Malt Messenger Bulletin
5 New Virtual Whisky Tastings & More Deals
A polar vortex has gripped the Prairies, but we’ve got some news that should warm you up. We have just dropped 5 new virtual whisky tastings on the KWM website.
One features a new to Alberta independent bottler, one a range of Bourbons and another is our first Japanese whisky tasting in a while.
The last two are possibly the most exciting, and while the price tags might cause some heart palpitations, they are in reality really good value. And they won’t last long… But I’ll let you read up about them.
We have two other virtual tastings coming up this week. Signatory & The Single Cask is Friday, and there are just 3 spots left… On Saturday we have special guest Dave Worthington from The Boutique-y Whisky Co. joining us for Part 1 of our 2 part Boutique-y Whisky Roulette Double Header with Dave Worthington sessions.
Finally, while our Year-End Inventory Sale is behind us, we still have some great deals on whisky. Some of them are leftovers from two weekends back, but there are some new ones too!
I hope this finds you healthy, warm and in good spirits!
Sláinte!
Andrew Ferguson
NEW VIRTUAL WHISKY TASTINGS
We have 5 new virtual tastings to tell you about, and they are very exciting. Some of these will not last long. We quietly put them up on the website on Saturday, and the bottom two are already close to 3/4 and more than 1/2 sold…
All of the tastings will be conducted over Zoom, and feature seven 15m whisk(e)y samples. Register online:
kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/tasting-schedule/
Introducing the Artist Collective Whiskies
· Date: Thursday, February 18, 8 PM
· Cost: $50
· Pick-up Date: Available Now
While ultimately the liquid must always be the star, we do love a pretty label, and the Artist Collective series has very pretty labels. The range has been created by La Maison du Whisky, one of the leading retailers and distributors of whisky in the World. Each label features a bespoke work of art, commissioned by contemporary artists, from a broad range of backgrounds. The range is new to KWM and Canada, and we thought a little quality control was in order. We will be sampling: Ardmore 9 Year, Aultmore 13 Year, Benrinnes 22 Year, Caol Ila 9 Year, Clynelish 10 Year, Glen Grant 23 Year and Linkwood 21 Year. Samples are 15ml and will be ready for pick-up by Tuesday, February 9.
On & Off The Bourbon Trail
· Date: Tuesday, February 23, 8 PM
· Cost: $40
· Pick-up Date: Available Now
Evan’s last Bourbon tasting sold out in no time at all, so he’s heading back to ‘Merica’ (from a social distance), with stops on and off the Bourbon Trail, in search of great Bourbon from distilleries’ new and old. The tasting will consist of seven 15ml samples.
Lost in Translation – Lock Down Edition
· Date: Thursday, February 25, 8 PM
· Cost: $40
· Pick-up Date: Tue, Feb 9
The Japanese whisky industry is approaching the centennial of its birth, and things are finally starting to improve with respect to both pricing and supply. We’ll take you on a virtual whisky tour of the Land of the Rising Sun while sipping on a range of proper Japanese whiskies. This tasting will feature two different single malts each, from Yoichi & Miyagikyo Distilleries, in addition to 4 other interesting Japanese whiskies. This tasting includes eight 15ml samples.
Benromach Rising with Richard Urquhart
· Date: Saturday, March 6, 5 PM
· Cost: $100
· Pick-up Date: Monday, Feb 22 – ESTIMATE
We are honoured to have Richard Urquhart, Gordon & MacPhail Head of Sales Americas, join us live from Scotland to launch the newly revamped Benromach range. Gordon & MacPhail is a 125-year-old family-owned firm and the leading independent bottler of Scotch whisky. Richard Urquhart is part of the 4th generation of Urquhart’s who own Gordon MacPhail. In 1993 Gordon & MacPhail purchased the closed Benromach Distillery, bringing it back to life in 1998. This year is a milestone year for Benromach, with the whisky distilled there by G&M now 21 years of age. Our lineup for Richard’s tasting will not disappoint, it includes the Benromach 10, 15, 21, 35, 40 and 45 Years, as well as the soon to be released Benromach 2007 KWM Cask… In all participants will be sampling their way through more than $4000 worth of whisky. The tasting includes seven 15ml samples of Benromach and also a KWM logo Glencairn Copita Glass.
*Limit 1 Per Customer! – Only 13/40 Spots Left!
Gordon & Macphail 125th Anniversary Tasting with Richard Urquhart
· Date: Saturday, March 20, 5 PM
· Cost: $275 ($25 to Charity)
· Pick-up Date: Friday, Mar 5 – ESTIMATE
We are honoured to have Richard Urquhart, Gordon & MacPhail Head of Sales for the Americas, join us live from Scotland for a very special virtual tasting marking G&M’s 125th Anniversary. The family-owned firm, of which Richard is a 4th generation member, is the world’s leading independent bottler of Scotch whisky. We are pulling out all the stops for this tasting, sampling a range of whiskies with a collective age of nearly 300 years! The tasting will include seven 15ml samples of Jura 1991, Glenburgie 1990, Glenury Royal 1984. Glenlivet 1979, Linkwood 1967, Glen Grant 1962 and Linkwood 1946. In all participants will be sampling their way through more than $15000 worth of whisky. The tasting also includes a KWM logo Glencairn Copita Glass.
*$25 per registration will be donated to the Brenda Strafford Centre, a local women’s shelter.
**Limit 1 Per Customer! – Only 16/40 Spots Left!
OTHER UPCOMING VIRTUAL WHISKY TASTINGS
A limited number of sample sets are left for these two upcoming tastings!
· A Zoom link for each of the tastings will be emailed 12-48 hours prior to the tasting.
· A pick-up date for the samples is indicated for each tasting!
· Tasting samples can be delivered in Calgary city-limits for a $10 fee, which will be waived for orders over $100.
Signatory Vintage & The Single Cask
· Date: Friday February 12 8PM MT
· Cost: $60.00
· Pick-up Date: Available Now!
· Only 3 Spots Left!
We’ve dragged the legendary Hunter Sullivan out of retirement to be Andrew’s co-host for this vertical range tasting highlighting one of our favourite independent bottlers, Signatory Vintage. We will sample 5 different Signatory whiskies, as well as another two from a new-to-Alberta independent bottler, The Single Cask. The tasting includes 7x15ml samples of whiskies aged 20 to 35 years of age from the following distilleries: Ben Nevis, Cameronbridge, Glen Elgin, Glen Keith, Glenburgie, Glentauchers & Strathclyde.
Boutique-y Whisky Roulette Double Header with Dave Worthington
· Dates: February 13, 2021 5PM & February 27, 2021 5PM
· Cost: $160.00 (2 Tastings & 7 Whiskies)
· Pick-up Date: Available Now!
· Only 6 Spots Left!
Two Tastings, 14 Whiskies & a Very Special Guest!
The boys are back with another Boutique-y Double Header tasting. This time we will be tackling the “Boutique-y Greatest Hits Collection Vol. 1” in a virtual trans-Atlantic game of spin the bottles (the Greatest Hits Collection Spins). The tasting will take part over 2 nights, Saturday, February 13, 5 PM MT and Saturday, February 27, 5 PM MT. On each night we will sample 5 of the 10 50ml bottles in the Greatest Hits Collection, selected at random. Call it Whisky Roulette or Spin the Bottle… We will also sample two bonus drams each night, 28ml samples filled by KWM of 4 other Boutique-y whiskies. Dave Worthington will be our guide, and with a little luck, Sam Simmons will crash the party. 5 PM Saturday, February 13 & 5 PM Saturday, February 27.
MORE GREAT DEALS
If you missed last weekend’s Year-End Inventory Sale, or if there were a few deals you regret missing out on, I have some good news for you. We have a selection of whiskies still on sale that you can take advantage of.
A few of these deals are carryovers from our Year-End Inventory Sale, like the Talisker Distillers Edition, Bowmore 18 Year, Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or, Craigellachie 13 Year and Aberfeldy 21 Year. We got a really good deal on these whiskies, so we are passing on the savings.
There are also some new ones though, like the BenRiach Cask Strength Batch 2 and Peated Cask Strength Batch 1. BenRiach has retooled their look, and they are clearing out the inventory before launching the new packaging. Then there is the Tomatin 1988 1st Edition, a 25 year old whisky we are able to offer for a whopping 45% off. It is old stock found lingering in a warehouse in the States… We were offered a deal we could not refuse to take some on!
This is not a complete list of everything currently on sale, but rather some highlights. You can find that on our website by scrolling through all of our sale items!
NEW – Tomatin 1988 1st Edition
This is Batch 1 of Tomatin’s 1988 vintage, which was matured in Bourbon and Port Pipes before bottling at 46%. This is old stock, found in a warehouse in the US, and we were offered a very good deal to help clear it out… That’s why it is nearly 50% off! 87.73pts Whisky Base, this is without question one of the best deals we have right now; and you won’t see Tomatin this old at this price, ever again!
Was $490 – SAVE 45% – Now $269.49!
NEW – BenRiach Cask Strength Batch 2
BenRiach has revamped their packaging and image, and accordingly, they are trying to clear out the old packaging in Alberta. So they put it on sale, and when we get a deal, you get a deal… Batch 2 – the current release – is bottled at 60.6% ABV. The whisky within was aged in a combination of ex-Bourbon, ex-Oloroso Sherry, and Virgin Oak Casks. 87-88pts Whisky Base.
Was $115 – SAVE 25% – Now $86.24!
Stock arriving Wednesday!
NEW – BenRiach Peated Cask Strength Batch 1
Batch 1 of the BenRiach Peated Cask Strength is bottled at 56% ABV. As the name would suggest – it is peated. It has been aged in a combination of ex-Bourbon barrels and ex-Oloroso Sherry casks. New-ish though it is, it is not in line with BenRiach’s newly revamped branding, so the importer put it on sale. And when we get a deal, you get a deal!
Was $115 – SAVE 25% – Now $86.24!
Stock arriving Wednesday!
Bowmore 18 Year
I can’t lie, we stocked up on this when the importer put it on sale. The Bowmore 18 Year is one of the best value sherried Islay malts at full price. When we can offer it at 20% off, it’s a steal. Curt has added a recent tasting note on our website. “Seemingly gone are the lavender-heavy days of distillation; we’re back in full-on fruit mode. And the smoke? Bold enough to provide an unwavering backbone, yet gentle enough to expand the appeal well beyond the peat-addicted masses. “
Was $125 – SAVE 20% – Now $99.99!
Aberfeldy 21 Year
Billed as one of “The Last Great Malts”, Aberfeldy is a hidden gem from the Highlands. Just downstream from Loch Tay the distillery is nestled in the foothills of the Grampian mountains. The bottling strength is only 40%, but the whisky is stunning and very complex. It is one of the best-priced distillery bottled 21-year-olds at full retail, at 20% off, it screams bargain!
Was $180 – SAVE 20% – Now $143.99!
Mortlach 16 Year
This 16-year-old Mortlach was inspired by the distillery’s long lost, but beloved, “Flora & Fauna” bottling from the 90’s & 2000s. Part of the newly revamped Mortlach range released in 2018 after the disastrous prior range. Matured exclusively in ex-sherry and bottled at 43.4%, at 25% off this is a great value malt.
Was $140 – SAVE 25% – Now $105!
Talisker Distillers Edition 2018
Take that punchy, peppery and peated profile that so perfectly embodies what Talisker is all about, then wrap it in the sweet, creamy and fruity warmth of ex-Amoroso Sherry Butts for another year or so. What you get in the end is exactly what you’d expect, but also something that is so much more than the sum of its parts. Fear not, though. The nippy and beautifully oceanic Talisker we adore is still present and accounted for.
Was $120 – SAVE 25% – Now $90!
Loch Lomond The Open Special Edition
Bottled to mark the partnership between Loch Lomond Distillers and The Open. Matured in three types of American oak and bottled at 46%. The whisky offers a balanced mixture of peat, fruit, vanilla and smoke. A sign of greater things still to come from the Loch Lomond Distillery!
Was $73.99 – SAVE 30% – Now $51.79!
Elements of Islay Peat Pure Islay
This whisky oozes value at $50 (500ml bottle) and is a steal at $37.49. “PEAT Pure Islay is the companion to PEAT, trading its feisty full strength for a more approachable and easy-sipping 45% ABV. Packed with Islay smoke, it’s still a go-to whisky for both cocktails and long drinks, as well as being an excellent dram to sit with long into the night. Created using whiskies from a handful of distilleries from across Islay, PEAT Pure Islay is a well-balanced and easy-drinking everyday whisky to keep all smoky dram fans happy.”
Was $50 – SAVE 25% – Now $37.49!
Tomatin Contrast
This is a very interesting two half bottle release from Tomatin Distillery which shows the contrast between ex-bourbon and ex-sherry barrels and their influence on Scotch. The distillery vatted whiskies from 4 decades, and then further matured it in ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry before bottling at 46%.
Was $210 – SAVE 35% – Now $136.49
Jura Seven Wood
Not content with double wood or triple wood, Jura has gone right to SEVEN WOOD with this bottling. Not just a made up golf club, the Jura Seven Wood Single Malt Scotch comes from the Jura distillery on – get this – the Isle of Jura. The Jura Seven Wood is composed mostly of unpeated Jura Single Malt plus a small portion of peated Jura as well. It is aged in a combination of American Oak ex-Bourbon barrels and SIX different French Oak Barrels. Bottled at 42%.
Was $122 – SAVE 35% – Now $79.29
Port Askaig 100 Proof
Port Askaig is a line of mystery Islay single malts. The whiskies are reputed to come from the Caol Ila distillery. The 100 Proof is a no age statement whisky bottled at 57.1% (100 British Proof). It is named for Islay’s ancient ferry and fishing port on the island’s north-east coast.
Was $80 – SAVE 25% – Now $59.99
ONLY 7 BOTTLES LEFT!
Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or
This whisky was born from the memory of entering a pastry shop for the very first time. It’s about that first moment of finding your senses deliciously overwhelmed, breathing in the sweet scents and wishing you could take a bite of every creamy, flaky treat you see. In Nectar D’Or you can taste it all. To create it, we take the delicate, fruity spirit of our giraffe-high stills and age it in American oak bourbon casks along with casks that once held Sauternes sweet white wine.
Was $102 – SAVE 25% – Now $76.49
Only 8 bottles left!
Craigellachie 13 Year
Part of the Last Great Malts series from Bacardi/Dewar’s – this 13-year-old from Craigellachie Distillery is bottled at 46% ABV. This 13yr old along with the rest of the Craigellachie official prime-numbered lineup was introduced in 2014. The whisky was a hit in our 2020 KWM Whisky Calendar and is a very good value at $80/bottle. At 30% off it is a steal!
Was $80 – SAVE 30% – Now $55.99
STAY HOME… WE’LL DELIVER!
We Are Offering Some Great Deals
&
Free City-Wide Delivery for Orders Over $100
FREE DELIVERY – We are offering free delivery for orders over $100 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.
COVID-19 Precautions at KWM
To protect our staff and customers we have implemented some policies!
Please do not enter the store if:
· You have returned from Outside of Canada in the last 2 weeks, or you live with someone who has!
· 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.
If the above applies to you, please order online or by phone and we can deliver!
Precautions we are taking in-store:
· All of our staff are wearing masks, and we’d appreciate if you would do so too!
· We are only allowing 6 customers in the store at any given time.
· We have hand sanitizer throughout the store for the use of customers and staff.
· We kindly ask that you do not to pick up products unless you intend to purchase them.
· We are frequently disinfecting commonly touched surfaces and high contact areas within the store.
· We are also not accepting cash payment at this time.
· Staff are frequently washing and disinfecting their hands.
· We have cancelled all in-store tastings.
· We are monitoring our staff for symptoms.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we all try to navigate this challenging time!
403-283-8000
888-283-9004
Store Hours
Sunday: 11am – 6pm
Mon – Wed: 10am – 8pm
Thu – Fri: 10am – 9pm
Sat: 10am – 8pm
*All Prices Quoted here are subject to change and do not include GST. In the case of pricing discrepancies, the price at our point of sale will be taken as correct.*
