Malt Messenger No. 30

Dear Malt Messenger Subscribers,

June is already nearly half over and yet it only seems like days since I returned from 2 ½ weeks in Scotchland.  There is much to report on, and I am still working on completing a blog chronicling my most recent whisky adventures. With the Spring Single Malt Festival behind me, I hope to find the time. At the moment it is still a work in progress, but feel free to check it out at http://110.zipity.com/users/link.php?LinkID=1507&UserID=10478&Newsletter=236&List=6&LinkType=Send.. I’ve also included in this post a column I call “Greetings from Islay”. Strictly speaking I wrote “Greetings from Islay” while on the ferry back to the mainland after a brief but comprehensive stop on the isle. It was a whistle stop if ever there was one, and included visits to Ardbeg, Kilchoman, Bruichladdich and Bowmore.

The main purpose of my trip to Scotland this May was conducting Single Malt Whisky Distillery Tours. I took two separate groups through the Southern Highlands and Speyside whisky regions including visits to some of Scotland’s finest distilleries, independent bottlers and some historic sites along the way. I’ve really enjoyed sharing my whiskies travels in Scotland with these small groups—my second and third tours respectively—as different people bring different perspectives to the whiskies we taste and places we visit. The trips are a great way for me to share my passion for malt whisky with others, but also serve to help me find new products for the Kensington Wine Market. I have come across a couple of exciting new whiskies which I hope to have in store later this fall. Speaking of the fall, I am already in the midst of planning the next two tours loosely scheduled for late September and early October. One of them will begin in the Orkneys and wind down through the Northern Highlands, and the other will visit Scotland’s West Coast and Islay. Please drop me an e-mail if you would like more information.

Father’s Day is right around the corner and we’ve come up with a couple of great gift ideas. Why give dad merely a bottle of whisky, when you can give him a whisky appreciation kit. Our special Father’s Day whisky kits include either a bottle of Springbank 1996 KWM Manzanilla Cask or Aberlour 10Yr, as well as a 2009 Whisky Bible, a Glencairn crystal single malt glass and a copy of the most recent Malt Advocate Magazine. For more information on how to spoil your father see below.

Finally, with our cask of Springbank 1996 ¾ sold, Kensington Wine Market is already looking toward the fall and our next two private cask bottlings. We will be bottling casks from BenRiach and Springbank distilleries; the only question now, is which casks?  We have samples on the way, and need your help to select these casks. We will be holding two tastings in the next month which I am calling Whisky Democracy. You, our valued customers will have the opportunity to help us select which casks of BenRiach and Springbank we bottle.  The tastings will be limited to 20 people, and some of the proceeds from them will be donated to charity. For further information see below.

Slainte!

Andrew

In This Edition

1. Father’s Day Gift Sets
2. Whisky Democracy I
3. Whisky Democracy II
4. Fall Whisky Tours
5. KWM in the Recent Malt Advocate
6. Thoughts on the Fall Single Malt Festival
7. Greetings From Islay
8. New Products
9. Products En Route

Father’s Day Gift Sets

Just in time for Father’s Day we have come up with a couple of unique gift sets for dad. Why just give dad a bottle, when you can surprise him with a kit including a book, whisky glass, magazine and a fine bottle of single malt whisky, all beautifully packaged in an appropriate gift basket! The kits come with your choice of whisky, either Kensington Wine Market’s private cask bottling of Springbank 1996 Mazanilla Cask, or the Aberlour 10Yr. The kits are as follows:

1. Father’s Day Gift Package Springbank – $149.99 + GST
   • 1 x Bottle of Springbank 1996 KWM Manzanilla Cask
   • 1 x Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2009
   • 1 x Glencairn Single Malt Glass
   • 1 x Malt Advocate Magazine Volume 18 No. 2
   • 1 x Waving Barley Gift Basket
2. Father’s Day Gift Package Aberlour – $84.99 + GST
   • 1 x Bottle of Aberlour 10Yr
   • 1 x Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2009
   • 1 x Glencairn Single Malt Glass
   • 1 x Malt Advocate Magazine Volume 18 No. 2
   • 1 x Waving Barley Gift Basket

Please call the store ASAP to order if you are interested. We are only able to offer these gift sets in limited quantities.

 

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!

Fall Whisky Tours with The Scotch Guy!

I am in the process of planning fall distillery tours of Scotland. At the moment I am looking at doing two separate tours, “Islay and the West Coast”, as well as Orkney and the “Northern Highlands!” Groups are limited to 5-8 participants in order to achieve the kind of experience you can’t have with a larger, less intimate group. Accommodations are at 3 and 4 star hotels and B&B’s, and there are lots of opportunities for fine dining along the way. Using my extensive contacts with Scottish distillers, my tours aim to provide a premium distilleries experience. This often involves comprehensive tastings, tours of warehouses and the odd opportunity to sample right from the cask. I look after all hotels, all distillery visits, ferries and ground transportation; you just have to get yourself there! Here are the two tours I am planning for the fall:

1. The Orkney Isles and Northern Highlands – September 27^th – October 3^rd – You have the option to make the drive to the Orkney’s with me, or fly in on your own (you will have to make your own arrangements). The tour will begin on the main Orkney Island where we will spend two full days visiting both Highland Park and Scapa distilleries. We will also see many of the sights which have made Orkney such a memorable destination: the Neolithic sites of Skara Brae, Maes Howe and the Standing Stones of Stennes; the magnificent St. Magnus Cathedral and some other sites to boot. We will them slowly make our way down the coast of Caithness stopping at iconic distilleries like Old Pulteney, Clynelish/Brora, Balblair, Dalmore and Glenmorangie. We’ll round out the tour in Edinburgh with a dinner and tasting at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.
2. Islay and the West Coast – October 4^th – 10^th – Scotland’s West Coast provides a dramatic, and beautiful backdrop for visiting some of its most famous distilleries. We’ll make landfall on Arran, the Kintyre Peninsula, Islay and Jura during this 7 day trip which will highlight some of Scotland’s finest distilleries including: Arran, Springbank, Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Jura, Kilchoman, Lagavuling and Laphroaig. The week’s tour will be rounded out by a dinner and tasting at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

If you would like any more information on these tours, please drop me a line by e-mail scotchguy@kensingtonwinemarket.com.. I will shortly be setting up a webpage and e-mail for these tours.

KWM in the Malt Advocate

I was expecting it, but you can still imagine my surprise and glee when I came across the most recent issue of Malt Advocate Magazine. I was in Scotland, at the Gordon & MacPhail shop in Elgin in fact, when I saw it. Kensington Wine Market and some of our recent casks bottlings are mentioned in two paragraphs on page 10. Our now sold out barrel of Evan Williams 1998 is mentioned, as are our casks of Tullibardine 1987, OMC Port Ellen 25Yr, Glen Grant 1966 and Springbank 1996 Manzanilla cask. The mention also includes photos of the final three!

KWM retails the Malt Advocate Magazine for $6.50. The magazine, which I feel is probably the best whisky magazines is published quarterly.

 

Thoughts on the Spring Single Malt Festival

The Spring Single Malt Festival has come and gone, and it was another great event. The evening showcased a few old favourites like Glenfarclas 15Yr, Lagavulin 16Yr, Glen Garioch 21Yr, as well as some new gems like Bruichladdich 16Yr Bourbon Cask, Smith’s Glenlivet 21Yr and the Jura 18Yr. The event was a sellout with 100 participants in attendance sampling from more than 80 different single malts. Our next festival tasting, the Fall Single Malt Festival will take place in November, look for further information in late August!

Greetings From Islay

On arrival on Islay last night I couldn’t resist a drive past Finlaggan, the former seat of the Lords of the Isles. The Lords of the Isles were a Viking/Celtic group who ruled the islands of Scotland’s west coast, the Kyntire Peninsula and Northern Ireland from their base here on the island of Islay. They strategically chose as their base two small islands in a small lake in the northwest of the island. The islands had been used for probably a couple of thousand years before as fortified settlements, going well back into the early Iron Age. The Lords of Isles ruled their lands with their Viking Long Ships independent of the kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Denmark.

There isn’t much left on the island today, some scattered stones from centuries of occupation, and a couple of well preserved grave markers carved out of stone depicting warriors and Celtic symbols. The Lords of the Isles ran afoul of the Scottish Crown in the 1400’s and were dealt with once and for all. Their lands and their titles became the possession of the monarchs of Scotland and eventually Great Britain. Prince Charles, in addition to being the Prince of Wales is also Lord of the Isles. While life on the island is now centered around the town of Bowmore, Finlaggan remains for me the soul of Islay. A visit to Islay and its distilleries is not complete without paying homage to Finlaggan.

Today was another busy day and I was fortunate to spend the night very comfortably in one of the Bowmore distillery’s cottages. I can’t believe these weren’t rented out for the festival. I had my choice of no less than 7 bedrooms, one of which felt palatial. Not surprisingly it was somewhat difficult stirring from bed. I had a busy day ahead of me with planned visits to Ardbeg, Kilchoman, Bowmore and Bruichladdich distilleries before attending a Bruichladdich pre-festival-day party.

I am a fan of many of Scotland’s distilleries, but Ardbeg is one of a very select few which hold a special place in my heart. The distillery’s oily-peaty whiskies are among my favourites. Ardbeg’s day at the Feis Isles (the Islay Whisky Festival) was 5 days away, but the distillery was bedlum having just released its two very limited festival bottlings. Fortunately distillery manager Michael Heads was able to spare a few minutes time for me and sample me on some of the whiskies.

Ardbeg’s two festival bottling are unique one-offs. They were both matured in toasted new American oak casks. The staves were air dried for 24 months before being electrically toasted to caramelize the sugars in the oak, and boy did they ever… Only two casks were ever filled, 1189 and 1190, both bottled at 10 years of age and with unique characteristics. I also sampled the Supernova at Ardbeg which is a dram I was visiting the distillery just to purchase… I’d had a taste of it earlier in my trip and was blown away by its sweetness and the way the smoke seemed to dance in my mouth. More smoky than peaty, the Supernova is an unusual Ardbeg.

1.         Ardbeg Feis ilses Cask 1189 – Nose: sweet, coconut and banana, with massive notes of caramel and caramelized fruits. Palate: malty and dry with sour peat; spices, bags of caramel ad clove; Finish: dry and oily with more caramel and peat.

2.         Ardbeg Feis Isles Cask 1190 – Nose oily perfumed oak, gentle peat, and softer caramels than the first; Palate: starts slightly bitter, cocoa, warm buttery peat that starts growing steadily levelling off in dark chocolate peat; Finish: rich, mouth-coating and creamy.

3.         Ardbeg Supernova – The Supernova is predominantly matured in first fill American oak bourbon casks. A pre-release of Ardbeg Supernova was done for members of the Ardbeg Committee, 2000 bottles in total. It sold out in 2 hours. Nose: smells a little young on the nose, with a touch of new spirit, as you get into it dry smoke emerges with creamy malt becoming steadily more earthy, chocolaty and darkly peated; Palate: sweet, very sweet, the first fill American oak is making a big statement, soft buttery peat makes a brief appearance before being dominated by sweet smoke, waves of it swirling around your palate as though dancing; Finish: long and pleasant it is all about the sweet smoke.

From Ardbeg I crossed the island to the small farm distillery of Kilchoman to meet its founder and manager Anthony Wills. It’s a busy time on Islay with the festival on, and I have to see people when they can see me, unfortunately this meant I criss-crossed the island a couple times. Later in the week Kilchoman will be auctioning off their first ever bottle of single malt whisky, a 3 year old, that is expected to fetch close to £10,000.00. The bottling will be more widely available later in the year (September 9th to be specific). For the last year Kilchoman has been selling two year old spirit which they can’t call whisky. It has been bottled at 61.5% from a single Fresh Bourbon barrel:

Nose: salty and smoky, honeyed and grassy with some peat; Palate: salty, very salty, with smoky peat and warming into notes of vanilla and banana; Finish: traces of vanilla, some smoke and grassy with hints of salt.

Kilchoman is one of six distilleries in Scotland who malt some of their own barley, at the moment they malt 30% of their needs, all of which is grown by the neighbouring farm. In the future it will be bottling separately its Islay barley and other whiskies. Its whiskies are bottled on Islay by Bruichladdich distillery with which it enjoys a good relationship being the only two independent distilleries on the island. American oak bourbon barrels are sourced direct from Buffalo Trace distillery in Kentucky, and Sherry casks directly from a winery in Spain. Refill casks are more of a problem, with it difficult to acquire good ones.

From  Kilchoman I backtracked to Bowmore to visit the distillery of the same name. I’ve toured Bowmore several times, but on this occasion I was greeted with a couple of new drams. I sampled Bowmore’s Feis Isles 2009 bottling which is an 8 year old matured in sherry, bourbon and wine casks, a new 21 year old exclusive to the distillery and some duty-free outlets which was matured entirely in port pipes, and sampled the Maltmen’s Selection which my Islay group also sampled in the fall.

1.         Bowmore Feis Isles 2009 8Yr – 900 bottles / 57.1% / Sherry, Bourbon and Wine Cask Matured – Nose: unusually fruity, peaches, pear, spicy, almost curry-like, starts to become sweeter with traces of smoke; Palate: peat and dark fruits on the palate followed by a long salty, smoky, dry edge; the second sip was much better with dark chocolate peat and burnt fruits with chewy peat smoke; Finish: drying with salty peat—classic Bowmore—mouthwatering!

2.         Bowmore 21Yr Port Cask Matured – Surprisingly there is very little colour-wise to suggest this whisky was matured in port casks, no pinkish hues. Nose: milk chocolate and plumy fruits, round palate, rose petals and other floral notes; lovely perfumed notes once it opens up; Palate: milk chocolate and soft floral oils, very unusual for a Bowmore, dried cherries, salty-smoke shows later with spicy tones, very unusual; Finish: dry but mouth coating, salty smoke and more perfume.

3.         Craftsmen’s Dram: Maltmen’s Selection – 3000 bottles / 5 Sherry Butts / 54.6% – Nose: brown sugar, Demerara, sweet-barley, salted bacon, candied salmon; Palate: rich and caramelized, starts sweet, becomes earthier, then moves on to fruity buttery peat; loads of sweet melted brown sugar on the palate, and some burnt orange; Finish: long, rich, warming and spicy with burnt sherry notes.

From Bowmore I drove to the other side of Loch Indaal to the Bruichladdich distillery to see what’s new. Last year Bruichladdich released 26 new whiskies, most of them special editions. It is important to stay on top of Bruichladdich distillery, and while there will not be as many new releases this year, they are a number of new bottling to keep an eye out for:

1.         Bruichladdich Organic 5Yr – First In Series

2.         Bruichladdich X4+3 – The first bottling of Bruichladdichs quadruple distilled X4 that can be called whisky, aged 3 years.

3.         Bruichladdich Black Art 1989 – A series of whiskies produced from a variety of cask types.

4.         Bruichladdich Infinity 3rd Edition – The most heavily peated infinity yet.

5.         Bruichladdich Fino Sherry – Replaces Oloroso Sherry

6.         Bruichladdich PX Sherry – Replaces Manzanilla Sherry

7.         Bruichladdich 17Yr Rum Cask Finish – Finished 2 Years in Rum Casks

8.         Bruichladdich Classic – Replaces the 2001 Resurrection Dram / Will be the benchmark new Bruichladdich until the new 10 year old is released in 2013.

9.         Bruichladdich Sherry Fusion – New continuous release made from a mix of different sherry casks.

10.       Bruichladdich Ocotomore 2nd Release – 15,000 bottles, 140ppm

11.       PC8 – Port Charlotte 8Yr 30,000 bottles, last release in the series

There was more to the day than that; I also attended a party for the Bruichladdich staff held each year on the night before their Islay Whisky Festival Open Day. It was a great chance to meet some of the locals and say hello to some familiar faces. The whole gang was there, Andrew Gray, Duncan MacGillivray, Jim & Barbara McEwan, and Mark Reineir to name just a few.  I spent most of the night enjoying the new Bruichladdich 16Yr Bourbon Cask which is a hell of a dram, and will be in store later this week (yes this is the same dram that showed well at the Spring Single Malt Festival).

Bruichladdich has in just 10 years gone from an unknown entity to one of Scotland’s most recognizable whisky brands. It is now almost as well known as Islay’s other iconic malt whiskies like Lagavulin, Bowmore and Ardbeg, and has certainly done far more than any of the aforementioned other distillers to capture people’s imaginations.  I saw this plainly enough at the pre-festival-celidh.  Bruichladdich has inspired art, music, poetry and has legions of devotees. But how has it captured the loyalty and imagination of so many customer and fans, so quickly? If you ask me, its people, Bruichladdich is a big family. When you buy a bottle of Bruichladdich single malt you aren’t just buying its history as you do with many of other of Scotland’s distilleries, you are buying its future too! Save for perhaps Springbank, Bruichladdich employs more people in relation to its output than any of Scotland’s other distillers.

The Bruichladdich party was one of the highlights of my trip to Scotland. I too was made to feel a part of their extended family, and it was a great feeling. After a great meal and some entertainment I retired we some of the staff to the Port Charlotte Pub where the party continued until well past two in the morning.  I only had one day on Islay, but it was a great day!

 New Products

1. Blackadder Raw Cask Tormore 1990 – Whisky in the raw, from barrel to bottle with a little bit of sediment and charred oak for good measure. From a single American oak cask, 65.9% this is a big one! – $115.49
2. Dalmore 15Yr – Matured exclusively in European oak sherry casks, Cloves, vanilla, cinamon, ginger and Seville oranges, with lemon and lime. – $83.99
3. Dalmore 1974 – “Matusalem Sherry Finesse” Matured in casks which previously held Gonzalez Byass sherries. Only 2 bottles of it in Canada! – $1321.99
4. Jura 16Yr – Rich butter notes, organges, spices, sweet toffee and honey on the finish. – $67.49
5. Signatory Mortlach 1988 – Aged 19 years in a single Refill Sherry Butt, 577 total bottles at 59.6%. Warm, sweet, dark sherry notes, sweet caramel, burnt orange and milk chocolate. – $110.49

Products En Route

1. Bruichladdich 16Yr Bourbon Cask Matured – Warm, rich and drowning in vanilla—I normally prefer peated Bruichladdichs, but fell in love with this one on Islay! – $82.49
2. Connoisseurs Choice Rosebank 1991 – Distilled only two years before the distillery closed for ever. – $103.49
3. G&M Smith’s Glenlivet 21Yr – This really tasting bottling of Glenlivet has been bottled by Gordon & MacPhail, and it is spectacularly rich and buttery! – $126.99
4. Jura 18Yr – Marmelade, spicy toffee, almonds, dark bitter chocolate and licorice. – $TBA
5. OMC Port Ellen 26Yr – Douglas Laing & Co. are the kings of bottling Port Ellen—Scotland’s most mourned closed distillery—can’t tell you much more about this bottling just now, except that I can’t wait to try it… – $TBA

 

Returned Products

1. BenRiach 15Yr Madeira Finish – Jim Murray gave this dram a 94 in his Whisky Bible, and it isn’t hard to see why, sweet, soft and spicy. Oh and it goes well with Chips Ahoy cookies while sitting by the camp fire! – $82.49
2. Brora 30Yr – Brora is a closed distillery in the Northern Highlands, I’ll spare you the full story, except to say Brora was the original Clynelish distillery, and that after the current Clynelish distillery was opened, Brora was used to produce a heavily peated malt. This is a big rich robust whisky, ideally suited to a peppercorn NY steak… – $TBA

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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

From the nice people (W.I. always agrees with the giving of whisky) at The Glenlivet

“That’s the prize in our Father’s Day Competition. And the beauty of it is, you don’t have to be a father to win. Just enter the simple competition and a bottle of this superb cask-strength single malt could be yours. Of course, you might be lucky enough to be given a bottle of The Glenlivet as a Father’s Day present. But why take that chance?”

Enter to Win at the Guardians of Glenlivet;

http://www.theglenlivet.com/guardians/fathersday09/index.php?mtk=115

A. Dewar Rattray Independent Bottler is offering through their Alberta agent, Purple Valley Imports, mature casks of single malt scotch whisky which is ready for immediate bottling.

The very exclusive and limited selection is as follows;

Coleburn (Closed) 1983 25 years old  48% 47 cases*
Auchentoshan 1991 18 years old 59.9% 35 cases*
Glenrothes 1990 19 years old 55.7% 35 cases*
Strathmill 1989 20 years old 59.9% 35 cases*
Aberfeldy 1994 15 years old 57.5% 35 cases*
Laphroaig 1996 13 years old 59.9% 35 cases*
Cragganmore 1997 12 years old 59.9% 35 cases*

* cases are 6 bottles each and the number of cases is approximate. Please contact Jonathan Bray of Purple Valley Imports for further information. Sale of these exclusive casks are strictly on a first come first serve basis. Exclusive casks will be offered only once a year and are highly sought after by markets worldwide. No guarantee is made that a particular cask will still be available. Case numbers are approximate and may vary considerably.

Jonathan Bray  (403) 862 3577 or jonathan@purplevalleyimports.com

And for information on A. Dewar Rattray please visit http://www.adrattray.com/

Father’s Day – it’s not too late! BUT we do need your orders by 3pm, Wednesday 17th June at the latest (no Saturday deliveries)
MAKERS MARK with FREE book Celebrate Obama’s first Independence Day as US President, with a fine bourbon and a good read! MAKERS MARK Bourbon, £22.95	KILKERRAN Work in progress And progressing well. The latest bottling from Campbeltown, we think this is 5 years old.KILKERRAN 46% 70cl, £29.95	FREE TOMINTOUL 16 year old mini (5cl)FREE only when purchasing any of the following bottles;	Don’t know what to get?? Gift Packs He’ll smile and say thanks, but did he really want that Soap on a Rope…?FLAVOUR MAP 4x5cl, £12.95 BALVENIE 3x5cl, £14.95 HOP QUIZ! Think you know Beer? 4x33cl, £6.95
NEW HIBIKI 12 Year Old Ohh, me plums!! New from Japan…HIBIKI 12 70cl, £37.95	NEW LAUDALE 12 The second bottling in an affordable range of mystery single malts from Adelphi. LAUDALE 12 46% 70cl, £31.50	NEW FROM TULLIBARDINEInteresting new bottlings from the up and coming distillery near Gleneagles.	NEW BALVENIE VINTAGE A very limited 2009 bottling selected by Beekeepers!BALVENIE 1978 53.8% 70cl, £445.00
NEW OLD & RARE The well respected range from Douglas Laing & Co Ltd.BUNNAHABHAIN 1974 58.3% 70cl, £174.95 HIGHLAND PARK 1978 55.1% 70cl, £185.00			NEW DUNCAN TAYLOR Two new tasty popular whiskies from DT.HIGHLAND PARK 1991 Duncan Taylor 54.6% 70cl, £62.95 BOWMORE 1982 Duncan Taylor 53.5% 70cl, £67.95 Deal Price £15 off
This is where we are responsible for telling you to be responsible and to drink responsibily. So, now that we have told you to be responsible, we are no longer responsible in any way for your response to a drink.Slainte!Royal Mile Whiskies 379 Royal Mile Edinburgh EH1 1PW Tel: 0131 225 33833 Bloomsbury Street London WC1B 3QE Tel: 0207 436 4763info@royalmilewhiskies.com

Guests will have a chance to meet modern-day world explorer Colin Angus and taste a range of single malt Scotch whiskies from Glenfiddich, the most awarded single malt Scotch whisky in the world.  Please see the evite below (and attached) for more details on the event, Colin or the Glenfiddich brand.

In terms of the product, as you surely know, Glenfiddich is available across Canada (no new product release here), and is the world’s most awarded single malt Scotch whisky.

For more award information, you can visit www.glenfiddich.ca.

Anyone interested in attending the event can RSVP to glenfiddich@ddbcanada.com to reserve a ticket, as space is limited for this exclusive event. 

After a long wait the excellent single malts from the Glencadam Distillery are now available in Canada (currently in British Columbia).

The Glencadam DISTILLERY
The distillery is capable of producing around 1.5 million litres per year and has a storage capacity of approximately 20,000 casks. Plans are under way to increase capacity for storage in the vicinity of the town. The distillery holds stocks of quality whisky up to 30 years old. Glencadam has operated two pot stills since the beginning. The shape of the stills at Glencadam has never altered over the years. An unusual feature about the stills is that their lye pipes run upwards at an angle of 15 degrees rather than downwards. The belief is that this helps to produce a particularly delicate and mellow spirit which after maturation yields sweet and fruity notes in the final product. The essential supply of pure water for distilling depends on Glencadam’s long-held rights to springs at The Moorans, some 8.7 miles away and perhaps the longest water supply for distilling purposes of any Scottish distillery. This precious resource then flows through the Unthank hills on its way to the distillery . The distillery also has rights to draw water from Barry Burn for cooling purposes.

Two editions of Glencadam are being introduced;

Glencadan 10yo Highland Single Malt #656561
Grassy freshness and citrus on the nose and a pleasing harmony between a natural sweetness and the soft spicy oak on the palate.

A Whisky Intelligence tasting note for the Glencadam 10yo can be viewed at https://www.whiskyintelligence.com/2009/05/glencadam-10yo-46-ob-2009/

and the Glencadam 15yo Highland Single Malt ;

Colour: Pale gold; Nose: Salty notes with balance of sweetness. Delicate, elegant and charming. Palate: Cut-grass juiciness with mouth-watering malty signature. Restrained sweetness caressed by soft oak. Finish: Medium length. Oak balancing sweeter characteristics.

For more information on the Glencadam Distillery please visit http://www.glencadamdistillery.co.uk/glen/welcome.htm

or http://www.raredrams.com/

Issue #113 of the Malt Maniacs newsletter has now been published online with eight new Single Malt Scotch Whisky articles.

Visit  http://www.maltmaniacs.org/malt-113.html to read these excellent articles today.

RARE DRAMS June 2009 CURRENT PORTFOLIO
Rare Drams imports rare single malts from Scotland. We have carefully selected our partnerships based on reputation and quality of product above all. We currently work with 3 suppliers to bring BC one of the most varied and sought after whisky portfolios. For the past two years we have the honor of being the top selling independent bottler in BC. Douglas Laing is a well know blender and bottler in Scotland. They specialize in single cask single malts. With offerings from virtually any distillery in Scotland.

OLD MALT CASK – SINGLE CASK SINGLE MALTS 50% abv – 6/case

LAPHROAIG 13 YO
A very popular whisky, hard to get anything but the quarter
cask – not yet tasted by Jim Murray 1 case

BENRINNES 14 YO
A lesser known distillery 1 case

LITTLEMILL 16YO –
(LOST DISTILLERY) 89 POINTS
“A little cracker! Littlemill as never seen before”. JIm Murray 1 case

MACALLAN 21YO

GLEN GARIOCH ( pronounced Geery ) 3 cases

GLENTAUCHERS 89 POINTS 2 cases “A delightful, ever-shifting malt – it plays with your tastebuds”

OLD & RARE BOTTLED @ CASK STRENGTH 3/case

GLEN GRANT 31YO Sherry finish 58.6% abv featured at Victoria Whisky Festival

GLEN KEITH 35YO Rum Finish 52.6% abv

MACALLAN 21YO Sherry Finish 54.4% abv

TOMATIN 31YO 55.6% abv

VATTED MALTS 46% abv – 750ml glass decanter

SPECIFIED ISLAY VATTED MALT – 5 SINGLE MALTS: BOWMORE, BUNNAHABHAIN, LAPHROAIG, COAL ILA & ARDBEG

SPEYSIDE VATTED MALT – 4 SINGLE MALTS: DUFFTOWN, LINKWOOD, MOTLACH & GLENDULLAN.

For more info and a list of stores please visit http://www.raredrams.com/

For more information on Douglas Laing Independent Bottlers please visit http://www.douglaslaing.com/

TheWhiskyExchange.com – Tel: +44 (0)208 838 9388
Visit http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/ for further details on these bottlings.

Here’s something you don’t see every day; a vintage Highland Park. Released last month, it was created exclusively for duty free and (what we in the trade call) Global Travel Retail markets.

The guys who look after duty free asked us to make a whisky that is like the 12 year old… but smokier. So we hand-picked a selection of Highland Park casks from 1997 – with an emphasis on American oak sherry casks – and vatted them together in the time-honoured fashion. The result is a deliciously complex single malt with a long smoky finish.

Why the emphasis on American oak sherry casks? As you know, the biggest single influence on whisky flavor is the oak in which the whisky matures. At Highland Park we use expensive sherry seasoned casks; those made from American oak give the whisky soft, creamy vanilla and coconut sweet flavours which allow the aromatic smokiness of our whisky to fully express itself. Some refill European oak sherry seasoned casks have been used in the 1997 vintage to provide complexity, citrus sweetness and that all-important Highland Park sense of balance.

In terms of style, Highland Park 1997 vintage is closely related to the 16 and 21 year old expressions. We hope you have as much fun savouring it as we did putting it together for you.

Highland Park 1997 40%
Colour: Soft amber hue.
Nose: Classic American oak sherry cask notes of sweet vanilla, hints of butterscotch and coconut to the fore. Background notes of ripe citrus fruits with a whiff of teasing toffee and camphor.
Palate: Beautiful balance of sweetness and heather peat smokiness.
Finish: Long and smoky.

Highland Park 1997 is available in one litre bottles at €42. Look out for Highland Park 1997 when you are at any of the following airports; Berlin/Tegel, Berlin/Schönefeld, Köln/Bonn, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover, Hahn, Frankfurt, Weeze, Copenhagen, Trondheim, Wien, Linz, Graz, Dalaman, Ankara, Izmir, Istanbul, Antalya, Budapest, Dubrovnik, Pula, Rijeka.

For more information about the Best Spirit in the World visit www.highlandpark.co.uk

 

Gerry
Head of Brand Education, Highland Park