Awards are always appreciated!

We are so pleased to announce the 2021 winners of this prestigious competition from our portfolio.  Some you may know well, while others may be new friends… all of them are delicious experiences!

SFWSC medal winners range from some of the most renowned international distillers to small-batch producers. Not only is an SFWSC medal a testament to your hard work, it’s a universally recognized indicator of exceptional quality and craftsmanship.

DOUBLE GOLD
Awarded to the entries that receive a Gold medal rating by all members of the judging panel; these are among the finest products in the world.

GOLD
Exceptional spirits that are near the pinnacle of achievement; these products set the standard for their categories.

 

MacNair’s Mastered the Double Gold Medals

Ne’er happier than when exploring the globe or the spirit from the golden still, Harvey MacNair was – in the parlance of his native Glasgow – a man or ‘lad o’pairts’: a true Victorian entrepreneur. A trader, thereby a traveler, an inventor of all sorts of mechanical contraptions, his genius lay in the blending of fine whiskies. He loved and championed the natural, unadulterated color of whisky. “Pure gold’ he said with a wink.

Today’s Lum Reek is the creation of Master Blender Billy Walker, raising his hat to the top hatted Victorian. It’s a peated malt, marrying Islay & Speyside whiskies with rich GlenAllachie, to extend the flavour profile. Lum Reek is matured in GlenAllachie’s warehouses, bottled at 46% (and above) and unchilfiltered, allowing its natural colour to shine like those golden autumns Harvey MacNair enjoyed decked out in his waders.

‘Lang may yer lum reek’, literally meaning ‘long may your chimney smoke’, is a traditional Scots way to wish someone a long and healthy life.

LUM REEK PEATED 12 YEARS OLD
Introducing the first age range statement from MacNair’s, the Lum Reek 12 years old, bottled at 46% ABV, reflects Billy Walker’s vast experience as a blender, his creative skills and his expert knowledge of wood management. A combination of whiskies from first fill Bourbon, Red Wine and Pedro Ximenez casks were blended together to produce this smoky malt.

COLOR: Copper Bronze.
NOSE: Sweet peat reek combining with butterscotch and mocha.
TASTE: Lashings of rich peat reek with mature heather notes, bog myrtle, butterscotch, toffee and sweet spices.

LUM REEK PEATED 21 YEARS OLD
A blend of some of the finest Islay and Speyside peated malts combined with richer, older GlenAllachie, the Lum Reek 21 years old, voted Worlds Best Blended Malt 2020, was aged in Oloroso, Virgin Oak and Red Wine casks. Non chill filtered, natural colour and bottled at 48% ABV, Billy Walker has recreated the peated whiskies of 100 years ago for the modern-day palate.

COLOR: Butterscotch.
NOSE: Aristocratic peat smoke with dark chocolate and fudge.
TASTE: Tobacco, leather, cedar wood and waves of peat reek with oodles of cocoa, vanilla, honey and spices.

M&H Shocked the Judges with a Vision of Things to Come

While this exciting Double Gold Winner is not available in the US, it is a true testament of the quality that M&H Distillery delivers.  This expression is a reflection of the difference that maturation at the Dead Sea can make in the hot climate of Tel Aviv, Israel and is a truly unique and special whisky.

To learn more about the M&H Apex Expression that are available here in the US you can visit our Bottle Images and More here.

For other M&H Expressions and content you can view our product page here.

Kurayoshi Crushed It

Kurayoshi 18yr Malt Whisky – 50% abv, 750ml – A deep and rich fragrance of the highest quality makes you feel the long-term maturation of over 18 years. The complex and deep flavor profile joins the sweet taste of honey mixed with smoke and spice, a mellow sweetness of vanilla, and a refreshing touch of mint. It is a drink that can satisfy the best whiskey enthusiasts.

It was so exciting to see Kurayoshi be so well received by the judges this year earning them these medals:

Gold – Kurayoshi Pure Malt
Gold – Kurayoshi Sherry Cask
Gold – Kurayoshi 8 yr
Gold – Kurayoshi 12 yr
Double Gold – Kurayoshi 18 yr

For more information on these and other expressions from Kurayoshi, you can visit our product page here.

Meet Matsui Umetsu

Tottori is the line of sourced blended whiskies brought together by the Kurayoshi distillery in Tottori, Japan. Kurayoshi is known for its fresh spring water which is best-suited for producing whisky. The name “Kurayoshi” in Japanese was originated from the phrase “Kurashiyoshi”, which is translated to “Good Living” in English.

This whisky is characterized by mellow sweetness and aroma. The mouth feel is refreshing with a faint fruity sweetness and an ornate finish. The finish is soft and lasting. Perfect for any style of drink, on the rocks, High Ball, and soon.

Thank you all so much!  We will be in touch as the year drinks on 🥃

If you have any questions or would like any additional information, please don’t hesitate to email office@ImpExBev.com.

Introduced in 2010, after cask strength versions in 2004 and 2005, this is the first officially-bottled Caol Ila 25yo to be bottled at 43%. It’s nice to see growing recognition for this excellent distillery, and this is a very welcome addition to the official range, with a rich, gentle mouthfeel and restrained, coal-esque phenols.

£149

Restock of award-winning Glen Scotia 25 Year Old!

This Glen Scotia has been matured in American oak casks for a quarter of a century before being hand-selected by the distillery’s Master Blender, Michael Henry, to be married in first-fill bourbon casks for up to a year before bottling. Bottled at 48.8% ABV, free from chill-filtration and artificial colouring, this is a smooth and refined Campbeltown single malt with an exceptional mouthfeel. Liquid gold! Maybe you tried to purchase a bottle last time around and were not quick enough – well now you’re in luck! A limited restock has arrived at Loch Fyne, so don’t hesitate if you want to get your hands on a bottle of this incredible single malt whisky.

Last month at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Glen Scotia 25 Year Old was awarded the highest accolade of ‘Best in Show’. With around 3800 entrants Glen Scotia came out on top and are proud to be labelled as the current best whisky in the world – not bad eh?

Glen Scotia
25 Year Old

£375.00

Buy Now

New issue out NOW

The latest edition of Whisky Magazine, issue #174, is out now!

We’ve got a brilliant assortment of features, interviews and tastings for you to get stuck into – but this issue’s slightly more special than usual. That’s right, the winners of the 2021 global Whisky Magazine Awards have now been revealed, comprising the Icons of Whisky, the World Whiskies Awards, and our latest Hall of Fame inductee!

For the first time ever, all our winners were announced in a virtual ceremony online. Simply head to our Facebook page or Youtube channel where you can rewatch our livestream.

We hope you enjoy this issue!

Christopher Coates
Editor
Whisky Magazine

Let us know your thoughts on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram

World Whisky Day takes place every year on the third Saturday in May – a celebration of all things whisky that gives rise to tastings and events all over the world, and one we think is a fantastic opportunity to consider whisky as a truly global spirit. No longer just the domain of Scotland, Ireland and the US, the water of life is now flowing from almost every continent and there’s an ever-expanding list of countries for you to choose from.

In the spirit of exploration that has come to define modern whisky, we think this is the perfect opportunity to try some new bottles from across the globe. Check out our Top 10 World Whiskies for a little inspiration!

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Kensington Wine Market’s Whisky E-Newsletter

MALT MESSENGER BULLETIN –

THE ONLINE ONLY 29TH BIRTHDAY SALE

STARTS NOW!

It’s that time of the year again, Kensington Wine Market is turning 29 years old this coming weekend, and we’re celebrating with our Annual Birthday Sale.

As mentioned in my last Malt Messenger, due to the current Covid-19 environment in Alberta, we have decided to close the store to walk-in traffic for the duration of the sale; Thursday, May 13, through Sunday, May 16.

The long and short of it is this: We didn’t want to postpone the sale as we did last year, but with the government asking everyone to stay home as much as possible, it is not appropriate for us to encourage in-store shopping and lineups at the door.

So after a lot of thought and deliberation our 29th Birthday Sale will be going ahead online, but not in-store!

If you are curious about our reasoning, I’ve attached an updated rationale at the end of this newsletter.

While we encourage everyone who can to order online, we will be accommodating phone and email orders from those of you who struggle with online ordering. We will also be taking cash and debit at the door for those who have ordered ahead, and don’t want to pay by credit card.

Please be patient with your phone, email, and online orders. We will work through all the requests as quickly as we can, and in the order that we receive them.

Patience is also requested from anyone requesting packing. We are expecting high volumes, and we won’t be starting on the packing list until Tuesday!

The sale deals and terms are below.

Before jumping to the sale pricing, we have a new tasting to announce. Scott Adamson and Scott Fraser of Tomatin Distillery will be joining us on Friday, May 28, for a Tomatin Vertical tasting to launch our new Tomatin 2006 KWM Cask. We will be showcasing an awesome range and a pair of special guests.

While we’ll miss seeing our regulars during this weekend’s Birthday Sale, we are hopeful this will be a one-time-only occurrence.

As always, in the event of a price discrepancy, the point of sale at KWM will be taken as correct.

Happy bargain hunting!

Sincerely,

Andrew Ferguson

Kensington Wine Market

IN THIS EDITION

1. New Tomatin Cask Launch Virtual Tasting with Scott²

2. In Case You Missed It: Our New KWM Exclusive Tomatin 2006 Cask

3. Other Up-Coming Virtual Whisky Tastings

4. 29th Birthday Sale Deals & Rules

5. Why We Decided Not to Allow In-store Shopping During Our Birthday Sale (In Case You Were Note Aware)

NEW TOMATIN VIRTUAL CASK LAUNCH TASTING WITH SCOTT²

Tomatin Cask Release with Scott Fraser & Scott Adamson

·     Date: Friday, May 28

·     Time: 5 PM

·     Cost: $35

·     Pick-Up Date: Available Now!

We have just received our 2nd KWM exclusive cask of Tomatin, and to mark the occasion we will be joined for a special Tomatin vertical tasting with not one, but two Scotts… Scott Adamsom (Global Brands Ambassador) and Scott Fraser (Regional Sales Manager) will be joining us live from Scotland for a virtual tasting of 8 Tomatin single malts: 12 Year, 14 Year, 18 Year, Cask Strength, 1984, the KWM 2006 Cask and the Tomatin Contrasts. 8 whiskies, 15ml samples of each, 2 Scotts of Tomatin, and a Scotch Guy or two from KWM. Just $35 to taste arrange of more than $1500 worth of whisky in fine company! 5 PM, Friday, May 28. AVAILABLE FOR PICK-UP NOW!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

OUR NEW KWM EXCLUSIVE TOMATIN CASK

When asked what “must visit distilleries” people should be sure to hit when in the Highlands and Speyside area, I almost always list Tomatin. Aside from the facts they are some of my favourite whisky-folk in Scotland, and also make some excellent whisky, Tomatin is also one of the most interesting distilleries in Scotland. It was at one time the largest malt whisky distillery in the country and its site high in the Cairngorm mountains is enormously outsized for its needs today. It is also unashamed of its rough edges, a proud working distillery, which contrasts nicely with the picturesque and carefully manicured visitor centers of the better-known distilleries.

We have just received our second KWM exclusive single cask of Tomatin. We picked it last August, and due to Covid, Brexit and shipping challenges it has only just arrived. There are just 297 bottles, at a very good price!

Tomatin 2006 KWM Cask 33283 – 57.1% – 14 Year – Recharred American Oak Hogshead – My Tasting Note: “Nose: soft, doughy and toasty; vanilla, white chocolate, almonds, and citrus: lemon, lime and orange rinds; wine gums; decadent and floral with chewy malt. Palate: thick, honeyed, and coating; it is warming with Demerara sugar, vanilla extract, and crisp decadent spices; more juicy malt and loads of citrus; more wine gums and strawberry Twizzlers. Finish: medium in length, soft, coating, and spicy; fading honey, vanilla, citrus, floral tones, and toasted oak. Comment: decadent, juicy, and refreshing, this is a lovely addition to our stable of KWM exclusive whiskies; it is also excellent value!: – $118*

*This new cask will not be on sale!

OTHER UP-COMING

VIRTUAL WHISKY TASTINGS

All of our virtual whisky tastings include a range of 15ml samples, sealed for your protection and labeled according to AGLC regulations. The estimated pick-up date is provided for each tasting. Our preference is for pick-up (either in-store or curbside), but they can be delivered within Calgary-city limits for a $10 fee, or shipped within Alberta (packaging and shipping extra). A zoom code will be emailed for each tasting a day or two prior to the event.

KWM Casks – The First Half of 2021

·     Date: Tuesday, June 8

·     Time: 8 PM

·     Cost: $35

·     Pick-Up Date: TBC (Target May 18)

We’ve received some very cool single casks this year. Normally we’d offer samples for interested parties in-store, but sadly circumstances have not allowed for that this year. What to do? One of our staff suggested we hold a virtual tasting, highlighting our new KWM exclusive casks. So we’ll be pouring our new casks from Benromach, Old Pulteney, Two Brewers, Tomatin, Teeling (if it gets here in time), Kilchoman and our 25 Year Glenfarclas Cask Strength. In all, we will sample 8 KWM exclusive single casks, carefully selected by your friends at KWM! 8 PM Tuesday, June 8.

Independents Day: Feis Isle 2021

·     Date: Tuesday, June 15

·     Time: 8 PM

·     Cost: $45

·     Pick-Up Date: TBC (Target May 25)

We have some very cool Islay whiskies arriving soon, which got us thinking, we’re long overdue for a KWM Feis Isle (Islay Festival) Tasting. It will have to be virtual this year, but the range won’t disappoint, including the Port Askaig 12 Year Autumn Release, Elements of Islay Bn8, Cl13 & LP11 as well as the Peats Beast PX Finish & 27 Year. In all we’ll sample 7 whiskies (15ml samples of each) from the Queen of the Hebrides, none of them ever before featured in a KWM tasting! 8PM Thursday, June 15.

Introducing: The Whisky Trail with Julie Hamilton & Celine Tetu

·     Date: Friday, June 25

·     Time: 5 PM

·     Cost: $45

·     Pick-Up Date: TBC (Taget June 7)

We will be joined by Elixir Distillers Brand Ambassador Julie Hamilton, and International Sales Manager Celine Tetu, as we introduce a new range of independent bottlings with really cool labels, The Whisky Trail. We are starting out with 7 whiskies from the Retro Cars and Video Games labels. Our range will include single cask bottlings of Ben Nevis 1996, Cambus 1990, Glen Elgin 2007, Glenrothes 1989, Invergordon 1987, and a pair of Ardmores’ from 2009 and 1998. Participants in the tasting will not only be the first people in Canada to sample these whiskies, but they will also have the first opportunity to purchase the bottles. Friday, June 25, 5 PM.

*We will be donating $15 per ticket to the Brenda Stafford Center, a local women’s shelter.

29TH BIRTHDAY SALE DEALS & RULES

Now Through Sunday, May 16

Most In-Stock Whisky and Spirits are 10-50% off, excluding most Scotch Malt Whisky Society Whiskies, and a few other mostly newly arrived items. We do have a dozen or so SMWS whiskies on sale too!

Sale Rules

There are always conditions, but we believe ours are fair!

1. In the spirit of the current Covid-19 environment, there will be No In-Store Shopping!

2. Please place your order online, by email, or by phone.

3. In the event of a discrepancy in price, the point of sale at KWM will be taken as correct.

4. Prices quoted do not include GST.

5. Sale pricing will not be applied retroactively or extended on orders placed beyond the end of the sale Sunday, May 16 at 11:59 PM.

6. The sale pricing applies only to in-stock inventory.

7. Sale pricing cannot be combined with other discounts or promotions.

8. Payment info is required at the time of purchase and or order.

BROWSE WHISKY DISCOUNTED 15-50%

WHY WE DECIDED NOT TO ALLOW IN-STORE SHOPPING DURING OUR BIRTHDAY SALE

In case you didn’t see the rationale for the online-only sale in one of our prior newsletters and were wondering why…

As some of you well know, we celebrate our Birthday Sale every year, in mid-May. This is our 29th, which means our 30th Anniversary is also looming…

As with last year, as the date approached, we were faced with a tough decision. Last year we decided to put off the Birthday Sale until June as we were all still feeling our way through the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, and adjusting precautions almost daily.

Covid-19 numbers are currently at record levels in Alberta and especially Calgary. Even in the best-case scenario, the number of active cases will still be uncomfortably high in the weeks ahead. We want to push ahead with the sale, but don’t think it is responsible for us to encourage in-store shopping and lineups at this time.

In recent weeks, my staff has been confronted by members of the public not wanting to wear masks. These were not people with bonified exemptions, just folks who don’t like the restrictions. I understand as much as anyone how long the last year has been, and the disruption restrictions have had on people’s lives. Patrons of our store need only wear a mask while they are in the shop. My staff and I have to wear masks for our entire workday. We don’t set the rules, but we are expected to encourage customers to respect them. I know people are frustrated and tired, but it is neither fair nor appropriate to take out that frustration on the front line, retail, and service sector employees who are just trying to do their jobs. (we have had two additional incidents in the last few days)

In the spirit of the government’s request for Albertans to stay home as much as possible, and out of an abundance of precaution to protect the health and safety of our staff and customers, we decided not to allow any in-store shopping during our Birthday Sale.

If you come down to the shop over the next few days, you will find the door locked. If you just need some beer or a bottle of wine for the weekend, please order ahead. If you are looking to do a curbside pick-up, you can knock on the door, or call us at 403-283-8000 when you are parked out front.

If you would like to take advantage of the sale deals, we encourage you to order online at kensingtonwinemarket.com, or if online ordering is not your thing, you can call or email in your order.

For the month of May in general, we encourage everyone to strongly consider staying home as much as possible and shopping online or by phone. We also encourage you to take advantage of curbside pick-up and our offer of Free Delivery in Calgary for orders over $100 (flat rate of $10 for orders under).

So please stay home if you can, and don’t forget to support all the other small businesses and restaurants that are struggling right now!

Thank you in advance for your patience, support, and understanding.

Sincerely,

Andrew Ferguson

Owner

Kensington Wine Market

403-283-8000

888-283-9004

(Non-Sale) Store Hours

Sunday: 11am – 6pm

Mon – Wed: 10am – 8pm

Thu – Fri: 10am – 9pm

Sat: 10am – 8pm

*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.

Fyne fan favourites from our Loch Fyne range!

To all the new faces around here: did you know we stock our own Loch Fyne range? You can even have a few of these bottles engraved to make them extra special gifts for someone you love, or even just to treat yourself…why not?

Here at Loch Fyne, we love hearing about what you love drinking! A firm fan favourite is our Loch Fyne Chocolate and Orange liqueur: a modern twist on the traditional liqueur, it has our own blended whisky at its heart. Not too sweet and great over ice or with soda as a spritzer. Think Terry’s Chocolate Orange in liquid form! Mmm…

A few of these releases are also award-winning; the latest being The Loch Fyne Bunnahabhain 14 Year Old which has just picked up a silver medal in the Scottish Field Summer Challenge!

New casks from Morrison Distillers:

Spring 2021 release from Morrison Distillers includes: Manochmore 27 Years, Auchentoshan 22 Years, peated Tormore and a sherry wood Glenrothes.

Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers changed their name from Morrison & MacKay Whisky Merchants in 2020 with the Morrison family taking over. Still a family owned independent whisky bottler with three generations of experience in Scotch whisky, they are based at Aberargie, south of Perth, where they also built their own distillery in 2016. Home to the well-loved independent bottling label, Carn Mor, 2020 brought a fresh re-brand and design to the range of Strictly Limited and Celebration of the Cask labels.

Shop – Latest Whiskies

Singleton of Glen Ord 38 Year Old and The Singleton Range

The Singleton range of single malt whiskies is available around the world, but is often misunderstood. With the recent arrival of the Singleton of Glen Ord 38 Year Old at The Whisky Exchange, we thought we’d break it down and explain how it all fits together.

Three in one

While the name suggest singleness, The Singleton range is actually made up of whiskies from three different distilleries – Dufftown, Glendullan and Glen Ord. They’re not even the first distilleries to use the name Singleton: The Singleton of Auchroisk was discontinued by Diageo (owners of all four distilleries) in 2001, but the name was too good to leave unused.

Originally, each of the three whiskies was available in a different part of the world – Dufftown in Europe, Glendullan in the USA and Glen Ord in the far east. For a while, this caused dismay for fans of the distilleries that appeared on the other side of the world, but the past few years have seen those divisions soften, and each of the three is popping up around the globe.

The Singleton of Dufftown

The best known of the three to us here in the UK, Dufftown sits in the town of the same name, the busiest whisky town in Scotland. It’s had ten distilleries operating over the years, with as many as seven running at the same time, but is now down to just six: Glenfiddich, Balvenie, Kininvie, Mortlach, Glendullan (of which more later) and the eponymous Dufftown.

For a distillery that’s so little known, it’s surprisingly big, sitting at joint 13th place in the production capacity league at 6 million litres of alcohol a year. It’s been around since the end of the 1800s and has long been a key part of the Bell’s blend. However, when the Singleton range appeared in the early 2000s, it was finally given its day in the sun, and is now also available as a single malt.

Dufftown’s spirit is grassy and fruity, and after years of maturation its sweet character is a classic example of Speyside single malt.

The Singleton of Glendullan

Glendullan was opened a few years after Dufftown, and other than Kininvie – built in 1990 – is the newest of the town’s distilleries. Also like Dufftown Distillery, it’s much larger than you’d expect a lesser-known distillery to be, producing as much as 5 million litres of alcohol a year. Dufftown really is a powerhouse of whisky making, producing more than 10% of Scotland’s spirit each year. Six distilleries and lots of whisky? Maybe it should be its own region…

While the distillery name and site date back to the 19th century, the current distillery was built in 1972, right next door to the old distillery. They operated in tandem for a few years, but the old one was eventually demolished. Like Dufftown, it makes a grassy spirit, but after a few years in wood it takes on a much fruitier character – lots of citrus, with an occasional handful of nuts.

Other than in The Singleton range, it’s had a few outings, popping up in the Rare Malts back in the 1990s and 2000s, and even appearing in the Game of Thrones series representing House Tully. These days it is most commonly found in the USA, but you do find the occasional bottle back in the UK.

The Singleton of Glen Ord

Of the three Singleton distilleries, Glen Ord is the one that I’ve always found the most interesting. Not only are its older releases whiskies that I’m still kicking myself for not stocking up on (we had an offer on the Glen Ord 28yo when I started at The Whisky Exchange that I really should have considered more closely), it’s also next door to Glen Ord maltings, a veritable temple to grain that I still feel honoured to have visited.

Founded in 1838, it’s not only the oldest of the three Singletons, but also, since 2015, the largest, sitting at number six in the Scottish league table with 11 million litres of alcohol produced each year.

We’ve seen more whisky from Ord than the other two Singletons, and over the century or so that it has been exported around the world, it has been especially popular in the far east, and was the obvious choice to be the Asian entry in The Singleton range when it launched. Fortunately for fans like me, it’s now much more available back home.

The Singleton of Glen Ord 38 Year Old

This special edition appeared in 2020, a vatting of just six casks that pushes the idea of ‘finishing’ a whisky to its limit – reracked after just 12 years in refill casks, it spent the next 26 years in a mixture of new oak, bourbon and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. The casks were married and bottled at cask strength, one of the oldest Ords bottled by the distillery and the longest secondary maturation it has ever done.

Nose: Rich, thick and decadent custard tart – creamy with loads of vanilla, a grate of lemon, buttery pastry and a hint of crunchy caramel. Butterscotch notes build along with a hint of mint, pine needles and hints of orange zest.

Palate: Cream and butter lead, backed by flamed orange zest, lemon rind and butterscotch. Polished oak, apple pies and old, damp wood hide at the back. The leafiness from the nose shows as freshly cut autumn leaves, with soft forest-floor rancio.

Finish: Butter cookies, polished oak and butter-glazed baked apples. Anise lingers.

Comment: Old, elegant and complex, bringing together Ord’s core character of orchard fruit with long-aged notes of leaves and cask-focused sweetness.

Buy now >

It’s a top dram – not many whiskies get 92 points on Whisky Fun – and an interesting look into Diageo’s warehouses. Which other distilleries are they nurturing old casks from? There are rumblings that we’ll soon see something venerable and tasty in The Singleton range, but from the tales I’ve heard, there are even more interesting things to come.