Loch Fyne Whiskies has stocked a new item, ‘Just in: Balblair 2001 46%’
Balblair OB 2001 46%alc.
Bottled 2011. Quiet with vanilla notes on the nose, fat and juicy on the tongue. Easy going, with slightly peppery feel to it. On the Flavour map it’s in square D2 on the delicate side of Light and Delicate.
£33.90 inc vat (£28.25 ex vat)
Best regards,
Loch Fyne Whiskies
david@lfw.co.uk
Father’s Day Outturn Offerings – May 2012
A wee seductress of a dram
Cask No. 24.121
Highlands, Speyside
The nose created an image – a polished antique table by a glowing log fire (with polished brass fender); on the table – a rich rib–eye steak, also ripe fruits, olives, sun-dried tomatoes – and then honey, toffee, mocha and chocolate orange to round it off. The palate offered glorious vanilla, candy, marzipan sweetness, with stewed rhubarb, strawberries and raspberries, plus toasted pine nuts. Water sparklified it, bringing sherbet, vanilla ice-cream and pineapple or mango sorbet to the nose. The palate just became sweet, fruity and a very easy-drinking, moreish, wee seductress of a dram. The distillery boasts a ‘story of oak’ exhibition.
Drinking tip: A great session dram – throw away the cork!
Colour: Spun gold
Cask: Refill hogshead
Age: 20 years
Date distilled: April 1991
Alcohol: 46.6%
$140
Autumn Equinox on Islay
Cask No. 29.103
Islay, South Shore
The first nose is like an equinoxial gale: sea-salt and seaweed, fresh and pungent, with coal smoke and the Waverley (paddle steamer) engine-room; traces of Brylcream and oil-skins. Surprisingly sweet to taste; very salty, very smoky, with tarry rope. Water introduces mineral notes – face scrub, salt crust; barnacles and mussels on a harbour wall. The smoke has become a plate of mixed sea-food, some of it smoked. Soft and sweet to taste, with salt and smoke in the finish. This example lives up to the distillery’s reputation as ‘The Salty Dog of Malts’.
Drinking tip: A table for two by a log fire, picking at a sea-food platter
Colour: Pale gold
Cask: Refill hogshead
Age: 13 years
Date distilled: April 1998
Alcohol: 57.5%
$110
Egyptian tobacco
Cask No. 35.57
Highlands, Speyside (Lossie)
Robust with a huge amount of finesse and complexity the Panel thought this a masculine dram. One Panellist likened it to a double bass in the orchestra; seriously smooth with a long finish to taste this took us on a real journey. Water opened it up making it lively yet deep and rich; it had now become a cello. To taste this was remarkable and satisfying, beautifully fresh and lively for its age yet thick and mouth-coating; this has everything expect for its age yet still retains youthful vigour. From the Elgin based distillery that was once a brewery.
Drinking tip: As a celebratory drink with friends
Colour: Amber encrusted orange
Cask: Refill hogshead
Age: 34 years
Date distilled: December 1976
Alcohol: 53.8%
$240
A tonic to lift the spirits
Cask No. 105.15
Highlands, Speyside
Clean, fresh and simple on the nose, with saddle soap and leather polish to start, then dentists’ mouthwash, pine needles and tonic water, with ‘Daim Bar’ (praline covered with chocolate) after a while. Not as sweet a taste as expected; cooling mint and liquorice; slightly salty, but with chocolate in the aftertaste. The cooling effect becomes more pronounced with water – minty and mentholated (‘Hoola-Hoola Ice Powder’, for those who have been to Thailand); caramel, tobacco and nasturtiums. Now much sweeter to taste, though still lightly mouth-cooling, with dark chocolate in the finish. The distillery, built in the 1950s, was designed by a Past President of the Royal Academy.
Drinking tip: A chill-out dram after dangerous sports
Colour: Deep amber
Cask: First-fill Sherry hogshead
Age: 28 years
Date distilled: September 1983
Alcohol: 55.4%
$180
Citric, floral, sweet and herbal
Cask No. 121.47
Highlands, Arran
Immediately inviting with initial smells of vanilla sponge cake, lemons, pineapple and thick floral honey. This was mirrored in the taste but a slight spirity note and white pepper heat counterbalanced the thick juicy sweetness. The addition of water brought out herbal characters (verbena, lemon thyme), more citrus, white peaches, dry wood chips while one Panellist was reminded of a spring meadow after a heavy rainfall. On the palate it was light, floral, woody, juicy sweet, and citric; a slightly bitter woody aftertaste helped to create a whole mouthfeel. Eagles nested in the distillery buildings halting construction for six months.
Drinking tip: Perfect as an aperitif
Colour: Barbadian sunrise
Cask: Refill barrel
Age: 12 years
Date distilled: December 1998
Alcohol: 56.5%
$105
Please visit the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America at www.smwsa.com
Loch Fyne Whiskies Stocks, ‘Bruichladdich Black Art 3’
Bruichladdich Black Art 3 1989 22yo
48.7% abv
£91.50 inc vat
£76.25 ex vat
Best regards,
Loch Fyne Whiskies
david@lfw.co.uk
Bunnahabhain 1990 Sherry Cask #18
The latest dark sherry butt bottled by fine wine & spirit merchants Berry Bros & Rudd. Distilled 1990 and bottled 2012 from a refill sherry butt. The nose is brimming with sweet sherry, dried fruits and marzipan while the taste is an intense malt leaving no doubt of its sherry cask origins.
Next week the first legal whisky distilled and bottled on the Isle of Lewis in over 200 years will come available in Alberta. The whisky is from a new distillery in the Outer Hebrides, Abhainn Dearg, or Wind River. The first ever release is a 3 Year Old is limited to 2011 bottles (the year it was released). Obviously a little slow to get here what with the ocean and the distillery being on a small island. This is not a cheap whisky, but it is a first edition, handmade, and also transported from one of the most remote parts of Scotland. Please advise if you are interested in a bottle or two for $339.99 + GST. Only 50 are coming in to Canada. KWM has spoken up to 20 so far.
Photo and details from the distillery below!
Cheers
Andrew
FROM THE DISTILLERY
A Special Limited Edition of 2011 bottles of 3 Year Old Single Malt is being released for pre-sale with bottles being distributed in mid October.
Our single malt has come of age and to celebrate we have released only 2011 bottles, this is the very first single malt release from Abhainn Dearg Distillery and the first ever from the Outer Hebrides, that’s legal! There won’t be another opportunity to get this historic Special Three Year Old from Abhainn Dearg as we hold back our stock to reach five years.
The Outer Hebrides archipelago lies approximately forty miles from the Scottish Mainland the Isle of Lewis is the most northerly and Barra (Whisky Galore fame) lies at the southern tip. Abhainn Dearg is the only distillery in the 130 mile stretch of (mostly uninhabited) islands that form the archipelago. Even by island standards Abhainn Dearg Distillery is remote, located on the west coast of Lewis in an area called Uig, more famous for its Chessmen. (More info on Wikipedia)
This first Special Edition of Single Malt has been produced at the distillery from the clear crystal waters that run off the Uig hills and held in our own bonded warehouse. This unique whisky has never left the banks of Abhainn Dearg, it won’t till it’s sent out to our customers. This will be a single cask bottling, no added colour, non chill filtered and bottled (by hand) at 46%.
The journey to this point has been a long one, from concept to bottle. One man’s vision, turning a remote and obsolete fish farm into the first whisky distillery the islands have seen in almost two hundred years. His creation, Abhainn Dearg, is a very small and unique distillery, small in production and unique in location. With two permanent staff, including Marko, it’s methods are traditional, everything, even to labeling is done by hand.
Andrew Ferguson
Scotch Expert & Store Co-Manager
Kensington Wine Market
Scotch Malt Whisky Society Canada Ambassador
1257 Kensington Road NW Calgary Alberta T2N 3P8
P. 403.283-8000 Toll Free. 888.283.9004
http://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/
This month we have a short selection. So today we suggest for your consideration two (2) bottlings in the OMC range, one (1) new CLAN DENNY Old Grain and from the PROVENANCE range we have four (4) new offers.
Tasting Notes for OLD MALT CASK
OMC 2163 Aberlour 21 Year Old
Nose: Opens sweetly with toffee’d apples + a vanilla & spices character
Palate: Gristy sweet running to more (now fresh) apples + a tannic style
Finish: Now drier – carrying attractive soft spices + a hint of leather (J)
OMC 2170 Longmorn 21 Year Old
Nose: Sweet, running to a polished wood, bees wax style + elderflowers
Palate: Opens with a toffee & vanilla quality + caramelised fruit & spices
Finish: Still sweetly spiced, then runs drier to a cedar wood character (J)
Tasting Note of CLAN DENNY GRAIN:
DEN 0084 Port Dundas 34 Year Old
Opens spicy and sweet on the nose carrying an attractive vanilla’d quality which reveals the American origin of the cask. The palate is warmingly spiced, still sweet and runs to soft leather and oak… all culminating in a lightly smoked and surprisingly long finish for a Grain Whisky. (J)
The PROVENANCE Tasting Notes are:
PRV 0790 Longmorn 9 Year Old
Gently spiced and lightly butterscotched as it opens on the nose – then it heads to a warm citric character. The mouthcoatingly sweet and honeyed palate largely replicates the nose plus some extra Scottish tablet – the finish going back to a big spicy hit – warm camphor in style – plus burnt sugary hues. (F)
PRV 0731 Bowmore 10 Year Old
The nose opens with a surprisingly creamy vanilla style and runs to a sweet, peated barley quality. The palate carries a well balanced smoky character plus an old fashioned sweet butter style- like slightly burnt shortbread. The finish is long – sweetly smoked and carries a flamed lemon zestiness. (J)
PRV 0792 Inchgower 12 Year Old Sherry
Big, round, buttery and full as it opens in a cream style on the nose – before softly warming spices kick in. Mouthcoating and equally full on the palate, it is replete with muscovado sugar, dark macerated fruit and an interesting mix of spices. The finish carries more spice (concentrated now) plus a cough drop and late burnt sugar style. (F)
PRV 0789 Linkwood 12 Year Old Bourbon
Vanilla toffee opens the nose before it moves to spicier tones – now drier and gristy – then toffee once more. Palatewise it is as sweet as that toffee, plus citrus plus sweet barley and vanilla – all leading to a spicy sweet, creamy chocolate and coffee finish (F)
Yours faithfully
Fred Laing
Glenury Royal 40 Year Old / 1970
The Glenury Royal 40 year old single malt Scotch whisky is a limited edition release from this long lost distillery near Stonehaven in the Eastern Highlands. Matured in American Oak refill casks since 1970 this limited release of individually numbered bottles was filled in 2011 at natural cask strength.
£524.40 (£437.00 ex Vat)
——————————————————————————–
Glendronach Parliament / 21 Year Old
Glendronach Parliament 21 year old, matured in a combination of the finest Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks for a minimum of 21 years.
£68.88 (£57.40 ex Vat)
——————————————————————————–
Springbank Rundlets & Kilderkins
Rundlets & Kilderkins is the latest release from Springbank distillery, and wow they have released a stunner. Distilled in 2001 & bottled in 2012 after maturing in Rundlet & Kilderkin barrels which are smaller 60 & 80 litres casks. With this process the spirit has a lot more contact with the wood resutling in some very rich, complex flavours and also gives the impression of being older than it’s ten years. A must try for 2012, limited to 9,000 bottles.
£59.99 (£49.99 ex Vat)
——————————————————————————–
Springbank 21 Year Old, 2012 Release
Causing quite a stir since its release, with only 1560 bottles filled and selling out almost immediately it’s become a very rare and sought after bottling. Release with what can only be described as a ‘bling bling gold shiny box and bottle’ which we have to admit was not the easiest to photograph! One bottle only.
£274.00 (£228.33 ex Vat)
——————————————————————————–
Abbey Whisky
enquiries@abbeywhisky.com
www.abbeywhisky.com
07890 983 844
May Previews: the unkown is yonder
Ready yourself for an adventure into the unknown. Make and meet Society friends among the 13 single cask single malt characters of May’s Outturn – surprising, new, curious and long in the tooth.
Too many tempting tipples, try our favourites
High Street Pair: 35.66 & 76.89 for only £89
Buy 
High Street Visitor Trio: 35.66, 76.89 & 29.117 only £140
Buy
Shopaholic Case Offer: 35.66, 76.89, 4.159, 63.27, 64.34 & 3.187 only £255
Buy
Tasting Panel Favourite: 66.35 only £38.70
Buy
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society,
The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ
Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm).
Visit the Society at http://www.smws.co.uk/memberships for your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers.
The Dalmore Constellation Collection Shines Light On The Distillery’s Brightest Stars
The launch of a new collection of the some of world’s rarest single malts has encouraged an even rarer partnership between a duty free retailer, an airport owner and a luxury brand.
The Dalmore has released a collection of its very best whiskies – created at the Highland distillery between the years 1964 and 1992 – through World Duty Free Group’s main tax and duty free store at Heathrow Terminal 5.
The exclusive arrangement lasting four weeks, along with the appeal of the collection, encouraged Heathrow to get involved by offering additional promotional space and allowing the use of the Royal Suite for the launch.
The Dalmore Constellation Collection initially consists of 21 individual expressions, which have spent their lives finessing in the finest casks from around the world before being bottled at natural cask strength and at natural colour.
The plan is to release approximately 20,000 bottles – 4,000 a year – under the Constellation Collection banner.
Prices range from £20,000 RSP for a bottle of the Vintage 1964 to £2,000 for a bottle of Vintage 1992. The entire collection will sell for £158,000 and World Duty Free Group has been allocated two complete collections; all the number 1 bottles from each year and all the number 8 bottles from each year.
QUOTES
The Dalmore Master Distiller, Richard Paterson
“In selecting these casks, we have identified our brightest stars from our darkest warehouses. Although much has changed since 1964, what has not is the consistency of quality inherent in each and every Dalmore expression. We’re very proud to share the shining lights of our Distillery with whisky lovers the world over.”
Global Head of Liquor & Tobacco for World Duty Free Group, David de Miguel
“The approach taken by The Dalmore to release and market a range of luxury whiskies as a collection which can grow year on year is inspired. We have a fantastic reputation for identifying and selling the finest whisky that money can buy. We are therefore delighted to be an exclusive partner for this prestigious launch, which ensures we are able to give our valued customers first access to this magnificent range.”
Retail Director for Heathrow, Muriel Zingraff
“Heathrow’s Terminal 5 is a renowned premium shopping destination and has become a powerful showcase for the very best in luxury brands. We pride ourselves on being able to offer our customers exclusives and we are very proud to be part of Dalmore’s launch at the airport.”
NOTES
The Dalmore is the third fastest growing malt in the world, and the distillery owns some of the rarest and oldest stocks in Scotland.
Dating back to the days of King Alexander III, The Dalmore gained its iconic 12-point stag emblem in 1263 when one of the Mackenzie clan saved the king from being gored by a stag.
The Dalmore has also adopted a version of the Mackenzie clan motto ‘I Shine Not Burn’, which highlights in a relevant way the brand’s commitment to illuminating the brilliance in everything that it does.
Unlike other whiskies The Dalmore is produced in very limited quantities. Due to the distinctive distillation process no two batches will be exactly the same, ensuring that each release of the The Dalmore is unique.
A bottle of The Dalmore 62 Sinclair sold last year in Changi Airport, Singapore, for £125,000, making it the most expensive bottle ever sold in retail. The first whisky to break the six figure barrier, The Dalmore Trinitas was launched in 2010 with the final bottle acquired by Harrods and subsequently sold for £120,000.
In the last two years The Dalmore has sold a number of rare and precious whiskies in record time. Dalmore’s Sirius peaked at £10,000 a bottle, and with only 10 available worldwide in 2009, the bottles sold out in four days and now change hands for twice that price.
The global whisky market is currently undergoing a significant boom in sales and as part of this growth Dalmore is seeing a real appetite for rare, luxury stocks.
Duncan Taylor – Rarest Macallan 42 Year Old 1969 Decanter
Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky presents Rarest: a collection of some of the world’s most exclusive whiskies. Carefully selected from the company’s coveted reserves, each release embodies unparalleled luxury, refinement and scarcity.
Uncompromised by chill filtration and bottled at natural cask strength, Rarest Macallan represents the peak of the distiller’s art and stands as a glowing testament to the knowledge and skill that informs Duncan Taylor’s rigorous cask selection process.
Rarest Macallan is presented in a decanter of the finest Scottish crystal, intricately engraved with adornments of solid hallmarked silver that mirror the whisky’s exquisite refinement. Bringing the monumental journey full circle, the decanter is housed in an elegant display case, crafted in part from the very cask that matured the whisky to perfection.
Generations of passion, knowledge and craftsmanship continues to drive Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky today. Rarest is the culmination of the company’s vision; to provide the most authentic Scotch whisky without compromise.
The market for Investment Whisky is continuing to outperform other alternative investments and commodities, according to whisky valuation experts. Four year figures, from 2008 to the end of 2011, reveals that an investment in the top 10 performing whiskies achieved a gain of more than 400%. An investment in the top 100 would have returned a 245% gain, whilst the top 250 would have returned 180%.”
Gold, which has been a red hot performer and popular alternative to stocks and bonds, rose “just” 146% over the same period, while diamonds hardly appreciated, merely 10%. Suddenly fine whiskies are looking pretty attractive – even if you don’t drink them.
£12,000.00 inc VAT – £10,000.00 exc VAT
