Tuthilltown’s Hudson Whiskey

Over here in the UK we don’t hear all that much from the burgeoning US craft distilling movement, apart from occasional articles in magazines and on blogs assuring us that it is growing. The problem with a small distiller is … Continue reading >>

Diamond Jubilee Whisky is ready!

DIAMOND JUBILEE WHISKY

The Diamond Jubilee whisky is now bottled and ready for immediate delivery and collection. We have had a taste and believe this is the best we have ever made and the coolest bottles we have designed yet.

Please click here if you wish to get your hands on one of these.

Alternatively if you are interested in our Royal Wedding whisky, we are literally now on our last few bottles. If you don’t want to miss out then please click here to secure yourself a bottle or two.

Or you may be interested in a Royal Wedding / Jubilee Whisky Gift Pack of which, again, we have a limited stock of. Please click here if you wish to purchase one.
 
SUMMER IS COMING…
 
Summer is approaching, time to get your kids in an English Whisky outfit!

Andrew writes, 

Our Spring Tasting Schedule is now online:  https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php .

We have 28 new tastings to delight and entertain you over the coming months including 4 new Scotch Malt Whisky Society Tastings, a Japanese Single Malt Tasting, an American Whiskey as well as rum and tequila tastings. I’ve lost track of whether this is the 4th or 5th Spring Single Malt Festival, so we’ll just call it our Annual Spring Single Malt Festival. It will feature no less than 100 of the best whiskies in the province, and is limited to as many people; so don’t delay grabbing a ticket or two. The night after the festival, as is tradition, we will be hosting a special tasting, in this case, The Ultimate Dalmore Tasting. The tasting will feature two different Dalmore 40 Year Olds (the old bottling as well as the new Aurora), the 45 Year Old Astrum and three other rare old Dalmore vintages including the 1978 and 1974. It will be a memorable evening, and we might just attract a special guest! I am also especially psyched about our Japanese whisky tasting “Lost in Translation”. This special tasting will feature a flight of 7 Japanese whiskies, 4 of which are exceptionally rare vintage expressions. 

Whatever your taste there is lots to offer. As always the tastings fill on a first serve basis, and you can register in store, by phone 403-283-8000 and online https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php . 

There are also some exciting new whiskies in stock too! Though you will have to wait until the next Full Malt Messenger for more details on them, here is a teaser:

1. Compass Box The Last Vatted Malt – A not so subtle poke in the eye of the SWA (Scotch Whisky Association) who changed the rules classifying whisky types; not to everyone’s advantage… Much more in the Malt Messenger about this exclusive KWM whisky. – 53.7% – A marriage of 35 year old sherried Speyside whisky and 26 year old peated Islay whisky. – $247.99 + GST
2. Glenfiddich 40 Year 2011 – World Whiskies Awards 2012 Double Winner:Best Speyside 21 Years & Over and Best Speyside Whisky – $2729.99 + GST
3. Masterson’s 10 Year Canadian Rye Whisky – Canadian Whisky Awards Whisky of the Year! – $106.99 + GST
4. Auchroisk 20 Year – Official Diageo bottling. – 58.1% – Allegedly a desert whisky with some sherried tones. – $245.99 + GST
5. Glen Spey 21 Year – Official Diageo bottling. – 50.4% – Allegedly a desert whisky with some sherried tones. – $374.99 + GST
6. Jim Beam the Devil’s Cut – Whisky extracted from used oak barrels! The legends are true… – $29.99 + GST

• And that’s a just a taste, the High West Whiskies Are Back Too!

Spring Tasting Schedule Excluding SMWS Tastings

1. Glendronach Vintages Tasting You’ll be tantalized by a lineup of no less than 6 Glendronach single cask vintage bottlings. We will sample 2 different 1972s, including our own exclusive cask. Move over Macallan, Glendronach is the new Sheriff of heavily sherried whisky! Thr Apr 12 – $70
2. Whisky Women & Chocolate Round up the gals and join our scotch expert, Andrew Ferguson, for a pairing of fine whisky and premium chocolate. Lassies only. Fri Apr 20 – $50
3. Bourbon, Rye and Other American Whiskies There is more to American whiskey than Bourbon. We’ll sample straight rye, Tennessee whiskey, American single malt whiskey and other treats! Tue May 8 – $50
4. Rare Malts Only the oldest and rarest whiskies need apply. Taste whiskies which have been matured more than 20 years and are from closed distilleries, or are exceptionally rare. Thr May 31 – $75
5. Lost in TranslationThe Japanese have been making Single Malts and Blends in the Scottish style for nearly a century. We’ve assembled a flight of some very rare Japanese whiskies for this special tasting. Tue June 12 – $60
6. Spring Single Malt Festival Our biannual whisky festival is not the biggest in the city, but it features the most interesting and eclectic lineup of whiskies in Alberta. 100 customers, 80+ whiskies and your own Glencairn glass! Thr Jun 14 – $60
7. The Ultimate Dalmore Tasting The Dalmore is one of the iconic whiskies of the Northern Highlands. We’re featuring seven distillery bottled Dalmores including two different 40 year olds (the old one and the new Aurora) and the 45 year old Astrum. This will be a one of a kind, once in a lifetime, ultimate vertical tasting of The Dalmore. Fri Jun 15 – $250
8. Master Malt This tasting will push your palate to its limits with a lineup of very rare and old whiskies like Macallan 25 Year, Glendronach Grandeur and Glenfarclas 40! Tue Jun 26 – $100

Scotch Malt Whisky Society First Friday Tastings

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is the world’s largest whisky club, with more than 26,000 members worldwide and bottling more than 300 casks a year exclusively for its members. Calgary’s Kensington Wine Market is its Canadian embassy selling memberships, bottlings and helping fascilitate tastings. For more information on the Soctch Malt Whisky Society Canada, including the perks of membership, please check out www.smws.ca .

Every month the Society launches 7-8 new whiskies in Canada, holding a tasting on the First Friday of the month to celebrate the release and taste the whiskies. The time and venue of the events will depend on the level of interest in them on a month to month basis. The next four First Friday tastings are as follows: 

1. Scotch Malt Whisky Society First Friday IV – The April First Friday will be held at the Kensington Wine Market, with two sessions, one form 5-6PM and the other from 7-8PM. We are capping April at 48 total registrants unless there is enough demand to fill a third sessions from 3-4PM. – April 6 $35 Member and $45 Guests
2. Scotch Malt Whisky Society First Friday V – Location and time TBD. – May 4 $35 Member and $45 Guests
3. Scotch Malt Whisky Society First Friday VI – Location and time TBD. – June 1 $35 Member and $45 Guests
4. Scotch Malt Whisky Society First Friday VII – Location and time TBD. – July 6 $35 Member and $45 Guests

“The world’s finest and most comprehensive whisky course – with detailed lessons, high-definition footage of over 50 of the world’s leading distilleries, and cutting edge online assessment.

Multiple formats, including DVD, online video and mobile device. Interactive online tastings of your favourite brands. The World Masterclass of Whisky invites you to discover whisky on your terms.”

This is the new trailer for the World Masterclass and there is more news coning soon; please click on the link to veiw the trailer;

http://vimeo.com/38975780

Isle of Arran 1999 NAS Golden Eagle (46%, OB, 6,000 Bts., 2012)

The fourth and final bottling of the Icons of Arran (Peacock 1996, Rowan Tree 1997, Westie 1998 and Golden Eagle 1999) limited to 6,000 bottles. The Golden Eagle is made from 14 ex-bourbon barrels and 7 ex-sherry hogsheads, bottled at 46% without chill-filtration and added colouring. A new series commences this year with the Devil’s Punch Bowl; details to follow. On the nose there is tinned pears and fruit cocktail, lychee, rich raisins, warmed apricots on ‘top’ and ‘below’ there is a good back bone of notes from the oak; leather and tobacco (unlit). There are also lighter notes in the form of grapefruit and lemon zest with the addition of the much appreciated malty notes which are characteristic of Arran whiskies. All contributing to a solid and rich collection of aromas. The taste is bigger than the nose would lead you to believe and it’s slightly more sweet and sour along with the malt (at first) and then some of the leather and tobacco present themselves along with some really good lychee and grapefruit zest. Very active, complex, vibrant and very good. The finish is malty, warming and fills the head and then some really good sweetness in the form of the fruit and leather/tobacco team quickly followed by a good chocolate moment. After a few minutes the malt (now dusty) & the rich raisin take over as a grand finale.

A fitting finale to the series; buy yours before they are all gone.

£37

Score 90 points

www.ralfy.com wishes to make an announcement! – Craigellachie 14yo, is ready for viewing for your maltabloid infotainment.

Whisky Ramblings Via Video #7

In his 7th Whisky Rambling on video, Belgian whisky blogger Mark Dermul discusses club bottlings in general and a young Bowmore for Dramalot in particular.

http://youtu.be/CSR3L0EvQdg

Hello Fellow WhiskeyLovers –

Three important bits to discuss this week:

First: this is last call for nominations for the 2012 Drammie Awards. The mission of the Drammie Awards is to put the power of “recognition” in the hands of the whiskey consumer.  Nominations are being accepted until midnight on this Friday, March 30th…so make haste, and let your voice be heard now!  

I am thrilled to tell you that the nominations have been streaming in…from all corners of the globe:  Ireland and Scotland…as you would expect…but also Australia and…would you believe…India!    

“So what do they know about whisky in India?” you may ask. Well, it turns out a lot. Which brings me to…. 

Next: This weeks Whiskey Wednesday featured whisky: Amrut Fusion Indian Single Malt Whisky.  

Amrut Fusion Single Malt Whisky is a product of 20 years of research by Amrut Distilleries in Banaglore. The whisky is made from select Indian malted barley grown in Punjab and Rajasthan, the northwest frontier states of India. In Punjab, the waters from the great Himalayas flow through the river Sutlej and irrigate the land under the Bhakra Nangal Dam scheme where the cold winters and fiery summers create a unique quality of grain, rich in flavour. 

Malting takes place in Jaipur and Delhi, and then the malted barley is transported to Bangalore in the south of India, where it is carefully mashed and distilled in small batches to preserve the natural aromas. To maintain its natural character the whisky is not chill filtered. 

The whisky then undergoes maturation in imported oak barrels for over three years in a unique tropical condition at the distillery warehouse at an altitude of 3000 ft. above the sea level, enjoying a salubrious climate all year around. This unique natural geographical location allows intense maturation by losing considerable amount of whisky as the “Angel’s share”

According to Indian Mythology, when Gods and Rakshasas – the demons – churned the oceans using the mountain Meru as churner, a golden pot sprang out containing the Elixir of Life. That was called the “Amrut”.  I have had this whisky, I can tell you its as close an Elixir for the Gods as I’ve tasted.  It’s truly a wonderful whisky.   

And so, its’ with great excitement that we’re able to offer you a bottle of Amrut Fusion Single Malt Whisky for $63.95/ bottle.  This whisky is as exceptional as it is hard to find. So if you want a bottle, act now. And maybe by two “just to have”…  

Third:  Those of you lucky enough to be living in the greater NYC area have no doubt heard of WhiskyLiveNYC 2012…it is without a doubt The Must Attend Whisky Event of the year for New Yorkers.  There are phenomenal Master Classes, hundreds of whiskies to sample, wonderful food and music. If you’re a whiskey lover, you really owe it to yourself to attend this event.  

This years show is on Wednesday, April 11th at Pier 60/ Chelsea Piers in Manhattan.  ForWhiskeyLovers will be there with a booth, and we have an amazing deal on tickets to the show.  Just enter the code “doug” in the promo /coupon field when checking out, and you’ll receive a 20% discount on the price of admission.   

And remember, if you’re attending  the Whiskies of the World Expo 2012 on the SF Belle, Hornblower Yacht at Pier 3 this Saturday, please stop by our booth and say hello.   

And until next week…have fun!

Doug StoneFounder

ForWhiskeyLovers.com 

Paul was on Mull, chatting to Neil Morrison; Isle of Mull Blended Scotch Whisky.

After a good long while in the making, the Isle of Mull Blended Scotch  Whisky is now available (has been for a wee while now).

Over a dram or three of the blend no less; Paul; so Neil, what started you on this road to blending your own whisky?  Neil; well after months of talking with Calum (Malcolm Maclean), setting things in motion, blasting the credit cards and a few drams, we came to the conclusion we needed our own unique blend of whisky. No just any blend, but one smooth enough for anyone.

Paul; so how did you come to this particular blend? Neil; we toured half of Scotland looking for the very best – we found what we wanted and progressed to blend what we now have, Isle of Mull whisky, its no just another blend, its no just a whim, this is something we are proud of and it will be a Mull icon; two local lads, a whisky conceived, designed and brought to you by Mull itself. Although not a product of the island, we feel it is OF the island.

Paul; I like the dram of course, but I also approve of the packaging and design, who did that for you? Neil; A good pal (and aye a local designer) Ewan Leckie developed the brand image.

Paul; Is that the whole team? Neil; well no, another lifelong pal Derwyn Hewitt (of the Isle of Mull Brewing Company) is superb at book keeping and keeping us in check, after that, we had a team!

Paul; How has the brand gone down locally and beyond? Neil; we have had fantastic local support and fantastic local sales,  and the likes of Gordon & Macphail,Wallace’s Express and Fortleiths added much needed promotion and selling skills. It is now available at good stores nationwide.

Paul; yourself and Calum are the power behind the dram aye? Neil; Aye, if I can get Calum away from his fishing boat he is a mine of knowledge and has the chat to go with it. I also own and run Macgochan’s Pub here in Tobermory. Paul added, the two of them are infectious and certainly know how to laugh and share a good dram!

Paul; what is the volume annually so far? Neil; a special 1000 litres, making it hard to find, but once you do, you want another one! Maybe a collectors Edition?

Paul; where can we all buy a bottle? Neil; at the moment, at my pub (where you got yours from) and  Gordon & Macphail (www.gordonandmacphail.com) Forteiths (www.forteith.co.uk) Wallace (www.wallacesexpress.com  and on the island at www.madeonmull.co.uk

Paul; what of the future? Neil; well, we aim to grow our brand, move into export and generally enlarge the sales and output. We are well on our way on that score.

Note from Paul; the Maclean Clan gathering takes place once again on Mull this June, we have Maclean’s from all over the world coming to Mull to take part, pre orders of this whisky are bound to be high, so my suggestion to you is; try and get a bottle or three of this dram as soon as you can! I mentioned this to Neil and do you know what he did? Gave me three bottles for a tasting session  for our clan tour group, good man so he is! We look forward to it, thanks very much Neil, no away to that wedding!!! 

THE BIG WHISKY INTERVIEW TOOK PLACE IN TOBERMORY, ISLE OF MULL, SATURDAY 24^TH MARCH, over a bowl of chips and a few drams of this superbly blended Scotch.

Paul McLean owns and runs; www.mcleanscotland.com and www.angelswhiskyclub.com with business partner Liz Gillespie.

See more here; http://angelswhiskyclub.com/awc/isleofmull.asp