A big personal opinion about the BIG Scottish decision with Whisky Review 483 – A whisky drinkers view of the Scottish Referendum

Scotland – Single Malt Scotch

• Mortlach Rare Old Single Malt Whisky 750ml (ships like a 1.5 L bottle due to shape) – 12 available ($109.99)

United States – Bourbon and Rye

• Smooth Ambler Old Scout 7 Year Old Rye Whiskey 750ml – 6 available ($41.99)
  Another batch of delicious LDI rye bottled this time by our friends at Smooth Ambler. Spicy and ready to mix!

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

Glen Garioch: The Renaissance 15yo – celebrating a rebirth

I like Glen Garioch. While their regular range is unchanging, other than when they release a new vintage, they do like a special edition. Following on the heels of the Wine Cask Matured from earlier this year follows the first in a new range, billed as ‘The first chapter in a four-part story’ – Glen Garioch: The Renaissance 15 year old.

Back in 1994 Glen Garioch changed. Owners Morrison Bowmore were acquired by Suntory, and the distillery closed while the new bosses worked out how they wanted to run things in the future. After extensive testing and development, the distillery started up again in 1997, and a variety of changes went in: mash temperatures changed; fermentation times changed; the greenhouse, full of tomatoes and kept warm by waste heat from the distillery, was closed down; and most importantly, the malt changed.

Previously, Glen Garioch used barley from its own maltings, using a low peating level – about 5-10ppm. However, under the new owners, the maltings closed and unpeated malt was brought in. This made a big change to the style of spirit, focusing on malty and fruity flavours without the gentle smoke of earlier bottlings. It’s getting harder to find the old style of whisky, although the 1994 is still available and reasonably priced, but the more recent whiskies are very much now what the distillery is known for.

The Glen Garioch Renaissance series celebrates the distillery’s rebirth, and this first chapter is bottled at 15 years old. It consists only of spirit distilled since the reopening, and focuses on the flavour profile of their new style of whisky.

Glen Garioch: The Renaissance First Chapter, 15 years old

Nose: Sweet and malty, with gentle woody spice. Sour lemon peel sits behind the sweetness, with toffee and hazelnuts.
Palate: Oily and sweet, with more nuts and toffee, as well as buttered brown toast. A little bit of tongue drying tannin but still juicy, with baked apple and vanilla cream.
Finish: Butter toffee, hazelnuts and their skins, crisp apple and a touch of candied orange peel.
Comment: Very much on message: a whisky that shows off what Glen Garioch are all about. It’s rich and malty with some solid spice and a pleasantly oily mouthfeel.

The series will continue over the next three years, with releases of 16, 17 and 18 year old whiskies, to further show the development of the spirit as it matures.

www.ralfy.com covers some controversial ground with Whisky Review 482 – Evan Williams Single Barrel bourbon 2003

We have stock again!

We have caught our breath, all of our distributor orders are up to date and we can finally allocate some stock to our online shop! Thank you all for your immense patience – we promise that the wait was worthwhile because these three whiskies will make you smile!

Today, for your drinking pleasure, we are very pleased to offer a very limited 6 bottles of French Oak Cask HH521, 18 bottles of American Oak Cask 446 and 60 bottles of Double Cask DC71.

And we are dead serious when we say HURRY, because stocks won’t last!

SHOP NOW

This week Joe Ellis reviews the SMWS 73.65 Tarts in a Tea House 24yo Aultmore 

http://youtu.be/skMtOxWWGJc 

http://Twitter.com/whiskytube

https://www.facebook.com/whiskytube

I hope you are having a great summer. We have just finished our ‘silent season’ at the distillery when we stop production for 3 weeks to make all the necessary repairs and indeed have our holidays too! But we are all back now and hard at work producing your favourite whisky.

Laphroaig Live 2014 COMES TO STOCKHOLM!

Ever since we completed Laphroaig Live in New York last Autumn I have had many e mails from FOL’s asking me where and when this year’s live broadcast will be held. The answer is Stockholm at 8.00PM on the 24th September.

Why Stockholm? Well, whilst Laphroaig is the No1 peated single malt all over the world, in Sweden it’s so popular that it’s quite simply the No 1 selling Single Malt!

And of course it’s not just the smokey taste of Laphroaig that they love. There is a saying in Sweden “If you can eat it we can smoke it”. So taking them for their word, we will be broadcasting live from the famous Rökeriet restaurant which has its very own ‘smokery’ on the beautiful island of Fjäderholmarna. They are preparing for us a phenomenal smörgåsbord of smoked Elk, Reindeer, Baltic Salmon – all smoked over Laphroaig infused wood! To pair with this I will be bringing 4 fantastic and different Laphroaig’s which we will be tasting and discussing live.

Vote for a whisky

I have settled on three of the expressions we will taste on the night, but am unsure whether the fourth should be our award winning 18Year Old or the classic 10Year Old. So I thought I would put it to a vote! So please CLICK HERE and vote for which additional whisky you want to taste and discuss with me on the night.

We also have a fantastic panel to join me this time including the famous Swedish presenter and comedienne Nour El-Refai, whisky activist Peter Borg whose involvement has granted him an honourable chair of the board at the Swedish Whisky Association, as well as the founder of ‘I Love Whisky’ -blog Håkan Dahlberg.

On top of that I’m pleased that Vicky Stevens who many you already know from the distillery will be on hand to answer your questions too. With a line-up like that it’s bound to be a lively evening!

Your questions please

But as always, please send us your Laphroaig questions and we will do our best to answer them live on the night, those questions we don’t have time for we will post answers up on the website later. To send in your question just CLICK HERE to write me and Vicky, and do leave your name and plot number as I always send out Laphroaig Glasses to the best questions received. Click here to send in your questions.

Of course we will have our live audience of Swedish Friends of Laphroaig. But I very much hope you will join me too (you can also send in questions live on the night to me or indeed anyone on panel)! Last year over 40,000 friends from 50 different countries watched the New York programme.

I hope Sweden can beat this number this year!

Sláinte

John Campbell

Join the Friends of Laphroaig

The Lonach 173rd gathering is over for another year, and what a fantastic day we here at Single Malts had!. Now is your chance to get your hands on one of our very own Lonach Bottles. These are very limited, only 300 were produced, most of which we sold on the day, so once they are gone, they are gone! A must for those of you who collect one every year.

Slainte, Ronnie Routledge.

Lonach 173rd Gathering 2014 Speyside Single Malt Whisky 40% | 70cl

Distilled at Glenallachie Distillery at the foot of Benrinnes, a light, fruity and floral, typical Speyside style. Non chill filtered and natural colour, reduced to 46% ABV.

Price: £23.33 ex VAT
£28.00 inc VAT

www.ralfy.com gets hot and sunny for the sake of whisky reviews with Whisky Review 481b – Red Rock Canyon and drink in Las Vegas

Malt Messenger Bulletin – Kensington Wine Market’s Fall 2014 Schedule is Now On-Line!

Our Fall 2014 tasting schedule is now on-line with an excellent array of tastings and events. It starts Tuesday September 9th with the legendary Jim McEwan of Bruichladdich, who is returning to KWM for two back to back tastings. We have a lot of unique tasting events scheduled with special guests from Springbank, Glendronach, Jura, Glen Garioch and other distilleries. Our Fall Single Malt Festival will be Thursday November 13th, it always sells out a month ahead of time, so don’t hesitate purchasing your ticket. Details on all of our whisky and spirits tastings can be found below. You can jump to the full list on our website now by following this link!

I’m off to Scotland in a week’s time. The best place to follow my adventures is my Twitter feed: twitter.com/scotch_guy. Time permitting I will also be posting to my whisky tour company fergusonwhiskytours.com/blog/. I’m heading up into the Highland for a few days of work before guiding a troupe of intrepid whisky pilgrims on a west coast adventure to Islay, Jura, Arran and Campbeltown.

One other note, I took the ALS Icebucket Challenge yesterday, the video is up on YouTube. In return I’ve nominated some others to follow in my footsteps, to see who , watch the video, check out my Twitter feed or have a look at the wee post on our KWM Blog.

Don’t forget, we are taking pre-order for: The Kensington Wine Market 2014 Whisky Advent Calendar. We first sent out notice of them on Thursday last week, and already 1/3 of the 288 units are spoken for. The perfect pre-Christmas gift for the whisky lover in you life, and a great way to toast the season.

I hope this email finds you well and that you enjoy the rest of your summer.

Slainte!

Andrew Ferguson
Kensington Wine Market

PS- PS – Don’t forget you can follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/scotch_guy and Facebook: facebook.com/scotch.guy.1
www.fergusonwhiskytours.com

Bruichladdich Tastings with Jim McEwan

Tuesday September 9
5PM -or- 7:30PM $30

Jim McEwan was the chief visionary behind the revival of Bruichladdich and is one of the most captivating brand ambassadors in the world of whisky. We’ll be putting on two back to back tasting with Jim to highlight this very special distillery and its cult whiskies.

More Information

The Kensington Wine Market Fall 2014 Whisky and Spirits Tasting Schedule

More than enough to keep your thirst quenched this fall!

Our Fall Tasting Schedule is now On-Line and open for registration. You can register on our website, in-store and over the phone. We have special tastings marking the release of new exclusive casks and exciting guest presenters like Willie Tait, Jim McEwan and Iain MacCallum. There is also our Fall Single Malt Festival, and another edition of Ancient Malts. I hope we’ll see you this fall!

1. Bruichladdich w/ Jim McEwan – Tuesday September 9 5:00PM or 7:30PM. – Jim McEwan was the visionary behind the revival of Bruichladdich and is one of the most captivating brand ambassadors in the world of whisky. We’ll be putting on two, back to back, so everyone gets a chance to taste the highlights of this very special distillery. The same whiskies will be served at each event. Register for. – $30
2. Independent Macallan – Tuesday September 16 – There is perhaps no more iconic single malt whisky than The Macallan. It is the Cadillac of single malts and an aspirational brand the world over. We’ll take a look at the distillery, exclusively, with independent bottlings going back to 1970! – $80
3. Classic Single Malts – Tuesday September 23 – This is our classic introduction to the world of single malt Scotch whisky. You’ll discover a little history, how it’s made, and sample six distinct styles. – $35
4. Give Thanks for Bourbon – Our resident Bourbon expert, Hunter Sullivan, will take you on an exploration of America’s biggest contribution to the World of whisk(e)y. You’ll sample whiskies you’ll be very thankful for! – $35
5. Rare Malts – Only the rarest whiskies, those more than 20 years of age, or from closed distilleries are considered for this very special tasting. – $80
6. A Duriach Supper w/ Willie Tait – He may be five foot nothing, but his personality is that of a giant. Jura’s Brand Ambassador Willie Tait will entertain you with the mysteries of Scotland’s least populated whisky island, and guide you through a range of fine whiskies while you enjoy a three course meal at Buchanan’s Chophouse, 738 3 Ave SW. – $100
7. Modern Cocktail – What makes a great cocktail? Let our “mixologist” Phil Grandbois be your guide. You’ll learn the tricks, the techniques, and the ingredients… all put together with a dash of fun! – $35
9. Springbank Society Launch – This mini-Festival style tasting will celebrate the launch of the Springbank Society in Canada. We’ll be sampling a wide range of whiskies from Scotland’s oldest family owned distillery, including a selection of whiskies exclusive to members of the Springbank Society. – $30
10. Glendronach Casks Tasting w/ Stewart Buchanan – Stewart will be in town to guide us through a range of Glendronach single malts including two casks bottled exclusively for the Kensington Wine Market (1993 and 2003). – $40
11. Glen Garioch Cask Launch – Kensington Wine Market has an exception exclusive Glen Garioch cask on the way. To celebrate we’re throwing an open house, mini-festival style tasting with Morison Bowmore’s Master of Malt Iain McCallum. You’ll have the chance to sample a range of whiskies from Auchentoshan, Bowmore and Glen Garioch, including our new cask! – $25
12. Fall Single Malt Festival – Thursday November 12 – Our famous biannual whisky festival may be limited to just 100 participants, but there will be just as many whiskies to sample in this festival style tasting. – $60 – !!!Warning! Tickets sell out very quickly!!!
13. Classic Cadenhead Single Malts – Thursday November 20th – W.M. Cadenhead is Scotland’s oldest independent bottler, and they sit on a treasure trove of old and rare whiskies. We’ll sample a range of 7 Cadenhead whiskies, exclusive to KWM, from 10 to 48 years of age. – $85
14. Ancient Malts – Wednesday November 26 -or- Thursday November 27 – This tasting features the rarest of the rare, whiskies from 30-50+ years of age and it never disappoints. We’re keeping tight lipped on this one for now, but suffice to say it will be another fabulous event! The same whiskies will be served at each event. – $250

!!ALL TASTINGS START PROMPTLY AT 7:00 PM Seating is strictly limited so book early to avoid disappointment. Telephone: 283-8000 to register or do so online. It is recommended that those attending wine tastings use public transportation. Tastings are complete with light snacks!!

Taking Pre-Orders: Kensington Wine Market 2014 Whisky Advent Calendar!

Nearly 1/3 are already spoken for! “24 Days of Dram Fine Whisky!”

Kensington Wine Market 2014 Whisky Advent Calendar – Although it sold out well before its arrival, we didn’t feel last year’s Advent Calendar was good value, so this year we’ve put our own together. A total of 288 will be produced, and we are taking orders for them now. They will retail for $359.99 + GST. You can reserve them now for a $150 deposit. Each KWM 2014 Whisky Advent Calendar contains 24 unique 50ml whiskies and a specially marked Glencairn glass. The actual list of whisky is a surprise, and we’ll know you’ll enjoy it. If you are looking for an enticement, one of the whiskies is 40 years old and retails for more than $700 a bottle (750ml)! This is the perfect pre-Christmas gift for the whisky lover in your life, and a great way to lift your spirits. Slainté! $359.99

The Macallan ‘M’ is Available Again!

The Pinnacle Dram in the 1824 Collection

This has been our hottest selling premium whisky over the last 10 months. Frankly we’ve had a hard time working through our list of requests. Well we’ve finally done so, and I have 2 further bottles available to us. It is a stunning whisky, classic older sherry cask whisky in a beautiful decanter. This is the pinnacle of Macallan’s 1824 Series, and by far the oldest and rarest whisky in their stable. A 6L version sold at auction in January 2014 for north of $630,000.00 US, making it the world’s most expensive whisky! We poured it at a tasting this winter, and it was a huge hit!

Macallan ‘M’ – 44.7% – My Tasting Note: “Nose: raspberry sauce, damp Christmas cake, nutty Oloroso sherry and tingling spices; some hints of vanilla and dark sugars with treacle sauce and chocolate coated coffee bean; melons, pineapple and other tropical fruits emerge with some patience before being replaced by leather and tobacco; and then it is on to the spices, cinnamon sticks, powdered ginger and cardamom; Palate: immediately fruity with flavour tendrils spreading in a bewildering number of directions; classic Christmas cake and nutty sherry notes make way for the finest soft leather and soft cigar tobacco; more chocolate, coffee bean, maple syrup and now some sweet Panda Brand black licorice; the fruits emerge again as the sherry and leathery notes recede showing some orange peel, melons, mangoes and a hint of pineapple; I could go on; Finish: varies by sip, at times a wave of spices rippling across the tongue; other sips fade into soft leather and nutty sherry or old earthy Dunnage sherry notes; but it is always long, complex and fruity; Comments: the haters will say what they will about the lack of an age statement and the price point, that is until they try it, this is one hell of a good whisky. ” – $3799.99

Last chance to join the October Kentucky Bourbon Tour!

6 days and 7 nights in Bourbon Country!

The trip will begin in Louisville and conclude in Lexington. The price will include accommodation for 7 nights, 2 in Louisville, 1 in Bardstown and 4 in Lexington; October 4-11. The reason four nights are being spent in the latter location is the proximity of distilleries. I have two prices for the trip, one is for single occupancy and the other is for double whether as a couple or two individuals with separate beds. The costs are approximate and will be confirmed 1 month prior to the trip. Estimates:

– Single Occupancy $3615/person
– Double Occupancy $5469/couple ($2735each)

Price includes:

• Accommodation at good hotels.
o Marriot Louisville Downtown
o Hilton Lexington
• Ground Transportation
• Dinner on the Lexington Dinner Train
• Distillery Visitor Center and Tasting costs.
Price doesn’t include:
• Flights
• Most meals.
• Golf or Other add on activities.
The rough itinerary is as follows, some items may shift and or be replaced:

Day 1 – Saturday October 4 – Calgary to Louisviller
– Accommodation – Louisville
Day 2 – Sunday October 5 – Louisville Area
– Golf AM or Alternate Activity
– Evan Williams Bourbon Experience
– Jim Beam Distillery
– Accommodation – Louisville
Day 3 – Monday October 6 – Bardstown
– Heaven Hill
– Barton
– Willet
– Accommodation – Bardstown
Day 4 – Tuesday October 7 – Bardstown to Lexington
– Marker’s Mark
– Four Rosses
– Wild Turkey
– Accommodation – Lexington
Day 5 – Wednesday October 8 – Lexington
– Golf or Alternate Activitiy
– Other Activity
– Accommodation – Lexington
Day 6 – Thursday October 9 – Around Lexington
– Wild Turkey (if not above)
– Woodford
– Town Branch
– Accommodation – Lexington
Day 7 – Friday October 10 – Around Lexington
– Buffalo Trace
– Accommodation – Lexington

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.

Slainte!

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

Kensington Wine Market
403-283-8000