Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 227: Talisker 18 Year Old

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tries a malt ‘Made by the Sea’. The label also says: ‘Talisker, the only distillery on the Isle of Skye’. Well… Seems to me owner Diageo will be relabeling their bottles soon, since Torabhaig opened its doors in January 2017. They can simply replace the word ‘only’ by ‘oldest’, I suppose. Having said that, their whiskies are obviously top notch and I am fortunate enough to try the excellent Talisker 18 Year Old, bottled – as Talisker is wont to do for most of their releases – at 45.8%.

https://youtu.be/QU16ef5lA2E

Saturday, December 15th, 2-5 PM:

Scotch Tasting: 

BenRiach & Glendronach

Treat yourself to a traditional single malt scotch tasting featuring BenRiach and Glendronach. Presented by distillery representatives and our own in-store whisky experts, scotch connoisseurs and newcomers to the the world of traditional scotch are sure to enjoy this tasting.

Click Here for more details & RSVP

Raasay While We Wait 2018- £53

Raasay Distillery has now launched Raasay While We Wait 2018 – the fourth expression to date of the brand’s independently bottled single malt – which was created as a representation of the flavours that drinkers can expect from future Raasay scotch whisky. The release of Raasay While We Wait 2018 begins the countdown to 2020 when the first ever Raasay single malt in Scotch whisky history will be released.Designed as a peaty and fruity single malt, each iteration of Raasay While We Wait has been crafted through the vatting of two malts from a single Highland distillery – heavily peated at 45ppm and unpeated – matured in bourbon barrels and finished in Tuscan Montechiari wine casks.The team at Raasay Distillery are keen to push the boundaries of the spirit, exploring the effect that different finishing times and casks have on the flavour profile of the spirit.

The Tweeddale: Grain of Truth – £50

Heritage brand The Tweeddale has now added a new single grain whisky to its repertoire – Grain of Truth. The Tweeddale was first blended in 1820 in Coldstream in the Scottish Borders, and later continued by Richard Day from 1895 to 1940. In 2009 Alasdair Day – great-grandson of Richard Day – decided to recreate The Tweeddale and to continue Richard Day’s eminent legacy. Grain of Truth represents Alasdair Day’s latest effort to create a memorable, rich and complex single grain whisky, based on traditional Victorian craftsmanship with innovative maturation techniques. Grain of Truth possesses an uncommon composition of 50% wheat and 50% malted barley. The spirit was matured in bourbon barrels and finished for nine months in fine Oloroso sherry hogsheads imbuing the whisky with rich and warming honey and orange notes on the nose. This evolves into touches of dark chocolate and cognac on the palate, which is balanced by Oloroso, orange and dark chocolate notes, with a dry and spicy finish. Grain of Truth is delicious neat, on the rocks or with a mixer.

Isle of Raasay Distillery’s Burns and Whisky Weekend package – £339

The Isle of Raasay Distillery is hosting a Burns and Whisky Weekend a stone’s throw away from where the poet, Sorley Maclean, was born. The offering includes a two-night stay for two including all meals, checking in Friday 25th January, checking out Sunday 27th January 2019. Guests will dine at the distillery on Friday evening and enjoy a hearty lunch on Saturday before an exclusive whisky tasting and warehouse tour with the distillery’s co-founder, Alasdair Day. The weekend will finish in style with a traditional Burns supper on the Saturday evening, featuring traditional Scottish dishes, from traditional haggis to rhubarb cranachan with homemade shortbread and whisky fudge.

INTRODUCING TEMPLETON RYE BARREL STRENGTH STRAIGHT RYE WHISKEY

New Limited Edition Expression Pays Homage to Templeton Iowa’s
Spirit on Heels of Distillery Grand Opening

(TEMPLETON, Iowa) November 27, 2018 – Templeton Rye Whiskey announces the launch of a new limited edition expression, Barrel Strength Straight Rye Whiskey in celebration of the people and rich history of its hometown, Templeton, Iowa.

Templeton Rye Barrel Strength is both complex and intriguing and represents the expression in its purest form. This exquisite whiskey is a fitting tribute and salute to the town of Templeton – a small town with a strong spirit.

Natural, non-chill filtered and bottled at 57.2% ABV, this special addition to the Templeton Rye portfolio is a barrel strength edition matured and aged to perfection in flame charred American oak barrels bursting with rye spice and black pepper giving way to summer fruits, butterscotch and oak. Complex notes of orchard fruits deliver a delicate warmth with a lingering finish dovetailing beautifully with a velvety character that balances its considerable strength.

In August, Templeton Rye hosted a grand opening event, welcoming city and state officials, special guests and Templeton residents. The event was held in celebration of the organization’s new 34,500 square-foot distillery, a $35 million project that will more than double its staff, bringing 17 jobs to a community of 350 residents, feature a museum and visitor center, and produce up to 500,000 proof gallons of rye whiskey annually.

Templeton Rye Barrel Strength Straight Rye Whiskey is now available at a suggested retail price of $59.99. Boasting a full body, luscious finish and complex flavor, Templeton Rye Barrel Strength Straight Rye Whiskey is best enjoyed neat or on the rocks.

About Templeton Rye

Templeton Rye Whiskey, introduced legally in 2006, tracks back to the early 1920s when residents of Templeton distilled a much sought-after rye whiskey. That bootlegging enterprise, forced underground during the Prohibition era, nonetheless flourished during that period. Today, the whiskey may be slightly different—instead of stills in basements and barns, the company has a modern, legal plant—but the entrepreneurial spirit remains true to Templeton’s roots. In October 2006, 68 barrels of Templeton Rye—using a recipe that best matched the recipe of Alphonse Kerkhoff, co-founder Keith Kerkhoff’s grandfather—completed their four-year aging process and became legally available on shelves in Iowa. The company expanded its plant from a small building, adding 11,000 square feet in 2007 for a more efficient production process. An automated bottling line went online in 2008, providing a quicker, more efficient method of bottling. Learn more about Templeton Rye Whiskey by visiting www.templetonrye.com and become a member of the Bootleggers Society to stay in the know on all things Templeton Rye.

Woodford Reserve releases new expression

for its Distillery Series — Bottled in Bond 

(Versailles, KY November 26, 2018) — Woodford Reserve has released a new expression as part of its annual Distillery Series — Bottled in Bond.

It is available at Woodford Reserve Distillery and select Kentucky retailers at 90.4 proof for a suggested retail price of $49.99 for a 375 ml bottle.

The Bottled in Bond Act of 1897 requires whiskey to be produced by one distiller at the same distillery within one 6-month distillation “season.” The product must be aged for at least 4 years in a federally bonded warehouse at 100 proof.

“Given the historical nature of our distillery — a National Historic Landmark — it is only appropriate that one of the oldest distilleries in the country releases an expression in the oldest federal designation for bourbon,” said Master Distiller Chris Morris.

Morris created the Distillery Series to highlight Woodford Reserve’s creative line of complex offerings and to showcase the brand’s commitment to innovation and premium craftsmanship. There are three annual releases of the distillery series. 

Tasting Notes:

Color: Honey topaz.

Aroma: A complex medley of tropical fruit, apple and grape brandy.

notes filling  a nutty graham cracker crust drizzled with honey and toasted coconut sprinkles.

Taste: Tart green apple pie, with a graham cracker crust spiced with a dash of cinnamon. Poached pear and floral notes round out the palate.

Finish: A dry apple peel sweet sweetness lingers on.

About Woodford Reserve:

Tucked in the heart of thoroughbred country in Versailles, Kentucky lives the historic Woodford Reserve Distillery, the birthplace of Woodford Reserve. A National Historic Landmark, the Woodford Reserve Distillery represents craftsmanship with a balance of historic heritage and modern practices. Woodford Reserve is a product of the Brown-Forman Corporation, a premier producer and marketer of fine quality beverage alcohol brands including Jack Daniel’s, Finlandia, Korbel, Tequila Herradura, Sonoma-Cutrer, and Chambord. Please enjoy your bourbon responsibly. To learn more about Woodford Reserve, visit us www.woodfordreserve.com or www.facebook.com/woodfordreserve.

Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 50% Alc. by Vol., produced by the Woodford Reserve Distillery, Versailles, KY ©2018

Celebrate Christmas with Scotch!

Share a single malt scotch journey with your friends and loved ones this holiday season. The Whisky Shop’s Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar features 25+ year old drams, single-barrel releases, and long sought after distilleries sure to delight and surprise any whisky lover.

In addition to a fantastic scotch selection, we’ve included extra gifts:

Each calendar comes with an exclusive whisky glass, distillery booklet, collectable lapel pen, embossed brochure and tasting notes journal.

Limited number available!

Click here for more details and Purchase link

Springbank Society

We are delighted to announce a new UK Single Cask Release. The Hazelburn 15yo 53.9% will be available to purchase in the UK from tomorrow – Thursday 6th December 2018.

Hazelburn 15yo 53.9%

Distilled: December 2002

Bottled: November 2018

Cognac Butt

414 bottles

The Campbeltown Cadenhead shop will be selling this bottle for £75.00 – available to purchase via phone from 10am. Please note that they will be not be accepting email orders or reserving any bottles.
The purpose of this alert is to give you advance notice that there is a new release available and to give you a greater chance to buy a bottle although we would highlight that we do not control how shops sell their stock, if they take pre-orders etc. Even the Cadenhead shops are out-with our control so if you have any enquiries about what stock individual shops have please contact them directly. And please remember that these are distillery bottlings, not under the control of the Society, so we are unable to reserve bottles and you cannot place orders through the Society. As this is not a core product, the Society discount does not apply.

This whisky is available in the UK from tomorrow – for more information please contact your local Springbank retailers and stockists, details of whom can be found by visiting: http://springbank.scot/distributors/.

We would also appreciate if you would refrain from posting any of the information in this email on Social Media until we do it ourselves. Thank you.

Slainte

Springbank Society

To join the Springbank Society please contact them at  society@springbank.scot

Thursday, December 13th 5-7PM:

Scotch Tasting: Compass Box

A Whisky Shop holiday tradition at this point, Compass Box returns for a single in-store scotch tasting next week!

Lavishing care on both their whiskies and the bottles they’re presented in, Compass Box is well known for the quality of their drams, as well as their dedication to transparency. We’ll be pouring a variety of their rare and limited-edition releases, presented by whisky experts. 

Click Here for more details & RSVP

EDINBURGH — Thursday 29 November 2018 – Scottish whisky specialists Cask 88 have introduced a highly limited edition series of four innovative whiskies matured in smaller sized casks to their award-winning range of independent bottlings.

Having recently picked up two gold awards at the International Wine & Spirit Competition for the first release in their Scottish Folklore inspired whisky series, Edinburgh based Scottish whisky broker and independent bottler Cask 88 have unveiled their second series of Scottish single cask whiskies, all finished in quarter casks to produce liquid with a more robust flavour profile. The Eighty Eight Series features small batch expressions from Bunnahabhain, Highland Park, Caol Ila and Bladnoch, and offers whisky enthusiasts the opportunity to explore the impact of cask size on the maturation of the whisky.

The first release in the Cask 88 Eighty Eight Series presents four limited edition whiskies from leading Scottish distilleries. A Bladnoch 27 Year Old (55.6% ABV; 70cl; £439/US$569.99) distilled 10.07.90, the oldest whisky in the series, was originally held in an ex-sherry Hogshead before being finished in an ex-sherry quarter cask for 9 months. A Caol Ila 9 Year Old (58.9% ABV; 70cl; £189/US$239.99) distilled 12.06.08, was originally held in a refill Hogshead before being finished in an ex-sherry quarter cask for 9 months. A Bunnahabhain 9 Year Old (57.8% ABV; 70cl; £119/US$239.99) distilled 10.06.08 was originally matured in a refill ex-sherry butt before being finished in an ex-sherry quarter cask for 3 months. A Highland Park 14 Year Old (54.8% ABV; 70cl; £189/US$154.99) distilled 08.05.03 was originally held in an ex-bourbon Hogshead before being finished in an ex-sherry quarter cask for 7 months.

Quarter casks, at one eighth of the size of a standard cask to hold whisky, are capable of holding approximately 50 litres of whisky each. Each quarter cask yields 88 bottles of whisky. “The smaller cask size maximises the contact between the spirit and the wood, theoretically producing a whisky with a stronger, more complex flavour,” said APAC Sales Director Patrick Costello. “Whereas the wider industry favours larger casks to produce whisky on scale, we wanted to select something a little different, and focus on producing small batch whiskies that excite the senses.”

The Eighty Eight Series is the second release of Scottish whisky independently bottled under the Cask 88 brand. The first bottling under the Cask 88 brand, a 45 Year Old Ben Nevis 1972 Single Malt from the Cask 88 Scottish Folklore series, with a design inspired by the Scottish legend of the Cù-Sìth, earned two Gold Awards at the 2018 International Wine & Spirit Competition: for Taste in the 30 – 45 year old category, and for Spirits Packaging.

“We have high hopes for the Eighty Eight Series, in part because the number holds great significance for the business and our partners and clients in China, where we have an office and sales team,” said Patrick Costello. “The number 88 is the luckiest number in Chinese culture, bringing good fortune and prosperity.”

All four whiskies in The Eighty Eight Series will be available from Whisky Foundation for worldwide delivery and from Cask 88 Sales Directors – Be in touch through the Cask 88 website to order.

Notes 

About Cask 88

Founded in 2007, Cask 88 is now internationally recognised among the world’s foremost experts in rare and antique whisky. Services include cask procurement, cask storage, bespoke bottle design and sourcing antique releases. What started as a small, family-owned business has become a globally recognised brand for high-end whisky. Today, Cask 88 serve clients around the globe from six international locations in Scotland, Singapore, Japan, China, Macau and the Philippines. An extensive inventory and expansive global network provide an unparalleled selection of fine whiskies, which attracts a wide clientele from Asia to North America. Cask 88 believes that buying vintage whisky should be fun and offers clients the opportunity to select, purchase, label and package their own exclusive whisky drawn from the finest Scotch casks.

cask88.com

Follow Cask 88 on Twitter: @88Cask

Like Cask 88 on Facebook: facebook.com/cask88

The Winter 2019 Kensington Wine Market Tasting Schedule is live on our website and open for registration. There is much to entice you, and warm your cockles over the cold winter months ahead! We have Wine, Whisky, Beer and other Spirits tastings to brighten up the dark nights to come, and they also make a great gift. Are you having a hard time shopping for the man or woman who has everything? Why not give them an experience rather than a gift!

We love filling the winter months with Festivals, and there is no shortage of them in our calendar. The biggest of all is the MS Calgary Whisky Festival, Thursday January 17 in the foyer of the Jack Singer Concert Hall, at Arts Commons. The 8th annual MS Calgary Whisky Festival is Calgary’s biggest and best whisky festival, with more than 40 exhibitors and nearly 250 whiskies available for tasting. Best of all, the proceeds go towards a good cause. The event has raised nearly $110,000.00 over the last two years alone!

The festivals continue with our annual Burns Bash on Thursday January 24th. We mark the Anniversary of the birth of the Bard with a whisky festival and some amazing deals on whisky. It is the kick off to our Year End Inventory Sale Weekend!

Berry’s 25 Year KWM Single Barrel Blend – Our first exclusive cask of Blended Scotch Whisky, bottled for our 25th Anniversary. Andrew sampled 6 different single casks of 25 year old Blended Scotch Whisky in May of 2016. The whiskies had been blended, put back into barrels to marry, and then forgotten. Andrew selected cask number 46572 to be bottled exclusively for KWM, as a 25th Anniversary bottling. The whisky was acquired by Berry Bros. & Rudd in barrel, and beyond the age, the contents remain a mystery… Bottled at 46%. Just 222 bottles. – Regular: $200+gst – Save 25% – Now: $149.99+gst (only 9 left)

Cadenhead Dailuaine 2004 KWM Cask – Our 1st ever KWM exclusive single cask of Dailuaine and our 2nd cask from WM Cadenhead. The whisky has been bottled at 55.9% after maturing 12 years in a very active Refill Hogshead. This whisky was featured on Day 1 of our 2017 Whisky Advent Calendar. – Regular: $120+gst – Save 20% – Now: $95.99+gst

Cadenhead Glen Moray 1992 KWM Cask – One of the most exciting 25th Anniversary releases we’ve received… the whisky is both 25 years old, and distilled in 1992, the year we opened. The whisky was matured in a refill American oak hogshead, bottled at 51.1%. The cask yielded 246 bottles, only available at Kensington Wine Market! – Regular: $205+gst – Save 20% – Now: $163.99+gst

Cadenhead Small Batch Speyside 1991 – Only 18 bottles of this old single malt are coming to Canada, exclusively to KWM. The whisky is from the Speyside Distillery, which now goes by the name Spey, to avoid being confused with the Speyside Region. The whisky is the product of 2 Bourbon Hogsheads bottled at 50.5% after 24 years. – Regular: $230+gst – Save 25% – Now: $172.49+gst (Only 4 left!)

Cooper’s Choice Ardmore 2001 – 30 bottles of this 16 year old cask strength Ardmore are coming to Alberta, exclusively to KWM. Bottled at 51.5% after maturing in an Ex-Bourbon cask. – Regular: $145+gst – Save 25% – Now: $108.74+gst

Cooper’s Choice Skara Brae –  A mystery Orcadian malt with gentle peat, wonder which distillery it is from? The Cooper’s Choice Skara Brae is exclusive to KWM, bottled at 46% after maturing 12 years in a Bourbon cask. We think it is Highland Park, but that is speculation… Skara Brae is the name given to an ancient archeological site on the Orkney mainland, famous for the 8 stone dwellings found there which date back to before 3000 BCE. – Regular: $110+gst – Save 25% – Now: $82.49+gst

The Kensington Wine Market 2018 Whisky Advent Calendar 

Makes a Great Gift

The 2018 KWM Whisky Advent Calendar, is our 5th annual edition! Whether as a treat for yourself, or as a gift for a whisky lover, there is no finer source of holiday cheer. We like to call it 25 days of Dram Fine Whisky! As with the previous editions, this year’s calendar features 25 all-new whiskies, a custom logo Glencairn glass and a discount card. We have a much higher proportion of single casks and cask strength whiskies in this year’s edition, which is really exciting. We also have whiskies from England, France, Canada and Japan. We ever so desperately want to tell you what’s in the Calendar, but then it wouldn’t be a surprise. What we can tell you is that you will find 24 50ml premium whiskies, one for each day of Advent, a special 100ml Scotch Malt Whisky Society whisky to toast Christmas Day and a custom logo Glencairn glass. Every day of Advent we will post details on the day’s whisky, and it’s producer on the KWM Blog. We encourage comments and feedback through Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. We hope you’ll join us on the journey of whisky discovery!

We are now on to Day 6, you can follow along on the KWM Blog!

Available for purchase in-store, by phone 403-283-8000 and online!

If you have any questions or comments concerning this email please contact us via e-mail, phone, or drop in to the store.

All of the products mentioned in this email can be purchased in store, over the phone or from our website at www.kensingtonwinemarket.com (with the exception of the Vinebox Twelve Nights of Wine). All prices quoted in this email 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!

Slainte!

Andrew Ferguson

Owner & Scotchguy

Kensington Wine Market

403-283-8000

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

www.kensingtonwinemarket.com