ralfy review 830 – Lagavulin 12yo @ 56.5%vol:

Kensington Wine Market’s Belated Birthday Sale last weekend was a huge hit. Our website was pushed to the limit by everyone who chose to shop online, and our team is still working hard to get everything packed and delivered. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding…

While the store wide sale is over,  we still have some great deals to offer, more than 40 on Whiskies to be specific. That’s good news for those of you who missed the sale because you were out of town or otherwise disconnected and not online last weekend. It is also good news for those of you who haven’t got a gift for your Dad yet. He brought you into this World, and if you are reading this email he didn’t take you out of it… at least not yet. The least you can do is buy him a good bottle of Scotch or Bourbon.

Half of the items on Sale, are “Bin Ends”, and on Sale until they are gone. Most of these items are down to just the last bottle or two. The rest of the Sale items are products we got a good deal on, so we’re passing on the savings. We left these items on Sale for Father’s Day. The deal is good as long as we have stock, or until 11:59PM on Sunday night… whichever comes first!

In all we have over 40 whiskies on Sale, 10-40% off, in-store and online… but not for long!

I hope this email finds you well!

Sláinte,

Andrew Ferguson

Kensington Wine Market

403-283-8000 / 888-283-9004

www.kensingtonwinemarket.com

PS – Don’t forget you can follow me on Twitter: @scotch_guy, Instagram: @thescotch_guy/ or @kwmwhisky and Facebook: facebook.com/scotch.guy.1

Still On Sale But Only Until End of Day Sunday, June 21! 

Lots of Time to Pick Up a Great Father’s Day Gift…

Pricing is on in-stock items only, and doesn’t include GST. The Sale pricing ends at 11:59PM Sunday June 21 (online) and 6PM (in-store), or when we run out of stock. Click the links below for more details on the whisky. Please order online if possible, I’m taking the next week off (starting now) and won’t be checking my email frequently.

Item Retail Discount Sale

Aberfeldy 12 Year  $73.99 25% $55.49

Aberfeldy 21 Year $174.99 20% $139.99

Bunnahabhain 12 Year $74.99 20% $59.99

Cardhu 12 Year $79.99 25% $59.99

Compass Box Great King Street $59.99 20% $47.99

Compass Box Great King Street Glasgow $63.99 20% $51.19

Compass Box Hedonism Blended Grain 750mL $99.99 15% $84.99

Compass Box Spice Tree $80.99 20% $64.79

Cooper’s Choice Benrinnes 2001 15 Year $135.99 30% $95.19

Eau Claire Single Malt Whisky Batch 003 $99.99 10% $89.99

Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength $89.99 20% $71.99

Glenfarclas 12 Year $69.99 20% $55.99

Glenfarclas 15 Year $97.99 20% $78.39

Glenfarclas 21 Year $154.99 20% $123.99

Glengoyne 18 Year $140.99 20% $112.79

Teeling Single Malt $91.99 20% $73.59

Laphroaig Quarter Cask $86.99 20% $69.59

Lismore The Legend 21 Year $149.99 20% $119.99

Bin End Bargains On Some Great Whiskies

These Items Are All On Sale Until Our Current Stock is Gone!

We have 21 items on our Whisky Bin Ends List, all of them are in the table below. A few of them are in my humble opinion a little more interesting, and worthy of some special attention. The American Rockies (Wyoming) Bourbon is a great buy at $52.49, and it comes with some good Karma too… We will donate $5 from every bottle sold to the Calgary Food Bank.

The Boutique-y whiskies are interesting too, they may not be Bourbons, but they are from one of America’s most celebrated distilleries. Plus they come with stickers… The Duncan Taylor Rare Auld Girvan 6 Year is anything but Auld, but it is most definitely Rare. It is a complex, elegant and dangerously drinkable whisky, perfect for hot days on the patio!

And then there are the Elixir Distillers whiskies. We sold through our allocation, but many of the Northern Alberta stores with these whiskies were unable to. So we were offered a deal to help clear out the Elements of Islay Cl12, Pl6, Port Askaig 25 Year (Caol Ila), Port Askaig 28 Year (Laphroaig) and Single Malts of Scotland (SMOS) Mortlach 22 Year.

• American Rockies Bourbon – 44% – My Tasting Note: “Nose: dough, dill-y and woody; smells like a High School wood shop; shelled peanuts, butter tarts and aromatic bitters; peppery with some doughy oatmeal-raisin notes. Palate: sweet, fruity and spicy, with loads of wood-shop tones; fresh, fruity and toasty; more oatmeal-raisin cookie dough, peppery spices and oaky tannins; Demerara sugar and aromatic bitters before warm butter tarts. Finish: fresh, doughy, fruity, sweet and spicy; can’t get over the oatmeal-raisin cookie dough and Demera mixed with bitters combo… Comment: very fresh for an American whiskey, lots of layers, with the oak restrained nicely.” – Was $70 – SAVE 25% – Now $52.49

• Boutique-y Whisky Heaven Hill Corn 9 Year – 49.5% – Producer Description: “Straight corn whiskey from the phenomenal Heaven Hill distillery, matured for 9 years before falling into the hands of That Boutique-y Whisky Company! This one features a label similar to that of the Boutique-y bottling of Heaven Hill bourbon, with with a particularly a-maize-ing addition (I am so sorry) of lots of corn!” Producer Tasting Note: “Nose: Buttered corn, maple syrup and milk chocolate form the core. Vanilla ice cream and foam bananas add to the sweetness. A little drying oak spice is there underneath. Palate: Prickly black peppercorn rushes through a mix of cooking apples, sponge cake and honeyed fruit. Vanilla pod earthiness and a juicy blackcurrant complete the palate. Finish: Crisp red apples and a little dark chocolate bitterness linger. Overall: Enjoyable and intriguing in equal measure.” – Was $90 – SAVE 25% – Now $67.49

• Boutique-y Whisky Heaven Hill Whiskey 9 Year – 48.4% – Producer Description: “The American Whiskey label is full of Americanism objects piled up and scattered across the floor such as a hot dog, burger, american football, a baseball bat, a nod to NASA and so much more – you know, a quintessentially American label.” Producer Tasting Note: “Nose: Buttery malt, cashew, oak and freshly zested citrus. A good layer of caramel covers it all. Palate: Still quite buttery, though baking spices (think nutmeg and ginger) liven it up. Sultana, marmalade and brown bread. Finish: Toffee, milk chocolate and a touch of cut grass.” – – Was $92 – SAVE 25% – Now $69

• Duncan Taylor Rare Auld Girvan 6 Year – 53.1% – “Oak Cask” –  My Tasting Note: “Nose: silky, honeyed and fruity; Goodies and licorice salt water taffy; exotic fruits, caramel corn and candy apple; not even a slight edge to the alcohol. Palate: soft, very soft and silky; layered and honeyed and fruity; more licorice Goodies and salt water taffy; more exotic citrus fruits, molasses, caramel corn and candy apple; floral with loads of vanilla. Finish: coating, lush and creamy; still silky with decadent vanilla, honey and fruits. Comment: good Lord; for a 6 year old grain this is spectacular; this is not mind-blowingly complex, but there are some nice layers; considering its age, quality and price this is a definite buy (and that was before the 20% discount)!” – Was $63 – SAVE 20% – Now $57 

• Elements of Islay Cl12 – 57.5% – Refill Sherry Butts – Producer Tasting Note: “Nose: Classically maritime. Slate tiles, saltwater, warm tarmac on a sunny day. Sour apple sweets, Pouilly-Fumé wine, aguardiente, rhubarb and custard. Palate: Astringent smoke with salt and liquorice. More orchard fruits, alongside green grass and citrus zest. Lots of cigarette notes, cold smoked meats, chervil and tarragon. Finish: Peaty finish with cloudy lemonade, coal dust, fresh herbs and grapefruit peel.” – Was $88 – SAVE 20% – Now $70.40 – 86pts Whisky Fun / Whisky Base 86.58
•  Elements of Islay Pl6 – 55.3% – 7 Year – ex-Bourbon – Producer Tasting Note: “Nose: Farmyards, burnt grass, camphor, young Jamaican rum and petrol. Underneath the more powerful notes, there’s sweet potato pie, malt loaf and just a hint of peaches. Palate: Oily and briny. Smoked ham, barley husks,  Manzanilla sherry, almond oil, green olives. There’s a warmth of Christmas spice towards the end: clove and cinnamon. Finish: Oak chips, sweet white wine, pancetta, rye bread and hot ashes.” – Was $185 – SAVE 25% – Now $138.75 – Whisky Base 87.25

• Port Askaig 25 Year – 45.8% – Presumed to be Caol Ila – 90pts Serge @WhiskyFun: “It’s not exactly this label, which used to mention ‘Port Askaig Harbour’, the new one for America rather has ‘Port Askaig Islay’. Let’s try the latter… Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s not huge, and rather on charcoal and graphite, with some delicate coastal notes, beach herbs, wool, old jacket, sea breeze, a nice wee oyster, and whiffs of freshly shredded celeriac and cabbage. Delicate, elegant, subtle, it’s like looking in a mirror (a little tired, S.?) Mouth (neat): naturally.Sauvignon, lemon juice, charcoal ash, oysters, tincture of iodine, then more shredded celeriac as well as a little angelica, and perhaps one drop of yellow chartreuse (per glass). Finish: medium, with this trademark feeling of peated lemons, green apples, then tobacco ashes. Comments: just extremely good, with this faint lightness that’s so engaging in this famous – and supposedly lighter – make. SGP:456 – 90 points.” – Was $375 – SAVE 25% – Now $281

• Port Askaig 28 Year – 45.8% – Presumed to be Laphroaig – Refill American Oak Hogsheads – My Tasting Note is on the KWM Website – 90pts Serge @WhiskyFun: “Will this one be softer? What’s 3 years anyway? Colour: white wine. Nose: well, it is a little more camphory and mentholy, so probably a little more tertiary, with some pine nuts, greengages, these notes of smoked salmon and other fatter fish, smoked hake, touches of pickled onions and capers perhaps, then a fruitier side with pink grapefruits, then whiffs of rainwater… Mouth: ah yes, transmuting peat, with already more tropical fruits (mangos, maracujas) while the rawer, straighter smokiness is still there. Other than that, it’s all wonderful, perfectly balanced, with touches of caraway and star anise leading to a rising gingerbready feeling. This one’s really very interesting, it’s not a 25 anymore, while it’s not a 30 yet. In short, somewhere in between, and that is pretty lovely. Finish: medium, rather soft, with a saltier, brinier ending. Oyster juice! Comments: the 25 and the 28 are actually very different, but please don’t ask me to choose. SGP:555 – 90 points.” – Was $440 – SAVE 25% – Now $330

• SMOS Mortlach 22 Year – 54.2% – 3x ex-Bourbon Hogsheads & 1x ex-Sherry Butt – Tasting Notes by Billy Abbot (The Whisky Exchange): “Nose: Brown sugar, cherries and new leather. Candied lemon and orange segments follow, with a little bit of minty freshness. Dark fruitcake and bittersweet dark chocolate peek in around the edges. Lighter notes float on top: rose petals and freshly cut stems, with a touch of candy necklace sweetness. Palate: Lots of dried fruit and grown-up, not-to-sweet fruitcake to start. Sticky raisins and malt loaf add more weight and sweetness. Spiced, stewed apples with anise, cinnamon and nutmeg develop, with buttered spiced bread, black liquorice and treacle toffee. Finish: The treacle toffee fades to leave freshly-cut apples dusted with cinnamon. Comment: A big and sherried Mortlach with balanced fresh fruit and herbal notes that stops it becoming overpowering. Excellent cask selection.” – Was $270 – SAVE 20% – Now $202.49 – Whisky Base 88.99

Item        Retail            Discount                Sale

Adelphi Glenborrodale Batch 6 $98.99 30% $64.34

Adelphi The E & K $224.99 30% $157.49

Adelphi The Winter Queen 19 Year $399.99 25% $299.99

American Rockies Bourbon $69.99 25% $52.49

Benriach Batch 15 1995 Cask 7383 $469.99 30% $328.99

Big Peat Christmas 2019 $129.99 30% $90.99

Boutique-y Heaven Hill Corn 9 Year $89.99 25% $67.49

Boutique-y Heaven Hill Whiskey 9 Year $91.99 25% $68.99

Duncan Taylor Octave Girvan 11Year 51.2% $94.99 40% $56.99

Duncan Taylor Rare Auld Girvan 6Yr 53.1% $62.99 20% $50.39

Elements of Islay Cl12 $87.99 20% $70.39

Elements of Islay Pl6 $184.99 20% $147.99   

Port Askaig 25 Year $374.99 25% $281.24

Port Askaig 28 Year$439.99 25% $329.99

Samaroli 1980 Blended Scotch 34 Year$574.99 30% $402.49

Secret Spirits Auchinderom Peated 2011$139.99 25% $104.99

SMOS Marriage Mortlach 22 Year$269.99 25% $202.49

Black Mountain Notes Fumees 50mL$9.99 30% $6.99

English Whisky Company Smoky 50ml$14.99 30% $10.49

Old Malt Cask Mortlach 11Y KWM Cask 50ml$11.99 30% $8.39

SMWS 72.65 – Winter Comforts 100ml$27.99 30% $19.59

Eau Claire Single Malt Batch 002 50ml$10.99 10% $9.89

Current Covid-19 Store Policies! 

For the safety our staff and customers we are continuing to review and modify our Covid-19 Precautions!

Please do not enter the store if:

1. You have returned from Outside of Canada in the last 2 weeks, or you live with someone who has!
2. You are showing symptoms of COVID-19, or if you have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with or suspected to have contracted COVID-19.
3. If any of the above applies, we can come to you… let us deliver!

Precautions we are taking in-store:

1. We have increased our hours to offer more flexibility and discourage lineups (see below).
2. We are asking customers to sanitize their hands on entering the store, and to consider wearing a mask, especially during the sale.
3. We have provided masks for staff.
4. We are only allowing a maximum of 6 customers in-store at a time and are asking them to try and respect 2m social distancing with staff and other customers.
5. We are not allowing in groups larger than 2 people.
6. We have hand sanitizer positioned throughout the store.
7. We asking customers not to pick up products unless they want to purchase them.
8. We are frequently disinfecting commonly touched surfaces and high contact areas within the store.
9. We have stopped accepting cash payments.
10. Staff are frequently washing and disinfecting their hands.
11. We have marked a place for customers to stand when completing their purchase.
12. We have built a sneeze guard around the cash cage.
13. We have cancelled all tastings.
14. We are monitoring our staff for symptoms and following the lead of AHS.
15. We will continue to monitor the situation and update our policies as things develop!

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we all try to navigate this challenging time!

New Store Hours! 

For the month of June we have returned to our usual hours on Sunday and extended our hours Thurday-Saturday. Please note we are open an etra hour this week on Thursday, Firday and Saturday during the Sale.

Sunday 11AM – 6PM

Monday 10AM – 6PM

Tuesday 10AM – 6PM

Wednesday 10AM – 6PM

Thursday 10AM – 8PM *9PM This Week for the Sale!

Friday 10AM – 8PM *9PM This Week for the Sale!

Saturday 10AM – 8PM *9PM This Week for the Sale!

Free City-Wide Delivery in Calgary & Other Deals! 

Free Delivery in Calgary for Orders Over $50, and Loads of Deals To Be Had!

As with many other small and independent businesses in the city, we are getting creative to continue serving our customers and keeping the business going. We have taken precautions in-store to ensure the health and safety of both our staff and customers. Details on that below! We are also offering options to continue serving those of you in quarantine or who are taking extra precautions with regards to social isolation.

FREE DELIVERY

– We are offering free delivery for orders over $50 placed online or over the phone, and will do our best to deliver within 72 hours.

CURBSIDE PICKUP

– Place an order, we’ll let you know when it is ready. Call us when you are out front or parked in the back lot and we’ll bring it out. Simple as that!

GIFTING

– Want to send someone a care package? All gifting options are still available. Quarantined parents and closed schools qualify as a “wine emergency”. Gift cards are also available and can be used over the phone.

If you are able, please submit your order online. We will answer any questions you might have before finalizing and processing your order. You are not automatically billed when you submit your order.

www.kensingtonwinemarket.com

We will do our best to answer and process as many phone orders as we can. Call us at 403-283-8000. We are offering some great deals too. More on that below, see the bottom of the Malt Messenger!

Customers are still welcome to come in to the store to pick up orders as well as browse and purchase in-store. We are routinely disinfecting commonly touched surfaces and have hand sanitation stations around the store.

Let us know how we can continue to help and serve you in these challenging times!

SAVE 25% on American Rockies & Feed YYC! 

$5 from Each Bottle to go to the Calgary Food Bank!

Looking for your next Bourbon, for sipping neat, on the rocks or for an Old Fashioned?

American Rockies Bourbon has been discontinued by the producer,  and they  are blowing it out. As always, we are passing the Savings on. Not only is this Bourbon 25% off, but we will also donate $5 from every bottled sold to the Calgary Food Bank!

From the people who brought you Canadian Rockies, American Rockies is a Small Batch Bourbon bottled at 44%. We believe the Bourbon is sourced from a Wyoming Whiskey distillery that we happen to be quite fond of.

 American Rockies – 44% – My Tasting Note: “Nose: dough, dill-y and woody; smells like a High School woodshop; shelled peanuts, butter tarts and aromatic bitters; peppery with some doughy oatmeal-raisin notes. Palate: sweet, fruity and spicy, with loads of wood-shop tones; fresh, fruity and toasty; more oatmeal-raisin cookie dough, peppery spices and oaky tannins; Demerara sugar and aromatic bitters before warm butter tarts. Finish: fresh, doughy, fruity, sweet and spicy; can’t get over the oatmeal-raisin cookie dough and Demerara mixed with bitters combo… Comment:  very fresh for an American whiskey, lots of layers, with the oak restrained nicely.” – Was $70 – SAVE 25% – Now: $52.49 & we’ll donate $5 of that to the Calgary Food Bank!

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

LAST-MINUTE FATHER’S DAY WHISKY FOR THE DISCERNING DAD

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society has the ideal bottle of whisky and membership offer for Father’s Day

If your dad or the special father figure in your life deserves a truly unique gift that lasts all year round, then The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) has the perfect present for him this Father’s Day (Sunday 21^st June). The whisky club is offering membership plus an exclusive bottle of SMWS whisky for only £100: www.smws.com/daddaygift

The SMWS bottle Cask No. 68.41: Hill-Walking Happiness is from the Society’s Spicy & Sweet flavour profile and is one of only 295 from an ex-bourbon hogshead. The 11-year-old Highland whisky’s tasting notes describe it as having “a clean fresh nose of cereal then sugared almonds, donuts and chocolate raisins to balance”.

Now is the perfect time for your dad to sign up to The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Although the Members’ Rooms remain closed, the SMWS is open for business as normal online, with exceptional single cask whisky ready to be delivered straight to your dad’s door.

In times of uncertainty, the Society is encouraging members to grab some drams and share them at home. Membership of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society brings whisky adventurers from all over the world together to share colourful experiences and the finest single cask single malt whisky. It’s a never-ending flavour journey to explore and share with 27,000 fellow members around the globe.

As an SMWS member, your dad will enjoy memorable whisky experiences. Every month, as well as offering an impressive collection of whisky, the SMWS hosts virtual gatherings and tastings, keeping members educated, entertained and able to share drams together.

w: https://www.smws.com/

f: https://www.facebook.com/thesmwsuk

i: https://www.instagram.com/smws_uk/

t: https://twitter.com/SMWSUK

yt: https://www.youtube.com/user/SMWSsilverscreen/videos

Notes:

About The Scotch Malt Whisky Society 

• The Scotch Malt Whisky Society was established in Edinburgh in 1983 and now has more than 27,000 members and branches around the world
• The SMWS bottles rare single malt whisky, and a range of other spirits
• The Society bottles single malts, unique single casks and exclusive blends
• The Society has bottled whisky from more than 140 distilleries from Scotland and beyond
• The Society offers a new batch of around 20 single malt whiskies every month
• The Society offers a variety of membership packages which can be tailored. Please see https://bit.ly/2uqKanT
• For more information about the Society, visit https://bit.ly/2HHiNyC
• Twitter: @SMWSUK Facebook: @thesmwsuk Instagram: @smws_uk

Douglas Laing Unveils The Epicurean Cask Strength Edinburgh Edition

Independent Scotch Whisky firm, Douglas Laing & Co today unveils The Epicurean Cask Strength Edinburgh Limited Edition of only 600 bottles.

Honouring Scotland’s Capital, the unique “recipe” for the special bottling is the result of a creative collaboration between Douglas Laing & Co and some of Edinburgh’s finest bartenders and spirit experts. A one-off event was held at leading bar “Nauticus” in Edinburgh, during which the VIP attendees masterfully married together various samples of Single Cask Single Malt Whiskies from the Lowlands with the aim of creating a perfectly balanced end product with depth and character. Each unique blend of Single Malts was then judged with the winning recipe becoming this limited edition release of just 600 bottles. A blind tasting by Douglas Laing’s Chairman, Fred Laing, saw Lindsay Blair of 56 North crowned the winner.

The resulting Whisky is said to burst with lively green fruits, sweet barley and tangy citrus with just a touch of spice. Bottled at 53.3% alcohol strength and offered without colouring or chill-filtration, its high strength is said to ensure the natural robust character of the capital city spirit shines through – even when mixed.

Cara Laing, Director of Whisky, comments on the new release:

“The Epicurean’s Cask Strength Edinburgh Edition celebrates our Capital City and its impressive array of bars and spirit experts. With summer just around the corner, this is perfect timing to release this fresh and zesty Lowland Malt. We’d recommend enjoying it straight-up or long with ginger ale or apple juice to further enhance those tangy, slightly spicy sweet flavours.”

The Epicurean Cask Strength Edinburgh Edition is available from June 2020, from specialist Whisky retailers with an expected retail price of £49.99. 

ABOUT DOUGLAS LAING:

www.douglaslaing.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/douglaslaingwhisky

Instagram: @remarkable_malts

Douglas Laing & Co. is a leading independent Scotch Whisky blender and bottler specialising in the selection and release of Single Cask Single and Small Batch Malt Scotch Whiskies.

The company was founded by Fred Douglas Laing in 1948 and is still owned and run by the Laing family – Fred Laing Jr and his daughter Cara Laing.

The company philosophy is to bottle the way the distiller intended – at a high strength and without chill filtration to preserve the robust and unique character of the Whisky. Douglas Laing’s industry reputation and many awards is testament to this ethos.

Douglas Laing’s Remarkable Regional Malts, the Ultimate Distillation of Scotland’s Malt Whisky Regions, encompasses The Epicurean Lowland Malt Scotch Whisky, Timorous Beastie (Highlands), Scallywag (Speyside), The Gauldrons (Campbeltown), Rock Island (Islands) and Big Peat (Islay). Beyond its Blended Malts expertise, the award-winning Douglas Laing portfolio also includes Provenance, Premier Barrel, Old Particular and Xtra Old Particular, collectively known as the firm’s “Exceptional Single Casks”.

Canadian Distilleries News

Stalk & Barrel

Three Barrel Whisky

It’s been a decade since lineups snaked through the parking lot at Still Waters distillery. Ontario’s first modern-age microdistillery was releasing its inaugural single malt whisky.

Rye soon followed, then their carefully crafted Blue- and Red-labelled blends. Now, distillers Barry Bernstein and Barry Stein have added Stalk & Barrel Three Barrel Whisky to the line-up.

Three Barrel blends Still Waters’ rye and single malt with traditional corn whisky, each aged separately in ex-bourbon casks.

“The single malt adds complexity and robustness to our blends,” says Bernstein, “and we can now afford to use more of it, given our increased inventory. “We thought there was more room to play at this end of the range with bumping up the rye and malt components.”

Three Barrels is blended in batches of less than 1,000 litres at a time. The whisky’s age has polished those familiar young grassy rye notes into chest-warming spices and cloves while the barley malt shines with creamy vanillas, barley sugar, chocolate covered almonds, cocoa and a splash of citrus.

As Still Waters enters its second decade, Three Barrel Whisky ushers in a new age for the distillery, as it builds on an already well respected portfolio of whiskies.

 

The Forager

Forty Creek Botanical Whisky

 

Innovation does not always mean new – by tradition, most whisky once had herbs and spices added. But innovation does mean going against the grain, and today adding such things to your whisky is a pretty bold move. But then, Forty Creek Master Blender, Bill Ashburn is no shrinking violet.

A new Forty Creek whisky, labelled The Forager, and without the Forty Creek logo, reveals a surging twister of whisky and botanical flavours. It seems Ashburn has infused gentle portions of sweet fern, spruce tips, juniper and Labrador tea into Forty Creek whisky.

Their subtle flavours contrast with the distillery’s trademark fruit, underscoring hints of citrus, medicinal pine resin and a refreshing, slightly bitter, herbaceous top dressing.

It is great whisky, for sure, and like all innovations, The Forager, challenges the status quo.

Whisky Book Club with

Odd Society Spirits

Tour Canada’s distilleries with us each Saturday, as we make a virtual stop at one of 15 Canadian distilleries. The tour begins Saturday, June 13 with Odd Society Spirits in Vancouver. Hosted by Dolph Shaw of the Whisky Book Club and Alberta Scotch Society. Catch us each week at 7:00 Mountain time – that’s 9:00 Eastern. Or view at your leisure afterwards on YouTube.

Join us here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LxqS8FLGZM for the main event

and here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhRN-yId-aE for a more casual After Dram.

This Father’s Day treat Dad to an Armchair Distillery Tour

While travel vacations are on hold, with a copy of The Definitive Guide to Canadian Distilleries, your dad can still enjoy a coast-to-coast virtual tour of Canada’s distilleries. Between the richly illustrated pages, he’ll meet the people, learn the stories, read the tasting notes and make the cocktails from over 200 Canadian distilleries. Custom drawn maps will help him plot the getaway that is sure to follow as covid travel restrictions ease.

THANK YOU!

If you are one of the lovely people who posted a picture of your copy of our book on social media, thank you. Here is a selection of some of your shots. Want to be included in our next newsletter? Simply post a picture of our book with your favourite Canadian distillery or spirit and tag us @davindek .

A Sip of Knowledge with Marty, Lew & Liz

It’s new and kind of cool. Billing themselves as “The Good, The Bad and The Brainy,” Former Diageo Master of Whisky and North American Glencairn representative, Marty Duffy, whisky author extraordinaire, Lew Bryson, and whisky scientist Liz Rhoades host a fun weekly podcast packed with real whisky learning . Join us on June 16 at 1pm Eastern time.

https://www.crowdcast.io/e/a-sip-of-knowledge-davin

Where to buy The Definitive Guide to Canadian Distilleries

The Definitive Guide to Canadian Distilleries is available in in traditional paper and e-book too. Huge thanks to Amazon and Chapters for supporting this.

Here too is a list of independent bookstores in Canada that offer delivery:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/canadian-independent-bookstores-delivery

Video: A quick armchair tour of distilleries ending with a drink:

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B-iItl9htNG/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

 

WHAT’S NEW AT THE WHISKY EXCHANGE

It’s a bumper week at The Whisky Exchange! With new whisky from Glen Moray, a new outfit for our Whisky of the Year, prize draws (plural) and Father’s Day on its way, there’s lots to get excited about. 

Benromach’s New Look

Benromach’s range of famously peated Speyside single malt whiskies – which includes our Whisky of the Year for 2020, the wonderful Benromach 15 Year Old – has had something of a facelift, and we think it looks pretty tasty. It’s the same great liquid, but with a flashy new look, so whether you’re a completist collector or just need to stock up on your favourite dram, you’re in for a treat.

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Glen Moray

Madeira Cask ProjectFirst came the Cider Cask Project, and the Rhum Agricole Cask Project followed close behind. Now, the next instalment in Glen Moray’s Curiosity Range has arrived in the form of this 13-year-old single malt matured entirely in Madeira casks. Limited to less than 1,500 bottles, this is an indulgently sweet whisky, with layer-upon-layer of dark-chocolate, toffee and sweet and creamy fruit notes.

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Prize draw Win Bunnahabhain

40 Year OldA favourite among discerning whisky drinkers, Bunnahabhain is one of Islay’s lesser-known distilleries – and one of the island’s few distilleries with a reputation for unpeated spirit. It’s core range will stand up against any you’d care to compare it to, and for this month only, every purchase which contains one of Bunnahabhain’s core range bottlings will enter the purchaser into a draw to win a bottle of Bunnahabhain 40 Year Old.

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It’s time for another episode of the show on blended Scottish whiskies.

https://youtu.be/gji1QPT5jX0

Whisky for Father’s Day gift guides – GlenDronach, BenRiach & Glenglassaugh single malts

The GlenDronach

Nestled in the Valley of Forgue, deep in the East Highland hills, is The GlenDronach – one of the oldest licensed distilleries in Scotland. The GlenDronach is of true Highland style; a complex and full-bodied spirit, perfect for slow maturation in Spanish oak Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks.

The GlenDronach Revival Aged 15 Year Old

Crowned ‘Best In Show Whisky’ at the internationally acclaimed 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, The GlenDronach Revival Aged 15 Years took home the top prize for all whisky, making an ideal gift for the world’s best Dad. This expression offers sumptuous notes of dark fruits, rich chocolate and manuka honey with an enveloping, memorable finish. The GlenDronach is a richly-sherried and characterful Single Malt, produced in the Highland region of Scotland.

UK RRP: £73.00

The GlenDronach Cask Strength Batch 8

Matured for ten years in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks, and bottled at natural cask strength, this expression is the perfect gift for connoisseurs seeking a deeper insight into the distillery’s richly-sherried Highland Single Malt. Like sipping velvet, with mocha, caramel macchiato and cherry chocolate cake, layered with dates, plum skin and sultana.

UK RRP: £66.00

BenRiach

Founded in 1898, the BenRiach Distillery has long been the home of artistry and expertise across whisky distilling and cask maturation. The multi-layered flavour of this Speyside single malt is a result of the eclecticism of casks used during maturation. BenRiach distills three types of spirit – classic, peated and triple distilled, and is one of two remaining distilleries in Speyside to use barley from its traditional on-site floor maltings – a time-honoured craft that is celebrated for one month each year.

BenRiach Sherry Wood Aged 12 Years

With flavours of cocoa, sweet macaroons, floral oak and dried berries, BenRiach Aged 12 Years is a whisky with a tremendous depth of flavour, making it an ideal whisky for Dads to sip and savour this Father’s Day.

Double Gold Winner at San Francisco Awards 2019.

UK RRP: £43.00

BenRiach Temporis Aged 21 Years – Peated

If you’re looking for a slightly alternative whisky gift for your Dad, this is it. This intense, unique expression from BenRiach, packing a full-bodied flavour profile, provides the rare opportunity to try a peated Speyside whisky of this age – a unique treat for Dads who like to try something new. With notes of rum-soaked dried fruit, orange peel, new leather and oak-y smoke, the Temporis makes the perfect dram for exploring flavour.

Double Gold Winner at San Francisco Awards 2019.

UK RRP: £ 144.00

BenRiach Aged 21 Years

BenRiach has long been a distillery to keep an eye on when it comes to whiskies with inventive maturation styles. This BenRiach Aged 21 Years has been drawn from a mixture of four casks – bourbon barrels, virgin oak casks, Pedro Ximenéz Sherry casks and red wine casks. With spiced fruit and milk chocolate at its core, this indulgent whisky is a delicious gift for any whisky loving Dad.

Gold winner at International Wine and Spirits Competition 2019.

UK RRP: £130.00

Glenglassaugh

On the crescent beach of Sandend Bay stands Glenglassaugh Distillery, producing a luscious single malt with rolling waves of flavour. A complete distillation of its natural surroundings, Glenglassaugh is shaped from the visible and invisible influences of land, sea, air and spring water. The classic and peated Octaves expressions in Batch 2 are matured in hand-selected Octaves casks, made to size from a range of Bourbon, Pedro Ximénez, Oloroso, Amontillado Sherry and Port wood. The smaller size of these casks allows for greater interaction between the wood and the spirit, strengthening the whisky’s depth of flavour and aroma in a shorter period of time.

Glenglassaugh Octaves Classic Batch 2

Matured in the seaside warehouses of this coastal Highland distillery, Glenglassaugh Octaves Batch 2 a rare gift for an exceptional father. Sip smooth velvet waves of salted chocolate caramel, savouring the intriguingly long finish of citrus spiced coffee, aniseed and peanut brittle.

Gold Winner at San Francisco Awards 2019.

UK RRP: £60.00.

Glenglassaugh Octaves Peated Batch 2

Shaped by land and sea, The Glenglassaugh Octaves Batch 2 Peated embraces the traditional addition of peat smoke in the craft of making this delicious whisky, which has been matured in bourbon, port and sherry casks.

Double Gold Winner at San Francisco Awards 2019.

UK RRP: £65.00

Market Pricing may vary accordingly.

Craft Whisky Club Partners with Edinburgh Whisky Academy

This June, the online whisky initiative Craft Whisky Club has partnered with highly respected pioneers of certified whisky education, Edinburgh Whisky Academy to create the ultimate online course and subscription service, for those who not only want to discover a new world of craft, artisan and innovative whisky-making but get a chance to try them too.

From casks to pairings, locally-produced to the exotic, learning and exploring the world of whisky is a fundamental part of the whisky experience. By teaming up with the Edinburgh Whisky Academy, Craft Whisky Club provides its members with the chance to explore the history, science, artistry and making processes which makes their favourite spirit so special. The collaboration offers members a wealth of opportunities to learn more about a wide range of whiskies from industry experts, and in these more confined times, courses can be taken from the comfort of your own home.

To celebrate the launch of the partnership, all members who sign up before Father’s Day (June 21st) will receive complimentary access to their ‘Focus on Flavor’ module. Existing Craft Whisky Club members will also enjoy a 10% discount on all their other courses, access to a monthly Q&A with an EWA expert, and much more! Edinburgh Whisky Academy’s Focus of Flavour is the perfect module to help members take their Craft Whisky Club membership to another level, helping them discover the new classics and experience the range of flavours being a member of Craft Whisky Club offers.

“We are very excited to enter into this partnership with Craft Whisky Club. Everybody at the Edinburgh Whisky Academy is passionate about first-class whisky education. Working together means we will be able to ensure more whisky enthusiasts can access our online courses and in-person Diplomas. Not only will members learn more about the industry and what makes whisky such a complex and fascinating product, but they can also be assured of an enhanced whisky drinking experience as they enjoy some of Craft Whisky Club’s incredible bottlings. Slainte!” — Edinburgh Whisky Association

For further information on how the membership works and pricing please see here.

I’d like to start with something plain and simple: We are, and always have been, against racism.

And while some would have wanted us to speak sooner on the action we are taking, we believe that a considered, informed response is far more valuable than a knee-jerk reaction.

After listening long and hard to those with a deep understanding and often first-hand experience of racial injustice, and after being inspired to study, think and discuss this situation as a team, we are acting.

We have agreed on a course of immediate action, including setting up a strong HR policy focused on anti-discrimination. This is one of five new principles that will guide us going forward. I believe businesses today have an important role to play in the fight for a just society, and we will take that responsibility even more seriously.

You are welcome to read our plans in full, but we wanted to highlight here another new principle that has become even more vital in recent days – we will encourage people to use the power of their vote to spark change.

Every voice deserves to be heard. Yet, especially as we have seen this week, even that most fundamental of rights is not universal. This must change. Those who can vote, must. And we all need to speak up for those whose voices are stifled.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. To find out more about our plans, please get in touch with me directly at:
john.glaser@compassboxwhisky.com

The team and I really want to know what you think.

John Glaser
Company Founder