This new Malt Messenger is hot on the heels of the last one with more whisky news, tastings notes and opinions. We have some exciting new to share, such as the release of Glendronach Batch 14. These whiskies have arrived unexpectedly, but I’m sure you will agree it is a pleasant surprise. Kensington Wine Market is the only store in Canada to get the full range of Glendronach Vintage Batch releases.
Our Spring Tasting Schedule will be out in a couple of weeks, but we aren’t finished with March yet. Next week we are hosting our first Highlands, Islands and Campbeltown Festival. We have previously held focused Islay and Speyside festivals and felt it was only right to show some love to the rest of Scotland. Tickets are $60 and include a Glencairn Glass. We will have at least 80 whiskies open for sampling from the Highlands, Islands and Campbeltown regions. We may even throw in a Lowland bottle or two for good measure. Thursday March 9, 7PM.
We just found out Andrew Laing, of Hunter Laing Whisky is coming to town, so we have set up a Hunter Laing Whisky tasting in store with him on Monday March 20, 7PM. The cost is $35 for 7 malts from Old Malt Cask and First Editions. We will be previewing a few new releases. And last but certainly not least we have two sessions for Ancient Malts at the end of the month on March 29 & 30. These tastings will feature 7 very rare and old whiskies including the new Tullibardine 1970, Banff 1966, Strathisla 1967 and Longmorn 1967 to name but 4 of the whiskies. This is one event you won’t want to miss!
There is a bunch of new whisky news to share with you. For starters we have some new whiskies in from Box Distillery of Sweden, 3 new sherry matured cask strength bottlings of Glenburgie, a pair of new Compass Box whiskies and the 5th release from Canadian producer Two Brewers. We have a 49 year old bottling of Banff 1966 from Gordon Macphail’s Rare Old range. It is the first whisky we’ve seen from the Banff distillery in years! There are also some new releases from Springbank on the way and a couple bottles of relatively inexpensive Port Ellen.
I have written up tasting notes on a pair of independent bottlings from the closed Garnheath and Lochside distilleries. Both whiskies are from 1967, the Garnheath a silky 48 year old single grain and the Lochside a beautifully balanced 49 year old single malt. These are two very obscure whiskies we don’t often come across. Both are exclusive to KWM, with just a handful of bottles left.
We are on the cusp of Spring and as the days slowly lengthen from one to the next I hope this Malt Messenger finds you well, and further brightens your day.
Sláinte!
In This Edition
- Three Exciting March Tastings Coming Up
- New Glendronach Batch 14 Whiskies
- My Tasting Notes on Two Very Old Scotch Whiskies
- Introducing Gordon Macphail Rare Old Banff 1966
- Three New Cask Strength Glenburgies
- Introducing Box Distillery Whisky from Sweden
- Two New Whiskies from Compass Box
- Two Brewers Release #5
- Introducing The Nikka 12 Year
- New Springbank Whiskies Coming in the Spring
- A Relatively Inexpensive Port Ellen… only 3 bottles!
Andrew Ferguson
Kensington Wine Market
PS- PS – Don’t forget you can follow me on Twitter:
@scotch_guy, Instagram: @thescotch_guy/
or @kwmwhisky and Facebook: facebook.com/scotch.guy.1
Three Exciting Up-Coming KWM Tastings
Hunter Laing, a Whisky Festival and two nights of Ancient Malts
Our Spring Tasting Schedule will be out by the middle of May, in the meantime we have a couple of exciting tastings to tempt you.
- NEW – Highlands, Islands & Campbeltown Festival – Thursday March 9 – Travel the highlands and islands of Scotland at a festival highlighting whiskies from these regions as well as the town of Campbeltown. Includes your own Glencairn glass. Included at least 80 different single malt whiskies! – $60
- Hunter Laing Whisky with Andrew Laing – Monday March 20 – This is a new tasting featuring whiskies from the First Editions, Old Malt Cask and possibly Old & Rare ranges. We’re still working on the lineup, but it will be a good one. Andrew Laing’s first tasting at KWM! – $35
- Ancient Malts – March 29 or March 30 – It’s been a few years since we’ve put on an Ancient Malts tastings and frankly, we’re overdue! We have some very special bottles selected; including a pair of 1967s for what will be a memorable evening. – $200
Call 403-283-8000 to register, or do so online!
New Glendronach Batch 14 Whiskies
12 New Vintage Single Cask Single Malts from 2004 – 1985
The news regarding Glendronach and its sister distilleries (BenRiach and Glenglassaugh) is that they will continue to be represented in Canada, at least until the end of the year, by Authentic Wine & Spirits. Brown Forman is likely to take over in 2018, but we shall see. In the meantime, Glendronach Batch 14 has showed up without any warning, I didn’t know it was even coming until a week or two before it arrived. Bottles will be trickling into the shop over the next couple of weeks. Just 6 to 12 bottles of each available.
About Batch 14 from Glendronach Distillery:
“Retrieved from dark corners of the warehouses and hand-selected by our Master Distiller Billy Walker, there are twelve phenomenal malts in Batch 14 ranging from 12 to 30 years. All twelve malts are drawn from either Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheons or Oloroso Sherry Butts. The profile of the casks within this batch presents a range of fruit notes, from plums, prunes and apricots to orange marmalade, caramelised orchard apples and treacle-covered autumn fruits. The oldest, cask # 1037, is 30 years old and was distilled in December 1985. Bottled at 52.3% vol, this dark amber gold veteran offers notes of fruit malt loaf with a dusting of ground almond and aged-oak spice. As a contrast, the youngest in the batch is cask # 5523, a 12 year old distilled in January 2004 and bottled at 58.3%. White pepper and cinnamon combine on the nose with sweet dates and sultanas, while hints of ginger and vanilla add to a rich taste profile. As we select these batches of The GlenDronach single casks, we continue to discover a treasure trove of aged spirits in our warehouses. Batch 14 is a magnificent collection of rare casks to delight GlenDronach connoisseurs worldwide.
- Glendronach Batch 14 1985 Cask 1037 – 52.3% – 30 Year – PX Sherry Puncheon – Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Rich raisin fruit cake with subtle hints of dark chocolate and orange marmalade. Palate: Fruit malt loaf with a dusting of ground almond and aged-oak spice. Hints of tobacco leaf, cedar wood and stewed barley linger on the palate.” – $660
- Glendronach Batch 14 1989 Cask 2662 – 54.8% – 26 Year – Oloroso Sherry Butt – Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Peppery oak and spices flood through stewed dark fruits and dried apricots. Subtle hints of orange peel add crisp notes to a vibrant nose. Palate: Sour plums drenched in dark molasses with a hint of orange marmalade, all surrounded by rich espresso and cigar box spices.” – $440
- Glendronach Batch 14 1990 Cask 2973 – 50.8% – 26 Year – PX Sherry Puncheon – Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Crisp, fresh oak and spices contrast with rich orange marmalade over plums, dried prunes and dark chocolate. Taste: Sweet dates, dark prunes and raisins complement vibrant, spicy notes of ginger, black pepper and clove oil.” – $435
- Glendronach Batch 14 1991 Cask 2683 – 49.2% – 24 Year – Oloroso Sherry Butt – Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Vibrant oak spice and a rich nutty character infused with caramelised plums. Intriguing waves of wild honey add a gentle, sweet contrast. Taste: Vibrant oak spice and a rich nutty character infused with caramelised plums. Intriguing waves of wild honey add a gentle, sweet contrast.” – $420
- Glendronach Batch 14 1992 Cask 226 – 58.4% – 24 Year – Oloroso Sherry Butt – Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Fresh herbal notes infused through roasted coffee beans, combined with black pepper and sweet, ripe Mediterranean fruits. Taste: Stewed dark fruits, demerara sugar and roasted coffee beans combine with hints of spicy cedar wood, clove and mixed peel.” – $415
- Glendronach Batch 14 1993 Cask 42 – 58.6% – 23 Year – Oloroso Sherry Butt – Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Sweet dates and ripe figs, balanced with crisp herbal notes. Milk chocolate rolls through the robust sherry character. Taste: Roasted cocoa beans and vanilla combine with a delicate, lasting herbal note, all backed by a nutty, dried raisin and currant character.” – $395
- Glendronach Batch 14 1994 Cask 339 – 53.0% – 21 Year – PX Sherry Puncheon – Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Fantastic contrast of cigar box spice infused through stewed damsons, demerara sugar and crisp orange zest. Palate: Intense, rich molasses and dark chocolate harmonise perfectly with dried Mediterranean fruits and a spiced, toasted oak back note.” – $350
- Glendronach Batch 14 1995 Cask 543 – 54.6% – 20 Year – PX Sherry Puncheon – Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: An exceptional balance of sweet chocolate, toffee and toasted oak spice combine perfectly with dates, ripe pear and a dusting of barley and vanilla. Taste: Stewed plum compote and orchard apples caramelised in dark muscovado sugar. A citrus twist and aged-oak spice notes create a complex finish.” – $335
- Glendronach Batch 14 1996 Cask 1485 – 53.0% – 20 Year – PX Sherry Puncheon – Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Robust waves of sour plums dusted in cinnamon combine with a lingering, classic combination of leather and cedar wood. Taste: Dark raisins and stewed plums balanced perfectly with herbs and spices. Cocoa beans with hints of sweet barley sugar linger in the long finish.” – $330
- Glendronach Batch 14 2002 Cask 1504 – 55.5% – 14 Year – PX Sherry Puncheon – Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Milk chocolate with lively oak spice notes, generous helpings of treacle tart and rich plum compote. Taste: A rich, fresh sherry charater. Ripe plums and damsons flow to stewed dark fruits, sweetened by dark chocolate and a gentle touch of vanilla.” – $225
- Glendronach Batch 14 2003 Cask 4034 – 52.5% – 13 Year – PX Sherry Puncheon – Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Crisp oak spice surrounds rich, stewed orchard fruits, with a combination of dark molasses and clean citrus peel. Taste: Mellow hints of vanilla pod flow through rich prune syrup, candied peel and toasted spices, adding warmth to the sweet sherried character and long finish.” – $210
- Glendronach Batch 14 2004 Cask 5523 – 58.3% – 12 Year – PX Sherry Puncheon – Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Warming white pepper and cinnamon combine with sweet dates and sultanas, all infused with hints of ginger and vanilla. Taste: Delicious toffee-drenched raisins and dried apricots laced with warm allspice and soft vanilla, all complementing the rich, full finish.” – $205
My Tasting Note on Two 1967 Vintage Scotch Whiskies
49 Year Single Malt & 48 Year Single Grain from a Pair of Closed Distilleries
Acquiring old good value exclusive whiskies for the shop is something I love to do. When those whiskies also happen to taste good, even better. These two whiskies, one a single malt and the other a single grain are both from very obscure closed distilleries. The single malt, from the closed Lochside Distillery, is the only sub $1000-2000 nearly 50 year old (it is 49 years old) single malt I’m aware of. We don’t see Lochside very often anymore. The Garnheath is even more rare, it is one of only 2 Garnheaths I’ve seen in 15 years in the industry. At 48 years of age it is silky smooth and very seductive. An excellent whisky. We’ve only received 12 of each, and half less than half of the bottles left!
- Coopers Choice Lochside 1967 Single Malt Scotch Whisky – 40.5% – 49 Year – Ex-Bourbon – My Tasting Note: “Nose: vanilla bean, toasted coconut shavings, citrus flavoured Jelly Beans, tropical fruits, powdered sugar and doughy fruit flan; almond past, cream cheese, white cake and fondant. Palate: toasty, creamy, floral and decadent; more citrus flavoured Jelly Beans, emerging juicy tropical fruits, Wine Gums, and loads of buttery creamy tones; old but not over the hill with classic delicate antique-y whisky notes; honey and a touch of bitter coffee tones. Finish: long, creamy, coating and very fruity; more fruits and creamy toasty oak. Comment: this is a lovely malt, old but far from over the hill; its been a few days since the bottle was cracked and it has opened up nicely!” – $800 – Only 5 left!
- Coopers Choice Garnheath 1967 Single Grain Scotch Whisky – 41.5% – 48 Year – Ex-Bourbon – My Tasting Note: “Nose: intensely toasty, almond paste, oak spice, Demerara sugar, French roast coffee grounds, Strawberry Twizzlers and caramel chews. Palate: round, creamy coating and very toasty; orange creamsicle, big juicy Jujubes, tropical fruits and more Strawberry Twizzler; more chewy caramels, Demerara sugars, a touch of French roast coffee grounds, leather and cultured butter with honey. Finish: big, round and fruity with the creamy honey tones leading the charge. Comment: this single grain is showing a touch of oak but still bright and full of character; could be a dangerous one to cozy up to!” – $575 – Only 5 bottles left!
Introducing Gordon Macphail Banff 1966
A nearly 50 year old whisky from this seldom seen Closed Distillery!
This is the first bottling of Banff we’ve seen in years, and it is an old one at 49 years of age. Matured in a Refill Sherry Butt and is bottled at 45.2%. Only 6 bottles are coming exclusively to KWM.
G&M Rare Old Banff 1966 – 45.2% – Refill Sherry Butt – Producer’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Sweet Sherry influences, stewed apple and fig aromas complemented by zesty orange notes. A delicate herbal edge mingles with hints of fresh sea air. Palate: Initially cracked black pepper tingles on the tongue, this is followed by prune, grapefruit and red apple flavours. Cr?me br?l?e notes enhance a sweet edge. Finish: Long and creamy with lingering stewed fruit flavours.” – $2500
Three New Single Cask Cask Strength Glenburgies
Three Sherry Matured Cask Strength Whiskies from this Obscure Distillery
This is a distillery we don’t often hear about. Opened in 1810, it is among the oldest distilleries in Scotland, but a workhorse for Pernod Ricard, producing malt whisky for their blends like Chivas Regal. About Glenburgie courtesy Gordon Macphail: “”Set close to the A96, near the village of Alves, lies Glenburgie Distillery which looks over the Moray Firth. The distillery was originally called Kilnflat, although in 1878 after a period of disuse, it was renamed Glenburgie. Nearby is Burgie Castle, which dates back to the 16th century. For a short while Glenburgie also produced another single malt, Glencraig. This was produced using Lomond stills and is available in our Rare Old range.”
- G&M Cask Strength Glenburgie 58.1% – 21 Year – First Fill Puncheon – Producer’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Sweet vanilla aromas followed by rich Sherry influences with dried apricot, orange, and clove. Palate: White pepper initially with fruitcake influences, ripe banana, fresh lime, and hints of peppermint. A charred oak edge develops. Finish: Long, spicy, and balanced.” – $240
- G&M Cask Strength Glenburgie 57.9% – 21 Year – First Fill Sherry Puncheon – Producer’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Rich fruitcake aromas mingle with demerara sugar and apricot jam. Subtle candied peel notes devlop and combine with hints of cocoa powder. Palate: Sweet and smooth with rich orange marmalade flavours are complemented by a hint of dried tobacco. Dark chocolate truffle with subtle toasted almond lead to a charred oak edge. Finish: Long and mouth coating with a touch of tobacco.” – $240
- First Edition Glenburgie 1998 – 54.7% – 18 Year – Sherry Butt HL12311 – My Tasting Note: “Nose: waxy and floral with loads of vanilla; ,honey dew melon, dried apricot and heather honey; decadent and fruity. Palate: big, waxy and decadent; loads of honey, soft vanilla and beeswax; malty with soft fruits: melon, orange and some jammy berry fruits; toasty oak and icing sugars. Finish: long, coating and creamy; the vanilla, honey and fruits linger long outlasted only by the floral notes. Comment: this is a smooth and decadent and very complex malt; great value!” – $160
Introducing Box Whisky from Sweden
Four Interesting New Single Malts
About Box Distillery in their own words: “It’s a story we’ll never tire of telling. A tale of passion. A birthplace that is truly unique. And an unwavering vision – to make the world’s best single malt whisky. Our story starts in a place that some people may consider as ‘far, far away’ – the north of Sweden. In this beautiful location, a series of unique circumstances combine, the result being a single malt whisky of singular character that can truly claim to come from a different perspective. The Box Distillery lies beside the Ångerman River in Ådalen around 100km north of Sundsvall in northern Sweden. With its source lying deep in the mountains, the river provides us with almost unlimited access to crystal clear, chilled water – a defining factor in creating a rich, character filled distillation. For much of the year, the temperature of this water is only a few degrees above freezing. This fresh mountain water is an exclusive resource which allows us to distil more effectively than in any other location in the world.
All of the whiskies were impressive when I sampled them with the importer Jonathan Bray before Christmas, my tasting notes on these are abridged (so don’t judge the whiskies by their brevity). The whiskies were just bottled in November. We asked for and received the Box Distillery PX as an exclusive to KWM. Just 30 to 60 bottles of each are coming to Canada! Bottles are 500ml. The 2nd Step Collection 02 was scored at 90pts by Whisky Advocate.
- Box Distillery PX – 56.7% – 5 Year (4.13 Years Ex-Bourbon finished in PX Sherry 12+ months) – My Tasting Note: “Nose: syrupy, dark and earthy with loads of malt and soft leather. Palate: big, oily and malty with more syruppy notes, dark fruits and Jujubes. Finish: medium length, nice flavours.” – $157
- Box Distillery Dalvve – 46% – 5 Year – Matured Ex-Bourbon – 25% Peated Malt – My Tasting Note: “Nose: malty and honeyed with orange and smoke. Palate: very buttery, malty and honeyed with clean smoke, more citrus and vanilla. Finish: waxy with clean smoke and citrus.” – $96
- Box Distillery American Oak – 50.8% – 4.5 Years in Ex-Bourbon – 8 Months Virgin Oak – 100% Peated Malt – My Tasting Note: “Nose: loads of malt, very Bourbonny with floral perfume, firm peat smoke and big toasty tones. Palate: big, floral and malty with robust peat smoke and big toasty oak. Finish: long, thick, oily and coating.” – $143
- Box Distillery 2nd Step Collection 02 – 51.2% – Matured in Sherry & Bourbon – My Tasting Note: “Nose: malty, caramel, toasted oak, wet leaf litter on fire; dark spices. Palate: still malty, smooth, oily and quite smoky; licorice and clove. Finish: long, dark, smoky and coating.” – $123
Two New Whiskies from Compass Box
One is already sold out, but the other is not!
Compass Box is without question the leading boutique blender of whisky in Scotland. While their Peat Monster, Great King Street and Spice Tree expressions are stalwart value offerings Compass Box has also made a name for itself with some legendary one offs including: The General, Hedonism Maximus, The Last Vatted Malt and more. Into this pantheon enter Three Year Old Deluxe and Spice Tree Extravaganza. The former is a not so subtle sharp point stick at one of the Scotch Whisky industry’s insidious little rules around age transparency. Compass Box is leading a charge with their campaign for Scotch Whisky Transparency, which we support. In summary, the right to disclose all the ages of the component whiskies in a bottling, not just the youngest.
We are only receiving a very small number of the Three
Year Old Deluxe, and they were pre-sold. We are trying to get more bottles. I sampled the Spice Treee Extravaganze at the Victoria Whisky Festival, and it is lovely! Here are the detail on both whiskies, pre-order demand for both of these has been high.
- Compass Box Spice Tree Extravaganza – 46% – This limited edition Compass Box release is inspired by Compass Box Spice Tree, but kicked up to the next level. The whisky is older with a heavier first fill sherry influence than the first edition, but still relies on Compass Box’s proprietary hybrid casks and is bottled at 46%. The youngest whisky in the blend is 11 years, with the majority of the malt 13 and 19-20 years of age. – Producer Tasting Note: ” Nose: Decadent and playful on the nose, you will find notes of sherry wine, dark berries and the fragrant sweetness of traditional sweet shops. Palate: On the palate there is juicy red fruit, a dark brown sugar richness, the trademark Spice Tree ginger and clove spice character and an endlessly long, spicy, substantial finish.” – $155
- Compass Box Three Year Deluxe – 49.2% – This very limited whisky was released as an act of rebellion pointed at the rest of the Scotch Whisky industry and the governing body, the SWA. 0.5% of the whisky is 3 year old Clynelish, 90.3% is 24 year old Clynelish and the last 9.3% is 20 year old First Fill Sherry Butt matured Talisker. The only shame is that we aren’t getting more. – Producer Tasting Note: “The rich vanilla notes, waxy mouthfeel and decadent baked orchard fruit notes from the larger parcel of Highland malt whisky provide a beautiful platform on top of which the brooding qualities of the peaty malt whisky and the clean, bright character of the three year-old parcel are able to shine.” – $320 SOLD OUT (We are trying to get more)
Two Brewers Release #5
An Innovative Sour Mash Canadian Single Malt
The 5th release from Two Brewers, an offshoot of Yukon Brewing, is an “Innovative” single malt made from a sour mash. Bottled in February of 2017 at 43%, 1380 total bottles. Order a bottle! $100
Evan’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Salt, some brine as the label states,
toasty with a hint of smoke, salted peanuts, bananas, peaches and hints of cantaloupe, white chocolate and chamomile tea. Palate: Creamy and salty with a light spice notes, nougat, sponge toffee, butterscotch, vanilla, white chocolate almond bark, bananas chips, ginger candies and cinnamon hearts. Finish: The salt and brine and spice stick around, mingling with the softly creamy texture and sweet notes. A hint of smoke lingers. Comments: Another solid release from Two Brewers – more salty notes compared to previous releases keeps this one fresh and leaves you wanting more. I enjoy their small batch release way of doing things. It keeps things fresh underneath the different casks and distillation styles there seems to be a Two Brewers style that can be seen in each release.
Distiller’s Tasting Note: “A rich, briny nose, distinctive of sour mash, is sharp with hints of dill and sweet pepper. The soft, creamy entry expands across the palate in a burst of spice, with fruit and floral malt body. The palate dries with remnants of nuts, sweet dried fruit and a dash of cayenne.”
About Two Brewers: “Yukon Brewing was formed by Bob Baxter and Alan Hansen in 1997, the result of a canoe trip conversation taken well beyond the campfire. After years of building a successful local craft brewery, they decided to expand into spirits and in 2009 invested in a small pot still. Hence came the birth of Two Brewers Yukon Single Malt Whisky; made in small batches, with a variety of malted and roasted grains, using different fermentation techniques and a mix of barrels. The goal is that no two releases will be the same, so that as each expression emerges, it is layered and complex and probably never to be repeated.”
Introducing The Nikka 12 Year
A New Japanese Blended Whisky!
This new Blended Japanese whisky was launched earlier this year to fill some holes in Nikka’s production gap. We are hoping to see more of it in the New Year.
The Nikka 12 Year – 43% – From the Producer: “There is nothing more suitable than a blended whisky to represent Nikka’s way of whisky making. The asymmetry design of the bottle is inspired by the neck of a “Kimono”, just as if the layers visualize all the passion and craftsmanship devoted in the history of Nikka. The honorable golden emblem engraved was designed by Masataka Taketsuru for his very first Nikka whisky bottle. Malty, soft and well-balanced, this expression portrays our gratitude to the heritage and our will to advance our tradition.” – $160
New Springbank Whiskies Coming in the Spring
A new Hazelburn and a new Springbank Local Barley!
The oldest family owned distillery in Campbelton is also Scotland’s most traditional. They have a cult following and it is not hard to see why. They are stubbornly old-fashioned which only adds to their charm, and their limited releases never disappoint. Here are two new ones due in April or May. Both very limited. The Springbank Local Barley is limited
to 1 per customer.
- Springbank Local Barley 11 Year – 53.1% – Bourbon Barrels – Produced with Bere Barley from the Aros Farm near Machrihanish airport. – Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Freshly baked bread with sweet notes of sun dried bananas to contrast with the salted caramel topping. Taste: The promise given in the nose delivers, a lovely creaminess and sweetness of grapes, custard, honeycomb and marshmallow. Finish: There’s a nutty quality about this, almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts as wellness an air of indulgence, rich and buttery with an elegant finish that keeps on giving.” – $160
- Hazelburn Barolo 9 Year – 57.9% – Triple Distilled – 6 Years Ex-Bourbon – 3 Years Refill Barolo – My Tasting Note: “Nose: doughy and leathery, soft and creamy with floral tones; polished new leather sofas, creamed honey and chewy malt; Wine Gums and Mandarin oranges. Palate: still very creamy and leathery; juicy malt, waxy fruits and soft but firm leather-earthy tones; more Wine Gums and sweet Mandarin oranges balanced by dark spices: cloves, fennel and Black Licorice Nibbs. Finish: light but long and warming with leather, spices and malt lasting longest. Comment: lots of character for its youthful age, and the wine character is not overwhelming which is good, some wine finishes are overwhelming, but not this one! – $110
A Relatively Inexpensive Port Ellen
Just 3 bottles, Possibly the Last Sub $2000 Port Ellen We Will Ever See Again!
A new Port Ellen release with only 30 bottles coming to Canada, bottled at 46%. The 35 year old whisky was matured in Refill Sherry Butts, and had been bottled in Gordon & MacPhail’s Rare Old line. All other independent bottlings of Port Ellen which have recently been offered, or which we’ve been made aware of are at least double the price. Distillery botlings of Port Ellen are now selling more $5,000 or more a bottle. One of these three bottles of Port Ellen coming are already sold!
G&M Port Ellen 1980 – 46% – Refill Sherry – Producer’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Smoky and liquorice influences with fruity undertones and hints of pear. A fresh sea breeze aroma. Palate: Sweet, with peat smoke elements emerging followed by hints of aniseed. Some hints of kippers linger. Finish: Medium – add water with care.” – $1900
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 and 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
Owner & Scotchguy
Kensington Wine Market
403-283-8000
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
www.kensingtonwinemarket.com
Kensington Wine Market403-283-8000Andrew FergusonKensington Wine MarketPS- PS – Don’t forget you can follow me on Twitter:@scotch_guy, Instagram: @thescotch_guy/or @kwmwhisky and Facebook: facebook.com/scotch.guy.1
