July Outturn Preview
July Outturn isn’t released until Friday 3 July. Be amongst the first to sample its delights with our special preview selection:

35.27 Floating turtles over Lynchburg
Speyside Lossie
£46 inc P&P
“Flavours of honey, golden syrup and strawberries and cream”

93.35 Men wrestling on a pebble beach
Campbeltown
£49 inc P&P
“Sweet but masculine with spicy Japanese rice crackers and burnt rope”

July Preview Pair
Buy 35.27 & 93.35 and save £5
£90 inc P&P

Offer Ends: Thu 2 July

Available: Web and telephone (0131 555 2929, Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm)

Enjoy!

Whisky twitcher: “one who will travel long distances to seek out the rarest, new single cask malt whiskies before they fly away”. Visit the Scotch Malt Whisky Society at http://www.smws.co.uk/ for details on how to become a member and to have the opportunity to buy their single malts.

On September 9th, 2009 Kilchoman Distillery on Islay will release their very first single malt scotch whisky. A limited run of 3 year old will be bottled for general release from 9th September 2009.

For further information please visit the smallest distillery on Islay at http://www.kilchomandistillery.com/

Scientists in Glasgow are aiming to discover what gives malt whiskies their distinctive flavour.

Researchers at Strathclyde University will focus on the role which oak casks play in determining the flavour.

They will examine the effect of different types of cask by comparing untreated oak to wood which has been heat treated.

The team hopes its findings will allow distillers to more easily control and maintain product quality.

The team, from the university’s department of pure and applied chemistry, is conducting the research with the drinks firm Diageo.

‘Sustaining quality’

Dr Jim Lewicki, who is leading the research, said: “A lot of the taste from whisky comes from the oak barrels themselves – very little of the taste comes from the distillation of spirit.

“Newly distilled whisky is essentially colourless when it goes into the cask, but when it comes out after several years, it has become golden brown and has collected a number of different flavours.

“We’re looking to characterise and replicate, under controlled conditions, aspects of the cask flavouring processes that go on in traditional manufacture of casks and so develop further our knowledge about them.

“This is about sustaining good quality and making it better. If you have a famous brand, connoisseurs expect this.”

Visit http://news.bbc.co.uk for further details

Last Updated: 25 June 2009 12:16 AM

• Source: The Scotsman http://news.scotsman.com/
• Location: Edinburgh

A Book Launch and Whisky Tasting for “Whisky Legends of Islay” by Robin Laing will be held at Edinburgh Central Reference Library from  7:30pm to 9:30pm on Friday June 26th, 2009. The event is free however you must reserve a ticket via central.music.library@edinburgh.gov.uk    The book is  available from Amazon.

If you’d like to chat to like minded people about whisky, here’s your chance.

From Mark at Whisky Whisky Whisky;

Whisky Whisky Whisky is an independent whisky forum which aims to promote unbiased discussion regarding all types of whisky and whiskey. Over 240 members have signed up since the forum was launched in November 2008 and there are already over 500 tasting notes which have been posted by members and are listed by distillery. The forum runs regular monthly live online tastings, having previously covered Japanese whisky and single grain whiskies, as well as being simply a place for a chat about whisky, whether it’s information or humour you are after.

To take part in this excellent forum please visit http://www.whiskywhiskywhisky.com/forum/index.php

Academy Curtain Call June 23rd http://www.bruichladdich.com/
The academy, our hands-on, practical distilling experience will end this autumn.
It was Jim’s long held dream to host whisky enthusiasts and trade members at the distillery, to let them experience all aspects of the traditional whisky-making process.  It started in the spring of 2003, with groups of no more than six at any one time and quickly attracted people from all over the world. Some, notably a brain surgeon from California, enjoyed it so much they came three times. The essence has been on practical participation and dialogue rather than some slick away day, sales-orientated, corporate indoctrination.
But, since the academy was started, our business has grown rapidly.  At 800,000 OLAs we are now distilling four times as much Bruichladdich and we are bottling four times as much whisky. The burden of running the academy along these lines, with the continuing rapid growth of the company and the ever increasing health and safety implications, has simply become too demanding.
Rather than offer a scaled-down version or make it less personal, which would fundamentally undermine the very essence of the concept, Jim has decided to call it a day on the academy.
The last academy session will therefore be week commencing 5th October.

Dear Malt Messenger Subscribers,

Some news just can’t wait to be shared. It is still over a day away, but I can’t resist informing you that there is a new Ardbeg in town! Late last week while perusing the new offerings of wine, beer and spirits in the Province something caught my eye. Could it be, a new bottling of Ardbeg for Albertan’s to drool over? It was, and as I write this, it is winding its way from the Connect Logistics warehouse in St. Albert, to the Kensington Wine Market here in Calgary. I’ve been petitioning Ardbeg and their representatives in Canada, Charton Hobbs, for years to treat us to some of the more rare and limited expressions of this fine dram. I can’t take full credit for the arrival of the Arigh Nam Beist, though I’ve sent countless e-mails about it and other expressions of Ardbeg over the past four years. What I will suggest though, is that persistence pays off. Calvin Coolidge, the 30^th President of the United States once wrote: “Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” When it comes to Ardbeg, persistence is not just a virtue, it’s an obligation… so I will press on… now if only we can get some Supernova around here! More to read about Ardbeg below.

It is also just over a week until the first of two Whisky Democracy tastings. The Whisky Democracy tastings were born out of a desire to share our passion for single malts with all of you, and maybe do a little good along the way. The purpose of these tastings is to select the next two casks of whisky to be bottled for the Kensington Wine Market, and the samples are already enroute from BenRiach and Springbank distilleries for the occasions. Two of the things that makes these tastings so unique, are: firstly, the opportunity to sample whiskies right out of the barrel (Most whiskies are filtered and watered down before bottling, and such experiences can normally only be had at a handful of Scottish distilleries.); and secondly, the opportunity to try verticals of whiskies from the same distillery. Further, we will be donating the proceeds from the evenings to two different cancer charities. For more information on these tastings, and to make your voice heard see below.

I hope you enjoy this little Malt Messenger Bulletin!

Slainte!

Andrew Ferguson

Whisky Democracy I – BenRiach – Thursday July 2^nd – $40pp

The best thing about Democracy is having the opportunity to make your voice heard; it’s about time that we applied that logic to malt whisky. If you’d like to have the opportunity to help select our next cask of whisky, then this tasting is for you!

BenRiach is not as well known as some of its neighbors in the Speyside, but it is one of the most dynamic of the regions distilleries, and one of but 4 which are independently owned and operated. Though first opened in 1898 the distillery spent most of the last century in an inactive state after closing in 1903. Its malting however remained open to supply its sister distillery Longmorn. The distillery was reopened in 1963 by Glenlivet Distillers and in 1983 then owners Seagrams began producing a heavily peated single malt. The distillery was again closed in 2002 but was quickly reopened by Billy Walker, formerly of Burn Stewart Distillers, in partnership with South African Intra Trading. In 2007 BenRiach was named Distillery of the Year by Malt Advocate Magazine.

At this tasting you will sample 6 cask samples of BenRiach single malt—3 of them produced from peated barley, and 3 of them unpeated barley—as well as 2 benchmark BenRiach bottlings for comparison: the 15Yr Madeira Finish and 12Yr Herodotus Fumosus. There will be a comprehensive voting on the cask samples, and your feedback will be used to help us select a cask of BenRiach for bottling this fall.

In addition, part of the proceeds from this evening will be going to a worthy cause. Kensington Wine Market alumnus Tom Firth is participating in the Ride to Conquer Cancer later this month, in honour of his late mother.  KWM will be donating up to $300 from this event towards Tom’s fundraising goal. For more information on Tom Firth and his efforts you can visit: http://www.conquercancer.ca/site/TR/Events/Alberta2009?px=1867886&pg=personal&fr_id=1282

To register for this event drop by the store, call us at 403-283-8000 or visit our website at www.kensingtonwinemarket.com..

As it is the day before the Stampede, western wear is optional… but encouraged!

Whisky Democracy II – Springbank  – Thursday July 17^th – 45pp

The best thing about Democracy is having the opportunity to make your voice heard; it’s about time that we applied that logic to malt whisky. If you’d like to have the opportunity to help select our next cask of whisky, then this tasting is for you!

Springbank, established 1828 is Scotland’s oldest family owned distillery, and also the only distillery in Scotland to do the entire process of making malt whisky—from malting to bottling—on site. The distillery is also alone among Scottish distillers in that it malts 100% of its own barley, and also in that it produces 3 distinct styles of whisky: Hazelburn, triple distilled and unpeated; Springbank, 2 ½ distilled and lightly peated; and Longrow, double distilled and heavily peated. Springbank, in the town of Campbeltown, on the Kintyre peninsula is without a doubt the most traditional, most hands-on distillery in Scotland. It is also the distillery which all other independents aspire to be.

Our last cask of Springbank, sampled at the distillery by myself, and 6 customers, was a huge success, and is nearly ¾ sold. We are in need of a follow up bottling, and we are looking at 6 sherry cask samples of Springbank all filled into the cask on the same day in 1996 as our Manzanilla sherry cask. We’ll sample these six Springbank samples, along with the 1996 KWM Manzanilla Sherry Cask and the 11Yr Madeira Wood as benchmarks. As with the BenRiach, there will be a comprehensive voting on the cask samples, and your feedback will be used to help us select a cask of Springbank for bottling this fall.

For this tasting we will be donating part of the proceeds to support our coworker, Lynn Rogers, who is taking part in a fundraising ride from Calgary to San Jose California. 5 teams of 6 riders (pedal bikes), will be taking turns riding the 3,700km trek over the space of 9 days as part of the 2009 Cancervive Peleton Project. Funds raised by CPP support Wellspring Calgary, a local organization that supports those who live with and those who care for those living with cancer. Lynn’s profile can be seen at: http://www.cancervive.ca/riderdetails.asp?rider=6..

To register for this event drop by the store, call us at 403-283-8000 or visit our website at www.kensingtonwinemarket.com..

As this event is post-Stampede, western wear is optional, but strongly discouraged… kidding of course!

 New Ardbeg in Town – Arigh Nam Beist – $93.59

After leaving Loch Uigeadial, Ardbeg’s water flows through two smaller lochs on its way to the distillery. The later of these lochs is Loch Airigh Nam Beist, ancient Scots gaelic for the “shelter of the beast”. It’s an apt name for a whisky which is bold yet restrained, and wild though tame. Nicknamed “the beastie” the whisky is a vintage Ardbeg, distilled in 1990, and bottled without chilfiltering at a cask strength of 46%. Distillers tasting note: “Nose: Smoky, ice cream, fennel, pine nuts and zesty limes. Taste: Peppery, oily mouth-feel. Maple syrup, smoky bacon, antiseptic lozenges, some vanilla, smoked meats and barbecue spices. Finish: Zesty, smoky and intriguing.” Jim Murray gave it 95pts and said: “There is only one distillery on earth that could make something so gigantic, yet so delicate. And mind blowingly complex. Smoky sophistication. 46%”

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

All the very best,

Rusty

Visit http://www.theellensburgdistillery.com/ for more on this new product.