The W Club Membership

Love whisky? Join the club! Whether you’re a novice or knowledgeable about our favourite tipple, we’ve created a whisky club to help you continue unlocking the mystery of whisky…

For just £20 per year you’ll receive a free subscription to our own Whiskeria magazine, free members-only tastings at your local branch of The Whisky Shop, huge savings in our weekly Whisky Wednesday flash sales, exclusive whisky auctions, in-store and online discounts all month long and priority notice on rare and limited releases.

£20 Buy Now

The only way to get to Jura is to open a bottle from our new range of sweet and subtly smoky single malt whiskies. Discover more about our whiskies just in time for Father’s Day.

Jura Whisky 2018 | Registration No: SC014456
St Vincent Plaza, 319 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, G2 5LP
www.jurawhisky.com

SPARKLING SUMMER DRAMS

With summer almost upon us, June Outturn uplifts the spirits with a sparkling selection of emerald gems. Surprise and delight the senses with 21 brilliant bottlings from a curious collection of casks.

This First Friday we’re thrilled to be welcoming new distillery bottling 135.1 Sensual sensory sensation – with soft leather and champagne truffles this is a taste experience not to be missed.

 READ OUTTURN       LATEST WHISKIES

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ

Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at here for membership information

This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!

Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video

Festival Week

Can’t make it across to Islay or Campbeltown for the Festivals this year? Join in the adventure wherever you are with whiskies from the distilleries.

Shop – Islay Whiskies
Shop – Campbeltown Whiskies

Malt Messenger Bulletin

Tastings, Tastings, Tastings & Deals!

Our 26th Birthday Sale was a big hit with some amazing bargains. But if you thought all the deals were behind us, you were mistaken. Many of our suppliers seem to be cleaning house this month, and we are passing the savings on. We have a selection of 14 whiskies listed below on which you can save between $5 and $65 a bottle. Some of these deals will be available for just a few days, others for a week or two. Here are a couple of examples from what you will find below, $65 off Balblair 1983, $15 off of Lagavulin 8 Year 200^th Anniversary, $21 off of Royal Lochnagar 12 Year and $14 off of Glengoyne 18 Year. Act fast, quantities are limited and the clock is ticking!

Lots of cool tastings to tell you about, starting with this coming month’s Scotch Malt Whisky Society Outturn on Thursday and Friday. We always get cool whiskies from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, but even so this coming release stands out. We have two SMWS whiskies bottled for Feis Isle, the Islay Festival, and another for the Spirit of Speyside Festival. We also have an SMWS Canada first, a whisky from a distillery we have never previously seen in Canada in 6 1/2 years… You have to be a Member to buy SMWS bottles, but anyone can come to the tastings. Might be it convinces you to join!

Saturday is Ardbeg Day, and it looks like the weather will finally turn in its favour. Ardbegians from Calgary and Southern Alberta will be gathering at Provision in Central Memorial Park for a Festival of Peat and Love. The Festivities kick off with an Ardbeg Master Class at 11:30, $20, and carry on with the main event running from 1:00 until 3:30. Further details available below and by following this link.

A couple of in demand Japanese whiskies are back in stock, but not for long. Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt, Nikka Coffey Malt and The Nikka 12 Year are all too popular for supply to keep up with demand, and they are now tightly allocated. We have a little stock of these three tasty whiskies, but not for long!

Finally, George Grant is coming to town, and there is a Glenfarclas tasting with him on Tuesday night. The cost is $75 for a range of 7 whiskies including Glenfarclas 17 Year, 21 Year, 25 Year, 25 Year KWM Cask Strength, 30 Year and a 1987 Family Cask. Send me an email if you would like more details.

In This Edition

1. The Don’t Miss/Epic Scotch Malt Whisky Society June Outturn
2. Ardbeg Day 2018 – The Sun Will Be Out for “Peat & Love”
3. June Whisky Deals
4. Three Nikka Whiskies Back in Stock!
5. Georgefarclas is Coming to Town

Slainte!

Sincerely

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

The Don’t Miss/Epic Scotch Malt Whisky Society Canada June 2018 Outturn 

7 More Reasons to Check Out the Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Whether you are already a member or not, you might want to consider registering for the June Scotch Malt Whisky Society Outturn tastings, which are open to both members and the general public. The tastings for the June Outturn take place tomorrow and Friday at KWM, with seatings both nights at 6 and 8 PM.. The cost is $40 for Members and $50 for the general public and guests. Every month we launch 7 new whiskies for our members, always single cask and cask strength. This month’s whiskies are especially notable as among them are two Feis Isle (Islay Festival) bottlings, as well as another from the Spirit of Speyside. One of this month’s whiskies is also a first for the Canadian branch… in the past 6 1/2 years we have never before had a whisky from the Speyside distillery in question! There is still room in 3 of the 4 Outturn Tastings, Members $40/Non-Members $50:

• Thursday May 31 6PM
• Thursday May 31 8PM
• Friday June 1 6PM

Call 403-283-8000 to register or register online!

Ardbeg Day 2018 – This Saturday 

The Sun is Set to Shine on the Festival of Peat & Love

The Ardbeg Day theme this year is

“Peat & Love”, marking the release of Ardbeg Grooves. There will be a Master Class hosted by yours truly, followed by a 60s themed party including a live band. More details on the event can be found here!

Register for the Ardbeg Day Master Class – Saturday June 2 – 11:30-12:30 – $20

“An Ardbeg Master Class hosted by Andrew Ferguson of Kensington Wine Market, featuring this year’s Ardbeg Limited Release, the Ardbeg Grooves, along with select Ardbeg expressions.”

Register for the Ardbeg Day Main Event – Saturday June 2 – 13:00-15:30 – $20

“Come and be transported back to the 60’s era, expressed in a uniquely Ardbeggian way…with Peat and Love!! Tickets include one Ardbeg cocktail, a sampling of this year’s Limited Release, the Ardbeg Grooves and 60’s themed snacks provided by Provision at Central Memorial Park.”

We are also taking pre-oders for the Ardbeg Day 2018 bottling, Ardbeg Grooves – $145.

June Whisky Deals 

Save $5 – $65 a Bottle on 14 Whiskies

Who doesn’t love a good deal? As much as possible, when one of our suppliers offers us a good deal, we try to pass it on! We have some phenomenol savings available on 13 single malts and a beloved Canadian Rye. Some of the deals will only last a week, others a little longer, but not much… two products are limited by quantity. Please note if pricing on our website does not reflect the sale prices now it will shortly. Don’t doddle, act fast:

The Deals

1. Balblair 1983 – Was $440 – Now $375 – Save $65
2. Bowmore 15 Year Darkest – Was $95 – Now $90 – Save $5
3. Glengoyne 18 Year – Was $130 – Now $116 – Save $14 – Only 6 bottles!
4. Glenfarclas 12 Year – Was $70 – Now $65 – Save $5
5. Glenfarclas 15 Year – Was $97 – Now $90 – Save $7
6. Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength – Was $89 – Now $84 – Save $5
7. Lagavulin 8 Year – Was $105 – Now $90 – Save $15
8. Lot 40 – Was $49 – Now $36 – Save $13
9. Macallan Rare Cask – Was $413 – Now $385 – Save $28 – Only 5 bottles! 
10. Mortlach Rare Old – Was $105 – Now $82 – Save $23
11. Port Askaig 100 Proof – Was $87 – Now $65 – Save $22
12. Port Askaig 8 Year – Was $70 – Now $60 – Save $10
13. Royal Lochnagar 12 Year – Was $97 – Now $76 – Save $21
14. Tamdhu Batch Strength – Was $105 – Now $95 – Save $10

Conditions

1. These deals are on a first come first serve basis and subject to availability!
2. These deals will not be applied retroactively or carried forward.
3. We reserve the right to refuse service.

Three Nikkas Back In-Stock 

One Each of Single Grain, Blend and Blended Malt

The glory days of Japanese whisky were about 8 years ago when KWM was swimming in Japanese single malts, belnds and blended malts. No one knew how good we had it… Japanese whisky now, if even available, is on extremely tight allocations. We have just received some Coffey Malt, Taketsuru Pure Malt and The Nikka 12 Year. They won’t last long:

1. Nikka Coffey Malt – 45% – The originality of this 100% malt expression  lies in its unique distillation method. Malted barley is distilled in a “Coffey still”, a traditional continuous still which is normally used to produce grain whisky. Discover this whisky’s extraordinary texture, which Nikka has specially developed for whisky aficionados. – $98
2. Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt – 43% – This is a blended malt named in honor of Masataka Taketsuru, the father of Japanese whisky. He is the first Japanese who mastered whisky-making in Scotland and produced the genuine whisky in Japan. Masataka learned that the natural resources surrounding a distillery were essential for quality whisky. Based on his thought, he selected two places, Yoichi and Miyagikyo, and built two distilleries there. Its gentle malt flavor, fruitiness and extremely well-balanced taste make it a perfect entry point into the world of Nikka. – $96
3. The Nikka 12 Year – 43% – There is nothing more suitable than a blended whisky to represent Nikka’s way of whisky making. The asymmetry design of the bottle is inspired by the neck of a “Kimono”, just as if the layers visualize all the passion and craftsmanship devoted in the history of Nikka. The honorable golden emblem engraved was designed by Masataka Taketsuru for his very first Nikka whisky bottle. Malty, soft and well-balanced, this expression portrays our gratitude to the heritage and our will to advance our tradition.- $166 (Just 6 Bottles) 

Georgefarclas is Coming 

Glenfarclas Aged 15 to 30 Years with George Grant – June 5

We are putting on a private event with George Grant on Tuesday June 5, 6:30PM. The cost is $75 for George, Charcuterie and 7 whiskies 15-30 years of age (including a 1987 Family Cask. An evening with Mr. Grant is worth $75 all on its own… with or without whisky. Email me for more details!

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

Kensington Wine Market

The small strange Isle of Mull is famous for its colorful village and unusual distillery. Licensed for legal production in 1798, the Tobermory distillery chugged along until the distillery ran out of warehouse space in the 1970s and was forced to stop production. Having an unplanned lack of warehouse space is a good sign that things weren’t going well for the distillery and indeed the entire industry took a hit in the early ‘80s when many famous distilleries were forced out of business. Tobermory survived that slaughter and became part of the Burn Stewart family in 1991 for less than £1 million.

Burn Stewart itself was acquired by South African drinks company Distell in 2013. Since then they’ve recommitted to the promise of making a traditional unchill-filtered Island malt, both peated and unpeated, at their gorgeous facility on the Western Coast of Scotland. They’re beginning to unearth some real treasures in the stocks as well as investing in high quality casks for extra maturation. Today we have three excellent and rare malts from this little distillery that represent some of the most unusual and exciting offerings to date.

Tobermory 21 Year Old “Manzanilla Finish” Unfiltered Cask Strength Island Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($239.99)

A gorgeous example of Cask Strength fully aged unpeated malt from the Tobermory Distillery. It’s been finished in one of the rarest casks in scotland, Manzanilla Fino Sherry. The Manzanilla cask is unusual not only because of their rarity, but also because of the unique flavor profile it provides. You’d expect that ultra dry salty sherry to turn the briny side of the Tobermory malt up to eleven, but instead we see more nuttiness than brine. There’s tons of dried, maybe lightly salted stone fruits, and a dense, almost thick mouthfeel. I’m not sure if that comes from the sherry or simply the age of the whisky, but the oily texture and wild flavor profile make it one of the most unusual new whiskies this year. Considering the 15-year sells typically for an astonishing $140+, this cask strength full throttle and no holds barred version is a real treat for any adventurous drinker despite the price tag. While we’ve purchased every bottle we could, collectors have already cleaned out most of the east coast. With the lowest price in California by a healthy margins and no additional stock on the horizon this will be a fun yet fleeting experiment.

1996 Ledaig 19 year old “Sherry Cask Finish” Isle Of Mull Single Malt Whisky (750ml) ($149.99)

Another well aged Sherry finished peated from the Tobermory distillery. These guys have really turned up the quality in the last several years, taking good aged stock and filling them into ultra high-end Sherry barrels to give them that extra little something. For those wanting that peat and Sherry combo there’s very little out there in the same range, particularly if you don’t want the sappy sweetness added by PX (I’m thinking Lagavulin DE). Yet the Ledaig has a ton of the same dark nuttiness that you’d expect from a fine Oloroso cask and just the right amount of stewed fruit to keep it from feeling hard edged. The last vintage was an absolute sleeper and I’ve had several customers come back asking for it. Now we’ve got the whisky back one year older and just as delicious. One of the most unusual and distinct offerings from any distillery to date.

Ledaig 19 year old “Marsala Cask Finish” Isle Of Mull Single Malt Whisky (750ml) ($164.99)

One of the most unusual and distinct offerings from any distillery to date. I can’t remember the last time we saw peated Whisky in Marsala casks, but it may have been back in the good old days of Murray McDavid and their range of Ace’d malts. While I expected the Marsala to add tons of sweetness, we’ve actually moved much further into the sauvage quality that Ledaig is sometimes known for. Lamb drippings over smoking embers. Big smoldering spice sprinkled over a well aged gouda. Wild and structured on the palate with more of the savory stuff, green peppercorns, mulled wine, tart red fruit. This malt reminds me a bit of a Christmas dinner in London’s West End, maybe one to save for cool weather, but this is undoubtedly one of the most interesting and most arresting malts of the year.

That’s it for this week, but stay tuned for the next edition of the Whisk(e)y News!

David Othenin-Girard
SoCal Spirits Buyer
http://spiritsjournal.klwines.com
http://onthetrail.klwines.com

© Ian Gavan

WELCOME TO OUR NEW BRAND HOME

The new Macallan Distillery and Visitor experience marries our whisky making heritage with the innovative vision that sits at the heart of The Macallan and guides our future. As the first distillery in Speyside to be designed by an internationally acclaimed architect, our brand home opens a window onto the whisky making process like no other.

Doors open 2nd June 2018.

VISIT                  EXPLORE

Sharing whisky – it’s better with friends

As someone who spends a lot of time writing tasting notes for whisky on his own, I sometimes forget that the true joy of a dram is sharing it with someone. Father’s Day is just around the corner and in the office, we’ve spent the past few weeks talking about which whiskies we’d share with our dads. Just the thing to give me a kick and remind me to share the whisky love, and not just with my dad.

When it comes to sharing a whisky or three, you have lots of options. While ‘sharing a dram’ almost always used to mean cracking open a bottle with friends at home, there are now loads more ways to taste great whiskies.

Get a tasting set

If you don’t feel like braving the outside world, then let the whisky come to you. Over the past few years, there has been an explosion in the number of companies that now offer samples of whisky for you to try at home, expanding way beyond the miniature bottles that fill hotel minibars.

Five vintages of Lagavulin Distillers Edition, with tasting notes and a glass? That’ll do

For a one-off tasting, we have a range of Perfect Measure tasting sets – curated packs of whiskies complete with tasting notes from me and The Whisky Exchange team. If you can’t find the set you want, we also have lots of other samples, so you can create your own custom tasting. Each sample is 30ml – enough for a pair of tasters, or a big dram for yourself…

See The Perfect Measure range

There are also great ways of regularly receiving whisky without the effort. Folks like Whisky-Me and The Dram Team offer regular deliveries of whisky samples to your door.

Just add a glass…

The idea is simple: they do the choosing and you get something tasty through the post. Whisky-Me sends out a large dram (enough for at least two) in a pouch that fits through your letterbox, and lets you share your thoughts online with everyone else – a virtual community drinking the same dram each month, all from the comfort of your sofa.

Go to a tasting

I started regularly going to whisky tastings about a decade ago. Even though I live in London, a city which caters for every interest from the popularist to the most niche, finding regular whisky meet-ups was difficult. Fortunately, I ran into a few like-minded souls attending monthly get togethers at The Whisky Exchange Shop, as well as occasional appearances by our friends at The Whisky Lounge.

Ten years on, I now run a monthly whisky club (and some members have founded their own clubs), The Whisky Lounge does tastings all over the country and we run even more tastings than ever before.

See all of our upcoming events

Whether you want to meet other whisky fans or drag your dad out for a night of drams, keep an eye out for tastings – there will almost certainly be some near you.

Share your favourites

In the end, it doesn’t need to be about variety. Whisky fans often spend a lot of time seeking out the new, rare and different, but sometimes it’s nice to sit down with a dram that you love.

On my shelf at home, I always have an open bottle of Clynelish and Laphroaig. When friends come to visit, they’re the first bottles I’ll reach for – reliable and tasty. We might dig into my box of cask samples later, but if you want to sit around, talk rubbish and drink whisky, then an old favourite is what you want.

And the best thing about a bottle of whisky? Stick the cork back in, and you can share the rest of it another day.

Whisky Stories – Your Turn

It’s time for another Whisky Story, this time from Matt, who had a great time in the north of Scotland visiting Old Pulteney. Please keep sending us your own Whisky Stories – we’ll be publishing more of our favourites over the coming months.

My first experience of whisky was similar to many people’s – nabbing a wee dram from my father’s open bottle when my palate was far too young and inexperienced to appreciate it.

But fast forward a few years, and Old Pulteney had firmly established itself as my gateway whisky into the wonderfully diverse world of single malts.

Initially, I didn’t actually like Old Pulteney; I found the salinity and brine challenging compared to other entry-level whiskies. But it didn’t take too long for my palate to learn to appreciate, then love, those coastal-tinged flavours.

Our journey to Old Pulteney started at Inverness Airport, taking the A9 northbound. The A9 is not just a picturesque and sometimes rugged route through Sutherland and Caithness, it’s also an ideal one for a whisky enthusiast.

Distilleries en route

Stopping off at Dornoch Castle (with its superb whisky bar), Glenmorangie, Balblair and Dalmore distilleries not only broke up our journey northwards, but also provided ample whistle wetting in advance of our final destination of Wick.

For our lodgings, there was only ever one choice – MacKay’s Hotel (seeing as it shares my surname) run by Murray Lamont. As a Wick resident, Murray and his family have long held ties with Old Pulteney, which was built in 1826 by Sir William Pulteney (the town originally being named Pulteneytown).

Murray’s hotel whisky bar is a treasure trove of bottlings – he’s quite the collector. During our time there, we helped him locate and order numerous bottles stored in the hotel cellar, and as a reward, a dram of one of the oldest Pulteneys I’ve seen, from a 37-year-old sherry cask Murray’s father had purchased in 1972.

Despite visiting many distilleries, the Pulteney tour is still the best I have experienced. On the day of our visit, not only did we have the entire site to ourselves, but we were guided by the passionate and highly knowledgable Kathy Csorogi.

Pulteney is a compact site, with all elements of production located a stone’s throw from one another. Our unexpected private tour allowed us plenty of time not just to learn about the distillery and its processes, but also to talk to the mashmen and stillmen while they worked. As with many things, tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I’ll remember.

During our visit we learned that the refined salinity that can often be tasted in Old Pulteney is actually present in its new-make spirit, although whether this comes from the naturally salty seawater and coastal location or simply though the distillation process is hard to say.

The still room is a highlight of any distillery tour and Pulteney’s unique stills make this even more so. The wash still doesn’t feature a typical swan neck and lyne arm – the story being that when the still arrived at the distillery, it was too tall for the stillhouse and had to be cut down in size to fit. Official bottlings of Old Pulteney reference the bulbous pot stills in their design.

Time to taste

Tastings at Old Pulteney take place in two locations – first we sampled some cask-strength expressions in the dunnage warehouse over the road from the distillery. Then we moved to the tasting room in the visitor centre to explore the distillery’s core range and some older expressions, including the rather lovely 35 Year Old.

No trip to a distillery is complete without taking the opportunity to hand-bottle your own whisky directly from cask, and Pulteney usually has two casks available. Kathy told us about some visitors who had got rather confused and placed their bottles straight down into the wax, bottom first – resulting in some rather odd-looking but certainly unique Old Pulteney bottles!

The experiences, sights and stories of my visit to Wick and Old Pulteney have stuck in my memory, and it won’t be long until I’m venturing up the A9 again. On my next visit there’s even more whisky goodness to explore, in the form of Wolfburn distillery.

With Pulteney and Wolfburn on the mainland and Highland Park and Scapa just a ferry ride away on Orkney, north-east Scotland is a pilgrimage every whisky enthusiast should make at least once.

Thanks very much to Matt for sending his Whisky Story to us. If you have one, we’d love to hear from you.

Ralfy heads down the “Glen of Tranquility” with Ralfy Review 727 – Glenmorangie 10yo Original (re-reviewed 2018).