Click Here

We are very happy to announce our greatly reduced shipping rates to Germany, The Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark, France and Belgium as off today. We are now offering up to 12 bottles at a rate of £14.99 ex vat and have passed this saving onto you, our customers. Happy shopping and thank you all for your loyal support.

 

 

This week Joe Ellis reviews the Teeling 21 Year Old Irish Single Malt 

http://youtu.be/yLKgLWf6s18 

http://Facebook.com/whiskytube 

http://Twitter.com/whiskytube

The Mystery Glen Garioch 48% #GGDrambassador

The nose presents tree fruit, slightly over ripe, followed by some really nice oak spice notes. There’s some candle wax lurking in the back ground or maybe even bee’s wax but it’s a welcome addition to the complexity. The taste is wonderfully sweet, like rich honey, along with the oak spice and the bee’s wax with a little biltong for good measure. Dare it be declared that there are wisps of smoke present here?? There’s also an extremely nice creaminess in the taste; much like a fino sherry imbues. It’s all very moreish. The finish is waxy, long and warming and the afore mentioned descriptors show their hand which taken together indicates very good balance. After a few minutes a really wonderful rich creaminess arrives as a last hurrah. 

A very, very nice Glen Garioch but we’ll all have to wait for the age and cask type(s) to be revealed. Whatever the outcome Glen Garioch have a winner on their hands. 

While the jam and the chocolate are appreciated if truth be told we here at Whisky Intelligence are slightly horrified by ginger (ginger root – Zingiber officinale) and are further wigged out by sugared ginger and unfortunately the chocolate sample has several lumps imbedded into its dark surface forcing the your correspondent to nibble around the lumps ….it’s too much, we can’t go on. Much the same can be said for games so very little effort was put forth in solving the clues, which, we can be certain, was to our loss. But the whisky is excellent, the whole bottle gave it’s all for this review. 

It’s in a better place….

The state of Kentucky, known for their love of Bourbon and horses, are gearing up for their annual Kentucky Derby, Saturday May 3rd. Get your bottle and recipe today!

 Discounted Items

George Dickel 9 Year Old D&M Hand Selected Barrel Sour Mash Whisky $49.99

Rock Hill Farms Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey $49.99

John B. Stetson Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey $21.99

Woodford Reserve Distillers Select Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey $26.99

West of Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey No.1 Sonoma County Distilling Co. $59.99

The last couple of months have been a blur. So many great tastings in just the first four months alone: Ancient Malts with the Glendronach Recherche 1968, the Great Macallan Vertical Featuring ‘M’, the Compass Box Dinner at Buchanan’s and Irish Whiskey Renaissance, to name just a few. I’ve also been able to be a part of three World class whisky festivals: the MS Calgary Whisky Festival, the Victoria Whisky Festival and the Nth 2014 in Las Vegas. Time is flying, and it has been difficult to find enough to pull off a full Malt Messenger, but at long last it”s finally done, and I know you’re going to love it!

I’m going to keep the intro short and sweet this time around, in part, because there is so much to fill you in on: new exclusive whiskies, new exclusive casks, a preview of Spring whisky releases and tasting notes… lots of tasting notes. Speaking of tastings, our Spring Single Malt Festival has sold out, but don’t despair, there are lots of other great tastings scheduled now through to the end of June. You can check them all out here Spring Tasting Schedule.

On the whisky front our new Duncan Taylor Octaves are here! We have two superb casks of Deanston 1994 and Mortlach 1995 with which to tempt you. My tastings notes on both of these heavenly drams can be found below. Feel free to drop in to KWM to give them a tastes. We also have a new range of whiskies in from Hepburn’s Choice, a new label from Hunter Laing & Co., and the lastest release of Glendronach Vintages, Batch 9 is nearly here.

Get ready to drool, the 59th full edition of the Malt Messenger is a monster. As always I hope this whisky news finds you well!

Slainte!

Andrew

In This Edition:
1. Our New Exclusive Octaves from Duncan Taylor
2. Glen Breton 1995 5L Personal Casks
3. New Whiskies from Hepburn’s Choice
4. Compass Box Whisky In Focus
5. Glendronach Vintages Batch 9
6. Tasting Note on Dalmore 18 Year
7. Spring 2014 Preview – Coming Soon!
1. New KWM Exclusive Casks
2. New Bargain Priced 50 & 60 Year Old Single Malts
3. New Exclusive Japanese Whiskies
4. New Exclusive Whiskies from Cadenhead
5. New Exclusive Whiskies from Silver Seal
6. New Exclusive Whiskies from Gordon & MacPhail
7. Ardbeg Auriverdes & Ardbeg Day
8. First Editions Macallan 1993 20 Year
8. Ferguson Whisky Tours Update

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 and www.fergusonwhiskytours.com

Our New Exclusive Octaves From Duncan Taylor

Our 1994 Deanston and 1995 Mortlach Casks Are Here!

 

This January the guest of honour at our 8th Annual Robbie Burns Supper was Peter Currie of Duncan Taylor. Duncan Taylor is one of Scotland’s most respected and prolific independent bottlers, with one of the largest private collections of rare and old whiskies in the world. Peter was here to showcase his brands, in particular two curiously small casks selected by and bottled exclusively for Kensington Wine Market. Duncan Taylor has pioneered the use of bespoke 80L sherry casks for the finishing of their whiskies. The small casks offer much greater surface exposure for the whisky and therefore super charge the maturation of the spirit.

KWM selected two of these small “Octave” casks to be bottled exclusively for our store. A range of 10 barrel samples were tasted, and whittled down to three favourites. Two of these were from a Highland distillery just north of Stirling called Deanston. The third was from a well respected Speyside distillery, Mortlach, who’s whisky until recently, primarily was used for blending. In the end we decided to bottle one of the Deanstons, both of which were distilled in 1994, and the 1995 Mortlach. Both of the whiskies are stunning, though I must confess both Hunter and I have a slight preference for the Deanston. The Mortlach is very well priced, especially when you consider the new official releases being rolled out by the distillery. These have not yet found their way to Canada, but the 500ml offerings of 18 Year at CAD $340 and the 25 Year at over CAD$1100.00. Our 18 year doesn’t come in as fancy a decanter as the Diageo release, but at cask strength in a full bottle it is almost exactly half the price!

My Tasting Notes on our Two Exclusive New Octaves:

1. Duncan Taylor Deanston 1994 KWM Octave – 19 Year – 54.7% – Octave Sherry Cask Finish – 71 Bottles – My Tasting Note: “Nose: fresh, creamy and fruity with malt and round oak; some nice weight with notes of melons, Creme Anglaise, candied fruits, orange rind and some growing hints of spice; Palate: rich, creamy and layered with lots of tingling spice; the fruits and creamy oak come rapidly to the fore with the malt and spices coming in the second wave; lots of different fruits from soft melons to orange rinds and candied cherries; candied ginger and Cinnamon hearts add a layer of decadent spice; Finish: long, lingering and coating with toasty oak spices and clean earthy oak lingering long while the fruits and cream fade.” – $179.99

2. Duncan Taylor Mortlach 1995 KWM Octave – 18 Year – 55.4% – Octave Sherry Cask Finish – 88 Bottles – My Tasting Note: “Nose: meaty like a good Mortlach should be right off the bat; dark fruits, earthy leather and tobacco over a backbone of honey and vanilla; notes of coffee bean and cinnamon stick and cardamom emerge later; Palate: round, fruity, spicy and syrupy; classic Christmas cake and candied fruit notes right off the bat with treacle sauce and maple syrup; layers of chocolate, tobacco and leather develop with dark spices like anise, clove and fennel; Finish: long, fruity and sweet with more Christmas cake and maple syrup and a final flourish of candied fennel.” – $174.99

 

Your Own 5L Cask of 1995 Vintage Single Malt Whisky

Glen Breton Steps Their Game Up in these little Pony Casks

Think an 80L Octave sounds small? Its got nothing on Glenora Distillery of Cape Breton’s 5L 1995 vintage Glen Breton casks. A customer was kind enough to let Hunter and I sample one of these last week, and frankly, we were both blown away. Glen Breton single malt has been improving in quality over the years, with both the Battle of the Glens and the Glen Breton 14 year having shown well; considerably better than past releases of the 10 year old. For some reason the distillery decided to fill the contents of one of its older casks, a 1995 vintage, into 25 5L mini casks. Whaterver the reason we’re thrilled that they did. A customer offered Hunter and I taste of the whisky last week and we were blown away, it was far better than I expected. What’s next, is up to the cask! The whisky will continue to mature in this small barrel, and at a frenetic rate.

All 25 of these 5L casks have come to Alberta. A rare opportunity, as acquiring such a cask of Scotch whisky would be all but impossible given the legislation guarding it, and the Canadian rules regarding the importation of wood products. KWM spoke up for 5 of the casks, and we have just 2 still available to us. Here is my tasting note on the mini cask I sampled (I’m sure its evolved even more in the week since I tasted it):

Glen Breton 1995 Vintage 5L Cask – 64.3% – Andrew’s Tasting Note: “Nose: very Bourbon-y, with softly toasted oak, lots of sugars both Demerara and Brown, caramel apple and Highland toffee; it is floral, and you get a sense of hay-like-malty notes and some juicy orange; Palate: surprisingly rich and smooth for its purported strength of over 65%, and very sweet; still floral and malty, the sugars are there again, toasted oak and decadent spices; malty and chewy with more juicy orange, caramel apple and even some melon; Finish: long, smooth, creamy and sweet with fading fruits, malts and sugars. Easily the finest Glen Breton I’ve ever tasted.” – $1,199.99
New Whiskies from Hepburn’s Choice

New Whiskies From Hepburn’s Choice

Auchentoshan, Benrinnes, Braeval and Tamdhu Oh My…

When I started selling whisky more than a decade ago, there were three prominent independent bottlers in the Alberta market, Gordon & MacPhail, Murray McDavid and Douglas Laing. Douglas Laing was owned by brothers Fred and Stewart Laing, and was named for the firms founder, their father. The firm split in two in 2013, with the two brothers going their separate ways. Fred kept the Douglas Laing trade name, and Stewart started Hunter Laing. Hunter Laing is still bottling three of the old firms signature brands, Old Malt Cask, Old & Rare and Douglas of Drumlanrig, but they have some new brands as well, First Editions, which I’ve previously introduced, and now Hepburn’s Choice. Hepburn’s Choice is a new line of whiskies named for Stewart’s maternal grandfather. William Hepburn was a globe trotting British diplomat who apparently had a fine appreciation for Scotch whisky. The whiskies are all un-chill filtered, bottled at 46% without added colouring.

The Auchentoshan was a revelation to me, a great expression of that Lowland distillery, and the Braeval really spoke to Hunter. The Tamdhu was good and Here are my tasting notes:
1. Hepburn’s Choice Auchentoshan 11Year- 46% – 396 Bottles – Ex-American Oak – Exclusive in Alberta to KWM – My Tasting Note: “Nose: soft and citric, it is very creamy, fresh and vibrant; sugary and floral as it settles down with some toasted almond; Palate: honeyed, floral and sweet with more fresh citric notes, lovely toasted oak and light but decadent spice; creamy and refreshing there are notes of mint, cream and some dried white fruits; Finish: long, creamy and still sweet, the floral notes dance with toasted oak in the finally with the final flourish of
spice.” – $84.99
2. Hepburn’s Choice Benrinnes 10 Year – 46% – 798 Bottles – Ex-European Oak – My Tasting Note: “Nose: right off the bat latex tubing, rubber tires on hot asphalt, and underneath some honey, leather and fruit; Palate: the palate is much better than the nose with lots of dark fruits, raisins and dates, even moving in to prunes; there is also some chocolate, leather and tobacco with a hint of tingling spice; Finish: fruit fades away quickly while the leather and chocolate linger.” – $84.99
3. Hepburn’s Choice Braeval 12 Year –
46% – 807 Bottles – Ex-European Oak – Andrew’s Tasting Note: “Nose: dried and fleshy dark fruits, soft leather, Demerara sugars and baker’s chocolate; honey and floral malt with Scottish Tablet; Palate: rich, nutty and creamy with some tingling spices and more dark fruit; the baker’s chocolate is still there with some soft leather, more Demerara sugars, honey and a hint of coffee bean; Finish: good length, still fruity, with soft leather, spices and fresh maltiness.” – $87.99
4. Hepburn’s Choice Tamdhu 12 Year – 46% – 367 Bottles – Ex-American Oak – Exclusive in Alberta to KWM – Andrew’s Tasting Note: “Nose: grassy and malty with some earthy tones; heather honey, orange peel and crab apples; Palate: a surge of grassy-hay, chewy malt and more orange peel with some chocolate, licorice and some old earthy oak; the crab apple is still there with a bit of tartness and lemon drops; Finish: long with more crab apple and chewy grassy malt.” – $87.99

Compass Box Whisky In Focus

The World’s Foremost Boutique Blender Under the Lense

I’ve been meaning to write a few words on Compass Box since Chris Maybin paid us a visit in early February. Time has until now not really been on my side, and even then, there is less here than I’d like. The showpiece of my musings were to be Compass Box’s The General, one of the most memorable whiskies I’ve tasted this year. That in itself is saying something considering 2014 has included the Glendronach 1968 Recherche, the Macallan M, a 1951 Dalmore sample Richard Patterson poured into my glass and a slew of other whiskies enjoyed at the Victoria Whisky Festival and the Nth 2014 in Las Vegas. Only 60 bottles of the Compass Box General came in to Canada, and they did last long…

 

The General is far from the only interesting Compass Box whisky to come in to the market this year. We also had two very interesting experimental batches of Great King Street, one lightly sherried and the other lightly peated. They were released to give the public a chance to help Compass Box select a second blend to compliment the original Great King Street. Frankly, I think they should do both! There is also the Peat Monster 10th Anniversary, a KWM exclusive in Canada! It was ranked #9 in Whisky Advocate Top 10 Spring Releases. They scored it at 92pts. Compass Box has been on a bit of roll lately, and its time they stole some of the limelight in the Malt Messenger.

I could go on about the company’s founding in 2000, its visionary chief and Master Blender John Glaser. I could go on about the innovations they’ve brought to the Scotch whisky industry, and blending in particular. I could tell the tale of their David v. Goliath struggles with the SWA (Scotch Whisky Association), or about their original concepts with respect to oak and maturation. I could go into all of this and more, there are some fascinating tales to be told,.but there just isn’t the time. So I hope you’ll settle for 9 original tasting notes, writing at our Compass Box Dinner at Buchanan’s Chop House in February. There’s some very impressive whiskies on the list:

1. Compass Box Hedonism – 43% – My Tasting Note: “Nose: toasty with dusty grains, floral potpourri and green gasses; Palate: massively honeyed with more toasty oak and dusty grains; vanilla extract, toasted coconut and velvety icing sugar; Finish: very toasty with tendrils of honey and grainy oils. – $95.99
2. Compass Box Great King Street – 43% – My Tasting Note: “Nose: loads of vanilla, cream, marzipan and toasted oak; floral and honeyed with Dulce Leche, creme brule and a hint of malt; Palate: toasty with a hint of sugary malt, lemon drops, granular sugar and more floral and honeyed notes; faintly spicy there is some orange rind and fresh citrus fruits; Finish: long, honeyed and subtly malty with fading floral tones. – $49.49
3. Compass Box Great King Street Experimental Batch 2 Sherried – 43% – 3,439 500ml Bottles Released – My Tasting Note: “Nose: raisins and Fig Newtons, Highland Tablet and soft floral honeyed tones; Palate: meaty but soft with a honeyed-velvetty palate; hints of Eatmore, chocolate covered nuts and spices; multi-layered with loads of fruit, and some leathery/earthy notes; Finish: still incredible fruity, rich and soft; it is long with soft leather and gentle earthy notes. – $39.99
4. Compass Box Spice Tree – 46% – My Tasting Note: “Nose: chunky, fruit flan, Demerara sugars, candied apple, treacle and decadent spices; Palate: layers of malt, black licorice Nibbs, more Demerara and spices: candied ginger, cardamom and cloves; some candied fruit emerges from beneath the spices with chocolate espresso beans, burnt fruits and a base of waxy honey; Finish: spicy and fruity with sugars and soft toasty oak. – $63.99
5. Compass Box Orangerie – Compass Box doesn’t like thinking of this a liqueur, there is no added sugar, rather it’s a “Scotch Whisky Infusion”. Whisky is infused with the zest of Spanish Navalino oranges, and “subtle accents of Indonesia cassia bark and Sri Lankan cloves.” I didn’t write a tasting note for it, not my cup of tea, but it was very popular at the event. – $52.99
6. Compass Box The General – 53.4% – 1678 Bottles Released – A marriage of two whiskies blended and matured separately, one 33 years of age and the other 40. – My Tasting Note: “Nose: tropical fruits right off the bat, crisp spices, brown sugar and brandy soaked cherries with soft leather, damp tobacco and medium dark chocolate shavings; classic older sherried whisky notes with some candied fruits and Christmas cake; Palate: intensely spicy and fruity, once again exhibiting some of the classic characteristics of a fine, older, sherry cask whisky; more candied fruit as well as more delicate tropical fruit notes; spices emerge with clove, licorice, fennel and espresso beans; Finish: long, smooth and rich with fading tropical fruits, spices and chocolate. – $259.99 – !!SOLD OUT!!
7. Compass Box Great King Street Experimental Batch 1 Peated – 43% – 3805 Bottles Released – My Tasting Note: “Nose: creamy with fruity smoke and smoked fish notes; oranges, honey and some tropical fruits also make an appearance; Palate: soft peat smoke, honeyed and floral with creamy oak and more orangey citrus; very chewy and chunky with loads of vanilla; Finish: more clean smoke, malt and citric fruits. – $39.99
8. Compass Box The Peat Monster 10th Anniversary – 48.9% – Only 120 Bottles in Alberta – Exclusive to KWM – 92pts Whisky Advocate – #9/10 of the Top 10 Spring Releases – Apparently contains more Laphroaig than the standard release, and considerably older whiskies. – My Tasting Note: “Nose: creamy with soft vanilla, honey and an emerging crisp smokiness; chunky malt, briny sea salt, caramel chews and candle wax; Palate: chewy and honeyed with growing earthy malt and big round vanillans; white chocolate and poached pear; becomes earthier and more peaty as you get into it: Finish: long, buttery and coating with more poached pear and salty peat. – $99.99
9. Compass Box Flaming Heart 4th Edition – 48.9% – Almost Sold out in Alberta, we have just a dozen bottles available to us. – Think Spice Tree meets Peat Monster – My Tasting Note: “Nose: spicy with firm smoke, soft white and fleshier fruits; there is a growing salty brine and earthy tones; Palate: round, chewy and honeyed with toffee chews and fruity malt; more fleshy fruits, plus oranges and some salty fish; intensely spicy with ginger, fennel and clove, dark elements verging on Dutch licorice and burnt Demerara; Finish: smoky and fishy with more spices and black licorice. – $96.99

Also available:

1. Compass Box Asyla – 40% – From the Producer: “A blend of soft, fruity malt whiskies on a bed of rich, sweet grain whiskies.” – $47.99
2. Compass Box Oak Cross – 43% – From the Producer: “We call this whisky Oak Cross because it offers the best characteristics of both American and French oak aging. A rich, medium-bodied blended malt Scotch whisky,Oak Cross combines vanilla characters from American oak and spicy, clove-like characters from French oak.” – $57.49

The Glendronachs Are Coming

Batch 9 Vintages About to be Released

The Glendronach vintage releases are some of our hottest selling items, and it is no wonder why, the casks selected for bottle are almost always stunning! We generally just receive 6 bottles of each of these vintage releases, and when they come in there is seldom a bottle left to display on the floor.

1. Glendronach 1972 Cask 702 – 41 Year – Oloroso Sherry Butt – 51.7% – We are only getting 6btls – Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Sumptuous depths of classic sour cherries dusted with gentle toasted almonds. Delicate orange blossom and warm oak spices freshen the rich sherry influence. Palate: A beautifully elegant vintage sherry style bursting with a combination of dark espresso, molasses, lively herbs and oak spices. Dried fruits and soft waves of walnut add a subtle balance to this classic expression.” – $1059.99 – 93pts from Serge at Whisky Fun
2. Glendronach 1985 Cask 1035 – 27 Year – Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon – 53.7% – Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Demerara and ground coffee beans flow over the stewed dark fruits. Hints of spicy cigar box, mixed peel and soft clove add a great complexity through the long rich finish.” – $259.99
3. Glendronach 1989 Cask 5470 – 23 Year – Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon – 49.2% – Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: A fresh twist of lime over sweet golden sultanas, honeycomb and hints of soft vanilla. Palate: Vibrant oak spices and roasted chestnut infuse in the Demerara caramelised orchard fruits. The citrus bite of mixed peel combines with a distant clove to give a fantastic, clean full finish.” – $224.99
4. Glendronach 1990 Cask 1243 – 23 Year – Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon – 50.6% – Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: “Bursting with Muscovado, over-stewed prunes and plum sauce warmed with distant red chilli spice. Palate: Dark chocolate fondant and rich Seville orange marmalade are warmed by a gentle white pepper spice which leads to the gentle sweet finish of rum raisin fudge.” – $224.99
5. Glendronach 1991 Cask 5405 – 21 Year – Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon – 49.9% – Distiller’s Tasting Note: Nose: “Sweet dates and figs balanced with crisp orange bitters roll gently to soft toffee. Palate: A perfect progression of sweet chocolate and toffee rounded with toasted oak spices. Dates and stewed pear appear then mellow to soft barley and vanilla.” – $201.99
6. Glendronach 1992 Cask 195 – 21 Year – Oloroso Sherry Butt – 59.8% – Distiller’s Tasting Note: ” Nose: Caramelised pear and fig with warm white pepper give an added depth to gentle clove. Palate: Floods of crisp orange peel and gentle clove fill the rich stewed prunes which are slightly sweetened by hints of dark chocolate” – $201.99
7. Glendronach 1993 Cask 5 – 20 Year – Oloroso Sherry Butt – 53.0% – Ditiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: “Delicate waves of cracked black pepper and distant cardamom pod spice the honey drizzled orchard fruits and toasted barley. Palate: A classic, fine sherry character. Sultanas, raisins and sweet plum syrup combine with complementing waves of freshly cut herbs and sweet oak spices.” – $191.99
8. Glendronach 1994 Cask 3385 – 19 Year – Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon – 53.4% – Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Cocoa beans and crisp candied ginger roll in rich dark fruits. A delicate floral note lightens the robust sherry depth. Palate: A fantastic combination of rich orange bitters with spiced, stewed damsons. All balanced by a drizzle of golden syrup, hints of ginger and vanilla pod in the full bodied finish.” – $185.99
9. Glendronach 1995 Cask 3302 – 18 Year – Pedro Ximenex Sherry Puncheon – Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Vibrant citrus zest combines with touches of wild mint and oak spice, warming waves of sweet fig syrup. Palate: An initial sweet chocolate and vanilla fullness moves to a delicate, lasting zest and herb note. All backed by a fantastically long rum-soaked raisin and sweet barley finish.” – 53.7% – $167.99
Please respond to this email if you’d like to request any of these vintage releases. They are expected this coming week, or the following!

We’ll be opening a bottle of each of these 9 releases and a new KWM 1993 cask at a Special Glendronach Vintages Dinner, Friday June 13, at Buchanan’s Chop House. $160 for 3 courses and 10 drams! Call 403-283-8000 to register or visit us online: https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php.

 

New Diageo Single Malts Coming Very Soon…

A New Unpeated Caol Ila and a Pair of Taliskers

I knew the Talisker Storm was set to be here shortly, but was taken a bit by surprise that we were also to be receiving the new Caol Ilal Stitchell Reserve and Talisker 25 Year (2011 Bottling). These whiskies should begin trickling in the door within the next few weeks:

1. Caol Ila Stitchell Reserve – 59.6% – This is the distilleries 2013 Unpeated Release, named in honour of Billy Stitchell the distillery manager who retired last year after 39 years. Tasting Note by Whisky Advocate: “Caol Ila in unpeated guise. There’s no age statement, but what you get is a mix of the fresh and the mature: a vibrant attack with fresh Victoria plum, grapes, and a hint of oiliness. Give it time and the sensation is like afternoon tea at your auntie’s, with thickly-buttered scones dripping with honey or pineapple jam. The palate is equally sweet and gentle, and only needs a little drop of water to reveal light spice. A wee beauty.” 89pts – $179.99
2. Talisker Storm – 45.8% – NAS Talisker, with a bit of a bolder style than the 10 Year. – $TBA
3. Talisker 25 Year 2011 – 45.8% – Tasting Note by Serge at www.whiskyfun.com: “Nose: a completely different planet after the Dark Storm, this is smoother of course, but also more complex, with some lilac, tangerines, roses, almonds, this very ‘tropical’ smokiness that only old peaters can display, beauty cream, brine, oysters… It’s a lovely nose, delicate and subtle. Mouth: once again, a slightly smoother version of an old Talisker but power is there. It’s no straight brute as older versions could be but it’s not lacking oomph. Smoked overripe apples and lemon curd plus brine and kippers. There. Finish: long, maybe a notch woodier, with this feeling of strong green tea but also a perfect brine. Little pepper this time. Comments: I know some whisky lovers and Talisker aficionados were shocked by the drop in strength and in theory, I should be shocked too, but let’s be honest, this remains a mightily powerful dram.” – Estimated Retail $250

We are taking requests for all three!

 

Dalmore 18 Year Tasting Note

Note quite just in, but close enough!

Dalmore 18 Year – 43% – 14 Years in American Oak – Finished 4 Years in Matusalem Oloroso Sherry Butts – My Tasting Note: “Nose: nutty with Glosset Raisins, dark chocolate caramel tarts and a base of candied orange, jammy dodgers and white chocolate Hershey’s Kisses; Palate: is fruity, spicy and chocolaty with a pronounced note of liquid caramel, smooth leather and more dark chocolate; there are more jammy dodgers, Peek Freans assorted cream cookies and a late flourish of orange and creamy vanilla; Finish: long, drying and just a little leathery with preserved strawberries and chocolate.” – $164.99
A Couple Other New Whiskies

Tasting Notes on a Couple of Older Whiskies

1. 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
2. OMC Roseban 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

Spring 2014 Preview

Lots of new whiskies and some great tastings on the way!

The Spring is going to be a busy time at KWM. We have lots of great tastings coming up, so if you missed out on tickets to our Spring Single Malt Festival, which once again sold out some 2 months in advance, there are lots of other tastings with which to tantalize your taste buds!

Three exclusive KWM casks are on the way, first up an unusual American oak matured Aberlour from Berry’s Own Selection. We’re then expecting a 1993 Glendronach and a 1996 Arran. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg for new whiskies, we have three very interesting older whiskies bottled under the Secret Distillery label: 40, 50 and 60 year old whiskies. The latter two of these are the best priced single malts of their age anywhere! There’s also some cool new exclusive Japanese whiskies on the way, some exciting new exclusive bottlings from Cadenheads, Silver Seal and Gordon & MacPhail as well as a Macallan 20 Year from Edition Spirits.

Lots to look forward to this spring. Let us know if anything whets your appetite:

1. New KWM Exclusive Casks
2. New Bargain Priced 50 & 60 Year Old Single Malts
3. New Exclusive Japanese Whiskies
4. New Exclusive Whiskies from Cadenhead
5. New Exclusive Whiskies from Silver Seal
6. New Exclusive Whiskies from Gordon & MacPhail
7. Ardbeg Auriverdes & Ardbeg Day
8. First Editions Macallan 1993 20 Year

New KWM Exclusive Casks

1. Berry Aberlour 1994 KWM Cask – 54.1% – An unusual independently bottled single cask of American oak matured Aberlour. Tasting note to come soon. – ETA May – $139.99
2. Arran 1996 KWM Cask 522 – As the distillery only began operations in a limited capacity in 1995, this is one of the oldest casks of Arran available. – ETA June – $124.99
3. Glendronach 1993 KWM Cask – A really interesting 20 year old. More details to come. ETA – June/July – $199.99

New Bargain Priced 40, 50 & 60 Year Old Single Malts

Ok so the 40 isn’t the best priced 40 year old ever, but the 50 and 60 year old single malts are roughly a tenth of the price of what most major distilleries would charge for them. We are getting a very small amount each of the 40, 50 and 60 years old and demand has already been very high for the 50 and 60. The whiskies are all reputed to come from a family owned Speyside distillery that rhymes with Benfarclas…
1. Secret Bottling Series 40 Year – 43% – Producer’s Tasting Note: “Palate: The palate is nutty with a sweet Horchata undercurrent building into bolder notes of Christmas cake and stewing passion fruit.” – $699.99
2. Secret Bottling Series 50 Year Single Malt – 43% – Producer’s Tasting Note: “Palate: Pleasantly thick but not too much so. Wood spice, a hint of cumin and luxurious cigar box, coffee and caramel notes with just a touch of smoke. – $999.99 – Only 1/24 bottles coming still available!
3. Secret Bottling Series 60 Year Single Malt – 42.2% – Producer’s Tasting Note: “Palate: Creamy, mouth-filling palate entry delivering a touch of chocolate and ground allspice. Quite tropical too – there’s a note of coconut, perhaps mango. An ethereal high-note akin to tomato stems. With time, it becomes quite herbal, with a potpourri-like character, sitting very nicely atop a solid core of rich, thick malt. – $2599.99 (11 of 18 are spoken for)

New Exclusive Japanese Whiskies

1. The Nikka Box – The art of Japanese Origami meets whisky in this unique package which includes 6 Japanese whiskies from Nikka and two tasting glasses. The box has 7 hidden compartments, 6 with whiskies emblematic of the Nikka range and another with two Glencairn Crystal copita tasting glasses. The box can be transformed into a multitude of shapes, and the base can be used as a serving tray. Exclusive to KWM in Alberta! – $1099.99
2. Yamazaki The Private Cask 1993 – A very dark, sherried single cask of Yamazaki bottled exclusively for Le Maison de Whisky in Paris. Matured in a Sherry Butt and bottled at 57.5%, we are expecting just 6 bottles, exclusively available from our shop in Alberta! Regardless of the price, these won’t last… – $1349.99
3. Nikka 1998 Coffey Malt 57% – A 1998 vintage edition of Nikka’s Coffey Malt whisky – made from a mash of malted barley but then distilled in one of the company’s continuous Coffey stills rather than the more usual pot still. This gives it a profile between grain and malt whisky, with lots of complexity. – $215.99
4. Nikka 1999 Coffey Grain 60% – A single cask bottling of Nikka’s excellent coffey grain whisky, a key component in their various blends that only very rarely sees the light of day as a single grain. This was distilled on 2nd December 1999 and bottled on 10th July 2013. – $193.99

New Exclusive Whiskies from Cadenhead – ETA June

Just a few details on some of the new Cadenhead exclusives we have on the way!

1. Auchroisk 1989 24 Yr – 57.5% – More Details to Come! – $181.99
2. Linkwood 1987 26Yr – 56.8% – More Details to Come! – $252.99
3. Dufftown 1979 34Yr – 48% – More Details to Come! – $357.99 – Only 12 bottles
4. Dalmore 1976 37 Yr – 56.4% – More Details to Come! – $431.99 – Only 6 bottles
5. Glenfiddich 1973 41 Yr – 43.5% – More Details to Come! – $899.99 – Only 6 bottles

New Exclusive Whiskies from Silver Seal – ETA May

Silver Seal is the best indepdent bottler you’ve never heard of before, and their whiskies are very well respected and highly rated. We are getting only 6 bottles of some of these!

1. Silver Seal Bowmore 21 Year – 46% – More Details to Come! – $299.99
2. Silver Seal Glendronach 22 Year – 52.1% – More Details to Come! – $314.99
3. Silver Seal Caol Ila 31 Year – 54.2% – More Details to Come! – $549.99
4. Silver Seal Glenfarclas 40 Year – 52% – Distilled: 1971 – Bottled: 2012 – Producer’s Tasting Note: “Nose: sherry, cherries, small red fruits. Hints of wood, wax and sultana; Palate: full bodied and creamy. Sweet with sherry, red fruits, sultana, wood; Finish: Long, dry and spicy. Adding some fruit became more spicy and persistent.” – $799.99

New Exclusive Whiskies from Gordon & MacPhail – ETA June

1. Benromach 1969 – More of one of our bestselling premium whiskies! – $TBA
2. G&M Dallas Dhu 1975 – A new offering from this long closed distillery. – $TBA
3. G&M Glentauchers 1993 – 96pts Whisky Bible – $119.99

Ardbeg Auriverdes & Ardbeg Day in Calgary – ETA June

Well the news leaked a few weeks ago via Ardbeg that their bottling, Auriverdes (Latin for Green and Gold) will be the Ardbeg Day bottling this year. It is expected to land in June, and orders for it from our Twitter post have already been strong. Expected retail price to be confirmed, but it will be between $125 & 130. We are taking pre-orders!

The whisky will be available for tasting at Ardbeg Day festivities in Calgary on May 31. There will be a soccer match, tasting, BBQ and lots of fun and whisky for all. Details should be out next week!

First Editions Macallan 20 Year – ETA May

Details on this 1993 vintage Macallan are still pending, but it is cask strength, dark in hue and looks very tempting at around $300. Exclusive to KWM!

Ferguson Whisky Tours

Islay September 7-13 2014
Kentucky October 5-10 2014

Interested in joining me on one of my fantastic whisky adventures? It’s too late to join me in Speyside this May, but not too late to take part in my Islay and Kentucky Tours, departing in September and October respectively. More details on these tours will be available on my website in the coming weeks. www.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

Kensington Wine Market
403-283-8000

Mora’s Fine Wine Whiskey Tasting Event for World Whisky Day, May 17 

Come taste 30 whiskies from around the globe and celebrate World Whisky Day with Mora’s Fine Wine & Spirits at Country Corner from 6-9pm on Saturday, May 17! 

$30 per person

BUY TICKETS NOW!

**only a few spots left, ticket purchase required** 

Ticket purchase includes sampling of 30 fine whiskies, Whisky friendly snacks, complementary Glencairn tasting glass, door prizes for lucky winners. 

Some of our Featured Distillers: (check moraswines.com for updates!)

Amrut, Balcones, Benriach, Benromach, Breckenridge, Brenne, Corsair, FEW Spirits, Garrison Brothers, Glendronach, Glenrothes, Highland Park, Isle of Arran, Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, Kilchoman, Koval, Laphroaig, New Holland, Nikka, Smooth Ambler, Tamdhu, Town Branch 

About World Whisky Day: Now you may be thinking ‘isn’t every day a whisky day?’. Well kind of, however, World Whisky Day is about celebrating whisky/whiskey and about giving whisky global stage and global media attention for not just a day but for a considerable amount of time around this date. The purpose of this is to introduce whisky to people who have never tried it before and for those that already enjoy whisky to have something special. 

Mora’s Fine Wine & Spirits

www.moraswines.com

631-941-4458   sev.clemens@moraswines.com

Silent Distillery Profile; Lochside 

Operational: 1957[1]

Closed: In 1996. Silent in April 1992, dismantled in 1997 however the warehouses survived until 1999 when they were demolished.

Region: Eastern Highlands

Operational Owner: 1957 MacNab Distillers Ltd.

Current Owner: Muir Homes (as of 2005)

Address: Brechin Road, Montrose, Angus, DD10 9AD 

In 1957 Lochside Distillery was converted from an old Deuchars Brewery at Montrose by Joseph Hobbs (MacNab Distillers) and was initially fitted with one patent still and later four pots stills. The name of Joseph Hobbs is generally associated with Ben Nevis Distillery in FortWilliam but his name is also associated with many distilleries around Scotland. In 1931 Hobbs returned from Canada after losing a great deal of money in the depression of the time and commenced the buying up malt distilleries. In 1937 he bought Bruichladdich distillery on Islay from Harvey family, so ending that family’s long connection with the industry. In association with Train & McIntyre, a Glasgow firm of wine and spirit merchants owned by National Distillers of America, he purchased Glenury Royal Distillery in 1936, Glenkinchie Distillery in 1937 and North Esk Distillery (also known as Highland Esk, Montrose, Glenesk and Hillside Distillery) in 1938. The distilleries were transferred to a wholly owned subsidiary of Train & McIntyre, Associated Scottish Distillers Ltd. and Train & MacIntyre brought the Strathdee distillery, Aberdeen into the group, and added Fettercairn and Benromach in 1938. The conversion of North Esk into Montrose Grain Distillery made the group fully integrated.  Hobbs re-equipped North Esk distillery to produce grain whisky and renamed it Montrose Distillery (in 1954 they sold it to the Distillers Company Limited who then transferred it to Scottish Malt Distillers in 1964 who converted it back to a malt distillery).   

The convoluted world of the whisky business. 

James Deuchars were the producers of Newcastle Brown Ale and the Montrose brewery was originally built in the 1760’s and operated as a brewery until the 1950’s. James Deuchar purchased the brewery in 1833 and Charles Doig, the famous distillery architect, designed some of the newer brewery buildings in the style of breweries in Germany & Belgium. The tower, in the Bauhaus design style, housed equipment to start the brewing process and the finished beer was housed on the lowest floor. The finished beer was sold in pubs in the Tyneside markets in Newcastle. “Beeries”, the ships used to transport the beer to the Newcastle area, were loaded at the Montrose docks and this practice continued until 1956. That year Scottish & Newcastle Breweries bought Lochside and shut it down moving all operations to Edinburgh. In 1957, Joseph Hobbs through MacNab Distillers bought Lochside with an eye towards its potential to produce grain whisky and this it did until 1961. When the much larger Invergordon grain distillery was built Joseph Hobbs realized that Lochside could not effectively compete against such a large rival so he had some of the brewing equipment converted to four Pot Stills and thus Lochside produced both grain and malt whisky. Further, Hobbs had these two whiskies ‘blended at birth’ (a practice he also used at Ben Nevis Distillery) where both grain and malt whisky are married together and then put into the cask for maturation.[2]  The whisky produced at Lochside contributed to the blend, Sandy MacNab’s. The Coffey still was 67 feet tall and was mothballed in 1970 after the founder, Joseph Hobbs who died in 1964. However the mothballed Coffey still was not removed until later.[3] Unusually the distillery had a bottling plant on site. 

Hobbs named his company MacNab Distilleries Ltd after John MacNab, the owner of Glenmavis Distillery at Bathgate (to the west of Edinburgh) from whom Hobbs had purchased MacNab’s brand names. From 1855 until its closure in 1910 Glenmavis used a Coffey still to make malt whisky and this unusual set up piqued Hobbs’s interest. This seems to have been the impetuous for Hobbs to install Coffey stills at Lochside and Ben Nevis.[4] 

In 1971 the distillery was closed and remained so for two years until it was bought by a Spanish company, Destilerias Y Crianza Del Whisky, abbreviated to DYC pronounced DEEK. DYC bought Lochside in order to improve the quality of the Spanish blends by using Scottish malt whisky in their own blends. The vast majority of the whisky produced at Lochside was shipped to Spain in bulk until 1996 when the last of the mature whisky left the distillery warehouse. At the same time blended whisky was bottled on site and later the owners decided to bottle their own single malt in the form of a 10 year old Lochside malt which was described as having ‘a subtle and delicate nose with a hint of peat. The flavours included a vanilla sweetness with echoes of the peat, initially found in the nosing.’

Due to the success of the whisky (high sales) the company became part of Allied Distillers in 1992. Production of Lochside single malt ended in June of the same year, and the remaining cases of whisky were then sold until all stocks were depleted in 1996. At that time the distillery was closed and the remaining staff were made redundant. 

The distillery had one cast iron mash tun and nine stainless steel washbacks. Both the mash tun and wash-backs were without covers . The stills were very similarly designed with lyne arms that have a slight downward angle, and somewhat tall thin necks that form the traditional onion shape where it joins the shoulders of the stills. The spirit was then aged in bourbon casks.

The local area from early times was known as “Clayshades” which refers to the clay area to the south and west of the distillery. At some point before 1830 the  brewery was referred to as ‘Lochside’ on land title/deed documents. [5] 

The name Lochside derives from the distillery standing beside a small loch (Mary’s Loch) which was used to provide water for production but this later dried out. The subsequent water source was an artesian well beneath the distillery supplying hard water.[6]  The risk of drawing up saline water, due to the proximity to the sea, must have been high.[7]

‘The saddest part of the story is that Lochside was an outstanding whisky. Since much of the distillery production went into blends or was exported for sale in Spain, few lovers of whisky had an opportunity to sample Lochside and it never established a reputation as a single malt.’[8]

The last manager was named Charles Sharpe and Elizabeth Riley Bell interviewed him for her article which appears in the Scotch Malt Whisky Society archives. 

The site is now completely void of distillery buildings and warehouses.

Peaty AnCnoc – Rutter and Flaughter

Peat smoke. To many it’s the key flavour in whiskies and for others it’s the reason they don’t drink whisky. While only relatively few whiskies are actually noticeably peaty, it’s become one of the best-known characteristics of Scotch whisky, and distilleries often define themselves by how smoky their spirit is. Some distilleries have been playing with their spirit character over the years, producing whiskies that are a bit different to expected. The latest addition to that club is Knockdhu with its new anCnoc Peaty range: Rutter and Flaughter. 

Peat used to be one of the most common heat sources in Scotland, and it’s from burning it to dry malting barley that the traditional smokiness gets into the malt. From the mid-1600s, using coke as a heat source grew in popularity, and as it became easier for the more remote areas of the Highlands to get their hands on smokeless fuel, whisky became less smoky. These days, peating levels are very much a choice, with maltsters allowing distillers to order malt of pretty much any level of peatiness. 

They don’t use the old kiln at Knockdhu these days, but it is very atmospheric…

We couldn’t talk about peating in a remotely geeky way without mentioning ppm — phenol parts per million, the standard measure of peatiness. Most smoky whiskies will at some time boast of their ppm, giving an indication of how smoky they are. However, it’s not quite as easy as that — most give the ppm of the malt, something quite different to the final level in the spirit produced or the whisky when it’s bottled. While there is obviously a correlation, the mashing, fermentation, distillation and ageing processes all remove phenols and lower the ppm, so a whisky could be rather more or less peaty than you might expect from the peatiness of the barley.

When I visited Knockdhu a couple of years ago they were using barley peated to 45-48ppm, about the same as Ardbeg, but these new whiskies were distilled a bit before that, using barley peated to less than half that level — about 15-20ppm. With the big Islay malts boasting much higher numbers, the folks at anCnoc did some testing of bottled spirits to make it easier to compare the new Peaty whiskies to existing releases: 

Combine that with the table in Whisky Science’s excellent peat post and we find that anCnoc keeps a lot more of its peat during the production process than the more established smoky bottlings. There will be reasons behind this (the whisky is younger than many of the comparable bottlings; they almost certainly mash, ferment and distil differently to the Islay whiskies, their local microclimate is different, and so on) but it mainly goes to show that barley ppm isn’t that reliable an indicator of final peatiness. From a quick glance over the Whisky Science figures, I’d expect the Rutter and Flaughter to come in at a similar level to Bowmore, but they’re a fair bit peatier than that.

The release of the whiskies was accompanied by a Twitter tasting, and Stuart and I joined in with the #LightOnDark crew to have a try of the whiskies — here’s what we thought: 

anCnoc Rutter, 46%. 11ppm

Billy:

Nose: Mixed candied peel, candied lemon and drizzle cake, but with sharpness behind. Glazed ham touches, with some earthiness and sweet, muddy peat. Fresher fruit develops, with apple skin, sweet apple and pineapple kubes. Some more marine notes — seashells? More sweetshop aromas appear as it sits in the glass, with peat turning to fruit — foam bananas, Refreshers-style chews (but without the zing). Buttercream comes in towards the end, along with some tarry notes.

Palate: A mineral hit up front — granite and limestone. Sweetness comes in behind along with apple skin and pepper, earthy peat smoke, cinnamon and anise touches. Creaminess with vanilla and a hint of spirit develops as well as some barrel char. With water there is more tar and darkness, minerals and more intensity — liquorice perhaps?

Finish: Sweetness fades to charred oak and some more apple peel. Mineral notes remain.

Stuart:

Nose: Clean, citrus notes to the fore, with some peat in the background quietly doing its thing, and a smidgen of gingerbread spice.

Palate: Creamy texture, but fresh, focused and precise. The peat comes through but never dominates, leaving a sprightly, zippy malt with green-apple notes.

Finish: Clean, with lingering peat and fresh fruit.

 

anCnoc Flaughter, 46%. 14.8ppm

Billy:

Nose: Waxy up front, with muddy smoke. It’s more austere than its stablemate, Rutter, with mineral notes of granite and limestone. Green apple and sweeter fruit develops in the glass along with some chocolate, milky coffee, floral touches, butter and nutmeg.

Palate: Big mineral hit up front — gravel and granite chips. Sweetness builds behind with fresh sweet apples, floral syrup and then fades through darker flavours — stewed apples, dark brown sugar, raisins, blackcurrant and liquorice sweets, and some earth and tar. Water lightens things up and maybe not for the better — more spice and sweetness, but less complexity.

Finish: Spice and earth, with anise, syrup, and lingering gravel and creosotey hints.

Stuart:

Nose: Just a flicker of grassiness which soon evolves into rich, intense aromas of earthy malt and brioche.

Palate: Dense, tightly knit and full bodied. A lot going on here. Tropical fruit, almonds, gutsy earthiness and grippy peat. Let this one develop in the glass – the whisky will thank you for it.

Finish: That nagging earthiness continues, as does the peat.

Annoyingly for us UK-based retailers there is a third whisky in the Peaty range — Tushkar. Annoying because it’s exclusive to Sweden, where anCnoc is hugely popular, and we won’t be seeing it on this side of the North Sea.

anCnoc Tushkar, 46%. 15ppm

Billy:

Nose: Lots of buttery sweetness — spiced cake batter, pine needles, mint, pear drops and Jelly Tots. Dessicated coconut, lemon oil. Vanilla develops, along with smoke, although the latter sits behind. Tweedy peat with musty blankets, foresty touches. Eventually lots of mustiness shows, especially after tasting.

Palate: Again quite minerally up front — old firepits and rockpool touches. Goes quite green and vegetal on the way to a central sweetness with fruity sweets, and then veers back off into the grass — more leaves, stacked grass and some apple peel sourness. Water kills the smoke and reveals masses of fruit — Jelly Tots, jelly and gummi chews — as well as some menthol, mint and syrup.

Finish: Quite confected, with sweetener and jelly fruits. Fruitiness lingers with some gravel and smoke coming through. Sweetness hangs around.

Stuart:

Nose: Nice balance between peat smoke and honeyed pear drops.

Palate: Very rich and peaty, blossoming into complex spiciness softened with honey. Appealing freshly baked bread character with a touch of salinity.

Finish: Long, with the peat and smoke dominating.

A successful experiment and one that I suspect we may see repeated from the other Inver House distilleries. I know at least Balblair is making smoky spirit already, as I tried it when I visited back in early 2011. That spirit will be legally whisky in about a month, so if the anCnoc whiskies make the impression we think they will, we may well see their sibling distillers bottling something similar…

 

Originally published on The Whisky Exchange Blog – Peaty AnCnoc – Rutter and Flaughter

Whisky Ramblings Via Video #85

Mark Dermul, Belgian Whiskyblogger, tries the newest release from the Glenglassaugh Distillery, which has been closed more than it has been open. But since the reopening in 2008, a lot has happened. After the release of the Revival and the Evolution, the distillery was bought by Billy Walker (of BenRiach and GlenDronach fame) and they have just released their third young whisky. This time, it is a richly peated version of the highlander: the Glenglassaugh Torfa. The video was shot at the Star Wars set of Mos Espa, just outside of Nefta in Tunisia.

http://youtu.be/TJhL4TmWRSA