Dear Malt Messenger Subscribers,
March is coming to an end and Easter is a little more than a week away. It is hard to believe we are a quarter of the way through 2010 already; where does the time go? Our Spring Tasting Schedule went online this morning, and there are some gems in there, including our Spring Single Malt Festival, and an event I’m calling “The Ultimate Auchentoshan Dinner”! All of our spring whisky, beer and spirits tastings are listed below.
The next round of tastings doesn’t start until the middle of April. In the meantime I am looking for a few more people to make The Buchanan’s Whisky Dinner this coming Thursday a go. Currently we are about 5 people short of making the event feasible. I have selected an excellent range of whiskies including a couple of exceptional vintage whiskies from 1978, a Tullibardine from 1966, the new Springbank 18Yr and a couple of others. It will be an excellent whisky-dinner, and there are more details below.
The 2010 bottling of Springbank 18Yr is in, only 180 bottles of which came to Canada. Kensington Wine Market is getting 60 bottles, and we’ve already sold through 30 of them. This bottling differs slightly from last year’s; it is a vatting of 60% sherry casks, 36% bourbon casks and 4% port pipes. I think it’s a little softer and smoother than last year’s bottling, and certainly better priced. More on the Springbank 18Yr below.
Finally, the Glenglassaugh 21Yr is coming in tomorrow. This is an official bottling by the distillery’s new owners, and is the youngest whisky in their core range. The 21 year old comes in a tear shaped decanter, and has been very well received. Jim Murray has scored it at 94pts in his 2010 Whisky Bible. I had the privilege of trying it 4 or 5 months ago and was suitably impressed by it. And compared to their 30 and 40 year olds, it is an excellent buy!
Slainte!
Andrew Ferguson
The Buchanan’s Whisky Dinner – Friday March 25th – $125
Due to circumstances out of our control The Diageo New Releases Dinner originally scheduled for this date had to be indefinitely postponed. But rather than leave a hole in our schedule and deprive you, our loyal customers of an opportunity for a superb dinner and whisky tasting, I’ve come up with another event. I must admit I was challenged in coming up with a name for the tasting, and the best I could do was the “The Buchanan’s Whisky Dinner,” which at the very least gets to the point. But that I can assure you will be the only thing uninspiring about the event. Buchanan’s as always creates excellent food pairings for the whisky I’m showcasing, and the whiskies for this meal are going to be incredible:
1. A. D. Rattray Ben Nevis 11Yr – I just have to try this one, I’ve had so few Ben Nevis bottlings over the years, and besides, it’s matured in a Refill Sherry Butt. – $93.49
2. Springbank 18Yr Second Release – Eagerly anticipated this whisky is an improvement on the already great 1st release. See below for more info. – $130.99
3. Glenmorangie Signet – The most interesting whisky of 2009, we have sampled this whisky before, but it is both original and superb. Created from a base whisky made of chocolate malt whiskies and others 30 or more years of age. – $199.49
4. Glenrothes 1978 – Allegedly the last of the 70’s vintage Glenrothes this whisky is a steal in Alberta, as it is selling for as much as 3 times more in the UK and one other Alberta retailer. – $300.99
5. Tullibardine 1966 Cask 3509 – 94pts Jim Murray: “no matter how you look at it this is astonishing whisky.” – $425.00
6. Auchentoshan 1978 – Fewer than 20 bottles of this rare vintage are even available in Alberta. – $543.99
Springbank 18Yr – $130.99
Last year saw the launch of the first Springbank 18Yr, a limited collectible run of which only 180 bottles came in to Canada. It was a rich, complex bottling of Springbank, noteworthy because both the nose and palate had an unusual hint of marijuana. The old Springbank 18Yr sold for $145.49/ bottle. The new Springbank 18Yr is an improvement on the last. I had the fortune to sample it at the Victoria Whisky Festival in January, where it was one of the show’s top whiskies. Best of all, the new Springbank 18 is going to retail for only $130.99/bottle.
Springbank is Scotland’s oldest family owned distillery, and also its most traditional. It continues to supply 100% of its own barley from a traditional floor malting, was the first distillery to bottle at 46% and market their whiskies as non-chillfiltered. In fact very little has changed at Springbank in the last 100 years. Though their production is but 1/15th that of Glenfiddich, everything is done by hand and they employ close to as many people. Springbank is the town’s single largest employer, and they have a tradition of giving back, most notably reviving an old distillery, Glengyle, in 2004. The distillery is owned by Hedley Wright, a descendant of the distilleries founders, and it will on his passing be put in trust for the people of Campbeltown.
The Springbank 18 year old has been matured in 36% American Oak, 60% European Oak ex-sherry and 4% Port Pipes. It has been bottled at the distillery as all Springbanks at at least 46% without colouring or chillfiltering. Most retailers in the UK are limiting this whisky to 2 bottlers per customer, a sign that it is both rare and in demand. We’ve already sold half of the 60 bottles we are expecting. The distiller’s tasting note follows:
“Nose – Initial notes of marzipan give way to darker aromas like liquorice and treacle toffee. Like a home-baked cake full of everything that smells so good that you can’t resist another helping.
Palate – Incredible depth and balance. That classic Springbank style is evident, backed up by the fruits of 18 years maturation in predominantly sherry casks. Rich and oily from the moment it hits the palate, the whisky develops to reveal dried fruits and just a hint of smoke. A fine combination of sugar candy, almonds and Christmas cake emerge as the whisky slips off the tongue.
Finish – On and on and on. A reassuring wisp of smoke rises from the back of your mouth and around the palate, enveloping a flavour which contains more raisins, dark chocolate and treacle. This whisky doesn’t want to be forgotten in a hurry – and why should it disappear quickly after we’ve been holding out for it for so long?”
Glenglassaugh 21Yr – $256.49
Glenglassaugh distillery is a Speyside distillery located near the town of Portsoy. When it closed in 1986 it was assumed by most observers that this was forever. Unusually, 22 years after its closure the distillery was purchased by a Dutch company which has plans to revive it. Undaunted by the £5m purchase price, the £1m in upgrades required and the 22 year gap in production the owners have bravely charted a path forward.
The Glenglassaugh 21Yr has been bottled in a beautiful tear shaped bottle, and is individually numbered. Bottled at 46% Jim Murray scored the whisky at 94pts in the 2010 Whisky Bible. Here is his tasting note:
“Nose: elegant and adroit, the lightness of touch between the citrus and barley is nigh on mesmeric: conflicting messages of age in that it appears younger and yet you feel something had to be this kind of vintage to hit that degree of aloofness. Delicate and charming…; Taste: again we have all kinds of messages on delivery: the spices fizz around announcing oaky intensions and then the barley sooths and sweetens even with a degree of youthful juiciness. The taste buds are never more than caressed, the sugar-sweetened citrus ensuring neither the barley or oak form any kind of advantage; impeccably weighted, a near perfect treat for the palate; Finish: white chocolate and vanilla lead the way as the oak begins to offer a degree of comparative austerity; Balance: a malt which simply sings on the palate and a fabulous benchmark for the new owners to try to achieve in 2030…!!”
Kensington Wine Market has brought in 6 bottles of the Glenglassaugh 21Yr at $256.49/bottle. 2 of them are already spoken for.
Spring Tasting Schedule – Single Malts
We have an excellent lineup of tastings for this spring, including a new series called “Whisky Traveler”, which touches on three regions. Sign up for all three and save $15. And out-of-towners take note, our Spring Single Malt Festival and Ultimate Auchentoshan Dinner fall on successive nights. Speaking of these two events, our festival, will as always be an incredible event, and the Auchentoshan dinner includes: 12, 18 and 21 year old expressions, the 3 Wood, 1978 vintage and the 1957 50 year old…. Enjoy!
1. Buchanan’s Whisky Dinner – 3/25/10 – Join us at Buchanan’s Chop House, Calgary’s finest whisky bar, for a special whisky dinner with six new and rare whiskies. You’ll enjoy four courses while tasting the following whiskies and learning about their provenance: Auchentoshan 1978, A. D. Rattray Ben Nevis 11Yr, Glenrothes 1978, Springbank 18Yr, Glenmorangie Signet and Tullibardine 1966 Cask 3509. Only 24 very lucky people will be able to attend! – $125.00
2. Whisky Traveler Speyside** – 4/22/10 – Explore the Speyside whisky region, its geography, distilleries and other sites of interest. ** Whisky Traveler – Sign up for all three and save $5.00 per class – $65.00
3. Campbeltown Spirits – 5/1/10 (Saturday afternoon, 2-4PM) – A stand-up tasting of whiskies, rum and gin from Springbank, Glengyle, Cadenhead and Duthies with our Scotchguy and Andy Dunn. All this plus you get a $15 gift card! – $30.00
4. Whisky, Women & Chocolate – 5/7/10 – Sorry guys, Lassies only! Gather your girlfriends, or your Mom, and join us for a fun and informative evening discovering the world of single malts paired with everyone’s favorite food group, chocolate. – $50.00
5. Whisk Traveler Orkney** – 5/13/10 – Explore Orkney islands, their Neolithic and Viking roots, distilleries and culture. ** Whisky Traveler -Sign up for all three and save $5.00 per class. – $65.00
6. Spring Single Malt Festival – 6/10/10 – Our 3rd annual festival is your opportunity to sample nearly 100 premium single malts. And the price includes your own whisky glass. – $60.00
7. The Ultimate Auchentoshan Dinner – A four course meal plus the following Auchentoshans: 12, 18, 21, Three Wood, 1978 vintage and 1957 50 Year (Cask 479 – the second one). The dinner is at Buchanan’s Chop House, 738 3 Avenue SW. – $220.00
8. Whisky Traveler Islay** – 6/17/10 – You’ll virtually visit Scotland’s whisky Mecca while sampling whiskies from the Isle of Islay’s many distilleries. Thurs June 17, 2010 ** Whisky Traveler $180 Sign up for all three and save $5.00 per class. – $65
9. Rare Malts – 6/22/10 – Only whiskies more than 20 years of age, from closed distilleries, or the exceedingly rare need apply! – $80
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
