Smokehead Rum Rebel

Peated Islay single malt finished in Caribbean rum casks. Limited edition  with immense peat smoke, burnt marshmallows and caramelised fruit. Boom! MYSTERY MALT SINGLE MALT WHISKY. Mystery single malt that don’t want to reveal their true identity. Rummage around and with a bit of investigation you are sure to find a rare unspecified bottling from independent bottler.

The first impression…… A jolt of immense smoke and fiery peat, followed by soothing citrus, tropical fruits and brought out by the Caribbean rum casks. Is that marshmallow andbacon in there…..?

The full-on flavour….. Face down a fearlessly rich and peaty punch, thick oils and bracing sea spray, tempered with dried spices, banana and dark wood

The finale….. The safety of dry land is in sight. Notes of caramel and cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla, add a delicate contrast to the lingering smokiness

BUY NOW – Smokeheard Rum Rebel >>

Spotlight on: Springbank 21 Year Old

Springbank 1997 21 Year Old
Authors Series – Oscar Wilde
Was: £625.00
Now: £424.99

A single cask release from the highly collectable authors series range, this Campbeltown single malt was distilled at Springbank in 1997 and matured in a single sherry cask for 21 years. Bottled at 52.9% abv, this edition has been paired with legendary author Oscar Wilde. This dram goes perfectly with curling up on the sofa with a good book!

Buy now ›

TAKING THE HIGHBALL
UP A LEVEL

You really must try what we’re calling the drink of the summer.

The Iceless Highball is exactly as it sounds – just frozen whisky, in a frozen glass, topped with chilled soda water.

It’s a surprisingly simple idea, yet there’s a real craft to achieving the perfect serve.

Our take on this classic is inspired by Rock Fish – the Tokyo bar world famous for this serve – and uses Great King Street Artist’s Blend.

See exactly how we make it in the video featuring our founder John Glaser. So, ditch the ice trays this weekend and keep the freezer free for whisky instead.

And Above All, Share & Enjoy!

Shop
Great King Street Artist’s Blend

Whisky gifts for Father’s Day Down Under

Looking for the perfect Father’s Day gift to send your dad Down Under? We’ve got the ultimate selection of whisky gifts to send to your dad this year, including gift packs from Laphroaig and Bruichladdich, plus a free mug when you buy a bottle of Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old.

These whiskies are perfectly packaged and ready to arrive with your dad by Australian Father’s Day on Sunday 6th September.

Shop Whisky Gifts ›

Malt Messenger Bulletin

Surprise Summer Sale Starts Now

The tags are up, the banner is hung and the pricing is live, our Surprise Summer Sale is on!

We only have 4 store-wide Sales a year at KWM. The Surprise Summer Sale is usually held earlier in August, but as we delayed our May Birthday Sale to June, we thought it best to push this one back by a few weeks too. So for those of you who thought we’d forgotten or skipped it this year, SURPRISE!

Before we get to the juicy details on the sale, there are a few other exciting tidbits we would like to share with you before it is too late…

Firstly, we have a really exciting pair of new Virtual Whisky Tastings scheduled for Saturdays September 12 & 26. For the Boutique-y Whiskies Double Header we will be joined from the UK by Special Guests Sam Simmons (Head of Whisky) and Dave Worthington (Global Brand Ambassador) for the Boutique-y Whisky Co. Just $80 for two tastings of six whiskies each, including 21 year old Ben Nevis & Clynelish, a 28 Year Cambus and a 24 Year Bourbon… More details below. These tastings are already 2/3 sold… only 35 spots left!

There is a new GlenDronach in town, a 2009 Vintage 10 Year, bottled exclusively for Canada. The whisky staff are all rather impressed with it, something you don’t often here. It has been a rather hot commodity over the last week. Note as a brand new arrival it is not on sale!

We also have an exciting whisky return, the Berry’s Blue Hanger 11th Limited Release is Back! This KWM exclusive has been gone for the shelves for a couple of years. We are doubly excited about its return, as it also dropped in price by $45/bottle… Only about 30 of the 60 bottles which just returned are left!

Now back to the Surprise Summer Sale. The pricing is live online now. As always, we have created PDFs with the best deals on Whisky & Other Spirits as well as Wine, to help you focus your shopping.

Please order through the website if you can, or swing by the store. You are welcome to pop down to the store, but if you do please wear a mask, be patient if there is a line, and respect our other Covid-19 Policies.

If you are looking to have your order packed for pickup please note we already have a healthy waiting list, and it could take up to a week for your order to be ready.

If you are requesting Curb Side pickup, please give us at least 4 hours to pull and process your order. Ideally please wait until you receive the confirmation it is ready.

We are expecting higher than normal demand for delivery in Calgary. Free Delivery for orders over $50 is still available, but again please be patient as we work through all the requests.

Happy Hunting!

Andrew Ferguson

Kensington Wine Market

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

New Virtual Whisky Tasting(s) 

The Boutique-y Whiskies Double Header with Sam Simmons & Dave Worthington!

If you’ve been paying attention to my emails over the last little while, you’ll have noted that we had to get creative with virtual tastings on account of not being able to pour samples… Hoping that will change in the near future, but in the interim, we’ve been using available gift packs and 50mls to put on virtual tastings. While scouting the available options I noticed there was a decent amount of last year’s “12 Whiskies of Christmas” from That Boutique-y Whisky Company left in the market.

The set is composed of 12 wax sealed 30ml bottles, and there are some cool whiskies in it: Cambus 28 Year Single Grain, 21 Year Clynelish & Ben Nevis, and a 24 Year Bourbon to name just a few. So we negotiated a deal (they originally sold for $110+gst) and purchased the lot of them with an eye to putting on some tastings. We approached the chaps at That Boutique-y Whisky Company about taking part in the tastings, and they jumped at the opportunity.

We will be splitting the whiskies over a pair of tastings on Saturday September 12th and 26th, at 5PM, to accommodate our friends in London. We will be joined in the tastings by Sam Simmons (Head of Whisky) and Dave Worthington (Global Brand Ambassador). The cost is $80+gst for the samples. We can pack them for out of town pickup. Free Delivery is available within Calgary city-limits. A zoom link and password will be emailed out the day before the tasting.

The people are thirsty, and demand is high, only 35 of the 95 spots for the tasting are still available!

 Boutique-y Whiskies Double Header with Dr. Whisky aka Sam Simmons – Saturday September 12, 5PM & Saturday September 26, 5PM – $80+gst

Register by phone at 403-283-8000 or  online.

Introducing: The Glendronach 2009 10 Year 

A Very Decent Place Holder for the GlenDronach 12 Year…

If you are wondering why we haven’t seen certain releases from the BenRiach and GlenDronach distilleries over the last few years, there is a very good reason for it. The GlenDronach 15 Year Revival has its own reasons for only infrequently being available, mainly owing to a shortage of suitable stocks.

For the rest of the BenRiach Distillery Co. Whiskies, which include BenRiach, GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh, many of the skus are tied up in a dispute between the old importers, and the new one. Until it is resolved -and apparently progress has been stagnant-, many of the products like the GlenDronach 12 and 18 Years won’t be returning to Alberta. In the interim, the distillery has bottled a 2009 10 year old small batch whisky for “Canada” to replace the 12 Year. It arrived in-store on Wednesday, we cracked a bottle and were suitably impressed. My tasting note below.

GlenDronach 2009 10 Year – 43% – Pedro Ximenez Sherry Casks – My Tasting Note: “Nose: nutty with soft leather, raisins, chocolate and syrup; doughy with baking spices, vanilla icing and dry grasses. Palate: rich and nutty its starts slow but builds in to decadent spices, syrup and cooked raisins; sweet and dumpy with black licorice and dark chocolate; candied orange and chewy malt; late vanilla, dunnage warehouses and minty-floral-tones. Finish: medium in length with leather, spices and candied fruit. Comment: released to replace the 12 Year, at least in Alberta; this is quintessentially GlenDronach and a lovely dram; I think it would have been improved at 46%, but I digress; the nose is good and the palate is better; very quaffable stuff!” – $96

Surprise Summer Sale 

The Best Deals & Fine Print!

We last saw this whisky about 2-3 years ago, and were thrilled when we had the opportunity to get it back. Especially when we found out the price was dropping nearly $50. Whisky Advocate Magazine gave this edition of the Blue Hanger Release a rating of 92pts and titled it their 2015 Blended/Blended Malt Whisky of the Year. As with the last time it was here, it is again exclusive to KWM, with only 60 bottles for Canada.

The 11th release is a vatting of a total of 8 casks:  4 hogsheads, 3 sherry butts and 1 puncheon. Amongst these is purportedly both peated and unpeated malt from Bunnahabhain distillery but the rest of the makeup is not known, or cannot be disclosed…

Berry’s Blue Hanger 11th Release – 45.6% – Hogsheads & Sherry Butts/Puncheons – My Tasting Note: “Nose: honey and marzipan mingle with clean smoke and chocolate salted caramel tarts; crisp lemon and orange with loads of creamy vanilla and dried fruits: raisins and apricots. Palate: round and immediately smoky, earthy and chocolaty all laid over a base of silky vanilla and decadent honey; firm spices develop including bright ginger, black licorice and candied fennel; there are dried fruits hinting at a sherry influence balanced out by muddier tones of sweet peaty malt. Finish: big, bold and malty with lovely vanillans, leather, dried fruits and spices; delicate clean salty smoke and gentle earthy peat underneath! Comment: lots going on here though it is not as peaty as some past releases, very layered and complex; a gateway whisky to more heavily peated malts?” – WAS $165 – NOW $120+gst

Whisky Advocate Tasting Note: “It’s the intensity of flavor that just grabbed me by the lapels and spun me round. It harbors intense tangelo juiciness; that unparalleled concentration of deep citrus skillfully mingled with dark vanilla, dried apricots, and gentle smoke. This goes the distance, delivering wave after delicious wave: peach juice, mandarin, pineapple cubes, and lemon zest. A firm, unctuous finish shows a little charred wood and dark sugar cloaked in fine smoke. Tongue pleasing and very special indeed. £90” (Spring 2015) 92pts Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick”

Surprise Summer Sale 

The Best Deals & Fine Print!

Most* in-stock Whisky, Gin, Rum, Brandy and Other Spirits are 10-50% off!

Browse Whisky & Spirits Discounted by 15% or More!

Most* in-stock Wine is at least 15% off, with savings up to 50%!

Browse Wines Discounted 20% or More!

All in-stock Beer is 5-30% off!

Sale Rules & Conditions

Due to Covid-19, we have a few more than usual!

• This Summer Sale is this weekend only: Friday, August 21 through Sunday, August 23, 2020. It will end at 6PM in-store and 11:59PM online.
• Most in-stock Wine is at least 15% off with savings of up to 50%. Excludes some new arrivals.
• Most in-stock Whisky is at least 10% off, with well over 250 products 15-50% off! Excludes some new arrivals.
• All in-stock Spirits, including, Cognac, Gin & Rum, are all at least 10% off, with many discounted 15-30% and a few up to 50% off!
• All in-stock Beer is at least 5% off with others discounted by up to 30%!
• Sale pricing will not be applied retroactively or carried forward from the end of the sale.
• Sale is on in-stock items only, with the exception of KWM exclusives (including SMWS on sale), on which we will honour the discount should we run out (provided we still have stock).
• In the event of a discrepancy in price or discount, the Point of Sale at Kensington Wine Market will be taken as correct.
• No additional discounts or promotions can be applied on top of these discounts. The best discount available will be the only one applied.
• No phone orders please.
• We strongly urge you to consider ordering online.
• Free Delivery and Curb Side Pickup Are Available.
  • Please give us at least 4 hours after placing your order for Curb Side Pickup
  • Deliveries will be arranged on a first come first serve basis next week.
• In-store shopping is limited to 6 customers at a time. Do not come in to the store if you have any Covid-19 symptoms. Please wear a mask, observe a 2 metre social distance with other customers and staff, refrain from picking up products unless you intend to purchase them. Kindly limit the amount of time you spend in-store out of respect to other customers who may be waiting to enter and shop as well. If you are asked to wait before entering please be patient.
• In-store Sale Hours:
  • 10-8 Friday
  • 10-8 Saturday
  • 11-6 Sunday

*Exclusions include some select new items, limited Nikka whiskies and most Scotch Malt Whisky Society whiskies.

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

www.kensingtonwinemarket.com

THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE MACALLAN MASTER OF PHOTOGRAPHY

To tell the Story of The Macallan Master of Photography we have to go back to the days before the Whisky market went crazy, back in those days there were no Whisky Auction Sites, when Macallan released a new bottle it sat on the shelves with no queues out the door, no ballots and certainly The Craigellachie Estate was never brought to a standstill like back in 2018 when Macallan released their Genesis Bottle.

Back in 2009 when Macallan released the first of the Master of Photography’s the Rankin Bottle things were certainly different. The legendary Photographer Rankin was invited and given free reign of The Macallan Estate with the task of taking 1000 individual Polaroid Picture’s, each would be made into a label and boxed with a 30 Year Old Fine Oak so you would have a 30 Year Old Whisky with a unique label, Polaroid and booklet signed by Rankin!

Except for 189 Polaroid’s which were taken in colour, a colour label was made and all were placed in a Red Leather Presentation Box. These unique limited edition bottles were not for the UK Market these were sent far and wide across the Globe.

In 2010 the second Chapter of The Macallan Master of Photography Albert Watson a 20 Year Old Sherry Oak was produced and again there were 1000 limited edition bottles. But this time Albert Watson was tasked with documenting the journey of the wood from the traditional Cooperage in Jerez Northern Spain a journey of 600 miles lasting 12 days, following a young couple on their journey to the home of The Macallan.

But this is not the whole story, yes they produced 1000 bottles 900 of which were for the UK Market and presented in a Black Box containing a 20 Year Old Sherry Oak Macallan bottled at 43% ABV including a set of 10 portfolio prints. The remaining 100 bottles were produced at a higher strength of 46.5% ABV presented within a Blue/Grey Presentation Box.

These 100 bottles were then sent far and wide around the Globe, 10 Bottles were sent to Hong Kong International Airport, 10 Bottles to New York, and 12 to Mexico all of which sold out within a matter of days, and the rest went to who knows where?

To date none of these Blue Box higher strength Macallan’s have shown up at Auction and can be classed as very rare indeed.

There were however a further 36 Bottles produced individually customised containing Macallan Whisky from 1946 the year that Albert Watson met his Wife Elizabeth, so you could in fact say that they produced 1036 Bottles of Master of Photography Albert Watson, these 36 Bottles must be amongst The Holy Grail of Macallan.

SCOTCH GALORE

Win Tobermory’s Golden Dram!

We have hidden a bottle of Ledaig 42 Year Old in one of our Tobermory 12 Year Old gift boxes. With a one in 300 chance to win, today could be your lucky day to get your hands on one of the last bottles of this highly-limited golden dram!

Peated, finished in Spanish sherry oak casks and worth a whopping £2,800; there’s no mistaking that Tobermory’s Ledaig 42 Year Old is the epitome of liquid gold.

To enter: simply buy a bottle of award-winning Tobermory 12 Year Old online (currently on sale!) before midnight on Sunday 30th August. When it comes to receiving your order, instead of the 12-year-old, perhaps your whisky gift box will reveal the golden dram…

Entrants must be 18 years and over; read the full T&Cs here.

Tobermory 12 Year Old
Was £50.00
Now £37.99

Buy Now ›

A New Allocation of an Old Favorite from Suntory
Suntory Hakushu 12 Year Old Japanese Peated Single Malt Whisky (Elsewhere $195) ($119.99)
“Hakushu has always been my favorite of the Suntory malts.”
— Andrew Whiteley, K&L NorCal Spirits Buyer

NOTE: Our walk-in retail locations are currently closed. We have curbside pickup and low cost (often free) delivery options available in ZIP codes where we can ship lawfully, including anywhere in California. We can also include any new or existing will call orders in your delivery batch. Choose local delivery at checkout to learn if you qualify.

It is no secret that Japanese single malts have become wildly expensive in recent years. This is what happens when a limited-production collectible meets a precipitous climb in demand. That being said, on occasion, we are able to track down a bottling that bucks this trend and isn’t priced into the stratosphere—enter the Hakushu 12 Year Old. A prized bottling in Suntory’s impressive collection, this peated malt has developed quite a devoted following over the years. Graced with a modest touch of smoke, it unveils a classic Japanese profile of persimmon, melon, honey, vanilla, and jasmine. Lithe and elegant, there’s also some underlying power that makes the whole composition all the more intriguing. Priced elsewhere north of $200, we have this classic Japanese malt for a razor-sharp price of $119.99. This is a steal for a whiskey of this caliber and is practically unheard of in today’s market. Japanese whiskies with an age statement are harder to find by the day, so unearthing one with this kind of pedigree and so affordably priced is a real boon for collectors. We sold through an allocation of the dazzling single malt in record time earlier this year and expect this allocation will go just as quickly. You’ll want to make your move now to secure your bottles.

Suntory Hakushu 12 Year Old Japanese Peated Single Malt Whisky (Elsewhere $195) ($119.99)

Whisky Advocate: “Although only two years older, this expression of Hakushu—the first to be launched in the U.S.—shows a fleshier side to the distillery’s wares. While it has retained the freshness of the 10 year old, it shows more pineapple and grapefruit on the nose, with a little fragrance of jasmine and osmanthus. On the palate, it’s fresh and lively with a hint of persimmon and a tickle of smoke. Recommended. (DB, Spring 2012)”

K&L Notes: Suntory’s Hakushu, known as the “forest distillery,” was built in 1973 as a sister distillery to Suntory’s Yamazaki (previously the only Japanese single malt available in the United States). The facility is located at a high-elevation site next to the pristine waters of the Ojira River, which are used to dilute the whisky itself. Hakushu distillery uses different styles of oak barrel to age their single malt, but mainly hogshead, which, according to the distillery is, “suitable to the clear air and cool humid climate.” The 12-year old from Hakushu is lightly peated and very delicate in its flavor profile. The light and fruity style of the whisky is quite similar to the Yamazaki 12, but the smoke really makes up for any lack of richness. We’ve seen insane price increases over the last five years on Japanese whisky and inventory getting tighter and tighter, but for a limited time, we have Hakushu 12 in stock and available to sell, and at a fraction of the price you’ll see at many other retailers across the country.

Andrew Whiteley | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: June 27, 2019

Hakushu has always been my favorite of the Suntory malts. The sweet and elegant malt profile is rounded out beautifully by the gentle peat smoke giving the whisky more body and texture than its brothers. The “forest distillery” also produces a verdant whisky – it feels green and fresh, cool and earthy. Moist peat and cool mint gently hold up the bouquet of flowers and cereal notes. The palate is extremely balanced with pepper and cinnamon playing off of the sweeter grain notes. The smoke is more rich body than intense fire. A long and earthy finish is sweetened by a maple syrup and caramel note that leaves a very pleasant aftertaste. With Japanese whisky being so hard to get these days, you have to get while the gettin’ is good.

Gary Westby | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: June 27, 2019

This expertly crafted single malt has extraordinary balance for a peaty style and a refreshing salty lightness that makes me come back for more. I love that this has the smoke and complexity of peat, but doesn’t get bogged down with oily heaviness. To the contrary, this is a refreshing whisky that is fantastic to enjoy after a big meal!

ROCK TOWN’S ARKANSAS RYE WHISKEY SCORES A 95/100
AT THE 2020 INTERNATIONAL WINE AND SPIRITS CHALLENGE

Little Rock, AR – (August 11, 2020) – Rock Town Distillery is pleased to announce its Arkansas Straight Rye Whiskey has scored a 95/100 at the prestigious 2020 International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC) held in the UK.

The IWSC is one of the oldest and most respected tasting competitions in the world.The IWSC runs a tightly structured, rigorous tasting process. They use the ‘double-blind’ method, which means samples are tasted in pre-poured numbered glasses to ensure their experts never see a bottle. Each spirit is judged by a whole panel in sync, allowing for group discussions. All spirits scoring 90 and above were re-tasted by the Judging Committee for the final confirmation, and to ensure consistency across the tasting.

Rock Town’s Arkansas Straight Rye Whiskey is distilled from a mash of 56% Rye, 34% Corn and 10% Distillers Malt. and has been aged for over 2 years in 25 gallon new charred oak barrels.

“We’re very proud of our Arkansas Rye,” says distillery founder and head distiller, Phil Brandon. “It consistently scores among the top rye whiskeys in the world, having already garnered a 94/100 in the 2020 Whiskey Bible and a Gold Medal in San Francisco in 2019. To now score a 95/100 in the UK at the IWSC is an amazing feat and we’re over the moon with excitement about it”.

ABOUT THE IWSC

Joel Harrison, IWSC Chair Judge and member of the Spirits Judging Committee has released a summary of the tasting which can be found here  You can view the full results here: https://iwsc.net/results/search

ABOUT ROCK TOWN DISTILLERY

Rock Town Distillery produces the award winning Arkansas Bourbon, Arkansas Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey, Arkansas Hickory Smoked Whiskey, Arkansas Rye Whiskey, Rock Town Vodka and more which are distributed to multiple states and Canada. Winner of the 2015 US Micro Whisky of the Year in the 2015 edition of Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible.

Rock Town Distillery, Arkansas’ first legal distillery since prohibition, is located in downtown Little Rock at 1201 Main Street, Little Rock, AR 72202.  The distillery is open for tours 6 days a week. To find out more please visit www.rocktowndistillery.com

SCOTCH GALORE WHISKIES THE ALTERNATIVE TO AUCTIONS.

Scotch Galore Whiskies is a family owned business run by myself Stephen, my son Paul and wife Jacqueline. My first introduction into Whisky was as a young boy growing up in place called Maryhill in Glasgow back in the 70’s, and at that time Glasgow was surrounded by Whisky bonds. In those days my Dad Phil was employed as a lorry driver within the Whisky industry. So this gave me the opportunity to spend the holidays with my dad visiting Whisky distilleries throughout the length and breadth of Scotland. Now back in those days with no real health and safety this gave a young inquisitive boy the opportunity to explore the Whisky distillery warehouses and explore I did, and I can remember climbing up and over many a Whisky barrel and trying to help warehouse men push heavy Whisky filled barrels around the warehouses. Nowadays I enjoy nothing more than revisiting distilleries as Whisky being such a traditional industry nothing very much has changed in the passing years, today you can still see the sights, hear the sounds of the past, and of course you have those lovely, lovely distillery smells of wood and Whisky that take me back to those special days long, long ago spent with my late Dad.

Here at Scotch Galore Whiskies www.scotchgalore.com  My commitment to you my customer is, whether you’re a buyer or seller I aim to bring you a truly personal service I will endeavour to the best of my ability to treat each and every bottle you trust me with as if it is one of my own. My objective with your help is to bring a world class array of collectable and rare Whisky’s to a Global Market while never forgetting to offer you my customer a hassle and cost free premium service.

When selling with us it couldn’t be easier, when we receive your bottle we aim to have it photographed and online that day leading to the potential that your bottle could come in, in the morning be online and sold in the afternoon and your Money in your Account in 48 hrs. And all of this with no seller’s fees and you get 100% of the price you put on your bottle. That’s why we like to say that we are the alternative to Auctions, so if you have bottles that you would like to sell get in touch we can even arrange free collection from you by UPS or why not visit us at www.scotchgalore.com and see what we have to offer.

#DONTAUCTIONYOURBOTTLE.