Malt Messenger No. 38
It’s been a while since I’ve been in touch with all of you wonderful whisky people. I hope you all had an excellent Easter, Spring Break and or Passover. I haven’t had time to write a full Malt Messenger in a while and even so this one is a little lighter than some past epics. But it’s also a little fuller than a Bulletin, so lets call it Malt Messenger No. 38 and be done with it.
I have lots of good news to report (a new 41 year old Glenfarclas and the Diageo 2009 New Releases), and one unfortunate piece of bad news (no Brora 30Yr!). There are also some interesting tastings coming up in the near future and a couple of whiskies not long for the shelf. So I’ve put this together with some haste to get the word out and proselytize to the whisky faithful!
I hope you enjoy this abbreviated Malt Messenger!
Slainte!
Andrew Ferguson
In This Edition:
Whisky Traveler Speyside and the Whisky Traveler Tastings
OMC Probably Speyside’s Finest 41Yr 1967 – NEW BOTTLING
2009 Diageo New Release
Port Ellen 30Yr
Talisker 30Yr
Pittyvaich 20Yr
Benrinnes 22Yr
Mannochmore 18Yr
The Big Peat Is Back
Going, Going, Almost Gone… OMC KWM Port Ellen 25Yr
Going, Going, Almost Gone… BenRiach 1994 KWM Madeira Cask
Glenlivet XXV
Whisky Traveler Speyside – Thursday April 22nd – $65
The whisky traveler tastings are a new addition to our spring whisky program here at the store. It is a series of regionally specific tastings that highlight some of the best whiskies in a specific region of Scotland while taking a virtual tour complete with maps, photos and maybe the odd video. It will be the next best thing to visiting the country yourself!
The first in the series is the above mentioned Whisky Traveller Speyside. The Speyside is Scotland’s most represented whisky region, with nearly half of the country’s more than 100 distillery’s calling it home. We’ll investigate why that is, get a lay for the land and sample some incredible drams. I haven’t finalized the list just yet, but some of the whiskies we will sample may include the following 4 and at least two other as yet unchosen whiskies:
OMC Probably Speyside’s Finest Distillery 41Yr
Duthies Cragganmore 15Yr
Balvenie 17Yr Sherry Oak
BenRiach 1996 KWM Madeira Cask
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Sign up for all three Whisky Traveller Tastings, and save $5 on each, or a total of $15. The other Whisky Traveller Tastings are:
Whisky Traveller Orkney – May 13th – $65
Whisky Traveler Islay – June 17th – $65
* For the rest of our Spring Tasting Schedule visit our website at www.kensingtonwinemarket.com..
OMC Probably Speyside’s Finest 41Yr 1967 – $275.99
Only 36 bottles of this whisky have come in to Canada and Kensington Wine Market has bought all of them. “Probably Speyside’s Finest” is the euphemism used by Douglas Laing when they bottle Glenfarclas under their Old Malt Cask label. We have had two previous bottlings of “Probably Speyside’s Finest” and they have also been 40 plus year old sherry butt matured whiskies at bargain prices. I enjoyed both of the previous bottlings, but this current one is by far my favourite.
Although this bottling was never originally intended to be an exclusive, it has effectively become one. I purchased a single case last week, and after giving it a try I made a deal with the agent for the five remaining cases. The whisky was distilled in November of 1967, and matured in a Single Sherry Butt until bottling in September of 2009. 456 total bottles were produced. Of the but 36 bottles which coming into Canada, the first 15 have already sold, and the rest won’t last long.
My tasting note: Nose: spicy-sweet, cedar and mahogany (you can tell this whisky is older, but not over the hill), dark fruits, marzipan and a light nuttiness. Palate: the palate surges with spicy, caramelized fruit and toasted oak, there is a creamy undertone but it plays second fiddle to the dark chocolates and fruit. Finish: long with sweet dark fruits, dry with toasted oak.
Like the two previous expressions of “Probably Speyside’s Finest” there are three reasons why this whisky is such an excellent buy. Firstly, price: most 40 plus year old whiskies—including the Glenfarclas Family Casks retail for between $1500.00 and well over $4000.00 per bottle. Most distilleries never thought there would be much of a market for whiskies this old and as such older stocks, especially those in the hands of distilleries are rare indeed. At just $275, this whisky is a fraction the price of most 40 year olds, but every bit as good. Secondly, there’s quality: age is not always a guarantor of quality, most older whiskies—those more than 30 years of age—are simply overwhelmed by the oak. But well balanced older whiskies offer experiences that good younger bottlings simply cannot. And this is one such bottling. Don’t miss out!
2009 Diageo New Releases
Diageo’s 2009 new releases are finally here, a quarter of the way through 2010. Originally they were supposed to be here in the late fall of 2009, and it’s been up in the air for while as to when they would finally materialize. Well they have and they will be in store next Wednesday, April 21st. They’ve arrived in very small quantities, and will not last long. So if there are bottlings you are interested in get your order in early. Sadly I’ve just found out that the Brora 30Yr won’t be arriving at all. Diageo Canada dragged its feet placing the order, so Alberta is loosing out on this highly rated (96pts) and eagerly anticipated whisky.
Here’s what is coming, I’ll have more information in the next full Malt Messenger:
Port Ellen 30Yr – 93pts John Hansel, Malt Advocate Magazine. “Port Ellen whiskies are going to just keep getting rarer and more expensive. This old-fashioned whisky is beginning to show its age, but is still holding up nicely. It’s clean, with no excessive oak and soft sweet maltiness for balance. Earthy and rooty at times, with tarry rope, beach pebbles, leafy smoke, bourbon barrel char, black licorice, lemon peel, and hints of shellfish and diesel fumes (like following a boat in the ocean). Long, smoky, lightly briny finish.” 57.7% / 5,916 Numbered Bottles – $449.99
Talisker 30Yr – Only 3000 bottles, 53.1%, called a “cracker” by Royal Mile Whiskies, and “Very, very drinkable with, with plenty of character” by The Whisky Exchange. This one is limited to 1 bottle per customer as I am only getting 6! The palate is said to be sweet and chewy, with dried fruits, spices, lots of vanilla, ginger and cloves. – $479.99
Pittyvaich 20Yr – This is an unusual bottling as only one other official release of Pittyvaich was ever bottled, a long discontinued Flora and Fauna bottling. This whisky is also quite rare, coming from a now closed distillery (1993). Royal Mile Whiskies described the nose as “stunning” and the palate is “syrupy, and thick”. 57.5% 1 bottle per customer – $289.99
Benrinnes 23Yr – 58.8% / 6000 individually numbered bottles. This official bottling of Benrinnes was filled into European oak sherry casks in 1985. Diageo describes the whisky as “Big, powerful and immediately assertive… Waxy-viscous texture; slight traces of brimstone. Raisin and lots of date.” 1 bottle per customer – $314.99
Mannochmore 18Yr Bourbon Cask – 54.9% Royal Mile Whiskies calls this “a lovely, lovely sherried whisky.” And judging by the appearance they must be spot on. After 18 years in sherry casks it has hues of mahogany. 1 bottle per customer – $274.99
The Big Peat is Back – $79.99
Blended malts are nothing new, there have been more than a few released over the years, many referred to as Pure or Vatted Malts. The latter two terms are no longer legally permissible, owing to a recently passed British Law. But what is unique about The Big Peat is its composition, the whisky is made by blending Ardbeg, Bowmore, Caol Ila and Port Ellen to create a rich peaty whisky. Having Ardbeg and Bowmore in blended malt is exciting enough, but the inclusion of Port Ellen is what makes it really exciting.
Port Ellen distillery closed 26 years ago and its whisky is getting older, rarer and more expensive. Douglas Laing who bottled The Big Peat are rumoured to have more casks of Port Ellen than its owners Diageo. In the words of Stewart Laing, one of the two brothers at the helm of Douglas Laing, “I’ll be dead, buried and forgotten before we run out of Port Ellen”. This is an enviable position considering Diageo’s own stocks are said to be running low. Diageo sold off most of its stocks of Port Ellen in the 80’s when there was a glut of whisky. There was so much oversupply of whisky in the early 80’s that Scotland’s distillers were said to be sitting on a ‘whisky loch!’ The Port Ellen in this blended malt can be of no less than 25/26 years of age.
“This vatting carries a big peaty (often called “phenolic”), beachy oceanic slightly ashy selection of Malts from the island of Islay, from where the Laing family hail – and no wonder – as we have included Ardbeg, Bowmore, Caol Ila and Port Ellen in the “recipe”! All these lusty and robust Malts selected for BIG PEAT with the fact that no chill filtration takes place – a more old fashioned traditional approach – and you will detect a massive amplification of the anticipated sea-faring qualities on the nose, palate, and finish. These are particularly appreciated when consumed leisurely in the same style these Malts have waited for you in the cold, dark and windswept warehouses of Islay.” – From Douglas Laing Co.
This whisky is semi-exclusive to Kensington Wine Market, and is available in limited quantities. At $79.99 it is a bargain.
Going, Going, Almost Gone… – OMC KWM Port Ellen 25Yr – $249.99
Our private bottling of Port Ellen has been a tremendous success. We are very proud to be the first retailer and only retailer—to the best of my knowledge—in North America to have bottled our own cask of whisky from Scotland’s most mourned distillery. Port Ellen distillery closed its doors for ever in 1983, and since then its legend has continued to grow. The maturing whisky is now no less than 26 years of age, and the stocks are diminishing making Port Ellen older, rarer and more expensive with every passing year.
Our Port Ellen cask was chosen by yours truly and a couple of my customers who are all Port Ellen fanatics. Our Sherry Butt yielded but 210 bottles at a natural cask strength of 54.7%. There are now only 25 bottles left! The following is my tasting note:
The first sip has some heat, but its clean and rolls out into green earthy notes, then sweet honey and finally salty smoke. The second sip is classic Port Ellen, all the taste buds in my mouth are alight with sweet, smoky, earthy, fresh and fruity notes. Towards the back of the palate the smoky-briny take over and lead the charge with some dark chocolate-peat close behind. The third sip is creamier, with buttery-briny-peat; very lovely!
If you are a fan of Peaty Islay Malts you owe to yourself to try our Port Ellen before it’s too late!
Going, Going, Almost Gone – BenRiach 1994 KWM Madeira Cask – $109.99
Like many of our private bottlings, our BenRiach cask is flying off the shelf. We started with 250 bottles about 3 months ago and have barely more than 1/5, or about 55 bottles left. The whisky was chosen with the help of the customers of Kensington Wine Market last summer, and is the product of a single Madeira finished hogshead cask.
I wrote about our BenRiach in the last full Malt Messenger, and for those of you who haven’t yet seen it, here’s the info again:
Last June 20 customers of the Kensington Wine Market and I sat down to sample cask samples from BenRiach distillery with the purpose of selecting one to be bottled for the store. We called the tasting Whisky Democracy. The idea came from a tour I’d led the year before where six of my travelling companions and I had selected a cask of Springbank at the distillery to be bottled exclusively for Kensington Wine Market. What struck me was the pride and personal ownership they all took in helping to select the cask. I thought, why not enfranchise a greater number of people, and Whisky Democracy was born.
The cask we selected, 4810, is a Madeira Hogshead. The whisky—distilled in 1994—was originally matured in American oak Bourbon casks before finishing in this single Madeira barrel. Matured a total of 15 years, 250 bottles were filled in September of 2009 at a natural cask strength of 57.1%. The whisky has been bottled without colouring or chillfiltering. It is sweet, spicy and soft; full tasting note to follow further below.
Originally it was hoped the whisky would be here in time for our cask release party in November. Special guest, Alistair Walker of BenRiach distillery would be on hand to help us celebrate the launch and hopefully sign some bottles. Unfortunately the cask was accidentally shipped to another continent (my recollection is that it made it to South Africa) before being redirected back to Canada. Inconvenient though this was, there is a twist of irony to it.
As mentioned, our whisky was finished in a Madeira wine cask, and Madeira wines have an interesting history. Fortified with neutral cane spirit (eventually brandy) in a style similar to that for producing port, the wines became popular with the Dutch East India Company. The wines were taken by ship down the coast of Africa, around the Cape of Good Hope and across the Indian Ocean to the Dutch East Indies. On the voyage the wines were affected by the transformative movements of the ship and the intense heat. On one of these trips the wines completed a full circle, returning to the islands of Madeira having been cooked by the heat and oxidized by the air, but the resulting wine was very popular. A new style of wine was born, whose makers object was to do everything possible to spoil it. For a while Madeira was made by maturing wines on long sea voyages and in many cases by crossing the equator. This was however a very expensive way to make wine and eventually new methods were developed. But it is interesting to note that our cask of BenRiach too crossed the equator on a long sea voyage, and whether that journey had any perceptible effect or not, our latest cask is exceptional!
The whisky’s just arrived, and more than 50 of the 250 bottles have already sold, most of them pre-committed to by attendees of the Cask Release Party in November. While I doubt this cask will sell out as quickly as our Tullibardine PX Cask (11 days), it won’t last long. I have set aside some of the numbered bottles 1-12 but will not be selling the others on such a basis. If you want one of these 12 bottles please let me know ASAP 1-3 are already spoken for.
My Tasting Note:
Nose: very sweet, maple syrup, barley sugar, some soft treacle notes, ginger and cinnamon, some soft vanilla and raisiny fruits.
Palate: warming and spicy, soft but firm toasted oak, more barley sugar, pan fried honey and sweet spices: ginger and cinnamon.
Finish: clean, soft and sweet, drying late with subtle spices.
Glenlivet 25Yr – $339.99
After more than three years Glenlivet’s 25 year old is finally available to Albertans. The 25 year old was distilled in 1980, matured mainly in American oak Bourbon casks, finishing for its last couple of years in Oloroso Sherry. Jim Murray scored it at 91pts in his Whisky Bible. Tasting note by Dave Broom of Whisky Magazine: “Nose: Mature and deep. Stewed tea, dried cherry, fig, Madeira cake mix alongside some tomato/balsamic rancio notes. Palate: Slightly tannic grip think hard toffee dried blossom rich with substance. light to medium fruits lovely balance. Finish: XXX (triple x-ED).” 8/10
The whisky comes beautifully packaged in a complex wooden presentation case, complete with instructions for how to open it…
If you have any whisky questions or comments concerning The Malt Messenger please contact me by e-mail, phone, or drop by the store. Feel free to forward me any whisky news you feel should be included in a future issue of The Malt Messenger; it might just get included.
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
KWM Scotchguy
403-283-8000
888-283-9004
1257 Kensington Rd. NW
Calgary, AB, Canada
T2N 3P8
scotchguy@kensingtonwinemarket.com
