Celebrating Canada’s Best Whiskies

January 19, 2012. Victoria B.C. – Canada’s top whiskies of 2011 were announced today at the annual Canadian Whisky Awards, a gala celebration at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia.
The Canadian Whisky Awards reward the very best tasting Canadian whiskies, and recognize outstanding contributions made by highly successful individual whiskies and producers in generating favourable attention for Canadian whisky. Winners are chosen by a panel of seven judges following extensive blind tastings. Among the judges are some of Canada’s top whisky writers and bloggers.

Whisky makers nominate their very best whiskies creating a strong competitive field. Among these, gold medals were awarded to five entries, and silver medals to another twelve. Eight whiskies were recognized with bronze. Awards of Excellence were also presented. Here are the details:

Kittling Ridge Estate Wines and Spirits took home the award for Canadian Whisky of the Year with their 2011 release, Forty Creek John’s Private Cask No. 1. The whisky also won Connoisseur Whisky of the Year – Domestic earning the overall highest score for whiskies available only in Canada, and Best New Whisky of the Year as the highest scoring new release. Kittling Ridge also won Whisky Value of the Year for the Canadian market with it’s Canada Gold whisky.

Gold medals for Canada’s top whiskies went to several perennial favourites and one surprising newcomer. Gibson’s Finest Rare 18 year old, a scrumptious creamy, long-aged whisky with both elegance and power is a limited production whisky, available in Canada only and a strong favourite of Canadian whisky lovers. Wiser’s Small Batch, a rich, spicy and mouth filling delicacy was highly praised by the jury. Its upscale stable mate, Wiser’s Legacy, a pot-distilled rye just bursting with rye spices also took home gold, as did Forty Creek: John’s Private Cask No. 1.

The pleasant surprise of the evening came when Masterson’s Rye was announced as a gold medalist. Huh? Yes. Masterson’s is a whisky distilled in Calgary Alberta by Alberta Distillers Limited for a Sonoma, California-based purveyor of fine spirits, called 35 Maple Street. Released in the summer of 2012, Masterson’s has quickly gathered strength among American rye whisky lovers. As the highest scoring whisky available in the export market only – it is not yet available in Canada – Masterson’s was voted Connoisseur Whisky of the Year – Export. The company has promised to release Masterson’s in Canada in 2012.

Wiser’s Legacy, available in both Canada and the U.S. got the nod for Connoisseur Whisky of the Year – Multiple Markets. Wiser’s Legacy with its assertive rye flavour profile has quickly become a favourite of connoisseurs.
Awards of Excellence went to Alberta Springs 10 year old as the Sippin’ Whisky of the Year – Canada Only, Canadian Mist Black Diamond as Sippin’ Whisky of the year – Export Only, and Wiser’s Small Batch for Sippin’ Whisky of the Year – Multiple Markets. Canada Gold took Whisky Value of the Year – Canada Only, while Canadian Mist was acknowledged as Whisky Value of the Year – Multiple Markets.

The Awards also recognized Canadian Whisky Innovations. In a hotly contested competition, the judges eventually settled on White Owl Whisky from Alberta’s Highwood Distillers. Introduced in Alberta in 2010, White Owl really took the Canadian cocktail scene by storm the following year, bringing whisky flavour to a whole new demographic and generating new interest in Canadian whisky. White Owl is made by filtering long-aged Canadian rye whisky until it is as clear as vodka, making it an ideal mixer for bartenders wanting to give their fancy cocktails a rye flavour boost.

Canadian Club took home an Award of Excellence for Canadian Whisky Profile. This award recognizes the whisky or producer that in the opinion of the judges has contributed the most to raising the profile of Canadian whisky. Highlighting the role of Canadian Club during Prohibition, the brand supplemented its prominence on the HBO series, Boardwalk Empire, with a strong social media campaign, putting the words “Canadian whisky” (and its flavours) on the tip of many a new tongue.

The Award of Excellence for Line Extension was again, hard fought with Brown-Forman emerging as the victor with its Collingwood whisky. Collingwood was one of the most successful new launches of 2011 bringing the Canadian Mist line to the connoisseur’s whisky shelf. Collingwood’s unique flavours are attributed to leaving the mingled component spirits to rest in a huge “marrying vat,” with staves of toasted maple wood.

The organizers would like to thank the Victoria Whisky Festival for hosting the awards. More information about the Canadian Whisky Awards is available at www.canadianwhisky.org

The medalists:

Gold

Gibson’s Finest Rare 18 year old
Wiser’s Small Batch
Wiser’s Legacy
Forty Creek: John’s Private Cask No. 1
Masterson’s Rye

Silver:
Canadian Club Sherry Cask
Forty Creek Barrel Select
Alberta Springs 10 year old
Royal Canadian Small Batch
Pendleton 1910
Canadian Mist Black Diamond
Forty Creek Confederation Oak
Gibson’s Finest 12 year old
Canadian Club Reserve 10 year old
Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve
Caribou Crossing Single Barrel
Wiser’s 18

Bronze
Pendleton
Gibson’s Finest Sterling
Collingwood
Canada Gold
Centennial Limited Edition
Canadian Mist
Canadian Club Classic 12
White Owl

Notes:

About the Canadian Whisky Awards
The Canadian Whisky Awards are presented annually to recognize the very best Canadian whiskies and to encourage distillers to maintain the highest standards for making whisky. Only whiskies distilled and matured in Canada are eligible to compete. A panel of independent whisky writers, bloggers, and broadcasters selects the winners after tasting each whisky blind. The Awards are fully and fiercely independent of the Canadian whisky industry and operate on a not-for-profit basis.

About the judges

• Chairman of the Judges, Davin de Kergommeaux publishes the Canadian whisky website canadianwhisky.org. His book, Canadian Whisky: The Portable Expert will be released in May 2012 by McClelland & Stewart.

• Jason Debly is a Fredericton New Brunswick-based whisky blogger who publishes Jason’s Scotch Whisky Reviews, jason-scotchreviews.blogspot.com “If the whisky tastes good or bad,” he tells us, “you will know, in no uncertain terms.”

• André Girard is co-president of the Quebec City Whisky Club and co-founder of Quebecwhisky.com, an ever growing French-language independent database with tasting notes for nearly 1000 whiskies.

• Mark Gillespie is a professional broadcast journalist in the U.S. and is the host and executive producer of Whisky Cast, the Cask-Strength Conversation, heard weekly at whiskycast.com. Mark is a Malt Maniac and long-time supporter of Canadian whisky.

• Based in Southwestern Ontario, Kris Shoemaker is a whisky fan with a nose for Canadian whisky. While his website, Daily Dramaddicts, dailydramaddicts.blogspot.com, is taking a backseat to impending fatherhood, he continues to comment regularly about Canadian whisky on Twitter.

• Edmonton, Alberta’s Chip Dykstra, aka Arctic Wolf, aka The Rum Howler, collects a wide range of spirits and reviews them on his Rum Howler blog, therumhowlerblog.wordpress.com.

Lawrence Graham is a Malt Maniac, organizer of the always sold-out Victoria Whisky Festival and publishes the highly popular website Whisky Intelligence, www.whiskyintelligence.com

The awards are hosted by, but independent from the Victoria Whisky Festival, www.victoriawhiskyfestival.com

Contact: Davin de Kergommeaux (613) 563-0254
davindek@gmail.com

TheWhiskyBarrel.com Exclusive 21 Year Old Robert Burns Islay Cask

On 25th January Scots and expats and scotch aficionados celebrate the birthday of Scotland’s national poet and Haggis the world over come out of hibernation for their celebratory supper. What better way to join in than by raising a dram!

To mark the occasion www.TheWhiskyBarrel.com as released a special bottling of the Islay favourite Bunnahabhain, matured in a single fresh sherry cask aged 21 years and bottled at natural cask strength.

Limited to 120 bottles now available to order exclusively from The Whisky Barrel online whisky shop.

Bunnahabhain 21 Years Old Burns Malt / Sherry Cask / 54.8%

£49.99 GBP ($77 USD)

Order online at http://www.thewhiskybarrel.com

The Whisky Barrel

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CHAMPIONSHIPS 2012

Come to the World’s with us!

THE WORLD’S As well as the coveted championship title decider, exciting competitive action across all Grades and the Drum Major contest, there are many exciting additions this year to keep you and your family entertained. Watch in awe as these strong men from around the world compete across several disciplines in the bid to claim glory! Games include favourites, caber toss, shot putt and the hammer. A day-long competition always draws the crowds! Enjoy the Scottish music and graceful dance displays in the Highland Dancing arena as the best highland dancers from around the world. Not to mention a full week long series of piping events throughout Glasgow. You’ll discover the experimental energy of today’s newest talent to the awesome accomplishment of established musicians from across the globe. There is something going on morning, noon and night. The venues are as varied as the performers, from workshops to masterclasses, ceilidhs to concerts and street performances. Its fast, fun, moving, informative, entertaining, exhilarating – it’s Piping Live! 6th – 12th August 2012.

THURSDAY 9, FRIDAY 10 & SATURDAY 11 AUGUST 2012. package includes; 3 nights accommodation in George Square, Glasgow city centre, overlooking the main events arena for the piping week, fully cooked Scottish breakfast each morning, ticket to the worlds, a ticket for the grand whisky pub tour with drams included (see below), fully printed tour notes with food & drink and event guide, mcleanscotland staff at hotel each day. COST per person sharing a double or twin room, from £295 We can offer you a “blend your own whisky“, take home a unique blended whisky, unique to you! Ask for details.

As above but with MORE WHISKY! 3 nights accommodation in 4 STAR Glasgow hotel, 3 x Scottish breakfasts, ticket to the worlds and the whisky pub tour, bottle of your own blended whisky and Auchentoshan distillery visit. COST per person from £355

Contact us for speedy booking; worlds@mcleanscotland.com            www.mcleanscotland.com/worlds2012package.asp

The whisky trail tour; Award Winning Whisky Tour in Glasgow. Covering: History, Theatre, Culture, Whisky and the great Glasgow “banter”! Jump aboard The Glasgow Whisky Tour bus & explore the passion, characters and FUN behind Glasgow’s whisky history. Hear how Glasgow was built at the many engineering works and shipyards…but fuelled by whisky, which by the way, is included in this tour!

For more information and to purchase tickets click here

The Dalmore Launches Cigar Malt Reserve

Whisky enthusiasts and cigar aficionados alike are rejoicing with the long awaited release of The Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve.

The highly anticipated new expression, aimed to please cigar-loving whisky drinkers, will be available on general release and through Duty Free Travel Retail from late February onwards.

The Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve is 44% abv with a suggested retail price of £70 from selected whisky specialist retailers.

The Dalmore Master Distiller, Richard Paterson

“Many of our fans were disappointed when the old Cigar Malt left the range in 2007, so we set about creating an even better whisky that would allow those fans to experience a great single malt that has been specifically crafted with cigar pairings in mind.”

“Aged in 30 year old Oloroso Sherry butts, American White Oak and premier cru Cabernet Sauvignon wine barriques, this whisky provides cigar and malt fans with an incomparable experience and succinct pleasure. It’s a great match to a number of cigars but I would highly recommend enjoying it with a Partagas No2 Cigar as in my opinion the flavours work in perfect harmony together.”

Tasting Notes:

Aroma: Cinnamon, vanilla and red fruits

Palate: Tropical fruits, banana toffee and vanilla ice cream

Finish: Orange zest, bergamot and crushed spices

www.thedalmore.com

NEW PRODUCTS FROM DUNCAN TAYLOR SCOTCH WHISKY LTD

The Dimensions collection is an outstanding range of single malt and single grain Scotch whiskies encompassing the full breadth of the Duncan Taylor portfolio. Containing whiskies aged for up to 39 years, the Dimensions collection showcases the multi dimensional levels of character and flavour available from individual distilleries and casks. The Dimensions collection features single cask, cask strength releases and exclusively numbered small batches at 46% abv. Neither chill filtered nor coloured, only the finest whiskies are selected for inclusion in the range, ensuring that every bottle delivers the Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky ethos: Whisky Without Compromise.

Aberlour 18yo 54.3% £71.00 inc VAT

Glenlivet 30yo 44.3% £110.00 inc VAT

Bunnahabhain 23yo 53.5% £87.00 inv VAT

Auchentoshan 11yo 46% £43.00 inc VAT 

Glen Moray 17yo 46% £47.00 inc VAT         

Linkwood 15yo 46% £51.00 inc VAT

Single Malts Limited | 36 Gordon Street | Huntly | Aberdeenshire | AB54 8EQ |

Hello Fellow Scotch Lovers –

We now find ourselves half way through January and well into the winter of 2012. Here in the NYC area, its been a mild one so far…but I’ve managed to have a few fires, and enjoy more than my fair share of the wee dram while watching my NY Football Giants suddenly find inspiration over these past few weeks.

The year has certainly gotten off to a hectic start here at ForScotchLovers, what with all the hullabaloo one would expect to follow Whisky Magazine naming ForScotchLovers “Whisky Retailer of the Year Online” in the Icons of Whisky America 2012. So after a flurry of appearances by “The Neck” on Letterman, Leno and Law & Order, things have finally died down a bit, and we’re back to the business of finding great opportunities on wonderful whiskies…which brings me to this weeks Whiskey Wednesday opportunity from a truly unique distillery: Auchentoshan Valinch 2011

For those of you not familiar with Auchentoshan, it was established in the Dumbartonshire estate of Auchentoshan at the foot of the Old Kilpatrick Hills, overlooking the famous River Clyde in 1823. Since then it has had six careful owners and is one of the few remaining Lowland malt whisky distilleries in Scotland.

Auchentoshan, meaning `Corner of the field’ in Gaelic, produces a delicate, smooth and light single malt whisky. The subtle aroma and flavor of its spirit is achieved by their unique triple distillation process, whereby the spirit is not distilled twice, as elsewhere in Scotland, but instead distilled three times. This triple distillation, complemented by unpeated malt, gives Auchentoshan a delicate flavour and a final spirit strength of 81% ABV (162 proof).

Auchentoshan Valinch is a limited editon/small batch release whisky that is essentially a cask strength version of the popular Classic expression. It is named after the metal tube used to extract samples of spirit from the cask.

Fortunately for us, our man Nicky “The Neck” was able to extract several cases of the whisky from our contacts, and hence we are able to offer the lucky few who act quickly Auchentoshan Valinch for $58.95/ bottle. If you want a bottle, I urge you to act fast, because once its gone…

Until next Wednesday….

Doug Stone
Founder
http://www.forscotchlovers.com/

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AUCHENTOSHAN VALINCH TRIPLE DISTILLED CASK STRENGTH WHISKY

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TASTING NOTES: VALINCH 2011 CASK STRENGTH WHISKY

COLOR: Pale straw.

NOSE: Crème brûlée, tinned peaches in syrup, Madeira, cinnamon, newly-planed wood, coconut, and vanilla notes

PALATE: Sweet and spicy on the creamy palate, with vanilla, honey, praline and full bodied orange zest.

FINISH: Sweet, crisp and lingering. Oak and spice in the peach liqueur-like finish.

Springbank 10 Year Old

Rundlets & Kilderkins

Tasting Notes

Colour: Russet
Nose: Honey, vanilla, chocolate, nougat, and toffee inabundance followed by hints of wholesome freshly ground nutmeg.
Palate: Creamy and rich as expected from the nose, with notes of chocolate covered honey comb mixed with pistachio and crushed almonds. Rich and oily from its maturation in small casks, it gives an impression of being older than its ten years.
Finish: The ground nutmeg is still evident on the finish but the creaminess outstays the spices to a long smooth and sweet finish. With water this dram develops an even sweeterfinish, fruity and sugar candy, it becomes even smoother.

Springbank Distillery is one of the last surviving producers of Campbeltown Single Malts. The distillery, located on the southern Kintyre peninsula of Scotland

For the most part of the 17th and the 18th centuries Campbeltown was a smuggling centre, an occupation that was supported by the area’s geography, topography…. and the local gentry. One famous story tells of an old woman living in the town who was up before the Sheriff for smuggling. She had been found guilty and before passing sentence the Sheriff told her:

£47.99 inc VAT

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW

**Despatch date mid February**

THE GLENROTHES VINTAGE MAKER 2012: LAST CALL FOR ENTRIES

Running since October 2011, closing date for entries for The Glenrothes Vintage Maker 2012 competition is 31st January 2012. The competition can be entered at www.theglenrothes.com/vintagemaker

Winners will be recruited to work as The Glenrothes Vintage Makers in the heart of single malt production, Speyside, Scotland, culminating in the creation of The Glenrothes Vintage 2012.

As part of this opportunity, the successful candidates will learn the time-honoured art of making The Glenrothes and the skills that have been passed down from generation to generation. The winners will spend time working at each stage of the whisky-making process: testing the purity of the water source at the distillery’s two springs; milling the malt to achieve the golden proportions of husk, grits and flour; mashing to ensure maximum extraction of sugars in the wort; adding yeast to the washbacks and overseeing fermentation; slowly and carefully distilling new make spirit in our tall copper pot stills. From there our Vintage Makers will be involved in making casks at the cooperage, laying down casks for maturation and rolling casks to the warehouse.

The Vintage Makers will nose single malt from maturing casks to assess whether the contents are of sufficiently exceptional quality and maturity; only the top 3% of the distillery’s output is bottled as The Glenrothes Speyside Single Malt Whisky. Finally, the Vintage Makers will have the opportunity to create the Vintage 2012 of The Glenrothes, to be released when it reaches the peak of maturity.

After work, our Vintage Makers will enjoy the simple pleasures that Speyside has to offer; a spot of fishing, dining in the local Highland restaurants or perhaps a picnic in the hills surrounding the distillery. The Vintage Makers will stay in Rothes House, a private home belonging to the family that owns The Glenrothes. As with the distillery, Rothes House is not open to the public but is reserved for VIP visits.

Entrants must submit 1500 characters or less in answer to the question ‘Tell us about your Vintage Moment.’ Entrants may also upload a picture or link to an online video to supplement their written entry (but this is not necessary). The winners will be the entries that in the opinion of the judges, best represent the definition of a Glenrothes Vintage Moment: A perfect combination of time, place, people and/or occasion when everything comes together to create a moment that will stay in the memory forever.

www.theglenrothes.com

NOTES

The Glenrothes was founded in 1879
Only 2% of the distillery capacity is bottled as Single Malt to ensure exceptional quality
Of the 17 Vintages released to date, 13 have entirely sold out
It is matured in a combination of Spanish and American oak casks – the best of both worlds
The Glenrothes 1972 was awarded a Trophy at the 2005 International Spirits Challenge
The Glenrothes 1978 was Best Speyside Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards 2008
“I have always felt that Glenrothes deserved to be more widely appreciated. Beautifully rounded…sophisticated after-dinner malt.” Michael Jackson’s Malt Whisky Companion
Jim Murray, in his Whisky Bible, refers to The Glenrothes Select Reserve; “One of the softest deliveries on Speyside, the silky barley and citrus caress the tastebuds with rare tenderness” and scores it 24 out of 25

Awards and accolades for current bottlings:

The Glenrothes Select Reserve
·         Silver medal, International Wine & Spirits Competition 2009
·         Scotch Whisky Master 2008, The Spirits Business
·         Best in Class, World Whiskies Awards 2008

The Glenrothes Robur Reserve
·         Best in Class, International Wine & Spirits Competition 2009
·         Gold, International Spirits Challenge 2009

The Glenrothes Alba Reserve
·         Double Gold, San Francisco World Spirits Competition, 2010
·         Silver, International Spirits Challenge 2010

The Glenrothes 1998 Vintage
·         93/100, Excellent/Highly Recommended, Ultimate Spirits Challenge 2011
·         Silver, San Francisco World Spirits Competition, 2010
·         Silver, International Wine & Spirits Competition 2010

The Glenrothes 1995 Vintage
·         92/100, Excellent/Highly Recommended, Ultimate Spirits Challenge 2011

The Glenrothes 1991 Vintage
·         Best in Class, International Wine & Spirits Competition 2009
·         Gold, San Francisco World Spirits Competition, 2009

The Glenrothes 1978 Vintage
·         92/100, Excellent/Strong Recommendation, Ultimate Spirits Challenge 2011

Ireland – Single Malt Whiskey

2000 Cooley 11 Year Old A.D. Rattray Single Bourbon Barrel Cask Strength Irish Single Malt Whiskey 375ml – 12 available ($49.99)

Longrow 18 year old, Campbeltown Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 6 available ($199.99)

United States – Bourbon and Rye

Leopold Bros.Maryland Style Rye Whiskey 750ml – 3 available ($46.99)

Scotland – Single Malt Scotch

BenRiach 20 year old Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 5 available ($99.99)

United States – Bourbon and Rye

1989 Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection “Rediscovered” Bourbon 375ml – 1 available ($99.99)

1991 Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection “Rediscovered” Bourbon 375ml – 2 available ($99.99)

1993 Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection “Rediscovered” Bourbon 375ml – 4 available ($99.99)

Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection “Zinfandel Aged After Six Years” Bourbon 375ml – 1 available ($199.99)

Vintage 17 year Bourbon 750ml – 3 available ($67.99)

K&L Wine Merchants
http://www.klwines.com/
Phone: 877-KLWines (toll free 877-559-4637)
Email: wine@klwines.com
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA