ralfy review 989 – Mackmyra Svensk Rok @46.1%vol:

ON TOP OF THE WORLD: ROYAL SALUTE BECOMES FIRST SCOTCH WHISKY ON RECORD TO SUMMIT EVEREST

Adding to a year of momentous celebrations, Royal Salute – the master of exceptionally aged Scotch whisky – has released images of the moment a $25,000 flagon was successfully carried to the summit of Mount Everest. It marks a world first for whisky, as the first bottle of Scotch recorded as having ever reached the summit of the highest Earthly point.

In a true journey of celebration, this ascension mission was accomplished on Tuesday 23 May 2023, almost 70 years to the day that legendary conquerors Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay first scaled the 29,030ft mountain and placed the Union Jack at the top. News of the feat reached Britain on the dawn of 2 June 1953, adding to the extraordinary heritage of that significant day which also marked the Coronation Day of Queen Elizabeth II and the origin of Royal Salute, which was created in Her Majesty’s honour and gifted to her that morning.

Seven decades later, Royal Salute continues to mark significant milestones. The flagon was carried by Ang Dorjee Sherpa – a Nepali born Everest guide who has braved the treacherous slopes more than 20 times – and accompanied by intrepid mountaineers led by Guy Cotter in support of the Everest70 celebrations. The expression selected for the anniversary expedition was a Royal Salute Coronation of King Charles III Edition; a coveted release announced in April this year.

A limited release of just 500 flagons, the Edition is a luxurious blend of over 53 rare malt and grain whiskies, reflecting the year Royal Salute was first crafted, resulting in a beautifully rich expression that has delicately sweet and playfully spicy notes. It is housed in a precious Dartington crystal decanter that withstood the extreme conditions of the mountain throughout the gruelling expedition to protect the rare and prestige Scotch.

On receiving news of the safe and successful ascent, Royal Salute Global Marketing Director Mathieu Deslandes said “Conquering Everest is a remarkable achievement; to have Royal Salute accompanying these brave climbers to the top of the world fills me with immense pride. Uniting with our partners to celebrate 70 years of shared anniversaries pays homage to the impressive comradery of the climbing teams in 1953 and 2023, while raising money for such a worthwhile cause. This is a new moment in our history that we will always remember and be proud of.”

Upon leaving Nepal, the record-breaking flagon of Royal Salute Coronation of King Charles III Edition will be taken to London where it will be auctioned to raise funds for The Himalayan Trust – a charity set up by the late Sir Edmund Hillary. Interested bidders are invited to formally submit a pre-bid via email, ahead of the live Everest 70 auction on Thursday 15^th June. Pre-bids can be sent to The Himalayan Trust UK via events@himalayantrust.co.uk, using the subject “Everest 70 auction pre-bid”. Alongside your pre-bid (in GBP), bidders must include their full name and contact details. 100% of the proceeds go directly to The Himalayan Trust UK (registered charity number 1000153) to support its work in transforming the education and improving health for Nepal’s mountain people.

This expedition would not have been possible without the support of Lisa Choegyal, Adventure Consultants New Zealand and Himalayan Guides Nepal. For more information on the anniversary expedition and details on the auction, please visit royalsalute.com or follow @royalsalute on social media.

 

Girvan & North British

Viking 1 & 2 Limited Editions

This weekend only – while stocks last.

Each matured in a single 1st fill Palo Cortado sherry Hogshead bottled at natural cask strength distilled at the Lowland distillers of Girvan & North British.

Commemorating the first successful landers on the Martian surface.

Shop – Girvan 30 Years – £75 | u$79* | €72*

Shop – North British 30 Years – £75 | u$79* | €72*

The final countdown has begun; our auction closes tonight.

Regular auction users by now will know the drill, but for those of you that don’t here’s how it works.

From 7pm UK time our anti-sniping software will start monitoring activity on the site, as soon as the bidding begins to slow down significantly the auction will close at an unspecified time.

In our experience it is some time after 9.00pm before the auction ends. 

Don’t worry, there is still time left to make your bids but the window of opportunity is closing.

We’ll send another reminder this evening but if there are any bottles you have your eye on now would be a good time to start placing bids.

 

The details we await………..

Kensington Wine Market’s E-Whisky Newsletter

Our Super Summer Sale isn’t over yet… we have decided to extend it for one more day!

So if you were out of town this weekend, busy soaking up the sun on the river, crushing the fairway or trails, or otherwise occupied, it’s not too late to take advantage of our storewide sale… the next one is in mid-November!

I have updated the Sale PDFs below with the best remaining deals. A number of things have sold out, but there are still 500 whiskies and other spirits discounted 15-40%… and almost all others are at least 10% off!

To get ready for our fall season, and a boatload of pending new arrivals, we have put nearly everything in-store on sale, and you can save 10-50% on almost 3000 products: Whisky, Wine, Beer, & Spirits.

Almost everything else in-store is 10-50% off, including 500 Whiskies.

 

Happy Hunting!

Andrew Ferguson
Kensington Wine Market

The Deets!

The sale is online and in-store only. No phone orders, if possible, please.

You can save:

10-40% on most in-stock Whisky

To make your browsing a little easier, we have linked PDF files below for Whiskies 15%-40%.

Browse Whiskies Discounted 15-40%

The CSPC in the left-hand column on both lists can be used in addition to the product name to search for and order products on our website.

Shop in-store or online at:

www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/ 

In-store pickup will be available throughout the sale and we will also offer Free Delivery for orders over $250. Customers wanting to pay by cash or debit are encouraged to shop in-store.

The Sale Fine Print

• No additional discounts or promotions can be applied to the sale price.
• Prices do not include GST.
• In the event of a discrepancy in price, the point of sale at KWM will be taken as correct.
• Sale pricing will not be applied retroactively or carried forward past the end of our Super Summer Sale at midnight (11:59 PM), Sunday, August 13, 2023.
• The sale is in-store and online only.
• Phone orders are ok, but will be written down, time-stamped and fulfilled in the same queue as our web and email orders.
• Email orders are also welcome, we will follow up with you as we are able!

If you order online, please wait for confirmation that your order is ready before heading down to the shop.

·     Date: Thursday, September 21

·     Time: 7 PM

·     Cost: $50

The Killowen Update 🗞️🗞️

It’s been a wonderful, hectic but fun time for the distillery of late. The small team has been torn between visitors tasting events, whiskey releases and whiskey festivals, it hard to pick the best moment of the past few weeks, but these are some of them.

AWARD

Founder & Distiller Brendan Carty won ‘Distiller of the Year’ at the Belfast Whiskey Week awards ceremony among some stiff competition. None of this is possible, if not for the wonderful support the distillery gets from those wonderful folks who appreciate and understand what we do.

BELFAST WHISKEY WEEK 2023

After promising to cut down our participation in events this year (thanks to exhaustion) somehow we got roped into 5 events which enabled us to hang out with many Killowen supporters, these guys are our heroes so the festival was a brilliant success.

BOTTLINGS

Two private bottlings that where arranged years ago, sold out successfully before advertisement namely Belfast Whiskey Week & Barry Chandler’s Stories & Sips group.

NEW STILL

Our new still is finally commissioned, up and running. Being an exact replica of our previous spirit still the spirit tastes as beautiful as before.

KILLOWEN KULT

These guys are having fun as usual and we love them, many have already availed of exclusives and discount offers which will continue. Sadly their social media groups are closed to new membership. Although they are an independent group over a third of them have received Kult cards funded by the distillery. These cards will come available again soon.

The Kult have kindly agreed to allow another 10 members in who avail of a special offer on the USA website folsomwinespirits.com

We love the Kult – thanks for all your support as always.

KILLOWEN IN THE DEAD RABBIT, NEW YORK 

Did you know that Ireland’s Best Poitín – Pangur Irish Poitín – Winner of Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirit Competition – is in the World’s Best Bar – The Dead Rabbit, New York City.

Why not pop in if you are in the city and try it in their Seanchaí Cocktail?

Thanks for reading.

Brendan Carty
AKA Distiller of the Year 2023 🏆

Sláinte

The Killowen Distillery Team

AUGUST AUCTION NOW LIVE!

We have an interesting lineup of bottles for you this month, including this travel retail exclusive Highland Park 1978 Vintage Collection with a stunning box, designed to replicate a Viking Longship.

Next up, we have not one but two Rare Malts for you this month! A 1974 22 Year Old Inchgower and a 1973 23 Year Old Glen Ord.

We love a limited bottle, so we are over the moon to offer several in our August auction, including this wonderfully limited edition expression form Strathisla Distillery to mark the restoration of the distillery in 1995. This scarce bottling was limited to a mere 600 bottles.

These are only a few of the bottles in our August auction, to view more wee gems visit clickwhiskyauctions.com. Register to bid. Remember, you’ve got to be in it to win it! Auction ends Sunday 20^th August from 8pm BST.

Glen Grant 21 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)

$329.99

View

This new release, launched in 2023, by Glen Grant is the pinnacle of this complex Speyside distillery. Using the pristine Back Burn water and aged in traditional dunnage warehouses on site the 21 year old is matured in high quality ex-oloroso and ex-bourbon barrels. It offers one of the best values in mature Speyside single malt and is one of the few remaining distilleries to keep all of their aging on site at the distillery.

The Glen Grant Single Malt Scotch Whisky 21-Years-Old is matured in the highest quality ex-oloroso sherry casks and bourbon barrels each hand-selected by the Master Distiller himself and married in small batches. The result is an exceptional whisky, showcasing the singular complexity The Glen Grant is known for.

Glen Grant History

Smugglers turned visionary leaders, brothers John and James Grant founded The Glen Grant distillery in 1840, a landmark moment in the history of Scotch whisky. Their boundless interest in industrial and technological advancements led to the construction of the northern railway.

In 1820, James Grant helped lead the “Raid on Elgin,” the last clan revolt in Scottish history. His tartan waistcoat is proudly displayed at the distillery today as a reminder of The Glen Grant’s strong Highland heritage.

In 1839, brothers John and James Grant applied for a distillery licence. With the sea and the port of Lossiemouth nearby, the River Spey to the south, and the surrounding barley-growing plains, all the fundamental ingredients for malt whisky were close at hand.

The Grants have always been at the forefront of cutting edge innovation. James Grant was the founder of the Morayshire Railway Company, which ran trains from the port of Lossiemouth to Elgin. The creation of the railway made it much easier to build important supply lines and led to other distillery construction in the area. In 1851, one of the locomotives was named Glen Grant in his honour.

In 1872, James Grant, nephew of John Grant, inherited The Glen Grant distillery. James later became known as The Major. He revolutionized the craft of producing single malt Scotch whisky by introducing water cooling purifiers and elongated stills to capture only the finest vapours.

The Major established our famous Victorian Garden in 1886 to showcase the eclectic plants and exotic fruits he gathered on his journeys across the globe. This sylvan escape has 22 acres of orchards, meadows, and gorges, including the original dram pavilion built by James Grant himself.

The Glen Grant was one of the first Scottish distilleries to generate electricity (1883), and The Major introduced the tall, slender pot stills and purifiers, which created the fresh malty flavour and clear colour that defines our single malt Scotch whisky to this day.

In 1931, Major Grant, the last Glen Grant, died. Douglas MacKessack, his grandson, was to become his successor.

The Major’s legacy lives on in the peerless passion and commitment of Master Distiller Dennis Malcolm. Dennis is one of Scotland’s longest serving distillers, spending his entire 60-year career in the Speyside region managing Glen Grant and other famous distilleries. In 2015, Her Majesty the Queen bestowed upon him the distinguished honour of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for his service to the community of Rothes and his exceptional work in the Scotch whisky industry. Dennis was born on the distillery grounds and would soon become the third generation of his family to work at The Glen Grant.

On April 3, 1961, Dennis began his five-year apprenticeship as a cooper (barrel maker) at the distillery, kickstarting a lifelong career in the Scotch whisky industry. In 2006, The Campari Group acquired the distillery and appointed Dennis as the Master Distiller. Dennis continues to oversee the high standards and traditions of the Grant family and its descendants.

The new visitor centre was built as a place where connoisseurs from around the world could tour a whisky distillery.

Master Distiller Dennis Malcolm celebrated the 50th anniversary of his first day working at The Glen Grant distillery and created the V Decades limited edition expression as a tribute to this monumental milestone.

His Royal Highness Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay, opened our new bottling hall in 2013. This addition allowed us to expand on our founders’ revolutionary vision and continue to help lead the way in single malt Scotch whisky production. The Glen Grant is the only distillery in the Speyside region that bottles every drop of whisky on-site.

2021 marked Master Distiller Dennis Malcolm’s 60th anniversary — or his diamond year — working in the Scotch whisky industry.

Email: wine@klwines.com
Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637)
K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

 

Glencadam 16 Years

Official distillery bottling single cask Oloroso sherry butt #689. Distilled June 2006 and bottled October 2022 yielding 708 bottles at 63.5% Glencadam 16 Year Old 2006 vintage Highland single malt Scotch whisky. Single cask Oloroso sherry butt #689 distilled June 2006 and bottled October 2022. 708 numbered bottles.

Buy Glencadam 16yo »

Nose: Indulgent toffee and dried figs with dark chocolate, molasses and tobacco spices.

Taste: Rich sticky toffee pudding, fruit cake and tinned prunes balanced with cocoa powder, liquorice and cedar.

Finish: Sweet cinder toffee, milk chocolate and stewed fruits fading into cacao, coffee grounds and toasted oak.

Glencadam is a Highland malt whisky distillery established on the north-eastern edge of the city of Brechin by George Cooper in 1825. Equipped two stills Glencadam is one of Scotland’s smaller distilleries. The number and range of distillery bottlings has increased in recent years with the Glencadam 10 Year Od and Glencadam 14 Year Old sherry finish proving popular.