1988 – An unusual but stunning Dalmore, very soft and tropical! – $169.99
4. Cadenhead Small Batch Highland Park 1988 – SOLD OUT!
5. Cadenhead Small Batch Littlemill 1977 – SOLD OUT!
6. G&M Highland Park 1973 w/ Cut Crystal Glass – A sublimely delicate older Highland Park, complete with a cut crystal glass, I would love to find this under the tree! 1/4 the price of comparably aged distillery bottled Highland Park! !!!- $455.99
7. G&M Longmoran 1973 – SOLD OUT!
8. G&M Smith’s Glenlivet 1974 – Only 3 left! a Very creamy and toffeed Glenlivet. – $344.99
9. Kavalan Ex-Bourbon Oak 46% – New and exclusive to KWM, same big Kavalan whisky, slightly lower strength! – $139.99
10. Kavalan Sherry Oak 46% – New and exclusive to KWM, same big Kavalan whisky, slightly lower strength! – $154.99
11. Master of Malt Bowmore Batch 2 – “A smoky, muscular whisky with more than a hint of sherry in the mix. It comes with a rather wonderful comic book illustration of the distillery with a cheeky a schoolboy, stolen bra in hand, being chased by a lifeguard from the nearby pool. Fact Hunt: The swimming pool is actually heated by the waste heat from Bowmore’s copper pot-stills!” – 49% – $144.99
12. Master of Malt Caol Ila Batch 1 – “Batch 1 of That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s Caol Ila Single Malt Scotch Whisky has been launched to mark the team’s trip to Fèis Ìle 2013!” – 45.8% – $151.99
13. Master of Malt Clynelish Catch 2 – “The second batch of That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s Clynelish is a delicious whisky with a lovely sherried flavour. It comes with a superb hand-drawn illustration of a trio of cats, in the style of the grammatically challenged cats of the internet. Here we see a mother scolding a ginger tom cat (Clynelish), asking him why he can’t be more like his older brother (Brora). This is a little joke about the fact that Clynelish often takes a back seat to Brora – a closed distillery with a big reputation. Nonetheless, Clyenlish’s whisky is truly fantastic, as evinced here. – 50.6% – $152.99
14. Master of Malt Highland Park Batch 1 – “This label features those who attended the masterclass but moreover voted to decide the final contents of this Highland Park release we now proudly present to you! As ever, there is more to it than that as our veritable palatium of whisky pals are joined by the ghost of Charlemagne himself!” – 44.7% – $170.99
15. Master of Malt Macallan Batch 3 – “It seems there are some perspective tricks afoot on the label of That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s Macallan Batch 4. Are Macallan’s Curiously Small Stills really that small, or is that just a handsome giant trying to sneek a peek at how their whisky is made with a comically over-sized magnifying glass? I guess we’ll never know.” – 44.3% – $175.49
16. Master of Malt Secret Distillery (Glenfarclas) Batch 3 – “This is a superb single malt whisky from one of Speyside’s most famous distilleries. Whilst we can’t tell you which distillery it is from, we can say that it is one known for its independence and for its massively sherried whiskies.” 55.4% – $151.99
17. Master of Malt Springbank Batch 2 – “It is a classically styled, oily, rich single malt, just as you’d expect from Campbeltown. The label features a wonderful illustration of Neil and Joel from Caskstrength.net, operating the distillery’s famous old Porteus Mill.” – 53.1% – $159.99
18. St George B&E KMW Bourbon – See above for more details on our new exclusive cask! – $65.99
19. Wilson & Morgan Bowmore 22 Year – A huge hit at last night’s Master Malts tasting this PX Finished Bowmore is sweet, fruity and chocolaty. It blew off the shelf, we sold 15 bottles and won’t last long! – $215.99
20. Wilson & Morgan Caol Ila 30 Year – The closest thing to a Port Ellen you’ll find, missing only the buttery oils. Not surprising considering the malt would have had similar specs and was from the same place. Older Caol Ilas like this are rare, and this sherry cask matured bottling is a stunner! – 57.5% – $457.99
21. Wilson & Morgan MacDuff 32 Year – One of my favourites at last night’s Master Malts tasting, this is from an obscure distillery, but a superb malt. Very tropical! – $409.99
Returned Exclusives
1. Benromach 1969 – The closest whisky to the Black Bowmore, without being a Bowmore, and at a quarter the price. Only 2 bottles left! – $1169.99
2. G&M Rare Vintage Dallas Dhu 1979 – Subtle creamy and tropical, ever so delicate and smooth. This is an increasingly rare malt from a lost distillery! – $289.99
3. Glendronach 1971 Cask 2971 – COMING BACK! – 6 bottles! Big Sherry Bomb – $1223.00

Other New Whiskies

1. Adelphi Fascadale 5 – $71.49
2. Adelphi Liddesdale 5 – $143.99
3. Auchentoshan 1979 Oloroso – only 3 left! – $509.99
4. Campbeltown Loch 21 Year 2013 Edition – $125.99
5. Glenfarclas Family Cask 1983 – $473.49
6. Glenfarclas Family Cask 1984 – $507.49
7. Glenfiddich Distillery Edition 15 Year – $73.49
8. Glenfiddich Rich Oak 14 Year – $59.99
9. Glenrothes 1991 1L – $139.99
10. Glenrothes 1995 – $74.99
11. Kilkerran Work in Progress V Bourbon
12. Kilkerran Work in Progress V Sherry
13. Longrow NV – $63.99
14. Springbank Gold Medal Marketing Cask – This 12 year old single sherry cask bottling was selected by Andy Dunn and Jennifer Tuff of Gold Medal Marketing with the assistance of Hunter and I here at KWM. It is spicy, fruity and rich with some lovely salty peat. Andy is donating roughly $8.25/bottle to local vetrans charities. This is a superb Springbank, and a great buy! – $104.99
15. Tomatin Cu Bocan (peated) – $62.99
16. Tomatin 21 Year Ltd. Ed. – $331.99
17. Tomatin 40 Year – Tied for my 3rd favourite at Master Malts last night! – $929.99
18. Tomintoul 1977 36 Year – We received 3 bottles, only 1 left! – $809.99
19. Wilson & Morgan Clynelish Marsala Finish – $78.49

Other Returned Whiskies

1. Highland Park 12 Year – $56.99
2. Highland Park 18 Year – $115.49
3. Lagavulin 16 Year – $108.99
4. OMC Ardbeg 16 Year Rum Finish – $199.99
5. Tomatin Decades – $185.59

Coming Soon

1. Glendronach 2002 KWM Cask – $104.99 – Exclusive KWM Cask
2. Kilchoman 2008 KWM Cask – $119.99 – Exclusive KWM Cask
3. Macallan M – $3799.99
4. Wilson & Morgan Bowmore 15 Year – $139.99
5. Wilson & Morgan Bunnahabhain 2001 – $78.49
6. Wilson & Morgan Cragganmore 20 Year – $164.99
7. Wilson & Morgan Glen Keith 21 Year – $182.49 – Exclusive

Thank You for Reading the Malt Messenger!

Contact & Disclaimers

If you have any whisky questions or comments concerning The Malt Messenger please contact me by e-mail, phone, or drop by the store.

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, don’t include GST. In the case of discrepancies in pricing, the price in our in store point of sale will be taken as correct.

Thanks for reading the Malt Messenger.

Slainte!

Andrew Ferguson
Manager & Scotchguy
Kensington Wine Market
403-283-8000
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
www.kensingtonwinemarket.com

Owner & Opperator
Ferguson’s Whisky Tours
www.fergusonwhiskytours.com
scotchguide@fergusonwhiskytours.com

Kensington Wine Market
403-283-8000

Keep your eyes peeled on our website for possible special offers on many popular whiskies that would make brilliant Christmas presents for Friends or Family! You can even add a special gift message to your order as well to make it that bit more personal – perfect for the Holiday season!

Highland Queen 30 Year Old 120th Anniversary Blend
70cl | 40% ABV
Incl. Tax: £119.99

Girvan Patent Still

Single Grain Scotch Whisky (as defined by our SWA overlords) has long had an ambiguous existence in the global whisky industry. Produced primarily to supply the overwhelming demand for Blended Scotch Whisky, it rarely sees the light of day bottled … Continue reading >>

Personalised whisky – a unique way to wish them Merry Christmas

Question: What could be better than receiving a bottle of Glengoyne on Christmas morning?

Answer: Receiving a bottle of Glengoyne adorned with a unique personalised label.

This Christmas, why not turn a gift of Glengoyne 10 yo into a treasured memento by ordering a personalised bottle for someone special? We’ll print a label carrying your unique message here at the distillery and affix it to your bottle.

For the month of December, we are offering our Personalised Glengoyne at the discounted price of £35.00 (RRP £40.00)

Plus, as a Member of the Family, if you order a personalised bottle before 14th December, you’ll receive a limited edition Silver key Chain worth £7. Simply add a Key Chain to your cart and enter the code GGKEY13 during the checkout process.

Personalise your Glengoyne now >

MORTLACH SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY IS REBORN

Diageo has announced the rebirth of Mortlach™, one of the most formidable and revered Single Malt Scotch Whiskies to have been created on Speyside.

For decades, Mortlach’s output has been largely captured by Diageo’s blenders to add its unique notes to complex world-class Blended Scotch whiskies – though in recent times, a very limited number of bottles of Mortlach Single Malt Whisky have been available, and sold rapidly to connoisseurs in the know.

But now for the first time, and in response to suggestions over the years that such a rewarding Single Malt Whisky deserved a wider market, it will be available in global markets in four expressions aimed at global travel and the luxury and connoisseur segment: Rare Old, Special Strength, 18-year-old and 25-year-old.

Mortlach has been described by whisky connoisseurs as “The Beast of Dufftown”, for its rich and powerful flavours, produced in an astonishingly complicated and unique distillation process which commentators have attempted to explain as ‘2.81 Distilled’.

A famous family had a hand in that.

In 1823 Mortlach was the first distillery to be built at Dufftown, now one of the epicentres of Speyside whisky distilling. Its most eminent owners were the entrepreneurial Scottish civil engineer George Cowie,and his gifted and equally ambitious son Dr Alexander Cowie.

After playing a role in the shaping of the railway industry in the 19th century, George Cowie applied his pioneering and precise approach to engineering another great challenge, the production of Single Malt Scotch Whisky. He accepted a partnership at the Mortlach distillery in 1852, before becoming sole owner in 1867.

He clearly made an impact as shortly afterwards a local newspaper wrote: “There is not perhaps a distillery in Scotland that has so many private customers as Mortlach from which spirits are sent not only over the three kingdoms to families, but to America, India, China and Australia, in all of which Mr Cowie has customers who prefer his distillation to all others …” (The Elgin Courant, 1869).

In 1896, George died and his son Alexander, who through his own pioneering work had become an enlightened traveller, returned to Dufftown from Hong Kong and assumed full control of the distillery. Harnessing his entrepreneurial energies and scientific background to oversee the development of Mortlach, Alexander paved the way for the creation of a unique distillation system precisely calculated to create the highly complex and richly flavoured whisky that we know today. Alexander developed a profound knowledge and mastery of whisky making. Indeed, his pioneering work on whisky creation and production was soon recognised in the leading role he played in Scotland’s expanding malt whisky world.

As Chairman of the North of Scotland Malt Distillers’ Association, Alexander represented the interests of over 40 distillers in the North of Scotland and spoke on their behalf at the 1908/09 Royal Commission on Whiskey, where he proudly claimed “I am a malt distiller of high flavoured whisky, a thick type of whisky”.

In a golden age of Victorian expansion and improvement, George and Alexander Cowie were typical of those generations of Scottish engineers, scientists, surveyors and entrepreneurs who, with a energetic sense of purpose, made a confident and lasting mark not just in Scotland and Britain but around the world.

At the helm of the Mortlach distillery for over half a century, the Cowies’ innovative spirit shaped the brand and liquid for centuries to come. In the spirit of these pioneers, the reborn Mortlach whiskies are a celebration of those audacious thinkers who shaped today’s world, just as their forefathers did in the era in which Mortlach was born.

Just as both generations of Cowies made major investments to expand and improve their distillery, so they would undoubtedly be proud to note that its present owners (as announced in April 2013) are investing to double the distillery’s capacity and promote its whiskies widely – a statement of intent and ambition that George and Alexander would surely endorse. The expansion will include the building of a new stillhouse, which will replicate the bewilderingly complex distillation process which makes Mortlach™ unique.

The new Mortlach expressions will be available in selected markets in mid-2014. Further details of pricing, distribution and packaging will be released in early 2014.

Please drink your Mortlach responsibly.

About Diageo
Diageo is the world’s leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, beer and wine. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, JεB, Windsor,Buchanan’s and Bushmills whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Baileys, Captain Morgan, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is a global company, with its products sold in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com.Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.

The Mortlach word and associated logo are trade marked. © Diageo 2013

The discontinued Mortlach 16 year old is now available to order.

The Whisky Shop have limited stocks of the Mortlach 16yo and we expect this beautiful dram to sell out very quickly.

The Mortlach 16 year old Flora and Fauna expression is a full – bodied sherried single malt that is one of our all time favourite drams. The rich sherry flavours sets this champion apart from any other Speyside whisky and is widely regarded as a cult classic. Bottled at 43% volume and part of the award winning Flora and Fauna range it is something to be savoured for as long as possible.

With exciting news coming out today regarding the new expressions which will be launched next year to replace the Mortlach 16 year old we can only hope that they come close to matching the staggering quality of this whisky know as the ‘Beast of Speyside.’

We would like everyone to get a chance to purchase a bottle before it disappears forever!

Now only £45.99 reduced from £77.99 Save £22.00

For more information on this exciting development in the whisky industry simply visit The W Club website by clicking here.

Simply Click here to buy

THE GLENLIVET DISTILLERY VISITOR CENTRE WINS

VISIT SCOTLAND’S ‘BEST VISITOR ATTRACTION 2013’ AWARD  

The Glenlivet Distillery Visitor Centre, has been recognised for its contribution to the Scottish tourism industry. The Glenlivet’s state-of-the-art distillery visitor centre was named ‘Best Visitor Attraction 2013’ at the Scottish Thistle Awards ceremony, organised by VisitScotland, held on 15^th November.

The prestigious award was presented to members of The Glenlivet team at a glittering ceremony at Stirling Castle, hosted by popular GMTV presenter Lorraine Kelly.

The Glenlivet Distillery Visitor Centre, which attracts over 40,000 tourists annually from around the world, re-opened for the 2013 summer season featuring a raft of improvements focused on enhancing the tourist experience. The free exhibition traces the fascinating history of The Glenlivet from its beginnings as the first licensed distillery in Scotland’s Livet Valley, to its current global position as the world’s number 2 single malt whisky. A wide selection of guided tours are also available and guests have the opportunity to hand-fill and purchase a personalised bottle of The Glenlivet 18 Year Old single cask selection.

To ensure the finest visitor experience, The Glenlivet Distillery Visitor Centre team places a strong emphasis on obtaining and analysing visitor feedback. With visitors coming to Scotland from as far afield as Japan, China, South America, Facebook and other social media sites are increasingly important channels in allowing the public to access to information about activities taking place at the distillery.

Caroline Mitchell, Visitor Centre Manager for The Glenlivet, comments; “We are delighted that The Glenlivet visitor centre has been recognised for its excellence.  To be named the Best Visitor Attraction in Scotland is a great honour and means a lot to the whole team at The Glenlivet. We have an excellent team at the distillery and visitor centre, who work tirelessly to ensure we provide our visitors with the best experience possible. We have made a number of improvements to the visitor experience at The Glenlivet over the past year, taking into account the feedback of our guests, so it’s great to have these efforts recognised with a Thistle award.”

Now in their 21^st year, the Scottish Thistle Awards celebrate excellence and quality within the tourism industry. They are widely recognised as the mark of excellence and professionalism across the industry, awarding the contributions of local businesses to making Scotland a top visitor attraction.  

Notes:

Photo caption

The Glenlivet team: Caroline Mitchell, Lesley McIntosh, Manuela Calchini (VisitScotland) and Karen McGillivary accepting the award from TV presenter Lorraine Kelly 

About The Glenlivet

The Glenlivet is the No. 2 single malt Scotch whisky in the world. Crafted in the remote Livet Valley since 1824, it is the only whisky with the unchallengeable right to be called The Glenlivet. 

About Chivas Brothers

Chivas Brothers is the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard – the world’s co-leader in wine and spirits. Chivas Brothers is the global leader in luxury Scotch whisky and premium gin. Its portfolio includes Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, Beefeater gin, The Glenlivet, Royal Salute, Aberlour, Plymouth gin, Longmorn, Scapa, 100 Pipers, Clan Campbell, Something Special and Passport.

In July 2010, Chivas Brothers launched The Age Matters campaign to help consumers understand the importance of Scotch whisky age statements.

For further information  please visit www.chivasbrothers.com 

The one(s) you have been waiting for this side of Xmas. Our first confirmed festivals of 2014 and with early-bird offers at that! 

Whether you are a seasoned whisky drinker or an interested novice, here are our first two confirmed Whisky Festivals for 2014. These events are a real ‘must-do’ for anybody who enjoys a dram and a yarn in good company. 

As always, your full-day ticket price includes:

FREE Glencairn Crystal Tasting Glass

FREE Festival Guide

FREE Bottle of Water

FREE Access to sample ALL ‘On The Counter’ Drams for no extra cost

FREE 2 WHITE Under The Counter Dram tokens

FREE Bluffer’s Guide to Whisky tasting for newcomers (subject to availability on the day)

Perhaps the biggest news of all is that we are running our famous Early-Bird offer of 2 tickets for £40 for the first 100 lucky punters to sign up! After this, tickets will be £30 (full day) or £20 (half day). Both events take place from 12pm to 5pm, with the half-day tickets valid from 2.30pm. Last pour is at 4.45pm.
Simply click on the relevant banner to be taken to the offer on our website.

For those of you not in Scotland or the North of England, fear not, news of our London and Brighton events will be with you soon…

GIFTING 

Whichever of one of our events you would like to book for your loved one, we can email you a PDF gift voucher with their name emblazoned proudly. You can then print this out and pop it in a card of your choice from your local stationer! All you need to do, once you have booked your ticket/s online is email us at info@thewhiskylounge.com quoting your booking date and the name/s of the recipients.

We have tons more Xmas ideas to give you over the next few days, including news on events everywhere in the UK, but for now I think that should be enough for you to digest.

Sláinte!

Eddie, Amanda & Joe

Team Whisky Lounge