April 2012

Dear Customer,

This month we have nine new (9) bottlings in the OMC range, seven (7) in the OMC 20 cl Advance Samples (now in Gift Boxes) and from the PROVENANCE range four (4) new offers together with our 20 cl x 4 mixed pack of flasks. There is one (1) new DOUBLE BARREL and lastly three (3) bottlings from the DIRECTOR’S CUT range.

Tasting Notes for OLD MALT CASK

OMC2157 GLENLIVET SHERRY 10 YEARS
Nose: Spicy with liquorice – Sherry + softly macerated fruit+ sweet barley.
Palate: Replicates the nose – detect dark fruit, abundant spice + strong liquorice.
Finish: Remarkably long – camphor laden – smoky & sweetly barley’d (F)

OMC2176 ROYAL BRACKLA – QUEEN’S JUBILEE 12 YEARS
Nose: Right royally spiced – clean – gristy + autumnal fruit & light oak.
Palate: Sovereignly sweet + a sceptre of barley & toffee + a cough drop style.
Finish: More cough drops – crowned with camphor, spices and late apple rind. (F)

OMC2150 BUNNAHABHAIN 14 YEARS
Nose: Opens sweet & fresh, carrying a candied citric quality + soft smoke
Palate: Sweetly spiced & lightly smoked + a honey on burnt toast character
Finish: Surprisingly smoky style with a camphor quality on the long finish (J)

OMC2152 CRAIGELLACHIE 14 YEARS
Nose: Sweetly spiced + a hazelnut quality + barley AND barley sugar
Palate: Opens in a toffee style – runs to soft leather & nuts
Finish: Long – still spicy carrying an attractive oak quality (J)

OMC2153 MACALLAN 18 YEARS
Nose: Softly fragrant and clean – carrying crushed sugar and citrus + cut grass.
Palate: Vanilla fudge in style plus soft spices and grist …. still rather sugary.
Finish: Mellow and subtle – still softly sweet & juicy – still spicy (like camphor). (F)

OMC2156 GLENCADAM 21 YEARS
Nose: Detect spices & cedar + a mellow, gristiness and citric quality
Palate: Replicates the nose neatly + accentuated barley & citrus
Finish: Carries tobacco, mixed spice, camphor & late sweet barley (F)

OMC2164 ROSEBANK 21 YEARS
Nose: Light & fragrant – floral & sugary – citric & barley’d.
Palate: Sweetly spiced + crunched sugar + herbs & late camphor.
Finish: Lightly oaked now vanilla’d + more warming spices (F)

OMC2154 GLEN SPEY 25 YEARS
Nose: Autumnally fruited + barley sugar, grist, dry spices and citrus zest.
Palate: Peppery and dry – warms to candy floss, barley and honey.
Finish: Carries cough drop spiciness and crunched sugariness (F)

OMC2118 STRATHMILL 35 YEARS
Nose: Sweet & clean – carrying barley + a spicy fruit cake quality
Palate: Soft & round – sweetly spiced + barley sugar + milk chocolate
Finish: Medium long, still attractively spiced – with a late oak character (J)

The 7 Advance Samples are as follows; all packed into the new windowed Gift Box visible, if you have not already seen it, on our website.

SMC0406 Allt A’Bhainne Sherry 11 years
SMC0412 Cragganmore 11 years
SMC0410 Craigellachie Sherry 12 years
SMC0411 Glengoyne 12 years
SMC0409 Benrinnes Sherry 13 years
SMC0407 Laphroaig 15 years
SMC0408 Glenturret Sherry 17 years

The PROVENANCE Tasting Notes are:

PRV0786 MORTLACH 9 YEARS
Round, sweet and full of toffee, spices, citrus and barley on the nose. Its palate is even more vanilla caramel in style with soft burnt/crunchy sugar drifting through – leading to a warmly spiced finish with more of that fudginess apparent (F)

PRV0785 MANNOCHMORE 12 YEARS
Lightly sugared initially on the nose – it warms to delicate spices, dry grist and cut grass. On the palate detect bigger, fuller spices, cedarwood and late vanilla toffee – running to a finish with tobacco, mocha, demerara sugar and subtle spices all apparent (F)

PRV0787 TAMDHU 12 YEARS
Sweetly honied and warmly spiced on the nose. The palate is chewy, vanilla toffee’d – even more spiced now – and runs to a finish which is cough drop warmingly spiced again, with late barley sugar tones evident. (F)

PRV0791 CAOL ILA YOUNG & FEISTY
Sweetly peated – massively Islay in style – on the nose – detect as it warms sweet tar and briny rock pools. On the palate the phenolic quality bursts forth with more tar and bonfire ash plus leaf smoke – all of which combine in a long (NOW even more smoked) – and lightly toffee’d! – finish. (F)

Tasting Notes for the 20 cl PROVENANCE Flasks (and please note these cases will be available from mid April, as they are still being filled at time of “going to press”).

PRV0798

CAOL ILA
The initially sweet character on the nose quickly develops to an earthy, peaty quality plus late chimney soot. The palate opens sweetly then runs to soft chewy tar with a salty liquorice style. The finish is long with a lingering salty ashy trait now carryng a burnt toast & honey character.

GLEN SPEY 9 YEARS
Fresh, clean and sugary – syrupy sweet on the nose ….. its palate is as (tablet) sweet, now plus barley grist and a light citric influence – leading to a clean, typically Speyside toffee’d finish. (F)

AUCHENTOSHAN 12 YEARS
Surprisingly “big” – beefy and spicily sweet on the nose. Palatewise – it is still as big – with chewy mouth feel – bold in flavour – with almonds, meringues and barley – all being replicated on the warm finish (F)

BLAIR ATHOL (SHERRY) 12 YEARS
Wonderfully fruity – lightly spiced – and warmly barleyed on the nose. The palate hits you with even more spiced, macerated fruit – and the finish carries much the same plus camphor/warming cough drops. (F)

DOUBLE BARREL Tasting Notes:

DBS0032 LEDAIG/BOWMORE – 1st RELEASE
Nose: Distinctly maritime character runs to a beachy bonfire style with peat smoke
Palate: Opens sweetly running to a drier, salty quality plus burnt butterscotch and a charred, BBQ’d character
Finish: Long with a lingering cough drop style, smoked spices and late peat.

Tasting Notes for DIRECTOR’S CUT:

DIR0019 LAPHROAIG 15 YEARS
Nose: Distinctly Islay – maritime & briny + a late sweet character of burnt BBQ sauce
Palate: Contrasting characteristics – sweet + salty smoke – liquorice + smoked mackerel
Finish: Long – still sweetly smoked with BBQ ashes and soft tar until a rich chocolate style appears(J)

DIR0018 DUFFTOWN SHERRY 30 YEARS
Nose: Dark macerated fruit abounds + distinctly spiced summer fruits + cedar wood & its Sherry cask history influence.
Palate: It is lightly oaked – being also overtly/warmly spiced ….. carrying liquorice tones & a big/full tannic “hit”
Finish: This is now more subtle – being rather spicy – and showing wafts of sweet honey beyond the soft oaky tones. (F)

DIR0016 GLENALLACHIE 40 YEARS
Nose: Opens with a macerated dried fruit quality + a flamed orange zest in dark chocolate style
Palate: Opens sherbety – runs to a rich, sweetly spiced fruit character + more dried orange zest
Finish: Dark, bitter chocolate then running drier with cedar wood and tobacco lingering (J)

We believe that offers you a wide selection of young and old Malts.

Yours faithfully

Fred Laing

www.douglaslaing.com

Kilchoman Sherry Cask   

Kilchoman, Islay’s Farm Distillery, is delighted to announce the release of ‘Sherry Cask’.  This is the first sherry cask matured release from Kilchoman. It has been matured for 5 years in oloroso sherry butts.     

Tasting Note:  

£48.99 inc VAT – £40.83 exc VAT 

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW

Very New! Glenglassaugh Revival

Revival is the first core bottling from Glenglassaugh since the refurbished distillery re-opened in December 2008 and limited to around 10,000 bottles.

Complex, fruity, spicy and sweet with alcohols that have mellowed very well in just three years. The best example of a young Scotch on the market today? We think so!

£36.99 (£30.82 ex VAT)

Whiskybroker.co.uk Update  April 2012

Keeping Busy

In case anybody is wondering life is like when you work with whisky full-time, perhaps this might interest you…

In the past 3 months, Jane and I have bottled 33 casks, or approximately 8000 bottles. On top of this, we have regauged every cask which has come into and out of my Excise Warehouse, which means emptying, weighing and refilling each one to find out how much is in each.

Bowmore wine finish ready for bottling

The rest of our time has seen the two of us labelling, packaging and posting bottles from the online shop, completing VAT returns, Customs & Excise Warehouse Returns and I’ve been busy stowing and removing casks in the warehouses at Bladnoch.

More difficult than you might think…

I mentioned above filling in the HMRC warehouse returns. This basically involved letting HMRC know how much you have in your warehouse “Duty Free” at the end of each month, as well as what has come in and out during that month. Where this is difficult with whisky is that whisky evaporates (or leaks) from the cask. This means that each warehouse return must account for losses. For example in February I moved a Macduff Sherry Butt into my warehouse. Say 200 litres of pure alcohol (about 480 litres) were moved in. I then split the butt into 7 or 8 x 60 litre containers. To do this, I must inform HMRC that the cask has been removed and containers brought in. Then when a customer buys the container and I bottle it, I must “check out” the container and “check in” the bottles. Then I need to check out the bottles whenever they are shipped out. You end up with about 15 entries for the one cask!

Casks Available Now

Please don’t hesitate to send me an email if you have any questions that I might be able to help with.

Many thnaks for reading!

Martin Armstrong

www.whiskybroker.co.uk

info@whiskybroker.co.uk

FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL ONLY!

GLENFARCLAS 15YO GIFT PACK ONLY £34.99 (was £49.99!)

Offer includes a 70cl bottle of Glenfarclas 15yo (normally £39.99 on its own) PLUS a miniature of Glenfarclas 21yo AND a miniature of Glenfarclas 25yo worth (together) over £15

This fantastic offer is for the month of April only and saves you another £5 off the previous price!

IT’S MADNESS!!

Get yours now before they all hop off!

Our mailing address is:

T.B.Watson Ltd.
11/17 English Street
Dumfries, Scotland DG1 2BU
United Kingdom

Diamond Jubilee Whisky is ready!

DIAMOND JUBILEE WHISKY

The Diamond Jubilee whisky is now bottled and ready for immediate delivery and collection. We have had a taste and believe this is the best we have ever made and the coolest bottles we have designed yet.

Please click here if you wish to get your hands on one of these.

Alternatively if you are interested in our Royal Wedding whisky, we are literally now on our last few bottles. If you don’t want to miss out then please click here to secure yourself a bottle or two.

Or you may be interested in a Royal Wedding / Jubilee Whisky Gift Pack of which, again, we have a limited stock of. Please click here if you wish to purchase one.
 
SUMMER IS COMING…
 
Summer is approaching, time to get your kids in an English Whisky outfit!

Andrew writes, 

Our Spring Tasting Schedule is now online:  https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php .

We have 28 new tastings to delight and entertain you over the coming months including 4 new Scotch Malt Whisky Society Tastings, a Japanese Single Malt Tasting, an American Whiskey as well as rum and tequila tastings. I’ve lost track of whether this is the 4th or 5th Spring Single Malt Festival, so we’ll just call it our Annual Spring Single Malt Festival. It will feature no less than 100 of the best whiskies in the province, and is limited to as many people; so don’t delay grabbing a ticket or two. The night after the festival, as is tradition, we will be hosting a special tasting, in this case, The Ultimate Dalmore Tasting. The tasting will feature two different Dalmore 40 Year Olds (the old bottling as well as the new Aurora), the 45 Year Old Astrum and three other rare old Dalmore vintages including the 1978 and 1974. It will be a memorable evening, and we might just attract a special guest! I am also especially psyched about our Japanese whisky tasting “Lost in Translation”. This special tasting will feature a flight of 7 Japanese whiskies, 4 of which are exceptionally rare vintage expressions. 

Whatever your taste there is lots to offer. As always the tastings fill on a first serve basis, and you can register in store, by phone 403-283-8000 and online https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php . 

There are also some exciting new whiskies in stock too! Though you will have to wait until the next Full Malt Messenger for more details on them, here is a teaser:

1. Compass Box The Last Vatted Malt – A not so subtle poke in the eye of the SWA (Scotch Whisky Association) who changed the rules classifying whisky types; not to everyone’s advantage… Much more in the Malt Messenger about this exclusive KWM whisky. – 53.7% – A marriage of 35 year old sherried Speyside whisky and 26 year old peated Islay whisky. – $247.99 + GST
2. Glenfiddich 40 Year 2011 – World Whiskies Awards 2012 Double Winner:Best Speyside 21 Years & Over and Best Speyside Whisky – $2729.99 + GST
3. Masterson’s 10 Year Canadian Rye Whisky – Canadian Whisky Awards Whisky of the Year! – $106.99 + GST
4. Auchroisk 20 Year – Official Diageo bottling. – 58.1% – Allegedly a desert whisky with some sherried tones. – $245.99 + GST
5. Glen Spey 21 Year – Official Diageo bottling. – 50.4% – Allegedly a desert whisky with some sherried tones. – $374.99 + GST
6. Jim Beam the Devil’s Cut – Whisky extracted from used oak barrels! The legends are true… – $29.99 + GST

• And that’s a just a taste, the High West Whiskies Are Back Too!

Spring Tasting Schedule Excluding SMWS Tastings

1. Glendronach Vintages Tasting You’ll be tantalized by a lineup of no less than 6 Glendronach single cask vintage bottlings. We will sample 2 different 1972s, including our own exclusive cask. Move over Macallan, Glendronach is the new Sheriff of heavily sherried whisky! Thr Apr 12 – $70
2. Whisky Women & Chocolate Round up the gals and join our scotch expert, Andrew Ferguson, for a pairing of fine whisky and premium chocolate. Lassies only. Fri Apr 20 – $50
3. Bourbon, Rye and Other American Whiskies There is more to American whiskey than Bourbon. We’ll sample straight rye, Tennessee whiskey, American single malt whiskey and other treats! Tue May 8 – $50
4. Rare Malts Only the oldest and rarest whiskies need apply. Taste whiskies which have been matured more than 20 years and are from closed distilleries, or are exceptionally rare. Thr May 31 – $75
5. Lost in TranslationThe Japanese have been making Single Malts and Blends in the Scottish style for nearly a century. We’ve assembled a flight of some very rare Japanese whiskies for this special tasting. Tue June 12 – $60
6. Spring Single Malt Festival Our biannual whisky festival is not the biggest in the city, but it features the most interesting and eclectic lineup of whiskies in Alberta. 100 customers, 80+ whiskies and your own Glencairn glass! Thr Jun 14 – $60
7. The Ultimate Dalmore Tasting The Dalmore is one of the iconic whiskies of the Northern Highlands. We’re featuring seven distillery bottled Dalmores including two different 40 year olds (the old one and the new Aurora) and the 45 year old Astrum. This will be a one of a kind, once in a lifetime, ultimate vertical tasting of The Dalmore. Fri Jun 15 – $250
8. Master Malt This tasting will push your palate to its limits with a lineup of very rare and old whiskies like Macallan 25 Year, Glendronach Grandeur and Glenfarclas 40! Tue Jun 26 – $100

Scotch Malt Whisky Society First Friday Tastings

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is the world’s largest whisky club, with more than 26,000 members worldwide and bottling more than 300 casks a year exclusively for its members. Calgary’s Kensington Wine Market is its Canadian embassy selling memberships, bottlings and helping fascilitate tastings. For more information on the Soctch Malt Whisky Society Canada, including the perks of membership, please check out www.smws.ca .

Every month the Society launches 7-8 new whiskies in Canada, holding a tasting on the First Friday of the month to celebrate the release and taste the whiskies. The time and venue of the events will depend on the level of interest in them on a month to month basis. The next four First Friday tastings are as follows: 

1. Scotch Malt Whisky Society First Friday IV – The April First Friday will be held at the Kensington Wine Market, with two sessions, one form 5-6PM and the other from 7-8PM. We are capping April at 48 total registrants unless there is enough demand to fill a third sessions from 3-4PM. – April 6 $35 Member and $45 Guests
2. Scotch Malt Whisky Society First Friday V – Location and time TBD. – May 4 $35 Member and $45 Guests
3. Scotch Malt Whisky Society First Friday VI – Location and time TBD. – June 1 $35 Member and $45 Guests
4. Scotch Malt Whisky Society First Friday VII – Location and time TBD. – July 6 $35 Member and $45 Guests

Chieftain’s Aberfeldy 1998 13 yr

92 proof, 6/750 ml UPC 8-92032-06067-7

Nose: Sweet Malt, Piney (White Pine)
Body: Firm and oily, medium length
Palate: Full and Spicy, Cloves, Salt Water Taffy
Finish: Spicy, Smooth, and Light
RRP $79.99/btl

Chieftain’s Balmenach 1983 28 yr Cask Strength / Black Rigid Box

100.6 proof, 6/750 ml UPC 8-92032-06076-9

Nose: Dry Hay, Fresh Heather, Cold Tea
Body: Medium, Creamy
Palate: Honey, Anise, Buttery Spices
Finish: Sweet herbs, White Pepper, Long
RRP $189.99/btl

Chieftain’s Bunnahabhain Peated 1997 14 yr

92 proof, 6/750 ml UPC 8-92032-06073-8

Nose: Tar oil, salt sea air, campfire
Body: Firm and oily, Mouth coating
Palate: Sweet concentrated malt, Smokey short cake, Integrated Smoke and peat
Finish: Well balanced and Soothing, Trace of White Pepper
RRP $89.99/btl

Chieftain’s Caol Ila 1997 14 yr St. Etienne Rum Finish

92 proof, 6/750 ml UPC 8-92032-06074-5

Nose: Light smoke, camphor, coconut
Body: Viscous, Heavy and Oily
Palate: Banana Oil, Sweet Malt, Light Juniper
Finish: Firm moving to Dry, Sweet and smoky
RRP $99.99/btl

Chieftain’s Clynelish 1997 14 yr

92 proof, 6/750 ml UPC 8-92032-06069-1

 
Nose: Heather, Juicy Oak, Light Camphor
Body: Assertive, Smooth oiliness
Palate: Sweet Heather, Citron-Fruity Flavors, Big Malt Base
Finish: White pepper, Long and Lingering
RRP $79.99/btl

Chieftain’s Glenburgie 1998 13 yr Chateau Palmer Finish

92 proof, 6/750 ml UPC 8-92032-06077-6

Nose: Peaches, Almonds, Mint, Brown Sugar
Body: Oily and Mouth Filling
Palate: Big malt profile, Sweet herbs, Licorice, Nutmeg
Finish: Dry and Spicy, Lone and sweet
RRP $94.99/btl

Chieftain’s Glenturet 1990 21 yr Cask Strength / Black Rigid Box

111.6 proof, 6/750 ml  UPC 8-92032-06070-7

Nose: Flowery, light peat, soft oak
Body: Medium, Light oilyness
Palate: Soft malt, Raisins, Great Malt Balance
Finish: Soft, Smooth, Very Long Finish
RRP $139.99/btl

Chieftain’s Isle of Jura 1996 15 yr Bourbon Barrel

92 proof, 6/750 ml UPC 8-92032-06071-4

 Nose: Pears, Sweet Malt, Citrus
Body: Rich and viscous, Oily
Palate: Light smoke, Orange Peel, Scottish Short Bread
Finish: Light Sea Air, Dry White Pepper
RRP $84.99/btl

Chieftain’s Laphroaig 1997 14 yr 

92 proof, 6/750 ml UPC 8-92032-06075-2

Nose: Medicinal, sea-weedy, oaky, sulphur
Body: Medium moving to light oilyness
Palate: Beginning sweet and grassy, Moving to big hit of Peat and smoke
Finish: Dry, Long, and Warming
RRP $84.99/btl

Chieftain’s Mortlach 1995 16 yr Sherry Butt / Cask Strength / Black Rigid Box

108.4 proof, 6/750 ml UPC 8-92032-06078-3

Nose: Juicy Oak, Stewed Prunes, Old Leather
Body: Medium moving to oily and waxy
Palate: Sugar Plums, Sweet Malty Spices, Sugared Almonds
Finish: Sweet Malt that is soft and long
RRP $114.99/btl

BACK IN STOCK…
(items we’ve carried in the past that have just arrived again)

Scotland – Irish and Blended Scotch

• Johnnie Walker Black Blended Scotch Whisky 750ml – 7 available ($29.99)

Scotland – Single Malt Scotch

• Glenlivet “Nadurra” 16 year old, Non-Chill Filtered Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 5 available ($54.99)
• Isle of Jura 16 Year Old Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 7 available ($45.99)

K&L Wine Merchants
http://www.klwines.com
Phone: 877-KLWines (toll free 877-559-4637)
Email: wine@klwines.com
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA