A free tasting of the newly launched Macallan 1824 Series hosted by Brand Ambassador Joy Elliott. The Whisky Exchange Vinopolis, 1 Bank End, London, Se1  9BU. The Tasting will commence at 4PM, Thursday July 25th, 2013 vinopolis[at] thewhiskyexchange.com +44 (0) 207 403 8688 to reserve.

Competition Reminder

You’ve only got two days left to enter our prize draw for a chance to win Orvis luggage!

To recap: In partnership with Orvis, the country clothing and equipment experts, we are offering Clan Speyburn members a chance to win an Orvis backpack and duffel bag worth over £500 (rrp)*.

To enter the prize draw all you have to do is email us at distillery@speyburn.com and include ‘USA’ or ‘UK’ in the subject line.

If you know someone who might like to be part of Clan Speyburn, just forward this note to them, and if they visit our website and apply to become a member they too will have a chance to enter this exclusive competition.

Regards,
The Speyburn team

OUR AUGUST FIRST FRIDAY WILL BE HELD ON THE SECOND FRIDAY DUE TO THE PUBLIC HOLIDAY ON THE FIRST WEEKEND. HALF THE SEATS ARE SOLD ALREADY, SO IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY BOOKED, CONTACT US RIGHT AWAY.

Here are the details for the event:

Date: Friday August 9^th, 2013.

Time: 6:30pm to 8:00pm

Location: The Strath Ale Wine & Spirit Merchants, 919 Douglas Street, Victoria.

Price: $35 each for Members & Partners, $45 for Non-Members/Guests.     

NON MEMBERS & GUESTS ARE MOST WELCOME 

REGISTRATION:   

Space is limited so you must register to secure your place. Please email or drop into the store or phone and speak to Richard White or Colin Southcombe

Email: whisky@strathconahotel.com    or Phone: (250)-370-9463

Please pre-pay for your virtual ticket in advance.   

The Tasting will start PROMPTLY at 6:30pm and will conclude no later than 8:00pm

IMPORTANT: 

Please remember these are cask strength whiskies, so you should not be driving home after the tasting.

Slainté!

Colin

Colin Southcombe

General Manager

The Strath Ale Wine & Spirit Merchants

919 Douglas Street, Victoria BC, V8W 2C2

Tel: 250-370-9463

Malt Messenger Bulletin – Two New KWM Casks, Glendronach Cask Strength Batch 2 & a Whisky Advent Calendar!

With the flood of the century and the 101^st Stampede behind us we are back to business as usual at Kensington Wine Market. Our hearts go out to all of those who are still suffering from the effects of the flooding, but are also filled with pride at how the city and province have pulled together. Our Scotch Malt Whisky Society July First Friday tastings raised $600 in support of Red Cross Flood Relief and our Canada Day store sale even more! We have another event coming up on July 30^th that will help raise further funds for flood related charities. Dan Volway, brand ambassador for The Macallan, has agreed to donate all the whiskies for the tasting at our store on condition that the proceeds go to charity. It will be another chance to help those stricken, while enjoying a few good drams. You will find the details on the Macallan 1824 tasting below.

In addition to the Macallan 1824 tasting on the 30^th, we have a free tasting at 6PM this coming Tuesday. Graeme Macaloney will be giving a presentation on the proposed Victoria Caledonian Distillery and Brewpub. The tasting starts at 6PM, includes a complimentary whisky tasting and will take roughly an hour. There is no charge for the event, but you must register for it. You can do so through our website at https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php , or by phone 403-283-8000. Further details are provided below.

We have a lot of exciting whisky announcements to roll out over the next 4-6 weeks, including: a weekend whisky event in Banff, a Kentucky Bourbon Tour and some very cool new products. I’ll get the ball rolling today by announcing two new KWM casks, the arrival of Glendronach Cask Strength Batch 2 and a really interesting gift idea which will be here early in the fall.

First and foremost our Benromach casks are slated to arrive in store at some point in the next two weeks. If you attended our Spring Single Malt Festival in June or our Robbie Burns Supper in January then you may have already sampled them. The casks, both First Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrels are very tasty, one peated, one not. Both of them will retail for less than $85, and from now until the day they arrive in store you can pre-commit to bottles from one or both casks and save 10% on their purchase. Tasting notes and details on both whiskies are provided below.

Secondly, Batch 2 of the Glendronach Cask Strength has just landed! Batch 1 sold out in a matter of weeks this spring, and I expect Batch 2 will be just as popular. Fewer than 300 of the 12000 total bottles produced have come to Canada, of which KWM has a healthy allocation. I’ve sampled both and feel that Batch 2 is just as good if not better than Batch 1. My tasting notes on both can be found below.

Finally, we have a really interesting gift idea for the whisky lover in your life! We have acquired the Whisky Advent Calendar produced by Master of Malt in the UK as a Canadian exclusive. The Whisky Advent Calendar consists of 24 30ml bottles of Scotch whisky, one of which is a 50 year old. We first announced this last week on Twitter, and within minutes we had orders for nearly 20 calendars. This could be the hottest whisky item in Canada this fall. More information can be found on the Whisky Advent Calendar below. You can pre-order yours through our website at: https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/products/details/inventory/18692/index.php

I hope this Malt Messenger Bulletin finds you well, and that you are having a wonderful summer. Stay tuned to the Malt Messenger for some other exciting announcements in the coming weeks.

Slainté!

 Andrew Ferguson Kensington Wine Market

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

MACALLAN 1824 TASTING W/ DAN VOLWAY – Tuesday July 30^th – $50

Macallan Brand Ambassador Dan Volway will be coming to town to put on a tasting of the new 1824 collection for our customers. The tasting will feature the Gold, Amber and Sienna bottlings pitted against the Travel Retail (Duty Free) Collection releases. As a special treat we will also be sampling the Macallan Ruby; the oldest bottling in the new 1824 Collection. Part of Proceeds to be donated to an Alberta flood related charity. These new Macallans have stirred up quite a debate. Why not come formulate your own opinion on them, and support a great cause.

You can register online at https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php or by calling the store at 403-283-8000.

MACALONEY DISTILLERS TASTING – Tuesday July 23^rd – FREE (But you have to register!) 

Join us for a free tasting and information session, Tuesday July 23rd with Graeme Macaloney of Macaloney Distillers. Graeme Macaloney PhD, an experienced fermentation engineer and a Scotsman, is launching a full scale single malt & pot still whisky distillery, and real ale brew pub – the Victoria Caledonian Distillery. He will be conducting a complimentary “Show & Tell” presentation on his plans, including a complimentary whisky tasting. Graeme has lined up some industry heavyweights behind his project, and is intensely touring the Country building support.

More info will be posted on our BLOG, later today. https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/blog/

You can register online at https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php or by calling the store at 403-283-8000.

OUR BENROMACH CASKS ARE NEARLY HERE – Pre-Order & Save 10%

When Michael Urquhart agreed to being our special guest for this year’s Burns Supper, Andy Dunn of Gold Medal Marketing and I came up with the idea of including a cask selection in the evening’s proceedings. Most of the 120 participants had a chance to sample the four cask samples and vote on their favourites. Later that month I sat down with my tasting panel to review the whiskies and count the votes. To my surprise there were not one, but two casks that stood out. We asked Benromach to bottle them for us and the whiskies have only just landed in Alberta. Here are my tasting notes on the two casks:

1. Benromach      2004 KWM Cask 246 – 60.4% – 9 Year – 1^st Fill Bourbon      Barrel – 258 Bottles – My Tasting Note: “Nose: very creamy and      grassy with celery, toasted coconut chips, honey dew melon and orange      slices; doughy with a faint hint of peat and juicy malt; Palate:      loads of honey, cream, fruits and malt; there are both citrus and soft      melon fruit notes with vanilla milk shake and sweet chewy malt; though      more than 60% alcohol the spirit is soft and smooth; Finish: lingering,      sweet and malty with more melon notes, late dried orange and      vanilla/honey; Comments: proof positive you can have a very complex      whisky at a young age!” – $84.99
2. Benromach      2005 KWM Cask 126 – 60.4% – 8 Year – 1^st Fill Bourbon      Barrel – 245 Bottles – My Tasting Note: “Nose: very malty and      chewy with honey and clean wood smoke; there is some orange peel and a      hint of chocolate with aloe like vegetal notes and a trace of cantaloupe; Palate:      sweet, smoky and slightly salty to start; honey, chocolate, orange peels      and big chewy malt quickly follow; there are notes of melon and white      fruits under the smoke, malt and big honeyed oak; peat and chocolate are      the last elements to come to the party; Finish: juicy and sweet      with soft peat smoke honey and malt; Comments: this is a Benromach      for Islay drinkers and those wanting to dip their toes into peatier      waters!” – $82.49

Pre-order one or more of either of these whiskies and save 10%!  

GLENDRONACH CASK STRENGTH BATCH 2 IS HERE! – $84.99 + GST

One of the most popular whiskies to come through our doors this year was the Glendronach Cask Strength Batch 1. In just three weeks this April 150 bottles sailed through our doors. Well the hotly anticipated Batch 2 release is in, and I decided to sit down and sample them side by side. Both heavily sherried and cask strength, they were similar but noticeably different. Both were very fruity, with Batch 2 showing more leather and wood notes. They are very close, but if I had to pick a favourite, Batch 2 slightly edged out the first. Don’t believe me, come try them for yourself.

1. Glendronach      Cask Strength Batch 1 – 54.8% – Matured in Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez      Sherry Casks – My Tasting Note: Nose: fruit leather, fruit compote,      pan-seared strawberries, fresh raspberries and maple syrup; loads of brown      sugar and soft spice; Tiger Tail ice cream, and round candied fruit; Palate:      more berry fruits, with chocolate, Demerara and brown sugars; very      sweet with notes of maple syrup and a range of spice from hot cinnamon, to      clove and black peppercorn; a little tarry and leathery this is a round      full dram with lots of layers; Finish: fruity, leathery and sweet      with some hints of tobacco and long lingering dark spices! – $83.99      – 6 bottles came in with Batch 2, we have 3 bottles available, 1 per      customer first serve!
2. Glendronach      Cask Strength Batch 2 – 55.2% – Matured in Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez      Sherry Casks – My Tasting Note: Nose: treacle sauce, musty-earthy      oak, candied nuts, tobacco leaf and Black Licorice Nibs; honey and malt      with soft leather; fleshy orchard fruit (plums & peaches) with orangey      citrus; Palate: big, leathery, sweet and spicy with tobacco and      more musty-earthy oak notes; the dark sugars and candied fruit are there,      but it is woodier and more leathery than Batch 1; still a richly sherried      whisky though with espresso bean, dark chocolate and salty Dutch licorice;      Finish: long, leathery and sweet with the sweet dark sugars      reemerging along with candied fruit. – $84.99 – If we run out in store,      there is more on the way, leave us an order! 

PRE-ORDER THE “WHISKY ADVENT CALENDAR” – $299.99

Kensington Wine Market is very pleased to announce that we have acquired Master of Malt’s Whisky Advent Calendar as a Canadian exclusive for our store in Calgary! This could be this fall’s hottest whisky gift idea in Canada… Within 30 minutes of announcing it on Twitter we had a dozen orders! Behind each of the 24 doors is a different 30ml sample of delicious whisky! The exact contents are a surprise, but we can tell you that behind one of the doors is a sample of 50 year old Scotch whisky, the full-sized bottle of which is worth $600! The Whisky Advent Calendar will retail for $299.99 +GST and is Exclusive to KWM in Canada!

You can pre-order your Whisky Advent Calendar by clicking this link to the product page and placing a request through our website. Or you can call us at 402-283-8000 or 888-283-9004 and leave your information.

——————–

If you have any whisky questions or comments concerning The Malt Messenger please contact me by e-mail, phone, or drop by the store. Feel free to forward me any whisky news you feel should be included in a future issue of The Malt Messenger; it might just get included.

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

WHISKY SCHOOLS

We have a full schedule of our fabulous and fun Whisky Schools this autumn. Take yourself or a loved one for a day of whisky pampering at one of our lovely venues around the UK. Tasting, blending, learning and enjoying are all on the cards. Click here for more.

BOOM!

You’ve been asking, so who are we to deny? Three of our most highly anticipated shows of the year are finally available to book. And not only that, but all three are on our EARLY-BIRD offer of 2 tickets for £40 for the first 100 lucky folks to book!

Liverpool Whisky Festival  7th September, Camp and Furnace
Manchester Whisky Festival 12th October, Bridgewater Hall
York Whisky Festival 26th October, Park Inn

As always, your ticket price includes:

• FREE Glencairn Crystal Tasting      Glass
• FREE Festival Guide
• FREE Bottle of Water
• FREE Access to sample ALL ‘On The Counter’ Drams for no extra cost
• FREE 2 WHITE Under The Counter Dram tokens – NEW (see below)
• ACCESS to The Whisky Exchange shop within Liverpool and York Festivals, The Wright Wine Company at Manchester

Aside from the above, familiar goings-on and freebies, we also have our new and exclusive ‘Under The Counter Drams’ (UTCDs)…

The idea is to give the seasoned Festival-goer something else to look forward to. Armed with white and black tokens (available for £2.50 and £5 respectively), seek out those participating stands – that’s most of them – and ask to see their UTCDs. If you like the look of them, simply swap your token for the appropriate dram. White token drams are a cut above – slightly more exclusive and older drams. Black tokens are where you get to the business end of things. Port Ellens, 25+ year old whiskies, and more have all been spotted as black token drams in previous events this year…

You get two white tokens as part of your ticket price, but you can also buy additional tokens at the relevant festival page or on the day itself.

Special classes and workshops and exhibitors will be appearing on each relevant page as they are added.

What more do you need to know? Click on the relevant banner above to be taken to the booking page.

Dear Society Members,

I hope you are all well and have all been experiencing some hot weather like we have here in Campbeltown! It was glorious weather last week, it is a wee bit duller today but apparently it’s to brighten up at the end of the week – fingers crossed!

In the last newsletter I gave you some information on Campbeltown Grammar School’s fundraising trip to Gambia which they are planning for February 2014. I also mentioned that Springbank were going to be doing their bit to help the fundraising and would be drawing two bottles from the oldest cask we have in our warehouse at the moment (24 years, 3 months and 9 days old!) One bottle will be getting auctioned off and the other will be available by the dram at the Ardshiel Hotel.

The auction started on Friday (12th of July) and ends at 5pm BST on Monday 26th August 2013.

To bid, send your offer along with your name, address and contact telephone number to: auction@springbankwhisky.com

A weekly announcement will be made on the Springbank Distillers Facebook page and Springbank website to let everyone know the current highest bid, with the winning bid being announced after 5pm on Monday 26th August.

I am going to be away on holiday for 2 weeks as of Thursday (18th July) so if you would like any more information or anything else before then please let me know and I can arrange this before I go.

Kind Regards,

Mairi

Mairi Paterson

For the Springbank Society

To join the Springbank Society please contact them at society@springbankwhisky.com

Whisky, Jazz and Fun(draising): An Afternoon Tea Party With a Difference

This July, Londoners will have the chance to attend an afternoon tea party with a difference.

In place of Earl Grey or English Breakfast, will be a bespoke whisky cocktail served in tea cups, and a Brazilian jazz singer will entertain instead of a pianist or string quartet.

What’s even better? All money raised on ticket sales and a silent auction will go directly to Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Hosted by Miss Whisky, in partnership with Dre Masso and Eric Yu’s latest cocktail bar sensation – Opium Bar at 16, Gerrard Street in China Town – the afternoon whisky tea party will run from 3-7pm on Sunday, 21 July.

Providing the base for the delicious drinks are sponsors Glengoyne whisky, while Aline Stoffel – a Brazilian jazz songstress who has performed from stadiums in Rio de Janeiro to London’s Ronnie Scott’s – will delight anyone with a penchant for sultry tunes.

“I am thrilled to be announcing this partnership between myself, Opium Bar, Glengoyne and Aline Stoffel – to have so many amazing people on board to raise funds for this vital charity is absolutely wonderful,” said Miss Whisky founder and editor, Alwynne Gwilt, who has volunteered with the charity’s Hampstead Hospice in London since 2011.

Marie Curie Cancer Care provides support to terminally ill patients and their families and its hospice nurses do incredible work in the community, often allowing patients to pass away peacefully in their homes rather than in a hospital.

In the past year, 31,000 patients were cared for by the 2,700 nurses, doctors and healthcare professionals employed by the charity, making it the biggest provider of hospice beds outside of the NHS.

But, without the generous donations of the public, the charity would simply not be able to run.

Around 70 per cent of its funding comes from the community, with the other 30 per cent coming from the NHS.

Speaking on the importance of events such as this, Natasha Sadaoui – community fundraiser at the Marie Curie Hospice, Hampstead – said: “The Hospice provides expert care and the best possible quality of life, for people with cancer and other terminal illnesses, and support for their families, completely free of charge. It costs us £5.4 million a year to run just the Hampstead Hospice and we just wouldn’t be able to provide such a service without the support from the local community and people like Alwynne!”

When Alwynne was 13, she lost her mother to cancer and unfortunately her mother’s last days were spent in a hospital rather than at the home she loved.

“I only wish she would have had the support of a charity like Marie Curie at that time. The work they do for families and those patients in their final days is incredible and I want to do all I can to ensure other families receive this type of care if they end up in a similar situation,” she said.

Speaking on why Glengoyne has decided to participate, Neil Boyd – UK Commercial Director of Ian Macleod Distillers Ltd, the brand’s owner – said: “Marie Curie Cancer Care is an exceptional charity bringing much needed relief and support to families across the UK. We hope that our Teapot Dram can add to the enjoyment of this fun and original charitable event.”

Tickets for the event are now on sale through Miss Whisky’s Just Giving Page ( https://www.justgiving.com/miss-whisky ), which has been set up to ensure attendees avoid ticket charges and to allow the charity to benefit from Gift Aid.

Tickets include a bespoke whisky cocktail and the concert, and are £13 ahead of time. Those wishing to purchase them simply need donate that amount through the page’s donation function and fill in their name in the “Donated By” section to be added to the guest list.

Tickets will also be available on the door at a cost of £15. All money raised from ticket sales will go directly to the charity.

Donations in excess are of course also wholeheartedly welcome.

A silent auction featuring lots of delectable goodies will also be running on the day. Anyone wishing to donate items for it should get in touch with Alwynne before the 16th July. So come along and make your Sunday afternoon tea even more special this July – it all makes a big difference!

For further details, press queries or to discuss donations for the silent auction, please contact Alwynne on: info@misswhisky.com or through Twitter on @themisswhisky

Notes:

About Marie Curie: Marie Curie Cancer Care is one of the UK’s largest charities.Employing more than 2,700 nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals, it provided care to more than 31,000 terminally ill patients in the community and in its nine hospices last year and is the largest provider of hospice beds outside the NHS. In 2009 the Marie Curie Hospice, Hampstead underwent a £3.8 million refurbishment which included converting the hospice’s multi-occupancy wards into 26 single en suite rooms with patient controlled lighting, heating, TV and internet access. As well as being a place for terminally ill people to stay as in-patients, the Hospice also offers a wide range of day services, which are open to terminally ill people being cared for at home. These day services help patients to manage their symptoms as well as relax, refresh and unwind such as complementary therapies, emotional support and use of the hydro pool. The charity has two centres for palliative care research, the Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Unit at University College London and the Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute Liverpool. It also supports palliative and end of life care research through its project grant funding streams, the Marie Curie Cancer Care Research Programme (administered by Cancer Research UK) and the Dimbleby Marie Curie Cancer Care Research Fund. For more information, visit: http://www.mariecurie.org.uk/

About Miss Whisky: Founded in 2011 by journalist Alwynne Gwilt, Miss Whisky brings news, reviews and features on the whisky industry with the goal of opening up the world of whisky to a wider audience. For more information, visit: http://www.misswhisky.com/

About Opium Bar: Opened in December 2012, Opium Bar China Town is the latest cocktail bar from Dre Masso and Eric Yu. Providing exceptional cocktails and delicious dim sum, the bar – hidden behind an unassuming door at 16, Gerrard Street – is an oasis from the crowded streets surrounding it in central London. For more information, visit: http://www.opiumchinatown.com/

About Aline Stoffel: Raised in Brazil but now residing in London, Aline Stoffel is a stunning young jazz songstress wowing audiences in venues such as Ronnie Scott’s and Somerset House and as a headline act in her home country, in cities such as Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. With a mix of English and Brazilian tunes, Aline is a firecracker on stage, and is joined by legendary guitarist Marcos Vianna. For more information, visit: http://www.alinestoffel.com/

About Glengoyne Whisky: Based just outside of Glasgow at the base of the Dumgoyne Hill, Glengoyne distillery is often considered one of the prettiest in Scotland. With a whisky range including a 10, 15, 18 and 21 year old, along with a cask strength release, the company has a wide range to suit all palates and budgets. For the afternoon tea party, Glengoyne will provide its legendary Tea Pot Dram, normally only available to buy at the distillery. For more information, visit: http://www.glengoyne.com/

After our massively successful 1st ‘Backstage’ Tour of Islay in June, we have decided to up the ante.

The Feis Ile (or Islay Festival of Whisky and Music for the initiated) is a week-long celebration of all things Islay – although mainly whisky, obviously. We have been going for some years and feel the time is right to take some of you with us!
Each of the distilleries on the island are given a day in which to shine and welcome visitors, although in reality every one of them has activities going on throughout the week. Special tours, tastings, bbqs and concerts or gigs are all on the cards as the great and good of Islay push the boat out to attract whisky enthusiasts from around the world. There is also the small matter of the limited Feis Ile bottlings that each distillery releases on their open day…

Included in the trip is the accommodation (at the lovely Finlaggan House), food and drink at the house and travel around the island. What isn’t included is travel to and from the island – although we can advise/help – and the distillery activities. Although we would love you to accompany us on each tour, tasting or ramble, we don’t want you to feel you can’t go off and do your own thing – therefore we are not charging you for stuff you may not want to do. We will release an itinerary of planned activities a little closer to the time and at that point you can then choose what you want to do.

There are a maximum of 10 places in the two time slots. The first is from Saturday 24th until Tuesday 28th May, with the second – longer trip – from Tuesday 28th until Saturday 31st May. You can even choose to come for the whole week if you’re feeling flush and have the time to spare!

Click here or on the banner above to be taken to one of the Feis Ile pages. From there you can navigate to whichever of the trips you are interested in.

OUR BIGGEST AND BEST FESTIVAL YET

We’re delighted that over 400 of you joined us on Jura for our 50th anniversary. Thank you, we couldn’t have done it without you. And we’re not just saying that. It’s physically impossible to have a festival without the revellers and what revellers you were.

It was a privilege to see so many make the pilgrimage from all over the world to share in our story – from breaking out the vintage 1977, the new 30YO, the rare 39 ¾ (a sneak preview of the new 40YO) and the exclusive festival bottling to tasting Turas-Mara on the waves and soaking up the lively atmosphere inside the cooperage.

Relive all of these great moments in moving pictures and see if you can spot yourself in our photo gallery by clicking on our highlights video below. Don’t worry if you couldn’t be with us this time. Adventures like these await you next year:

Become an honorary Diurach, be the first to hear all of the latest news and help us to write many more exciting chapters like this.