Save on our Whisky of the Month for May – a smooth and juicy single malt from Longmorn distillery near Elgin. Bottled as part of the Secret Speyside Collection, this fruity and nutty dram was matured in a combination of American oak barrels and hogsheads leaving it full of tropical aromas with notes of fudge and toasted oak on the palate.
Today is a special day at Kensington Wine Market, for it was 30 years ago today, on May 15, 1992, that we opened our doors for the first time. A lot has transpired over the last three decades: events, adventures, discoveries, ups and downs, and countless friendships formed. Though the business has grown and evolved over the years, it has retained much of its original spirit, aesthetic, and ethos.
It has been a hell of a ride, and we know we couldn’t have made it this far without you, our friends, neighbours, partners, and suppliers. So this email is to say thank you: thank you for supporting this business over the last 30 years; thank you for making us a part of your community; and thank you for helping put us on the map, not just in Calgary, but internationally.
If you are in town today, Sunday, May 15, we’d like to invite you down to the store to celebrate with us in person. We’ll be serving cake and Champagne between 11AM and 1PM, or as long as our giant slab of cake lasts…
We’ve also put together a 30th Anniversary video to mark this significant milestone in KWM’s history, with the assistance of our friends Erik McRitchie and Dave Cheung, linked below. I hope you like it!
Click on the image above to view our 30th Anniversary video on YouTube.
Whether you’ve only just discovered KWM, you’ve been a customer for 30 years, or something in between, thank you for 30 great years, and cheers to 30 more!
Sincerely!
Andrew Ferguson
Kensington Wine Market
The 30th Anniversary Sale
Ends Today
The sale is online and in-store only. No phone orders, please. You can save: 10-50% on most in-stock Whisky. To make your browsing a little easier, we have linked PDF files below highlighting Wines Discounted 25%-45%, and another for Whiskies & Spirits Discounted 15%-50%.
The CSPC in the left-hand column on both lists can be used in addition to the product name to search for and order products on our website.
Browse Whiskies Discounted15-50%
Shop in-store or online at:
In-store pickup will be available throughout the sale and we will also offer Free Delivery for orders over $100. Customers wanting to pay by cash or debit are encouraged to shop in-store.
The Sale Fine Print
· No additional discounts or promotions can be applied to the sale price.
· Prices do not include GST.
· In the event of a discrepancy in price, the point of sale at KWM will be taken as correct.
· Sale pricing will not be applied retroactively or carried forward past the end of our Anniversary Sale at midnight (11:59 PM), Sunday, May 15, 2022.
· The sale is in-store and online only.
· No phone orders, please!
· If you order online, please wait for confirmation that your order is ready before heading down to the shop.
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 delivery fee.
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.*
Ingvar Ronde on tour with Paul McLean
(Part 1was published on may 1st and Part 2 on May 8th)
It’s that time again for Paul & Ingvar lapping up distilleries – March 2022 saw the pair travel around Scotland, taking in distilleries as usual. Ingvar used this tour to research for the MALT WHISKY YEARBOOK next year’s issue. As per usual we get only the best introductions, with managers hosting the no holds barred visits!
Glen Garioch
This March, Ingvar arrived in the evening into Aberdeen, we had a catch up and of course a drink. It all started next morning; first stop Glengarioch, havn’ee been there in a while, they have some new features now, well worth seeing. Ardmore, was next, in the rain! GlenDronach came next, I like going here, one of my favourites, I love the bar and tasting room, as per usual I was given the drivers share; a pot of tea. Looking forward to going back soon. Final of the day – Knockdhu another favourite of mine, Gordon was just Gordon, one of the nicest people in whisky! The day ended with an overnight stay in Elgin.
Next day we met up with Boa at Glenburgie, never been before although I’ve met himself when he was at Strathisla. Big distillery this, enjoyed it. Benromach followed, sat this one out in the office, been there done that one. Royal Brackla, no the friendliest but a big place in a nice location. We were by now staying in Dornoch, I know Eric at the Eagle hotel he kindly gave us a private tasting of five of his own label bottles, good start as we were here four nights. After breakfast we started again – early! Brora with Jackie Robertson, lovely lady, met her when she was at Talisker. What a great distillery this is now almost functional again, this will become one of my favourites. Clynelish next, sat out the tour, legs gave up after Brora! The bar and tasting areas were superb as was the new shop, will be back there soon. We drove down to see John at Balblair, I have too many favourites, this being another, we sat in his office, Ingvar with a few drams, John and myself with a green tea!
A big one next Teaninich I have a dyslexia problem with this, cannee pronounce it! Big cold place, been shut down for a good while. Back to Dornoch. The Saturday saw us away to Glenmorangie, again I sat this out, as maybe Ingvar would nee see all if I was there? It worked, he got to see the light house, all the way up to the top, an experimental distillery this, watch this space. What to do the remainder of the day? Nigg Old Church can trace its’ origins back to 1296 and the present structure was built in 1626. It contains the internationally renowned Nigg Pictish Cross-Slab, recently re-displayed. Here John of Dunbretan, swore loyalty to King Edward of England. At the centre of Scotland’s only Pictish Monastic National Monument, the Museum at Tarbat unravels some of the mysteries of the Picts. Lunch was very nice at Portmahomack. Return to Dornoch, we did try a few drams here and there, Ingvar fell in love – with a dug!
Toulvaddie
Sunday saw us drive into the hills to find Sandy at Ardross, money has been spent here and it shows, this will be closed to the public, a shame as it looks very good, an old farm steading type of set up, a million litre capacity, known Sandy from Spey days. He’s no changed! We enjoyed it here, easier to find our way out than in! A phone call alerted us to a new distillery, one we had both heard of years back but now Ingvar was on the trail; Toulvaddie, a wee place not quite up and running yet, wee stills and a target of 50,000 litres, this is set on an old airfield, surrounded by coo’s, sheep and new Glenmorangie warehouse being built, oh aye, and a bottling plant. Near the village of Fearne not far from Nigg. Final night Dornoch.
After breakfast we set out for Dalmore, another one closed to the public for ages. Let Ingvar loose and I stayed and looked at the oil rigs and ducks, saw barrels loaded onto a truck, destined for where? He must have had a few drams, he was away 2.5 hours! A wee drive along to Glen Ord another under refurb just now but still doing tours, even though they moved the shop and reduced size. A nice sunny day, two good visits. Off we went to Inverness, checked in to the hotel, that was funny; arranged to meet in the bar, I was doon first, reception lady came up to me, “are you the friend of the famous whisky author?” I smiled and said aye, “oh do you think he would pose for a photo? One of our barmen has all his books and is a fan!” How could you say no? I told Ingvar and he didnee believe me. Same lady then told me not to pay for car park as it was on the house and she gave me two huge bars of chocolate, we shall go there again! Sure enough Ingvar chatted to the barman Stewart and had pix taken. We then met up with my pal and driver Andy, all away for dinner. In the same restaurant were two guests on tour, Andy driving, they too were pleased to meet Ingvar; Mr Yang and son, avid whisky lovers. A good day and night.
The trip was almost at an end, fae Schneckie we drove to Tomatin, met up with another really nice whisky man, Graham Eunson, knew him fae Glenglassaugh days, good chat before Ingvar went on a wander with him. Was just about to give Ingvar a reminder to go, where they appeared out of the mist! There are plans afoot here for some changes, more when you come on tour with us! A couple of hours later we were enjoying lunch – at Glenturret, boy! The new restaurant is a 5 star thing of beauty, new owners – Lalique Crystal, the Swiss company, everywhere it shows, from the restaurant, to the Glen Turret bottles. A grand end to the tour, we then drove to Edinburgh, where Ingvar was staying his final night. Bade him farewell, “see you again in May!”
Another totally enjoyable trip with Ingvar, we have been doing these annually for many years now, after meeting in Finland at a whisky festival, where we shared a table! As the saying goes He will be back!
PAUL MCLEAN
We are thrilled to share that we are the proud winners of two medals at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the oldest and largest spirits competition in the world.
One of the most prestigious and respected spirits competitions, our Single Malt and Smoke Point whiskies were each awarded a Double Gold medal – a coveted accolade awarded to entries that receive a Gold medal rating by every member of the judging panel. Double Gold medals commemorate the very finest spirits in the world and mark the competition’s highest honour. Cheers to that!
Here’s a look at our award winners:
Shelter Point Single Malt:
Shows a balanced marriage of fruits, caramel, barley, baking spices, honey, seaside whiff, hints of wine, smoke and the sweet leathery mouthfeel of a high-quality single malt. Click here to purchase our latest vatting.
Smoke Point: Like campfire in a bottle, Smoke Point is sweet and salty, with peated warmth to comfort the soul. While Smoke Point is currently sold out, our next expression will be released in June!
At Shelter Point, we are distilling and bottling some of the most exciting single malt whiskies made anywhere. Using only the highest quality Canadian two-row barley, grown right here in BC, we employ a traditional approach: slow fermentations and double-distillation to produce a new-make spirit full of flavour, ready for maturation in an array of woods selected from around the world for their unique flavour specialties. Brought together after years of aging along the oceanside on northern Vancouver Island, the result is uniquely spectacular single malt whisky. Here’s a look at our newest release, and what’s coming up next:
Shelter Point Single Malt – New Vatting!
A classic expression made in small batches using traditional methods, double distillation and pure aquifer water. The whisky shows a balanced marriage of fruits, caramel, barley, baking spices, honey, seaside whiff, hints of wine, smoke and the sweet leathery mouthfeel of a high-quality single malt. Shop our award-winning Single Malt here.
Ardbeg “Uigeadail” Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) (Elsewhere $86) 94 $79.99 View
Launched in 2003, Uigeadail remains one of Ardbeg’s core offerings. Matured in a mix of sherry and bourbon barrels and bottled at cask strength. Peppery peat, warm tar, coffee grounds, machine oil, and black pepper on the nose. The palate is complex and rich, offering orange segments sprinkled with sea salt, dark chocolate, malt, and ever-present sweet peat. Nicely balanced. Lengthy in the finish, with smoky caramel. (GS, Fall 2018) 
K&L Notes
2009 World Whiskey of the Year. Ardbeg Uigeadail (pronounced Oog-a-dal) takes its name from the brooding, mysterious loch that provides the peat-laden water for Ardbeg. It is a special vatting of casks matured in bourbon barrels and many older sherry casks. The older casks bring luscious, sweet, raisiny tones to the unique Ardbeg taste. Michael Jackson’s tasting notes: “Nose: Intensely smoky. Dry, clean, tangy smoke. Like standing downwind of the barbecue while steaks are char-grilled on the beach; Palate: Firm, very smooth, then explodes on the tongue; Finish: Hot. Alcoholic. A shock to the system; Comment: The elemental opposite of the sophisticated Lord of the Isles.” 9 1/4 points from Whisky Magazine! Also, was on F. Paul Pacult’s List of the Scotch Whiskies to be Drinking in 2007. Nonchillfiltered.
Barrell Craft 8 Year Old K&L Exclusive Single Barrel #Z4B1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) $99.99 View
The spectacular 8 year old single barrels of Kentucky Straight Bourbon that Barrell has sourced have been wildly popular. One of only 36 barrels to trip the 8 year mark for their Kentucky single barrel releases, this cask is superlative.
Balvenie 21 Year Old “Port Wood” Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) 94 $249.99 View
A port cask finish gives this Scotch a copper penny hue. The aroma suggests baked apple, while the palate has a chewy, concentrated vanilla-oak profile, leading to walnut, leather and espresso. The rounded finish sings with sherry and spice. Adding water coaxes out baked apple sweetness and dials back the oak. (KN) (12/2017)
91 points Whisky Advocate
This is the ultimate Port-wood expression from Balvenie and has been finished in 30-year-old port pipes. A more vibrant and textured Travel Retail variant is non-chill filtered and bottled at 47.6%. Soft, red grape notes, vanilla, and milk chocolate on the nutty nose. Very discreet smoke. Rich plum flavors in the mouth, dark berries covered in cream, and spicy honey. The finish is long and elegantly drying. (GS, Spring 2017)
The Manx Whisky Company – founded in 2019 by Magnus Grinneback and Scott Young.
(Part 1 was published on May 1st and Part 3 will be published May 15th)
The company was founded to create a whisky that truly is a product of the Isle of Man and in order to do this they have decided to do it the hard way. Manx Whisky Company was born out of a desire to prove that it is possible to run a whisky distillery as a small scale company that controls all the steps in the production process. Most distilleries buy ready made malt but these guys have decided to do the opposite. Their barley comes directly from the farmer and they floor malt it at the distillery. Long fermentation times for optimal flavour development and they age the whisky on site. Production is extremely limited but this is how they prefer it. The barley is grown on the island. The strains at the moment are Concerto and Planet. They have no legendary source of water where ancient Celtic tribes buried their treasures over the centuries giving rise to mythical whisky making properties. No, they use the local tap water of the Isle of Man. It is a small distillery after all.
Cutting peat is illegal on the Isle of Man and given this they will not produce any peated whiskies. Using peat from other locations would be too much of a deviation from their Manx ethos. Given that they don’t use temperature control during the fermentation a multitude of yeast strains will be used during winter and summer.
“Where can I buy your whisky” I asked? This is the sad part – you can’t! The whisky will not be ready until at the very earliest Christmas 2023, so if you want to stay up to date on planned releases and events, sign up like me and they will stay in touch; https://www.manxwhisky.com
Who are these lads? Scott is from the Isle of Man and Magnus from the west coast of Sweden. I’ve been to the IOM as a wee snipper, liked it, apart fae the ferry, I was seasick. Never been to Sweden though have friends there. Both thought that it was strange that no one had made a serious effort to make whisky there on the island so decided to start a small distillery that focused on doing the most local product they can, this means getting the grains straight from the farmer and taking care of the entire process themselves including floor malting of the grains. They are hardly empire builders and aim to release very limited quantities each year. The spirit is very much for the informed drinker who cares about nitty-gritty details (just like themselves!). I cannee wait to take a sample! PAUL MCLEAN
Wee chat with Magnus; “Hi Paul, We are just outside Baldrine (Paul’s note; near the Laxey Wheel, went there as a wee lad). Scott is mostly working with the farmers and is also doing the barley cleaning and all logistics related to this. He also builds some of our custom made equipment (you’d be surprised how little equipment there is off the shelf for microscopic distilleries!), I do the rest of the production – malting, mashing, fermentation, distilling and oversee the maturation (all this is done on site”).
I would suggest one to keep an eye on!
PAUL MCLEAN
Dunkeld Distillery, Perthshire
(Part 2 will be published on the 8th and Part 3 on the 15th)
A community led distillery with an immense respect for the place called home. Based in a converted farm steading, it’s not about disrupting the landscape but as much part of the landscape as the trees that surround the farm and it will stay that way. Dunkeld is but a wee drive from where I (PAUL MCLEAN) live in Perth, I couldn’t let this go un-noticed eh? So I chatted to them and drew my own conclusions and – history.
A wee bit of whisky history; DUNKELD DISTILLERY A distillery in Dunkeld, a small town and seat of a catholic bishopric beside the River Tay in Perthshire. Perthshire had a remarkably large number of ‘legal’ distilleries in an era when illicit distilling was rampant may be attributable in part to the Customs and Excise officers in the region being very efficient but also to the county’s landowners pushing any would be distillers to go legal, so as to avoid problems for themselves. Dunkeld Distillery was located in Atholl Street, which is the main street, with no burns or other water sources nearby. Perhaps it had water piped from the River Tay or took its’ water from a now lost stream, who knows? The distillery operated briefly twice over 12 years, first under James Duncan and Co. from 1825-26, then under Charles Douglas and Co. from 1834-37. Then … Birnam Distillery (also known as Dunkeld) stood beside what was then the main road between Perth and Inverness – the A9, which now bypasses the town of Birnam. To the east of the old site is the Inchewan Burn, which flows eventually into the Tay. Water for the distillery would have been drawn from the burn via a lade. After tracing as much info as I could, some may feel this is a wee bit confusing.
Battle of Dunkeld – 17th century Scotland, at a time when King William was yet to wholly solidify his position on the British throne and on the back of a significant Jacobite victory at Killiecrankie. The Jacobites began an assault on the eastern end of the town. The defenders, not able to effectively hold such an open space, fired on the attackers and pulled back across the Market Cross to a barricade at the end of the street called Scots Raw, setting fire to houses as they withdrew. The Stewarts of Appin attacked the Cameronians that were holding the cathedral. Along the riverbank, the Stewarts stormed a row of houses and used them as fighting positions against the cathedral. The Jacobites were pressing in hard and the Cameronians, who were left holding only the cathedral, Dunkeld House, and a few houses, were running low on ammunition, and lead was stripped from roofs and melted down for musket balls. After four hours of fighting the battle had reached a stalemate.
The Jacobite casualties at the battle of Dunkeld were between 150-300 men killed with the same number wounded while the Cameronians (government) lost around 50 men killed and many more wounded. Only three houses survived the battle, with the rest of the town destroyed by fire. Lieutenant-Colonel William Cleland was later laid to rest in Dunkeld Cathedral. The Jacobites withdrew back to Blair Castle and the army soon dispersed to gather in the harvest.
I chatted to Phillip the Founder; “Whisky can be long in the making but even longer in the reawakening. After an absence of over 200 years, whisky making will be brought back to Dunkeld Distillery. With the revival led by myself and fuelled by community spirit, Philip, fuelled by community spirit, guided by micro provenance and inspired by its’ beautiful Highland Perthshire surroundings, exciting times lay ahead and more history awaits”.
It would be good would it not, to engineer that the first release from this new distillery could be called Jacobite, or have some relevance to the battle.
PAUL; we will keep you posted of events at Dunkeld. November 2021.
PAULMCLEAN
$299.99
SKU #1294529
93 points Whisky Advocate
Rich and intense nose, with paradise cake, honey, dried apple, plum, and crème d’abricot. The mouthfeel is dry, nutty, and fruity, with a silky consistency. The cask strength is more noticeable here, but as it dissipates, there is some late complexity of plum skin and coffee bean with wave after effortless wave of flavor lasting for minutes on end. Finish is hot and nutty, with moist coffee grains. (JM) (4/2017)
Glencairn Ruby Tribute Whisky raises £15,000 for charity!
At the end of last year our Glencairn Ruby Tribute Blended Whisky was auctioned as part of The Worshipful Company of Distillers’ One-of-One Charity Auction, in partnership with Sotheby’s. It sold for an incredible £15,000 – all the money raised has gone to The Distillers’ Charity Youth Action Fund, helping to improve the lives of Scotland’s young people who need it most.
This very special whisky containing contributions from some of the world’s most iconic master blenders was presented to Glencairn Founder and CEO Raymond Davidson back in 2004. It was auctioned in a unique hand crafted ruby adorned decanter, created by our team of talented craftspeople, to mark our 40th anniversary.
We are thrilled to announce Glengoyne picked up four awards at this year’s prestigious San Francisco World Spirit Competition awards, renowned for being the “Oscars of the whisky world.”
Glengoyne, 10 Year Old, was awarded Gold, recognising “…products that set the standard in their category.” Glengoyne 12, 21 and 25 Year Old were each rated Double Gold, with the judging panel unanimous in their gold medal rating for these single malts being “amongst the finest in the world.”
DISCOVER OUR AWARD-WINNING COLLECTION
Matured exclusively in hand-selected sherry casks for a quarter of a century, this bright amber beauty includes notes of brown sugar, soft oak, cinnamon, stewed fruit and spicy liquorice.
