News from Kensington KWM in Calgary
Dear Malt Messenger Subscribers,
I’ve been back from Scotland for a little over a week, and what a busy time it’s been. Only days after returning the first of two Port Ellen tastings was held, conducted blind, and out of 6 different bottlings of Port Ellen I am thrilled to report that the overwhelming favourite was the cask bottled for KWM. For those of you who missed out on this event you have another chance to taste your way through a vertical of six Port Ellens. The second night for this tasting will be Friday June 26th. For more information on all things Port Ellen see below.
More pressingly, KWM’s annual Spring Single Malt Festival is coming up next Thursday. There are still some tickets left for this festival tasting where you will have the opportunity to sample from close to 80 single malts, bottled by some of Scotland’s finest distilleries and independent bottlers. The $60 attendance fee includes your own Glencairn glass and the opportunity to sample any of the whiskies being poured. This night, and this night alone, all of our single malts will be at least 5% off and the first 50 purchases made will include a free copy of the latest issue of Malt Advocate Magazine. More specific information on the tasting including some of the whiskies that will be sampled has been provided below.
Finally, tomorrow afternoon we will be receiving the last of our Springbank 18Yr and Springbank 11Yr Madeira Wood. These are both very limited products, and the first half of our allocation of the Madeira Wood sold out in just 2 days… they won’t last! I have rehashed some information for you below.
Look for the next full edition of the Malt Messenger which will be out Tuesday May 8th.
Slainte!
Andrew Ferguson
Spring Single Malt Festival – Thursday June 11th – $60
It’s that time of year again, Spring Single Malt Festival time. This is our second annual spring malt festival, and we have some excellent whiskies lined up from some of Scotland’s finest producers for your enjoyment. As with last years’ event we will be clearing the floor to make room for this year’s tasting, and have invited the representatives of various distilleries to come and sample our customers on their products. We will be sampling whiskies from the following distilleries and independent bottlers:
- Gordon & MacPhail
- Signatory
- Old Malt Cask
- Springbank
- Benromach
- Edradour
- Yamazaki
- Bowmore
- Glen Garioch
- Auchentoshan
- Isle of Arran
- Finlaggan
- Ileach
- Bruichladdich
- Glenfarclas
- Glenfiddich
- Balvenie
- Jura
- Dalmore
- BenRiach
- Glen Elgin
- Clynelish
- Lagavulin
- Caol Ila
- Port Ellen
- Glen Grant
- Johnnie Walker
- Bushmills
Some of the rarer whiskies we will be sampling include: G&M KWM Glen Grant 1966, OMC KWM Port Ellen 25Yr, Springbank 18Yr and 11Yr Madeira Wood, Octomore, Arran Burns 250th Anniversary bottling and others. I also have brought a couple of rare whiskies back from Scotland, that are not even available for purchase in Canada, that you will have the opportunity to sample, including: two whiskies from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society distilled at Bowmore and Ardbeg respectively, and a massively sherried bottle of Glenallachie only available at Chivas distillery visitor centers in Scotland.
All this, your own Glencairn glass, a 5% discount on all single malts for one night, and a free copy of Malt Advocate Magazine with the first 50 purchases that evening. For more information or to register call the store at 403-283-8000 or visit our website at www.kensingtonwinemarket.com..
Port Ellen Tasting #2 – Friday June 26th – $99
How often do you get the chance to sample 6 different bottlings of Port Ellen in a vertical tasting? That is provided you weren’t at last week’s Port Ellen Tasting. Port Ellen distillery was closed in 1983 and has since become the most mourned of all of Scotland’s closed distilleries. Its whisky style ranges from elegantly smooth and smoky-sweet, to rough peaty and earthy. Its whiskies are among the most highly sought after in the world. Diageo still owns the brand, and has for the last 8 years released annual limited edition bottlings from the distillery, but these can be rare and hard to come by. Rumour has it as well that Diageo’s stocks of Port Ellen are getting thin. Some independent bottlers like Douglas Laing and Signatory frequently release single cask bottlings of Port Ellen, but that doesn’t change the fact that the whisky is becoming older, rarer and more expensive with every passing year.
Join us on Friday June 26th for a special tasting where you will taste what makes Port Ellen single malt so special. We’ll sample 6 different expression of Port Ellen including: the 8th official release Port Ellen 29Yr, the OMC KWM Port Ellen 25Yr (our exclusive cask, more info below), the Signatory 25Yr Port Ellen that which I describe as being obnoxious (in the best possible way) as well as three others. The cost to attend is $99 and is limited to 20 attendees. More than half of these spaces are already sold. For more information or to register call the store at 403-283-8000, or visit our website at www.kensingtonwinemarket.com..
OMC KWM Port Ellen 25Yr – $249.99
In 1983 Mount Kilauea on the big island of Hawaii began erupting molten lava, which it continues to do to this day; Pioneer 10 became the first man-made object to leave the solar system; Vanessa Williams is the first African American crowned Miss America; the Nintendo Entertainment System debuts in Japan; Microsoft Word is sold for the first time; and the video for Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” is first broadcast, going on to become the most viewed video of all time!
1983 is also a significant year for Scotland’s whisky industry; it is in fact one of the darkest years. Tough economic times and a surplus of capacity prompt the closure of at least 13 single malt distilleries in 1983 alone (there are further closures in ’82, ’84, ’85 and ’86) 10 of these distilleries will never produce again! Among the distilleries closed in 1983 were Banff, Brora and Port Ellen. There is no bigger cult distillery in Scotland than Port Ellen. This long-lost Islay distillery is believed to be by many–myself included–the smoothest and most elegant Islay whisky ever distilled.
Our cask of 25 year old Port Ellen Single Malt Whisky was distilled in February of 1983, the last year the distillery was in production. It was filled into a refill sherry hogshead where the spirit was nurtured 25 long years; that is until it came to our attention. This cask has been purchased from Douglas Laing, which is one of the finest independent bottlers in Scotland. The family owned business has been bottling single malt whisky for more than 50 years and has an unrivaled reputation for quality. Douglas Laing also has larger stocks of Port Ellen single malt than any other independent bottler, possibly even more than Port Ellen’s owner Diageo.
There were 210 bottles of the OMC (Old Malt Cask) KWM Port Ellen 25Yr released, of which more than half have sold. They were officially released at our Port Ellen Cask Release Party on Thursday November 13th. Stewart Laing was on hand to help us celebrate the release of the whisky and sign any purchased bottles. It was one hell of a night, with close to 50 bottles selling on the spot.
Tasting Note:
Nose: the light peat, heather and honey are right in your face, and there is much more to this whisky than is hinted by its colour. Later it becomes salty, and a touch tarry while keeping the sweet and herbaceous notes. Do I detect a hint of citrus behind the smoldering peat?
Palate: the first sip has some heat, but it’s clean and rolls out into green earthy notes, then sweet honey and finally salty smoke. The second sip is classic Port Ellen, all the taste buds in my mouth are alight with sweet, smoky, earthy, fresh and fruity notes. Towards the back of the palate the smoky-briny take over and lead the charge with some dark chocolate-peat close behind. The third sip is creamier, with buttery-briny-peat; very lovely!
Finish: soft rich buttery peat with highland toffee and a touch of sea-breeze!
The Two New Springbanks
Springbank 18Yr – This is the oldest Springbank bottling available at the moment. Only 180 bottles of it are coming to Canada, all of it to Alberta, and KWM is getting 60. The Springbank 18Yr is the newest permanent addition to the distillery’s core range. The whisky is a vatting of 80% sherry casks and 20% bourbon barrels and has been bottled at 46% without colouring or chill-filtering. The first year’s release is of only 7,800 bottles Worldwide, which are not expected to last long; the product is already sold out in Europe. Of the 180 bottles that are coming to Alberta, I expect most will sell out in a matter of months if not weeks. Of the 60 bottles KWM will be getting more than two dozen were pre-sold. They are retailing for $148.99/bottle. Preliminary Tasting Note (mine): Nose: salty smoke dominated the first pass, the second was round and creamy, the third herbaceous and earthy showing trace of peat, and my final pass showed traces of–dare I say it–cannabis, with a saline quality and gentle oils. Palate: richer than I expected, soft, smoky and bitter-sweet and at the same time very perfumy. Sour, and spicy elements dance around my tongue. There are fruits here, and flowers, in fact the complexity is a little overwhelming. The smoke has a pine-needle edge to it and the fruits taste poached. Finish: sour poached fruits, clean salty smoke, fresh mint and drying traces of viscous mouth coating oils.
Springbank 11 Yr Madeira Wood 1997 – Gold Medal Winner Whisky Magazine New Releases Tasting July 2009. Dave Broom 9/10 – Martine Nouet 8.6/10 – Tasting Note by Dave Broom: “Nose: big, layered and soft. Oak/cedar notes and smoke. Linseed oil, sesame, melted candle, wet vegetation. Light heather, peat then dried fruit. Great complexity. Palate: Needs water. Rounded, sweet and complex with a concentrated wild berry fruit character intriguingly mixed with tarry ropes. Black cherry. Tongue-coating and oily flow. Finish: smoke, dark chocolate. Briary fruits. Comments: Substantial, multifaceted and complex. Highest recommendation. 9/10” Only 120 bottles of this whisky have been released in Canada, and KWM has acquired 48 of them of which more than 2/3 have sold. The Madeira finish selling for $91.49/bottle.
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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
