MS Calgary Whisky Festival Tickets Now On Sale 

Get em while their hot…    

Tickets are now on sale for the 5th Annual MS Calgary Whisky Festival. The event takes place at the Arts Commons (formerly Epcor Center) in the foyer of the Jack Singer Concert Hall on Thursday January 14, 2016. Last year’s event was a sell out with 500 tickets sold and excellent feedback from suppliers and participants alike. This year’s event is expected to grow to 600 participants, where we will be capping it moving forward. It is very important that we continue to offer the best possible quality of experience for our guests.

This 2016 event is expected to feature more than 200 whiskies from more than 70 distilleries around the world, mostly Scotland. Like the last two years events there will be three Master Classes (details to be announced in December) held during the evening as well as an early entry VIP Master Class with Dan Volway which will feature the full Highland Park Valhalla range: Thor, Loki, Freya and Odin. Participants with the VIP Master Class ticket will also get an extra 50 minutes in the festival room, after the tasting, before the rest of the participants arrive. As the VIP Master Class is limited to 40 participants we have also opened 60 VIP Early Admission Tickets which will give participants a full hour before the rest of the participants arrive. General admission will begin at 6:30PM and the event will run through 9:30PM. Tickets are now on sale on the www.calgarywhiskyfestival.com website, with the following available:

1. 40x         VIP Ticket with Highland Park Valhalla Masterclass – $150 (Master Class Starts at 5PM and will run for 40min)
2. 60X         VIP Ticket with 5:30 Entry – $125
3. 475x       General Admission Ticket – $99

Three 40 minute Master Classes running from 6:00-9:30PM will be announced in early December!

Tickets are available exclusively through www.calgarywhiskyfestival.com.

KWM Whisky Advent Calendar Update 

25 Days of Dram Fine Whisky, Now In-Store…   

Kensington Wine Market’s Whisky Advent Calendar is back! Last year’s calendar, our second and the first one we produced entirely in house, was a huge hit. It sold out  before it hit the shelves. This year’s is even better.  It still includes 24 x 50ml whiskies and a custom Glencarin whisky glass. But, that is not all! We are offering an even wider range of whiskies and we are also including an extra 25th bottle. As a special treat for Christmas morning, there will be a 100ml Scotch Malt Whisky Society single cask bottling. This is a rare treat indeed, and usually only available to Society members. All of this year’s whiskies are different from 2014 and we are really excited about the range. There are 23 single malts from Scotland, Ireland, India and Taiwan, as well as a boutique blend and a boutique blended malt. Whether it is for yourself or to give as a gift, we know it won’t disappoint. Don’t hesitate! This one is sure to sell out fast!

The calendars are now ready for pick and purchase in store. At the time of writing there are fewer that 50 of the 384 calendars produced left in store for purchase!

 Order the 2015 Kensington Wine Market Whisky Advent Calendar $400+GST

OUR EXCLUSIVE NEW KILCHOMAN SINGLE CASK 

The best new peaty whisky in the shop…    

In the 10 years since the distillery opened Kilchoman has made quite a name for itself. The distillery’s nearly flawless spirit and rigorous oak policy have ensured that their young whiskies can compete with the best in the world. Our previous three casks of whisky from this maverick Islay Distillery were all big hits and our 4th has just arrived. Distilled in 2010 and matured in an American Ex-Bourbon Barrel at 5 years of age it is another cracker! Only 221 hand numbered bottles are available at a cask strength of 60.4%.

Kilchoman 2010 KWM Bourbon Cask 440– 60.4% – 5 Year – ExBourbon Barrel – My Tasting Note: “Nose: fresh with big notes of marzipan, orange pith, toasty oak and sea salt caramel; underneath briny coastal notes begin mingling with tar and earthy smoke begin to develop; the are soft fruits too, Asian pear, honey dew melon and mango salsa; Palate: juicy, smoky and fruity there is immediately a lot going on: chewy malt, barley sugars; sea salt caramel, candied salmon and building earthy peat and dark spices; more Asian pear, mango salsa and a touch of melon, bright orange notes all atop a creamy base; the smoke is clean and firm but soft; sticky soft Panda brand licorice comes to the fore; Finish: refreshing, almost minty, with fading fruits, sugars, malt and smoke maritime flourishes; Comment: if you love peat, you are going to adore this one! – $140

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, 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.

Sláinte!

Andrew Ferguson

Manager & Scotchguy

Kensington Wine Market

403-283-8000

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

www.kensingtonwinemarket.com

Owner & Opperator

Ferguson’s Whisky Tours

www.fergusonwhiskytours.com

scotchguide@fergusonwhiskytours.com

Scotland

Johnnie Walker 10 Year Old “Select Casks” Rye Cask Finish Blended Scotch Whisky 750ml  $49.99

K&L Wine Merchants
http://www.klwines.com
Phone: 877-KLWines (toll free 877-559-4637)
Email: wine@klwines.com
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show 2015 – Gone But Never Forgotten

We conclude our round-up of this year’s Whisky Show masterclasses with Gone But Never Forgotten, a tasting of six whiskies from closed distilleries. Such tastings always attract a lot of interest, for the simple reason that whiskies from closed distilleries are almost always in very short supply, so whisky fans will jump on any chance to try them. All of the distilleries whose whiskies we tried either closed in 1983 or 1985.

Gone But Not Forgotten – six much in-demand whiskies, all from closed distilleries

The six whiskies were:

 Glenesk Maltings 1969 25th Anniversary
 Millburn 1975 18 Year Old Rare Malts
 Glenury Royal 1970 36 Year Old
 Convalmore 1977 36 Year Old
 St Magdalene 20 Year Old Waterloo Street
 Brora 30 Year Old 9th Release Bot.2010

Our host was Diageo brand ambassador Colin Dunn, who addressed his congregation: ‘We’re in church on a Sunday morning and the Holy Spirit is with us!’ We began with a 1969 bottling of Glen Esk, a distillery that was mothballed in 1985 and demolished 11 years later:

GLENESK MALTINGS 1969 25TH ANNIVERSARY, 60% ABV
On the nose, this has lots of aromatic tropical fruit, with notes of green apple, butter, toffee and caramel, with some waxy resin in there. Fresh and gentle. Similar on the palate, with a curious mix of toffee, grass and cinnamon, along with some green, herbal notes. Quite an unusual whisky, but not without charm.
Colin Dunn: ‘Tasting these whiskies, you never quite know what you’re going to get’

We moved on to a 1975 bottling from Millburn, located in Inverness. The distillery closed in 1985 and a hotel now stands on the site.

MILLBURN 1975 18 YEAR OLD RARE MALTS, 58.9% ABV
A very fruity nose, with notes of kiwi fruit, mango and peach, with some nuttiness, too. Similar on the palate, with some woody spice and toffee sweetness, and a fresh, citrus-led finish.
CD: ‘This is an exceptional whisky – the impact is massive’

The third whisky was from Glenury Royal, which shut its doors in 1983 and was demolished 10 years later. I’ve tried Glenury Royal a couple of times in the past, and what stayed with me each time was the classiness of the spirit, coupled with a sweet toffee note. This 1970 bottling delivered the same:

GLENURY ROYAL 1970 36 YEAR OLD, 57.9% ABV
Golden syrup and hot sponge pudding on the nose, with honey, nuts, malt and a sprinkling of herbs. Even bigger honey and sweet-spice flavours on the palate, with malt and polished oak tables. A rich, honeyed dram – absolutely exquisite.
CD: ‘I would never guess that this had spent 36 years in oak’

The fourth whisky was from Convalmore – ‘a hidden gem’, said Colin. The distillery, located just a stone’s throw from Balvenie in Dufftown, is now a cask warehouse, having closed permanently in 1985.

CONVALMORE 1977 36 YEAR OLD, 58% ABV
Big and rich, with sweet honey and a lovely malty aroma. There’s fruitiness in the form of papaya and grapefruit, and a delicious savouriness of leather books, cigar box and sandalwood. A big, hearty dram that needs time to enjoy. Rich and enveloping.
CD: ‘The perfect blend between the grain and the wood – this is perfect!’

On to whisky number five, and a much-anticipated St Magdalene, bottled at 20 years old at cask strength. This Lowland distillery used to be known as Linlithgow, and was one of the first-ever licensed distilleries. It was converted into flats, with the pagoda roofs integrated into the design.

ST MAGDALENE 20 YEAR OLD WATERLOO STREET, 62.7% ABV
An incredibly rich, buttery nose, with aromas of soy sauce, cherry menthol and subtle spices. In the mouth, the texture is plush, with a lovely umami character. There’s also caramel and toffee adding sweetness. Hugely characterful. Despite the high ABV, this dram doesn’t take too kindly to water, nor does it really need it.
CD: ‘A rich, liqueur-like whisky. This reminds me of my childhood – it smells of Blue Bird Toffee’

The tasting ended with the most famous of the six whiskies: Brora. Colin mischievously claimed that Diageo have been ‘secretly making Brora up there for years’, even though the distillery closed in the early 1980s. Diageo built Clynelish right next door to Brora, and both distilleries have that same waxy character beloved of whisky fans.

BRORA 30 YEAR OLD 9TH RELEASE BOT.2010, 54.3% ABV
Colin likened this whisky to ‘meeting up with an old friend’, and it certainly delivered the goods, displaying grassy, brambly fruit, with that trademark waxiness and notes of green apple and egg custard. Rich and smoky, and very moreish.
CD: ‘This whisky finishes like Cristiano Ronaldo!’

It’s a strange feeling tasting whiskies you know are in short supply and will never be made again, and that they were so delicious makes it even more frustrating that the distilleries that made them are no more. The one consolation is that all six whiskies we tasted are still available at The Whisky Exchange! Get them while you can, because once they’re gone, they’re gone…

This week Joe Ellis reviews The Macallan Sienna.

https://youtu.be/ifAP1qEAf6A

http://Twitter.com/whiskytube

https://www.facebook.com/whiskytube

Introducing Park Ave’s newest exclusive bottling, “Miscreant” by FEW Spirits.
The most ill-behaved whiskey we know.

“The Mashbill is a beast!”
– Paul Hletko, Master Distiller FEW Spirits

When we approached FEW Spirits about doing a private bottle, we were sure to tell them that we wanted something different. So when Paul told us he had just the barrel and used those words – he had our attention. As it turned out, this “beast” was more like a chameleon. Allow us to explain. “Miscreant” is the result of six different elements colliding to become a whiskey that seemingly changes one moment to the next. Just what is the mashbill for “Miscreant”? Rye, Corn, Wheat, Smoked Malt, Chocolate Malt & Pilsner.

But being different doesn’t always translate to being good. However, when Jonathan tasted the original barrel sample – He looked at his glass and said, “I think we can make some friends with this.” With so many parts – this whiskey was difficult to pin down as being ‘like’ something else. So we decided to call it, “Miscreant”

We hope you like it as much as we do.

Cheers!
Jonathan & Eric
The Park Avenue Liquor Shop
270 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
212-685-2442
jonathan@parkaveliquor.com
eric@parkaveliquor.com
www.parkaveliquor.com

“Miscreant” by Few Spirits ~
Exclusive to Park Avenue Liquor Shop
Limited to 264 bottles.
$70/btl

We recently spoke to Paul again to get his take on ‘Miscreant’ as well as his personal tasting notes:

“The Nose is malt, malt, and more malt with a bit of malt in the back;)
There are sweet bits of sea salt caramel along with a touch of nuttiness. On the palate
entry is chocolate powder as well as creamy caramel spread on a leather spoon. (I know – but really!)
Then malt comes front and center in the mid palate with a long finish of delicious ganache backed up with some tobacco.

Btw: We don’t have anymore left in the barrel and it cannot be replicated. We didn’t save any – sooooo I’d like to buy a bottle.”

‘Miscreant’ is limited to 264 bottles. We cannot fill orders for more than that. Heck, the guy who made the stuff doesn’t even have a bottle yet. Basically, get it while you can. We are not responsible for any typographical errors in this email or the hoopla surrounding Starbucks new cups. Please contact the store with any questions.

The Park Avenue Liquor Shop | 212-685-2442 | 212-689-6247 | parkaveliquor.com

Scotland

Aberlour 12 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Whisky 750ml 95 7 $39.99

Cragganmore 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky 750ml 95 19 $49.99

Talisker Storm Limited Edition Isle of Skye Single Malt Whisky 750ml (Previously $73.00) 3 $59.99

K&L Wine Merchants
http://www.klwines.com
Phone: 877-KLWines (toll free 877-559-4637)
Email: wine@klwines.com
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

Glengoyne 25 Year Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

$308.29

Glengoyne 25 Year Old Highland single malt Scotch whiskey. This bright amber beauty has red fruits, leather and brown sugar on the nose and soft oak, cinnamon, stewed fruits and a Seville marmalade tang on the palate.

Nose: Red Fruits, old leather and brown sugar.

Taste: Soft oak, cinnamon, stewed fruits and a Seville marmalade tang.

Finish: Very long, with spicy liquorice, slowly drying.

Glengoyne Distillery was established as Burnfoot of Drumgoyne Distillery in 1833 by George Connel in Scotland’s Highland whisky region although its warehouses rest across the road in the Lowland whisky region. All the malt is dried by hot air and so all Glengoyne whisky is unpeated and on site maturation is in sherry and bourbon casks in addition to some Japanese and Scottish oak casks. Glengoyne Distillery has a visitor centre and offers distillery tours.

www.ralfy.com delves a bit further into the stuff called ‘traditional pot still Irish whiskey’ with Whisky Review 561 – Powers Signature Pot Still Whiskey

Whisky & Ice – Curling in Scotland for our Norwegian friends

It is over, it was good, it was enjoyable, it will happen again. Our four intrepid curlers from Norway came to Scotland again for the curling, the scenery, the fun – and the whisky! They had it all.

2 November, an early start for Paul (driving), up at a silly hour to reach Broughty Ferry for Liz and 7am, a cuppa then on the road to Aberdeen airport to meet the guys at 9.20. Once we had them we wandered to the van and loaded luggage, even before the engine turned, Liz had given each of them an Innis & Gunn beer – Toasted Oak IPA 5.6% ABV. India Pale Ale first made its name in the 19th century. Its fervent hoppy character hails from the unique addition of large quantities of hops at three separate points during brewing. The result is a beer that’s rounded yet refreshing, with delicate floral notes and oodles of zesty freshness. It didnee last long! Almost an hour later we were at Huntly, where we turned off for Dufftown (and its 7 distilleries), sadly we drove through this time on our way to Rothes, where we did stop at Glen Grant distillery. Gruppo Campari is the 6th largest worldwide in the premium spirits industry, and marketed in more than 190 countries in the world. We toured their Rothes distillery – and enjoyed it and the drams that followed. Lunch break – we drove to the leisure centre, then met up with the opposing team – Elgin Rotary Curling Club, a very local club selected a team to compete with us in the first “International” curling for 2015. Sadly we lost, actually it was 4 ends each, but Elgin had more points, no matter, always another match to play. At the hotel they relaxed a wee while, then headed out for a fish supper (fish ‘n’ chips), a very good first day.

3 November, a wee lie in, as curling started at 10am, ten minutes from the hotel. Fochabers curling club were the team this morning and aye, we won! A good two hour session and the guys were overjoyed, handing out (as they do) drams and pin badges and saying thanks you and goodbyes. We scampered doon to Glenfiddich for a great lunch. This was a good easy relaxing lunch with great food I might add, they also enjoyed Spey Stout beers. This was followed at 2pm by The secrets of Solera. Including a visit to warehouse 8, the malt masters blending room: here they enjoyed tasting a number of cask-strength samples and a chance to step into Malt Master; Brian Kinsman’s role, preparing their very own version of Glenfiddich 15 year old by combining different cask samples together. A shopping diversion then back to the hotel. Rest – drink – chill out – take a walk – for later we met up and enjoyed a few drinks at the bar, followed by a Whisky Dinner. Whisky Cured Gravlax with Talisker 10 year old, Islay Beef Fillet with Caol Ila 12 year old, Vanilla Brulee with Ice Cold Dalwhinnie 15 yo., Coffee – After Dinner Mints. All enjoyed this, Liz and Paul have experienced this many times and once again it didnee disappoint. Specially the beef – oooooooooooooooooh! As the guys drank a few more drams, Liz and Paul took a taxi back to the cottage.

4 November, the main curling event – two sessions today: 10am and 1pm, each two hours duration. First up a ladies team Moray Firth ladies: Helen, Marilyn, Susan and Linda, the Norsemen won! They were delighted, second win in three matches. Lunch of soup and sandwiches, followed by a team potched together with whisky guys from Elgin, actually one lady also. I must say, our Vikings had met their match, aye they got hammered. After one end, they knew how good these folks were, but they enjoyed the time there, two wins, two defeats. We showed them Elgin cathedral, Johnstons shop, dropping them in town (they wanted to shop in M&S!). They ended the night with an Indian meal.

Innis & Gunn Original 6.6% ABV, whose accidental discovery in 2003 lies brings its singular taste – notes of biscuit, malt and vanilla swirling within a creamy, mellow character. A pioneering beer, its flavour finds favour with brewing juries, blind tasting panels and barflies alike, also our Vikings who drank it easily. As they did with several whiskies during the trip whilst aboard the van, we always have drams (in correct glasses by the way) on tour, our drams this time included, Indian peated, Scottish peated and non peated, and Scots blends, needless to say – all were happy – apart from Paul who was driving.

5 November, an early start picking the guys up at the hotel at 7.30 for the drive to Aberdeen airport. Reaching the airport just after 9am, sad farewells and hugs and the threats “we’ll be back!” It was yet another great tour we all enjoyed.

Liz, Paul and the Norwegian Curlers; Carl, Calle, Morten & Erik from the Stabek Curling Club.

 http://www.whiskytours.scot/

It’s been a while in the making, but we’ve now officially launched our new website at glengoyne.com – and we wanted you to be the first to know. We hope you like it!

New website: tradition, preserved

No-one takes more time and care. That has always been true of our whisky – and we took the same meticulous approach to our website. Every page, every image, every word has been crafted to bring you closer to the Glengoyne Way.

As a member of the Glengoyne Family, we always want to hear your feedback. Keep in touch with us on Facebook and Twitter, or send us an email. Maybe even raise a celebratory dram to this new and exciting chapter in the history of Glengoyne! If you have the time, please take a moment to fill in the questionnaire that will pop-up during your visit to the new website. This will help us develop the website further. Visit www.glengoyne.com

Robbie Hughes

Distillery Manager