I hope this email finds you well as we approach the Family Day Long weekend… at least it is a long weekend here in Alberta… though as I’ve said before, that doesn’t apply to those of us in retail!

We have six new whiskies to fill you in on, five from GlenAllachie, and one from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. The GlenAllachies are all limited editions, including a single cask bottled for Canada. The Society bottling is a black label, 30 year old Mortlach. Some of you might recall sampling it in the KWM UBER Whisky Calendar.

There are also some new tastings to fill you in on, built around some pending new releases from GlenAllachie, and Compass Box.

Last but not least, we are having a drop-in event tomorrow, Saturday, February 17 at KWM for consumers to sample The Hearach First Edition. The whisky will be on sale for the day, and we have engraved glasses to give away with purchase… So if you’re around for the long weekend, drop in for a taste of one of Scotland’s most exciting new whiskies!

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

Free Drop In Tasting – The Hearach 1st Release

Saturday February 17 – 12-5 PM

SAVE 10% – Free Glass with Purchase

We have been impressed with the inaugural release of whisky from the Isle of Harris Distillery. This lightly peated (12-15 ppm) single malt was matured at least 5 years in a mix of First Fill ex-Bourbon casks as well as Oloroso and Fino Shery Butts. It is married for at least 12 weeks in small batches before bottling at 46%.

We will be offering samples of The Hearach between noon and 5 PM tomorrow. It will be on sale, 10% off all day, and best of all we are giving away an engraved glass with purchase… but only tomorrow, Saturday, February 17!

New Whiskies from GlenAllachie

 We have five new GlenAllachies arriving next week, the 10th batch of the 10 Year Cask Strength, a trio of Wine Series releases, and an 11 Year PX Cask bottled exclusively for Canada. These will all be featuring in future tastings along with some other new GlenAllachie bottlings arriving in the weeks ahead!

1. GlenAllachie 10 Year Cask Strength Batch 10 – 586.% – PX & Oloroso Sherry Casks, as well as Virgin Oak barrels, and Red Wine Barriques – Producer Tasting Note: “Nose: Waves of honeycomb, orange zest and treacle, with fig syrup, mocha and poached orchard fruits, followed by cinnamon and butterscotch. Taste: Lashings of cocoa, heather honey and baking spices, followed by dried red berries and Black Forest gâteau, with maraschino cherries and anise on the finish.” – $120

2. GlenAllachie 9 Year Douro Cask – 48% – Finished in Douro Valley barriques – Producer Tasting Note: “Nose: Waves of plum jam, clementines and dried red berries, with notes of heather honey and vanilla spice. Taste: Bursting with dried apricots, heather honey and crystalised fruits, followed by hints of ripe black fruits, butterscotch and cinnamon spice.” – $100

3. GlenAllachie 10 Year Grattamacco Cask – 48% – Grattamacco Wine Finish – Producer Tasting Note: “Nose: Bursting with dark chocolate, butterscotch and heather honey, with notes of blackcurrant, caramelised brown sugar and cinnamon spice. Taste: Waves of ripe red berries, grapefruit and toasted honeycomb, followed by butterscotch, sugared fruit and black truffle.” – $102

4. GlenAllachie 11 Year Premier Cru Cask – 48% – – Producer Tasting Note: “Nose: Waves of butterscotch, blackcurrant and heather honey, with hints of minerality, poached orchard fruits and orange zest. Taste: Layers of honeycomb, black fruits and dark chocolate, followed by coffee, truffle and cinnamon, with crème de cassis and ginger on the finish.” – $113

5. GlenAllachie 2011 PX Sherry Cask #4493 – 61.8% – 11 Year – Bottled for Canada – PX Sherry Hogsheads – Producer Tasting Note: “Nose: Notes of Orchard fruits, black pepper and orange zest, with hints of ginger, mocha and caramel. Taste: Bursts of hazelnut, heather honey and grapefruit, followed by hints of ginger and icing sugar, with butterscotch and dried figs on the finish.” – $195 – Limit 1 Per Customer!

Introducing: Scotch Malt Whisky Society 76.151 Cloves Studded in Honey Glazed Ham

SMWS Canada released a new Vaults Collection* bottle yesterday. “It is from a distillery that has our heart, and it’s a rarity indeed! We haven’t seen a release from Distillery 76 since 2019, and certainly never one this old. A very small allocation came to Canada and we don’t expect them to last long, so show yourself a little love and snap one up before they’re gone.”

*The Vaults Collection is a selection of the finest and rarest single cask, single malt whisky, set aside from The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s most remarkable stocks over the years. They have been released from the depths of our treasure trove of casks, after decades of slow maturation and careful nurturing. The Vaults Collection represents the whisky lover’s dream: a chance to journey back into whisky history, including the opportunity to experience styles or distilleries that no longer exist. The Collection takes its name from the Society’s historical home at The Vaults in Leith, Scotland’s oldest commercial building in continuous use whose connection with the drinks world dates back to the 12th century. Each bottle has a specially designed label and is offered in a beautiful wooden box.

Scotch Malt Whisky Society 76.151: Cloves studded in honey glazed ham – – 57.2% – 30 Year – 26 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead before being transferred to a 1st fill oloroso hogshead – Flavour profile: Old & dignified – Panel’s tasting note: “An irresistible concoction of coffee and cloves pulled us towards beef jerky smoked with pencil shavings and served with maple syrup on bacon. A prickly palate of peppercorns and pickles danced with glee to the sound of black pudding sizzling in whirling clouds of wood smoke. A drop of water unleashed a compelling accumulation of chamomile, caramel and cooling camphor that skilfully merged with the heavyweight hues of molasses, prunes and almond-coated jamaica cake. Then cloves and saffron adorned poached pears alongside oloroso sherry trifle while we used burnt sticks to trickle rich honey over oily iberico ham. After spending 26 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead this was transferred to a first fill Spanish oak oloroso hogshead for the remainder of its maturation.” – $1675

Not a Scotch Malt Whisky Society Member? No problem… purchase of this bottle would also include your first year’s membership!