Ralfy here!

www.ralfy.com (my on-line shambles) is proud to present Whisky Review 259 – Old Pulteney 17yo lovely!

KINGSBARNS DISTILLERY, KINGDOM OF FIFE, SCOTLAND

Here is a chance to become involved from the very start, plans for a new distillery near to the Home of Golf (St Andrews) are well under way.

Paul has been chatting to Doug Clement, asking some questions on your behalf, some a wee bit awkward we thought, but needed to be asked.

DOUG; Hi Paul, Thanks for getting back. Some answers for you.

PAUL; Doug, can I say at this moment, £1.8m costing seems a low amount. DOUG; We are using the proven “Lark” craft distillery model rather than the traditional start up distillery model others have recently used which is very cost effective and efficient. Our distillery plant and renovation/construction costs have been fully costed and tendered. LARK DISTILLERY VIDEO http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqxQkZTv49k

PAUL; will everything be secure and cosher? DOUG; there can never be guarantees but we have fully costed things conservitally and used conservative visitor numbers and sales. All interested parties interested in the investment opportunity please ask any questions to Colin Botfield; corporate finance advisor, at colin.botfield@ogilviemunro.co.uk who deals with new investors. Quote from investment site; Kingsbarns Distillery is a new yet traditional craft visitor distillery by the home of golf, St Andrews, at Kingsbarns, Scotland. EIS tax relief, inheritance tax relief, low cost business model, growing market demand, excellent location, experienced management team and full planning permission makes this an attractive long term proposition.

PAUL; what style of dram will you be aiming for? DOUG; Style – we will mainly maturing in small single quarter casks sherry and port. The whisky will be lightly peated using bill larks innovative post peat smoking techniques whereby one peat smokes the dry malted barley rather than the green unmalted barley. So a lightly peated, full bodied, rich, oily malt with a big finish will be our style although our flexible “lark” distillery set up it will be easy for us to change our style if required. Thus we will be breaking free from the light floral lowland lady apertif style that is most common in our lowland region.

PAUL; can we bring you whisky visitors? DOUG; We can use our distillery mill restaurant and bar and private members room bothy as the clubhouse, and play special (golf) events during the year at the places I’m a member at, Crail and St Andrews. I also have good links with Kingsbarns having worked their since the course opened. There is no doubt that golf followed by an evening of whisky tours, tastings, music, dinner and stories in our fabulous venue will work! We have done it before a few times at Cambo House for 100 people and it was amazing!

Well, there you have it, an intro to a brand new distillery (no yet built!) Go and find out more by looking at www.kingsbarnsdistillery.com for lots more info.

Brought to you by Angels Whisky Club
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Here’s a sneak peek of the new front page. You should find a couple of tasty items there! http://www.scotchwhiskyauctions.com/ There are 440 items in the new auction. The latest auction is now live…

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Ardmore and Littlemill from Single Malts of Scotland

When it comes to independent releases from Speciality Drinks we’ve been a bit quiet since The Whisky Show. However, we’re leading off the new year with a pair of bottlings. There was a preview of the first one at The … Continue reading >>

Dear Malt Messenger Subscribers,

How 2012 has flown! The earth has very nearly made a quarter rotation of the sun, and this is my first full Malt Messenger. I could ask where has the time gone, but the answer to that is quite clear, I know exactly where it has gone. January started with a Scotch Malt Whisky Society Tasting, saw the launch of Glenmorangie Pride, the arrival of the third shipment of the Shackleton replica, the MS Whisky Festival, the Victoria Whisky Festival and Scots Wha Hae, our 6th Annual Robbie Burns Supper where we launched Canada’s first exclusive Glenfarclas cask. It started to snowball from there… January was an extremely busy month, and February didn’t let up, with another successful Society First Friday, a slew of tastings, the return of the Glenmorangie Sonnalta and much more besides. 2012 is shaping up to be a full busy year.

I know many of you are dying to hear about the Victoria and Nth (Vegas) Whisky Festivals, but you’ll have to wait a little longer for those musings. There are exciting new products which came in December, January and February which I have to write about and some important happenings which have to be covered first. So this month we’re playing catch-up in the Malt Messenger.

On the event side of things I am heading back to Scotland in May to conduct whisky tours. I have two tours planned, one to the Orkney’s and Northern Highlands which is full, and a second to Islay and the West Coast which still has some room. The whisky tours are premium week long tours geared to the pious whisky pilgrim and will give you the kind of experiences you could never expect on your own. You can discover more about Ferguson’s Whisky Tours below.

There are some tastings to talk about too, including the 2012 edition of Ancient Malts, which will be a 40 Year Olds Tasting! I’ve assembled not one, note two, not five, but SEVEN 40 Year Old single malts for an epic once in a lifetime tasting. Six of the seven whiskies are distillery bottled, and the collective value of the bottles is $15,000.00. To sweeten the deal, as if that needed to be done, participants will receive a commemorative whisky glass and will have the chance to sample the G&M Glenlivet 1940 70 Year Old, the world’s oldest whisky as an added bonus. The tasting costs $275, and will be held on two consecutive nights, accommodating only 20 people for each. There are further details on the tastings below. We have also just opened up for registration Scotch Malt Whisky Society First Friday tastings for the next four months. The First Friday tastings cost $35 for members and $45 for guests. You’ll find more on the Society tastings and a special mid-month release of Society whiskies below.

As far as new whiskies go, we have our new Glenfarclas Cask, some new exclusive whiskies from Douglas Laing including a Port Ellen, some new exclusive whiskies from Nikka, the Dalmore Castle Leod, and some new releases from BenRiach, Glendronach and Glenmorangie distilleries. Angus Dundee Distillers has also just made its first foray into the Alberta market with five whiskies from Glencadam and Tomintoul distilleries, and Adelphi Independent bottlings will now also be available from the Kensington Wine Market. But this is just a taste. The fourth shipment of the MacKinlay’s Shackleton replica will be here next week, and for the first time since its launch in September we’ll have bottles to put on the shelf. If you haven’t tried it drop in for a sample to see what all the fuss is about.

The MacKinlay’s is not the only whisky you can drop by the Kensington Wine Market for a sample of. We stock more than 300 whiskies in store, and most of them can be sampled prior to purchase like our single casks: Glenfarclas 1997, Glendronach 1972, Glen Grant 1966 and Kilchoman. You’re always welcome to drop by for a dram and some friendly whisky advice.

There is a lot to tell you about in this edition of the Malt Messenger, so let’s cut to the chase. I hope you enjoy it.

Slainté!

Andrew Ferguson

KWM Scotchguy

PS-Don’t forget you can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/scotch_guy  .

IN THIS ISSUE OF THE MALT MESSENGER

1. Ferguson’s Whisky Tours – Spring Tours Update
2. The Ancient Malts Tastings
3. Our Exclusive New Glenfarclas Cask
4. The Dalmore CastleLeod
5. Introducing Armorik Breton Single Malt from France
6. New Exclusive Whiskies from Nikka of Japan
7. A New-Almost Forgotten-Whisky From Signatory
8. New Exclusive Whiskies From Douglas Laing
9. Other New Releases From Douglas Laing
10. Ardbeg Corryvreckan: Going, Going… Almost Gone!
11. New Releases From BenRiach and Glendronach
12. This Just In: Glenmorangie Astar
13. Introducing Glencadam and Tomintoul
14. Amrut Portonova
15. SMWS Mid-Month Releases and Spring First Friday Tastings
16. Introducing Adelphi Independent Bottlings
17. Update on the MacKinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt Shackleton Replica 

FERGUSON’S WHISKY TOURS – SPRING TOURS UPDATE

That’s right; I’m off to Scotland again this Spring for another Scotch whisky pilgrimage. I will be conducting two week long whisky tours, the first to Islay and the Southwest Coast (May 12th-19th) and the second, to the Orkney’s and Northern Highlands (May 20th-26th). The Orkney Tour is a private tour and sold out, but I may have room for one or two participants on my Islay tour. Accommodations on the island are tightening up as we will be visiting in the days before the Islay whisky festival. If you are interested, I suggest you contact me ASAP as I may have to do some sleuthing to firm up accommodation.

 

Islay Tour Details:

• Depart Edinburgh Saturday May 12th
• 5 Days on Islay and Jura including one night of Jura.
• 1 Day in Campbeltown
• 1 Day on Arran
• Distilleries visited may include: Bruichladdich, Kilchoman, Bowmore, Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Ardbeg, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Jura, Springbank, Glengyle, Arran and Auchentoshan.
• There will be at least one opportunity, weather permitting for golf.
• Tour includes 7 nights’ accommodation (12th- 18th), distillery and visitor center costs, some breakfasts, van rental, ferries, fuel and a tour ending whisky dinner at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society!
• Approximate tour cost: $3000-3500/person. Price does not include first or last night’s accommodation, air fare, most lunches and dinners.

Ferguson’s Whisky Tours will also be offering dates in September of this year. There will be more information on the fall tours to come over the next few months, and a new website too. In the meantime feel free to check out the old site for some examples of past trips:  www.fergusonswhiskytours.com  

THE ANCIENT MALTS TASTNGS – Thursday March 29th and Friday March 30th – $275.00+GST 

Once or twice a year the Kensington Wine Market puts on an epic tasting of whiskies most of us can only dream about buying. Over the years we’ve opened the Black Bowmore 1964, Gold Bowmore 1964, Macallan 50 Year Lalique, Auchentoshan 1957 50 Year (both incarnations) and other rare whiskies just to name a few. These tastings are an opportunity for a community of people to come together and share an experience that most of us could never have on our own. Late last year it occurred to me that I had access to a number of distillery bottled 40 year old whiskies and I thought to myself, why not hold a 40 year olds tasting? On Thursday and Friday March 29th and 30th we will be conducting two back to back tastings featuring seven 40 year old whiskies. Six of the seven whiskies are distillery bottled, all of them are exceptionally rare and many of them rank among the most highly scored whiskies in the world. To sweeten the deal everyone will receive a commemorative Glencairn glass and as a special bonus will get a taste of the Gordon & MacPhail Generations Glenlivet 70 Year.  

This will be an unparalleled tasting event, and a night(s) to remember. The whisky list is as follows:

1. BenRiach 1971 40 Year – $660.99 (sold out)
   • Exclusive to KWM
   • 93ptsSerge Vanlentin, Whisk Fun
   • 96.5pts Jim Murray
2. Fettercairn 40 Year – $1515.99
   • Exclusive to KWM
   • 92pts Jim Murray
   • 89pts Serge Valentin, Whisky Fun
3. Glendronach 1971 40 Year – $703.99
   • Exclusive to KWM
   • 89pts Jim Murray
4. Glenfarclas 40 Year – $499.99
   • 95pts Whisky Advocate
   • 94pts Jim Murray
5. Glenfiddich 40 Year – $2729.99
   • 96pts Jim Murray
6. Highland Park 40 Year – $1854.99
   • 91pts Serge Valentin, Whisky Fun
   • 90.5pts Jim Murray
7. Signatory Bowmore 1970 40 Year – $1136.99
   • Exclusive to KWM
8. G&M Generation Glenlivet 1940 70 Year – $5,999.99(200ml) $21,999.99(700ml)
   • Exclusive to KWM
   • 95.5pts Jim Murray

This will be an epic tasting event, and a once in a lifetime opportunity! Not counting the Gordon & MacPhail Generations Glenlivet 70 Year old, a bottle of each of these 7 whiskies would set you back more than $15,000.00 if you could even find them all. You’d need more than double that to buy a full bottle of everything including the Glenlivet 70 Year. 

OUR EXCLUSIVE NEW GLENFARCLAS CASK – The First in Canada! – $109.99 + GST

Whoever said the squeaky wheel gets the grease was bang on! Former American President Calvin Coolidge famously opined that Persistence “has solved and will continue to solve all the problems of the human race.” This sums up my quest to bottle a cask of Glenfarclas for Kensington Wine Market. I’ve known George Grant, Glenfarclas’ Brand Ambassador and the sixth generation of Grant’s to be involved in the distillery for five or six years. I’ve beenafter him for nearly as long trying to bottle a cask of their magnificent Speyside whisky. For years I would ask George and he’d politely smile and say no, “we only bottle single casks for the American market because they can’t take the Family casks.” Each and every time I would temper my disappointment with the same mantra that young men must hold to when courting ladies: every no was one fewer until I finally heard yes. 

 

On my May distillery tours in Scotland last year, I was guiding a motley group of Calgarian’s around the Speyside’s finest distilleries including Glenfarclas. After touring Glenfarclas we sat down to dinner in ship’s room (paneled with the oak paneling and the furniture of the Canadian Pacific Steamship Empress of Australia) with George. After a lovely dinner and many whiskies I posed the question: “George, any chance Kensington Wine Market could bottle a casks of Glenfarclas, I would love to have you as my guest at our Annual Robbie Burns Supper?” To my great surprise George said yes, samples were sent to Calgary and a cask was chosen by yours truly and a number of local whisky aficionados. Said cask was bottled for Kensington Wine Market and on January 25th of this year George Grant came to Calgary specifically to celebrate the launch of the first exclusive Glenfarclas cask in Canada! It’s been a great success, with the first 220 bottles having sold in less than a month and a half. Almost everyone who’s tasted one has bought one. The cask is a 1997 fill, from a first fill oloroso sherry cask, bottled at its natural cask strength of 56.3%.

Glenfarclas 1997 KWM Family Cask – 56.3% – Cask 397 – First Fill Oloroso Sherry Butt – 656 Total Bottles – My Tasting Note: Nose: bags of candied nuts: orange coated almonds, maple sugared walnuts, balsemic pecans and beer nuts; this is the Honey Nut Cheerios of whiskies, full of honey and nuts; there are some fruity elements too, crushed raisins, PX sherry notes and date squares with sweet spices; there is still a trace of barley sugar on the nose with floral elements too; Palate: more honey and nuts, especially orange coated almonds, but the fruits have come to the fore too: chocolate covered strawberries, blackberries and cooked raisins; sweet PX-like and very nutty Oloroso-like notes… the sherry is strong with this one; more fruits develop with time: pan-seared white fruits, dried cranberries, ripe peach and burnt fruits; Finish: long, sweet, honeyed and nutty with fading creamy toasted oak!” – $109.99 + GST 

THE DALMORE CASTLE LEOD – $183.99 + GST 

The Dalmore Distillery has a strong connection with the Clan MacKenzine in the Northern Highlands of Scotland. It can’t hurt that the castle is just 14 miles from the distillery. In 1891, the MacKenzie brothers bought the distillery-originally founded in 1839-and in turn put their mark it. The MacKenzie family emblem is a stags head. This was an honour given to an ancestor of the Clan MacKenzie by King Alexander III whose life he saved in the 1300’s by clansman from a charging stag. The MacKenzie brothers put their family’s mark on Dalmore whisky bottles, making it a mark of the distillery! The Castle Leod is the second of three bottles in a trilogy, the first of which is The Dalmore MacKenzie, which is now sold out. The Castle Leod has been bottled from American oak and European oak casks which were married and finished in Chateau Lafite Bordeaux casks. Like the MacKenzie before it, you can send away for a limited edition print of the painting on the box: in this case of the Castle Leod. 

 

The Dalmore Castle Leod – 46% – 1995 Vintage – American Oak/Sherry Oak/Finished Chateau Lafite – 5000 Bottles Released World Wide – My Tasting Notes: Nose: Christmas cake, wet leather and brandy soaked cherries; barley sugar, unpeeled oranges and grapefruits; milk chocolate, some salted fish (salmon) and earthy peppery notes with sautéed strawberries; Palate: more Christmas cake and candied fruit notes with fresh strawberries; lush caramel, milk chocolate, orange marmalade and floral nutty notes; it is big and creamy with uncured leather; Finish: soft and honeyed with more orange marmalade, chocolate covered coffee beans and coffee liqueur. – $183.99 + GST

INTRODUCING ARMORIK BRETON SINGLE MALT FROM FRANCE – $62.99 + GST

Armorik is a French single malt made by the Warenghem distillery in Brittany France. The distillery has been in operation for more than 100 years, mainly producing high quality spirits and liqueurs. The whisky was first made in 1994 and sold in 1999. It is produced in the Scottish way, double distilled in copper pot stills and matured in Ex-Bourbon casks. A lovely little whisky for under $70!

Armorik Classic Breton Single Malt – 46% – Exclusive to Kensington Wine Market – My Tasting Note: Nose: My Tasting Note: Nose: creamy, honyed, peppery and grassy with white orchard fruits like browing green and candied apples; Palate: very creamy with loads of toasted oak, unsweetened vanilla, and grassy goat cheese; there is a savoury character and some notes of black pepper too; Finish: drying and toasty with some creamy notes. – $62.99

NEW EXCLUSIVE WHISKIES FROM NIKKA 

Nikka is major whisky player, but until recently it was a completely unknown quantity in Canada, with its whiskies seldom leaving Japanese shores. It may come as a surprise to many of you that the Japanese have been making single malts and blends in the Japanese style for nearly 100 years. One of the most important pioneers of Japanese whisky is Masataka Taketsuru, the son of a Sake brewing family whose roots in the liquor industry stretch back to 1733. In 1919 Taketsuru, a chemist, travelled to Scotland to learn the art of distilling. He studied at Glasgow University and worked at number of distilleries, most importantly Hazelburn (now closed) in Campbeltown. While in Scotland he fell in love with a lass, Jessie Roberta “Rita” Cowan whom he wed against the wishes of both families. Masataka returned to Japan in 1920 where he was instrumental in founding Yamazaki (1924), with Shijiro Torii the founder of Suntory. In 1934 Masataka went his own way opening his first distillery on the northern island of Hokaido, in Yoichi, after which the distillery would be named. He chose this northern location because he felt the climate was most like that of Scotland. 

35 years after the opening of Yoichi, the second distillery in Masataka’s Nikka group opened in Sendai. The distillery was founded on a beautiful site, enclosed by the mountains and sandwiched between two rivers. It is called Miyagikyo, though it is sometimes referred to as Sendai. The location was chosen in part because of its beauty, but also for the pure clean water that flows there. Masataka Taketsuru passed away in 1979 at the age of 85, sadly 10 year before his company would go on to purchase a Scottish distillery, Ben Nevis. His story and that of Nikka has gone full circle. 

The following Nikka bottlings are exclusive to Kensington Wine Market:

1. Nikka Tsuru 17 Year – 43% – Blended Japanese Whisky – Combines single malts from Miyagikyo and Yoichi distilleries with grain whisky all aged at least 10 years. – My Tasting Notes: Nose: dusty at first with dried grains: wheat and barley; the nose quickly opens up becoming fruity and lush; plums, apricots and pears with peaches in cream; there is a soft floral character too which caresses the nose; Palate: delicate, decadent, soft and refined; the palate is so multi-layered it is hard to know where to start; lots of fruit, dried and fresh with more peaches and cream, apricots and even some darker fruits like figs; the floral tones are still there but it is the silky creamy delivery which impresses most; for a blend there is little trace of the grain! Finish: long, creamy, coating and sweet with fading floral and dried fruit notes. – $140.99
   • 94pts Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible:”…this could challenge as a World Whisky of the Year.”
2. Nikka Yoichi 10 Year Single Malt – 45% – Batch 12A14B – A lightly peated Japanese Whisky – My Tasting Notes: Nose: the nose is very woody with fresh cut cedar, sandalwood and pine; apple-peach pie with ice cream and whipped topping; there is a faintly smoky touch with a gentle floral element; Palate: the wood is dominant on the palate again with sweet creamy oak, gentle grassy smoke, chewy malt, and un-ripened lightly sour white orchard fruits; the smoke element grows along with brown sugar, dark spices and a touch of licorice; Finish: sweet chewy malt lingers with more white orchard fruits and a whiff of smoke the blows away first! – $88.99
3. Nikka Yoichi 15 Year – 45% – Batch 12A04C – Produced in very small batche. – My Tasting Note: Nose: massively fruity and soft with thick floral notes and a base of crème brule; like the 17, the nose is very multilayered and deep, but it is fuller and heavier; vanilla custard, molten brown sugar, Scottish tablet and whipped cream; Palate: lush, creamy, sweet and spicy; the wood makes an appearance on the nose but it is soft, sweet and a deft touch (do I detect a trace of Mizuno oak?); many Japanese whiskies offer a savoury component, and this one is no different, if not more so; candied fruits and sweet spices intermingle with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream; the layers keep coming offering different shades; Finish: drying, sweet and savoury the palate continues to be caressed by soft oak oils, velvety malt and more candied fruits in whipped topping! – $143.99 + GST
   • 95pts Whisky Advocate – “Rather than the palate showing a slow procession of flavors along the tongue, this is a layered whisky; coal-like, oily, and richly fruited with a distinct saltiness on the sides, ably demonstrating that Japan has almost as much variety on offer as scotch.” – Dave Broom
   • 91.5pts Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible – Batch 06108B – “…one of the world’s top 5 distilleries…”

The following Nikka Whiskies Are Also Available from KWML:

1. Nikka From the Barrel – 51,4% – Blended Cask Strength Japanese Whisky – 92pts Whisky Advocate- $53.49 + GST
2. Nikka Miyagikyo 12 Year Single Malt – 45% – 89pts Jim Murray – $119.49 + GST
3. Nikka Taketsuru 21 Year Blended Malt – 45% – Japanese Blended Malt Whisky – World’s Best Blended Malt Whisky, World Whisky Awards, Whisky Magazine 2010. – $139.49 + GST

 

Kensington Wine Market also has a number of other new exclusive Nikka whiskies due in the spring! 

A NEW-ALMOST FORGOTTEN-WHISKY FROM SIGNATORY – Linlithgow 1982 

This whisky is from a closed distillery, but that’s not why it was forgotten. It arrived before Christmas, and was sitting in my allocation where it lay forgotten until I rediscovered it five six week’s ago… sorry Jan. Linlithgow distillery was founded in the town of the same name and has variously been known as St. Magdalene. The site was home to a leper colony in the 1200’s and later a convent. The distillery was built in 1795 next to Bonnytoun distillery. The latter distillery’s owner bought Linlithgow (St. Magdalene) because it was a finer better distillery than his own. At one time the small town of Linlithgow had 7 distilleries; of which not a single survives to the day. In 1914/15 it was one of the five distilleries which merged to form Scottish Malt Distillers or SMD. This company would go on to own a larger and larger share of the Scotch whisky industry than any other company. After its merger with Guinness to form Diageo in the 1990’s it became the world’s largest drinks company. Unfortunately, of the five founding distilleries of SMD-Rosebank, Linlithgow, Clydesdale, Grange and Glenkinchie-only Glenkinchie survives to this day! Bottlings from Linlithgow/St. Magdalene are increasingly rare, with the distillery having closed in 1982. 

 

Signatory Linlithgow 1982 – 63.1% – Distilled October 5th 1982 – Bottled June 15th 2011 – Matured in a Wine Treated Butt (don’t see these often!) – Cask No. 2202 – My Tasting Note: Nose: soft and creamy, surprisingly gentle for a cask strength of 63.1%…; mixed fruit bowl, bananas, cherries, strawberries and plums; vanilla custard and crème brule; Palate: sweet, spicy and just a little bit of heat for its whopping strength; a surge of vanilla and honey comb ride out the length of the palate; more white fruits than the assorted fruit bowl notes from the nose; toasty oak comes with time, along with rough leather, earthy spices and dark burnt fruits; this whisky is a chameleon, with many layers; Finish: drying, spicy and earthy with the wine tannins and leather making an appearance. – $270.99 + GST 

NEW EXCLUSIVES WHISKIES FROM DOUGLAS LAING 

This is a tale of two Highland Parks both matured at least partially in sherry and a fabulous new Port Ellen which is one of the most heavily sherried I’ve ever tasted! Excitingly the Highland Parks are almost the same age, and were filled into cask the same month… possibly the same day! The Port Ellen is the darkest I’ve ever seen!

1. Old Malt Cask Highland Park 14 Year Sherry – 50% – Distilled September 1996 – Bottled June 2011 – Finished in a Sherry Butt – DL Ref7234 – My Tasting Notes: Nose: oaky with bold citrus notes, honey and grassfire-smoke; the vanilla honey is dominant with fresh cut oranges, lemon zest and hand squeezed lemon juice; Palate: honeyed, and peatier than expected with some dark chocolate; the citrus notes are drier and more burnt than expected but compliment the sweet honey/vanilla and tone down the smoke; the sherry influence becomes more prominent with nutty oloroso notes and spicy oak; Finish: drying sweet and coating with more burnt citrus notes and fading clean grass smoke. – $115.99 +GST
2. Old Malt Cask Highland Park 15 Sherry – 50% – Distilled September 1996 – Bottled November 2011 – Matured in a Sherry Hogshead – DL Ref 7865 – My Tasting Note: Nose: fruity, savoury and meaty, but soft; the nose reminds me of figs or dates, filled with blue cheese, wrapped in prosciutto and toasted in a Panini grill; lots of honey, dark candied fruits, emerging dark spices and wood smoke; Palate: wonderful, chewy, sweet, honeyed and balanced with soft smoke; classic Highland Park; the honey is thick, sweet, coating and multilayered, as it tones down woody smoke, spices and soft-chocolaty peat start to emerge; there are some dried dark fruits, nutty sherry notes; and earthy tannins, but the honey rules the day; Finish: drying with dried dark fruits, some licorice, spices and soft earthy smoke; at the very end Jujubes and honey. – $134.99 +GST
3. Old & Rare Port Ellen 28 Year – 54.6% – Distilled March 1983 – Bottled October 2011 – Matured in a Sherry Butt – 227 Total Bottles – My Tasting Note: Nose: dark, chocolaty, grassy-malt, burnt raisin and treacle sauce; the sherry is usually a light touch in most Port Ellens which are 2nd, 3rd or 4th fill, but this one is dramatically different; there is a leathery character, burnt bacon, maple sugars and classic Port Ellen peat oils; Palate: very sweet, dark, rich, peaty and smoky; the sweet dark fruits, sugars, and treacle sauce balance the bold smoke and oily-peat notes; black liquorice, dark chocolate, and rich spices with clean peat smoke; at first the palate is tricked into thinking the sherry notes will dominate the palate but the peat and smoke notes very quickly get them under control; it is coating and each sip leaves my mouth watering for more; Finish: deep peat smoke, spices and the dark fruit cling to every surface of the palate refusing to surrender until long after the fight is done; there are some traces of salt, but in the end this whisky is a story of the struggle between the distillery’s classic style and the power of sherry, and we are the only winners! – $709.99 + GST

 

OTHER NEW RELEASES FROM DOUGLAS LAING

1. Old & Rare Springbank 20 Year – 52.9% – Distillery July 1991 – Bottled November 2011 – Matured in a Refill Hogshead (Sherry Hogshead?) – Only 158 Bottles Filled – Douglas Laing Tasting Note: “The nose opens with a spicy character and runs to ripe banana & oranges plus a vanilla tablet style. The palate is initially dry and spicy then develops to an attractive smoky quality. The spicy character continues on the long finish and now carries a gunpowder tea trait then runs to dry wood and soft leather.” – $529.99 + GST
2. Old & Rare Probably Speyside’s Finest Distillery 46 Year – Distilled at Glenfarclas in Case You Aren’t Privy to the Code… – 53.6% – Distilled October 1965 – Bottled November 2011 – Matured in a Sherry Butt – Only 143 Bottles Filled – Douglas Laing Tasting Note: “If the colour has not given it away yet, the nose certainly does-distinctively sherried and richly spiced with dried dates, warm toffee and ginger. The palate caries a creamy butterscotch quality infused with a surprisingly fresh orange zesty trait. The finish is long, still spicy plus a sweet hazelnut marzipan character.” – $623.49 + GST 

ARDBEG CORRYVRECKAN – GOING, GOING…. ALMOST GONE! – $109.99 + GST 

I heard rumours the Ardbeg Corryvreckan was not long for this world in the weeks before Christmas, so we stocked up. Turns out the rumours are true, and the Corryvreckan is no longer available on a wholesale level in Alberta. That means the only remaining bottles of Corryvreckan are still sitting on store shelves. Thankfully, at the time of writing, we still have 44 bottles left. These may not last long, but you do still have a chance to snap up an extra bottle of this iconic Kildalton bottling before it’s gone. For those of you unfamiliar with the Corryvreckan, here are some of the reviews: 

“Powerful, muscular, well-textured, and invigorating. Even within the realm of Ardbeg, this one stands out. The more aggressive notes of coal tar, damp kiln, anise, and smoked seaweed are supported by an array of fruit (black raspberry, black cherry, plum), dark chocolate, espresso, molasses, bacon fat, kalamata olive, and warming cinnamon on the finish. Quite stunning!” -(Vol. 18, #3) Reviewed by: John Hansell, Whisky Advocate – 96pts 

Jim Murray scored it 96.5pts in his 2010 Whisky Bible, saying: “I doubt if even the feared whirlpool is this deep and perplexing.” 

NEW RELEASES FROM BENRIACH AND GLENDRONACH 

BenRiach Distillery Co. acquired its namesake distillery from Chivas Bros./Pernod Ricard in 2004 for a song, including stocks of whisky. The venture was so successful they turned around and boughtGlendronach in 2008. Alistair Walker, director Billy Walker’s son and Export Manager, is fond of telling the story about how the first distillery was bought during a visit to a pub. His wife, Alistair’s mother was not impressed. She was even less so, when he announced one afternoon in 2008 that he was off to the pub again, to which she is said to have replied: “You won’t be buying another distillery will you?” Turns out he was. Begs the question, who does he drink with, and where is this pub? 

The following are the two latest releases from BenRIach and Glendronach in their core ranges:

1. BenRiach 12 Year Sherry Matured – 46% – Matured in Oloroso Sherry and Pedro Ximenez Sherry Butts – 12 Years – My Tasting Note: Nose: chocolate covered cherries, cherry brandy, Christmas cake and tobacco leaf; firm oak notes, clove and other spices with soft black liquorice candies; Palate: more cherries and Christmas cake notes with candied and burnt fruits, dark spices and firm but not overpowering oak; the tobacco notes start to emerge along with candied nuts and rich spices including ginger and clove; Finish: the finish is long, nutty and spicy with more candied fruits, but soft and not overpowering. – $70.99 + GST
   • 95.5pts Jim Murray – “A celebration of malt whisky-in more ways than you could believe.”
2. Glendronach 21 Year Parliament – 46% – Matured in Oloroso Sherry and Pedro Ximenez Sherry Butts – 21 Years – Nose: dark chocolate and tobacco with musty oak; there is a minty floral character on the nose with fennel and anise notes; further notes of cooked maple syrup, burnt raisins, cardamom and old leather emerge; Palate: soft but spicy and leathery with surprising notes of smoke; the Parliament is blacker and darker than the 15 or 18, with dark spices like clove, burnt fruits, and strong cigar tobacco; nutty sherry notes and sweet dark fruits gradually emerge with cracked black pepper; Finish: long and nutty with some oak notes showing and more spices; brunt fruits and dark raisin notes are the last to fade with traces of tobacco. – $117.99 + GST
   • 91pts Jim Murray – “Memorable stuff!”

Kensington Wine Market also has a number of exclusive and semi exclusive offerings from BenRiach and Glendronach which have received very high scores in the 2012 Whisky Bible:

1. BenRiach 1971 Cask 1947 – 40.1% – Hogshead Cask – 96.5pts – $660.99 + GST
   • Sold out but you can taste it at our Ancient Malts Tasting March 29th or 30th.
2. BenRiach 1972 Cask 802 – 40.1% – Hogshead Cask – 90.5pts – $555.99 + GST
3. BenRiach 1980 Cask 2531 – 49.8% – Virgin Oak Finish – 92pts – $307.99 + GST
4. BenRiach 1984 Cask 7193 – 54.3% – Hogshead Cask – 88.5pts – $209.49 + GST
5. BenRiach 1989 Cask 5620 – 50.6% – Virgin Oak Finish – 90.5pts – $174.99 + GST
6. BenRiach 1992 Cask 802 – 40.1% – Tawny Port Finish – 93pts – $154.99 + GST
7. BenRiach 1993 Cask 7415 – 56.1% – Barolo Finish – 92.5pts – $142.99 + GST
8. Glendronach 1971 Cask 1436 – 48.5% – PX Puncheon Cask – 89pts – $703.99 + GST
9. Glendronach 1972 Cask 716 – 49.9% – Oloroso Butt – 88pts – $584.99 +GST
   1. I still think our cask 711 is the best, and its only $439.99!
10. Glendronach 1972 Cask 712 – 49.9% – PX Puncheon Cask – 95.5pts – $583.99 + GST
    • Sold Out.
    • I have yet to taste this against our own cask 711, but find it hard to believe it’s better!
11. Glendronach 1978 Cask 1067 – 50.1% – Oloroso Puncheon Cask – 95.5pts – $321.99 + GST
12. Glendronach 1989 Cask 3314 – 53.5% – PX Puncheon Cask – 95pts – $196.99 + GST
13. Glendronach 1991 Cask 2406 – 55.4% – Oloroso Butt – 95pts – $184.99 + GST

Speaking of our 1972 Cask 711, there isn’t much of the original 300 bottles left, less than 50 as a matter of fact! For a refresher on that cask: 

Glendronach 1972 KWM Cask 711 – 49.8% – 39 Years – Oloroso Sherry Butt – Distilled: 02/03/1972 – Bottled: 09/2011 – Cask# 711 – 300 Bottles – My Tasting Notes: Nose: browned and bruised fruit, melons: cantaloupe and honey dew; brown sugar, Highland toffee, cinnamon butter and tropical fruits; the deepness of the sherry notes and the magnitude and complexity of its fruits is approaching that of the Black Bowmore 1964 42 Year (one of, if not my favourite whisky of all time!); it’s as though a box of Christmas spices and another of cocoa powder have been spilled into a bowl of mixed fruits; Palate: brandy soaked cherries, sticky toffee pudding with treacle sauce; maple syrup, Pedro Ximenez Sherry notes and round Christmas cake notes with marzipan, molasses, and more festive winter spices; layers of nuts: candied almonds and beer nuts with tropical fruits: mango, papaya, melons and figs; rich chocolate notes too including dark goat milk and unsweetened baker’s chocolates; Finish: drying and long with more notes of dark chocolate, melons, sweet spices and liquorice; the drying oak starts to make the whisky’s age felt here but it is restrained by dark fruits and tobacco; Comment: this is truly a magnificent whisky, and one you must try for yourself; drop by the shop for a complimentary sample if you haven’t already been offered one; I wager you’ll love it! –$439.99 + GST 

THIS JUST IN – GLENMORANGIE ASTAR – $87.99 + GST 

Glenmorangie is one of the few distilleries in Scotland with its own forest! It owns a track of land in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, from which its American oak casks are crafted. For the Astar, specific trees were hand selected by craftsmen to produce virgin oak casks to mature the spirit. The selected trees are from a north facing slope in a small parcel where the relative shade created the conditions for slower growth. This makes for a spongier more porous wood.

• Glenmorangie Astar – 57.1% – Matured in Bespoke American Oak Casks from the Ozarks in Missouri – No Age Statement – My Tasting Notes: Nose: thick with vanilla and cream, notes of honey, browning white fruits and soft but firmly toasted oak; as the whisky warms in my hand notes of Highland Toffee, short bread cookies and crème brule; Palate: very honeyed, sweet and toasty; lovely oak oils caress the palate while the strength provides a soft prickle; the honey notes develop into baklava, honey comb and caramelized hone alongside vanilla extract and sweet toasted oak; there are spices and soft fruits too like mango and pineapple; Finish: drying, sweet, spicy and smooth with toasted oak and more vanilla-honey notes gradually fading in the distance. – $87.99 + GST

 

INTRODUCING GLENCADAM AND TOMINTOUL 

Until now, the only Glencadam and Tomintoul bottlings available to Albertans were those from independent bottlers. The brands have just landed in Alberta, and are currently only available from a couple of stores. At the moments we have five new releases from the distilleries: Glencadam 10 Year, Glencadam 15 Year, Tomintoul 12 Year Sherry Finish, Tomintoul 16 Year and Tomintoul Peaty Tang. I did sample them a few months ago, but didn’t put the details in my notebook, so I only have my own notes on the Glencadam 10 and Tomintoul 12 Sherry. 

Glencadam Distillery was founded in the Eastern Highlands of Scotland between Dundee and Aberdeen. The region is called the Tayside for the River Tay which flows through it. The Tayside once had five operating distilleries, but is now home to just one. Glencadam too may have closed save for its purchase by Angus Dundee Distillers in 2003. The distillery’s brand is growing and its future looks bright with a huge filling store and bottling plant on site. It is also nice to see their whiskies bottled at 46%.

1. Glencadam 10 Year – 46% – My Tasting Note: Nose: soft fruits: apples, pears and white grapes; decadent sugars, creamy honey, vanilla icing and floral grassy malt; Palate: creamy, chewy, toasty and sweet; more white fruits, green apple and poached pear, grassy malt and caramelized honey; Finish: fresh, sweet and lightly oily with more vanilla/honey. – $66.99 + GST
   • 95pts Jim Murray: “Just bristles with character and about as puckeringly elegant as a single malt gets…”
2. Glencadam 15 Year – 46% – 90.5pts Jim Murray: “taste: sharp, juicy barley – almost fruity – fuses with sharper oak. The mouth-watering house style appears to fatten out as gentle oils emerge and then give way for a spicy middle… Another exhibition of Glencadams understated elegance.” – $89.99 + GST

Tomintoul Distillery is relatively new, having been established in 1964. The distillery is named for the closest town which is the highest in the Highlands of Scotland. Tomintoul is accordingly one of the highest distilleries, but this is not what makes it noteworthy. In 2009 the distillery produced the world’s largest whisky bottle to be displayed in the Tomintoul Town square. Listed in the Guiness Book of World Records the bottle holds the equivalent of 150 standard bottles and stands at 144cm tall. Tomintoul produces whisky from both unpeated and heavily peated malt.

1. Tomintoul 12 Year Oloroso Sherry Finish – 40% – My Tasting Note: Nose: like walking into an Indian spice market, there is nothing subtle about the spice on the nose with burnt raisin, cocoa nibs, licorice root and nutty oloroso; Palate: spicy and sherried just as the nose promised; some leather tones and earthy sherry notes compliment chewy malt; there is burnt fruit but not in great abundance… if only this were 46% and un-chiillfiltered; Finish: a little weak for the bold palate, but pleasant and without rough edges. – $65.99 + GST
   • 88pts John Hansel Malt Advocate – “The subtle sherry adds an additional level of complexity when compared to the standard 10 year old, taking Tomintoul to a new level. Rich and creamy, with well-balanced notes of toffee, vanilla fudge, toasted nuts, and elegant fruit. A surprisingly delicious whisky for 12 years old.”
2. Tomintoul 16 Year – 40% – 94.5pts Jim Murray- “taste: soft, indeed every bit as gentle as the label promises, as the light oils coat the palate with a fabulously intense and delicately sweetened barley skin. The skeleton is playful oak… confirms Tomintoul’s ability to dice with greatness.” – $80.99 + GST
3. Tomintoul With a Peaty Tang – 40% – First Produced for Christmas 2007 – 94pts Jim Murray: “A bit more than a tang, believe me! Faultlessly clean distillate that revels in its unaccustomed peaty role. The age is confused and appears mixed, with both young and older traits being evident.” – $52.99 + GST 

AMRUT PORTONOVA

Amrut distillery of India is making some exceptional whiskies and is a textbook example of how good whisky, even single malt, can be made anywhere in the world with the right know how and raw materials. The Portonova has been matured in virgin and Ex-Bourbon American oak casks, was then reracked in Port Pipes before being transferred back into Ex-Bourbon casks. The result is an unusual but pleasant whisky which reminds me of honey glazed ham with cloves. Here’s the review from Whisky Advocate and my own tasting notes. 

Whisky Advocate Review: “This release is a port version of Amrut’s Intermediate Sherry – a sort of port pipe sandwich. The spirit is matured in both unused casks and bourbon casks, then spends a few months in port pipes, and then returns to bourbon casks. The result is a Pink Floyd show of a whisky: vibrant, colorful, complex, and nearly too much. A blackcurrant and wispy, smoky nose gives way to an intense and bittersweet mix of chili, blackcurrant, oak, damson, dark chocolate, and peat. Astounding.” -Dominic Roskrow – Advanced Whisky Advocate Magazine Rating: 92pts 

 

Amrut Portonova – 61.2% – American Oak & Port Pipes – My Tasting Note: Nose: chocolate, dark spices and wood; leathery with some damp tobacco, candied fruits, raisins and dried prunes; Palate: wow… red and dark chewy fruits, medium dark chocolate, cherry infused tobacco, cracked black pepper and clove; minty chocolate, honey glazed ham and tropical fruits: mango and papaya; Finish: drying with dark chocolate andmore soft fruit. – $96.99 + GST 

SMWS CANADA MID-MONTH RELEASES & SPRING FIRST FRIDAY TASTINGS 

SMWS is an abbreviation for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society or Society. The Society has gone nuclear since it was launched in Canada in October of this year. The Society is the world’s largest whisky club with more than 26,000 members and branches in more than 15 countries. It selects and bottles casks exclusively for its members (more than 300 a year), publishes its own quarterly whisky magazine and has venues around the world. 

Mid-Month Releases

The Society’s growth has been so meteoric that it was decided to do a Mid-month release to put some stock back on the shelf. 4 new, single cask, cask strength Society bottlings have been released for purchase by members!

1. Scotch Malt Whisky Society 16:31: Dichotomy of Sweet and Savoury – 55.7% – 10 Year – Refill Sherry Gourda – Panel’s Tasting Note: “Sweet and savoury aromas greeted the Panel – tinned fruit, cinder toffee, honeycomb, Rumtopf peaches, grapes, tomato vines, Vosene shampoo and roast pork & cranberry; although there was a slight butyric whiff. The palate was more of the same although nutty with cinnamon, slightly burnt caramel and strawberry cider with added pineapple sherbet fizz. Water introduces strawberry strudel, sandalwood church pews, rum-soaked-oranges and grease paint, while to taste it was sickly sweet with liquorice rolling papers, over-ripe plums and incense but a bitter dry finish reminiscent of peanut skins balanced it out. From Scotland’s oldest distillery that is home to the Famous Grouse.” – Only 11 bottles available. – $107.99 + GST(Members Only)
2. Scorch Malt Whisky Society 48.29: Satisfying Sweet – 54.5% – 12 Year – Refill Hogshead – Panel’s Tasting Note: “Powerful sweetness hit the nose to start with. It became set honey, vanilla pods and toffee bonbons and then lavender freshness with herbal notes of thyme and cut grass. To taste it was hot and sweet. The herbal notes were there too along with orange marmalade bitterness, tobacco and cooling menthol eucalyptus. A good length of finish too. With water the aroma becomes sweeter: baking (pastries, cakes & marzipan), sherbet, lemon icing sugar, rhum agricole, but also an earthy note that took us to summer gardens. Water calms down the taste and offers cake mixture dough, sweet tobacco and orange pith in the finish. From the distillery that is the closest to Grantown on Spey.” – Only 11 bottles available. – $121.99 + GST(Members Only)
3. Scotch Malt Whisky Society 77.26: A Foodie Dram – 55.6% – 23 Year – Refill Hogshead – Panel’s Tasting Note: “Surprisingly prickly for its age, with sharp, citric notes, but warming – ‘like opening the door of an oven’… Appetising food scents immediately crowded us: apple and pear crumble with brambles; pork sausage casserole, with mushrooms, apples and red wine; a taste both sweet (honeycomb) and savoury (Twiglets, minty Mohito). Becomes more waxy with water, but still sweet and savoury – rosemary potatoes, parsnips, buttered carrots – and these features reflected in the taste. Is this a rare example of umami, the fifth primary taste? This malt is currently the fastest-growing in Taiwan, where it is branded as The Singleton.” – Only 11 bottles available.- $158.99 + GST(Members Only)
4. Scotch Malt Whisky Society 85.23: Burnt Granary Toast with Bramble Jelly – 59.4% – 12 Year – Refill Butt- Panel’s Tasting Note: “The first notes are typical of ex-sherrywood maturation: lightly sulphury, with struck matches, or as one put it ‘home-made egg mayo with granary bread’. The sulphur notes soon blow off, leaving yeasty, sour pumpernickel bread and baked pecan pie. At natural strength the taste is very sweet, burnt and aggressive. Water re-introduces the sulphur notes, which linger behind burnt toast spread with butter and bramble jelly or plum jam, and later treacle toffee. In the mouth, the texture is thick and smooth, the taste very sweet and slightly bitter, with raw brambles and redcurrants.”-Only 11 bottles available. – $116.99 + GST(MembersOnly)
   • These whiskies may be members only, but membership is open to anyone! For more info visit www.smws.ca  .

Spring SMWS Canada First Friday Tastings

The tastings are a great introduction for the uninitiated to the Society and also serve to showcase the month’s latest releases. Each tasting showcases 7 new cask strength, single cask single malt whiskies from the Society. The following tastings are open to registration, and will be filled on a first come, first serve basis.

1. SMWS First Friday IV– Friday April 6th – Time: TBD – Location: KWM – $45 (Members $35)
2. SMWS First Friday V– Friday May 4th – Time: TBD – Location: TBD – $45 (Members $35)
3. SMWS First Friday VI– Friday June 1st – Time: TBD – Location: TBD – $45 (Members $35)
4. SMWS First Friday VII – Friday July 6th – Time: TBD – Location: TBD – $45 (Members $35)

• You can register for the tastings online  https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php, over the phone (403-283-8000) and in store. 

INTRODUCING ADELPHI INDEPENDENT BOTTLINGS 

Adelphi is a line of independently bottled whiskies named for a distillery established in 1826. In 1886 the distillery came into the hands of A. Walker & Co who already owned two other large distilleries. The distillery sold again, to Distillers Company Limited in 1902, and closed sometime between 1902 and 1907. Though the distillery never opened again the buildings didn’t start being demolished until the late 1960’s. In 1993, the great grandson of Archibald Walker (A. Walker & Co.), Jamie, revived the Adelphi name as an Independent Bottling firm. Jamie sold the business on in 2004, but the new team lead by Alex Bruce has continued to grow the brands reputation and has even cemented plans to build a new Adelphi distillery. 

When I started at Kensington Wine Market in 2003 we still had stock of some Adelphi bottlings from the late 1990s and early 2000’s. The brand returned to Alberta a few years ago, exclusively at one retailer, but is now available at a select number of specialist whisky retailers across the province. These whiskies came in in January, but this is my first opportunity to write about them, one has since sold out. Included are some of the quick notes I jotted down when sampling them:

1. Adelphi Aultmore 29 Year – 53.9% – American Oak – 1982 Vintage – 236 Total Bottles – My Tasting Note: Nose: barnyard, bananas, oranges and other citrus notes; Palate: very creamy and honeyed with some leather, burnt orange and spices; Finish: creamy with sweet spice. – $188.99 + GST
2. Adelphi BenRiach 34 Year – 48.6%- American Oak – 1977 Vintage – 217 Total Bottles – My Tasting Note: Nose: minty, cinnamon butter, black licorice and milk chocolate; Palate: licorice, brown sugar, more cinnamon butter, leather and black licorice; Finish: more cinnamon butter. – $297.99 + GST
3. Adelphi Bowmore 10 Year – 58.85 – Refill Sherry – 2001 Vintage – 623 Total Bottles – My Tasting Note: Nose: lemon drizzled on cream cheese; clean with salty smoke; musty hay trampled by horses; Palate: sweet, salty, smoky and more hay with caramelize honey; Finish: no note taken. – $89.99 + GST
4. Adelphi Lochside 46 Year Single Blend – 52.3% – Sherry – 1965 Vintage – 499 TotalBottles – 50% Grain/50% Malt – My Tasting Note: Nose: brown sugar, toffee sauce and waxy with beeswax; Palate: similar to Canadian rye whisky and almost rum like; PX Sherry and black licorice, its rich, spicy and has some coffee notes; Finish: light soft and more black liquorice. – $401.99 + GST – SOLD OUT!
5. Adelphi Private Stock Blend – 40% – To borrow the words from the Lexicon of one our staff, Hunter, or Mini Andy as one customer calls him, its “pretty decent” for a $30 blend. Certainly worth a gamble the next time you are reaching for JW Red or Low Flyer (Famous Grouse). – $28.99 + GST
6. The Adelphi Nightcap Gift Set – This great little sample pack features 4x100ml sample bottles of Adelphi Single Mat at Cask Strength. In this set: Clynelish 1993 15 Year (58.4%), Highpand Park 1997 14 Year (58.4%), Breath of Speyside 1991 18 Year (54.2% Glenfarclas?) and Bunnahabhain 1991 19 Year (51.9%). Both the Bunnahabhain and Breath of Speyside look quite heavily sherried! – $99.49 + GST

 

 UPDATE ON THE MACKINLAY’S RARE OLD HIGHLAND MALT SHACKLETON REPLICA – $209.99 + GST 

Kensington Wine Market was the first store in Canada to launch the MacKinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt in September of last year, and we are still the only store in Alberta where it can be purchased. It has been, as Borat would say, a “Great Success!” To date we’ve received three shipments, totaling close to 500 bottles, and there hasn’t been a single one left for the shelf. The whiskies success is owed mostlyto the story, the meticulous recreation of the flavour profile and the faithful reproduction of the original bottle and label. Kensington Wine Market is about to receive our 4th shipment of the Shackleton whisky, a little over 300 bottles, of which ¾ are spoken for. But the good news is, for the first time since its launch in September, we’ll have some on display for purchase!

 More than 100 years ago Ernest Shackleton’s South Pole expedition chose to abandon 3 crates of MacKinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt to the advancing Antarctic winter. For more than 100 years the bottles lay forgotten, packed with straw in wooden crates under the expedition’s hut. Discovered by the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust three of the bottles were loaned to the owners of the brand Whyte and MacKay. Their Master Blender Richard Patterson, “AKA the Nose” using meticulous sensory and chemical analysis has recreated the whisky’s profile, even going so far as to include whisky from the original distillery Glen Mhor which has been closed for nearly 30 years. The whisky, in the words of expert Dave Broom is: “absolutely bang on,” and Malt Advocate Magazine has scored it 92/100 pts. In Alberta this interesting little dram is exclusive to the Kensington Wine Market! 

 

Some interesting facts on the MacKinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt which came to light at a tasting I attended with Richard Patterson at the Nth Whisky Show in Las Vegas.

• Shackleton ordered the MacKinlay’s in 1907 for his expedition.
• Whyte & MacKay used some 1980 Glen Mhor (the original now closed distillery) in the blend, from cask #1907…
• 35 different malts were used to recreate the flavour profile including: Glen Mhor, Jura, Tamnavulin, Glenfarclas and peated Dalmore.
• The original MacKinlay’s was matured in both American and European oak casks.

MacKinlay’s Reviews and Tasting Notes: 

“Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland whisky, 47.3% “Rarely has a blend caused as much excitement as this one, but with good reason. This is also known as the Shackleton whisky, and is a recreation of the whisky abandoned in the Antarctic by explorer Ernest Shackleton more than 100 years ago. It has lemon, spring blossom, and wafts of smoke on the nose. The taste is full and citrusy, with peat and pepper in attendance. Beautifully balanced and outstanding, but there are just 50,000 bottles, so snap it up. (Dominic Roskrow) 92 Points!” – Malt Advocate Magazine 

“I think the replication is absolutely bang on. Richard has done a great job as it’s a very tricky whisky to replicate. I’m blown away!” – Dave Broom (The only independent whisky expert who tasted the original and the replica!) 

MacKinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt – Shackleton Replica – 47.3% – My Tasting Note (written by a lakeside fire): Nose: very soft and light with cold apple crumble, brown sugar, cinnamon toast and white chocolates; poached apricot and pears with fresh strawberries; if there’s smoke here I can’t tell thanks to the fire; Palate: rich, toasty and spicy, with honey, vanilla extract and more orchard fruits; more cold cooked apples, soft pear, cinnamon and some darker spices; the delicate smoke is discernible here with hints of salt and more sweet toasted oak; Finish: the whisky has good mouth feel and this presence lasts well into the finish with loads of toasted oak, wood smoke, cooked apple and honey vanilla tones; Comments: I will have to taste is again in a more controlled setting, but am again very pleased with it. I thought this one would be pure gimmick, but it is more than that! –  

——————–

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. 

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.fergusonswhisktours.com

Ralfy at www.ralfy.com has some good news for you! Whisky Review #258 – Old Pulteney Single Cask No: 30

Highland Queen Majesty 30 Year Old Single Malt

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Majesty 30 years old is the oldest and rarest expression of Highland Queen, with only 2000 bottles produced. It has exceptional elegance and softness on the nose, with the sweetness golden syrup, butterscotch and creamy toffee. Long and elegant to the end the finish has amazing finese with gentle nut notes, hints of dates, citrus notes and the softness of vanilla creams.

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Our first steps in Glasgow

Hello,

It’s well known that William Grant built his first distillery and blended his first whisky in the small town of Dufftown in the Scottish Highlands. But little has been shared about what happened in the months and years following the birth of Grant’s whisky.

Glasgow is a couple of hundred miles south of Dufftown and in 1903 it…(please click on the link to read the remainder of the article)…

THE LINK

Kind regards,

Ludo

RED HOT NEWS

UK DELIVERY CHARGE

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