Dear Malt Messenger Subscribers,

Some news just can’t wait to be shared. It is still over a day away, but I can’t resist informing you that there is a new Ardbeg in town! Late last week while perusing the new offerings of wine, beer and spirits in the Province something caught my eye. Could it be, a new bottling of Ardbeg for Albertan’s to drool over? It was, and as I write this, it is winding its way from the Connect Logistics warehouse in St. Albert, to the Kensington Wine Market here in Calgary. I’ve been petitioning Ardbeg and their representatives in Canada, Charton Hobbs, for years to treat us to some of the more rare and limited expressions of this fine dram. I can’t take full credit for the arrival of the Arigh Nam Beist, though I’ve sent countless e-mails about it and other expressions of Ardbeg over the past four years. What I will suggest though, is that persistence pays off. Calvin Coolidge, the 30^th President of the United States once wrote: “Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” When it comes to Ardbeg, persistence is not just a virtue, it’s an obligation… so I will press on… now if only we can get some Supernova around here! More to read about Ardbeg below.

It is also just over a week until the first of two Whisky Democracy tastings. The Whisky Democracy tastings were born out of a desire to share our passion for single malts with all of you, and maybe do a little good along the way. The purpose of these tastings is to select the next two casks of whisky to be bottled for the Kensington Wine Market, and the samples are already enroute from BenRiach and Springbank distilleries for the occasions. Two of the things that makes these tastings so unique, are: firstly, the opportunity to sample whiskies right out of the barrel (Most whiskies are filtered and watered down before bottling, and such experiences can normally only be had at a handful of Scottish distilleries.); and secondly, the opportunity to try verticals of whiskies from the same distillery. Further, we will be donating the proceeds from the evenings to two different cancer charities. For more information on these tastings, and to make your voice heard see below.

I hope you enjoy this little Malt Messenger Bulletin!

Slainte!

Andrew Ferguson

Whisky Democracy I – BenRiach – Thursday July 2^nd – $40pp

The best thing about Democracy is having the opportunity to make your voice heard; it’s about time that we applied that logic to malt whisky. If you’d like to have the opportunity to help select our next cask of whisky, then this tasting is for you!

BenRiach is not as well known as some of its neighbors in the Speyside, but it is one of the most dynamic of the regions distilleries, and one of but 4 which are independently owned and operated. Though first opened in 1898 the distillery spent most of the last century in an inactive state after closing in 1903. Its malting however remained open to supply its sister distillery Longmorn. The distillery was reopened in 1963 by Glenlivet Distillers and in 1983 then owners Seagrams began producing a heavily peated single malt. The distillery was again closed in 2002 but was quickly reopened by Billy Walker, formerly of Burn Stewart Distillers, in partnership with South African Intra Trading. In 2007 BenRiach was named Distillery of the Year by Malt Advocate Magazine.

At this tasting you will sample 6 cask samples of BenRiach single malt—3 of them produced from peated barley, and 3 of them unpeated barley—as well as 2 benchmark BenRiach bottlings for comparison: the 15Yr Madeira Finish and 12Yr Herodotus Fumosus. There will be a comprehensive voting on the cask samples, and your feedback will be used to help us select a cask of BenRiach for bottling this fall.

In addition, part of the proceeds from this evening will be going to a worthy cause. Kensington Wine Market alumnus Tom Firth is participating in the Ride to Conquer Cancer later this month, in honour of his late mother.  KWM will be donating up to $300 from this event towards Tom’s fundraising goal. For more information on Tom Firth and his efforts you can visit: http://www.conquercancer.ca/site/TR/Events/Alberta2009?px=1867886&pg=personal&fr_id=1282

To register for this event drop by the store, call us at 403-283-8000 or visit our website at www.kensingtonwinemarket.com..

As it is the day before the Stampede, western wear is optional… but encouraged!

Whisky Democracy II – Springbank  – Thursday July 17^th – 45pp

The best thing about Democracy is having the opportunity to make your voice heard; it’s about time that we applied that logic to malt whisky. If you’d like to have the opportunity to help select our next cask of whisky, then this tasting is for you!

Springbank, established 1828 is Scotland’s oldest family owned distillery, and also the only distillery in Scotland to do the entire process of making malt whisky—from malting to bottling—on site. The distillery is also alone among Scottish distillers in that it malts 100% of its own barley, and also in that it produces 3 distinct styles of whisky: Hazelburn, triple distilled and unpeated; Springbank, 2 ½ distilled and lightly peated; and Longrow, double distilled and heavily peated. Springbank, in the town of Campbeltown, on the Kintyre peninsula is without a doubt the most traditional, most hands-on distillery in Scotland. It is also the distillery which all other independents aspire to be.

Our last cask of Springbank, sampled at the distillery by myself, and 6 customers, was a huge success, and is nearly ¾ sold. We are in need of a follow up bottling, and we are looking at 6 sherry cask samples of Springbank all filled into the cask on the same day in 1996 as our Manzanilla sherry cask. We’ll sample these six Springbank samples, along with the 1996 KWM Manzanilla Sherry Cask and the 11Yr Madeira Wood as benchmarks. As with the BenRiach, there will be a comprehensive voting on the cask samples, and your feedback will be used to help us select a cask of Springbank for bottling this fall.

For this tasting we will be donating part of the proceeds to support our coworker, Lynn Rogers, who is taking part in a fundraising ride from Calgary to San Jose California. 5 teams of 6 riders (pedal bikes), will be taking turns riding the 3,700km trek over the space of 9 days as part of the 2009 Cancervive Peleton Project. Funds raised by CPP support Wellspring Calgary, a local organization that supports those who live with and those who care for those living with cancer. Lynn’s profile can be seen at: http://www.cancervive.ca/riderdetails.asp?rider=6..

To register for this event drop by the store, call us at 403-283-8000 or visit our website at www.kensingtonwinemarket.com..

As this event is post-Stampede, western wear is optional, but strongly discouraged… kidding of course!

 New Ardbeg in Town – Arigh Nam Beist – $93.59

After leaving Loch Uigeadial, Ardbeg’s water flows through two smaller lochs on its way to the distillery. The later of these lochs is Loch Airigh Nam Beist, ancient Scots gaelic for the “shelter of the beast”. It’s an apt name for a whisky which is bold yet restrained, and wild though tame. Nicknamed “the beastie” the whisky is a vintage Ardbeg, distilled in 1990, and bottled without chilfiltering at a cask strength of 46%. Distillers tasting note: “Nose: Smoky, ice cream, fennel, pine nuts and zesty limes. Taste: Peppery, oily mouth-feel. Maple syrup, smoky bacon, antiseptic lozenges, some vanilla, smoked meats and barbecue spices. Finish: Zesty, smoky and intriguing.” Jim Murray gave it 95pts and said: “There is only one distillery on earth that could make something so gigantic, yet so delicate. And mind blowingly complex. Smoky sophistication. 46%”

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

All the very best,

Rusty

Visit http://www.theellensburgdistillery.com/ for more on this new product.

Canadain Club has introduced a 30 year old version of their famed Canadian Whisky.

Visit http://www.canadianclubwhisky.com/ for more details.

By Gavin Daly http://www.sbpost.ie
Slane Castle is set to become a destination for whiskey lovers as well as concertgoers, under plans by the Mountcharles family to ‘‘secure the future’’ of the Co Meath estate.

The family is about to launch a premium brand Slane Castle whiskey in the US, and has plans to create an information and tasting centre at the castle.

Alex Mountcharles, who has assumed the title of Lord Mountcharles from his father, Henry, said the intention was to ‘‘build additional business’’ at the 1,500-acre estate, which is best known for its annual rock concerts.

Mountcharles said that the idea for the whiskey originated about two years ago, and the first consignment of 1,000 cases had just been made by the nearby Cooley distillery.

Most of that batch is bound for the east coast of the US, although some will be sold locally.

‘‘We wanted a product that we were interested in, a quality product that we could believe in and stand over,” said Mountcharles.

The first Slane product is a blended whiskey, but there are plans for an aged single malt and other products in the future. ‘‘The idea is to secure the future of the estate, which is hugely expensive to run,” said Mountcharles. ‘‘It is a bit of a money-pit, but it does at least wash its face financially. We choose our events very carefully, and our costs are carefully managed.”

Slane plays host to Mancunian rockers Oasis on Saturday, and Mountcharles said that preparations were well advanced to receive the 80,000 concert-goers. ‘‘There are a substantial number of people on the site, and we are investing in extra infrastructure, including a new roadway,” he said.

However, Mountcharles would not be drawn on the finances of the concert. ‘‘The deal is always complicated, because different artists and different companies have different agendas. The nature of the business is that there are a smaller number of operators on the world stage, so we are dealing with global entities,” he said.

A limited number of general tickets and ‘garden party’ packages is still available for the Oasis concert, from the castle or from Ticketmaster.

These packages include reserved parking, grandstand seating and access to restaurants, a bar and cloakroom.

‘‘Once we have Oasis out of the way, we’ll have a big party, a sigh of relief and then it’s straight into building for the launch of the whiskey in the US,” said Mountcharles.

He described Slane as a ‘‘true family business’’, which has been built up over the past 30 years by his father, Henry, whose title now is the 8th Marquess Conyngham.

99 Drams of Whiskey: The Accidental Hedonist’s Quest for the Perfect Shot and the History of the Drink Kate Hopkins. St. Martin’s, $24.95 (288p) ISBN 978-0-312-38108-0

Available at Amazon etcetera and further details can be found at http://www.accidentalhedonist.com/index.php

A. Dewar Rattray Independent Bottler is offering through their Alberta agent, Purple Valley Imports, mature casks of single malt scotch whisky which is ready for immediate bottling.

The very exclusive and limited selection is as follows;

Coleburn (Closed) 1983 25 years old  48% 47 cases*
Auchentoshan 1991 18 years old 59.9% 35 cases*
Glenrothes 1990 19 years old 55.7% 35 cases*
Strathmill 1989 20 years old 59.9% 35 cases*
Aberfeldy 1994 15 years old 57.5% 35 cases*
Laphroaig 1996 13 years old 59.9% 35 cases*
Cragganmore 1997 12 years old 59.9% 35 cases*

* cases are 6 bottles each and the number of cases is approximate. Please contact Jonathan Bray of Purple Valley Imports for further information. Sale of these exclusive casks are strictly on a first come first serve basis. Exclusive casks will be offered only once a year and are highly sought after by markets worldwide. No guarantee is made that a particular cask will still be available. Case numbers are approximate and may vary considerably.

Jonathan Bray  (403) 862 3577 or jonathan@purplevalleyimports.com

And for information on A. Dewar Rattray please visit http://www.adrattray.com/

After a long wait the excellent single malts from the Glencadam Distillery are now available in Canada (currently in British Columbia).

The Glencadam DISTILLERY
The distillery is capable of producing around 1.5 million litres per year and has a storage capacity of approximately 20,000 casks. Plans are under way to increase capacity for storage in the vicinity of the town. The distillery holds stocks of quality whisky up to 30 years old. Glencadam has operated two pot stills since the beginning. The shape of the stills at Glencadam has never altered over the years. An unusual feature about the stills is that their lye pipes run upwards at an angle of 15 degrees rather than downwards. The belief is that this helps to produce a particularly delicate and mellow spirit which after maturation yields sweet and fruity notes in the final product. The essential supply of pure water for distilling depends on Glencadam’s long-held rights to springs at The Moorans, some 8.7 miles away and perhaps the longest water supply for distilling purposes of any Scottish distillery. This precious resource then flows through the Unthank hills on its way to the distillery . The distillery also has rights to draw water from Barry Burn for cooling purposes.

Two editions of Glencadam are being introduced;

Glencadan 10yo Highland Single Malt #656561
Grassy freshness and citrus on the nose and a pleasing harmony between a natural sweetness and the soft spicy oak on the palate.

A Whisky Intelligence tasting note for the Glencadam 10yo can be viewed at https://www.whiskyintelligence.com/2009/05/glencadam-10yo-46-ob-2009/

and the Glencadam 15yo Highland Single Malt ;

Colour: Pale gold; Nose: Salty notes with balance of sweetness. Delicate, elegant and charming. Palate: Cut-grass juiciness with mouth-watering malty signature. Restrained sweetness caressed by soft oak. Finish: Medium length. Oak balancing sweeter characteristics.

For more information on the Glencadam Distillery please visit http://www.glencadamdistillery.co.uk/glen/welcome.htm

or http://www.raredrams.com/

The hotly anticipated new offering for the famed distillery on Islay; for a distillery of such note the official bottlings have been quite rare (10yo, 10yo Cask Strength, 15yo, and 30yo along with a handful of special bottlings at various ages and vintages). Not a huge ramge but highly sought after! Additionally the new 18yo is replacing the beloved 15yo in the line up; and bottled without chill filtration too! The nose is immediately of peat smoke, delicate coal smoke, iodine and gauze and a faint burnt stick. Mild oak wood dust intermingled with a faint fragrant furniture polish and the ever slightest hint of fruit cake. Very typical of other Laphroaigs. The taste is of sweet strong peat smoke intertwined with malt and oak followed by mild oranges and apricots, vanilla, honey and a light mouth feel. The time in the cask has mellowed the famed Laphroaig attack but this is sensational whisky. Toasted oats? The finish is quite long and warming with more smoke and oak notes followed at the very end by some slight floral notes. Also honey and some more smoke and the slight hints of seaweed and/or the beach. Quite mellow (for an Islay) and lacks any rough edges or elbows. Well integrated bits make this a welcome addition the line up.  

£62 

Score 90 Points

For the full details on Laphroaig Single Malt please visit http://www.laphroaig.com/ and become a Friend of Laphroaig!

RARE DRAMS June 2009 CURRENT PORTFOLIO
Rare Drams imports rare single malts from Scotland. We have carefully selected our partnerships based on reputation and quality of product above all. We currently work with 3 suppliers to bring BC one of the most varied and sought after whisky portfolios. For the past two years we have the honor of being the top selling independent bottler in BC. Douglas Laing is a well know blender and bottler in Scotland. They specialize in single cask single malts. With offerings from virtually any distillery in Scotland.

OLD MALT CASK – SINGLE CASK SINGLE MALTS 50% abv – 6/case

LAPHROAIG 13 YO
A very popular whisky, hard to get anything but the quarter
cask – not yet tasted by Jim Murray 1 case

BENRINNES 14 YO
A lesser known distillery 1 case

LITTLEMILL 16YO –
(LOST DISTILLERY) 89 POINTS
“A little cracker! Littlemill as never seen before”. JIm Murray 1 case

MACALLAN 21YO

GLEN GARIOCH ( pronounced Geery ) 3 cases

GLENTAUCHERS 89 POINTS 2 cases “A delightful, ever-shifting malt – it plays with your tastebuds”

OLD & RARE BOTTLED @ CASK STRENGTH 3/case

GLEN GRANT 31YO Sherry finish 58.6% abv featured at Victoria Whisky Festival

GLEN KEITH 35YO Rum Finish 52.6% abv

MACALLAN 21YO Sherry Finish 54.4% abv

TOMATIN 31YO 55.6% abv

VATTED MALTS 46% abv – 750ml glass decanter

SPECIFIED ISLAY VATTED MALT – 5 SINGLE MALTS: BOWMORE, BUNNAHABHAIN, LAPHROAIG, COAL ILA & ARDBEG

SPEYSIDE VATTED MALT – 4 SINGLE MALTS: DUFFTOWN, LINKWOOD, MOTLACH & GLENDULLAN.

For more info and a list of stores please visit http://www.raredrams.com/

For more information on Douglas Laing Independent Bottlers please visit http://www.douglaslaing.com/

Tomintoul – the gentle dram Speyside Single Malts

Tomintoul Single Peated Malt #114900
a gentle coating of sweet peat, that multiplies in
intensity and spice. The finish is long, luscious and
not a little oaky” Jim Murray 94 POINTS

Tomintoul Single Malt 10yo # 353961
Soft, gentle, delicate. Some sweetness and toffee on the
nose Palate: Light, gentle and soft with a long finish.

Tomintoul 12yo Oloroso Sherry Finish #836494
“…about the cleanest sherry nose I have seen in a
long time. Wonderfully long and seductive.”
Jim Murray 95.5 POINTS

Tomintoul Single Malt 16 yo #808170
(gold medal San Francisco)
“… crisp, juicy barley and a wonderful array of sweet notes.

Visit Rare Drams and Tomintoul Distillery for more information on these wonderful single malts;

http://www.raredrams.com/ or http://www.tomintouldistillery.co.uk/