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Runner-Up 2015 & 2016

Whisky Magazine Icons of Whisky: Rest of the World

Retailer Single Outlet “Highly Commended”

Malt Messenger Bulletin – Summer Tasting Schedule & New Whiskies

Wherever you are, whether it be on the dock at the cottage, toiling in the office or travelling the world, I hope that this email finds you well! The 2016 Calgary Stampede is now just a memory, and the city is returning to normal after one of the wettest, stormiest starts to summer I can ever recall. Stampede is a slow time for us in Kensington, but rest assured we keep busy. I often regard the week as an opportunity to catch up and catch up we did. I have a full Malt Messenger going out later this or early next week, and we’ve put together an amazing little summer tasting schedule.

Our summer 2016 tasting schedule includes some great whisky, wine, beer and cocktail events, highlighting our best and most exciting new products in store. We get rolling tomorrow night on the whisky side of things with a very cool tasting featuring whiskies from the First Edition and Author’s Series ranges. For just $45 our guests will enjoy 7 whiskies from: Littlemill, Springbank, BenRiach, Laphroaig, Highland Park, Bunnahabhain and Auchroisk distilleries. This tasting with a range of whiskies worth $3000 would be a bargain at twice the price.

This is not the only super cool whisky tasting this Summer! We have other great events highlighting Wilson & Morgan single cask single malts, new Signatory single casks and the big daddy, the Glendronach Batch 13 Vertical. The full range of 9 Batch 13 Glendronach vintage single casks is worth nearly $8,000, and at $200 this tasting is a steal. We sincerely hope we are wrong, but this will almost certainly be the last Glendronach vertical tasting at Kensington Wine Market, and possibly in Canada. A change of ownership at the distillery will eventually mean Glendronach, BenRiach and Glenglassaugh will fall under the Brown Forman umbrella. We fear this will not be good for Alberta fans of these distilleries. Say what you will about the number 13… this will be an incredible tasting!

Details on all of our Summer Whisky Tastings can be found on-line and below.

We have only just finalized the details on our Kensington Wine Market 2016 Whisky Advent Calendar, and it is now open for pre-orders! I am especially excited about this year’s Calendar, as the Scotch Malt Whisky Society has bottled a special single cask for it… we even had the opportunity to name it! Order before September 15 and save $35 off the $400+GST retail price. Many more details included below.

We have some exciting new whiskies both in stock and on the way. Over the next two weeks we are expecting the first ever release from the Wolfburn Distillery, Scotland’s new northernmost distillery. It will be exclusive to KWM in Alberta for the first little while! Kensington Wine Market is also going to be getting the first ever release of whisky from the Shelter Point Distillery on Vancouver Island. The Shelter Point Inaugural Run Single Malt will be exclusively available in Alberta from KWM! More details below.

There are a pair of huge Malt Messengers coming out over the next month chalk full of of new whiskies from Signatory, Wilson & Morgan, Glendronach, Chichibu, Edition Spirits, Cadenhead, Adelphi and more. But there are two new whiskies, which deserve a bit of special attention beforehand however. Firstly, there is the new Lagavaulin 8 Year, marking the distillery’s 200th Anniversary this year. It is getting great reviews, and has been flying off the shelves… it won’t be around for long! There is also a new Canada exclusive single cask from Amrut, a peated Port Pipe at 59%. It is in all respects the most massive Amrut I’ve ever sampled, and one hell of a dram. More details below.

Thanks for reading the Malt Messenger Bulletin!

Andrew Ferguson

Kensington Wine Market

In this Edition

1. Summer 2016 Tasting Schedule
2. Kensington Wine Market 2016 Whisky Advent Calendar
3. COMING SOON: Wolfburn Single Malt First Release
4. COMING SOON: Shelter Point Inaugural Run Single Malt
5. Introducing Lagavulin 8 Year 200th Anniversary
6. Introducing Amrut Peated Port Pipe 2011 Cask 2712

PS- PS – Don’t forget you can follow me on Twitter:

twitter.com/scotch_guy, Instagram: instagram.com/kensingtonwm/

 and Facebook: facebook.com/scotch.guy.1 .

www.fergusonwhiskytours.com

Summer 2016 Whisky Tasting Schedule

We have more than a few ways for you to stay cool this summer!

Our summer tasting schedule, including wine, whisky, beer and cocktail sessions run now through the end of August. All of our summer tastings start promptly at 6PM and are located at the Kensington Wine Market. Space is limited to book early!

1. New Wilson & Morgan Whiskies – We have an exciting range of Wilson & Morgan single malt whiskies coming including: Clynelish, Mortlach, Bunnahabhain, Tobermory and more. We’ll be sampling all six as well as the award winning Home Blend 35 Year. – Thursday July 28 – $45
2. New Signatory Single Casks – Signatory is one of our favourite independent bottlers, and they manage to put their hands on some stellar single casks. We’ll sample 7 whiskies including pairs of both Clynelish and Fettercairn as well as Bunnahabhain, Glen Keith and Imperial. – Thursday August 4, 6PM – $60
3. Glendronach Batch 13 Vertical – Could this be the last ever batch of Glendronach single casks to come to Canada? Lucky 13 may be a double edged sword… We’ll sample all 9 single casks up to and including the 1968 Cask 5837 ($5500), the oldest Glendronach ever bottled. – Tuesday August 9, 6PM – $200
4. Maltbarn & The Whisky Agency – We’ve got some really cool new single casks in from German independent bottlers Maltbarn and The Whisky Agency, and we’re opening 7 of them up for a sizzling summer tasting. – Thursday August 11, 6PM – $25
5. Classic Summer Cocktails – Is there anything more refreshing than a perfectly balanced summer cocktail? We’ll show you some of the tricks of the trade! – Tuesday August 16, 6PM – $25
6. Boutique Bourbons – Sure the big guys hog all the attention, but does that mean they make the best whiskey? Evan wants to introduce you to some of his favourite, truly small batch Bourbons! – Thursday August 18, 6PM – $35

You can register online, in store or by phone 403-283-8000.

2016 KWM Whisky Advent Calendar 

We are taking pre-orders for October delivery!

For the 3rd year in a row, Kensington Wine Market is producing its own Whisky Advent Calendar. 2014 and 2015’s editions were a huge hit, and sold out well before the start of Advent. Save $35 by pre-ordering your calendar before September 15.

We are really excited about our 2016 KWM Whisky Advent Calendar. For the third straight year we have designed and built our own exclusive Whisky Advent Calendar, featuring a custom logo Glencairn glass, 24 50ml whiskies and a 100ml Christmas Day bottling from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (The Society). The Society is the world’s largest whisky club, and bottles whiskies exclusively for its members. This year’s Calendar has a single cask from the Society that has been selected and bottled exclusively for the Calendar and Canadian Society members (750ml bottles will be made available to Society members in January!). In collaboration with the Society’s Canadian branch, we were even given the opportunity to name the whisky… Since Society whiskies are exclusively available to Society members, this is an opportunity for non-members to get their hands on a Society whisky. Recipients of the KWM Whisky Advent Calendar will be the first people to sample this exciting new whisky!

The Kensington Wine Market Whisky Advent Calendar is more than just a product for us, it is a way for us to share and connect with other whisky lovers in Calgary, Alberta and across Canada. Details on the whiskies released and their distillery will be posted on the KWM Blog each day. Recipients of the Calendar are encouraged to share their thoughts with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The KWM Whisky Advent Calendar also comes with a 10% discount card, good for any of the whiskies in the Calendar (excepting the Society whisky), subject to availability.

Save $35 by ordering before September 15. A $150 deposit will be taken per calendar requested starting on August 1st. The balance will be charged when the calendar is ready for pickup!

Pre-Order a Kensington Wine Market 2016 Whisky Advent Calendar $364.99+GST (until September 15).

COMING SOON: The Wolfburn Single Malt First Release

The first ever whisky release from the new northern-most distillery in Scotland, is coming first to the Kensington Wine Market!

Kensington Wine Market is thrilled to be the first store in Canada to launch the new Wolfburn single malt. It has been bottled at 46% after just three years in Ex-Bourbon and Ex-Sherry quarter casks which previously held Islay whiskies. The early reviews are pretty good, considering the spirit is still young, just 3 years old. $85

In May of 2011 a team went in search of the long lost distillery of Wolfburn, which closed for ever some 150 years ago. Nothing of the original distillery survived except the cold clean water they used to produce their spirit. The following year, again in May, work began to rebuild what would supplant Old Pulteney as the northernmost mainland distillery. Construction was completed with impressive speed in just 7 months, and on Robbie Burns Day 2013 (January 25th) spirit began to flow off the stills for the first time.

Although the original Wolfburn was in its heyday one of the largest distilleries in the Highlands, all of the whisky it produced would have been consumed in the surrounding area, and there are no surviving bottles or traces of its whisky. The owners of the new Wolfburn distillery have a blank slate from which to craft the new whisky. At the moment they are primarily producing unpeated malt.

Tasting Note by Serge at whiskyfun.org 85pts: “The very first official whisky by Thurso’s Wolfburn Distillery! Some trustworthy sources say they’ve bottled no less than 62.000 bottles of this new baby, that’ll be out a little later this month. It’s a 3 years old, obviously. We already tried a 20 month old last year, and found it good. Colour: white wine. Nose: Very fresh, with white asparagus and green apples (not the other way ’round), then a welcome touch of ink, ‘new magazine’, a smidgen of curry and caraway, and damp chalk. That’s all very nice, it seems that there’s some texture. That was the case with the 20 mo, but that one was ex-Islay cask. No roughness in this genuine whisky. Mouth: there’s an unexpected smokiness in the arrival, some branches and grass, a touch of blond tobacco, a little pepper, traces of soot, and again, maybe, some sweet white asparagus (which I simply adore). At the fruit department, rather plums than pears. Ripe greengages, I’d say. Very nice texture, slightly oily. Finish: medium, fresh, with fresh almonds and more greengages. Rather pink grapefruits in the aftertaste. Comments: thank you Alexander aus Aarau in der Schweiz! I find this little baby extremely good, and am so pleased that they didn’t decide to bury it under various heavy oaks and wines. The natural ones will win! Worth a very high score in my book, despite its very young age. SGP:551 – 85 points.”

Whisky Advocate Tasting Note 83pts: “The first release from Wolfburn distillery is 3 years old. Matured in a mix of Spanish and American oak quarter casks previously used by an Islay distillery. The nose is soft and belies its youth, offering vanilla, lemon, ginger, and light smoke. The early palate is grassy. Sweeter fruit notes soon develop with more vanilla and ginger, plus white pepper. The finish is quite long and slightly smoky. Much to look forward to as this ages!” (Summer 2016) Reviewed by: Gavin Smith 

Pre-Order Wolfburn Single Malt First Release – $85+GST

COMING SOON: Shelter Point Inaugural Run Single Malt 

The first ever release from the Vancouver Island distillery is exclusive to KWM in Alberta!

The first ever release from the Shelter Point distillery on Vancouver island is exclusive in Alberta to KWM. Bottled at 46%, the whisky is made from two row barley, grown on the distillery’s farm, doubled distilled in copper pot stills and matured in American oak.

Originally this first ever release of single malt whisky from a new Canadian distillery was not supposed to come to Alberta or the rest of Canada at all! But we weren’t prepared to let that be the final word, especially after sampling it. So we begged and pleaded and the distillery agreed to give us exclusivity on the whisky in Alberta!

Shelter Point Inaugural Run Single Malt – 46% – American Oak – Andrew’s Tasting Note:

“Nose: fresh, floral and fruity, honey and loads of malt; very doughy, dried orange cubes, very sugary and baked apples with cinnamon. Palate: thick, honeyed and malty with prominent licorice and loads of sugars including white, brown sugar and darker Demerara; still floral and vegetal with crisp toasty oak. Finish: long, coating and malty with touches of spice, oak, white fruit, sugars and spice. Comment: if this is a hint of things to come, then Shelter Point is on the right track, young but balanced and complex.” – $80

Pre-order Shelter Point Inaugural Run Single Malt – $80+GST

Introducing Lagavulin 8 Year 200th Anniversary 

The latest Islay whisky to turn 200 marks its anniversary with a bold new limited edition expression! 

It’s not every year that an iconic distillery turns 200 years old. Last year we celebrated Ardbeg and Laphroaig, this year it is Lagavulin’s turn! The distillery has been congratulated for its transperency, putting an age statement under 10 years on the label. Some early reviews are very favourable. The whisky is in part a tribute to the most famous whisky writer of the Victorian age, Alfred Barnard, who visited the distillery in the 1880s:

“In the late 1880s, Alfred Barnard, the first ever whisky journalist and traveller, sampled an 8 Year Old Lagavulin during a visit to Islay, describing it as “exceptionally fine” and ‘held in high repute’. He went on the declare Lagavulin to be “one of the most prominent” of the few Scotch Distillers that can turn our spirit for use as single [Malt] Whiskies.”

Great Review from Serge at whiskyfun.org 90pts!  “I think it’s very smart that whilst the whisky’s quite young, they have decided to disclose its age, and to go ‘transparent’. That’s true modern luxury if you ask me (relation plus story plus DETAILS), while other, ach, erm, brands are issuing innumerable new NAS bottlings with only stories these days, and are really starting to blur their image and reputation (which are tomorrow’s sales, remember). As always, my humble opinion, and after all, we’re here for the whisky. So… Colour: white wine. Nose: precision, that’s the first word that springs to mind. Bandages, cane juice, hay, and marzipan, then seaweed, oysters, and diesel oil, then ink, mezcal, grist, and wet wool. Plus one blueberry. Mouth: this is where it kills the IB. This is much better chiselled, purer, better focused, much more distillate-driven, and sharp. And it’s very ashy, sooty, smoky, you’d almost believe you just ate the ashtray. It surprises me a bit that they didn’t decide on a rounder and sweeter style, but for obvious reasons, I won’t complain. Love this style! It’s actually very dry. Also fresh walnuts. Salted fresh walnuts. Strength and body are perfect. Finish: long and austere, on pretty much the same flavours, but drops of orange juice are playing it a little sexier in the aftertaste. Perhaps a little ginger tonic? Comments: it’s really the words purity and precision that rule here, there’s no make-up, no Botox, no dye, and no silicone. Some pure, totally crystalline Lagavulinity (what?) that makes you want to take the next flight(s) to Islay and to go kiss the Distillery Manager on both cheeks. Huge quality/age ratio. Happy 200th, Lagavulin! SGP:358 – 90 points.”

Lagavulin 8 Year 200th Anniversary – 48% – Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Immediately quite soft with clean, fresh notes, faint hints of milk chocolate and lemon and then developing fragrant tea-scented smoke alongside nose-drying, maritime aromas, with subtle cereal. A prickliness seen earlier now develops, while the trademark Lagavulin dryness emerges as fresh newsprint. Softly sooty. Softer, fuller and more rounded with water: it’s not hugely fruity but there’s just a trace of red berry preserve, perhaps, beneath the smokiness, which comes sharply into focus. Body: Light, growing pleasantly oily. Palate: A soothing light texture, with a magnificently full on Lagavulin taste that’s somehow even bigger than you expect; sweet, smoky and warming, with a growing, smoky pungency, then dry, with more smoke. Charred, with minty, dark chocolate. Beautifully balanced midpalate then salty, oven-charred baked potato skins and smoke. Water rounds things, the taste still mighty yet more succulent, sweeter, spicier and now tongue-tingling, mint-fresh and warming. Finish: Lovely; clean, very long and smoky. Smoothly, subtle minted smoke surrounds chocolate tannins, leaving a late drying note to emerge in time. It’s warming, soft and still smoky with water, not as long or intense now, yet still leaving the palate dry as sweet smoke lingers on the breath.” – $100

Introducing Amrut Peated Port Pipe 2011 Cask 2712 

A new single cask of Amrut bottled exclusively for Canada! 

Bottled from a single port pipe at 59% the entirity of this peated Indian single malt cask, is coming to Canada. Cask 2712 is a monster, made of peated malt and matured a little over 5 years, but in Bangalore India, so it drinks much older! Distilled in January 2011 and bottled in February 2016, 660 Bottles.

Amut Peated Port Pipe 2011 Cask 2712 – 59% – 5 Year – Peated Malt – Port Pipe Finish – Andrew’s Tasting Note: “Nose: smoky bbq sauce and salsa; Dutch licorice, sea salt, cayenne infused dark chocolate, lightly burnt bacon, grilled prosciutto wrapped dates and figs; musty old wood, Late Bottle Vintage port wine and black tarry smoke. Palate: a pleasant but powerful assault of smoke, sea salt, malt, Dutch licorice and burnt bacon; leather and sharp tobacco make way for pineapple, melon and mango; more smoky bbq sauce and salsa; bacon infused dark chocolate, grilled figs and dates and firm wine tannins. Finish: long drying, coating and anesthetizing with a mild numbing sensation; the bbq notes, salt, fruit, smoke and leather linger long. Comment: this is the biggest, badest Amrut I’ve ever had, a monster; fans of Islay single malts like Supernova and Octomore will love this! – $155

Thank You for Reading the Malt Messenger! 

Contact & Disclaimers 

If you have any whisky questions or comments concerning The Malt Messenger please contact me by e-mail, phone, or drop by the store.

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 and don’t include GST. In the case of discrepancies in pricing, the price in our in store point of sale will be taken as correct.

Thanks for reading the Malt Messenger.

Sláinte!

Andrew Ferguson

Owner & Scotchguy

Kensington Wine Market

403-283-8000

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

www.kensingtonwinemarket.com

JULY & EARLY AUGUST TASTINGS

New Members’ Sensory Tasting – 19 Greville St, Tue 26 July  More >

Monday Research: Bunnahabhain – The Vaults, Mon 1 Aug  More >

New Outturn Tasting – 19 Greville St, Sat 6 Aug  More >

Steak & Whisky Tasting – 19 Greville St, Mon 8 Aug  More >

UK-WIDE PREVIEWS WITH UISGE SOURCE

Perth – The Salutation Hotel, Fri 22 July More >

Durham – Radission Blu, Fri 29 July  More >

Stirling – The Golden Lion, Fri 29 July More >

Sheffield – Leopold Hotel, Fri 29 July  More >

FREE EVENTS AT THE VAULTS

Live Music Night with Main Street Blues – Tue 26 July  More >

Live Music Night with Hot Tin Roof – Tue 9 Aug More >

Browse All Events & Tastings >

The Vaults, Leith – will close for a private function all day on Friday 5 August 2016. Please accept our invitation to our newly refurbished Members Room at Queen Street and accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ

Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at here for membership information

This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!

Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video

J. & G. Grant are proud to release the Glenfarclas 1981 Port Cask IV, the fourth limited edition bottling from the Family Collector Series. Full maturation in a Port Cask, as opposed to the more typically used Oloroso Sherry Casks, promises an excitingly different Glenfarclas single malt. With only 521 bottles available worldwide, this rarity is set to stir intrigue among Glenfarclas enthusiasts.

The last distillery bottling matured in Port Casks dates back to 2012, which at the time was a limited edition 31 Years Old, making the current 1981 Port Cask IV the oldest Port Cask matured whisky to be released by J. & G. Grant. At 35 years old and bottled at cask strength (47.9%), this single cask whisky reveals a distinctive character accentuated by a sweet port influence.

The packaging ties in with the previous Family Collector Series designs; a black leather box featuring a silver emblem of the Grant family’s 4^th generation, George S. Grant. This was the current Director of Sales, George Grant’s grandfather, who was custodian of Glenfarclas for 52 years. Future generations can now appreciate this unique whisky, laid down in the family warehouses during George S. Grant’s tenure.

George Grant, 6^th generation, comments: “We wanted to make an innovative Family Collector Series, which incorporates bottlings from Fino Sherry, Oloroso Sherry, and now, Port Cask matured whisky. I believe this truly showcases the variety and skill that Glenfarclas has to offer to our valued customers around the world.”

Glenfarclas
Email: info@glenfarclas.co.uk
Website: www.glenfarclas.co.uk
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/glenfarclas/
Tel: +44 (0) 1807 500257
Fax: +44 (0) 1807 500234
Address: Glenfarclas Distillery, Ballindalloch, Banffshire AB37 9BD, UK

www.ralfy.com talks about Lomond stills with Whisky Review 593 – Inchmurrin 12yo malt @ 46%vol

Glenfiddich prepares for Resident Artists First Exhibition 

Work by international artists participating in Glenfiddich’s annual artist in residence programme will go on show at the Distillery’s on-site Gallery from July 30^th.

This year marks Glenfiddich’s 15^th residency and eight artists are taking part in the programme. To date 120 artists from over twenty different countries have been through the experience, living and working at the Distillery over the summer months.

The first exhibition will feature a series of stunning abstract paintings by Norwich based artist, Lisa Almond and a sculptural work designed to provide a visual representation of whisky evaporating from a cask by Taiwanese artist Lin Kun Ying who has been working in collaboration with Glenfiddich’s head cooper, local craftsman Allan Morrison, and Glasstorm studios in Tain. Also on show will be striking photographic landscape images by the residency’s first ever Australian artist, Joan Ross.  The images have been augmented by the artist to incorporate her trademark use of fluro colours.

Andy Fairgrieve, curator of the Glenfiddich Artist in Residence programme said:

“This exhibition is a stimulating start to our 15^th residency. The three artists have embraced the local surroundings to create pieces that are highly engaging and impactful. We will be showcasing work by other artists involved in the programme over the coming months.”

The eight artists participating in the 2016 residency are Emily Binks (UK), Min Joon Park (Korea), Lisa Almond (UK), Lin Kun Ying (Taiwan), Joan Ross

(Australia), Subir Hati (India), Hu Weiyi (China) and Eleanor King (Canada).

The first 2016 Artists in Residence exhibition will run from July 30^th until Sunday 21^st August in the Glenfiddich Gallery situated near the Distillery car park. The Gallery is open daily Wednesday to Sunday from 12.30pm – 5.00pm (closed Monday/Tuesday) and admission is free.

Glenfiddich will also host a special preview of the exhibition on July 29^th from 6.30pm, to which all are welcome.

Balvenie Tun 1509 & Single Cask Expressions

We have some fantastic whiskies coming into stock this week that we can’t help shouting about. Ranging from 18 to 25 years old, these single cask whiskies are very limited in number as no more than a few hundred bottles can be charged from one cask. In addition we have more stock arriving of the much sought-after Balvenie Tun 1509 Batch 3, so make sure you pre-order to avoid disappointment!

Free delivery available on all orders over £75 Next day delivery available

Balvenie Tun 1509 Batch 3

 
FIRST EDITIONS ALLT A’BHAINNE 1993

One of only 177 bottles produced from a single bourbon barrel, this Speyside Single Malt was distilled in 1993 at the Allt A’Bhainne distillery. Aged for 22 years, this expression has been bottled at a cask strength of 51.4% abv and is non chill-filtered.

Expect vanilla, stewed apples and spring flowers. A smooth, creamy mouthfeel with stewed rhubarb and liquorice, with oak making a late appearance.

£160 Buy Now

OLD MALT CASK ROYAL BRACKLA 18 YEAR OLD

A mere 127 bottles of this Highland Single Malt have been produced from a single refill barrel in the Royal Brackla distillery in Nairn. Distilled in May 1998, this 18 year old is presented at a preferred strength of 50% abv as part of the Old Malt Cask range.

Sweet vanilla fudge on the nose, with chocolate and toffee notes. The palate is creamy with vanilla, cinder toffee and sultanas, while the finish is long and sweet with fruity notes and a hint of oak.

£125 Buy Now

Japanese Gift Sets

Japanese Whisky has been growing in popularity for a number of years now, consistently ranking in Jim Murray’s Top 5 and Top 10 Whiskies of the Year and claiming the top spot in 2015. Start exploring the Land of the Rising Sun with our range of great gift sets.

Elijah Craig 12 Year Old Bourbon

The country with the most summer sporting medals of all time is home to a variety of styles of whiskey. Bourbon is the most famous, and our top offer this month is an aged example from Heaven Hill, the home of Elijah Craig. At £4 off, it’s even better value for money than usual. Tasting Notes by Rocky

Nose: Complex with toast, toffee, marmalade, lots of vanilla and an underlying sweetness.

Taste: Big and rich with a creamy texture and notes of orange, apricot, cinnamon and a hint of liquorice balls.

Finish: Long and toasty with the spicy notes prevalent.

JULY AUCTION NOW LIVE

…place your bids at www.whiskyhammer.co.uk

(ends Sunday 31st July)

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Paul’s Blog for the June whisky & golf tour with two American gentlemen.

Arrival day, met our two whisky loving golfers at Edinburgh airport. With a scenic route taken via St Andrews, we headed up to Broughty Ferry where they stay a couple of nights. After a long trans Atlantic flight, they rested up, dined for the first time on Scottish soil and shared a dram or two! Next day they took to playing around, in fact at Monifieth course; Monifieth is one of the courses that have been announced as the host venues for the Qualifying event to the 2016 Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex. 1639 is the earliest reference to golf at Monifieth found in the Kirk Session records. They played with Dennis (Liz’s husband and another local). Drinks all round at the 19^th hole. Sunday saw them take on the challenge that is Carnoustie Golf Course.

Leaving the Ferry (and a bevy of happy locals) behind we then set out north via Aberdeen to Speyside, first call Glenfiddich whisky distillery for a tour and lunch. Glen Grant distillery followed, after this – almost a stones throw away, to their hotel in Rothes. I must say the whisky bar here is superb! Tuesday and a wee trip to play another round of golf; Nairn Championship course. Gorse is a hazard here. The par 4 holes tease and confound and all four short holes are cunningly angled, with the 4th a little gem and the 14th simply spectacular. As three of the par 5 holes are over 530 yards long, it is a test for all.

Whilst our two golfers stayed in luxury at Rothes, I was a few miles doon the road near Dufftown – whisky capital of the world. Staying a stones throw from the Glenfiddich distillery and Balvenie castle, my “rest place and sanctuary” was built in 1892, the former property of James Watson & Company (wine & spirit merchants) to house their Customs and Excise Manager – to keep an eye on the activities of Parkmore Distillery opposite (quite apt don’t you think?). Sadly this closed since 1931, it is rumoured that that the water source became unsuitable for whisky distilling; along with hefty tax levy’s imposed – meaning that today the buildings, whilst well maintained, are only used for storage by the Edrington Group. I can live with that – I did!

Wednesday arrived and we set out for Cragganmore distillery, followed by some whisky scenic touring locally! Lunch at the Mash Tun Aberlour, with the Macallan discovered in the afternoon!

Thursday, the tour is near the end, but no before we headed into Glen Moray. Here our pal Iain took them on a great tour and filled them full of drams fae the warehouse, well done that man! Catching them again, we headed south into Perthshire where they stopped for lunch at Gleneagles Hotel. Final call of today – Edinburgh where they stay to relax after all their exertions.

Paul McLean, www.mcleanscotland.com/ www.whiskytours.scot/

Liz and Paul in Craigellachie Hotel Bar Speyside Scotland

What We Do – a group golf & whisky tour, or a relaxed escorted whisky tour exploring Scottish distilleries, our guests tell us that it’s an experience to remember, not just a holiday! We’ve twenty years of designing whisky tours and have extensive knowledge and contacts. Why not come and enjoy the best of Scottish hospitality from the moment you arrive, until your final dram – you drink, we drive!

Who We Are, Paul has a background in advertising and marketing, owning advertising agencies before tourism. Having discerning taste buds and a wealth of information on not only the best places to visit but also the secret and hidden ones too.   His passion for Scotland and extensive knowledge in the whisky world make him an ideal driver/guide. (He even make’s history interesting, says Liz!)

Liz, the organiser and brains, however it was only a few years ago she stopped making hot toddies and realised whisky’s true value. She now appreciates the perfect dram and if it pass Liz’s “whoo hoo” test, it’s a winner!

A dynamic duo best friends who together are perfect hosts and you’ll soon feel like family, as they share the secrets of Scotland, home to some of the finest whiskies in the world. Scots are well known for their warmth and enthusiasm and you’ll find that both of them ensure you share their love for the country and their passion for delicious drams. Arrive a guest, go home a friend