Established in 2011, and having built a reputation as a successful event, the third Inverness Whisky Festival is due to be held on Friday 5th & Saturday 6th April 2013. The festival is based at Bogbain Farm, a rustic 19th century farm building just 3 miles south of Inverness, which was awarded Best Unusual Venue at the 2012 Scottish Event Awards, and Venue of the Year 2012 at the Scots Trad Music Awards.

In keeping with the venue’s flair for doing things a bit differently, the Inverness Whisky Festival aims to give its guests the opportunity to not only experience some of Scotland’s finest malt whiskies, but to also absorb the culture that goes hand in hand with Scotland’s national drink: the music, the food, the history, the craic.

Whisky Tour

The evening of Friday 5th April will see guests led on a whisky-fuelled journey through the streets of Inverness, visiting some of the city’s oldest pubs, and being entertained on their journey by some of Scotland’s finest traditional musicians.

The Whisky Tour begins at 7pm and tickets cost £30, which includes 7 different drams, nibbles and entrance to the Inverness Whisky Festival ceilidh.

Whisky Exhibition

Giving you time to shake off the effects of the night before, the Inverness Whisky Festival exhibition at Bogbain begins at noon on Saturday 6th April. It’s a chance to sample an abundance of malt whiskies, and to learn from the masters how to drink, savour, and most importantly, enjoy your whisky.

With live music, talks, master classes, and good Scottish food, it’s a feast for all the senses.

The Whisky Exhibition runs from noon until 6pm and tickets cost £25, which includes complimentary drams. Tickets for the master classes will be sold separately.

Compass Box Whisky Tasting – Thursday 31st January 2013

What better way to cheer up a dreary January day than with news of our next whisky tasting. To start the year off the immensely entertaining Chris Maybin of Compass Box whiskies will be coming along on Thursday 31st January to take us through the rich, smooth and complex whiskies that make up their range.

For those of you who haven’t come across Compass Box whiskies yet, they are a small, independent, specialist whisky company who make award winning whiskies through the art of blending or vatting. The company was founded by John Glaser and his extensive knowledge of the way oak casks interact with whisky, combined with his innovative thinking, results in a contemporary approach that expands the great traditions of whisky making. This is an ideal tasting to come along to if you’ve never been before as not only will there be a broad spectrum of Scotch whisky styles you will also learn a lot about the important role of wood and maturation in whisky production.

See below for all the details and if you have any queries just contact us.

Sláinte!
Fran and Ken
Arkwrights Whisky and Wines
www.whiskyandwines.com

UPCOMING EVENT

Name Compass Box Whisky Tasting
Date Thursday 31st January 2013

Time 7pm for 7.30pm

Venue Stanton House Hotel, Stanton Fitzwarren SN6 7SD

Details Although contemporary in approach Compass Box maintain and expand the tradition that drinking Scotch whisky should be a pleasure. With a signature style that they describe as whisky with an underlying richness, sweetness, and softness their range has something for everyone – from the delightful silky smoothness of Asyla through the spicy delights of the Spice Tree right up to the rich smokiness of the Peat Monster, and of course we mustn’t forget the wonderfully indulgent Hedonism.

The Compass Box philosophy is a simple one – ‘Above All, Share & Enjoy’, so come along to this tasting and do just that!

Tickets are £13.50 per person, and this also entitles you to a discount of £3 against a bottle of one of the featured whiskies if bought or ordered on the night of the tasting. Tickets are very strictly limited, and allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis and as these tastings usually sell out within hours it is best to book ASAP. To buy tickets just log on to www.whiskyandwines.com and place an order for the number you require, or telephone us with your payment details on (01793) 765071, or call in and see us at Arkwrights, The Dormers, Highworth, Wiltshire. Admission to the tasting is by ticket only, and the whiskies tasted will be available to purchase on the night so come prepared.

N.B. We have negotiated special rates at the hotel for anyone who wants to stay overnight after the tasting – contact us for further details of rates.

Glengoyne Auld Enemy Dinner

Glengoyne has joined forces with Help for Heroes for a glittering fundraising dinner at The Dorchester Hotel in London on Friday 1 February 2013, the eve of the Calcutta Cup, the world’s oldest international rugby fixture.

A host of internationalists from the current rugby era and past stars will be in attendance including Gary Armstrong, Matt Dawson and Martin Johnson, as well as Olympian canoeist David Florence and Scottish sports presenter Jill Douglas.

Lt General Gordon Messenger is the Guest of Honour on the night, having served as British Commander in Helmand Province from 2008 to 2009 and as a colonel during the Iraq War. He will be supported by Lt Colonel (Retd) Jason Calder.
The event will raise money through Help for Heroes via a live and silent auction, hosted by the UK’s top auctioneer Jonny Gould. The charities supported on the night are: HQ Hereford Garrison Clocktower Fund, a charity that supports servicemen and servicewoman through the provision of social, sporting and other facilities; and Jumping Jack, a charity set up in an attempt to save the life of a child with the genetic disorder Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Sir Bradley Wiggins is a supporter of Jumping Jack and has donated a yellow Jersey for the auction. Other prizes will include the full range of stunning Glengoyne malts.

Sky TV will also be present on the night, conducting interviews to feature on The Rugby Club show the following week.

Table sales have already been fantastic so there is limited ticket availability left. To attend the black tie, four-course dinner and live auction costs £2500 + Vat for a table of 12. Guests will enjoy Glengoyne at the pre-drinks reception and will also have the opportunity to order Glengoyne directly on the night. Tickets can be secured by contacting Stuart Reid on info1879@btinternet.com or 07710 186563.

Join us in Edmonton on Tuesday, Jan. 22nd at The Bothy Wine & Whisky Bar for a tasting of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s exquisite single cask single malts. Curious about us? Now’s your chance to find out what The Society is all about.  We will be joined by special guest Georgie Bell, Society Ambassador from Scotland. Sign up at www.smws.ca

WoW 2013 Expo tickets

If you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, we wholeheartedly recommend not waiting any longer! The VIP and Dram Club tickets sold out even earlier this year. We haven’t started our main advertising campaigns, yet we have a constant stream of ticket sales from first time attendees that heard about us from a friend. We expect the General Admission to be gone soon too. To our friends who already bought tickets, we will publish our pour list shortly, a work in progress, so you can start planning your sampling routes and whisky destinations.

Buy tickets

Expo Update Now for an update on some of the amazing spirits and features you will find at the 14th annual WOW Expo in San Francisco, Saturday night April 6, 2012 on board the docked San Francisco Belle. The Expo features three ballroom sized decks full of whiskies, music and food as well as an open air top deck looking over the Bay. And as they say “anticipation makes half the pleasure”, allow your taste buds anticipate hedonistic pleasures as you familiarize yourselves with the brief, yet so tantalizing, sample list.

By unspoken tradition, we always start whisky matters with the proud kingdom of all things whisky, Scotland. But not this time: presenting King Car Kavalan whisky from Taiwan, an island that is about as far from the Scottish Highlands as one can get. The whisky released a few years ago from the only distillery in Taiwan went quite far not only in location but also in recognition:  it received the New World Whisky of the Year from Jim Murray, a gold medal at the International Wine and Spirit Competition, and a win in an experimental Scotch blind whisky tasting. It will finally make its way to the WoW Expo, and now we’ll have a chance to taste what all the excitement is about. While we’re ready to appreciate the taste and the creativity behind this fine non British-labeled single malt, we’ll mention here its unique characteristic: this three-year old whisky doesn’t feel young at all due to the faster aging process occurring in Taiwan’s warm and humid climate. Very warm and humid compared to Scotland. Sample yourself to see how old the tropical whisky “tastes like” to you, and, as always, cheers to another whisky-achieved locale.

Returning to effluents of the “water of life”: Scotch segment of the Expo will really keep us busy this year, with more unique expressions of highly individualistic single malts bottled by Douglas Laing; Bowmore, Glenrothes and Auchentoshan homestead, specialty releases of Kilchoman and Isle of Arran, exclusives from soul mate Glenlivet and revived and strong Glenglassaugh.

Let’s stop for a moment and talk about evolution. No, not the sociological one, the Glenglassaaugh Evolution, a new release from recently reopened Speyside distillery that turned out amazing and …quite evolutionary. Our sampling of the whisky exceeded all expectations (and we heard aren’t unique in this opinion) as of very defined, refined and other outstandingly characterized whisky in its youthful finesse. The strictly limited bottling has been matured in ex-bourbon casks and has a totally different set of characteristics from Revival- the last new release from this iconic distillery. It makes us feel really special to be able to sample such a bottling at the Expo.

Glengoyne Burns Supper at 21212

For those looking to treat themselves on Burns’ Night rather than make their own, Edinburgh-based, Michelin-starred 21212 is hosting a Glengoyne Burns Supper.

Chef Paul Kitching and his team have devised a special menu for the occasion, which takes place on Thursday 17th January, featuring both the Glengoyne 10yo and 18yo to complement everything from Macsween haggis and chestnut soup to fillet of tender middle cut beef and glazed lemon tart. To celebrate Burns’ Night with Glengoyne and make a reservation, please call the restaurant on 0845 222 1212.

Dear Malt Messenger Subscribers,

Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed the Christmas break. I’ve just spent the last week tearing my house apart and putting it back together again. It’s my first stay-cation in years, and I find myself now in need of a proper vacation. But no such luck, it is straight into the breach… where there will be more than a few drams!

There are some incredible new whiskies available like the 12th Edition Port Ellen, Bowmore 1985 Vintage, Adelphi Lochside 1965 46 Year (which is awesome), Lagavulin 21 Year (which is stunning), Springbank Calvados, Arran Orkney Bere (flying off the shelf) and a slew of new Bruichladdichs: Port Charlotte 10 Year, Octomore 10 Year (sadly sold out), Bruichladdich Bere Barley, Peat Project and more. PC10 was greedily gobbled up by one store, but don’t fret we’ll be getting some shortly, and selling it for $5 less a bottle! I’ve made mention of these and some other whiskies below. On to the upcoming whisky events…

The next couple of weeks are rife with opportunities for sampling premium whisky in Western Canada. First up is Thursday’s 2nd Annual MS Calgary Whisky Festival www.calgarywhiskyfestival.com   with proceeds going towards the MS Society of Calgary. There will be more than 32 stations pouring whiskies from some 60 distilleries and independent bottlers. The event will be held from 6-9PM in the Jack Singer Concert Hall Lobby of the EPCOR Center. Tickets are still available for the event at  HERE which will feature more than 160 whiskies. There are also 3 Master Classes available which will offer sit down tastings with nearly half of the dozen Brand Ambassadors attending HERE .

Friday morning I am off to Victoria where hords of whisky lovers will be converging for the 8th Annual Victoria Whisky Festival www.victoriawhiskyfestival.com  The Victoria Whisky Festival is one of North America’s premiere whisky events, with a festival tasting, grand tastings, dinners and around 50 master classes. I’ll be giving one of the Master Classes for Compass Box, but will otherwise be soaking up the atmosphere, diligently writing tasting notes, and catching up with whisky friends I may only see once a year.

Monday morning after a weekend of dramming I am off to Vancouver where I will be giving a private whisky tasting. The event, which includes a dinner and some rare whiskies (two of them nearly 40 years of age) will run a very reasonable $150. If you’re interested in attending let me know, there are but 2-4 spots left as I write!

Then it is back to Alberta for you guessed it… more whisky events. On Tuesday Jan 22nd we are hosting a Glendronach Vintages vertical tasting which will feature 6 vintage bottlings of Glendronach up to 41 years of age. This will include an advanced sample of the as yet unreleased Glendronach 1989 Cask 5475(PX Sherry Puncheon) from Batch 7. Simultaneously there is a Scotch Malt Whisky Society Tasting with Georgie Bell being held in Edmonton at The Bothy South. Georgie is then coming down to Calgary the following night for a special tasting at the Brasserie in Kensington. Details on both of these tastings can be found at http://www.smws.ca/whisky-tastings/   where you can also register for them.

Finally next week will be capped off with our 8th annual Scots Wha Hae Robbie Burns Supper at Fort Calgary.  This year’s guest of honour is Michael Urquhart of Gordon & MacPhail/Benromach. As a special treat participants will have an opportunity to help us select a private bottling of Benromach to be bottled for KWM. As always our Burns Supper includes a tasting of 6 whiskies, Highland dancing, poetry, song, haggis, and the most fun you can have with your sporran on! I’ve included more details on some of these fine events below. Truly a lot going on this month, and more to come in February.

I hope you enjoy this Malt Messenger Bulletin.

Slainte!

Andrew Ferguson

In This Bulletin

1. MS      Calgary Whisky Festival
2. Glendronach      Vintages Tasting
3. Scotch      Malt Whisky Society Special Tastings in Calgary & Edmonton
4. Scots      Wha Hae – Our 8th Annual Burns Supper
5. New      Whiskies

MS Calgary Whisky Festival– Thursday January 17th 6-9PM

The second annual MS Calgary Whisky Festival is just days away, and there are still some tickets available. This year’s event has attracted the whiskies of more than 58 distilleries and independent bottlers, as well as more than a dozen Brand Ambassadors. More than 160 whiskies will be available for sampling during the 3 hour festival including some very old and rare. All of the proceeds from the event will be going to the MS Society of Calgary  http://mssociety.ca/chapters/calgary/default.htm   .

Tickets for the event can be purchased through the EPCOR Center Box Office by following this link: HERE.

The three Master Classes on offer will feature whiskies not offered in the festival tasting. The Master Classes are $39 and can be booked by calling the EPCOR box office at 403-294-9494 . Please note you need to have a festival ticket to attend a Master Class. Some tickets for the Master Classes may be available at the door. The Master Classes:

1) Benromach vs. Tullibardine vs. Springbank vs. Kilchoman – The first Master Class features four brand ambassadors (Michael Urquhart, Ranald Watson, James Robertson and Peter Wills) going head to head in a game of oneupsmanship, featurings whiskies from their firms: Gordon & MacPhail, Springbank, Tullibardine, and Kilchoman!

2) Scotch Malt Whisky Society w/ Andrew Ferguson – The second Master Class is an initiation into the world of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, the world’s largest whisky club, and will feature a range of their whiskies, some never before sampled in Canada!

3) Morrison Bowmore with Ian MacCallum Last but not least Ian MacCallum of Morrison Bowmore will lead a tasting including the new 1985 vintage (of which fewer than 40 bottles have come to Alberta!).

Info on the Master Classes can be found here: http://www.calgarywhiskyfestival.com/master-classes/

I will be posting the full whisky list for the event and the Master Classes on the KWM Blog tomorrow, Wednesday January 16th: https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/blog/ 

Glendronach Vintages Tasting – Tuesday January 22nd 7PM – $80

This tastings and the whiskies for it were decided upon in mid-November. Since then, all but one bottle of these five Batch 6 vintage Glendronachs have sold out: 1971, 1978, 1989, 1990 and 1993. To be fair, we did only receive 6 bottles of each, and the demand for Glendronach is soaring. To make the tasting just a little bit more interesting, Glendronach has kindly sent me an advanced bottle of the 1989 Cask 5475. Released as part of Batch 7 which is still many months away.

Since a change of ownership in 2008 Glendronach has been releasing some of the finest sherried whiskies in Scotland. Once a year we receive just one 6 bottle case of each of 5 different single cask, vintage bottlings of Glendronach. These single cask bottling usually disappear the moment they land. This vertical tasting is an excellent opportunity to see why Glendronach is rapidly becoming one of Scotland’s most respected distilleries.

https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php

Scotch Malt Whisky Society Special Tastings in Calgary & Edmonton 

Georgie Bell, Scotch Malt Whisky Society Ambassador will be making her way through Alberta next week to put on special tastings in both Edmonton and Calgary.

The Edmonton Tasting will be taking place at The Bothy Wine and Whisky Bar on Calgary Trail, Tuesday January 22nd at 6:30PM. Tickets are $65/members and $75/guests. Tickets can be bought by clicking onto this link: http://www.smws.ca/whisky-tastings/scotch-malt-whisky-society-edmonton-tasting-at-the-bothy-south/

1. The Calgary Tasting will      be at the Brasserie Kensington, in… Kensington. The Calgary tasting is      an Islay theme (Taste of Islay), also starting at 6:30 on Wednesday      January 23rd. Tickets are $65/members and $75/guests. They can be      purchased by following this link: http://www.smws.ca/whisky-tastings/scotch-malt-whisky-society-taste-of-islay-at-the-brasserie-kensington/    

Scots Wha Hae: Our 8th Annual Robbie Burns Supper – Friday January 25th 7PM – Fort Calgary Officer’s Mess – $99

What can I say, except that our Burns Supper has become a January institution in Calgary. Usually held on the 25th (Burns Day proper) our event hybridizes a traditional Burns Supper with a whisky tasting. This is our 8th year hosting the event and our 5th partnering with Fort Calgary. The event is held in the stately  Officer’s Mess, which has always put on an excellent meal for us. Every year we invite a special guest, in this case Mr. Michael Urquhart of Benromach Distillery and Gordon & MacPhail (the world’s most respected independent bottler). Over the course of the evening Michael will tell us a little about his firm and its distillery while guiding us through a tasting of six single malt whiskies. There will also be a bagpipes, haggis, poetry, Highland dancing and song. A feast for your eyes, ears, nose, palate and soul. This event is usually capped at 120 participants, and is more than half sold!

https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php

New Whiskies

1. Lagavulin 21 Year–      We managed to get our hands on a few more of these than planned. Only 60      bottles came into Alberta (probably Canada), we managed to get our hands      on 24 of them, and we have just 6 left! – $841.99
2. Port Ellen 12the      Release 32 Year – After two years of getting the shaft, Diageo      has seen fit to send some to Alberta. Am not sure how much came in, but I      only have access to 18 bottles, 8 of which are already spoken for. This      will likely be the last distillery bottling we see in this province. Even      the most reasonably priced independent bottling of Port Ellen now sells      for $500 or more! – $1424.99 (yes, sadly that is the      price, and it doesn’t include GST)
3. Adelphi Lochside      1965 46 Year – Tried this one with Alex Bruce in Edinburgh this      fall and it is even better than the last. Some good reviews online.      Alcohol is 52.3%. Gold Medal from the Malt Maniacs. This is a single blend      (grain and malt blended before going into the cask), matured in a single      sherry cask, and a great buy for 46 years… Only 12 available! – $399.99
4. Bruichladdich      Octomore 10 Year – Apparently only a very small amount coming      into Alberta. 50% 80.5PPM. Total of 6,000 bottles produced. Not even sure      how much we are getting! – $245.99 Coming in tomorrow and all      spoken for!
5. Bruichladdich Bere      Barley – One of two Bere Barley whiskies released this month, see      the Arran below! – $66.49
6. PC10 –      Final bottling in the PC Series. Also somewhat limited, and not to be      confused with the Port Charlotte 10 Year($65.99) which is also coming in      this week and will be a regular release!We were expecting some last week      but one store felt they should buy every bottle in Alberta. But no      problem, we’ll be getting some in 6 weeks, and selling it for $5 less! –      $119.99
7. Port Charlotte 10      Year – Not to be confused with PC10. – $66.99
8. Arran Orkney Bere      – Only 5,800 bottles of this collaboration between Arran distillery and      the Orkney Agriculture Institute. Has been getting a fair bit of press in      the whisky industry. This has been flying off the shelf, I’m surprised      anyone knew it was here. $80.49
9. BenRiach 1994      Companions of the Quaich Peated Virgin Oak Finish – About 20      bottles were left over after club members had their fill, and we are      making these available to the general public. It is a sister cask and a      more heavily peated version of the KWM BenRiach! – $117.49
10. Glenglassaugh Rare      Cask Series: This leather bound pack is a steal, containing 3      200ml Glenglassaughs: 26 Year, 37 Year and 43 Year. A 200ml of the 43 Year      alone should be $714, based on the price of the full bottles (when it was      available), meaning you are effectively getting this charming little set      at 35% discount, and they are throwing in the 26 and 37 years olds as a      bonus! You are basically getting $1000 worth of whisky for =>      $499.99  

* And this is just a taste more to come in next week’s Malt Messenger!

——————–

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, and don’t include GST. In the event of discrepancies, the 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 & Operator

Ferguson’s Whisky Tours

www.fergusonwhiskytours.com

Masters Series Winter 2013

Join us for a series of tastings featuring wine and spirits
chosen by one of America’s foremost wine and spirits authorities,
F. Paul Pacult, editor of The Spirit Journal.

Tuesday, January 29, 7:00 p.m.

Robbie Burns Night Celebration
with Macallan and Highland Park

Please join us to celebrate our annual tribute to the life, works and spirit of the greatest Scot, featuring some of Scotland’s greatest spirits: Macallan and Highland Park.
Accompany Master of the Quaich and scotch author F. Paul Pacult through an unforgettable celebration of Scotland’s favorite son, replete with bagpipes, haggis and the recitation of the immortal “Ode to Haggis”

Come taste:

Macallan 12
Macallan 15
Macallan 18
Highland Park 12
Highland Park 15
Highland Park 18
Highland Park 25
Highland Park 30

$95 per person

For reservations call Keens Steakhouse (212) 947-3636
– Please register early as we expect this event to sell out –

Please fax back to us at (212) 714-1103

ISLAY Thursday 7.2.13 £20/17*

Bruichladdich Bere barley 2006 50%

Port Charlotte The Peat Project 40ppm 46%

Lagavulin 12yo 56.1% Diageo Special Release 2012

Bunnahabhain 22yo 1989 – 10/12 48.1% Bourbon hogshead 252 bottles

Caol Ila 14yo 59.3% unpeated European oak Diageo Special Release 2012

ENTRY BY PRE-PAID TICKET ONLY
*£3 discount to first timers & members