Whisky Ramblings Via Video #84

Mark Dermul, Belgian Whiskyblogger, tries a vintage whisky from Glenrothes. The Glenrothes distillery is one of five in the village of Rothes in the heart of Speyside. The first distillate ran from the stills on the same day as the Tay Bridge disaster in 1879. Most of their whisky matures in European oak and they bottle their whisky not with an age statement, but with a vintage. Why not try one of those beautiful vintages, say the 1978? And what a dram it turned out to be! 

http://youtu.be/WnhCb6X7AdA

www.ralfy.com reviews an unofficial Mortlach instead of the new official and expensive Mortlachs with Whisky Review 443 – Mortlach 16yo @ 60.2% (Single Malts Of Scotland)

Gordon & MacPhail Mortlach

There’s a lot of talk in the whisky world at the moment about Mortlach. They’re not the most mainstream of distilleries, but they are much loved by whisky connoisseurs (or geeks, as I like to call us). However, Diageo have recently discontinued their one regular ongoing bottling, the 16 year old Flora & Fauna release, and have announced a new, premium range that will be arriving in June:

New. Shiny. Hopefully tasty.

We’re not going to talk about the new range yet, other than to show the rather blingy bottles in the piccy above, as we’ve not tasted it yet and don’t want to wade in to any debates about pricing and the like until we have. Reports are starting to surface that the spirit is really good and we are feeling encouraged.

We have also recently found a cache of the Mortlach Flora & Fauna 16 year old, so don’t fret about its disappearance quite yet (although don’t hang around for too long if you want a bottle). However, for those looking to the future and want something to keep you going when the Flora & Fauna runs out – step forward Gordon & MacPhail.

G&M are well known for putting out ridiculously good-value bottlings, mainly things that you don’t see elsewhere. While you get the slightly more quirky things, like their 8yo Bunnahabhain and Highland Park, and the Macallan Speymalts, you also get releases that would slot happily into most distillers’ ranges – step forward Longmorn 12, Linkwood 15 and 25, Old Pulteney 8 and 15, and, relevantly, Mortlach 15 and 21.

Coming in at about £45 and £70 respectively, they’re already competitively priced for 15 and 21 year old whiskies, but with the new Mortlach range on the horizon, they’re looking even better than ever. I recently cracked open a bottle of the 15yo at a tasting that I hosted in honour of my birthday (I hate organising parties, so thought that hosting a whisky tasting would get me out of doing one – it worked) and it went down particularly well:

Gordon & Macphail Mortlach 15 Year Old, 43%. £42.95

Nose: Sugared raisins, buttery pastry, cinnamon toast, stewed apples, linseed oil, fruit gums and garibaldi biscuits. There are some dark notes hiding around the back, with a touch of liquorice and demerara sugar.

Palate: Lighter than the nose suggests, with sweetness and woody spice up front – sweet apple, nutmeg, cinnamon and a touch of clove. The buttery notes from the nose carry through, with darker and more savoury flavours developing – damp wood and mulching leaves.

Finish: Medium length, with anise and cinnamon providing heat that fades into apple skin, apple sauce and liquorice.

Comment: Not too sherried but showing off some sherry influence – good spice and dark fruit notes balanced by some more fresh and rich buttery notes. A great everyday whisky that firmly ticks the traditional Speyside box.

We suspect that the days of G&M’s prices on Mortlach staying where they are may well be numbered, but for now they are an easily obtainable, alternative source of Mortlach and we’d recommend checking them out sooner rather than later.

The 36th auction is now live. Enjoy!

We are also delighted to announce we will be able to step up our deliveries to the United States, thanks to a new arrangement we have with an internationally-renowned shipper. You may wish to continue using our friends at Mailboxes etc but we will now be able to offer an alternative which may prove to be more competitive.

We are also now offering the option to insure your bottles during shipment. The premium will be 3% of the hammer price and will be added to your totals at check out if you select that option.

Kind regards from Glasgow

The SWA Team

36th Auction

Springbank and The Mitchells by Mark Davidson

All distilleries can be said to be unique but the story of Springbank distillery is of particular note. It is normal when cataloguing distilleries to start at the beginning and record the date of birth of the still. However in the distilling industry it is often the case that formal documentation of origins start when a licence is acquired. It is also common that a license is attained after a period of illicit operation. Such is the case with Springbank distillery. In these occasions it is almost certain that a date will never be attributed to the initial distillation of spirit. This is due to the distiller’s belief that it is their right to produce the ‘water of  life’ free from taxation. Being a product of the land and elements most early distillers were farmers, using crop surplus as a means of supplementing their income. It seems that Springbank was not much different.

The first distinction to be made about the distillery is it’s lineage. Still in the hands of the family that first produced spirit on the site before official accounting began Springbank is the oldest distillery to remain in the hands of the founders. This part of the history begins when the Mitchell family settled in Argyll. making Campbeltown, at the tip of the peninsula, the location of their farm. It would not have been long before the family put it’s knowledge of malting to use and added distilling into their working schedule.

It is but a short sea voyage from Ireland, widely recognised as the origin of the art of distillation in this part of the world, to the south western extremities of Scotland. The spread of Christianity has long been mapped in its journey from inner-Hebridean islands to the mainland. Missionaries like Saint Columba have also been credited with bringing the alchemy of the still to Scotland.

Campbeltown being an ancient seat of power for early Celtic Scots would have also been a centre for commerce. Thanks to an outstanding natural harbour the importance of its settlement as a port was sealed. Further blessed with a milder climate and untypically fertile soil for this part of the country the region was known for the farming of the land as well as the sea.

The earliest date ascribed to the production of whisky in Scotland is 1494, in Campbeltown the record starts in 1591. John and William Mitchell began their legacy in 1837 when they acquired William Reid Junior and Company. Although there is no excise return for the date, the Reid family are said to have started distillation on the present site of the distillery in 1828. However thanks to a local coppersmith’s ledger there is evidence of one Archibald Mitchell Senior’s apparent need for a kettle shaped piece of copper!

To track the history of Springbank the story of Campbeltown as a capital of distillation must be told. The importance of the town in distilling history can be illustrated by the fact that even at this early date Springbank was the fourteenth of Campbeltown’s documented distilleries. This statistic is further put in perspective when it is appreciated that there have been a total of 34 stills recorded. Nowhere else has had such a concentration of production. Why should it be that such an isolated spot has excelled in the perfection of the art? Beyond the factors already mentioned for the location of the town itself several other important facets of locality, changes to distilling regulations not to mention the dice rolls of opportunity can be cited.

Close to town there was long a coal mine supplying fuel for the fires to heat the stills, peat fields were also local and used to great effect during the malting process and the short distance by sea to the major centre of population, Glasgow, was easily exploited thanks to the strong shipping network. The illicit nature of production, whereas not unusual around Scotland- particularly in the remoter regions, was promoted when an act of 1785 excluded Argyll from the lower taxed Highland region. Around the time of Springbank’s foundation there was one of the landmark events in Scottish distilling history. 1823 saw the passing of an act which equated to the liberation of commercial distilling. Up to this date most control of illicit distillation had been lost and steps taken to regulate the legitimate producers by taxation, licensing and other legislation had merely driven down the quality of the legal spirit to the further advantage of the smuggler.

Recognising the weakness in the system and in a position to influence those abusing the law the Duke of Gordon was able to persuade government to lift the stifling restraints on production and opened the door to a revolution which saw the production of spirit exponentially increase. Hand in hand with this mushrooming of quality output at affordable prices  was the proliferation of legal stills. From an established base of three licensed stills, before 1823, Campbeltown was able to count 27 registered distillers by 1834 and 30 by 1843. A total of 34 licences have been recorded in the period of 1817 to 1829. Indeed one street alone, Longrow, had no less than 7 distilleries along its length.Hence, uniquely, a town became a whole region classification in the production of whisky. Although today flavour boundaries are less well defined geographically compared to the past in its heyday Campbeltown was known for its full bodied malts, similar in taste to today’s heavily peated Islay whiskies. This character was popular in Glasgow at this time and welcomed by blenders when grain and malts were mixed. By adding an economic amount of Campbeltown to a cheap mix of grains the drinker would not notice a lack of flavour in their glass.

Taking full advantage of their position the Mitchells, as well as 2 or 3 other local dynasties, built their own mini empires. Archibald Senior had 5 children, son William was at first a business partner to brother John (who himself had originally bought out his cousin’s stake in Toberanrigh) in Springbank having bought it from John’s father-in-law in 1837. Records show their partnership as J. & W. Mitchell & Co. at least between 1852 and 1860. However after a disagreement William left to partner other brother Archibald Junior at Rieclachan (founded 1825). Later still William set up on his own as founder of Glen Gyle in 1872. On William’s departure from Springbank John was joined by his son, Alexander. Together they went on to found J. & A. Mitchell in 1878 which by 1881 was limited as a company after some rebuilding of the plant. This was to be dissolved on Alexander’s sequestration in 1890 but was later reconstructed by 1897 and remains the name of the present owners. The last brother. Hugh, joined Archibald Junior at Rieclachan. Their sister, Mary, founded Drumore in 1824.

Around the date of 1887, in a town of less than 2000 inhabitants, there were 21 distilleries. As an example Springbank was employing 15 people. The town was said to be the second wealthiest in the British empire. So what went wrong? Why is there only three distilleries operating in Campbeltown today? Is the town still considered a region? The answer does not lie in a single event but like the ascendancy of the town can be attributed to a conspiracy of circumstances. As the industry received a huge leg-up by the relaxing of laws in 1823 it benefited once again at the end of that century. This time the rise in popularity can be credited to the phenomenal success of blending. It was now possible to reach more palates and pockets thanks to the mixing of the expensive full flavoured malts with the cheaper lighter grains. Twin this with some marketing entrepreneurs and a lack of brandy, brought about by the decimation of European vines after an insect plague, the late Victorian era saw another spate of distillery construction. Campbeltown, perhaps at saturation point, did not partake in this latest bonanza to nearly the same degree that the Speyside region enjoyed. An excellent transport network offered by the railways, Campbeltown’s remoteness now acting as a weakness, further attracted blending company accountants to deal with the previously distant North East. The Cognac drinkers of England could more accept a  substitute that was based on the milder character of the Speyside region’s spirit, finding the once popular full flavour of peaty malts too aggressive.

As their grip on sales began to weaken the opportunity presented byprohibition in the USA (1919-1933) must have been a real gift horse, even if an awkward one. However by reaping this harvest they sewed the seeds of their decline. By pandering to a desperate market where the eye was forced to be on supply first quality second most Campbeltown distillers succumbed under economic pressure to temptation. Corners were cut in order that demand was met. Stills were not allowed to cool down between distillations, poor barley was used, casks of doubtful virtue were filled, immature whisky bottled – generally poor practice was employed. To further compound their misery the distillers had to source still fuel from further afield than up to date when a local coal mine closed in the 1920s. The region’s barley production was also in decline around this period. Of course this was all happening in the post war world wide economic depression, a time when the temperance movement held a serious social influence. Without revenue for investment the future of the industry didn’t look good. The cutting of trade ties with the nearby new Irish free state again would work against good fortune.

During this dark time 19 of the remaining 20 stills shut. Prompting one commentator to pen “if the full repertoire of hisky is not to be  irredeemably impoverished the Campbeltowns must remain”. This quote is from 1930 when 10 distilleries stood but few actually distilled. With the closure in 1934 of Rieclachan there were to be only two distilleries left producing for the next 70 years.  This begs the question, why did Springbank survive? Perhaps their longevitycan be explained by the fact that the brand’s taste was distinct from the classic Campbeltown. It was milder than the regional hallmark fully weighted and peat based flavour. Unusually the malt was promoted as a single as earlyas the end of the 19th century, underlining its identity as a unique expression. During the era of prohibition the whisky rebranded itself as a ‘West Highland’ as opposed to a ‘Campbeltown’ in order to further remove it from customers’ association with the progressively poorer standards of its neighbours. Retaining independence was also critical in their survival. As the recession tightened its grip on small producers it was common to find them selling out to the mighty Distillers Company Limited (DCL). DCL was on a mission to rationalise the supply network. By simply buying up and closing down stills the remaining operators had a greater chance of finding a buyer for their spirit. The distillery, not for the only time in its history, did close. Come 1926, a year after no less than 4 still closures, the situation was so bad that the savings made by stopping production would hopefully tide the company over until the market could sustain a restart. As it turned out it only took a few years until the stills were at work again.

Thanks, most probably, to always having been a family legacy rather than a profit driven commodity- bought and sold, rationalised and produced for the mass market, Springbank is and always has been very traditional. By controlling all aspects of production the distiller can ensure the level of quality necessary to retain his customers’ loyalty. This requires the ability to turn grains of barley (optic variety) into bottles of malt. Where every other of Scotland’s 100 malt distilleries are required to buy in ready malted barley and, with two noble exceptions, pass on the mature item to a bottling facility Springbank do it all themselves. The modern maltster is able to guarantee high quality at low cost. The development of massive malting and kilning vessels means one headache of a distillery manager is soothed. Lorries arrive with tens of tonnes of specifically peated (or unpeated) malt as close to invariable as is possible. The price of this consistency is perhaps a loss of complexity in a certain aspect of detail in character.

When malted by hand in relatively small amounts on traditional floor maltings the barley cannot behave uniformly from batch to batch. Although perhaps indiscernible in the finished product this is one method that influences the layers of taste and aroma to be experienced by the senses. At Springbank there are two malting floors each capable of handling 10-12 tonnes of barley which has been steeped in water for about 35 hours. By raising the grain’s moisture content to about 47% germination is triggered. The sprouting barley is left for 5-7 days and is turned every 4 hours. This movement helps keep an even temperature throughout the green malt and prevents rootlets and shoots entangling. At this stage the enzyme diastase begins to convert the plant kernel’s energy from a dormant starch form into a more accessible sugar ready for the next stage of growth. This laborious task is repeated over a 14 week period in order to store enough malt for the season’s few weeks of mashing and distilling. The floors were reinstated in 1992 after being abandoned in the 1970s.

In order to yield a viable amount of alcohol from the malt the germination must be stopped at an optimum point. Heat is generated which halts the plant’s development and captures as much sugar as possible for the brewer. This stage involves the malt being roasted on a wire mesh floor in the kiln. For the Springbank specification a peating level of around 15 parts per million (PPM) is required. This entails burning peat for 6 hours before switching to hot air from an oil fired source for 18+ hours. 

After going through a 50 year old Porteus mill the grist is ready for mashing. A 100+ year old cast iron and, unusually, open topped mash tun is used. Progressively hotter water is fed in four batches through the porridge like mash. The last two being used as the first two for the next mash. The sweet and thick wort is then held in a washback for the fermentation stage.

Again tradition is adhered to. Where modern efficiency prefers easily cleaned stainless steel many companies hold on to their wooden washbacks. It seems another small component of character can be traced to the donation made by the organic nature of the material. 5 of these vessels, each of 21000 litres (4625 gallons) are required. Swedish boatskin larch is the wood of choice. After the introduction of yeast and a particularly slow fermentation, about 70 hours, the crude beer is now ready for distilling. In almost every case a Scottish distiller distils using two stills. The first, or wash, still raises the alcoholic content of the liquid from below 10 % alcohol by volume (abv) to somewhere above 20% abv. This is done by heating the contents of the copper kettle to boil off the alcohol. Alcohol evaporates at a lower temperature than water, the condensed vapour is gathered and sent through the second, or low wines/spirit still. This still is nearly always smaller than the previous and may or may not resemble it in shape, the contours very much moulding the make-up of the spirit. As the first part, foreshots, and last portion, feints, are too impure they are collected for redistilation along with the next batch of low wines from the wash still.

At Springbank a unique system is employed. Three stills lead to what has been called a “two and a half” distillation technique. Nonsense to chemists it would be more appropriately described as a partial double partial triple distillation. The wash, at about 5% abv produces low wines at about 20-25% abv after being run through the wash still. 20% of the low wines are fed straight to the second spirit still. The rest go into the first spirit still to produce feints at 50-55% abv. 80% of these feints also go into the second spirit still. The foreshots and feints from the second spirit still are fed back into the first spirit still along with the next batch of low wines. The spirit ultimately collected for filling into casks is about 72% abv.

By choosing to retain an ‘old fashioned’ still heating method Springbank again help the ultimate flavour of their whisky become a particularly hard to pigeon hole taste. In days gone by all stills would have been direct fired by some fossil fuel. More recently oil or gas have been used directly but today the most common type of heating is the use of steam in coils or pans within the still.. Offering a safer, cheaper and more controllable heat source the benefits are obvious. However the traditional method did result in another contribution of character to the dram. Occasional flares of heat found in direct firing meant solid particles within the wash would stick to the bottom of the still and begin to toast. In order that this didn’t foul the stills a rummager would be needed. Basically a copper link mesh the rummager rotates internally scrapping the burnt yeast and other particles from the still body. As it does this a fresh surface of copper is exposed allowing the valuable catalytic qualities of the metal to be promoted. Although there are a few companies still sticking to this option of heating Springbank is unique in that their wash still is both heated externally by oil flame and internally by steam coils. Like current normal practice their spirit stills are exclusively steam heated . Also of note the wash still is one of only very few left in the industry that is riveted. Advancements in coppersmithing sees spot welding produce very smooth surfaces on today’s stills where the joining of plates are difficult to see. Finally the wash still continues to have its vapour condensed in the traditional manner. Whereas, like most distilleries, the two spirit stills use shell and tube condensers the wash still uses a worm. This is the way it has been done for centuries, a tube of diminishing diameter is coiled into a tub of flowing water. As the vapour comes into contact with the cold copper surface it returns to liquid. The point at which gas turns to liquid decides the particular chemical structuring of the spirits components.

Where the modern method results in a more predictable path worms will vary their efficiency depending on the temperature of the cooling water- yet again adding another layer of individuality. In size and shape the stills are similar being relatively small (wash ~10,000 litres, spirits about 12,000 litres odd) and are onion like in shape. Before the last and longest step in the process, maturation, casks are filled on site this practice once again more traditional then most as many distilleries road tanker their spirit to centralised warehouses. A steel tank can store up to 2 weeks production before it is reduced in strength to 63% abv and then put into cask.

Springbank does well in a variety of wood types while other makes tend to reveal their qualities best when a particular variety of oak is selected- perhaps ex-sherry red oak for full bodied spirit or refilled ex-bourbon white oak for peaty malts and lighter spirits. Water for all aspects of use is sourced from the dammed Crosshill Loch. The loch is filled from springs on Ben Ghuilean. It appears that all the town’s stills were fed from a single, common source- a unique feature compared to other regions.

When it comes to the storing of casks Mitchell’s own some of the oldest warehouse of their type. Unlike the modern aircraft hangar-like constructions of today yesteryear’s distillers built low level, slate roofed, stone walled, earthen floored bonds. Ideal environments for the slow steady ageing of casks these buildings, particularly when at sea level, tend to keep humidity and temperature variances to a minimum. Although a racked warehouse is also used Springbank owns 6 of the old fashion style dunnage warehouses.

The final influence a company has on its brand is its bottling Although on the surface this stage may seem straight forward over time market forces have influenced, via processing, the final product. Discovering sales are more buoyant when a whisky is dark in colour most whisky companies see fit to alter the colour of their brand. This is done by adding E150a, essentially caramelised sugar. Often legitimised by claims that because a brand bottling will vary in appearance from batch to batch but ‘quality control’ steps ensure flavour is maintained, the consumer is being reassured of consistency thanks to a standard colour hue. Embracing the variance of not only appearance but also flavour Springbank reject the addition of an impurity in any of its bottling as a deception and taint.

Another process adopted by the dominant players in the market is that of chill-filteration. Whisky contains fatty acids, esters, proteins, etc, (known as congeners) derived from, among other sources, the barley and the cask. Some of these are invisible when kept in solution by alcohol but can appear as a haze when in low alcohol mixes, particularly at low temperature. As industry standard is to pre-water to 40% abv clouding can be expected.

When some drinkers take ice in their glass the effect is usually more noticeable. Seen as unappealing to some the industry arranged for these troublesome elements to be removed guaranteeing a clear product. However by extracting these valuable components flavour, aroma and texture can be compromised. It could be thought of as a loss of soul. For mass appeal this may not necessarily be a bad thing. These brands are all the best selling, lack of strong character leading to more accessibility to the immature palate. However Springbank does not accept the simplifying of the drinking experience to reach the majority as acceptable and avoid any techniques to alter the natural qualities of its malt.

SOME (UNATTRIBUTED) ACCOLADES

“Complexity which astounds”

“Simply stupendous”

“Incomparable” “Perhaps the finest liquor distilled on the planet”

“An elderly eccentric among distilleries”

“Springbank is majestic in its resonant complexity, its subtlety and weight”

 “One of the most remarkable distilleries on Earth”

 “Reputation and renown second to none”

“A hidden Jewel”

“Fiercely independent”

 “Synonymous with style and complexity”

 “A malt drinker’s dream”

“An embarrassment of riches”

“you won’t refuse the second one”

“A dram for the connoisseur”

“Beautifully balanced”

“(A) benchmark dram”

Besides these words Springbank has earned numerous awards, perhaps principally being unanimously voted premier grand cru classe in a blind tasting for The Times. It was at one time the best selling malt in Japan, was chosen as the house whisky on the QEII and was voted favourite in Whisky Magazine’s 1999 readers poll. Enjoy Springbnak responsibly, i.e. finish every drop and share it.

SCOTLAND

Johnnie Walker Black Label,
40% ABV, Centenary Edition
£34.95 (RRP £44.95)

Girvan 1989
52.8% ABV, Cask Strength, Carn Mor, Celebration of the Cask
£78.00 (RRP £90.00)

Tomintoul 10 Year Old 
40% ABV, Distillery Bottled
£26.55 (RRP £29.50)

Glencadam 10 Year Old 
46% ABV, Distillery Bottled
£32.00 (RRP £36.50)

Glenisla 1977, 32/34 Year Old, 
50.7% ABV, Hogshead,  Signatory Bottling
£155.00 (RRP £169.95)

Inchgower 1993 Managers Choice 
61.9% ABV, Sherry Cask
£165.00 (RRP £230.00)

Ballantine’s 17 Year Old,
43% ABV, Scapa Edition
£54.00 (RRP £61.50)

Campbeltown Loch 21 Year Old,
46% ABV
£65.00 (RRP £71.95)

Glen Scotia 18 Year Old,
46% ABV, Distillery Bottled
£60.00 (RRP £65.00)

Glenfiddich 14 Year Old,
40% ABV, Rich Oak, Distillery Bottled
£30.00 (RRP £35.00)

Glengoyne 21 Year Old,
43% ABV, Sherry Matured, Distillery Bottled
£97.00 (RRP £110.00)

Tomintoul 31 Year Old,
40% ABV, Distillery Bottled
£200.00 (RRP £220.00)

Teaninich 10 Year Old, 1996,
55.3% ABV, American Oak, Manager’s Choice,
1st Single Cask Collection, Distillery Bottled
£169.95 (RRP £200.00)

INDIA

Amrut 
61.95 ABV, Cask Strength,  Indian Single Malt
£45.55 (RRP £49.00)

Amrut Intermediate Sherry, 
57.1% ABV, Indian Single Malt
£62.00 (RRP £66.00)

JAPAN

Nikka Miyagikyo 10 Year Old, 
45% ABV, Distillery Bottled
£57.00 (RRP £62.00)

BOURBON

Hancock’s Reserve, 
44.45% ABV, Single Barrel 
£67.00 (RRP £75.50)

Old Fitzgerald 12 Year Old
45% ABV, Kentucky, 75cl bottle
£35.00 (RRP £38.50)

Rock Hill Farm, 45% ABV,
Single Barrel bourbon
£62.95 (RRP £68.95)

Roughstock Single Malt,
75cl 45% ABV, Montana
£45.00 (RRP £50.50)

SWEDEN

Mackmyra Special 06, 
50.6% ABV, Swedish Single Malt
£60.00 (RRP £65.95)

THE SALE

This past Thursday and Friday we held two sold out Ancient Malts tastings at Kensington Wine Market, highlighting the Glendronach 1968 Recherche, and 7 other Scotch whiskies. The lineup was epic, and the tastings a huge success. The star of the show, other than the 1968 Glendronach (of course), was the Wilson & Morgan Caol Ila 30 Year! You can read all about the tasting and my tasting notes on the whiskies on the store blog. I’ll include some of the details in the next Malt Messenger!

Ancient Malts is not the only whisky tasting we’ve hosted over the last few weeks, there’s been a parade of great tastings like: Monday’s Irish Whiskey Rennaissance, the Great Macallan Vertical Featuring ‘M’ on March 5th and of course the March Outturn Tastings for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Speaking of the Society, there’s an exciting and handsome new Membership Kit, more details to come in the next Malt Messenger.

On the subject of tastings, I have a couple of events to tell you about. Firstly, we’ve added a new tasting for April 1, “Fools for Whisky”, our first ever April Fools Day Whisky tasting. We’re aiming to challenge your preconceptions and introduce a little fun and sport to whisky tasting. Think you know your whiskies? Careful, we’re aiming to fool you.

There is also a great club tasting I’d like to fill you in on too. The Calgary Companions of the Quaich, Calgary’s oldest and most established whisky club is hosting a Kavalan vertical tasting this tomorrow, Wednesday March 26. The tasting will feature a range of 9-10 single malts from Kavalan, one of the hottest new distilleries in the world. The tasting is great value, $40 for member and $60 for guests. Curious about the club, or Kavalan whisky, send me a note, and maybe you can join us!

I’m also working on a full edition of the Malt Messenger, which I hope to have out next week. Included in it will be a slew of new products and the Spring 2014 preview. In the meantime, there’s a couple of whiskies I thought I bring to your attention, before they sell out. First up, is the Arran Millennium Casks, a seductive whisky filled into cask the day before and the day after the turn of the millennium. We bought 2/3 of what came into Alberta, and at the time of writing we’ve only a handful left. The Glendronach Cask Strength Batch 3 is also nearly sold out.

We also have a couple of new Organic whiskies from Loch Lomond distillery, a single malt and a single blend. Both are surprisingly good, especially considering the less than sterling reputation of the distillery. Could be a sign of things to come. I’ve also included some tasting notes I wrote up on a couple of older whiskies from Balblair and Rosebank.

Finally, its not too late, though we’re getting close, to join on a tour of the Speyside and Highlands in May. We’ll hit more than a dozen of Scotland’s finest distilleries in 12 days. More info is available on my Ferguson Whisky Tours website.

I hope you enjoy this Malt Messenger Bulletin, clear your plate for Friday. Malt Messenger No.59 is going to be a big one!

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

Fools For Whisky

Tuesday April 1

We won’t be opening a bottle of Port Ellen at our Fools for Whisky tasting, on April Fools Day, we just wanted to get your attention!

$50.00

Click Here For More Info

Taking Pre-Orders of our Duncan Taylor Octaves !

Mortlach 1995 – $175 & Deanston 1994 – $180

Pre-order & Save 5%! Both are small casks and will sell out very quickly. Tasting notes to be posted shortly on our website. 

Fools for Whisky

The Highland Park 50 Year is Stunning but Will Not Be Poured at the Tasting!

Monday April 1, 2014, 7PM – $50

Think you know your whiskies? Be forewarned, we’re aiming to make a fool out of you! Join us for our first ever April Fool’s Day Tasting at KWM, and let’s see just how well you do know your whiskies!

Call 403-283-8000 or Register Online: kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php

 
Companions of the Quaich Kavalan Vertical Tasting

Guests welcome!

The Companions of the Quaich is a Canada-wide whisky club with a strong chapter in Calgary. Established in February of 2007, the Calgary Chapter is now in its 8th year. The club holds six to eight events a year, from tastings to whisky dinners. It also selects and bottles casks of malt whisky exclusively for its members. For more information on the club visit: quaichcalgary.ca/ , the website is being redeveloped but is up and running.

The Calgary Quaich’s Kavalan Vertical Tasting is being help on March 26 at 7PM. The tasting will feature a range of 9-10 Kavalan whiskies. Kavalan to the uninitiated is a new award winning whisky distillery in Taiwan. Taiwan is a huge market for Scotch whisky, and it was probably only a matter of time until someone there decided to open their own distillery. They owners sought out the Scotch whisky industry’s Top Guns for the project, which they hoped would create a whisky similar in style to Glenlivet or Macallan. As a point of pride they take the smallest middle cut (or hear) of any malt distillery in the world. They sought out to creat world class whisky, and by all accounts they’ve succeeded.

The tasting will include:

Kavalan Number 1
King Kar Conductor
Kavalan Concert Master (Port Finish)
Kavalan Podium (Virgin Oak)
Kavalan Ex Bourbon 46%
Kavalan Solist Bourbon
Kavalan Solist Vinho
Kavalan Ex Sherry 46%
Kavalan Solist Sherry
!!Possibly 1 More!!

Just some of the Kavalans to be Sampled

For more information or to register, please send me an email!

New Organic Whiskies from Loch Lomond

A new single blend and a single malt!

Both of these whiskies have caught me by surprise. Surprise because who’d have thought someone at Loch Lomond, a distillery known for creating mainly supermarket and low quality brands, had thought to distill both organic malt and grain 12 years ago. It is even more surprising how characterful and interesting these whiskies are.

Loch Lomond Organic 12 Year Single Malt – 48% – My Tasting Note: “Nose: juicy citrus and powdered sugar, sweet barley and green grasses; floral and delicate with some white chocolate, honey and candied apple; Palate: very sweet and malty with loads of honey, soft toasted oak and coconut chips; still floral and grassy but with green grapes, Granny Smith apples and some tart citrus notes; white peppers and anise; Finish: honeyed, malty and sweetly spiced with more toasted oak, cream and floral tones. – $94.99

Loch Lomond Organic Single Blend – 46% – My Tasting Note: “Nose: very buttery and toffeed on the nose, the grain make its presence know with a Caramel or Kettle Corn like character; lots of vanilla, honey and white fruits as it opens up and something reminiscent of almond brittle; Palate: surprisingly big and toasty with both the grain and malt making their presence known right off the back with some grassy malt and more caramel corn; the base is of toasty oak with notes of vanilla pods, heather honey and more almond brittle augmented by a little peppery spice; the fruits eventually emerge from the creamy oak with some lovely white fruit and crisp citrus; Finish: dusty and toasty with honey and citrus and some growing peppery spice.” – $67.99

A Couple Other New Whiskies

From Rosebank and Balblair

Balblair 1975 – 46% – Distilled: 1975 – Bottled: 2007 – Matured in European Oak Ex-Sherry Casks – My Tasting Note: “Nose: all spice, Licorice All Sorts, musty old oak and Dunnage warehouses; candied fruits and Christmas cake with some tropical elements like mango and papaya; Palate: big round sherry notes with lots of candied fruits, Christmas cake, leather, tobacco and soft leather; tropical fruits emerge along with assorted decadent spices and Licorice All Sorts; Finish: as the tropical fruits fade it becomes subtly leathery and earthy showing its age with firm spices and more licorice.” – $369.99

OMC Rosebank 21 Year – 50% – Distilled: February 1990 – Bottled: August 2011 – Refill Butt – My Tasting Note: “Nose: doughy, confectioneries and French pastries; very sugary, reminiscent of French crepes with powdered sugar and lemon juice; floral and dusty with a hint of refined flower and potpourri; Palate: creamy, floral and fruity at first soft and citric, then tropical (melons) moving toward candied fruits; more French crepes and powdered sugar with lemon juice; fruit flan, pain au chocolate and some slowly developing dark fruits and spice with soft leather; Finish: light, soft, floral and fruity; more tropical fruits and toasty oak .” – $249.99

Glendronach 1968 Recherche 44 Year – $4,799.99

97pts Whisky Bible – SOLD OUT!

Glendronach has been a hot whisky at KWM ever since its relaunch in 2008 by BenRiach Distillery Co. The distillery’s new owners immediately put out a new core range of 12, 15 and 18 year old whiskies, heavily sherried in the distillery’s classic style. They then began releasing batch of vintage single casks and things really got exciting. A few of the older single casks from 1971 and 1972 became legendary, like our KWM 1972 Cask 711.

Glendronach launched the 1968 Recherche in the fall of 2013. At 44 years of age it is the oldest Glendronach ever bottled. From a single oloroso sherry cask, 1968 #5, 632 bottles were released at 48.6%. 10 bottles of the whisky found its way to Canada, 5 of those to the Kensington Wine Market where we opened one for our Ancient Malts tastings, March 20 & 21 of 2014. It was a hit. We squirreled one final bottle away until the tastings, and it sold at the Friday tasting. 97pts from the Whisky Bible.

Glendronach 1968 Recherche – 44 Year – 48.6% – Oloroso Sherry Butt – Cask No. 5 – 632 Bottles – Andrew’s Tasting Note: “Nose: rich and fruity, right off the bat soft sweet licorice notes (think Panda brand), expensive ladies leather gloves and brandy soaked cherries; candied fruits and classic Christmas cake notes are present, but they are soft and elegant, layers of assorted fruits lie beneath, dark, orchard and tropical; Palate: rich and fruity with lively spice and a velvety smooth delivery; the flavours peel back from this whisky like the layers of an onion: first dark fruits: dates and sultanas, then fleshier tropical fruits, next soft leather, then chocolate and tobacco before tingling spices take charge; this is a classic sherry cask whisky, and so fruity: melons, mangoes and plums; brown sugar, maple syrup and treacle sauce develop as the fruits fade; Finish: long and fruity with a soft leathery backbone; it dries hinting at the whiskies age but still has more layers to peel back. – $4,799.99 – !!!SOLD OUT!!!
Going…, going…, GONE!

Your Last Chance for Two Popular Whiskies

Our two most popular whiskies over February and March have been a couple of limited edition cask strength offerings. The Glendronach Cask Strength Batch 3, which was our best selling whisky in February, and the Arran Millennium Casks, our best selling whisky in March. The Arran may be sold out by the end of the weekend. The third batch of the Glendronach Cask Strength will not last much longer! Here are my tasting notes on each:

Glendronach Cask Strength Batch 3 – 54.9% – No Age Statement – Oloroso & PX Sherry – My Tasting Note: “Nose: firm leather, chocolate orange, candied fruits and treacle sauce; Palate: rich, fruity and layered with some late spices; it gently warms the palate with notes of candied fruits, leather and some earthy spices; Finish: long, rich, fruity and sweet with tingling-drying spice.” – $94.99

Arran Millennium Casks – 53.5% – 13 Year – My Tasting Note: “Nose: creamy and floral with loads of creamed heather honey, white chocolate and soft fruits; melons, juicy oranges, soft barley and a touch of spice; Palate: round and chewy with some silky vanillans, big juicy malt, and more white chocolate, heather honey and spices found on the nose; the melon and citrus notes are still there along with some chocolate, soft leather and dark fruits; this is a whisky with layers and depth well beyond its 13 years; Finish: long, rich, creamy and coating the heather honey lingers long and the spices fade ever so slowly with the layers of fruit.” – $114.99

Ferguson Whisky Tours

Speyside Tour May 11-17 2014

Estimated price, $3500-4,000 per person.
7 days/6 nights
Includes visits to the following distilleries some to be confirmed:
Glengoyne
Deanston
Edradour and Signatory
Glencadam
Glen Garioch
AnCnoc
Glendronach
Balvenie
Cardhu
BenRiach
Gordon & MacPhail
Benromach
Tomatin
And More.

As always, we’ll wind up with a whisky dinner at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Check out the website, or send an email to scotchguide@fergusonwhiskytours.com for more details.

FergusonWhiskyTours.com

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

www.ralfy.com finds a quality peat-moment not from Islay with Whisky Review 442 – Benriach 17yo peated Septendecim @ 46%vol

Two brand new limited edition bottlings from anCnoc are now available to order via The Whisky Shop only while stocks last! Don’t forget we have free postage on all orders over £60 delivered within the UK.

anCnoc flaughter

Colour: ancnoc flaughter is pale gold in appearance

The nose: Initially smoky and ashy underneath that fresh vanilla notes ooze softness and creaminess while a sharper hint of sticky toffee offers a balancing sweetness.

Taste: A warming and smooth experience peaty and intense but remarkably rounded it flickers with hints of fragrant pipe tobacco orchard Fruits brown sugar sweetness and a slight medicinal overtone. An intensely flavoursome smoky and smooth finish.

One of only 1500 bottles £57.00

Click here to buy

anCnoc rutter

Colour: The ancnoc Rutter is sparkling gold in appearance.

Nose: Very smoky it quickly unveils the unmistakable ancnoc character with delicate spices juicy pineapples pear drops and gentle vanilla. Rich and warming.

Taste: Full bodied and bursting with peaty richness. Soft undertones of honey creamy vanilla toffee and leather are punctuated by the freshness of green apples.

One of only 1500 bottles £57.00

Click here to buy

www.ralfy.com discovers a bad-tempered brute of a malt in need of some water ing glass-time to settle down – Whisky Review 441 – Benriach 1998 PX Triple Distilled malt whisky