Dear Malt Messenger Subscribers,
Welcome to the Kensington Wine Market’s 2011 Fall Whisky Week(s). Things are getting busy at the market and there is a lot going on. The Scotch Malt Whisky Society Canadian branch had a tasting last Friday night to launch 7 new whiskies. A standing room only crowd of 34 individuals sampled their way through a new Laphroaig, Bladnoch, Linkwood and others, and sales were brisk. Three of the whiskies virtually sold out that night and all of them showed well. I will include the latest Canadian Outturn of SMWS whiskies below.
Tonight the Kensington Wine Market is playing host to Willie Tait, Brand Ambassador for the Isle of Jura Distillery who will lead us through a tasting of whiskies from Jura distillery including: 10 Year, 16 Year, 21 Year, Superstition, Prophecy and a special treat distilled in 1974 which is extremely rare. There are more details below on tonight’s Jura tasting and a few tickets to boot. The following night, Wednesday the 9th, Alistair Walker of BenRiach/Glendronach distilleries will be hosting a special whisky dinner for us at Buchanan’s Chop House to celebrate the release of our latest cask of whisky. While at the distillery in May of this year my tour participants and I stumbled upon a spectacular 39 year old cask of Glendronach distilled in 1972. It impressed us all so much we had bottled for the store. It is a fruit bomb and one of the Top 10 whiskies I’ve ever tasted… and this will be your first opportunity to taste it. We will also be sampling the Glendronach Grandeur and 5 other whiskies bottled by the Glendronach and BenRiach. The event will be held at Buchanan’s Chop House and will feature a sumptuous 3 course meal! There are still a few tickets left with more details following below.
Thursday night is the big show, our annual Fall Single Malt Festival. The event is open to 100 participants and features as many whiskies focusing on premium and rare bottlings. Both of our new casks for this fall will be open for sampling and available for sale: Glendronach 1972 KWM Cask 711 and Kilchoman KWM Sherry Cask; more on both of those in the next Malt Messenger. This event is getting more and more popular every year, and has been sold out for the last 6 weeks. But don’t despair; there are still tickets available for the two preceding events, as well as our Rare Malts Tasting a week today! Finally our Whisky Week(s) events conclude on Wednesday November 16th with a by invitation only Laphroaig tasting to be hosted at the store by Simon Brooking. It’s a busy couple of weeks to be sure, even more so when you consider all the new whiskies being released, but you’ll have to wait for the next full Malt Messenger for details on those!
I hope you enjoy this Malt Messenger Bulletin.
Slainté!
Andrew Ferguson
JURA DISTILLERY WITH WILLIE TAIT Tonight (apologies – WI did not receive this in time to publish on the 8th) – $40
Tuesday November 8th at 7PM KWM – $40 – The distillery is named for the isle from which it hails, just to the northwest of Islay. Only 180 residents call it home today alongside 5000 deer. The distillery produces both a heavily and lightly peated style, as well as a middle of the road expression which combines the two. This tasting will feature Jura 10, 16, 21, Superstition and Prophecy as well as a 1974 mystery bottling which will alone make the tasting worthwhile!
GLENDRONACH 1972 CASK RELEASE DINNER Wednesday Nov 9th – $135
Wednesday November 9th at 7PM Buchanan’s Chophouse – $135 – Alistair will be dropping in to host a special whisky dinner themed on Glendronach and BenRiach distilleries to celebrate the launch of our latest cask, Glendronach 1972 KWM Cask 711! This is an absolutely stunning whisky which will be complimented by the new BenRiach Birnie Moss and 12 Year Sherry Wood as well as the new Glendronach 15 Year Tawny Port, 21 Year Parliament(which isn’t here yet) and another special treat: The Glendronach Grandeur 31 Year! Cost includes whiskies, dinner, tax and gratuities and is an excellent value!
FALL SINGLE MALT FESTIVAL Thursday November 10th SOLD OUT
Thursday November 10th at 7PM KWM SOLD OUT – I think this is our 6th Annual Fall Single Malt Festival, frankly I’ve lost count! 100 people, 100 whiskies and a lot of fun! If you don’t already have a ticket, you’ll have to wait until next fall…
RARE MALTS Tuesday November 15th – $75
A tasting featuring whiskies from closed distilleries, 20 years of age and/or the very rare. This is a tasting for those wanting to take their whisky knowledge and experience up a notch. This tasting will include a 45 year old whisky, two whiskies aged 37 years and a Port Ellen to boot!
SMWS NOVEMBER OUTTURN
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a private members club, the World’s Largest Whisky Club, and its whiskies are exclusively available to its members. But membership is open to anyone. For more information on the Society visit www.smws.ca Society Memberships (which include a welcome pack the first year) and Society whiskies are exclusively available in Canada through www.smws.ca and at Kensington Wine Market. Below are the 7 new whiskies the Society has launch in Canada for November:
1. 9.60: Jam Making and Harvested Fields Refill Hogshead/Ex Bourbon 57.6% – Colour: Burnished Brass with Beads 13 Years Outturn: 328 Bottles Panel’s Tasting Note: The nose was buttery (buttered toast, croissants, bread and butter pudding) with raisins, baked apples, custard, new-made jam and mixed spice. The unreduced palate was big and full-bodied with lasting heat – the flavours included intense fruit and vanilla, poached pears with soft cinnamon spice and syrup and slightly burnt pastries with currants. Water accentuated the jam tarts (with icing sugar) on the nose and introduced an earthy note. The reduced palate, still rich and substantial, evoked a jam maker’s kitchen, fresh sourdough bread and the comforting glow of autumn sunshine on harvested fields. From the first distillery established in Rothes. Drinking Tip: A kitchen dram – or to evoke childhood autumn days – $115.99 Only 1 Left!
2. 10.72: A Hawker Market in Singapore Refill Sherry Butt 56.4% – Colour: Coppery Gold 12 Years Outturn 756 Bottles – Panel’s Tasting Note: The nose had buttery egg custard, vanilla, syrup, donuts, light smoke, struck matches and dried flowers, plus pork char siu, duck and hoisin sauce with rice wine. The unreduced palate had creamy vanilla, cooked meats, aromatic smoke, pepper and chilli – someone remembered prawns grilled on pans of salt; another panellist was transported to Singapore’s hawker market – a positive experience, apparently. The reduced nose managed to balance fruit (apple, cranberry, orange, melon, lychees) with smoked fish pie and brown sauce. The reduced palate – smoky, salty, woody, with brown sugar, banana, leather and tobacco. The distillery name means mouth of the river. Drinking Tip: After eating exotic food. – $111.49
3. 28.23: Attention Grabbing Spicy Refill Sherry Butt 57.5% – Colour: Yellow Gold 21 Years Outturn 607 Bottles Panel’s Tasting Note: The nose gave us hay, grass, wood-sap, sawdust, some delicate floralnotes, peppery spice, blackcurrant, jam and lots of nuts (macadamia,almond, hazelnut). The palate had toffee, chocolate and treacle, but it was the spicy wood that grabbed our attention – chilli, Victory V’s, oak tannins – like licking an old cask, without the splinters someone said. The reduced nose had toffee and lots of scented wood – cedar, pine, grape stems, saunas. The reduced palate seemed sweeter – raisins and chocolate-coated Brazils – but still with the woodiness of long years in cask – chewing on sticks, resinous, spicy; a delicious dram from Blackford village. Drinking Tip: Share with someone who understands and appreciates good whisky – and give it time. – $150.49
4. 29.106: Old Lace and Lavender Hand Creme Refill Hogshead 57.3% – Colour: Dirty Gold 13 Years Outturn 188 Bottles Panel’s Tasting Note: With coal dust, bacon flans, liquorice, tomato leaf, salty maple ham, fresh peat, charcoal bonfires and geranium leaf the Panel thought this inviting. Big and smoky to taste with white pepper, barbecued prawns, heather, chalky violets, sweet oysters and charcoal. Water brought out iodine, lavender hand cream, blackened pork, old lace, vanilla, mint sauce and salty oysters. Spicy, sweet, nutty, and salty on the palate with hot wood (saunas), heather, pine (likened to winter walks in the woods), and meaty notes, the smoke although dense was very much in the background. This distillery has a royal warrant from Prince Charles. Drinking Tip: Perfect for after a sauna, before jumping into the frozen loch in winter. – $121.99 Only a couple left!
5. 33.113: Sweet, Peaceful Dreams First Fill Barrel 60.4% – Colour: American Dry GingerAle 8 Years Outturn 232 Bottles Panel’s Tasting Note: You’re in a fabulous pavilion – soaking in a bubble-bath – sweetly peaceful. Nearby, a platter of exotic fruits (pineapple, papaya, lychees) and a dram of this. Across the room there’s a fire of fragrant pine cones. Outside, the eighteenth green of the world-class golf course that you have just completed way under par. The door opens and another serving girl appears with poppy seed biscuits, Italian fennel-flavoured salami and a beaming smile. You are tired but still feeling strong and proud of your achievements. Everything is in balance and harmony – the dream, the feeling, and the evocative scents and flavours from this small headland dram. Drinking Tip: The perfect dram for unwinding after a hard day. – $103.49
6. 39.76: Delish Refill Hogshead/Ex-Bourbon 56.3% – Colour: Honey Gold 28 Years Outturn 260 Bottles Panel’s Tasting Note: The unreduced nose suggested vanilla, raspberry ripple, candy floss and banana, but it mostly conveyed scents from a ladys dresser – citrus, floral perfumes (violet, lavender, lily of the valley), soft leather and sandalwood. This floral intensity continued with water and we also found caramelised onions and spices (white pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon). The unreduced palate was floral and woody (like chewing on charred heather stems, birch twigs or even hyacinth bulbs). We also detected toffee and caramelised orange. With water it became syrupy sweet, with cedarwood and cloves in the finish – Delish! The distillery was built by Peter Brown in 1825. Drinking Tip: A perfect first date dram (or just a sunny day if you can’t get a date). – $180.49 Only a few left!
7. 50.46: Eve’s Pudding in a Glass Refill Hogshead 54.6% – Colour: Full Gold 21 Years Outturn 127 Bottles – Panels Tasting Note: The room was instantly filled with sweet fruity scents – bruised ap-ples, pineapple, set honey; mellow, rich and opulent: Eves Pudding (apple topped with soft sponge), or even tarte tatin. The taste at full strength was not so rich: sharp, after a sweet start – one panellist was reminded of strawberry flavoured cornflower. Water raised soft pastry, tinned pineapple and baked apple, with some dry straw and boiled sweets (travel sweets dusted with icing sugar), and the taste is now much improved: soft and smooth, with light sweetness, a spicy finish and an overall taste of fresh mandarins. Atypical of the make from our southern-most distillery. Drinking Tip: Chilled with Eve’s pudding. – $157.99 Only 1 left!
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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!
Thanks for reading the Malt Messenger!
Slainte!
Andrew Ferguson
KWM Scotchguy
403-283-8000
888-283-9004
1257 Kensington Rd. NW
Calgary, AB, Canada
T2N 3P8
scotchguy@kensingtonwinemarket.com
