Kensington Wine Market Malt Messenger Bulletin by Andrew Ferguson – Great Tastings & New Whiskies – Whisky News
Malt Messenger Bulletin – Great Tastings & New Whiskies
June is a very busy whisky month at Kensington Wine Market, with a lot going on. The month starts out with the Scotch Malt Whisky Society Outturn tastings, as does every other month. Last night’s was the first of 3 June Outturn tastings, and the whiskies were a hit. Nothing unusual there… there are 1-2 tickets each remaining for 6PM and 8PM seatings tomorrow. The Society tastings are just the warm-up. Tonight, Thursday June 1, I am hosting a Whisky Dinner at the Ranchmen’s Club, which they have opened up to the public. For $155 including taxes and gratuity you’ll enjoy a custom cocktail, six whiskies selected by yours truly and have a great meal. If you are in to smoking cigars, there is an opportunity to do that at the end of the night. If you are interested in attending this event please send me an email.
Saturday is all about Ardbeg, as we launch the new release Ardbeg Kelpie with Master Classes at KWM. The 3PM Master Class is sold out, and there are but 4 spots left in the 1PM seating. Ardbeg Day continues on to the evening in Calgary with PRLR Lounge, also in Kensington, hosting an event from 7-11. June 8th is our Sold Out Spring Single Malt Festival. You need to get in on the Spring Single Malt Festival early, it usually sells out in weeks after we’ve announced the date. The following week we are very excited to welcome John Glaser to KWM, for his first tasting in Calgary in nearly a decade! John is coming to help us launch a very exciting bespoke Compass Box / KWM collaboration Blend! We have two tastings with John on Tuesday May 13, at 5PM and 8PM. There is only 1 spot left at 8PM and there are about a dozen left at 5PM. You won’t want to miss this one!
The week following John Glaser’s tasting we are having a Scotch Malt Whisky Society 5½.25 Festival. Why the oddly named 5½.25 Festival? First it is play on the Society’s unique numbering system for its bottles. But it is also marking two occasions, Kensington Wine Market’s 25th Anniversary and the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s 5½th Anniversary in Canada. There will be around 80 Scotch Malt Whisky Society whiskies open for sampling, including some long sold out old friends, current releases and previews of a few things yet to come. The SMWS Festival is open to the public for the price of $60, $50 for Members. In the 72 hours since we opened ticket sales to members, half of the tickets have already sold! As an added incentive, at least $10 per ticket will be donated to the Calgary Food Bank!
The night after the SMWS Festival we are having a very special version of our ever popular Master Malts tasting. As 2017 is Kensington Wine Market’s 25th Anniversary we thought it would be fun to pit a range of 7 25 year old whiskies head to head. Master Malts 25 Year Old Edition, Friday, June 23rd, is more than half sold out! And last but not least we will be celebrating Canada’s 150th Birthday at the end of the month with a Spirit of Canada, Canadian whisky tasting on Thursday, June 29th. Details on all of these events can be found on our website. Some of them are highlighted below.
There are a lot of great events to get excited about this month, but also same great whiskies. We are expecting our first KWM exclusive single barrel of Wyoming Whiskey (KWM Cask) next week. At the same time we will also see the first bottles of our Compass Box KWM 25th Anniversary Blend. There are 11 new releases from Hunter Laing, including a new First Edition and 9 excellent value, Old Malt Cask Expressions. There is also an amazing price being offered on the Tomatin 25 Year 375ml, at just $150, two bottles of it are $50 cheaper than a 750ml of the same whisky… We don’t often see small format bottles of older whiskies like this. It is also a discontinued product! And finally there is a new limited edition Highland Park Fire. We have yet to sample the whisky, which is the follow up to last year’s Highland Park Ice. But it did get a 90pt Score from Serge on Whisky Fun. Limit 1 per customer.
I hope this Malt Messenger Bulletin finds you well, and that we will see you at one of the great events we have planned this month in Calgary!
Slainté!
Andrew Ferguson
Kensington Wine Market
PS – Don’t forget you can follow me on Twitter:
@scotch_guy, Instagram: @thescotch_guy/
or @kwmwhisky and Facebook: facebook.com/scotch.guy.1
In This Edition
- Ardbeg Day 2017
- Compass Box with John Glaser & a KWM Blend
- Scotch Malt Whisky Society 5½.25 Festival
- New Wyoming Whiskey KWM Cask
- New Hunter Laing Whiskies
- Great Deal: Tomatin 25 Year 375ml
- Introducing Highland Park Fire
Ardbeg Day 2017
All Ardbeg, All Day, Saturday June 3!
Ardbeg Day is coming up on Saturday, June 3, with a pair of Master Classes at KWM and evening festivities at PRLR Lounge. There are only 4 tickets left for the 1PM KWM Master Class featuring:
- Ardbeg 10 Year
- Ardbeg Corryvreckan
- Ardbeg Uigeadail
- Ardbeg Perpetuum (2015 Ardbeg Day Bottling)
- Ardbeg Dark Cove (2016 Ardbeg Day Bottling)
- Ardbeg Kelpie (2017 Ardbeg Day Bottling)
The 3PM Ardbeg seating is sold out. If there is enough demand we will considering opening a 3rd 5PM seating. Register On-line or call 403-283-80
Ardbeg Day/Night Festivities countinue at PRLR Lounge, tickets are $25. RSVP to info@prlrlounge.com ASAP if you would like to attend. Sorry for the short notice. We only got it a few days ago!
Compass Box with John Glaser & a New KWM Blend
Two Amazing Tastings, One Night Only, Tuesday June 13!
We are very excited to be welcoming John Glaser of Compass Box to Kensington Wine Market on Tuesday, June 13. This is John’s first trip to Alberta in nearly a decade, and he’s coming for a very special reason… the Compass Box KWM 25th Anniversary Blend . We have collaborated with Compass Box’s legendary whisky maker and visionary John Glaser to produce a special blend to commemorate Kensington Wine Market’s 25th Anniversary. So far as we know, we are one of the first retailers in the world to be given such a privilege… The whisky was inspired by Flaming Heart, Spice Tree and some of Compass Box’s other legendary whiskies. But that is not all we are tasting, among the other highlights: Flaming Heart 15th Anniversary, Spice Tree Extravaganza and The Circus. We’ve also asked John to bring a couple of treats for the occasion (fingers crossed). Attendees will also be given a special KWM 25th Anniversary / Compass Box logo glass. There are two seatings:
- Compass Box KWM Blend Launch 5PM – $30 – 13 spots remaining
- Compass Box KWM Blend Launch 8PM – $30 – 1 spot remaining
Compass Box KWM 25th Anniversary Blend – 46% – Inspired by Flaming Heart and some of Compass Box’s elegant old blends the Compass Box KWM 25th Anniversary Blend is a very special creation! Bottled at 46% the whisky is from a mixture of old grains and both spicy and smoky malts. The components were matured in First-Fill American Oak, Sherry Butts and French Oak. More details and tasting notes on the whisky coming soon! $160+GST
What John Glaser had to say about the Whisky:
“We have been fortunate to work with Andrew Ferguson of Kensington Wine Market for many years, bringing our Compass Box whiskies to the Scotch enthusiasts of Canada.
For years we’ve been talking with Andrew about creating a bespoke whisky for him. We originally wanted to name it “Fort Whoop-Up”, after the notorious 19th century Alberta trading post, allegedly a centre for whisky smuggling and all sorts of illegal activities, near what is now Lethbridge.
But with the 25th anniversary of Kensington Wine Market upon us, we’ve decided to name it in honour of the anniversary, so Andrew can showcase the whisky throughout his year of celebrations.
Developed from an original brief by Andrew, this blend is a showpiece for the deep complexity that well-aged malt and grain whiskies from exceptional oak casks can deliver. It is composed of one-third decadent old grain whiskies aged in American oak; and spicy, smoky malt whiskies aged in both American oak and sherry casks. The combination is rich and complex, with the soft cushion of the old grain whisky providing an indulgent base on top of which the bold, smoky and dark fruit notes of the malt whiskies are placed.
We believe this whisky is a fitting tribute to Kensington Wine Market and also to Alberta’s long history of enjoying, exploring and indeed smuggling fine whisky! But with partners as committed and knowledgeable as Kensington Wine Market in place there will be no need to smuggle this bottle into the province – and for that we are all grateful!
However you source this whisky, wherever you drink it, whoever you share it with, above all, please share and enjoy.
John Glaser
Founder & Whiskymaker”
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 5½.25 Festival
Celebrating Two Anniversaries with a Festival Whisky Tasting
We are throwing our first ever Scotch Malt Whisky Society Whisky Festival to mark 5 1/2 years of the Society in Canada, and Kensington Wine Market’s 25th Anniversary. The event is open to Society members, guests, and those of you in the general public curious about what exactly the Scotch Malt Whisky Society really is. Tickets are $50 for Members, $60 for Guests and the Public. We will be featuring around 70-80 different Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottlings including a few teasers, some current releases and at least 50 past releases (SOLD OUT). There are only 100 tickets available, and the first half have sold in just 72 hours!
Buy tickets online, or by phone: 403-283-8000.
New Wyoming Whiskey KWM Cask
Our first new exclusive KWM Bourbon Barrel in a year!
There is not too much to tell about this one yet, other than that we are really excited to finally get it, and it will be in store on Wednesday next! Only 192 bottles at $100+GST. Image, tasting note and proper description coming soon!
New Hunter Laing Whiskies
10 of these whiskies are all about value, the 11th is just cool!
We are thrilled to be working with Hunter Laing again, and our
first batch of whiskies from them was a hit! I think this next batch will be even better received! 20, 21, 24 and 25 year old single cask, single malt whiskies at 50% for under $200, it is all about value. One exception, the Author’s Series Bruichladdich is a bit on the dear side, but that is nothing new for that range. It is also extremely limited!
- Author’s Series Bruichladdich 1990 Jules Verne – 48.6% – 25 Year – Refill Hogshead – 140 Bottles – $649.99
- First Edition Braeval Sherry 1998 – 54.8% – 18 Year – Sherry Butt – Producer Tasting Note: “Nose: a fruity spicy noes with chocolate overtones. Palate: rich and chewy malt and macerated fruit on the palate. Finish: a long finish with dark fruits, oak and smoke.” – $160
- Old Malt Cask Glenallachie 24 Year – 40% – 1992 – Refill Hogshead – Producer Tasting Note: “Nose: banana, vanilla, summer fruits. Palate: sweet, fruity, gentle with ripe apples. Finish: medium length with more soft fruits. – $185
- Old Malt Cask Glenburgie 18 Year – 50% – 1998 – Refill Hogshead – Producer Tasting Note: “Nose: apples, grass and toffee cake. Palate: smooth with caramel, oranges and honey. Finish: long and smooth with honey notes.” – $145
- Old Malt Cask Braeval 25 Year – 44.7% – 1991 – Refill Hogshead – Producer’s Tasting Note: “Nose: sweet and floral with honey and strawberries. Palate: Mellow and sweet, with caramel, vanilla and oranges. Finish: Medium length, with a lingering gentle sweetness.” – $205
- Old Malt Cask Deanston 21 Year – 50% – 1995 – Refill Hogshead – Producer’s Tasting Note: “Nose: grassy with fresh green apples and honey. Palate: sweet, vanilla, citrus. Finish: long and gentle, barley sugar.” – $162
- Old Malt Cask Glen Ord 12 Year – 50% – 2004 – Refill Hogshead – Producer’s Tasting Note: “Nose: caramel, lemon, candlewax and pepper. Palate: toffee, green herbs, vanilla and dried fruits. Finish: long and smooth with gentle fruits.” – $112.99
- Old Malt Cask Ardmore 20 Year – 50% – 1996 – Refil Hogshead – Producer’s Tasting Note: “Nose: clean with apples, lemon and mellon. Palate: fresh and peppery with apples and lemon. Finish: medium length with lingering pepper.” – $160
- Old Malt Cask Tormore 27 Year – 50% – 1988 – Sherry Butt – Producer’s Tasting Note: “Nose: sweet and mellow with rich vanilla fruits. Palate: smooth and buttery with nutty Christmas pudding. Finish: long, sweet and dry with a late touch of oak.” – $210
- Old Malt Cask Craigellachie 20 Year – 50% – 1995 – Sherry Butt – Producer’s Tasting Note: “Nose: sweet bodied with vanilla custard, apples and rich fruit. Palate: creamy with vanilla tablet, green apples, sultanas and raisins. Finish: long and slightly dry with a fruity aftertaste.” – $190
- Old Malt Cask Glen Garioch 25 Year – 50% – 1991 – Refill Hogshead – Producer’s Tasting Note: “Nose: autumn leaves, wood polish and cinnamon. Palate: waxy, spicy with stewed fruits. Finish: rich and drying with spicy oak.” – $200
Great Deal: Tomatin 25 Year 375ml
375ml 25 Year Old Single Malt for $150!
We have gotten a very good deal on Tomatin 25 Year 375ml bottles. The Tomatin 25 Year is a discontinued product and will shortly no longer be available in full size bottles let along the 375ml format. The 750mls sell for $350+GST…
Tomatin 25 Year 375ml – 43% – Matured in Amerian Oak – Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Light and fresh. Citrus fruits, vanilla, fruit cake. Oak prominent throughout. Palate: Good balance. Smooth, medium body, delicate honey and mild orange.
Finish: Quite long; lingers on the palate.” – $150
Introducing Highland Park Fire Edition
The follow up to Highland Park Ice Edition
We couldn’t even announce the first release of this we received, because it was just 6 bottles. Well we’ve got six more. Limited to 1 per customer. Get em while they are hot!
Highland Park Fire – 45.2% – 90pts Whisky Advocate: “Fire is the first Highland Park expression to be fully matured in “refill port wine-seasoned casks” and it carries a 15 year age statement. Very fruity on the nose-raspberries and prunes -plus lightly-smoked pineapple and vanilla. More smoky, spicy fruit features on the palate, with a light sprinkling of cinnamon. The peat dries to leave ashy licorice and black pepper in a lingering finish. The port is pleasingly discreet.” – $440
From the Distillery: “FIRE EDITION represents one half of a special two-part bottling, celebrating the great sagas of the Viking age recorded in the oldest Norse poems, the Poetic Edda. The Poetic Edda tells the tale of the apocalyptic battle between the Gods and the Fire and Ice Giants, where the old world perished in a blazing ball of fire and the new world was born from its ashes. Celebrating this re-birth, or Ragnarok, we released 28,000 bottles of FIRE EDITION, encased in specially commissioned crimson glass. Matured in 100% refill Port seasoned casks – a first for Highland Park – the result is a vibrant single malt with the natural hue of glowing flames. Here, damsons, cinnamon, dried fruit and chocolate dance on the tongue, before sizzling to an intense fruity finish.”
Thank You for Reading the Malt Messenger!
Contact & Disclaimers
If you have any whisky questions or comments concerning The Malt Messenger please contact me by e-mail, phone, or drop by the store.
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 and don’t include GST. In the case of discrepancies in pricing, the price in our in store point of sale will be taken as correct.
Thanks for reading the Malt Messenger.
Slainte!
Andrew Ferguson
Owner & Scotchguy
Kensington Wine Market
403-283-8000
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
403-283-8000
