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 Dear Malt Messenger Subscribers,
I’m just back from Scotland where I spent a week visiting a mix of distilleries, some new to yours truly, as well as some old favourites. Along the way I met some wonderful people, saw some beautiful sights and tasted some lovely whiskies. I had hoped to find the time to blog and tweet in real-time while I travelled, but this proved easier said than done especially considering I spent most of my time in remote areas with limited access to Wi-Fi and mobile communications. Over the next week or so I will continue to catch up on tweets and posts from my trip. You can read them here at www.twitter.com/scotch_guy and www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/blog .
The next Malt Messenger is a couple of weeks away; in the meantime I have a few bulletins and some news to share.
We’ve just received the latest shipment of Distiller’s Edition bottlings from Diageo. Just in today we have the latest vintage bottlings from Lagavulin, Oban, Royal Lochnagar and Clynelish. Due to the dramatic increase in demand for these whiskies in developing and BRIC markets these whiskies are getting harder and harder to come by. I have included the prices for all of them below. We will also have some Lagavulin 16 Year in a couple of weeks’ time.
Willie Tait of Jura Distillery was in the house last night for another incredible tasting. He really is one of the most entertaining brand ambassadors in the industry, and he guided us through a tasting of 7 whiskies, five of them from Jura, and two others one each from Fettercairn and Dalmore. The highlight of the tasting was without doubt the 1976 vintage Jura, but even the 10 year old impressed. I’ve included a few photos and some tasting notes from last night’s tasting.
Finally, I was at the Tomatin Distillery last week (exactly a week ago as a matter of fact), for a tour and tasting. I’ve never been there before, and as I knew the product would be shortly coming into Alberta I thought I should make a point of visiting. I was surprised to learn that it was the largest distillery in Scotland in the 1970s, 1/3 larger event than today’s largest distilleries: Glenfiddich and Roseisle. The distillery, like the industry as a whole, went through a dramatic readjustment in the early 80’s and today it produces little more than a tenth of its peak production. The owners of the distillery have been aggressively pushing the brand in the single malt market, while still producing their well respected blend Antiquary. I have the complete list of Tomatins available below, as well some info on the distillery.
I hope you enjoy this Malt Messenger Bulletin, and that it finds you well. The first traces of snow may have fallen on the city, but there is plenty of whisky to keep our spirits high.
Slainté!
Andrew Ferguson
DIAGEO DISTILLERS EDITION BOTTLINGS
The following 4 Distillers Edition bottlings have just come in from Diageo. Very limited in stock, I don’t expect them to last long. We did get some Clynelish Distillers Edition in the spring, but am not sure this is the same vintage:
- Clynelish Distillers Edition 2012 – 46% – Distilled 1997 – Finished in Oloroso Seco casks – My Tasting Note: Nose: bags of orange notes, orange citrus, candied orange and dried orange peel; the waxy honeyed notes Clynelish is famous for come out with patience and some ginge spice; Palate: creamy and spicy with more candied orange, orange peel, dried ginger and thick-waxy-creamy-unpasteurized honey; the spices take over on the second sip with some dried fruits; Finish: coating, waxy and spicy fruits! (Tasting Note is from the batch received in the Spring, may be the same). – $99.99 + GST
- Lagavulin Distillers Edition 2012 – 43% – Distilled 1996 – Finished in PX Sherry Casks – $145.99 + GST
- Oban Distillers Edition 2012 – 43% – Distilled 1997 – Finished in Montilla Fino casks – $145.99 + GST
- Royal Lochnagar Distillers Edition 2011- 40% – Distilled 1998 – We had one a couple of years ago, believe it was a 2010 batch. – $85.99 + GST
LASTNIGHT’S JURA TASTING W/ WILLIE TAIT
The ever entertaining Willie Tait of Jura distillery put on a wonderful tasting last night for a full house at Kensington Wine Market. Willie is a colourful character, and a man who’s being around the Scotch whisky industry for decades managing Jura, Bruichladdich, Fettercairn and Tamnavulin distilleries to name just a few. It was under his management that Jura, Bruichladdich and Fettercairn distilleries all experimented with peated malt. In the case of Jura the first instance was purely by accident when a truck of malt destined for Caol Ila in 1996 mistakenly dumped its malt into Jura’s bins. The mistake wasn’t noticed until the first mash of the wrong barley was well underway. The resulting spirit was exchanged with Diageo and the odd cask of it has popped up over the years. It wasn’t for another couple of years that the distillery intentionally began laying down spirit made from peated malt.
Willie guided us through a tasting of seven malts last night. Here they are with some tasting notes by yours truly, possibly somewhat dulled by the effects of Jet Lag:
- Jura 10 Year – 40% – My Tasting Note: Nose: sugary white fruits, white chocolate and candied orange, honey and softly earthy malt; Palate: creamy and malty with honey and soft toasted oak; orange citrus and grassy malt with sea salt; Finish: very creamy, citrusy and salty-grasses. – $47.49 + GST
- Jura Paps Mountain of the Sound 15 Year – 46% – Cabernet Sauvignon Finish – 1366 Bottles – My Tasting Note: Nose: nutty, leathery and earthy with some creamy notes and classic orange citrus; unusually it reminds me of Reese Peanut Butter Cups; Palate: leather, more peanut butter cups, sour fruits: cherries and plumbs, teriyaki beef jerki and soy sauce; Finish: creamy, leathery, earthy and nutty with more soy sauce. – $160ish – Not available in Canada, special treat courtesy of J Wheelock of Authentic
- Jura Boutique Barrels Bourbon 1995 – 56.5% – Finished in Premium Bourbon Casks – Exclusive to KWM – My Tasting Note: Nose: almonds, toasted coconut, roasted barley, coffee grounds, charred oak and dried oranges with perfumed soap; Palate: more coffee grounds, toasted coconut, charred oak and buttery oils with chewy malt; burnt sugar, cream and burnt orange; Finish: very toasty, more coffee notes with dried orange and vanilla cream. – $114.99 + GST
- Fettercairn Fior- 42% – Lightly peated Fettercairn Finished in Sherry – Exclusive to KWM – My Tasting Note: Nose: candied orange, cured leather, chocolate, brandy and a backbone of creamy vanilla, soft earthy peat and spice; Palate: lots of candied orange, soft spice, polished leather, burnt fruits, black licorice and candied fennel with a base of cream; Finish: creamy and spicy retaining the same soft earthy barley and licorice. – $71.99 + GST
- Dalmore Castle Leod – 46% – Bourbon and Sherry Matured finished in Chateau Lafite – 5000 total bottles – Exclusive to KWM – My Tasting Note: Nose: Christmas cake, wet leather and brandy soaked cherries; barley sugar, unpeeled oranges and grapefruits; milk chocolate, some salted fish (salmon) and earthy peppery notes with sautéed strawberries; Palate: more Christmas cake and candied fruit notes with fresh strawberries; lush caramel, milk chocolate, orange marmalade and floral nutty notes; it is big and creamy with uncured leather; Finish: soft and honeyed with more orange marmalade, chocolate covered coffee beans and coffee liqueur. – $183.99 + GST
- Jura Prophecy – 46% – Heavily Peated Jura – My Tasting Note: Nose: maritime and brackish, wet wood smoke, salt water toffee, licorice root, grapefruit juice and orange peel; Palate: big toasted coconut, soft-salty-smoke, chewy barley, candied fennel, cigar smoke and blood orange with oily peat; Finish: oily peat, chewy malt, floral heather and oak sugars. – $110.99 + GST
- Jura 1976 Feith A’ Chaorainn – 46% – 35 Years – 500 Total Bottles Produced – We have 3 still available all of them signed by Willie Tait – My Tasting Note: Nose: melons, peaches and very creamy with honey and tropical fruits; nectarines and Worther’s Caramels; Palate: exceptionally creamy, more melons and tropical fruits, subtle spice, candied orange and soft white chocolate; Finish: long, creamy and very well balanced highlighting the same tropical fruits. – $794.99 + GST – Only 3 left!
INTRODUCING TOMATIN
When I planned my recent trip to Scotland this fall, I did so with an eye to visiting distilleries I’d never been to before. I hit up Glencadam, Tomintoul, Glenturret and many others I’d never been to before. During this planning stage it became known that Tomatin whiskies would be launched in Alberta later in the fall. I knew I had to get out there to see what the place was all about. On Wednesday September 26th, exactly a week ago today I pulled up to the distillery located just off the A9 between Aviemore and Inverness in the foothills of the Cairngorms.
Tomatin distillery was founded in 1897 during a period of boom in the whisky industry. It was built near the village of Tomatin, on a site where cattle drovers are believed to have stop to rest, and buy illicit whisky since the 16th Century. The distillery was built near to a railway that connected Inverness with central Scotland. The distillery even had its own rail sidings to aid with the delivery of supplies and transport of product away to markets. Like many of Scotland’s distilleries it was a victim of the Pattison Whisky Crash and closed in 1906.
The distillery’s closure was short lived, reopening in 1909 under Tomatin Distillers Co. Ltd. In 1956 the distillery doubled its production going from 2 to 4 stills. Just two years later another 2 stills were added. Four more stills were added in 1961 and another in 1964. By 1974 the distillery had a total of 23 stills operating with a capacity of 13,000,000L per year. From 1974 through 1985 it was the largest distillery in Scotland, but the good times were not to last. Another crash in the whisky industry caused a cavalcade of distillery closures in the early 1980’s and Tomatin was not spared. Fortunately a Japanese firm came to the rescue in 1986, making Tomatin the first Scottish distillery to be acquired by a Japanese firm. In 1997 the owners added the Antiquary blend to their Scottish possesions.
Today Tomatin distillery has a maximum capacity of 5,000,000L, but it is only producing about 1.8 million a year. The scale of the distillery is still vast and it is easy to see what a massive operation must have once operated here. The massive still room has a dozen stills, but is only half full. The distillery does relatively large 8 ton mashes, filling 40,000L stainless steel washbacks. Currently the distillery is storing about 153,000 casks on site, most of them their own, with a maximum capacity of 250,000 in 43 warehouses. The distillery has a tanker filling room that was once used as an eel farm and for the last six years it has been producing some peated spirit. The oldest cask of Tomatin on site is from 1967.
Kensington Wine Market will be bringing in the full range of Tomatin whiskies over the next few months, the range available to use is as follows:
- Tomatin 12 Year – 40% – Matured in 1st fill bourbon barrels, refill American oak casks and Spanish sherry butts. The 12 year old is married exclusively in Spanish sherry butts prior to bottling. – Official Tasting Notes: Aroma: A complex, fresh and airy bouquet which contains rich malt and fruity aromas with a hint of peatiness. Palate: The palate is rewarded with a unique combination of attractive flavours – a balance of apples, pears and malt with a gentle hint of nuttiness introduced by the subtle use of sherry wood. Very smooth and silky. Finish: A wonderfully rich and elegant taste produces a long and satisfying finish; there is an oily richness which leads to a desire for more. $56.99 + GST
- Tomatin 15 Year – 43% – Matured in refill American Oak casks – Official Tasting Notes: Aroma: Light and fresh, with delicate oaky notes coming through. An explosion of fruit follows with peach and citrus flavours dominating, vanilla and orange peel linger in the background. Taste: Soft, gentle and very fruity. Smooth, medium body, delicate honey, mild orange and apricot. Finish: Gentle and soft flowing. A wonderful addition to the standard range. $79.49 + GST
- Tomatin 18 Year – 46% – Re fill American oak casks, married in Oloroso sherry butts prior to bottling. – Official Tasting Notes: Nose: Angelica root, oranges, sherbert, toffee, ginger, Demerara rum. Mouth: Quite dry, woody and spicy. Raisings, sultanas, ginger cake, oloroso sherry, tobacco. Finish: Nice chewy, woodspice. $105.99 + GST
- 92.5pts Whisky Bible
- Tomatin 21 Year – 52% -European and American Oak – 2400 Total Bottles Produced – Official Tasting Notes: Nose: Soft with mild fruits (peach, kiwi and stewed rhubarb or gooseberry). Slight menthol and spice of fresh cayenne pepper at the back. Water brings out more of the fiery spice with fruit sorbet to cool. Palate: Cheap peach perfume, kiwi fruit, some sour woody notes and lemon. Possibly a hint of smoke coming through. Reduced, the sweetness is more evident but flavours dulled. Finish: More kiwi, becoming woody and bitter. $TBA – Arriving in a month or two.
- Tomatin 30 Year – 46% – European and American Oak – 1500 Total Bottles Produced – Official Tasting Notes: Nose -Intense juicy aromas arouse the senses – Green Apples, Passion Fruit, Honey Dew Melon, Blackcurrant and Blueberries. Citrus notes come to the fore all the while a candy sweetness drifts along with hints of polished leather in the background. Palate – Gooseberry, Ginger and Hazelnuts make way for spicy oak which hits the middle of the tongue. The oak is balanced beautifully by a honey sweetness that drifts to the back of the palate. Finish – Long, clean and pleasurable. $TBA – Arriving in a month or two.
- Tomatin Decades – 46% – Produced by selecting one cask each from the 5 decades master distiller Douglas Campbell has worked for the distillery. 50 years in total! – Official Tasting Notes: Aroma – A lovely sweet maltiness gives way to juicy, fruity aromas of fresh peach, apple and pear with gentle hints of dried apricots and raisins. Delicate flowery notes sit on top of rich pine and robust oak wood. The hint of a distant smouldering fire wafts about in the background. Palate – The taste buds are tantalised by intense flavours of tropical fruit, rich Christmas cake, aniseed, cinnamon and creamy fudge. The rich malty sweetness returns with a nutty edge. Finish – Mellow and memorable, like the man himself. $185.49 + GST
Also Available by Special Order:
- Antiquary 12 Year Blended Scotch Whisky – 40% – $43.99 + GST
- Antiquary 21 Year Blended Scotch Whisky – 43% – $112.49 + GST
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
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