Time really does fly. Our whiskey matures from September onwards. We think both malt and grain will be very good.
Great Northern Distillery
Carrick Road
Dundalk, Co. Louth A91 P8W9
Ireland
We wish you all the best during the festive season.
Whether it’s a taste of something new or returning to an old favourite, it’s the perfect time of year to enjoy Scotch whisky.
Above all, share & enjoy! From all at Compass Box Whisky Co.
KWM Whisky Advent 2017 Day 25 – The Scotch Malt Whisky Society 10.117: Smoky, salty, sweet porridge
As has become a tradition, we are capping off the Kensington Wine Market 2017 Whisky Advent Calendar with a special 100mL bottle from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Why a 100mL? Because you made it through the first 24 days and you deserve it… actually, it is because the Society doesn’t bottle 50mls, but they do bottle 100ml whiskies, and we redesigned our Whisky Advent Calendar box a few years back to accommodate it.
About the Scotch Malt Whisky Society: The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is the world’s largest whisky club, and also an independent bottler. As a club it has close to 30,000 members all over the world, and branches in close to 20 different countries. It is an independent bottler that has been thrice accorded the honour of Independent Bottler of the Year by Whisky Magazine. It bottles as broad a range of single cask, single malt Scotch whiskies as any other firm, and it doesn’t stop there. It has also bottle Japanese whiskies, Bourbon, Grain whisky, Cognac, Armagnac and Gin. Whether it is a whisky, or another spirit, the Society always bottles the spirit from a single cask, straight from the cask, Unfiltered. Undiluted. Unrivalled.
Kensington Wine Market is proud to be the original home of the Society in Canada, and its exclusive retailer in Southern Alberta and all parts east. Over the last six years we have introduced more than 500 whiskies to more than a thousand Canadian members. Every month we launch at least 6, and usually 7 new whiskies. Membership is easy and gives you exclusive access to the widest selection of single cask single malt whiskies anywhere in the world. We also hold month outturn tastings at the shop. Only Scotch Malt Whisky Society members can buy our exclusive single cask single malt whiskies, but anyone can try them. We’re confident once you’ve had a taste you will want to join the club. For more information on the SMWS you can visit our web page or http://www.smws.ca/ .
For the second year in a row, this year’s Scotch Malt Whisky Society whisky is a cask selected especially for the Kensington Wine Market 2017 Whisky Advent Calendar. Cask 10.117 is not yet available for sale, and will be launched early in 2018. We can’t tell you what distillery #10 is, but there isn’t much you can’t find on the internet anymore. This is the 117th cask of Distillery #10 bottled by the Society. It is from a refill Ex-Bourbon Barrel, bottled at 61.2%. Its name, is “Smoky, salty, sweet porridge”, a named inspired by the Tasting Panel’s tasting note.
SMWS 10.117 – Smoky, salty, sweet porridge – 61.2% ABV
This Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottle hails from a northern Islay distillery. It is 9 Years Old from a refill ex-bourbon barrel.
SMWS Tasting Notes
Plenty of peat smoke, chimney soot and tar right at the beginning, but it did not stop there as we discovered an underlying sweetness which needed to be unearthed. In time we discovered aromas of brown-sugar glazed parsnips, honey roasted chocolate peanuts and black currant wine gums. The taste was like a sweet golden syrup, but at the same time, smoky salty austere, steaming hot creamy porridge – most unusual. Water calmed tempers somewhat, on the nose now sweet potatoes and honey glazed carrots whilst on the palate; grilled hot dogs with mango chutney and red onion relish.
Andrew’s Tasting Note: “Nose: peanut brittle and chicken satay on egg noodle; glazed pork, grilled bbq unagi, dried orange and mango salsa; sugary and floral with willow branches. Palate: more bbq unagi, chicken satay and glazed pork belly; fatty, oily and smoky; fresh orange and lime citrus; a shade of dark chocolate and sooty-oil-soaked mechanics rags; becomes tarry and more medicinal with each passing sip, but also more tropical and fruity. Finish: warming, smoky and fruity; the engine-oils coat the mouth with flashes of citrus and more tropical fruits; long, very long. Comment: this is going to be a very popular malt… Society members will be clambering for a bottle; thankfully we have the whole cask!”
Evan’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Oily smoke, earthy peat. Salt, brine, and iodine. Light citrus, bell pepper, laundry fresh out of the dryer, lavender and the slight hint of parma violet. Butter on toast. Chocolate fudge, fennel, sunflower seeds, malted barley, and a squeeze of lemon. Palate: Salt, black pepper and smoke. Spicy up front before it settles in and switches to creamy. Starchy plantains dipped in chocolate, fresh roasted peanuts, oatmeal with blackberries and cinnamon, lemon pepper seasoning, vanilla yogurt plus a dash of honey. Finish: Warming. Smokey and creamy with a dash of salt and a light touch of sweetness all the way down. Comment: Your kids may have gotten up far too early on Christmas morning but feel free to forgo the coffee – this is a delicious way to wake up. Let the kids open their gifts. For you perhaps the presence of this is present enough.”
Merry Christmas and a Peaty New Year from all of us at Kensington Wine Market!
MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM RALFY!
From everyone at Springbank, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
KWM Whisky Advent 2017 Day 24 – Kilchoman 2007 KWM 10 Year
The Isle of Islay is the home to some of the most iconic distilleries in Scotland: Bowmore, Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Bruichladdich and more. It is a Mecca for whisky lovers the world over, and when Anthony Wills had a dream to open his own distillery Islay was the only place to do it. He didn’t want to build a large modern distillery when the barley is trucked in and the spirit trucked away. The industry has changed a lot over the last century, and some of the charm and tradition has been lost along the way. With Kilchoman (pronounced Kil-ho-man) Anthony wanted to build a farm distillery, returning Islay’s whisky industry to its roots.
Kilchoman not only malts some of its barley on site, but it grows it in the fields surrounding the distillery. The distillery was founded at Rockside Farm on the Western side of Islay. For a few short years it was the westernmost distillery in Scotland. An even smaller distillery on the Isle of Lewis bares this honour today. Rockside farm is located a mile inland from the beautiful white sands of Machir Bay, and beyond that lies thousands of miles of open ocean until you hit the east coast of Canada. For most of the 11+ years it has now been producing whisky there was a bit of an uneasy relationship between Kilchoman and the farm, that came to an end a couple years ago, when the distillery literally bought the farm.
In addition to producing the whisky on site, Kilchoman is also one of the few distilleries in Scotland to bottle on site. Would it disappoint you to learn that some of the best know whisky brands in Scotland are reduced to bottling strength with de-ionized city tap water? Both Kilchoman and Bruichladdich Distillery on Islay bottle their whiskies with the same water they use to produce them.
With more than a decade of distilling behind it, and demand that seemingly outstrips supply each and every year, Kilchoman has a lot of wind in its sails. The distillery is in the midst of a big expansion, at least by Kilchoman’s standards, with production set to more than double from 200,000L a year, to more than 450,000L a year. This might sound like a lot, but it is still less than 1/8th of Laphroaig’s production and not even 7% of Caol Ila’s. But still fans of this bold but smooth Islay malt, can expect to see a lot more of it in the decades ahead.
And more importantly, this year we have a special treat. To help us celebrate our 25th Anniversary, Founder and Owner Anthony Wills was kind enough to let us select and bottle one of Kilchoman’s oldest casks. Our 2007 Kilchoman is the oldest whisky from the distillery to be sold in Canada, and it doesn’t disappoint. A sign of even greater things to come!
Kilchoman 2007 KWM – 56.6% – Ex-Bourbon Barrel – Andrew’s Tasting Note: “Nose: creamy, decadent and briny with a whiff of smoke from the coals of a smouldering beach fire; classic Kilchoman fresh lemon, goat cheese and Old English Butterscotch; smoked mussels and pan seared scallops. Palate: big, sweet, oily and malty; sweet vanilla and butterscotch morph into tendrils of vanilla, chewy malt and tarry-medicinal-peat; more lemon and goat cheese, firm toasted oak, fennel and Dutch licorice; underneath it all a thick layer of ripe orchard fruits. Finish: bold, long and rich yet smooth and so so salty: more Dutch licorice, juicy malt and tarry-peat; the smouldering beach fire returns with some sweet vanilla, lemon and orchard fruit. Comment: we are honoured that Anthony Wills was willing to share one of these precious early vintage Kilchomans will us; bottled just days past its 10th birthday!” – $200 for 700ml – or – $30 of 50ml
Festive Greetings! We trust you are all well and easing yourself into the holiday season. Or if you’re like the majority of us here at Springbank you’re kicking yourself for leaving everything to last minute, trying to find retailers who will still deliver before Christmas (not many to the bottom of the Mull of Kintyre) and trying to find enough places around the house to hide your Springbank collection before the Father in Law arrives.
As we will shortly close the distillery and office for Christmas we thought we would send you a final newsletter for 2017 to recap on a very busy year and preview the start of 2018.
2017 has undoubtedly been one of the distillery’s busiest, with major renovations works to our famous malt barns, installation of a new bottling line, lots of new production staff, our busiest Malts Festival ever and 5 newborn babies just the tip of the iceberg!
The sales team have been active as usual travelling across the globe to participate in 49 whisky shows and conduct almost 100 tastings. No bungee jumping or tastings aboard Nuclear Submarines this year although Ronan claims to have scaled 2,128m to the top of Mont Pilatus in Luzern for an epic Springbank selfie after Whisky Schiffs…(He thinks we don’t know there is a cable car all the way to the top) and Melanie enjoyed a whisky evening at the UK’s Ambassador residence in Budapest. She was disappointed that no Ferrero Rocher was offered.
The Society continues to grow with an additional 548 new members this year while more and more fans make the pilgrimage to visit us in Campbeltown with visitor numbers increasing 17% from 2016.
In a parody of the Twelve Days of Christmas we can festively summarise our year as;
12 new staff,
11 weeks renovations,
10 year old local barley,
9 thousand bottles,
8 weeks whisky school,
7 missed flights,
6 hours peat smoke,
5 newborn babies,
4 ton mashes,
3 new flagpoles,
2 weeks Christmas holidays,
and 1 new bottling line!
2018 is set to be just as busy with more renovations, full time malting, the Campbeltown Malts Festival (23rd-25th May) and who knows how many newborns!
New Releases
What better way to beat the January blues than tucking into some of our new releases. February will be a busy month with three Springbank heavy-weights hitting the shelves;
Springbank 12yo cask strength 56.3%
The latest 12yo cask strength follows the normal maturation recipe of 70% sherry and 30% bourbon and will be bottled at 56.3% ABV.
Springbank 25yo
The 5th annual release of Springbank 25yo will be available worldwide in limited quantities. This version departs from recent editions of the 25yo where maturation combined bourbon and sherry casks into a final port pipe vatting, whereas this edition has been matured exclusively in refill sherry casks, characterising the whisky with the soft rich fruits associated with classic Springbanks.
Longrow Red 11yo 55.9%
This Longrow Red Cabernet Franc from De Toren Private Cellar in Stellenbosch, South Africa is the follow up from the previous Malbec release from the same winery. It will be bottled at cask strength having spent an initial nine years in bourbon barrels before a final two in Cabernet Franc barriques.
The Sales team will be straight into a busy travel schedule. Here’s where you can catch up with them in the coming months;
Sales Team Events
January
12-13th Harrow Whisky Festival, The Grim’s Dyke Hotel, London (Grant)
13th Arctic Whisky Festival,Tromsø, Norway (Ronan)
15-22nd Canada Tasting Tour (Melanie)
15-16th Edmonton retailer visits and tastings
17th Edmonton Whisky Festival www.edmontonwhiskyfestival.ca
18th Calgary Whisky Festival www.calgarywhiskyfestival.ca
20th Victoria Whisky Festival www.victoriawhiskyfestival.com
21 – 22nd Vancouver Whisky Classique www.whiskyclassique.com
19-20th Whisky Weekend Amsterdam, Holland. www.whiskyamsterdam.nl
(Kilkerran only event) David
February
26th Feb – 2nd Mar: Australia Tasting Tour. Ranald will be representing Springbank down under in partnership with Cadenhead’s who will also be touring. David will also be in the country on these dates for a Kilkerran tasting tour.
March
2-4th DramFest, Christchurch, New Zealand. www.dramfest.co.nz
(Ranald & David)
5-12th New Zealand tasting tour. (Joint Springbank, Kilkerran & Cadenhead tour with David, Ranald and Cameron)
8-10th Whiskyschiffs Luzern www.whiskyschiff-luzern.ch
10th Fife Whisky Festival www.fifewhiskyfestival.com (Grant)
16-17th Midlands Whisky Festival www.whiskyfest.co.uk (Grant)
19-23rd Norwegian Tasting Tour. Dates and locations tbc (Ronan)
That’s all from us for 2017, our office is closed from 1pm Wednesday 20th December 2017 until 4th January 2018. The Campbeltown Cadenhead’s shop will be working on reduced opening hours and tours;
Wednesday 20th December 9am – 1pm (10am & 11.30am tour only)
Thursday 21st December 9am – 5pm
Friday 22nd December 9am – 5pm
Saturday 23rd December 9am – 5pm
Sunday 24th December 12pm – 4pm (No tours)
Monday 25th December Closed
Tuesday 26th December Closed
Wednesday 27th December Closed
Thursday 28th December 11am – 4pm (1.30pm tour only)
Friday 29th December 11am – 4pm (1.30pm tour only)
Saturday 30th December 11am – 4pm (1.30pm tour only)
Sunday 31st December Closed until Thursday 4th January 2018
From everyone at Springbank, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
To join the Springbank Society please contact them at society@springbank.scot
KWM Whisky Advent Day 23 – Gordon Macphail Highland Park 8 Year
Highland Park was until recently Scotland’s northernmost distillery. Officially established in 1798 it was also one of the first to be licensed. But the distillery’s actual origins are shrouded in the mists of time, and the fog which frequently blankets the Orkney archipelago. The distillery was either founded by the legendary and larger than life priest Magnus Eunson, or a farmer named David Robertson. There is also some indication the distillery may have originally been called Rosebank, and later Kirkwall. But for today lets work on the assumption the distillery was established as Highland Park by Magnus Eunson.
Before he took his distillery legit, he was said to have been a prolific illicit distiller and smuggler. In one tale he caught forewarning of a raid by the exciseman, or gauger… Legends suggest he hid his barrels in a church and covered them with a white cloth. When the guagers arrived they found the men kneeling in prayer. Eunson is said to have whispered “small pox”, and that was all the taxmen needed to hear!
Highland Park is one of the most beautiful distilleries in Scotland, tucked into the hills on the outskirts of the Orkney capital of Kirkwall. The buildings are built from an assortment of dark stones, which if memory serves, would have originally served as ballast in the many ships that visited the island. The island was the final stop most British ships traveling to Hudson Bay would have made. They would have taken on provisions including fresh water and whisky. One of the earliest purchasers of whisky from the island would have been British traders sailing for Hudson’s Bay. By the 1850s Highland Park had a reputation for good quality single malt, and was also supplying the biggest blended whisky brands: Ballantines, Dewars and Chivas with stock.
Highland Park is one of less than a dozen distilleries to retain its tradition floor maltings. This malting accounts for about 20% of Highland Park’s production, and is heavily peated with Orkney peat. Orkney peat is famous for having a lighter more delicate impact than other Scottish peats, owing to the archipelago’s geography and climate. The Orkneys are so far north, and exposed to such power winds, that few trees can take root. As a result the islands peat does not contain any wood or crucially pine needles, which give a more acidic, medicinal profile. The 20% of heavily peated malt is blended with unpeated malt from the mainland before mashing.
Gordon Macphail Highland Park 8 Year – 43% – Refill Sherry Hogshead & Ex-Bourbon Barrels – Andrew’s Tasting Note: “Nose: honeyed and waxy; very herbal and floral with heather honey, the whiff of a distant sea breeze and kippers in a pan; diced pineapple and dried apricots. Palate: creamy, waxy and subtly smoky; floral, heather honey, very maritime and savoury with more kippers; more dried apricots and pineapple cubes; still floral and herbal. Finish: a touch nutty with cigar ash, fading fruits, honey and cream. Comment: this is young but a maturity beyond its years; very pleasant, layered and approachable; a gateway whisky for those afraid of peat. ” – $75 for 700ml
