September Outturn On-sale NOW

September Outturn: Hot stone therapy?

We’re releasing September Outturn a little earlier than usual – we’re moving our duty paid cellars and need to close our dispatch from Mon 6-Fri 17 Sept.  We won’t be sending out any bottles during this time so please place your orders NO LATER than Fri 3 Sept so we can get your whisky to you toot-sweet. 

We’ll still be taking orders after Fri 3 Sept; it just means we won’t be able to deliver them until after 17 Sept.  But please let us have you order as soon as possible so we can avoid any disappointment, stocks of our single casks are limited.

4.143 Honey on hot stones
Highland Island
£81.10 inc. Free P&P
Rich toffees, hot coffee, buttered toast with acacia honey and syrup; then it changed to cotton and eiderdown, wallpaper paste, stripped floors and ink in an old house

29.86 When the locket bursts
Islay
£60.50 inc. Free P&P
Immense with a burst of honey and lemon lockets, baked apple, becoming savoury with smoked German sausage, tarragon and dill

Sept Pair Recommendation: Buy 4.143 with 29.86 for £89 (save £12)

121.37 Very tasty Danish pastry
Highland Island
£45.70 inc. Free P&P
Grass, coriander, white grape and felt tip pens, then tinned fruit, Victoria sponge, Danish pastries with apricots and marzipan and Lockets (menthol and honey).

9.53 A peppery explosion
Speyside Spey
£57.30 inc. Free P&P
The initial nose was stimulating, with orange, chocolate limes and sweet chilli. Once settled, its richness (Ambrosia custard, Werther’s Originals, caramel, toffee) was more calming.

Don’t forget our August Recommendations, available until Tue 31 Aug

Pair Recommendation: Buy 125.39 with 35.39 for £97 (save£12.60)

Trio Recommendations: Buy 48.23 with 76.71 & 27.82 for £138 (save £17.70)

September Outturn at http://tinyurl.com/27a3358
Browse all bottlings at http://tinyurl.com/2bbqckk
(73 different bottlings!)

SMWS Whisky Tasting & Events

New Outturn Tasting – 19 Greville Street, Sat 4 Sept
Highland Connoisseur Tour – 28 Queen Street, Sun 5 Sept
New Outturn & Sunday Roast – The Vaults, Sun 5 Sept
Fire, smoke and earth! Arbeg Tasting – 28 Queen Street, Tue 7 Sept
Innis & Gunn Tasting – 19 Greville Street, Thu 9 Sept
The Ultimate No 1 Tasting – 28 Queen Street, Fri 10 Sept
Glenkinchie Tour with bowls & BBQ – 28 Queen Street, Sun 12 Sept
Islay Tasting – Subterranean Vaults, Wed 15 Sept
Glasgow Preview Tasting – One Devonshire Gardens, Thu 16 Sept
Mix it up! (Whisky Cocktails) – 28 Queen Street, Fri 17 Sept

Visit www.smws.co.uk to join the Society

Douglas Laing limited Edition Mixed Cases Now Available

Douglas Laing has the largest and most significant range of aging casks of any Independent Bottler in Scotland, covering almost 100 different expressions and 40 different Distilleries.

Every month they choose some of their casks, to be bottled as their Brands, Provenance, Old Malt Cask or Old & Rare. These are then offered to markets throughout the world. All are limited in quantity with the unique DNA captured from the matured cask.

To satisfy the increasing interest from Single Malt Enthusiasts & Small Whisky Clubs in British Columbia for access to our wide range of products, Rare Drams is introducing the opportunity to purchase a Mixed Case.

This will provide the whisky enthusiast the opportunity to taste or collect three different Single malts from three separate distilleries.

We are currently taking orders of interest for our first two selections, which will be available at the end of September. Minimum purchase 1 Case: 6 Bottles/case.

To reserve a case contact bobkyle@raredrams.ca

Loch Fyne Whiskies has stocked ‘Kilchoman 3yo Summer 2010 Release’

Kilchoman 3yo Summer 2010 Release
46% abv
£44.90 inc vat
£38.21 ex vat

(LFW comments) Full tasting note soon…

The ‘Summer 2010 Release’ has been matured in fresh bourbon barrels from Buffalo Trace for 3 years.

These 3yo whiskies from Islay’s juvenile distillery are truly remarkable, they’re as good as any single malt Scotch – nailing the long dead misconception that under (say) eight years is too young. It’s great.

Loch Fyne Whiskies
david@lfw.co.uk

From the nice people at Mackmyra (Gold Medal Marketing represent Mackmyra in Alberta Canada www.goldmedalmarketinginc.com );

Discover the Swedish malt whisky

We had a dream to create the first Swedish malt whisky.

We followed our own path and developed the whisky from its origin. That path was neither the easiest nor the quickest. But it was the right path, because we reached our goal: a Swedish malt whisky with a unique identity.

Our distillery in Mackmyra Bruk is not large, but we put a great deal of care into the production. We maintain traceability right down to the individual field of barley. It also allows us to continue to look beyond the traditional approach. Our small, handmade casks are one example. Another is the Swedish oak that shares its essence so generously. The selected casks are allowed to mature naturally in the quiet recesses of our cool underground warehouse.

Roasted Swedish oak, a hint of vanilla and dried fruit. Small, handmade casks stored with care. Mackmyra – The 1st Edition has a spicy aroma and a fruity, elegant flavour with hints of citrus and caramel. It is not chill-filtered and contains no additives.

We followed our dreams and created the first Swedish malt whisky. A whisky that carries new experiences.

A whisky for you who live life less ordinary.

At our distillery at Mackmyra Bruk we have pursued our dreams and created the Swedish single malt whisky. We make it our own way, using local ingredients and no additives. The result has put Sweden on the international whisky map.

If you have any questions or would like to place an order, please contact:

Mackmyra Svensk Whisky
Hantverkargatan 5
se-112 21 Stockholm
info@mackmyra.se
+468 – 556 025 80

The Whisky Shop Dufftown’s First Bottling

Mortlach 1998

Working with Gordon & MacPhail The WSD has produced it’s first bottling and it’s a real stunner.  Being based in Dufftown our first bottling had to be a Mortlach.  This cask strength non coloured non chill-filtered Mortlach is from a Refill Sherry Hogshead.  It was selected by The Whisky Shop Dufftown owner Mike Lord.  We’ve nicknamed it ‘The PM’ , the peated Mortlach (well it is election time in the UK), as it has a defined smokiness which was described by one expert as like cigar smoke.  Until the end of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival it will be on offer at £40.00 per bottle (price after that £45.00).

We hope to work with other companies in the future to make available exclusive single cask malt whisky which is a bit different!

Tasting Notes

Nose: A complex noise of fruit cake and freshly baked chocolate cookies with further layers of plums, raisins, spearmint, menthol and hint of smoke from a heather bonfire.

Taste: Very rich and creamy in the mouth with flavours of chocolate fruit and nut, rum and raisin ice cream, honey and in the background definite phenol notes.

Finish: Long with a dark chocolate and raisins with a smoked chipotle chilli edge.

Visit The Whisky Shop in Dufftown at  http://www.whiskyshopdufftown.co.uk/  and the Mortlach bottle at http://tinyurl.com/39txk5o

Single Malts Newsletter  
 
Grain Whiskies
 
Grain whisky is of a smoother and lighter flavour than malt whisky as there are less flavour congeners present. The smooth complexion allowed for it to be blended with the harsher flavours of malt whisky to produce a smoother more rounded product. Single grain releases are quite rare although well-aged grain whiskies can hold surprisingly complex flavours

Carsebridge 31YO 1979   
Regular Price:£88.00                       
Special Price:£70.99                                
SAVE £17.01 

              
     
Port Dundas 36YO 1973
Regular Price:£95.99 
Special Price: £76.99
SAVE £19.00 

Invergordon 42YO 1965      
Regular Price:£262.99                 
Special Price:£210.99                     
SAVE £52.00  

Strathclyde 1980 30YO 
Regular Price:£91.99
Special Price:£73.99
SAVE £18.00

 
CLICK HERE FOR ALL OTHER GRAIN WHISKIES http://www.singlemaltsdirect.com/magento/scotch-whisky/grain.html
 
 
phone: 0845 6066145
email: info@singlemaltsdirect.com

Visit Single Malts Direct at www.singlemaltsdirect.com  
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Dear Malt Messenger Subscribers,

The next full Malt Messenger is nearly at hand, I hope to have it finished by next Tuesday at the latest, just in time to get away for a week’s vacation in the smoky Okanagan.  There are a few things coming up and coming out this week that I wanted to bring your attention to though, and so a Malt Messenger Bulletin is born.  We have a couple of reasonably priced tastings this week, one beer and one whisky, and there’s still room in both.  I’ve attached some info below. We’ve also got a couple of events coming up in September and October that require an early shout out. The former is a 15th Anniversary celebration for Arran distillery with Export Director Andrew Hogan and the latter a Whisky Festival in support of the Calgary Opera. Details on both events also follow below.

There are also a few whiskies worth mentioning, like the Dalmore MacKenzie and Amrut Double Cask, both of which are exclusive to the Kensington Wine Market, and available in limited quantities. Next week we will be getting an even smaller amount of the Highland Park Earl Magnus. Only 72 bottles of this whisky are coming into Alberta, and KWM has been fortunate to get its hands on 36 (limit 2/customer). Finally on September 2nd at the Isle of Arran 15th Anniversary Celbration we will be formally launching the special edition Isle of Arran 15th Anniversary 1999 Amontillado bottling. Only 180 bottles of this reasonably priced special bottling will be coming in. I’ve included a few notes on each of these whiskies below, I will have much more for you in next week’s Malt Messenger.

Slainté!

Andrew Ferguson

MINI SERIES TASTINGS

1.       Boutique Blends – Friday August 13th 7-8PM -$25 – This will be a great little tasting to explore one of the Scotch whisky industry’s least understood sub cultures, boutique blended whisky. Whiskies to be sampled include:

a.       Compass Box Asyla

b.      Compass Box Peat Monster

c.       Compass Box Oak Cross

d.      Compass Box Spice Tree

e.      Poit Dhubh 12 Year

f.        Te Bheag

Call the store 403-283-8000, drop by or visit our website www.kensingtonwinemarket.com to register. The whisky tasting is sit-down and the beer tasting will be too unless attendance exceeds 20 persons in which case we will convert it to a stand-up affair.

ISLE OF ARRAN 15th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION – Thursday September 2nd 7PM – $40

Special guest Andrew Hogan of the Isle of Arran Distillery will be in town for one night only to celebrate the distillery’s 15th Anniversary and formally launch the 15th Anniversary bottling here in Alberta. Join us at the Kensington Wine for a fun and informal evening celebrating 15 years of distillation at one of Scotland’s finest distilleries. We will formally sample 4 whiskies from the Arran portfolio (10 Year, Sherry Cask, Moscatel Cask and 15th Anniversary) under the guidance of Andrew Hogan whilst he sheds some light on the Isle of Arran’s only distillery. After the formal tasting you will have an opportunity to get Andrew to sign a bottle of Arran for you or try a few other of the distilleries whiskies. This tasting will be a great way to start off the fall tasting season and the perfect transition into the Labour Day long weekend.

Call the store 403-283-8000, drop by or visit our website www.kensingtonwinemarket.com to register.

CALGARY OPERA SCOTCH WHISKY FEST – Friday October 1st 7PM Arata Opera Center – $75

The Kensington Wine Market is the Calgary Opera’s official liquor sponsor for 2010, and an idea was hatched to throw a fundraising whisky festival for patrons of the Opera and other whisky aficionados. Participants will receive a special Glencairn glass at the event as a keep sake, which they will use to sample from the 60+ whiskies which will be available. As the event draws closer I’ll provide further details on the participating agencies and whiskies which will be available for sampling. Tickets are available now, in store, online www.kensingtonwinemarket.com and over the phone 403-283-8000. The price includes GST, and you will have to drop by to pick up your physical tickets.

THE DALMORE MACKENZIE 1992 – $189.99

This exciting new bottling of Dalmore is a Kensington Wine Market exclusive. This 1992 vintage Dalmore port finish is from a limited release of 3000 bottles worldwide. Only 60 of these bottles are coming to Canada, and Kensington Wine Market has them all.  Dalmore was at one time in the hands of members of the Clan MacKenzie, the clan’s emblem, and Dalmore’s today is a stag’s head. The clan was granted this privilege in 1263 when an ancestor of the Clan MacKenzie saved King Alexander III of Scotland from being gored by a stag with a single arrow. The moment has been immortalized in the Benjamin West painting The Fury of the Stag which is reproduced on the whisky’s box.

I’ll have my own tasting note for you in the next Malt Messenger, in the mean time, here’s the tasting note from Whyte & MacKay’s larger than life Master Blender Richard Patterson:

“Colour – Deep mahogany gold with shimmering highlights of ruby amber.

Nose – Warm and seductive. Enticing aromas of ripe plums, citrus fruits and marzipan flaunt themselves in an intoxicating infusion of unashamed luxury. Silky smooth and flawless, the hand of time has nurtured this noble spirit to perfection. Gentle whispers of ginger spice, mangos and fleshy grape pulp complete this complex tapestry of delight.

Taste – Take a generous mouthful.  Hold it long in the mouth and allow the warmth of your tongue to tease out every exquisite flavour. You will not be disappointed, but you must give it all the reverence it richly deserves.  Feel the spirit glide gracefully over your palate.  Immediately these hidden treasures are unlocked – sweet pear, thick chunky marmalade, bitter chocolate and crushed almonds reward your senses.  The six long years in port wine butts from the very heart of Oporto, matured at our Dalmore Distillery in Warehouse 4, has transformed this single malt into an unforgettable masterpiece for you to enjoy.”

AMRUT DOUBLE CASK – $124.99

This new Amrut is the product of two cask and the oldest bottling the distillery has every released, at a staggering 7 years. Amrut whiskies mature quickly in the hot high altitude Indian climate. The angels share (evapouration loss) in this short span of time was close to 60%, nearly 10 times the rate in Scotland. And even more curiously, the parched air sucked out more water than alcohol ratcheting up the strength from 62.5 to 69.8%. Only 42 of these rare whiskies will be available for sale in Canada, only available from the Kensington Wine Market. This product is limited to 3 bottles per customer.

Tasting note to follow in the next full Malt Messenger.

HIGHLAND PARK EARL MAGNUS – $204.99

The Viking Earl Magnus is one of the most celebrated characters in the history of the Orkney Islands. The magnificent Cathedral in the heart of Kirkwall (the northernmost in the UK) bears his name and is a strikingly beautiful tribute to him. This bottle is a tribute to the old Gordon & MacPhail and distillery bottling which used to bear the image of Earl Magnus. The whisky is a 15 year old Highland Park composed primarily of whiskies from the early 1990s. 5976 bottles have been released at a cask strength of 52.6%. Only 72 are coming into Alberta an KWM is getting 36 of them. This whisky is strictly limited to 2 bottles per customer.

I will provide my own tasting note when I’m able, in the meantime the distiller’s tasting notes follow:

Colour: Golden honey, clear and bright. Bouquet: Cedarwood and lemon. Mango chunks with hints of ginger and cinnamon bark. Palate: Vanilla, balanced smokiness, milk chocolate and crystallized ginger. Finish: Medium sweet with lingering spiciness.

ISLE OF ARRAN 15th ANNIVERSARY 1999 AMONTILLADO – $82.99

Who could believe the Isle of Arran distillery is now 15 years old.  I remember the lead up to its 10th Anniversary like it was yesterday, and the launch a year later of its first regularily available 10 year old. How the time flies! The Isle of Arran distillery has now been distilling for 15 years, and they decided to release a special edition 11 year old bottling to commemorate the event. The whisky is from refill hogsheads finished for more than a year in eight Amontialldo Sherry Butts from Spain.

“Offical Tasting Notes: Nose: The aroma is complex with hints of dark chocolate, cherries and ginger. Mint-toffee and hazelnut emerge with water. Palate: Rich and creamy on the palate with classic sherry wood notes of dried fruit and spice. A confectionery sweetness mingles beautifully with the intrinsic citrus character of the Arran Malt. Finish: Much drier on the long finish with an intriguing peppery note developing.”

The whisky will go on sale at the Kensington Wine Market first on Thursday September 2nd at the launch party with the distillery’s Andrew Hogan (for more information please see above). Only 180 bottles are coming in to the province, and at the reasonable price of $82.99 there will be a lot of demand for this dram. For the time being we are limiting pre-orders to 3 bottles per customer. Andrew Hogan will be signing bottles the night of the event. Please e-mail me if you would like to reserve some bottles.

That’s it for now.  More next week in the full Malt Messenger.

Slainté!

Andrew Ferguson

You can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/scotch_guy..

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

Indisputable Proof, the hottest whisky of the summer!

Toronto, Ontario – August 2010: As summer is in full effect, proof brands inc. is proud to announce the launch of proof whisky the 1st 500ml on the market…just the right size, not too small, not too big…the perfect size for entertaining “Great things come in small packages”. Proof whisky will help you make delicious cocktails and be the talk of the town. This deluxe product is an “Affordable Luxury” that will be available as of (soon) for only $19.95 at a LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) near you!  

proof whisky sets itself apart from the rest,

One urban whisky in a hip new 500 ml size! The blend of Canadian prairie rye and wheat is distilled with pristine spring water from the Canadian Rockies. It is then aged to perfection in charred oak barrels, to create its sophisticated sweet and smoky flavours. Proof is bottled at 42% alc./vol., to give it that extra edge.

Keep your guests on the edge of their seats, proof whisky is only the beginning for proof bands inc they will also be launching a new vodka and rhum in the coming months.

The Family Casks Release V

This summer sees the launch of the fifth release of The Family Casks, and a revision to the packaging, with the oak gift box replaced with a gift carton. Since 2007 The Family Casks have caught the imagination of whisky drinkers around the world. Many have enjoyed exploring the subtle nuances between casks, or celebrated an anniversary or birthday with whisky distilled during their special year.

It is our intention to continue to offer as wide a range of consecutive dated bottlings as possible under The Family Casks banner. Release V of The Family Casks includes casks from 1965, 1967,1981, 1982, 1990, 1993 and 1994.  Please visit our website to read George Grant’s tasting notes.  http://www.glenfarclas.co.uk/en/familycasks/

Inevitably at some point stocks of suitable casks for a given year will be depleted. Indeed whilst bottles of 1952 are still available from specialist retailers, we no longer have stocks of suitable casks from 1952 available to bottle.

The new simpler gift carton gives The Family Casks a more modern presentation, is easier to open, more practical for the bar trade, and, as it is lighter and easier to recycle, is more environmentally friendly. We hope you like it.

Port Charlotte An Turas Mor

New multi-vintage bottling of Bruichladdich’s Port Charlotte spirit peated at 40ppm and matured in 100% American oak casks.

£34.99 (£29.78 ex VAT)

Octomore 3/152

Limited edition 2010 release of the most heavily peated malt whisky in the World – now certified 152ppm. Matured in American oak barrels.

£83.99 (£71.48 ex VAT)

Visit the Whisky Barrel at www.thewhiskybarrel.com