Happy New Year!
I send you my greetings from somewhere a little warmer than Calgary… but I’m not going to rub that in… besides, Calgary has only just tasted winter for the first time this season!
We are expecting some new releases from Isle of Arran Distillers this week, from both their old Lochranza Distillery and the much newer Lagg Distillery. We are also expecting a pair of peated whiskies from anCnoc, aka Knockdhu Distillery.
And then there are the new SMWS January Outturn bottlings, one of which was featured in our KWM 2023 Whisky Calendar!
We have also put some of our leftover tasting kits on sale. These are from tastings in the second half of 2023. They’ve been online now for about a week and a few have already sold out (I didn’t list those), and some others are down to just one or two kits. All of them come with a QR code to the YouTube tasting video for the respective tasting.
We are also allowing second-bottle purchases of both the Ardbeg Anamorphics, and Anthology bottlings.
A couple of quick reminders that we have some great tastings coming up, both in-store and virtual. There is also the 2024 MS Calgary Whisky Festival which is just 11 days away… we just finalized the pour list, and it is 329 products deep, by far the biggest range we have ever featured!
Finally, in case you’ve already forgotten the second line, I’m not in town… so please don’t email your requests to me, if you haven’t figured out online ordering, please reply to this email, which goes to the main store email account. It will give you the most prompt service!
As always, in the event of a price discrepancy, the point of sale at KWM will be taken as correct. Online ordering and in-store purchasing are always our preferences. You can email your requests in, but they may not be dealt with as quickly as the web orders… especially if I am busy!
Sincerely,
Andrew Ferguson
Kensington Wine Market
In This Edition
1. New Whiskies from Arran’s Lochranza & Lagg Distilleries
2. New Whiskies from anCnoc
3. The SMWS January 2023 Outturn
4. Past Events: On Sale!
5. Second Bottles Available for Limited Edition Ardbegs
6. New Year Coming… New Tastings!
7. 2024 MS Calgary Whisky Festival
New Whiskies from Isle of Arran Distillers
Lochranza & Lagg Distilleries
We have two very limited edition Arrans, so they are both limited to just 1 per customer. The Laggs are new, and the availability is believed to be a bit better!
Lagg is Arran’s newish sister distillery from the south end of the island, so in the Lowlands…, which produces a heavily peated single malt!
1. Arran 17 Year Limited Edition – 46% – 50/50 Split of First Fill & Refill Sherry Hogheads and First Fill ex-Bourbon Barrels – Producer Tasting Note: “Nose: Green apple and orchard fruits. Butterscotch and a hint of toasted oak. Palate: Soft and lingering with almond and creamy vanilla. Finish: A touch of cinnamon in the final mouthfeel.” – $195 – Limit 1 Per Customer!
2. Arran Signature Series Edition 1 Renegade Remnants – 46% – A Marriage of “Ex-Sherry Hogsheads, Ex-Sherry Butts and Ex-Bourbon Barrels from across the Arran portfolio between 1997 and 2017.” – Producer Tasting Note: “Nose: Toffee apples, vanilla, cinnamon spice, really clean and prominent orange blossom notes, star anise. Palate: Silky smooth and balanced, light liquorice, menthol herbs, honey. Finish: Long and lingering with orange zest and fresh floral notes. Complex and rewarding.” – $138 – Limit 1 Per Customer!
3. Lagg Corriecravie Edition Single Malt – 55% – 50ppm – Oloroso Sherry Finish – Producer Tasting Note: “Nose: Dark chocolate and spiced red berries. Palate: Rich and mouth watering with subtle notes of charred embers and hazelnut. Finish: Charred Oak, Smoke, Hazelnut, Dark chocolate, Sweet Spice.” – $100
4. Lagg Kilmory Edition Single Malt – 46% – 50ppm – ex-Bourbon Cask Matured – Producer Tasting Note: “Nose: Sweet and peat flavours dominate. Citrus sweetness, oranges, grapefruit, charred lemons, lemon drops, this is enhanced by adding water which brings an explosion of lemon. Hints of tropical fruits, pineapples, and honeydew melon stand out. The sweet notes are undercut by a gentle ashy smoke, reminiscent of bonfire embers or old pubs as well as a damp, earthy and note. Palate: Bright and vibrant. The citrus and tropical fruits from the nose continue and provide a zesty spark. Other vanilla/sugary sweet flavours creep in such as cream soda and crème brulé. The grassy damp vegetal and herby notes of the LAGG distillery character arrive more pronounced on the palate. Again, the peat is earthy and ashy and the bonfire ash develops into cigar tobacco. Some more ‘earthy’ and musty flavours with old leather and wood. This is underpinned by a thick, creamy, and oily texture that coats the mouth. Finish: A gentle short to medium finish that brings out more of the earthy/ashy smoke and some peppercorn spice.” – $82
New Whiskies from anCnoc
aka Knockdhu
We have a couple of new peated releases from anCnoc
“Peat smoke produces compounds called phenols and it is by its phenol content that a whisky’s ‘peatiness’ can be measured. This phenol content is expressed as PPM (parts per million) and to ensure a consistently high phenol content, Peatheart uses barley specified by our Master Blender, malted to 34 PPM. Phenols are lost during the whisky making process at various stages meaning the final phenol content of the whisky is always less that the PPM of the malted barley. This batch of Peatheart has a PPM of 13.3.”
1. anCnoc peatheart Batch 3 – 46% – Producer Tasting Note: “Nose: Sweet barbecue smoke and earthy peated notes blend with aromas of honey and sweet spices to create a fragrant, grassy character. Taste: Peaty smokiness laced with green apples and citrus, sweetened with a hint of vanilla and complemented by an oily smoky note which lingers in the finish. Finish: Long and growing, distinctly spicy and sweet with a warming, smoky finale.” – $102
2. anCnoc Sherry Cask Peated Edition – 43% – Producer Tasting Note: “Nose: An immediate aroma of sweet honey and tropical fruit with notes of cinnamon and rich toffee, all enveloped in delicate campfire smoke. Taste: The bold profile offers toffee apples coated in warming spices, deep vanilla and an overall rich, sweet and smoky character. Finish: A long finish of wood smoke, caramel and vanilla.” – $104
Evan’s SMWS Corner
The January 2024 Outturn
We have the first 7 green bottles from the SMWS for 2024 now in stock. This January Outturn is a lot of fun and includes 3 single grains, 2 sherry finishes, and a surprisingly spice-driven dram. Oh, and a wonderfully spicy and peated Highlander. A fun lineup! See below for the deets.
Oh – and for those of you that tasted and enjoyed WILL YOU JOIN THE WORM TUB CLUB on Day 24 of Our 2023 KWM Whisky Calendar – the full-sized bottle is in this Outturn.
We kept the Society’s colour coding for our email…
G15.30: PLEASING AND DELIGHTFUL – Highland – 62.1% – 8 Year – 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel – FLAVOUR PROFILE: Juicy, oak & vanilla – BOTTLE NOTE: “Bourbon vanilla sweetness and light spicy pine wood were followed by crème caramel, shortbread, linden blossom essential oil and pineapple cubes.” – $132
G15.34: DIET PEAT – Highland – 59.9% – 8 Year – 2nd fill ex-bourbon barrel – FLAVOUR PROFILE: Lightly peated – BOTTLE NOTE: “A delicate peat profile that’s unusual and highly delicious, involving citrus fruits, grasses and various bandages and medical tinctures.” – $130
DARK N STORMY – Lowland – 50% – 6 Year – 1st fill barrels #4 char – FLAVOUR PROFILE: Spicy & dry – G16 is the result of a custom distillation that we carried out when we did a special project to distil our own bourbon-style mash bill at distillery no. 156. We created a mash bill of 58% corn, 21% malted barley and 21% unmalted rye; it’s certainly one of a kind, a custom distillation never to be repeated. – SOLD OUT!
95.86: FIT FOR A KING – Speyside – 64.6% – 12 Year – 2nd fill ex-bourbon barrel – FLAVOUR PROFILE: Spicy & dry – BOTTLE NOTE: “Gooseberry, sherbet lemon and mint precede a chilli-ginger greengage chutney with artisan cheese and oatcakes accompanied by a nettle salad.” – $187
68.101: “MY GRANNY’S OLD SHED” – Highland – 56.3% – 14 Year – Ex-bourbon hogshead – Finished in 1st fill PX hogshead – FLAVOUR PROFILE: Spicy & sweet – BOTTLE NOTE: “‘Granny’s shed on a hot day’, red wine spilled on leather and oak; prunes, chocolate raisins, crème brûlée, cinnamon pastries and ginger.” – $219.99
36.209: WILL YOU JOIN THE WORMTUB CLUB – 56.9% – 14 Year – Speyside – Ex-bourbon hogshead – Finished in 1st fill oloroso hogshead – FLAVOUR PROFILE: Deep, rich & dried fruits – BOTTLE NOTE: “This put a smile on our faces as we met cherry pie, sticky toffee pudding, cooked amarena cherries, beeswax, boysenberry chutney and orange pomander.” – $215
16.87: DOWN WITH SUBTLETY – 63.6% – 9 Year – Highland
CASK TYPE: 1st fill hogshead heavy char #4+ – FLAVOUR PROFILE: Heavily peated – BOTTLE NOTE: “The fusion of wood power and peat power go head to head with thrilling and mind-mangling effect – like quaffing distilled hot sauce in a barbecue.”- $168
Past Event: Tasting Kits on Sale!
We have a few tasting kits left from the second half of 2023, so we put them on sale. The tasting kits are mostly 7x15ml, and have a QR code on the box linked to the tasting video on YouTube. So you can enjoy the whiskies while watching the original tasting.
Here’s what’s available:
1. Past Event: Berry Bros. KWM Cask & More – Retail $45 – SAVE 35% – Now $29.25
2. Past Event: Battle of the Bens: Ben Nevis X7 – Retail $100 – SAVE 35% – Now $65
3. Past Event: Old Pulteney Distillery Vertical with Maurice Chevallier – Retail $80 – SAVE 35% – Now $52
4. Past Event: Wolfburn 10 Years in the Making with Mark Westmorland – Retail $25 – SAVE 35% – Now $16.25
5. Past Event: Admiring Archives Whiskies – Retail $70 – SAVE 35% – Now $45.50
6. Past Event: Revisit BenRiach and GlenDronach – Retail $50 – SAVE 25% – Now $37.50
7. Past Event: Introduction to Claxtons w/ Tom Roskams & Martin Burnett – Retail $50 – SAVE 25% – Now $37.50
8. Past Event: SMWS November 2023 Outturn – Retail $50 – SAVE 25% – Now $37.50
9. Past Event: SMWS October 2023 Outturn – Retail $60 – SAVE 25% – Now $45
10. Past Event: Exploring Glen Lomond & Loch Scotia – Retail $55 – SAVE 25% – Now $41.25
11. Past Event: GlenAllachie Virtual Tasting with James & Andrew – Retail $40 – SAVE 25% – Now $30
12. Past Event: Benromach 2002 KWM Cask Launch with Richard Urquhart – Retail $40 – SAVE 25% – Now $30
13. Past Event: Old First Malt Editions Cask Editions – Round 2 – Retail $60 – SAVE 25% – Now $45
Second Bottles Available
for Limited Edition Ardbegs!
Have you been waiting for the opportunity to grab a second bottle of one of these limited editions? We are now offering second bottles for anyone after the Ardbeg Anamorphic or Anthology!
1. Ardbeg Anamorphic – 48.2% – Mocha Charred ex-Bourbon Barrels – Producer Description: “Ardbeg Anamorphic turns Ardbeg upside down and inside out, creating an impressive taste of Ardbeg whisky which is only for our committee this year.” – – Producer Tasting Note: “Nose: Earthy, dusty, and slightly biscuity on the nose. The sooty/tarry notes are clear but restrained, and are balanced out by some silky vanilla. It opens up a myraid of herbal and floral notes – smoked vetiver root, aniseed, fennel, chrysanthemum and jasmine. Taste: The mouthfeel is peppery and warming, and precedes an explosion of fiery, spicy flavours – chili – flavoured chocolate, bitter sweet mocha, briar wood, birch tar, ground black pepper and smoked artichokes. Finish: The sooty/tarry notes build up to a crescendo of rich, smoky flavours, with an incredible lingering aftertaste of charcoal bitter almonds and molasses.” – $240 – Limit 2 Per Customer
2. Ardbeg Anthology 13 Year – 46% – Marriage of Full Term Maturation Sauternes Casks with Firsl Fill ex-Bourbon Whisky – Producer Tasting Note: “Nose: Very distinctively oily, with touches of extra virgin olive oil, sweet briar wood, aromatic herbs (coriander & sage) and a suggestion of smoked lemon peel. A splash of water releases more oiliness, like linseed oil, a gentle waxiness, and a burst of perfumed, aromatic carbolic soap, and finally, a whiff of crème brulee. Taste: A soft, oily, mouthcoating texture leads into a rich, sweet, smoky palate, with hints of oak moss, treacle, aniseed lozenges and a lovely, sweet, woody/balsamic flavour. This is then followed by smoked apricots and eucalyptus oil. Finish: Finally comes a lingering, sweet/smoky aftertaste, with a touch of cumin, cardamon and the merest hint of coconut.” – $290 – Limit 2 Per Customer
New Year Coming… New Tastings!
We have added 6 new tastings to the schedule… and sequentially they are all at the bottom of the list. They also don’t yet have photos… so you will have to use your imagination!
· Date: Tuesday, January 9
· Time: 7 PM
· Cost: $40
· Virtual Tasting
Evan and Harmony love themselves some Bourbon, and everyone enjoys blind tastings, so we are once again fusing these concepts together. This time around we will be including 8 different samples of American Bourbon and Rye to taste through and talk about. We can’t tell you what’s in the lineup, because it’s a blind tasting…
Tuesday, January 9th @ 7 PM
· Date: Friday,
· Time: 5 PM
· Cost: $180
· Virtual Tasting
· *Samples Ready!
Our friend Deborah Stewart from Glenfarclas has agreed to stay up late and join us virtually live from Scotland for a Glenfarclas Family Cask Tasting. Well over a decade since their first release the Family Cask selections continue to impress, so we try to squeeze in at least one tasting per release. Our range includes six whiskies from the Summer 2022 (S22) release: 1979, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, and 2002, as well as the Winter 2018 bottling of 1983. All in all roughly 216* years of whisky in one tasting! *We don’t know the exact figure, but it is between 209 and 216…
Friday, January 12, 5 PM
· Date: TWednesday, January 24
· Time: 6 PM
· Cost: $25
· In-Store Tasting
Holyrood Distillery, which opened in 2019, is the first single malt distillery to operate in central Edinburgh in a century. Join Calum Rae, Distillery Manager, and Rob Carpenter, co-founder as they explain their unique approach to Scotch whisky, consider and question some received wisdom about how Scotch is made and, most importantly, share some drams in Holyrood Distillery’s first launch in the Canadian market.
Wednesday, January 24th @ 6 PM
· Date: Thursday, January 25
· Time: 7 PM
· Cost: $100
· In-Store Tasting
Our friend Lily (aka Celine Tetu) is in town on January 25th, and with a new range of whiskies from Elixir Distillers to sample, The Macbeth Collection – Act I, we jumped at the opportunity to put on a tasting. The Macbeth Collection is a series of character-led whiskies, selected in partnership with Dave Broom, which will be released in 3 Acts. The labels for the bottlings were created by celebrated cartoonist Sir Quentin Blake. For the tasting, we will be sampling, Ardbeg 19 Year, Ardmore 12 Year, BenRiach 31 Year, Blair Athol 10 Year, Cambus 31 Year, Glen Garioch 31 Year, Ledaig 18 Year, and Linkwood 31 Year. In all a combined 183 years of whisky in one act!
Thursday, January 25th, 2024 @ 7 PM
· Date: TFriday, January 26
· Time: 7 PM
· Cost: $50
· Festival
The Burns Bash is back… though this year we’re marking “the Bard’s” birth, a day after his actual birthday! This whisky festival will feature a mix of the latest and greatest new arrivals at KWM and some very good deals. We’ve cut out the poetry, bagpipes and haggis, but you’ll get to sample some great malts while enjoying food from our neighbour Peasant, and catching up with friends new and old. We think that Rabbie would approve of that!
Friday, January 26th from 7 PM to 9 PM
· Date: Tuesday, February 6
· Time: 7 PM
· Cost: $40
· Virtual Tasting
The Bourbon Cask that Harmony and Evan selected back in June of 2023 is arriving soon, which means it is time to do a Doc Swinson’s Virtual Tasting! Join us to explore a goodly amount of different cask-finished Bourbon (and maybe a Rye or two) from Doc’s portfolio, plus the new 6-and-a-half-year-old KMW Cask Bourbon! If the stars align, we may just get a virtual tour of the distillery at the same time!
Tuesday, February 6th @ 7 PM
· Date: Thursday, February 8
· Time: 7 PM
· Cost: $60
· Virtual Tasting
No, we won’t be sampling 100 years worth of Japanese whisky, but we will be sampling a range of whiskies including a few limited editions, all while telling the story of the first 100 years of Japanese whisky. Our range includes the Hibiki Harmony 100th Anniversary, which we will contrast with the regular Hibiki Harmony, as well as two limited-release Nikkas, the new Yoichi 10 Year, and the Nikka The Grain Discovery Edition 2023, a 21 year old Blend, and more!
Thursday, February 8th @ 7 PM
· Date: Friday, February 9
· Time: 7 PM
· Cost: $25
· In-Store Tasting
We’re not 100% sure who’s coming, but we’ve got a Waterford tasting scheduled for Friday, February 9, at KWM. Whoever ends up gracing our store, we can be sure they’ll have no shortage of interesting whiskies to share with us, including the Waterford Heritage Hunter, and the distillery’s first-ever peated single malts!
Friday, February 9th @ 7 PM
· Date: Tuesday, February 13
· Time: 7 PM
· Cost: $40
· Virtual Tasting
We did an in-person version of this tasting in November, and we were always planning to take it onto Zoom for those of you who couldn’t make it down to the store. We’ll start with the Laddie Classic to give us a baseline, before working our way through Black Arts 11.1, Port Charlotte 10 Year, Port Charlotte PMC:01, and a trio of Octomores: 14.1, 14.2, and 14.3.
Tuesday, February 13th @ 7 PM
· Date: Tuesday, February 20
· Time: 7 PM
· Cost: $95
· Virtual Tasting
This is a virtual version of the tasting we are doing in-store on January 25, featuring a new range of whiskies from Elixir Distillers, The Macbeth Collection – Act I. The Macbeth Collection is a series of character-led whiskies, selected in partnership with Dave Broom, which will be released in 3 Acts. The labels for the bottlings were created by celebrated cartoonist Sir Quentin Blake. For the tasting, we will be sampling Ardbeg 19 Year, Ardmore 12 Year, BenRiach 31 Year, Blair Athol 10 Year, Cambus 31 Year, Glen Garioch 31 Year, Ledaig 18 Year, and Linkwood 31 Year. In all, a combined 183 years of whisky in one act!
Tuesday, February 20th @ 7 PM
· Date: Tuesday, February 27
· Time: 7 PM
· Cost: $35
· Virtual Tasting
The Scotch Whisky industry has gone through something of a baby boom over the last decade. Step by Step, the whiskies from these new kids on the block are coming of age. Though young, the whiskies from these small independents are Hangin’ Tough in a market dominated by big multinationals. For this range we will feature whiskies from Holyrood, Isle of Harris, Nc’Nean, Ryelaw (Inchdarnie), Torabhaig, and a pair of single casks from Raasay!
Tuesday, February 27th @ 7 PM
· Date: Tuesday, March 5
· Time: 7 PM
· Cost: $225
· Virtual Tasting
The concept here is pretty simple, even if the price tag appears eye-watering… there are a lot of rare and old things Andrew wants to try, and if he’s interested in them, there’s a good chance you might be interested too! For this round, our selection includes: the G&M Private Collection Glenburgie 1983, King of Scots 50 Year Blended Scotch Whisky, Mythical Beasts Bruichladdich 30 Year, Mythical Beasts Glenrothes 34 Year, Tamnavulin 1979, XOP Bunnahabhain 1988 35 Year (Year of the Dragon), and Whisky Sponge Mosstowie 1979. A respectable 268 years of whisky in 7 drams!
Tuesday, March 5th @ 7 PM
2024 MS Calgary Whisky Festival
Thursday, January 18, 2024
The MS Calgary Whisky Festival is just 4 weeks out, and tickets for the event are 2/3 sold out.
VIP Early Entry (6PM) Ticket – SOLD OUT!
General Admission (7PM) Ticket – $125 (includes a Glencairn glass)
For more information and to buy tickets click here! You will be redirected to the MS Society’s event page.
Master Class tickets are now on sale too, with 9 of them running during the show. Please note, you need to have a General Admission or VIP ticket to attend a Master Class…
All Master Classes are $40 with 100% of the proceeds going to the MS Society. All Master Classes are limited to 20 participants. The schedule of Master Classes can be found below:
Purchase Master Class Tickets
5:30 VIP Master Classes
· VIP MC1 – Rare & Old Douglas Laing Whiskies with Dougal Barr: Independent bottler Douglas Laing & Co. marked its 75th Anniversary this year. Dougal Barr, Global Brand Ambassador for Douglas Laing, will guide participants through a range of older whiskies including the XOP Bunnahabhain 35 Year, Big Peat Mizunara Cask, and the King of Scots 50 Year Blended Scotch Whisky.
· VIPMC2 – Ardbeg Limited Editions with Bry Simpson: Ardbeg Canada Brand Ambassador Bry Simpson will guide participants through a range of six Ardbegs, mostly limited edition expressions and all of them heavily peated. Highlights will include the Ardbegs Anamorphic, Anthology, BizarreBQ, and the Traigh Bhan 19 Year Batch 5.
· VIP MC3 – Tomintoul Distillery with Cody Reynolds: Angus Dundee Distillers Brand Ambassador Cody Reynolds will take participants on a tasting tour of Tomintoul Distilleries. Five expressions will be sampled including Tomintoul 10, 14, 16, 21, and 25 Year Olds.
7:00 Master Classes
· MC4 – Benromach Curiosities with Richard Urquhart: Richard Urquhart is part of the 4th generation of his family to work for Gordon & MacPhail, the independent bottler behind Benromach Distillery. Richard will guide participants through a range of 5 single malts, none of which will be available for tasting on the festival floor, including a 2002 Kensington Wine Market single cask and two pairs of Benromach Contrasts expressions.
· MC5 – Adelphi & Ardnamurchan with Connal Mackenzie & Carl Crafts: Adelphi is a well-respected independent bottler which celebrated its 30th Anniversary in 2023. In 2014 they opened the Ardnamurchan Distillery, on the remote peninsula it is named for. The distillery has been turning a lot of heads and is currently putting out some of the best young Single Malt Scotch available. Connal & Carl will guide you through a range of limited-edition bottlings from both Adelphi and Ardnamurchan.
· MC6 – Westland Whiskey with Tyler Pederson – Westland Distillery is one of the pioneers of American single malt whiskey. Tyler Pederson, Westland’s Master Distiller, will guide you through a range of 5 Westland Single Malts, primarily from their Outpost Range, including two different releases of their famous Westland Garryana.
8:30 Master Classes
· MC7 – GlenAllachie & Co. with Andrew Mustard – There is more to Billy Walker’s GlenAllachie Distillery than their eponymous and well-regarded single malt. They also bottle MacNair’s Blended Malts, the White Heather Blends, and they are about to release something new and smoky. Participants in this tasting with Brand Ambassador Andrew Mustard will be the first in Canada to sample the new heavily peated GlenAllachie, Meikle Toir, as well as 4 other whiskies exclusive to this master class.
· MC8 – Tomatin Distillery with Scott Fraser – Tomatin Regional Sales Manager Scott Fraser is no stranger to Calgary, or the MS Whisky Festival. For his Master Class, Scott will be highlighting the new Tomatin Portuguese Collection, a trio of 2006 vintage 15-year-old whiskies finished for 7 years in Port, Madeira, and Moscatel casks, as well as a trio of Cu Bocan (peated Tomatin) expressions.
· MC9 – Diageo 2023 Limites Editions with Dante Raphael Conception Jr & Arend Lucardie – Participants will sample 5 of the Diageo 2023 Special release bottlings including Lagavulin 12 Year, Oban 11 Year, Roseisle 12 Year, Singleton 14 Year, and Taslisker Natural Cask Strength!
Purchase Master Class Tickets
403-283-8000
888-283-9004
Regular Store Hours
Mon-Wed 10 AM – 8 PM
Thurs & Fri 10 AM – 9 PM
Sat 10 AM – 8 PM
Sun 11 AM to 6 PM
