Malt Messenger No. 65

This Malt Messenger has been a long time coming. Some of the news is new to the Malt Messenger but if you’ve been in store, or follow me on Twitter or Facebook, it won’t be quite as new, so let’s call it “newish”! That’s the beauty about Facebook and Twitter posts, they’re quick and easy to produce and instantly send snippets of information to your followers.

Twitter especially has become a powerful way for both myself @scotch_guy and KWM @KensingtonWM to stay in touch with our customers. Both of our accounts are currently approaching 3000 followers, a milestone to be sure, but a trifle when compared to the Kardashians or President Obama. Comparatively small, our following is strong, and whether it is the latest exclusive wine in shop, the hottest new beer on the shelf, or the barrel I’m sampling at Springbank Distillery in Scotland, Twitter has become the easiest way to stay in touch. If you’re socially inclined, I invite you to connect with us on Twitter and Facebook. We look forward to welcoming you to our digital community.

Tweets and Facebook posts aside, my favourite way to virtually connect with our whisky followers is still the Malt Messenger. Over the last few weeks I’ve chipped away at this edition and it is full, so here we go!  Our Very Rare Malts in the Summer tasting tomorrow which is another, never to be repeated, range of exciting new whiskies. And then there is the 2015 KWM Whisky Advent Calendar, more than a quarter of which has already sold. We are really excited about this year’s calendar, the range is all new and we have added a special 100ml single cask Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottling for Christmas day. We are actively taking orders and expect another sell out!

There are a lot of new and newish whiskies to tell you about: First out, our new exclusive Jura single cask. It’s taken 18 months to get here and has me waxing poetic about my recent trip to the island. We also have newish exclusives from Glenrothes and Benromach that have been patiently waiting for a mention. And, there are new whiskies from BenRiach, Glendronach and Caol Ila too. The Arran 18 Year has been in for a couple of months, it’s the oldest whisky ever bottled by the distillery and the final whisky in the trilogy of 16, 17 and 18 year. We’ve also received just 4 bottles of the only bottling we’ve ever had, and are likely ever to see, from the Glen Esk Distillery.

There’s a lot to ingest in this Malt Messenger, and stay tuned because there is a lot more news to come this fall. As they say in the HBO series, Game of Thrones, Winter is Coming… but not just yet. I hope you’ll find something here to help you raise a toast to the last few weeks of summer, Don’t despair though, I can assure you it will be an amazing fall!

Slainté!

Andrew Ferguson

In This Edition
1. Very Rare Malts in the Summer
3. 2015 Kensington Wine Market Whisky Advent Calendar
4. New Exclusive Jura 1995 Sauternes Cask
5. New Exclusive Glenrothes Sherry Reserve
6. New Exclusive Benomach Chateau Cissec
7. New Whiskies from BenRiach & Glendronach
8. New Whiskies from Compass Box
9. Introduing the Arran 18 Year
10. Introducing thr Caol Ila 15 Year Unpeated
11. Best of Bourbon Tasting

Andrew Ferguson
Kensington Wine Market

PS- PS – Don’t forget you can follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/scotch_guy and Facebook: facebook.com/scotch.guy.1 .
www.fergusonwhiskytours.com

2015 KENSINGTON WINE MARKET
WHISKY ADVENT CALENDAR
25 Days of Dram Fine Whisky…

Now taking deposits for the 2015 Kensington Wine Market Whisky Advent Calendar

Kensington Wine Market’s Whisky Advent Calendar is back! Last year’s calendar, our second and the first one we produced entirely in house, was a huge hit. It sold out before it hit the shelves. This year’s is even better. It still includes 24 x 50ml whiskies and a custom Glencarin whisky glass. But, that is not all! We are offering an even wider range of whiskies and we are also including an extra 25th bottle. As a special treat for Christmas morning, there will be a 100ml Scotch Malt Whisky Society single cask bottling. This is a rare treat indeed, and usually only available to Society members. All of this year’s whiskies are different from 2014 and we are really excited about the range. There are 23 single malts from Scotland, Ireland, India and Taiwan, as well as a boutique blend and a boutique blended malt. Whether it is for yourself or to give as a gift, we know it won’t disappoint. Don’t hesitate! This one is sure to sell out fast, and the price goes up September 15!

You can pre-order the 2015 Kensington Wine Market Advent Calendar online, by phone 403-283-8000 or in store. A $150 deposit will be taken for each calendar requested at the beginning of August. The calendars will be available at the “early bird price” of $375 until September 15. After September 15 the Calendar’s price will go up to $400. The calendars should be ready for pick-up before the end of October.

Pre-Order the 2015 Kensington Wine Market Whisky Advent Calendar $375+GST

JURA 1995 BOUTIQUE BARREL SAUTERNES
SINGLE CASK FOR KWM!
18 months is a long time to wait, but it was worth it…

I love the island of Jura, it is one of my favourite places in Scotland to spend a night, and it doesn’t hurt that there is also a distillery to visit. The island is wild, remote and surprisingly large, roughly 40kms long. Its width varies between as much as 8 and as little as a kilometre at its narrowest point. The southern portion of the island is dominated by three ancient rounded conical volcanoes or Paps (derived from the Norse for breasts). The north is undulating and rugged with more mountains, and like the rest of the island, a lot of moor.

I’ve never made it much beyond the town of Craighouse on land, though I have made a number of boat trips to the island’s northern tip to see the Gulf of Corryvreckan, one of the world’s largest tidal whirlpools. I’ve long been curious about what lay further up the road on Jura, and though the island’s population today hovers around 195 souls, give or take a few, it hasn’t always been that way.

Most of the island’s population live in the town of Craighouse, but
there are small hamlets dotted up and down the west coast. The
island was first inhabited around 11,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age. By 6000BCE much of the island would have been covered by a forest of birch trees, but as the climate warmed the forests were cleared for farming and agriculture by 2000BCE. The climate changed again a little over 1200 years later leaving most of the island boggy and not too unlike its present condition today.

Though the population is around 200 today, it may have been as high as two or three thousand in the 1700 and 1800’s. There are scores of abandoned villages on the island’s northern coast, so remote they are best reached by boat. The island’s population was well in decline before the Highland Clearance, and a boat load of 50 Diurachs is known to have left for Canada in 1767. The oldest census of the island, from 1831, records a population of 1,312. Sadly, it has continued to decline ever since.

The original Jura distillery dates from 1810, though the island’s population were able to distil for personal consumption until 1781. The first Jura distillery operated until 1901 when then proprietor, one James Ferguson, had a falling out with the land owner Colin Campbell. The two couldn’t agree on who’s responsibility it was to repair the pier, so Ferguson removed the stills and other equipment, took the roofs of the buildings and left for greener pastures. Under Scottish law a buildings owner is required to pay rent only so long as the building has a roof!

The current distillery was born in 1963 out of a desire to provide jobs and stimulus to the island. The population had dwindled to barely more than 100. The new landowners wanted to stem the tide and it seems to have worked. Jura is now a thriving little community and a destination of interest for the most ardent whisky fanatics, deer stalkers and those seeking refuge from the bustle of busier places like Islay.

I made good on my desire to follow the road as far as it goes on Jura and even further on my visit during Feis Isle this past May. I drove my car to the end of the paved road and hopped on my mountain bike. On a rugged path I rode over old bridges, past beautiful manors, farms and abandoned crofts. I passed the remote house where George Orwell wrote 1984 and made it almost all the way to the Gulf of Corryvreckan. Jura is so rugged a mountain bike can only get you so far. The intermittently harsh weather aside, it was an incredible day, and one I won’t soon forget.

Why have I waxed poetic and gotten so far off the beaten path thinking of Jura you ask. Because we just received a new exclusive single cask of Jura, one we have been waiting for for nearly 18 months. I’ll save you that long story except to say we are thrilled it’s here. Some of the cask, it seems, was sold somewhere in Europe (Twitter is a wonderful thing) but we do know that 204 of the 270 bottles have finally found their way to our shop. I hope you enjoy it!

Jura 1995 Boutique Barrels KWM Sauternes Cask 58.9% 18 Year Matured in ExBourbon Finished in a Sauternes Barrique Cask #8

Andrew’s Tasting Note: “Nose: soft creamy and coating with vanilla, citrus and floral malty notes – a little like a fine French soap; Wine Gums and darker notes of leather, eather and oak slowly start to emerge; there are also underlying silky tendrils of honey. Palate: it starts light and soft but quickly builds with more honey, citrus and oak; the alcohol is held very well in check by soft and subtle layers of fruit, chocolate, leather and earth; more Wine Gums, building spices and nutty notes. Finish: long, layered and fruity (lots of orange) with fading spices and coating oaky oils. Comment: this one was well worth the wait; the staff loves it and so will you!” $159.99

NEWISH EXCLUSIVE GLENROTHES SHERRY RESERVE!
Our top summer sipping whisky pick…

We’ve long been fans of the Glenrothes brand at KWM, but we haven’t worked much with it exclusively. I’ve been keeping my eyes open for a while now looking out for an opportunity to find one. And, I think we’ve found it! A Whisky Magazine review this winter tipped me off to the Glenrothes Sherry Cask Reserve. It was given a Silver Medal by Whisky Magazine, scoring 90pts with Anabelle Meikle, I’ve included her tasting note below.

Some of the fussier types will complain that it has no age statement. Others might poo poo the trace of sulphur, yes it has a faint touch on the nose. But, all-round and dollar for dollar, this is a tasty little whisky and great value. However, don’t take our word for it, pop in for a sample. We think you’ll agree it’s a perfect summer sipping whisky for sitting by the fire, hanging out on the dock or as an apres-mountain bike!

Glenrothes Sherry Reserve 40% Distiller’s Tasting Note: Bouquet: Orange peel, fruit cake, vanilla, ginger bread, black cherries and pear drops. Palate: Spicy, ginger, oaky notes, crème brulee. Finish: Lingering spiciness with orange peel notes.” $74.99

Annable Meikle’s tasting note in Whisky Magazine

Nose: Lemon and pears poached with turmeric and saffron, heady and exotic. Perfumed flower pollen, frangipane and pineapple with a waxed balsa wood.

Palate: A tingle of mace at the tip of the tongue then a thicker syrup like texture. Lemon cake with sherried sultanas, ginger nut biscuits and spiced carrot cake with butter cream icing.

Finish: Big and silky texture with a clean finish. Comment: Sultry and brooding. Katharine Hepburn in a glass.

NEWISH EXCLUSIVE – BENROMACH CHATEAU CISSAC!

A fruity and richly layered new expression from Gordon & MacPhail’s Speyside Distillery…

I first sampled this whisky at Michael Urquhart’s Benromach Master Class at the Victoria Whisky Festival in January. We sampled a range of Benromachs including the Hermitage, 10 Year and Organic. But it was the Chateau Cissac that got me the most excited. Before the tasting was over I had emailed Benromach’s Western Canadian importer, Gold Medal, to line up exclusivity on it in Calgary. It was a good call. We received a pretty good allocation of the whisky, and most of it has already sold. If you haven’t tried it yet, you should pop by KWM for a sample.

Exclusive to KWM in Calgary this new Benromach has been finished for 20 months in Chateau Cissac wine casks after maturing in first fill Bourbon casks. The whisky has been bottled at 45% wit just 180 bottles having come to Canada.

Benromach is the smallest distillery in the Speyside, located in the town of Forres. Originally established in the late 1800’s, the distillery was brought back from oblivion by Gordon & MacPhail in 1998. It produces a traditional lightly peated Speyside style of single malt.

Benromach Chateau Cissac 45% My Tasting Note: Nose: very creamy and honeyed, some chewy malt with apple/peach crumble; a nice touch of premium licorice, Demerara sugars and some soft leather; some orange and milk chocolate. Palate: dark milk chocolate, some soft leather and big rich spices; some musty-earthy oak with more cooked apple and pear in brown sugar crusted crumble; becomes creamier and more subtle with each sip. Finish: medium-long with a coating soft leather, cooked and dark fruits with delicate spices and coating creamy oaky oils. $94.99

NEW WHISKIES FROM BENRIACH & GLENDRONACH

4 Very Tasty New Finishes, all of the 18 Years Old…

BenRiach and Glendronach are two of KWM’s best selling whiskies. Glendronach outsells any other single malt in our store by at least 2 to 1, possibly more. And BenRiach is no slouch, it has been a hot whisky in our shop since the current owners took over the distillery in 2004. Like a couple of the other whiskies noted above, half of these whiskies are new, and the other two newish. It isn’t always easy to find time to write! In any case, they are all interesting and worth consideration. While I’ve tasted them all, I have yet had a chance to write them up!
1. BenRiach 18 Year Albariza 46% Peated Spirit Matured in Bourbon Finished in PX Sherry. Albariza is the name of the white soil in Andalucia where the sherry grapes are grown. Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Sweet dates and ripe fogs engulfed in a unique heather honeyed peat smoke, softening to hints of ripped herbs and sweet barley. Taste: A sweet, sherried character holds lashings of vanilla, chocolate and rum-soaked raisins; all drenched with waves of intense camp fire peat reek and a subtle white pepper and stem ginger warmth.” $135
2. BenRiach 18 Year Dunder 46% Peated Spirit Matured in Bourbon Finished in Dark Rum Casks. Dunder is the name given to the residue leftover after the distillation of sugar cane juice. Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Crisp candied peel holds waves of soft peach and ripe banana dusted with Demerara sugar. Delicate rounded peat smoke combines with gentle sweet oak spices. Taste: Dramatic peat smoke and barley complement crisp citrus zest, white pepper and fresh ginger. Caramelised orchard fruits and dried apricots develop to a rich grassy wood smoke finish.” $148
3. Glendronach 18 Year Marsala Finish 46% Finished in Marsala Hogsheads. Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Golden syrup over stewed orchard fruits, infused with a touch of candied ginger, hazelnut and warm, deep oak spices. Palate: Richly spiced wildflower honey pours over fire roasted apples, softening to golden sultanas and ripe pear. All balanced with vibrant ginger, white pepper, fresh-cut oak and stewed barley. Conclusions: Torrents of delicious contrasting full-bodied characters, rolling from dominant summer fruits to peppery, richly toasted oak spice.” $135
4. Glendronach 18 Year Tawny Port Finish 46% Finished in Tawny Port Casks. Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Elegant notes of golden syrup drenched over red fruit compote with a contrasting grapefruit balance. Touches of cinnamon and nutmeg add to a rounded, warm depth. Palate: Vivid, tart cranberries and crisp barley marry harmoniously with stewed plums and roasted apples. Cedar wood and sweet cigar box spices add a delicate warmth and unique complexity to the long warm finish. Conclusions: A beautifully structured balance of contrasting rich fruit characters and intriguing warm oak spices.” $140

NEW WHISKIES FROM COMPASS BOX

Two new gems from our favourite Scotch whisky blender

Compass Box is one of our favourite producers, for 15+ years they have been producing the most interesting Blends and Blended Malts in Scotland. These two new bottlings are very limited and also 15th Anniversary releases. They are both very elegant and lovely additions to their range. Pity they are both one off limited releases!

From the producer about the Hedonism Quindecimus: “Since we launched the Compass Box Whisky Company in 2000, we have always believed there can be a certain elegance in excess. Our first bottling – the original Hedonism – explored a brave new world of flavour previously uncharted in the world of Scotch. Eight years later, with Hedonism Maximus we used exclusively older, rarer whiskies in pursuit of the indulgent, unctuous, august pleasure that we knew only mature stock could deliver. In this our fifteenth anniversary year, we felt it was time to go back to where it all started for Compass Box and reinvent Hedonism once more for a very limited edition celebratory bottling.”

From the producer about Peat Monster Cask Strength Magnums: “We’ve taken our already big, already peaty, already smoky malt Scotch whisky, The Peat Monster and delivered it at cask strength in a double-size magnum bottle. Available only for a short time and only in this large format, it’s a unique opportunity to explore the complex balance of our usual Peat Monster at a higher bottling strength.”

1. Compass Box Hedonism Quindecimus 46% Blended Grain Whisky. Producer Tasting Note: “The combination of grain whiskies from different distilleries and of varying ages has created extraordinary complexity and juxtapositions of flavour. Indulgent yet lively, unctuous yet light, you will find a deep, sweet caramel coconut succulence combining with exultant tropical fruits.” $201

2. Compass Box Peat Monster Cask Strength Magnum – 57.3% – Producer Tasting Note: “Rich and full on the palete with complex earthy peat and smoke characters. Hints of citrus fruit, nuttiness and toasted oak.” $166

INTRODUCING ARRAN 18 YEAR!

Arran has finally come of age!

It still seems like yesterday when the Arran whisky first came into KWM. The unchill-filtered Arran Malt had no age statement, was young, 5-6 years old, but it had lots of character. Then the wood finishes started coming out, all manner of them: Port, Chardonnay, Rum, Brandy, Cognac and all different kinds of wine casks. The Arran 10 Year was the first milestone, and is still and excellent buy for its age and price.

Since then there have been many memorable bottlings including the Devil’s Cask series, Bere Barley releases, Millenium Casks and the two previous whiskies leading to the new 18 year: 16 Year and 17 Year. Well they’ve made it and are as strong as ever. This first Arran 18 Year is a limited release, one off whisky, completing the late teens trilogy. Get em while you can, next stop 19, 20, 21 years and more!

Arran 18 Year 46% 9000 Bottles Matured Exclusively in ExSherry Hogshead Casks. Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Aroma: Baked peaches with honey and toasted almonds. Sherry cask charring and subtle spice. Palate: Waxy and coating with warmth of crystallized ginger and sweetness of crème brulee and caramelized brown sugar. Water uncovers floral notes, macadamia nuts and Seville orange marmalade. Finish: Hazelnuts and nougat mingle with lightly toasted brioche and toffee apples. $120

INTRODUCING CAOL ILA 15 YEAR UNPEATED

The latest annual release in Caol Ila’s unpeated range…

Distilled in 1998 from an upeated batch of Caol Ila this 15 year old has been bottled at 60.39% after maturing in First Fill Ex-Bourbon Casks. Very limited quantities have come into Alberta, available only at a select few liquor stores including KWM. We have received a total of just over 40 with half of that having sold!

Caol Ila 15 Year Unpeated 60.39% First Fill ExBourbon. Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Unhurried and warming, yet surprisingly mellow. Fresh and cleansing, with malty, grainy cereal, crisp-breads topped with icing sugar and sherbet lemon sweets. Behind this there’s a dried herbal note and a maritime, distant scent of the sea. A reassuring fresh tang floats above fluffy marshmallow and vanilla, before late top notes of strawberry appear, which become chalky and minty, with milk chocolate. Water introduces old-fashioned oilskins; it’s heady, herbal and sweet, like a Victoria sponge filled with cream and strawberry jam. Palate: Smooth and very sweet to taste, then salt toffee with chilli. Warming, sweet and prickly with lovely early liquorice and dark chocolate notes. All this is delicate at first, but soon firming and expanding on the palate, growing appetisingly herbal, with lots of cough candy and dried raisin fruit. With water it is very easy to drink; lightly oily, fresher, sweet and fragrantly fruity, with appetising saltiness (that maritime note again). Finish: Medium length, clean and elegantly sustained throughout. Warming, with supple tannins, becoming dryer and more fragrant, with hints of juniper, leading to late eucalyptus. With water, there’s a clean, fresh, after taste.” $140

INTRODUCING THE BLACKADDER RAW CASK GLEN ESK 1983 30 YEAR

One of the Rarest Whiskies We Will Ever Have at KWM…

This might just be the only bottling of Glen Esk we ever see at KWM! In my 13+ years at the store, this is the first, and we have only received a very limited number of bottles. Bottled at a cask strength 59.1% from a single refill sherry butt, 88pts from Serge at Whisky Fun.

Glen Esk is one of those closed distilleries that even those in the know have likely never heard of. The distillery and whisky also went by the name Glenesk or Hillside, located near Montrose in the Eastern Highlands. It was converted from a mill in 1897 during the high of that Century’s whisky boom. For the early part of the 20th Century, when open it produced grain whisky, but was converted into a malt distillery in 1964 in the early days of another whisky boom, renaming the whisky Hillside. A drum maltings was installed at the distillery in 1968, and expanded in 1973. The distillery’s license passed to William Sanderson & Sons Ltd. from Scottish Malt Distillers in 1980, with the distillery renamed Glenesk.

Sanderson was famous for the Vat 69 Blended Scotch which is still in circulation. Glenesk single malt was an important part of the recipe, nevertheless the distillery closed in 1985 after the late 1970s whisky bubble spectacularly burst. The distilling license was cancelled in 1992. The distillery buildings were dismantled in 1996. There are very few bottlings of Glen Esk on the market, and this is to my knowledge the only one currently available. KWM has it exclusively in Alberta and is only receiving 4 bottles!

Blackadder Raw Cask Glen Esk 1983 30 Year 59.1% Refill Sherry Butt. Tasting Note by Serge at WhiskyFun.org: “AKA Glenesk AKA Hillside AKA the closed distillery that everybody’s forgotten about. It’s true that we’ve already tried some sister casks (Abe Rosenberg/Duncan Taylor stock) and that those have been… ach, err, strange. It’s to be noted that 1983 was the distillery’s antepenultimate year of distilling. Colour: dark gold. Nose: it’s a bit as if someone had finished some diesel oil in a sherry butt, and the funniest part is that this is not unpleasant at all. Quite the opposite! Humidor, tea box (where your mother’s always been keeping assorted kinds of herbal teas), old copper coins, shoe polish, hay… Plenty of hay and eucalyptus. With water: more hay and eucalyptus, plus orange zests. So, something pretty oriental. Mouth (neat): fat, very herbal, phenolic, grassy… Really a malt unlike any other. Bark, star anise, green tea, cough lozenges, tar, grapefruits. All lovely. With water: orange cordial, old cough syrups. Excellent. Finish: long, herbal, orangey and phenolic. A drop of yellow chartreuse. Comments: if you’re a serious malt aficionado, drop the big brands and buy this very bottle, if you can find it. That’s an order! Because, this may well be my favourite Glen Esk/Glenesk/Hillside ever – but I’ve barely tasted a dozen. Shame shame shame (shame on me). SGP:452 88 points.” $1920

BEST OF BOURBON WITH HUNTER SULLIVAN

A sampling of our newest and favourite Bourbons… w/ Hunter. No distillery cats orbuffalo!

Best of Bourbon – Thursday August 28 6pm. Join our #1 Bourbon fanatic, Hunter Sullivan, for a tour de force of some of his favourite Bourbons. Michters, Blanton’s, Knob, Bookers, and much much more! HAving just visited the Bourbon Trail, he has many new tales to tell! $30

Register in store, by phone 403-283-8000 or online!

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, 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
Manager & Scotchguy
Kensington Wine Market
403-283-8000
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
www.kensingtonwinemarket.com

Owner & Opperator
Ferguson’s Whisky Tours
www.fergusonwhiskytours.com
scotchguide@fergusonwhiskytours.com

Kensington Wine Market
403-283-8000