Malt Messenger Bulletin
We have been taking pre-orders for the KWM 2021 Whisky Calendar for a little over a week, and it is already more than 3/5 sold out… It might help that we are offering our most generous early bird offer ever. If you purchase the Pre-Pay Early Bird option, by end of day September 22nd, you will save $60 on the KWM 2021 Whisky Calendar. On September 23 the price will increase to $435+gst.
We will be revealing the design of our 2021 Whisky Calendar in a week or so.
We also have a new Glenfarclas Family Cask offer, including 18 new single casks. We weren’t expecting a release this year, so this is a pleasant surprise. And there is another Glenfarclas expected soon, the Glenfarclas 185th Anniversary bottling!
I also have included info on some up-coming virtual tastings, and there are also another half dozen tasting notes I’ve managed to write up over the last few days.
As always, in the event of a discrepancy in price, the point of sale at KWM will be taken as correct. Please don’t hesitate to email me with any questions, comments, or requests.
Sincerely,
Andrew Ferguson
Kensington Wine Market
GLENFARCLAS FAMILY CASK OFFER 2021
At long last we have a new Glenfarclas Family Cask offer, and it includes 18 new “Summer 2021” bottlings. Vintages 2005 and 2006 have been bottled for the first time as Family Casks. I’ve done a little digging on them and the vintages I’m most curious about are 2004, 2001, 1996, 1992 and 1991…
Please see the PDF linked below for pricing.
ETA is Winter/Spring 2022.
Dowload the Glenfarclas Family Cask List
If you would like to order any of the vintages please advise me by email, by Friday, September 24.
COMING SOON:
GLENFARCLAS 185th ANNIVERSARY
To celebrate their 185th Anniversary, the Glenfarclas Distillery has created a special multi-vintage bottling, just as they did for their 175th Anniversary. Only 6000 bottles have been released globally, bottled at 46%. It has an 88.8pt score on Whisky Base!
Glenfarclas 185th Anniversary – 46% – Producer Description: “To mark the occasion, Callum Fraser (Distillery Manager) and Douglas Belford (Managing Director) were given the enviable task of going out in to the warehouses to hunt for casks from across the decades that they felt best represented our 185 year history. This was a long process, but after almost 2 years of adding a few casks at a time, they are more than delighted with the final result. This well layered dram with a phenomenal finish showcases the true Glenfarclas character. It was bottled at 46% and will be available soon from specialist whisky shops via our network of international distributors.” – $170 – Limit 1 Per Customer!
Early Bird Pricing on the KWM 2021 Whisky Calendar Ends in 48 Hours!
“25 Days of Dram Fine Whisky”, aka the KWM Whisky Calendar is back for the 8th straight year. Once again the calendar will have a fresh new look, which we will be revealing in late September. This year’s calendar includes 24 50ml premium whiskies, a custom logo Glencairn glass, and a 100ml Scotch Malt Whisky Society whisky for Christmas Day. You can follow along on the KWM Blog starting December 1, or one of our various social media channels, as we introduce and discuss each day’s whisky. And there is more…
Last year, inspired by Covid and the rise of Zoom events, we held 5 Whisky Calendar Recap Tastings throughout the month of December. They were such a big hit that we knew we’d have to bring them back again this year. Accordingly, we will hold tastings for participants in this year’s Calendar on December 5, 10, 15, 20, and after Christmas on 29th. Each of them will cover the 5 prior day’s whiskies in the Calendar.
The whiskies this year include 3 KWM exclusive casks, a number of whiskies in their 20s, and more than a dozen distilleries and producers never before featured in any of our prior Whisky Calendars. We also worked hard to keep the pricing as reasonable as we possibly could this year, which wasn’t easy. Prices have been rising across the board, and supply chain issues have affected everything from the availability of glass and cardboard to delays in shipping and bottling. Never the less we are confident that we have put together another amazing product this year, and we know you are going to love it!
Best of all, if you select the pre-pay pre-order option, you will save $60. This option was very popular last year, and completely sold out 2020’s original production in just 2 weeks!
We anticipate the KWM 2021 Whisky Advent Calendars should be ready for pick up in early November. That is, as long as everything goes as planned (which, in the Covid Era, you can never be 100% sure of). But we’ve planned accordingly, and ordered early from all of our suppliers!
Two Options to Order the KWM 2021 Whisky Calendar
- Pre-Pay Early Bird Special Offer– Select this option if you wish to save $60 on the regular price of $435, by prepaying now in full (please note this cannot be combined with other offers or discounts). You will be charged $375+gst when we receive your order. This offer will expire at 11:59:59PM on September 22nd.
- Pay Later Pre-Order– If you want to reserve a KWM 2021 Whisky Calendar and pay thefull price of $435+gst later, please select this option to submit your order, and you will not be charged until a few days before it is ready for pick-up.
UP-COMING VIRTUAL WHISKY TASTINGS
Adelphi & Ardnamurchan with Connal Mackenzie
· Date: Friday, September 24
· Time: 5 PM
· Cost: $55
· Pick-Up Date: Available Now
· Only 12 spots left!
Adelphi Distillery Sales Director Connal Mackenzie will be our guest as we sample a range of whiskies from Adelphi Distillery Ltd. We have five independent bottlings from their Adelphi range, including bottlings of BenRiach, Breath of Speyside, Caol Ila, Glenborrodale, and Springbank. We also have a pair of single malts, from Adelphi’s Ardnamurchan Distillery to sample, including a peated single cask. We held back stock of all of these releases, so participants will get first crack at the bottles! 5 PM, Friday, September 24.
Independent’s Day: Boutique-y Whisky with Dave Worthington Round 1
· Date: Saturday, September 25
· Time: 5 PM
· Cost: $80
· Pick-Up Date: Available Now
· Only 6 spots left!
We’ve just received a boatload of exciting new whiskies from the That Boutique-y Whisky Company, so we’ve cajoled our friend and Boutique-y Global Brand Ambassador Dave Worthington into joining us for a couple of tastings. Dave always puts on a good show, and just might be joined by Sam Simmons, aka Dr. Whisky… we never can be sure! Round I will include a mature range of malts including a closed distillery bottling. Specifically: Ben Nevis 22 Year, Caperdonich 22 Year, Glengoyne 19 Year, Inchgower 14 Year, Inchmurrin 20 Year, Irish Single Malt #1 14 Year and Tobermory 24 Year. 5 PM, Saturday, September 25
Bourbon: Learning About New Riff
· Date: Tuesday, September 28
· Time: 6 PM
· Cost: $30
· Pick-Up Date: Target September 17
New Riff is coming to Kensington Wine Market (virtually)! We can finally showcase this Newport, Kentucky Distillery that has a big focus on Bottled in Bond and Single Barrel Bourbon and Rye Whiskey. Join Evan and special guest Jay Erisman – Distiller at New Riff – for an online guided tour through 6 samples of New Riff Bourbon and Rye Whiskey.
*Please note that this stating starts at 6 PM Calgary Time instead of our usual tasting time to accommodate our special guest, who will be joining us virtually from Kentucky.*
Independent’s Day: Feis Ile Take 2
· Date: Thursday, September 30
· Time: 8 PM
· Cost: $100
· Pick-Up Date: Available now!
Our last virtual Feis Ile tasting in the Spring/Summer was a bit of a fiasco… we had to postpone it for months due to global shipping problems. And in the end, we were never able to feature a couple of the whiskies we had hoped to showcase. So we’re doing it again, but we’re taking our range up a notch. On the tasting docket this time: Boutique-y Bunnahabhain 14 Year, Boutique-y Bruichladdich 27 Year, Grace Ile 25 Year, Peat’s Beast PX, Peat’s Beast 27 Year, Signatory Caol Ila 2010 & Signatory Unnamed 1992 Islay Single Malt. 8 PM, Thursday, September 30.
SMWS October 2021 Virtual Outturn – 10th Anniversary Edition
- Date: Wednesday, October 6
- Time:8 PM
- Cost: $40
- Pick-Up Date:Available September 20
It is hard to believe that it’s been 10 years since we helped launch the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in Canada. Over the last decade, the Society has released over 800 whiskies to its Canadian members, and we’ve hosted well over 200 Outturn tastings at KWM. It has been quite a ride, to say the least… We hope you’ll join us for the Society’s 10th Anniversary Outturn tasting on Wednesday, October 6, 2021, at 8 PM. As always your purchase limit is 2.We will sample 7 new releases, including a special bottling. *Tasting samples will be available for pick-up on Monday, September 20.
Independent’s Day: Boutique-y Whisky with Dave Worthington Round 2
· Date: Friday, October 15
· Time: 5 PM
· Cost: $65
· Pick-Up Date: Available now!
· Only 8 spots left!
We’ve just received a boatload of exciting new whiskies from the That Boutique-y Whisky Company, so we’ve cajoled our friend and Boutique-y Global Brand Ambassador Dave Worthington into joining us for a couple of tastings. Dave always puts on a good show, and just might be joined by Sam Simmons, aka Dr. Whisky… we never can be sure! Round 2 will include a pair of teaspooned “Blended Malts” believed to be 25-year-old Balvenie and 24-year-old Glen Scotia. In addition to that we’ll sample Bunnahabhain 10 Year, Glen Elgin 22 Year, Glen Garioch 29 Year, Tobermory 12 Year and an unnamed 10 Year Islay Single Malt. 5 PM, Friday, October 15
Wine vs Whisky with Abi & Evan
· Date: Friday, October 22
· Time: 8 PM
· Cost: $55
· Pick-Up Date: Day of the tasting! Friday, October 22
Abi knows Wine.
Evan knows Whisky.
What would happen if they switched roles?
For this tasting, Evan will select and talk about samples of wine while Abi will take charge on the whisky side, choosing three samples as well. Worlds will collide on this wine and whisky tasting. Which choices will come on top?
Included in the tasting kit:
– 3x 1.7 oz / 50 ml samples of wine
– 3x 0.5 oz / 15 ml samples of whisky
– A few small Halloween-themed snacks for pairing.
This offers enough of a sample size for all the singles out there. Those of you making a date night out of it might want to purchase two kits.
*Because the wine is a bit more perishable than the whisky, we will not be pouring it into sample bottles until the day of the tasting. Samples will not be ready for pickup until the day of the tasting*
Cooper’s Choice Curiosities
Date: Tuesday, October 26
Time:8 PM
Cost: $40
Pick-Up Date:Available September 14
Having recently received a curious parcel of bottlings from Cooper’s Choice, we knew we’d have to build a tasting around them. For one, there are a pair of Secret bottlings, one each from the Lowlands and Islay, and the Ileach is believed to come from a distillery that rhymes with Lardbeg! Also from the Lowlands, a region we rarely talk about, there is the first bottling we’ve ever seen from the new (established 2015) InchDairnie Distillery… and adding to the intrigue it is a peated Lowland single malt! We’ll also be sampling a 25 year old Old Rhosdhu, an intriguing Blended Malt, a Caol Ila and a late teens Ardmore. Expectations are high for this rag tag bag of drams! 8PM Tuesday October, 26.
Rare Malts: Single Casks & Small Batch Bottlings
Date: Tuesday, November 2
Time:8 PM
Cost: $60
Pick-Up Date: September 15
The allure of this tasting should be almost self-explanatory… It is a range of Rare and Limited Edition malts, that we are dying to share with you. We will be sampling the Daftmill 2009, Ardnamurchan Paul Lanois, Compass Box Menagerie, and Macallan 18 Year Sherry Oak as well as three brand spanking new KWM exclusive casks from Berry Bros. & Rudd: Orkney 2003 (Highland Park), Blended Malt 1999 (who knows what this is… and who cares? it’s awesome!), and Tormore 1995. None of the whiskies in this range have ever appeared in a prior KWM tasting, save perhaps the Macallan 18 Year Sherry Oak, and I’d wager it’s been at least 10-12 years since we’ve cracked a bottle of that! 8PM Tuesday, November 2.
The Ultimate Bunnahabhain Tasting 271 Years
Date: Thursday, November 25
Time:8 PM
Cost: $300
Pick-Up Date:Available September 24
A few of our team here, independently noted that we have a lot of old Bunnahabhains right now, and I mean a lot. There are the 43 and 44-year-old Director’s Special bottlings, 40 and 42-year-old Signatory Vintage bottlings and the Port Askaig 45 Year (also a Bunna) is returning this Fall. Add to that a Boutique-y Bunnahabhain 27 Year and a Bunnahabhain 30 Year OB I tucked away for a tasting, because there wasn’t enough to sell, and we had 271 years of Bunnahabhain just begging to be tasted… we couldn’t let this opportunity slip by without having an Ultimate Bunnahabhain Tasting! 8 PM, Thursday, November 25.
The Kinship Collection 2020 – 178 Years
Date: Tuesday, November 30
Time:8 PM
Cost: $200
Pick-Up Date:Available September 30
It is likely someone will eventually purchase a full set of the Kinship Collection 2020 from us… but we won’t be selling two! That’s because one of those sets is going to get cracked for a tasting. How can it not?! The set is comprised of a 28-year-old Ardbeg and 30-year-old whiskies from Bowmore, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Highland Park and Laphroaig. In all, it is 178 years of Islay malts & Highland Park. Reviews of the range are not so shabby either, averaging 90+pts on Whisky Base.
MY TASTING NOTES:
ON SOME RECENT NEW ARRIVALS
A lot of the old and rare whiskies we get in need a bit of extra love, and deserve bespoke tasting notes written by what I hope is seen as a trusted source… me! Here are my own thoughts on a half dozen recent arrivals, all of them lovely in their own unique ways!
Compass Box Menagerie – 46% – Predominantly Mortlach (42.7%) with Deanston, Glen Elgin, Laphroaig & Highland Malt Blended Malt – My Tasting Note: “Nose: soft, fruity and spicy with a hint of smoke; perfumed floral top notes; a faint meatiness with leather and waxy tones; baked apple, poached pear, and over-ripe banana. Palate: soft and fruity with chewy malt that melts into silky oak tones; a touch of subtle ashy peat upfront before the fruits take over; more baked white fruits, uber ripe banana, apricot jam, and marmalade; the oak adds waxy-honey, soft leather, and decadent spices; late earthy tones, chocolate, and darker fruits. Finish: soft, elegant and complex; cream, fruits, and clean smoke… then more fruits. Comment: a very pretty dram from start to finish, this is another fine example of Compass Box’s mastery of Whisky Making! – $155
Grace Ile 25 Year – 48% – American Oak – My Tasting Note: “Nose: soft, fruity and floral with clean smoke; clotted cream, salted caramel, and seaweed wafers; ashy peat, seaweed crisps, langoustines dipped in butter and seared scallops; moving into melons, apricot jam, and Strawberry Twizzlers. Palate: soft, creamy and floral with ashy smoke; lush with more clotted cream and salted caramel, but also creme brule and dulce de leche; chewy malt, toasted almonds, and toasted oak; a burst of citrus with melons and apricot jam; faintly medicinal with more seaweed crisps, langoustines, and scallops. Finish: long, coating, creamy and medicinal with soft fruits, toasted oak, and spice; warming and lush with layers. Comment: this is a lovely older Ileach with fading medicinal peat, soft fruits, and chewy malt; based on the profile, I’d guess Laphroaig.” – $550
Signatory Caol Ila 2010 – 58.9% – 10 Year – Refill Sherry Butt #316650 – My Tasting Note: “Nose: thick, oily and peaty with chewy malt, earthy dunnage tones and beef jerky; figs, dates and stewed prunes; dark chocolate, leather, and tobacco. Palate: big and oily, woof… it starts big and only gets bigger; maple syrup, treacle sauce and Dutch licorice; chewy malt, dark bakers chocolate firm leather and fruity tobacco; more dried dark fruits and teriyaki beef jerky; coal smoke and a touch of gunpowder; medicinal with bacon-wrapped scallops. Finish: long, coating, and fruity with loads of dried fruits and Dutch licorice; oily and medicinal. Comment: classic sherried Caol Ila, this is a muscular dram loaded with chocolate, leather, spice and medicinal tones.” – $215
Signatory Caperdonich 2000 – 56.4% – 20 Year – Hogshead #29481 – My Tasting Note: “Nose: fruity and nutty with soft toasted oak; coconut icing, creme brule, and marzipan; bright citrus fruits and peaches n’ cream. Palate: nutty and toasty with decadent spices and soft fruit; the oak is dominating the palate, but in the best possible way; more creme brule, coconut icing, and marzipan; silky with Demerara sugars, candied nuts, and decadent spices; pecan pie; on the fruit side of things more citrus, apricot jam and canned peaches. Finish: warming and spicy with more creamy oak tones, decadent deserts and bright fruits; the finish is on the short side of things, but leaves you wanting more. Comment: decadent and very drinkable with a nice complexity; this is without question the best priced Caperdonich we have at the moment; an increasingly rare whisky, from a closed distillery! – $535
Signatory 30th Annv Glenlivet 1973 – 43.1% – 45 Year – a Sherry Hogshead & a Sherry Butt – My Tasting Note: “Nose: hot damn… this is something; antique-y; swirling old Armagnac in a brandy sifter while sitting in a leather armchair in an oak-paneled cigar lounge; fruity pipe tobacco, strawberries dipped in dark chocolate and maraschino cherries; syrupy and then into the tropical fruits: mango, papaya, and guava; rosewater. Palate: big, rich and deep… oh boy this is good; super old-school, more Armagnac, leather, tobacco, and polished oak; maple syrup, chocolate fudge, and quince paste; then we step into the tropical fruits again mango, papaya, and guava… a bit of Kiwi too; the spices build along with a waft of cool mint and something reminiscent of old Jamaican rum; sweet funk and more rosewater. Finish: long, layered and elegant; waves of Armagnac, fruit, chocolate, tobacco, and more. Comment: surprisingly balanced at 45 years of age, with a good synergy between the nose and palate; while I’m not suggesting this is the General or the Black Bowmore, it is trending in that direction… superb stuff!” – $2400
Signatory Jura 1992 – 52.2% – 29 Year – Bourbon Barrel (#2495) – My Tasting Note: “Nose: honeyed and floral with a waxy tone and dried fruits; honeydew melons, dried apricot, and dehydrated apple slices; dunnage warehouse notes; a touch cheesy, powdered sugar, and French bakery aromas. Palate: silky delivery into more French bakery tones, dried fruits, and dunnage warehouse notes; aged cheddar on oatcakes with chutney; more dried apricot and dehydrated apple slices with barley sugars and building decadent spice; floral and waxy with powdered sugar on pain au chocolate. Finish: floral, toasty, and fruity with firm decadent spices; long and warming. Comment: this is a lush, floral and fruity Jura with a pleasant cheesy funk; thinking long ferms before a long oxidative maturation; good recipe for success that! – $515
CURBSIDE PICKUP
Physical distancing is made easy with curbside pickup. Order online or by phone, wait for confirmation your order is ready then call us when you are out front.
FREE DELIVERY
We are proud to offer Free City Wide Delivery on all orders over $100 Monday-Friday! Orders under $100 are subject to a flat rate $10 deliver fee. We are expecting high demand for delivery after the sale so please be patient!
403-283-8000
Store Hours
Mon – Wed 10AM – 8PM
Thurs & Fri 10AM – 9PM
Sat 10AM – 8 PM
Sun 11PM to 6PM
*All Prices Quoted here are subject to change and do not include GST. In the case of pricing discrepancies, the price at our point of sale will be taken as correct.*
