Second Saturday Scotch Sipping at Six

2nd Saturday each month 6 – 9 p.m. no reservation required

Enjoy 5 half-ounce samples of single malt Scotch whisky: $20

♦ We feature 3 single malts, including a Malt of the Month *

♦ You roll a die then pick a whisky from one of the six Scotch regions

♦ You pick your Connoisseur’s Choice from our menu of single malt menu 

Peruse our whisky library. Learn about our single malts in our menu book: distillery info, tasting notes, & more. Enjoy light hors d’oeuvres. Non-whisky drinkers welcome.

2012 Features:

10% off bottles of the Malt of the Month * 

April 14 

Tullibardine Aged Oak *
Bruichladdich Laddie Ten
Highland Park 12 yo 

May 12 

Balblair 1997 *
Edradour 10 yo
Glenkinchie 12 yo 

June 9 

Kilkerran Work in Progress 3 (2011) *
Isle of Jura 16 yo
Deanston Virgin Oak 

Price goes to $25 July 14 

Balvenie Signature 12 yo Batch 4 *
Glenrothes Alba Reserve
Tullibardine 1993 

August 11 

Glengoyne 10 yo *
Ledaig 10 yo 46.3%
Tomatin 18 yo 

September 8 

Glen Grant 10 yo *
Bruichladdich Links –St. Andrews
Edradour 2003 Port Cask

Bob at work….

Visit the Miner’s Delight Inn at http://www.minersdelightinn.com/

Love bourbon? Travel? Here’s a unique way to combine both passions:  

Join us for our “Ultimate Bourbon Experience,” April 26-29, 2012, in Kentucky, the bourbon capital of the world. This is not your average Bourbon Trail tour, but consists of exclusive experiences thatcan’t be found anywhere else. The trip includes private opportunities to sample, create, and buy rare spirits; learn from small craft distillers and industry icons; and generally indulge in a favorite hobby in a relaxing and truly memorable way.  

Highlights include: 

• Private Distillery Access: We’ll enjoy the rare opportunity to privately tour the Willett distillery, which is not open to the public, but is renowned for its small batch bourbons like its Pot Still Reserve and Old Bardstown Collection. We’ll sample and can purchase bourbons not available anywhere else in the world. We’ll also enjoy an extended, behind-the scenes tour of the Buffalo Trace distillery, home of Pappy Van Winkle, among other legendary and new experimental bourbons. Both tours will be private and led by expert distillers and owners; at Buffalo Trace, we’ll be instructed as we share in the rare opportunity to sample and then select a barrel to be bottled exclusively for our group. 
•  In-Depth Interaction with Industry Insiders and Icons: We’ll spend one evening pairing fine bourbons and a special dinner with Mike Veach of the Filson Historical Society in Louisville. Mike has been inducted to the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame, and is known as “the only professional bourbon historian in the country.” Another night, we’ll discuss all things bourbon with Lincoln and Wes Henderson, who many bourbon aficionados know from Woodford Reserve and Old Forester, and recently for their Angel’s Envy brand, a unique bourbon aged in port wine casks that Bourbon Buzz called “a Spiritual Awakening.” 
• BourbonFest Sampler in Bardstown: We’ll attend this more intimate version of the iconic Kentucky Bourbon Festival. We’ll meet Master Distillers, brand ambassadors, and industry experts, tasting many offerings, and as desired bid in a silent auction of unique bourbon items.
• Relaxed VIP Treatment, Small Group: This will be an indulgent trip in terms of accommodations, transportation, cuisine and bourbon, but will be enjoyed in the company of a small, relaxed group. A quick getaway to Louisville, but years of memories: truly a Trip for the Bucket (Barrel) List!  

Further information can be found on our websites: http://www.t100g.com/bourbon, or www.bourbonimmersion.com. 

You can also reach me directly at travelbluesfood@me.com

KBF Scholarships Applications Now Available

(Bardstown, KY) — High school seniors whose parents are employed by a distillery that participates in the Kentucky Bourbon Festival can apply for one of two Kentucky Bourbon Festival Scholarships. The scholarships are sponsored by Smith Brothers Trucking, Chuck Smith; Bluegrass Ice, Ronnie Rogers; Toddy’s Liquors, Guthrie McKay; and Woodford Reserve Distillery.

Parents can pick up a 2012 application form at the distillery where they work or from the festival office in Bardstown. The parent must have been employed by the distillery for at least five years.

One $1,500 scholarship and one $1,000 scholarship will be awarded. The scholarships are one-year awards. The winners will be announced at the Bardstown Sampler on April 28. Applications must be postmarked by March 31. Please mail applications to: The Kentucky Bourbon Festival Scholarship, One Court Square, Bardstown, KY 40004.

For more information, call the festival office at 502-348-3623 or 800-638-4877 and select option 4.

The Kentucky Bourbon Festival Inc. is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. The bill designating the Bardstown festival as the state’s official bourbon festival established the scholarship.

All Kentucky Bourbon Festival press releases can be downloaded from the press room on our web site, www.kybourbonfestival.com.

Andrew writes, 

Our Spring Tasting Schedule is now online:  https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php .

We have 28 new tastings to delight and entertain you over the coming months including 4 new Scotch Malt Whisky Society Tastings, a Japanese Single Malt Tasting, an American Whiskey as well as rum and tequila tastings. I’ve lost track of whether this is the 4th or 5th Spring Single Malt Festival, so we’ll just call it our Annual Spring Single Malt Festival. It will feature no less than 100 of the best whiskies in the province, and is limited to as many people; so don’t delay grabbing a ticket or two. The night after the festival, as is tradition, we will be hosting a special tasting, in this case, The Ultimate Dalmore Tasting. The tasting will feature two different Dalmore 40 Year Olds (the old bottling as well as the new Aurora), the 45 Year Old Astrum and three other rare old Dalmore vintages including the 1978 and 1974. It will be a memorable evening, and we might just attract a special guest! I am also especially psyched about our Japanese whisky tasting “Lost in Translation”. This special tasting will feature a flight of 7 Japanese whiskies, 4 of which are exceptionally rare vintage expressions. 

Whatever your taste there is lots to offer. As always the tastings fill on a first serve basis, and you can register in store, by phone 403-283-8000 and online https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php . 

There are also some exciting new whiskies in stock too! Though you will have to wait until the next Full Malt Messenger for more details on them, here is a teaser:

1. Compass Box The Last Vatted Malt – A not so subtle poke in the eye of the SWA (Scotch Whisky Association) who changed the rules classifying whisky types; not to everyone’s advantage… Much more in the Malt Messenger about this exclusive KWM whisky. – 53.7% – A marriage of 35 year old sherried Speyside whisky and 26 year old peated Islay whisky. – $247.99 + GST
2. Glenfiddich 40 Year 2011 – World Whiskies Awards 2012 Double Winner:Best Speyside 21 Years & Over and Best Speyside Whisky – $2729.99 + GST
3. Masterson’s 10 Year Canadian Rye Whisky – Canadian Whisky Awards Whisky of the Year! – $106.99 + GST
4. Auchroisk 20 Year – Official Diageo bottling. – 58.1% – Allegedly a desert whisky with some sherried tones. – $245.99 + GST
5. Glen Spey 21 Year – Official Diageo bottling. – 50.4% – Allegedly a desert whisky with some sherried tones. – $374.99 + GST
6. Jim Beam the Devil’s Cut – Whisky extracted from used oak barrels! The legends are true… – $29.99 + GST

• And that’s a just a taste, the High West Whiskies Are Back Too!

Spring Tasting Schedule Excluding SMWS Tastings

1. Glendronach Vintages Tasting You’ll be tantalized by a lineup of no less than 6 Glendronach single cask vintage bottlings. We will sample 2 different 1972s, including our own exclusive cask. Move over Macallan, Glendronach is the new Sheriff of heavily sherried whisky! Thr Apr 12 – $70
2. Whisky Women & Chocolate Round up the gals and join our scotch expert, Andrew Ferguson, for a pairing of fine whisky and premium chocolate. Lassies only. Fri Apr 20 – $50
3. Bourbon, Rye and Other American Whiskies There is more to American whiskey than Bourbon. We’ll sample straight rye, Tennessee whiskey, American single malt whiskey and other treats! Tue May 8 – $50
4. Rare Malts Only the oldest and rarest whiskies need apply. Taste whiskies which have been matured more than 20 years and are from closed distilleries, or are exceptionally rare. Thr May 31 – $75
5. Lost in TranslationThe Japanese have been making Single Malts and Blends in the Scottish style for nearly a century. We’ve assembled a flight of some very rare Japanese whiskies for this special tasting. Tue June 12 – $60
6. Spring Single Malt Festival Our biannual whisky festival is not the biggest in the city, but it features the most interesting and eclectic lineup of whiskies in Alberta. 100 customers, 80+ whiskies and your own Glencairn glass! Thr Jun 14 – $60
7. The Ultimate Dalmore Tasting The Dalmore is one of the iconic whiskies of the Northern Highlands. We’re featuring seven distillery bottled Dalmores including two different 40 year olds (the old one and the new Aurora) and the 45 year old Astrum. This will be a one of a kind, once in a lifetime, ultimate vertical tasting of The Dalmore. Fri Jun 15 – $250
8. Master Malt This tasting will push your palate to its limits with a lineup of very rare and old whiskies like Macallan 25 Year, Glendronach Grandeur and Glenfarclas 40! Tue Jun 26 – $100

Scotch Malt Whisky Society First Friday Tastings

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is the world’s largest whisky club, with more than 26,000 members worldwide and bottling more than 300 casks a year exclusively for its members. Calgary’s Kensington Wine Market is its Canadian embassy selling memberships, bottlings and helping fascilitate tastings. For more information on the Soctch Malt Whisky Society Canada, including the perks of membership, please check out www.smws.ca .

Every month the Society launches 7-8 new whiskies in Canada, holding a tasting on the First Friday of the month to celebrate the release and taste the whiskies. The time and venue of the events will depend on the level of interest in them on a month to month basis. The next four First Friday tastings are as follows: 

1. Scotch Malt Whisky Society First Friday IV – The April First Friday will be held at the Kensington Wine Market, with two sessions, one form 5-6PM and the other from 7-8PM. We are capping April at 48 total registrants unless there is enough demand to fill a third sessions from 3-4PM. – April 6 $35 Member and $45 Guests
2. Scotch Malt Whisky Society First Friday V – Location and time TBD. – May 4 $35 Member and $45 Guests
3. Scotch Malt Whisky Society First Friday VI – Location and time TBD. – June 1 $35 Member and $45 Guests
4. Scotch Malt Whisky Society First Friday VII – Location and time TBD. – July 6 $35 Member and $45 Guests

A quick note from the Dundee Dell;

Hello Dell Friends –

We have a special scotch tasting this Sunday (April 1) at 4 p.m., Mary and Scott have picked out some great scotch and are going to do a BLIND tasting. I’m really excited for this tasting because I wonder what they’ll throw in there to have fun on April Fools Day! It’s $50 per person plus tax and gratuity. Make sure to make a reservation (www.dundeedell.com or 402.553.9501) because this one will be packed!

Bowmore Islay Single Malt Whisky Dinner

Date: Friday, March 30th, 2012

Time: 7 pm

Place: Cork & Fin, 221 Carrall St., Gastown

Join Iain McCallum, Master of Malts, as he hosts a very special Bowmore Whisky Dinner prepared by Cork & Fin’s Chef.

Iain first joined Morrison Bowmore at 16 years of age, and was initially employed as a trainee lab technician within the distiller’s Springburn head office. He quickly became committed to a career in the whisky industry and rose through the ranks from qualifying as an organic chemist at 22, his roles included four years as trainee distilleries manager at Auchentoshan, Bowmore and Glen Garioch. This role was hands-on, involving everything from malting and mashing to working the night shift. It was during this period he worked with legendary Bowmore distillery manager Eddie MacAffer and gained a tremendous amount from his expertise. He was later appointed senior blender for Morrison Bowmore then, in addition, distillery manager at Auchentoshan. Iain was believed to be Scotland’s youngest distillery manager when appointed at 30 years of age – certainly the youngest in Auchentoshan’s 185 year history. In his current appointment as Master of Malts, he leads consumer and trade education through tastings, Master Classes and experiential events around the world.

~ MENU ~

Russell Brewing Brewmaster Series ‘wee angry scotch ale’

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Freshly shucked oysters*

Champagne & cracked pepper mignonette & classic garnishes

Bowmore 12 years Old

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Seafood in Scotch Whisky Sauce

Local Salmon, Scallops & Lobster in classic whisky Sauce

Bowmore 15 years Old

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Grilled Beef Sirloin

Roast nugget potatoes & Baby carrots

Bowmore Tempest II

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Dark Chocolate bread pudding

Made with bitter dark chocolate

Bowmore Laimrig

$95 per person

Excluding tax & gratuity

*Eating raw or uncooked fish, shellfish, eggs, or meat increases the risk of food borne illnesses.

www.corkandfin.ca

Limited seating available. RSVP to confirm your seats to Irene Lau – irenel@liffordwine.com

Come enjoy an afternoon with Curtis McMillan of the McMillan Distillery & Corey Bunnewith (on the bar) while they take the prohibition recipe of Moonshine and turn it into a cocktail you wont be able to live without. From the success of the last class involving moonshine, we’ve decided to do a second class on the white spirits and infusions. We’re looking to push the boundaries of what’s thought to be possible with white spirits and help the customer try new and exciting taste that they’ve never had before. We’ll be sampling eight different infusions and will also be talk about how the consumer can make these infusions themselves at home. Bottoms Up!

curtis@mcmillandistillery.com

Friday, March 30th at Silicon Valley Capital Club, San Jose

ImpEx Beverages will conduct a tasting  seminar featuring the following brands (please see the link below for the information)…

THE LINK

Saturday, March 31st ImpEx Beverages, Inc. will be participating in the Whiskies of the World Expo