Coming up in 2011…!
Wemyss Malts
Springbank Malts
Diageo Classic Malts
And many many more..!
University of Aberdeen Malt Whisky Society
The Butchart Centre
University Road
Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire AB24 3UT
Special $15 Discount for a Limited Time* Save money and avoid sellout: Order Now. WhiskyFest tickets make great holiday gifts!
11th Annual WhiskyFest Chicago
Friday, April 15, 2011 | 6:30 – 9:30 pm
Hyatt Regency Chicago on the River Walk
5th Annual WhiskyFest San Francisco
Friday, October 7, 2011 | 6:30 – 9:30 pm
San Francisco Marriott Marquis
14th Annual WhiskyFest New York
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 | 6:30 – 9:30 pm
New York Marriott Marquis
Ticket prices:
Regular admission: $135 NOW $120
VIP admission: $185 NOW $170
* Until December 31, 2010
Order your tickets today at http://www.maltadvocate.com/whiskyfest.asp
Society 2011 Burns Celebrations
There is one statue of him in New York’s Central Park and several in China. Bob Dylan described him as his “biggest inspiration”, his birthday is celebrated in the Kremlin and his work has been in films from Sex and the City to It’s a Wonderful Life…
Join us this January as we celebrate the one and only Rabbie Burns. From our mouth-watering single casks drams to toast the bard to our Burns Suppers – celebrate Burns 2011 with a special Society touch.
Drams to toast the bard:
2.78 Kissed up by sweet promises £65.40 inc. free P&P
Some seconds of spikiness, with pine resin and potato schnapps; then lovely sweet promises kissed up – vanilla, honeycomb, Ferrero Rocher
19.47 Dried roses in a shoe-box £58.30 inc. free P&P
Creamy porridge, custard creams, bread and butter pudding, biscotti, Kahlua and cocoa-dusted praline balls; then something more curious…
29.91 Bovril and neeps £48.70 inc. free P&P
Immediate Islay identity – creosote, footbaths, disinfectant – with profound meaty notes – Bovril, beef flavoured Hula-hoops
39.79 A lush chameleon £58.30 inc. free P&P
This ‘Top Class’ Speyside from near Elgin is usually of the ‘light and fragrant’. “Laura Ashley’ school; not this example, it’s big and complex
Society Burns Whisky Tasting & Events
Aberdeen Burns Tasting – Caledonian Thistle Hotel, Fri 21 Jan
Edinburgh HDV Burns Offer – Bistro, Mon 24 – Fri 28 Jan
Traditional Burns Supper – The Vaults, Tue 25 Jan
Traditional Burns Night – London, Tue 25 Jan
Burns Dinner, The Dining Room – Queen Street, Tue 25 Jan
Bristol HDV Burns Dinner – The Sugar House, Tue 25 Jan
Girls’ Burns – Queen Street, Wed 26 Jan
Dunfermline Burns Tasting – Garvock House Hotel, Thu 27 Jan
Newcastle Burns Tasting – Northern Counties Club, Fri 28 Jan
Glasgow Burns Tasting – Malmaison, Fri 28 Jan
Edinburgh HDV Burns Dinner – Bristo Place, Fri 28 Jan
Harrogate HDV Burns Dinner – Prospect Place, Fri 28 Jan
YOUR OWN Private Burns Celebrations
Did you know you could arrange your own private Burns dinners and suppers at the Society? Including theatrical entertainment and music, delicious food and of course, the finest whisky.
2010 Celebrations: Of course there’s still masses of Society sparkle left in 2010…
* Queen Street Boxing Day Sale, Sat 26 Dec
Unique Queen Street bottle offers and more
* London Member Room Sale, Fri 28 Dec
London celebrates NY with a host of bottle offers
* Vaults Cask Ends Sale cont., Mon 27 – Fri 31 Dec
Three Mystery Malts for only £90
* Hogmanay at Queen Street (tickets still available)
The Dining Room
Members’ Room
*Carvery at The Vaults, Sun 2 Jan (12.30 – 3pm)
Not quite 2010 but near enough…for the first time ever (and after many member requests) The Vaults is open on Sun 2 Jan. Enjoy mouth-watering meats and scrumptious single casks. Contact The Vaults for more details.
Visit http://www.smws.co.uk/memberships for your chance to join the Society
Warm roaring fires, grand high ceilings with a most curious touch and private access the world’s best whisky bar…
Where will you celebrate the life of The Bard in 2011?
Private Burns Celebrations at SMWS
The Society offers a range of private Burns dinners and suppers including theatrical entertainment and music, delicious food and of course, the finest whisky.
The Vaults Members’ Lounge
The exclusive Members’ Room lounge in the The Vaults in now available for your one-of-a-kind celebration. With a site dating back to 1200 AD, the Vaults lounge is transformed for your perfect dinner and whisky tasting. Roaring fireplaces and exclusive use of the main bar, will ensure you can impress up to 65 guests.
Corporate Membership
Kick off 2011 with Good Company and membership for your business, affording preferential rates on events, access to Members Rooms in Edinburgh and London and corporate gifting.
Visit www.smwsevents.co.uk for more info and inspiration.
Edinburgh Events London Events
0131 555 2266 0207 8314447
events@smws.com london@smws.com
Maltstock
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The Ultimate Christmas Gift
Fellow whisky lovers,
What better Christmas gift than something you will remember for a lifetime? Maltstock is just that! A weekend of relaxed whisky fun you will never forget. So treat yourself, your partner, your friend to the perfect Christmas gift: tickets for Maltstock 2011!
Last reminder: 10% discount until end of December
To make it even more perfect you can still enjoy a 10% discount if you buy your Maltstock tickets before the end of this month. Instead of 175,- you pay just 157,50 euro for an all inclusive whisky weekend. Including two nights accommodation, a full Scottish breakfast by the Highlander Inn, lot’s of whisky to try without having to pay extra, free masterclasses, diner, BBQ, campfire, whisky quiz, beer, softdrinks and more. Please visit our website for more information.
Maltstock banner
Maltstock is a non-commercial event. So we can use all the help we can get to spread the word. We’ve got a Maltstock 2011 banner. If you would like to have it on your website, please send us an e-mail and we will send you the banner.
We wish everybody a terrific Christmas and hope to see you all in 2011!
Arthur, Bob, Eline, Rogier & Teun
www.maltstock.com
The staff of Beverly Corners Liquor Store is pleased to present Cowichan Whisky Experience 2011 with international whisky guru and author of the Whisky Bible, Jim Murray.
Photo Credit Jen Steele
The event details are as follows:
Date: Monday, January 24, 2011
Time: 6 to 10 pm
Place: The Quamichan Inn – 1478 Maple Bay Road
Cost: $75.00
Payment by: Cash, Credit Card and Debit
Tastings will range and include world winners from the 2011 Whisky Bible.
We very much hope to see you on January 24th and wish you the best of the holiday season.
Sincerely,
Jodi
Beverly Corners Liquor Store (250) 715-2025
Dear Malt Messenger Subscribers,
As I write this I am contemplating a glass of Peat Monster Reserve (see below) from Compass Box. I hadn’t intended to write anything further on the Malt Messenger before the New Year, but I’ve some big news, two exclusives we’ve long awaited are finally here, and the word must be spread. Further, Saturday’s free drop in Kilchoman Duhies Tasting was so successful I’ve decided to put another event together for this coming Thursday. So while the buttery vanilla and soft oily peat roll around my palate like lovers under the covers I’ve found the time to flesh out one final Malt Messenger Bulletin for 2010.
John Glasser of Compass Box is without doubt one of the world’s finest blenders of Scotch whisky. His whiskies are soft, elegant and complex. Kensington Wine Market has exclusively acquired two of his 10th Anniversary releases as exclusives. The first is a reserve bottling of Peat Monster($154.99) his most famous bottling, in a 1.5L bottle. The whisky is great and the magnum(1.5L) format very cool! The second is called Hedonism Maximus($259.99), an older finer version of the now discontinued Hedonism bottling, and is a Blended Grain Scotch Whisky. Both whiskies are very limited, with only 24 of each coming to Canada exclusive to Kensington Wine Market. These whiskies will be available for sale and sampling as of 5PM on Wednesday, December 22nd. More on both whiskies below!
Thursday December 23rd, between 2 and 7PM Andy Dunn of Gold Medal Marketing and I will be conducting another free drop in tasting and mini sale. Thursday’s focus will be Gordon & MacPhail, Benromach and our exclusive single cask bottlings: Glen Grant 1966, Springbank 1996 Oloroso, Kilchoman KWM Fresh Bourbon Cask, Glendronach 1995 KMW PX Sherry and Jack Daniels KWM Single Barrel. The whiskies will be on sale in store, on the wesb www.kensingtonwinemarket.com and by e-mail scotchguy@kensingtonwinemarket.com during this 5 hour window. So please feel free to drop by for a wee taste or two and some great deals on whisky whether it be for your bar or gift. More details below!
Thank you for reading the Malt Messenger and once again let me wish you and yours a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Slainté!
Andrew Ferguson
GORDON & MACPHAIL BENROMACH DROP IN TASTING AND MINI SALE – Thursday December 23rd 2-7PM – Free
Kensington Wine Market brought in 4 new Gordon & MacPhail whiskies this fall, all of them exceptional, and all of them from closed distilleries. We have brought in whiskies from Rosebank, Glen Keith, Convalmore and Imperial, and still have a few bottles of our private cask of Glen Grant 1966. Andy Dunn of Gold Medal Marketing and I will be pouring samples of these and other Gordon & MacPhail bottlings, as well as whiskies from the Benromach distillery and our exclusive Kensington Wine Market bottlings from 2 until 7 PM on Thursday December 23rd. For the duration of this free drop in tasting all of the whiskies on offer will be on sale in store, on the web www.kensingtonwinemarket.com and by e-mail scotchguy@kensingtonwinemarket.com..
The list:
1. G&M KWM Glen Grant 1966 – Bottled Exclusively for KWM – $449.99 – Save 20%
2. G&M Cask Strength Rosebank 1993 – Exclusive to KWM – $175.49 – Save 10%
3. G&M Cask Strength Imperial 1997 – Exclusive to KWM – $114.99 – Save 10%
4. G&M Conn Choice Glen Keith 1993 – Exclusive to KWM – $87.99 – Save 10%
5. G&M Conn Choice Convalmore 1984 – Exclusive to KWM – $184.99 – Save 10%
6. G&M Cask Strength Old Pulteney 1993 – $119.99 – Save 7%
7. G&M Cask Strength Highland Park 1995 – $111.99 – Save 7%
8. G&M Cask Strength 1996 – $119.99 – Save 7%
9. G&M Smith’s Glenlivet 21 Year – $119.49 – Save 7%
10. Benromach Traditional – $49.49 – Save 7%
11. Benromach 10 Year -$68.99 – Save 7%
12. Benromach 21 Year – $129.99 – Save 7%
13. Benromach Organice Special Edition – $71.49 – Save 7%
14. Benromach Peat Smoke – $69.49 – Save 7%
15. Benromach Origins #2 – $83.49
16. Benromach Origins #3 – $83.49
17. Springbank 1996 KWM Oloroso Cask – Bottled Exclusively for KWM – $109.99 – Save 20%
18. Glendronach 1995 KWM PX Sherry Puncheon – Bottled Exclusively for KWM – $114.99 – Save 10%
19. Kilchoman KWM Fresh Bourbon Cask – Bottled Exclusively for KWM – $114.99 – Save 10%
20. Jack Daniels KWM SingleBarrel – Bottled Exclusively for KWM – $49.99 – Save 10%
COMPASS BOX PEAT MONSTER RESERVE – $154.99
Only 5,300 magnums (1.5L) bottles of this whisky have been bottled, and for the time being but 24 have come to Canada, all of them to the Kensington Wine Market. When Compass Box launched the original Peat Monster more than 5 years ago it was as the name implied, intended to be a peaty beast. In the years since we’ve seen the likes of Port Charlotte, Octomore, the Big Peat, Supernova and more, all of which make the Peat Monster seem tame. This special bottling has combined whiskies from Caol Ila, Ardmore and Clynelish. In the words of its creator it is “even peatier, smokier, richer and higher strength than the classic version”. Jim Murray scored it 92pts in the Whisky Bible:
The Peat Monster Reserve Towering Over Its Lesser Namesake!
“Nose: comfortable, thickish smoke and a dusting of peppers: complex and well balanced; Taste:silky soft malt oils cleverly disguise the big punchy peat which is to follow; lovely touch of golden syrup here and there, but mainly towards the delivery; Finish: smoky sweetened mocha; Balance: at times a bit of a Sweet Monster… beautiful stuff!” 48.9% – 92pts
I’ll write my own tasting note for the next Malt Messenger.
COMPASS BOX HEDONISM MAXIMUS – $259.99
Hedonism Maximus is a Blended Grain Scotch whisky created by blending select casks of 42 year old invergordon with a smaller quantities of 29 year old Cameronbridge. Cameronbridge is interestingly Scotland oldest continuously operating distillery! The constituent parts, distilled in 1965 and 1979 respectively were matured in first fill American Oak bourbon barrels. It is deeper, sweeter and richer than the original Hedonism bottling hence the designation of “Maximus”. 46%
The whisky’s label is an homage to one of the Scotch industry’s long lost brands, Andrew Usher & Co.s “Old Vatted Glenlivet Whisky”. The label was inspired by an advertisement from OVGW from 1905 found in the National Archive of Scotland. Only 1500 bottles were produced, with but 24 coming to Canada, all of them to the Kensington Wine Market.
An elegant whisky packaged with sophistication!
“Nose: the kind of aroma your nose was invented for: lots of rich bourbon swirls, with butterscotch, liquorice and chocolate-covered honeycomb arriving—big time!—on cue…; oh, and a few gooseberries and greengages tossed in for an extra dimension: it just doesn’t get any better… Taste: the oak is a bit top heavy on arrival, but lush malt cushions its impact to a degree; still juicy tongue-teasing; Finish: retains its overtly bourbon character to the end with massively chewy oak extract, but always enough sweetness in reserve to cope; Balance: Bourbon Maximus…”
As with the Peat Monster Reserve I will include my own tasting note in the next full 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!
You can follow me online on Twitter at www.twitter.com/scotch_guy..
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
Mid-Island Whisky Club
Invites you to attend our 2011 Fundraising Tasting Evening with the proceeds donated to the Nanaimo/Ladysmith Schools Foundation. Presented by ANDREW GRAY, The Brand Ambassador for Bruichladdich Distillery. Thursday, January 20, 2011 @ 6:30pm Costin Hall, Lantzville, British Columbia.
Condition of Entry: No drinking &driving-Transportation home provided. Tickets are $100 each. To purchase contact Roger Killin 250- 758-1860 rkillin@telus.net
Hi All,
Well better late than never I suppose! It really has sneaked up on me this year and I can’t believe Christmas is next Saturday!
So just a quick note as I know you will be inundated with emails at this time of year…
For those of you not sorted for Xmas yet or looking at ways to spend your Xmas pocket money, I have a few ideas for you…
Dram 101
Where other whiskies fear to tread…
Our first attempt at a blended malt whisky and it is pretty good – even if I do say so myself – read more here http://www.thewhiskylounge.com/products.aspx. We would love to hear your comments on it and have set up a discussion page on facebook.
Only a few remain of Batch 1 and I reckon if you were to order over the weekend I might still be able to get it to you before Xmas – weather permitting of course! £15 per 20cl bottle, including delivery…
Burn’s Night/s
A couple of fantastic Burn’s Suppers, one in York at the fabulous Grand Hotel and one in Newcastle at the atmospheric and appropriate Blackfriars Banqueting Hall. Dates are Friday 28th and Saturday 29th January respectively.
First 2011 Tastings
Independent’s Day? is the title and as it sounds we are to be tasting some fab independent bottlings…but against their distillery bottled equivalents! Three distilleries, two bottlings of each tasted blind – who will come out on top? You will decide once again! These are now in place and available for purchase on the website.
Gift Vouchers
Again, for those of you not sorted for Xmas or with Birthdays or other occasions coming up, these should prove popular with the whisky lover in your life! These can be purchased (the new ‘shop’ feature of the website) and can be emailed to you via PDF up to and including Xmas Eve, for you to print out and pop in a card…
Blind Islay Fury Results
A fantastic series and thanks to all for making it our most successful so far. If you are interested in seeing the whiskies, scores and notes then you can visit our Facebook review page. If you don’t Facebook please email me and I will send you the results.
Prices
Due to the imminent rise in VAT and various factors, I have had to increase the price of regular tastings to £22. I’m sorry about this but I hope you will agree they still represent excellent value for money and that you keep coming!
I’ll leave you with that for now, but if I can just take this opportunity wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and a great New Year. Many thanks again for helping make this our best year so far and I very much look forward to seeing you in 2011!
Sláinte
Eddie
Eddie Ludlow
Whisky Evangelist
thewhiskylounge
IWSC Spirit Panel Judge 2009-present
www.thewhiskylounge.com
eddie@thewhiskylounge.com
01904 466227
07515 854210
