A message from Duncan Ralph;

Last week the 10th anniversary Scottish Field Whisky Challenge awards was held in Edinburgh. This event is eagerly awaited by both the whisky industry and occasional drinkers looking for fresh experiences and new expressions to try. Scotland’s leading whisky experts blind tasted a huge selection of the best whiskies currently available on the market. I was part of the judging panel this year, a difficult and dirty job I know but someone has to do it!!!! Single Malts Direct are proud to offer the winners of the three categories: Under £30, £30 – £75 and over £75.00

Under £30

Gold Monkey Shoulder £24.99
Silver Talisker 10yo £29.49
Bronze Glen Elgin 12yo £29.99

£30 – £75

Gold Glengoyne 21yo £74.99
Silver Big Peat £31.98
Bronze Strathisla 30yo £74.99

OVER £75

Gold Miltonduff 1969 £127.99
Silver Ben Nevis 25yo £88.49
Bronze Longmorn 30yo £79.99

A complimentary copy of the Scottish Field Whisky Challenge supplement will be sent with every order. Please visit www.singlemaltsdirect.com to see the full list of available whiskies.

M C L E A N S C O T L A N D
W H I S K Y   T O U R S   T O   R E M E M B E R

MCLEANSCOTLAND are just home from whisky live at Leiden, Holland. Says Paul McLean “We had such a great time there, met so many new contacts in the trade and numerous people wanting to take tours of Scottish distilleries with us.  Overall it was a very worthwhile trip, one we will do again.”

“So many people were also really interested in our new whisky club concept, www.angelswhiskyclub.com the main attraction being our plans for a global whisky tasting, whereby we taste certain whiskies in Scotland, our worldwide members also taste the whisky the same day, sending in their thoughts so we can all compare.  It is a very novel and unique idea, one that we seem to have had praises “heaped” upon us!”

Liz from mcleanscotland with happy drammers!

MCLEANSCOTLAND offer Scottish and Irish whisky tours all year round, for individuals and groups, after Leiden, anyone wishing to book a tour for 2011 better hurry up, they will be BUSY!

www.mcleanscotland.com
www.angelswhiskyclub.com

PIONEERING WHISKY BORN FROM 2010’s “GREAT WAREHOUSE COLLAPSE”

Glenfiddich, the world’s most awarded single malt Scotch whisky, today announced the launch of Snow Phoenix – a unique whisky born of chance and adversity which commemorates a moment of drama in Glenfiddich’s long history.

In January 2010, after weeks of heavy snow and record low temperatures, four feet of densely compacted snow covered the Glenfiddich distillery roofs, which housed hundreds of casks of fine aged whisky, gently maturing in semi-darkness.

On the evening of 7th January, in the most remote part of the distillery estate, a number of warehouse roofs dramatically collapsed under the weight, leaving the maturing oak casks exposed to the night sky.  In wintery conditions and temperatures of -19˚C, distillery staff swung into action, working round the clock to clear the snow.

Glenfiddich Malt Master, Brian Kinsman, commented: “Standing amongst the wreckage and exposed casks, we were working out our next steps and assessing the situation.  I was thinking about how the casks, some of which were very old, contained some beautiful whisky and it occurred to me that they would create a fantastic non-aged single malt. A limited edition bottling from the whiskies in the damaged warehouses would be an appropriate way of celebrating the pioneering spirit of the distillery team at this moment in Glenfiddich’s history. “

“A photographer was shooting the scene and rather fittingly, when we looked at the pictures, the light shining through the warehouse roofs looked like a phoenix rising above us. I suppose this was the moment of conception of Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix.”

Snow Phoenix was created by marrying together natural strength and non-chill filtered casks of different ages and finishes, including American oak and Oloroso sherry.  The result is a single malt, gold in colour with bright copper highlights.  Its nose is creamy vanilla mingling with vibrant notes of apple and pear complemented by the scent of fresh blossom. The taste is reminiscent of apples roasted in the embers of a campfire, sweetened with heather honey and accompanied by a piece of chocolate, rich and complex with a whiff of burned sugar, coffee and woodsmoke.  It has an exceptionally long finish – austere sherry notes mellow into a satisfying sweetness. The distinctive monochrome packaging and amazing photography pays dramatic homage to this exceptional whisky and details this exceptional story.

Shifting snow around the clock gave the Glenfiddich distillery team a deep admiration for those who work in extreme conditions. Glenfiddich has therefore dedicated Snow Phoenix to the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team (CMRT), who battle harsh environments to save lives in the heart of Speyside, and has made a special contribution to their funds.

To celebrate this partnership, Brian Kinsman invited a group of CMRT volunteers to a unique mid-mountain tasting where they developed the Snow Phoenix tasting notes. By conducting the tasting notes at a high altitude, Glenfiddich’s Malt Master was able to explore the difference temperature has on the taste of whisky. 

Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix is a one of a kind, limited edition single malt Scotch whisky which has been bottled in 2010. One thousand bottles will be made available exclusively to members of the online club, Glenfiddich Explorers, www.glenfiddich.com/explorers, with the remainder available in selected markets* from mid-November, ABV 47.6%, priced £49.99 RRP for a 70cl bottle**.

*Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix will be available in UK, Portugal, Netherlands, South Africa, Russia, USA, Taiwan, Cyprus, Lebanon, Spain, Andorra, Canary Islands, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, China, India, South Korea and selected airports around the world.

** Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix 75cl is also available priced $89.99 USD

Notes
 
Tasting Notes

Colour: Gold with bright copper highlights.
Nose: Creamy vanilla aromas mingle with vibrant notes of apple and pear – the whole complemented by the scent of fresh blossom.
Taste: This is Glenfiddich in the wild – apples roasted in the embers of a campfire, sweetened with heather honey and accompanied by a piece of chocolate, rich and complex with a whiff of burned sugar, coffee and woodsmoke.
Finish: An exceptionally long finish – austere sherry notes mellow into a satisfying sweetness.

William Grant & Sons Ltd:

William Grant & Sons is an independent family-owned distiller founded by William Grant in 1886 and today still controlled by the fifth generation of his family.  The Company distils some of the world’s leading brands of Scotch whisky, including the world’s favourite single malt Glenfiddich®, the handcrafted range of The Balvenie® single malts and one of the world’s best loved blended Scotches, Grant’s®, as well as selected other spirits, including Hendrick’s® Gin, Sailor Jerry® Spiced Rum and Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey®

Click on www.williamgrant.com for more information on the Company and its brands.

Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky announce special Christmas Octave cask offer

Last year, Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky launched its newest innovation: The Octave Cask range. After years of experimentation, the company found that whiskies which had spent years maturing in full size casks could be decanted and matured for a short period of time in smaller casks, known as Octaves. The result was a spirit which was superior in nose, palate and colour, enhanced and invigorated beyond all expectation.

After a very successful first year, Duncan Taylor are now making the Octave range available to non-trade customers. Order and pay before 31st December to receive the following:

-66 Bottles with accompanying ‘pre’ Octave miniature -Personalised Octave labels -The empty Octave cask for display

Whiskies available include Bowmore, Caol Ila, Glen Grant, Kinclaith, Macallan and many more. For further information and prices, please get in touch using the details below.

(CONTACT) Mark Watt, Duncan Taylor Sales Director
01466 794055
mark@duncantaylor.com

Dear Malt Messenger Subscribers,

Our Fall Single Malt Festival is less than 24 hours away and we have yet another sell out on our hands! If it was hard for any of us to believe we are already half way through November, the snows and cold of the last few days have certainly got us back on pace. Its whisky festival time again, and what a Festival do we have in store! More than 90 whiskies are on offer this year including the first Canadian tasting of the 4 new releases from Arran (14 Year, Amarone, Port and Sauternes), Port Ellen 29 and 30 year olds, Ardbeg Supernova, Highland Park Earl Magnus, Compass Box Hedonism Maxximus, Amrut Double Barrel, Bunnahabhain 25 Year, Cask Strength Rosebank 1991, Auchentoshan 1998, BenRiach Authenticus 21 Year and much, much more. The problem will be deciding what to sample!

Tradition has it that we now have a Friday whisky dinner the night after the festival to give a little extra incentive to those who are visiting us from out of town. This year’s Glenglassaugh Dinner is going to be extra special, not just because we are to sample 21, 29, 30 and 40 year old expressions. Stuart Nickerson, distillery manager has recorded a special message for those attending the dinner. We will have an audio/video presentation on the distillery to enjoy while we sample its whisky! As always the whiskies will be complemented by a three course meal prepared by the chef at Buchanan’s Chophouse, one of our city’s finest restaurants! I’ve more to tell you about the dinner below, which is undoubtedly one of the whisky tasting events of the year in Calgary.

In line with the Fall Single Malt Festival and the Glenglassaugh Dinner there are some incredible new whiskies in town. This information can’t wait until the next full Malt Messenger, so I’ll break it down for you below!

Also we have the 2011 Whisky Bible by Jim Murray and the Malt Whisky Yearbook 2011 now in stock. Just in time for the whisky festival…

One final note, Peat-Heads have reason to rejoice, the next edition in the Octomore series, Octomore 3 will be in next week  $149.99. Kensington Wine Market is getting at least 30 bottles, pre-order yours today!

As always I hope you’ve enjoyed this Malt Messenger Bulletin, stay tuned for the November Malt Messenger sometime next week!

Slainté!

Andrew Ferguson

The Glenglassaugh Dinner – Friday November 19th 7PM @ Buchanan’s Chop House – $170.00

Glenglassaugh distillery was founded two miles west of the town of Portsoy at the east end of Sandend Bay on the Moray Firth in 1875. The distillery was established by James Moir, a local business man, its quickly earned a reputation for making quality whisky and rapidly began to prosper. After James’s death the distillery changed hands a number of times before closing in 1907, a victim of the Pattison Whisky Crash. A new distillery building was installed in 1959 and production ran from 1960 through 1986 when it was closed by its owners Highland Distillers. Highland Distillers also owned Glenrothes, and through the 70’s and 80’s they tried to produce a Glenrothes like spirit at Glenglassaugh. In 1986 these efforts were ceased and the decision was made to close Glenglassaugh and expand production at Glenrothes. And so the distillery remained silent from 1986 until November of 2008 when the distillery was officially reopened by Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond under new ownership. The still ran again for the first time of the 4th of December 2008.

Glenglassaugh is in the unenviable position of having a 22 year production gap. Because there was no spirit distilled between 1986 and late 2008, the distillery has to rely of limited stocks of rare older whisky while its waits for its newly filled casks to mature. This is why Glenglassaugh is the only distillery in Scotland with a core range that begins with a 21 year old! We’ll sample the full core range: 21 year old, 30 year old and 40 year old as well as a 29 year old bottled by A. D. Rattray. We’ll start things off with some examples of the new make Glenglassaugh: The Spirit Drink That Dare Not Speak Its Name and the Spirit Drink That Blushes to Speak Its Name. All in all this lineup of whiskies would set you back $4000.00 or more if you were to buy a bottle of each, making our dinner at $170 a bargain, especially when you look at the menu Buchanan’s has prepared for us:

1st Plate: Tuna Tartar with a Basil Creme Fresh and Wasabi Sauce

2nd Plate: Pan Roasted Bay Scallop Stuffed with Rock Shrimp with Key Lime Aioli

Main Course: AAA Alberta Filet of Beef Medallions with Belle Pepper Mushroom Whisky Sauce and Bacon Parsnip Mashed Potato

Desert: Sticky Toffee Pudding with Toffee Sauce and Chantilly Cream

To register call the Kensington Wine Market at 403-283-8000 or visit our website www.kensingtonwinemarket.com..

New Single Malt Scotch Whiskies:

These are just a few of the new whiskies available at the Kensington Wine Market. I will have a full list in the next Malt Messenger!

1.       Edradour Cask Strength Decanter 1997 – New and exclusive to the Kensington Wine Market. 707 bottles from a single sherry cask at 56.4%, bottled at 12 years of age. Tasting note to come. – $129.99

2.       Edradour 24 Year PX Sherry Finish – Exclusive to KWM, this Pedro Ximenez finished Edradour is very elegant. Distilled in 1985 and bottled after 24 years it is fruity and chocolaty with gentle spices, sweet, sour and musty notes. – $166.99

3.       Edradour SFTC Chateauneuf du Pape Finish – This Edradour was matured in Bourbon casks before finishing in a Chateauneuf du Pape hogshead. 453 bottles have been released at a cask strength of 56.6% after ageing 12 years. Exclusive to KWM! – $99.49

4.       Arran 14 Year – This 14 year old replaces the 12 but is less sherried and more similar to the Peacock release we saw last year. It is getting rave reviews. Distillery Tasting Note: An initial burst of brine leads onto warming toffee apples and hazelnuts. This is followed by dates, chocolate orange and spiced tea cake. The mouthfeel is overwhelmingly rich and weighty.” – $76.49

5.       Arran Amarone Finish – Arran has consolidated and streamlined there cask finish line, I’m not sold on the packaging, but the price is good and rumour has it the quality is there. Try it for yourself! Distillery Tasting Notes: “Dark chocolate, cherry and Turkish delights are evident as are stewed fruits and toffee. Muscular notes of dark plum wrestle with bitter-sweet apricots and a hint of cinnamon.” – $76.99

6.       Arran Port Finish – Distillery Tasting Notes: “Layered fruits and spice combine, with cinnamon baked apple wrestling with raisin and plum pudding. The dram opens out to reveal warming barley and a hint of sweet pear.” – $76.99

7.       Arran Sauternes Cask Finish – Distillery Tasting Notes: “Richly honeyed and backed with a lifting zestiness which slides into spice and zingy salt. Once the dram opens out, vanilla and sultana stand out followed by notes of toasted oak. – $76.99

8.       Bruichladdich 18 Year Bourbon – I haven’t tried them yet, and its near impossible to find info on them on the web, but a trusted customer highly recommended the bourbon and cognac finished 18 year olds so I’ve taken a chance on all three including the rum finish. More details as they come. – $96.99

9.       Bruichladddich 18 Year Cognac Finish – See above.  – $96.99

10.   Bruichladdich 18 Year Rum Finish – See above. – $96.99

11.   Auchentoshan 1998 – This is a very limited edition sherry cask matured Auchentoshan bottled a natural cask strength of 54.6%. – $64.49

12.   Auchentoshan 1977 – Only 240 bottles of this sherry matured whisky are available in the world. 49%, only a dozen or so bottles are available in Canada. – $506.99

New American Whiskies – Buffalo Trace Antique Collection:

1.       Sazerac 18 Year – One of the most rare and hard to find whiskies in the world. This real American Rye Whiskey is rich, deep and full bodied. Usually scored in the high 90’s in the Whisky Bible. KWM received but 6 bottles! – $147.49

2.       Thomas Handy Rye – This whiskey is barrel proof, the American version of cask strength, and has a massive palate and body. 96.5pts Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2011. – $140.49

3.       Eagle Rare 17 Year – Old Boubons are far from common, mainly because the oak—which by law has to be new each and every time in the US—overwhelms the whiskey very quickly. The Eagle Rare 17 skirts the right side of this razor’s edge with notes of “molasses, leather, vanilla and toffee.” KWM only received 6 bottles. – $127.49

This is the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. KWM received all but the William Larue Weller. The George T. Stagg has sold out.

Whiskies Back In Stock:

1.       Edradour Caledonia – Exclusive to the Kensington Wine Market this special bottling of Edradour is a 12 year old finished in Oloroso sherry for at least 4 years. The whisky is chewy and very fruity with figs, sultanas and a hint of clove. 46% NCF and no colouring.- $93.99

2.       Bruichladdich Golder Still – Back and at a greatly reduced price… This is the 3rd bottling in a trilogy of whiskies that included the Blacker Still (2006) and Redder Still (2007). 4,900 very collectible bottles of this 23 year old have been released world-wide! – $212.99

Jim Murray’s 2011 Whisky Bible – $21.95 + GST

The Whisky Bible has a fresh new look for 2011 to go along with the more 900 new and revised reviews. The 2011 Whisky Bible has 3,850 reviews of whisky from the world over. While the bulk of the book is taken up by single malt Scotch whiskies, the book also reviews most of the major American, Canadian, Irish, Japanese and World Whiskies. You may not always agree with his scores, or the distilleries which seem to dominate year after year, but the tasting notes always come in handy when searching for your next dram!

Malt Whisky Yearbook 2011 – $29.99 + GST

Back for a 6th year the Malt Whisky Yearbook is the ideal resource for the whisky aficionado that likes to know every detail about his or her favourite distilleries. Every single malt distillery in Scotland, Ireland, Japan and most of the rest in the world are included with a detailed breakdown on their history and what’s happened in the last year.  The book includes tasting notes on one or two of the distillery’s most common bottlings, interesting articles on the world of whisky and detailed descriptions of the various processes involved in manufacturing malt whisky. No whisky bar or man’s bathroom is complete without one, and if you only buy one whisky book, this should be it.

­­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

Glen Elgin 25yo 1984/2010 (46.5%, Dewar Rattray for Co-op Calgary, Hogshead, C#2858, 243 bts., D’01/11/81 B’ 07/06/2010)

Another single cask offering from A. Dewar Rattray, the independent bottlers and this time another bottling for the Co-op Wines & Spirits in Calgary, Alberta. Remember the excellent 42yo Tamdhu bottled for them? No? Check out http://tinyurl.com/Co-op-Tamdhu42yo

The nose (undiluted) is initially a little closed but what does emerge is some fine malt and very light sweetness with hints of clotted cream and tablet. With more time in the glass it opens to reveal more of the malt (dusty now, like sticking your head into a malting floor after it’s just been swept up). There is also some faint pleasant aromas of heather and leather. The nose diluted falls way a little so don’t add any water, it’s just a smidge over 46% in any case. The taste is extremely nice, beautiful intermingling of the sweetness from the tablet, some vibrancy and the heather all backed by the cocoa  wood notes. Gentle, pleasing and warming. With water there is much more honey, some Honey dew melon and some of the heather. Don’t add too much.  The finish is malty, pear, apple and then after a short while some really good cocoa dryness takes over and then fades away. It’s quite long but not overly assertive or aggressive; just right.

What a great dram! Well done, another great selection.

$ un determined at this point (many thanks to Jonathan Bray of Purple Valley Imports for the sample).

Score 88 points

Visit A. Dewar Rattray at www.dewarrattray.com

Loch Fyne Whiskies News has stocked a new item, ‘Bowmore Tempest 10yo Batch 2’

Bowmore Tempest 10yo Batch 2
56% abv
£41.50 inc vat
£35.32 ex vat

The second of a series of batches of cask strength 10yo.

Smokier than Batch 1

Batch 1 Tasting Note:

Creamy with a butterscotch on pastry aroma (and some witch-hazel that clears with a little time), the peat is slight and on the nose is more as from wood embers, water reveals fruit. The peat floods the tongue with a very slight and perfectly acceptable Bowmore perfume note. There is a great mouth-coating finish of gentle peat smoke and pepper.

This is Bowmore truly back on form and an ace. Super to have it back.

We reckon on the Flavour Map Ref: E9
Smoky

Loch Fyne Whiskies
david@lfw.co.uk  

Visit Loch Fyne Whiskies at www.lfw.co.uk

Win a Year’s Supply of Whisky from Master of Malt

Master of Malt have launched a Golden Dram Competition in which five lucky winners will receive a year’s supply of whisky from the world’s greatest distilleries.

The competition was launched to celebrate the release of Master of Malt’s dram sets – 24 different tasting sets showcasing the world’s finest spirits. Each set includes five beautifully labelled, wax-dipped samples, specially selected by the Master of Malt tasting team. There is a wide range of sets to choose from including an Old and Rare Whisky Tasting Set, a Regions of Scotland, a Super Peaty Whisky Tasting Set, and many more.

120 Different Whiskies

Golden Drams have been hidden in five lucky tasting sets, and if you find a golden dram before the end of November, you win a free Gold Membership (RRP £499.95) into Master of Malt’s Dram Club. Gold members receive a year’s supply of whisky, with 10 exquisite drams every month! That’s a glass of superb whisky every other day!

Dram Club

Master of Malt’s Dram Club is the ultimate chance to try exceptional whiskies from all over the world. There are three different membership options;

Bronze Dram Club Membership (£84.95) includes;

– A 5 dram box-set every three months
– Two Glencairn tasting glasses
Silver Dram Club Membership (£249.95) includes;
– 5 new whiskies to try every month
– Two Glencairn tasting glasses

Gold Dram Club Membership (£499.95) includes;

– 10 new and exciting drams every month (a year’s supply of whisky)
– Two Glencairn tasting glasses.

You can browse the range of dram sets here http://www.masterofmalt.com/dram-sets/

Or you can read up on membership into Master of Malt’s Dram Club here http://www.masterofmalt.com/dram-club/

For more information on the Golden Dram Competition, visit http://www.masterofmalt.com/golden-dram-competition/

About Master of Malt
– Established in 1985
– One of the UK’s leading online whisky and spirits retailers
– A highly rated independent bottler, all of whose single cask whiskies scored over 90 points in the Jim Murray Whisky Bible 2009.

– www.masterofmalt.com

Read the Master of Malt blog: www.masterofmalt.com/blog or follow Master of Malt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/masterofmalt  and Facebook: www.facebook.com/masterofmalt

Glendronach 15yo (52.2%, OB for Kensington Calgary, PX, C#1410, 682 Bts., D 10/03/’95 B 08/2010)

Another exclusive single cask bottling for Kensington Wine Mart in Calgary, Canada under the expert guidance of Andrew Ferguson ‘the scotch guy’ and this time a Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon. Non chill filtered and bottled at natural colour.

The color is very dark with rich red highlights, the nose is very rich with a fragrant back ground, rich fruit cake, dark rum soaked plump raisins, over ripe apples and strawberry jam. The fragrance arrives in the form of heather and pink grapefruit. Extremely pleasant and luxurious. The wood notes arrive after a few minutes in the glass in the form of oak spice and some red cedar. The taste is sherried (whoo hoo!) and then lots of very oak spice notes and a very, very rich creaminess which after a few moments turns to a dried tobacco like richness that is quite rare in single malts, very much the oak influence here and quite sensational. Also some clove, resin, linseed and…. Ooof, it’s very nice. The finish is warming, long and fragrant once again. The wood notes are once again very prevalent and it’s quite dry however this is good. There is also some later moments of honey (but not domestic honey) but wild honey.

Yet another cracker from Kensington Wine Mart.

$115

Score 89 points

SAMPLE IMAGE

Nickolls and Perks have arranged three Malt tastings for this December. They promise to offer something different between them and we hope you can make one of the dates below.
 
Bruichladdich  ISLAY
Thurs 2nd December
A full range of ‘laddy’ expressions will be on the table inc NEW btlgs :Infinity 3rd Edition + Port Charlotte ‘Turas Mor’.
Bourbon Cask 16 yr old etc
 
£25 /person
 
———————————————–
 
Douglas Laing Independent Bottlers
Thurs 9th December
Jan Beckers returns once more to refresh our palates.
Glaswegian Purveyors bring down host of drams from different distilleries
A chance to journey around the highlands in liquid.
Macallan 12 yr Provenance
Bowmore PROV over 9 yr
Caol Ila OMC 1984 26 yr
Port Ellen PROV 1983 27 yr
Tamdhu OAR 1989 20 yr Sherry cask
 
£25/person
 
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Jura & Dalmore Distilleries  –Mr Willie Tait
Friday 10th December
The main man himself is coming down to teach us Jura speak…mostly he’ll be serving up some great island malts :
Superstition, Prophecy & Jura 21 yr + a Dalmore special.
 
£15/person
 
—————————————————-

Tickets 01384 394518
Venue : The Cellars
Start : 7:30pm
 
Slainte
David Gardner

http://www.nickollsandperks.co.uk/