Malt Messenger Bulletin – Glenmorangie Sonnalta and An Cnoc 16 All Back In Stock! – Scotch Whisky News
Malt Messenger Bulltetin – Glenmorangie Sonnalta, An Cnoc 16 Year All Back In Stock!
Dear Malt Messenger Subscribers,
Some of our most popular whiskies and rums have recently come back in stock. Glenmorangie Sonnalta, last year’s bestselling whisky under $100 ($74.99) and 96.5 pointer from Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible is back. We thought it was gone forever, but we’ve gotten a limited quantity of it back. This soft fruity whisky can be had again, exclusively at Kensington Wine Market, while supplies last. More on the Sonnalta below!
Another whisky, the An Cnoc 16 Year, which was also a big hit last year, has also come back and this one’s even more limited… we only have a dozen bottles! This American Oak matured Knockdhu is a Bourbon Montser with Massive Vanilla, Coconut and Honey notes. The Whisky Bible scored it at 91.5pts and called it the “spiciest An Cnoc of all time.” I don’t know about that, but it is very good, and there’s more below on it too!
Highland Park 18 Year is also back in stock after several months of outage. Edrington Whiskies (Highland Park and Macallan) are getting harder and harder to stock in Alberta as global demand snaps them up. A very small amount has come back into the province, and it won’t last long. We’ve snapped up a few cases of it but they won’t last long.
Finally, some news you have all been waiting for, we’ve added seats to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society Canada’s March First Friday tasting (Friday March 2nd 7PM). Come one, come all. Members, guests and all other interested parties. You’ll sample 7 limited, single cask, single malt Scotch whiskies and find out why the Scotch Malt Whisky Society is Canada’s Fastest growing whisky club and the largest worldwide! The Society was also recently named independent bottler of the year. You’ll find more on the March First Friday Tasting below.
Slainté!
Andrew Ferguson
PS – I am off to the Nth Whisky Show in Vegas this weekend. I’ll have a report on it and the Victoria Whisky Festival in the next Malt Messenger. Stay tuned to www.twitter.com/scotch_guy !
SEATS ADDED TO THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY’S MARCH FIRST FRIDAY RELEASE
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society Canada has secured a new venue for its March First Friday Tasting. On the first Friday of every month the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s Canadian arm holds a tasting featuring the latest releases. To date the Society has been launching 7 whiskies a month through its exclusive Canadian retailer the Kensington Wine Market. The previous 3 months tastings have been held at the Kensington Wine Market, but demand is now such that we can no longer accommodate all interested parties at the store. So, the March 2nd First Friday Tasting we will be held at the South Calgary Community Association. We have made a total of 100 tickets available to this event, of which there are about 40 still available. Tickets are $45 for the general public, and $35 for Scotch Malt Whisky Society members. They can be purchased through the Kensington Wine Market in store, by phone 403-283-8000 and online:
https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php Society members, guests and all “curious” members of the general public are all welcome. For more information visit www.smws.ca
Deadline to purchase tickets is 12 Noon on Thursday March 1st!
THE GLENMORANGIE SONNALTA IS BACK
The Glenmorangie Sonnalta was Kensington Wine Market’s second bestselling whisky last year, second only to the MacKinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt. At $75 a bottle it was the best bargain in the store and a highly rated one at that 96.5pts from Jim Murray and Malt Advocate 90pts. Fruity and soft the Sonnalta had a huge fan base, and they will be pleased to know that we’ve received a limited shipment of the whisky. Don’t hesitate, because when it’s gone this time, it’s gone forever!
My Tasting Note: Nose: very elegant, soft and complex on the nose-to steal the words of my employer who sampled it briefly “it is very pretty!”-with a fruity, doughy, French bakery character; notes of honey, vanilla, spice and caramelized fruits dance enthusiastically together while kicking up a dust of assorted powdered, rock and granular sugars; as the nose develops tones of Bourbony vanilla, perfume and white fruit notes emerge; supposedly you can smell sweet… the whisky may have something to say about that; Palate: very soft, complex and deep; right off the bat I am amazed by the bewildering depth and layers, sweet fruits and balancing spices in almost perfect harmony; the creamy honey/vanilla backbone slowly emerges with some burnt orange peel and dark chocolate; thick grassy malt and sweet rum notes are also present with some minty tones; overall sweet, rich and multifaceted; Finish: long, sweet and spicy; sugary malt, honeyed oak and chewy grape tones; Comments: this whisky is a bit of Chameleon, its layers are many, and it shifts its character with each and every sip. The touch is deft for a Pedro Ximenez matured whisky, but the effect is superb. Anyone can enjoy this delightful little dram from the neophyte to the experienced connoisseur! Exclusive to KWM – $74.99
AN CNOC 16YEAR IS BACK, BUT IN LIMITED QUANTITIES!!! – $87.99 + GST
In May of this year I had the honour of being inducted into the Keepers of the Quaich, a by invitation only society founded to recognize those who make significant contributions to the global success of Scotch whisky. Standing in a room full of the biggest names in the industry, there I was a humble self-professed whisky expert from a single small retail store in Calgary, the first Canadian retail expert to be so honoured. The generous dram of An Cnoc 16 Year I was handed couldn’t have come at a better time. After a few pulls I relaxed and it dawned on me that this An Cnoc was a lovely little dram and I made a mental note to inquire about it on my return. We launched it as an exclusive this fall, and it was a huge hit, selling out quickly. We’ve managed to get just 12 more bottles!
An Cnoc for those of you who don’t know is a pseudonym for Knockdhu distillery. When the brand was first launched as a single malt, it was felt that the name Knockdhu might be confused with another not too distant distillery Knockandoo. Even though Knockdhu predates Knockandoo by the better part of five years, the latter had gone to market first with its single malt (both being primarily made for blending until a relatively short time ago) and it was felt that single malt from Knockdhu should have a distinct moniker.
An Cnoc 16 Year – 46% – American Oak – My Tasting Note: Nose: floral, bourbony and citric; dandelions, geraniums and rose petals; barley sugars, firm toasted oak and roasted coconut chips; citrus notes include shades of lemon and lime zest; Palate: is massively bourbony with vanilla icing, shredded coconut and more firm toasted oak; the citrus notes are much more prominent on the palate with lemon drops, candied orange and lemon/lime zest; there is a soft creamy component to it too but the whisky retains a soft character and is far from over the top; Finish: drying and toasty with burnt orange, a late wave of lemon drops and more vanilla icing; Comments: this whisky will be forever linked to Keepers of the Quaich inauguration in May of this year. It was our welcome dram, it was three fingers deep and it cut my nerves just before the ceremony. This is the first An Cnoc which has really impressed me, and I’m sure it won’t be the last! – Exclusive to KWM – $87.99
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!
Slainté!
Andrew Ferguson
KWM Scotchguy
888-283-9004
403-283-8000
www.kensingtonwinemarket.com
