Dear Malt Messenger Subscribers,

Thanks to all of you who made it out to either our Spring Single Malt Festival last Thursday or the Ultimate Auchentoshan Dinner on Friday. Both events were a huge success and a lot of fun. We’ve had some excellent feedback from both participating agents and as well as customers, and are thrilled with the results.

Father’s Day is just around the corner—this Sunday as a matter of fact—and after the success we had with them last year we’ve decided to throw some gift packs together. We’ve two gift packs for you to choose from, the creamy peaty one (Bowmore Tempest) and the spicy sherried one (Springbank 1996). Both gift packs come in a double sided cedar box, the bottle of choice, two glasses and a copy of the most recent Malt Advocate Magazine. More on these gift packs can be found below. We ask that you please pre-order them to give us time to put them together.

If your father/husband might prefer a tasting to a bottle of whisky, have we got the tasting for you! Our Rare Malts tasting this coming Tuesday—June 22nd—features some of rarest and most interesting whiskies in the market, and there is still some room available. We will be sampling whiskies from closed distilleries including Rosebank, Glen Mhor and Pittyvaich. The highlight of the tasting will be a 40 year old bottling of Springbank from Signatory which is exclusive to Kensington Wine Market. For more information please see below.

Finally, those peat freaks amongst you will be pleased to know that the latest release of Octomore, the Octomore 2.2 Orpheus has arrived. The Orpheus has been matured in Bourbon casks before finishing in Chateau Petrus Bordeuax casks. Only a very limited quantity of the Orpheus has been brought into Canada. More on that below too!

I hope you enjoy this little Malt Messenger Bulletin, and a Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there…

Slainte!

Andrew Ferguson

Father’s Day Gift Package Springbank 1996 – $149.99

Treat your father to a bottle of our superb 1996 Springbank Oloroso cask, a couple of Glencairn crystal single malt glasses and a copy of Malt Advocate Magazine. Dad’s gift will be packaged in a double sided cedar box complete with ribbon. Assemble in this gift bundle you save $25.

Springbank is Scotland’s oldest family owned distillery (1828) is the most traditional and the most handsome distillery in Scotland. Cask No. 269 has been bottled exclusively for Kensington Wine Market and was matured in an Oloroso sherry cask. It has been bottled at a cask strength of 55.8%. Nose: sweet, Christmas spices, brown sugar, milk chocolate; palate; really spicy and sweet, candied fruits, drying oak and some salty smoke; finish: rich, long and smooth with more spicy-sweet notes.

Please pre-order.

Perfect for the lover of sherried whiskies.

Father’s Day Gift Package Bowmore Tempest – $124.99

If Dad prefers a peated Islay single malt then the Bowmore Tempest Father’s Day gift pack is for you. This gift pack is also presented in a double sided cedar with two Glencairn glasses, the Bowmore Tempest and a copy of Malt Advocate Magazine. Purchasing these items in the gift bundle saves you $20.

The Bowmore Tempest has been matured exclusively in first-fill American oak ex-bourbon casks. Earthy smoke and brine water, notes of crème brulée with orange blossom with butter cream. Palate: Bursts of citrus, lemons and orange with the distinct peaty Islay character and a sea salt tang. Finish: Long, lingering yet clean and fresh. This is a peaty whisky but not oppressively so. Its high proof, 55.3% is also surprisingly approachable. The Bowmore Tempest is exclusive to Kensington Wine Market.

Please pre-order.

Perfect for the lover or Islay whiskies, but also those looking for something a little different.

Rare Malts – Tuesday June 22nd – $80

This is our final Spring whisky tasting, and what a tasting to end the session on. The Rare Malts tastings is our opportunity to showcase whiskies which are rare, older or from closed distilleries. This edition will be no different, and I am very excited about the line-up. The Rare Malts tastings are normally conducted blind so I won’t tell you all the specifics, except to say that we have expressions from Rosebank and Glen Mhor (both of which are closed) and we will also be sampling the new Pittyvaich 20 Year (also closed) and Signatory Springbank 1969 40 Year (exceptionally rare). The Springbank alone retails for more than $1200, and should make the tasting worthwhile.

Space is limited to 20 participants. Call the store, 403-283-8000 or go online www.kensingtonwinemarket.com to register.

Octomore 2.2 Orpheus – $139.49

Octomore, Bruichladdich’s most heavily peated single malt is an unusual dram for a couple of reasons. Firstly, Octomore’s barley is peated to a level of 140ppm, the highest in the industry. This gives the whisky a robust smoky earthy character that borders on the insane. Bruichladdich’s tall slender stills soften the punch somewhat. Secondly, the whisky has been matured in Bourbon casks and was finished in Chateaux Petrus Bordeaux red wine casks before being bottled at 61%.

Some reviews have been quite favourable, others have pondered whether Bruichladdich has lost its way, or its mind. Whatever the case may be they come up with another beautifully packaged whisky and yet another creative marketing angle. From the distillery:

– Orpheus in the Underworld: In Greek mythology the epic tale of a hero’s journey down into the underworld, a katabasis, is one of bravery and devotion. To voyage into the unknown – and yet return. This Orpheus did. To be “Orphic” is to be mystic, fascinating and entrancing, for he was believed to have discovered mysteries, purification from sins, and by music, the means of averting the wrath of the Gods. Truly, this is Octomore.
– Flame red tin signifies the fires of Hades which Orpheus braved to rescue his wife Eurydice, from the underworld.

Tasting note to come!

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!

 You can follow me online on Twitter at www.twitter.com/scotch_guy..

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

Blooming Marvellous Mystery Malts

Cask Ends Sale: Fri 18*- Thu 24 June (*unless you’re a whisky twitcher)
We’ve put together four regional Mystery Malt Cask Ends Parcels at a very special price – we do love our bottled sunshine.

But it doesn’t stop there, buy ANY parcel and save a MASSIVE £36 on 77.18 An apothecary’s cabinet. You can buy as many bottles of 77.18 as you like at £29.40 each (with any parcel of course!)

Parcel A
Highland, Speyside & Islay
£99 inc. Free P&P

Parcel B
Highland, Speyside & Grain
£89.50 inc. Free P&P

Parcel C
Highland, Speyside & Campbeltown
£99 inc. Free P&P

Parcel D
1 x Highland & 2 Speyside
£89.50 inc. Free P&P

77.18 An apothecary’s cabinet
Highland Northern
£29.40* inc. Free P&P (*with ANY Cask Ends Parcel)
Flowers in sawdust, Crunchie bars, Victoria sponge and marmalade; then slightly more medicinal with water, like an apothecary’s cabinet.
Age: 22 years    Cask: Ex-bourbon hogshead

Subject to availability, and on a first-come-first-served basis
An alternative bottle will be offered if 77.18 runs out, order NOW to avoid disappointment

SMWS Whisky Tasting & Events
Two Distilleries, One Day Tour – The Vaults, Sat 19 Jun
Blend Your Own Whisky Lunch – The Vaults, Sun 20 Jun
Wokingham Preview Sensory Tasting – Cantley House, Thu 24 Jun
Dundee Preview Tasting – Hilton Hotel, Fri 25 Jun
Inverness Preview Tasting – Kingsmills Hotel, Fri 25 Jun
Pan-Asian Curry Experience – London, Sat 26 Jun
A night with Richard Paterson – London, Mon 28 Jun
Glenmorangie Tasting – Queen Street, Thu 1 July
World Cup Quarter Final Viewing – Queen Street, Fri 2 July
World Cup Quarter Final Viewing – Queen Street, Sat 3 July

Visit the Society at www.smws.co.uk

Shelter Point Distillery on Vancouver Island, British Columbia Canada nears completion. Visit Shelter Point at www.shelterpointdistillery.com/

Tweeddale Blend OB 10yo 46%alc.

50% single grain and 50% malt

(LFW reports) Here’s an interesting blend with a decent story to it. A recreation of a 1899 recipe from a Borders’ Merchant’s cellar book.

A cool caramel nose of whisky and sweet Gallia melon – with a little gunpowder smoke. The taste is easy with nothing dominant reflecting it’s eastern and lowland origins. As a blend should be – there is nothing wrong with it!

Price excluding VAT: £22.55
£26.50 Including VAT at 17.5

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

Father’s Day Whisky Masterclass Gift

Buy a 70cl bottle of TALISKER®, THE SINGLETON OF DUFFTOWN® or DALWHINNE® Single Malt Whisky in any Oddbins store and receive 2 free tickets to a whisky masterclass event – the perfect gift for Father’s Day. 

The complimentary whisky master class, hosted by a single malt whisky ambassador, will guide you through the world of single malt whisky using THE SINGLE MALT WHISKY FLAVOUR MAP™. With so many ages, regions and distilleries out there, there’s a diverse and exciting world of flavour for your father to explore. With the aid of the Single Malt Whisky Flavour Map, which has been created by experts, you/he can pin-point each flavour and identify what type of whisky suits your taste.

Your whisky ambassador will provide a selection of four Single Malt Scotch Whiskies for you to experience and savour, after the tasting they will leave you with your very own flavour map and some serving suggestions to inspire your newly acquired whisky knowledge.

Oddbins Father’s Day Malt Deals

Old Pulteney – was £26.99, now £19.99 – deal ends Sunday 18 July

Balvenie Doublewood was £29.99 now £24.99 – deal ends Monday night (21 June)

Oddbins Malt deals for the period Monday 21 June to Sunday 18 July

Aberlour was £25.99 now £19.99

Talisker was £33.99 now £27.99

Laphroaig 10yo was £32.99 now £24.99

Singleton Dufftown was £32.99 now £26.99

Aberlour a’Bunadh was £36.99 now £31.99

Visit Oddbins at www.oddbins.com

Arran – An Island Story
The Red Lion, Crown Passage, London SW1 
Tuesday June 22nd 2010, 7.30pm 

When the opening of the Arran distillery at Lochranza was announced in 1996 there was much excitement among whisky-lovers at the prospect of a new whisky on the market. The only frustrating thing was that there was a long wait to endure before being able to taste mature stock. Thankfully the guys (and gals) at Arran are not without vision and decided to release whisky at a younger age in order to keep everyone happy. They are also not averse to experimenting with different casks…

We are delighted to announce this series of tastings in order that we can taste a whole sluice of their whiskies at different ages and cask types. We will also be exclusively sampling a new bottling that is being released around the same time as this series. At most of the tastings we will be welcoming the very passionate and knowledgeable UK Brand Ambassador, Celine Tetu – definitely an added bonus!

As always each tasting is designed to be fun and enjoyable for all levels of whisky drinker, and is not a lecture. You will almost certainly learn something new every time, but if you don’t walk out with a smile on your face then there we have done something wrong!

You will not be sent a ticket through the post. Your details will be added to the event register and all you need to do is print the payment confirmation page and bring it with you to the event.

Visit the Whisky Lounge to buy tickets http://www.thewhiskylounge.com/Events.aspx

The Red Lion, Crown Passage, London SW1

WHISKY BEATS £25,000 MARK AT BONHAMS

RARE GLENFIDDICH ONE OF WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE BOTTLES OF SCOTCH

A bottle of Glenfiddich was today sold for £25,200, at Bonhams Whisky sale in Edinburgh making it one of the most expensive bottles of whisky ever sold at auction. (The world record of £29,400 was paid in 2007 for a 19th century bottle of Bowmore). 

The whisky is described as having a bouquet of “newly dug peat, burnt leather, old books, leather and oak” and the taste of treacle toffee, crème brûlée and toasted almonds.”

A 70cl single malt distilled in 1937, it is one of only 61 bottles produced and was part of a batch of 10 bottles released in 2001.  It was estimated at £15,000 – 20,000.

Bonhams Whisky specialist, Martin Green, said, “The moment I saw it I knew we had something special and I’m delighted that it reached such a high price.  Even in these difficult economic times very high quality items will still excite a lot of interest and this was a truly exceptional opportunity to acquire an exceptional bottle.”

The sale made over £160,000 with 95% sold by value.

NOTES

Bonhams

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son and Neale UK. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street, and Knightsbridge, and a further five throughout the UK. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Boston in the USA; Toronto, Canada; and France, Monaco, Hong Kong, Sydney and Dubai. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 57 specialist areas. By the end of 2009, Bonhams had become UK market leaders in ten key specialist collecting areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, go to www.bonhams.com (February 2010).

Ladies and Gentleman,

We still have a small number of tickets left for the Old Pulteney tasting, this Monday the 21 st .

Please call us on +44 (0)207 403 8688 with payment details if you wish to book a place at this event.

Best Regards,

The Team

Father’s Day – Sunday 20th June 2010
Don’t Forget!!

Whisky of the Week – Glenburgie 10YO 40% 

Colour: Golden Brown
Nose: Fruity with hints of citrus and mulled fruit, with sweet,
creamy elements. Touch of toasted malt.
Palate: Rich fruit with sweet, oaky notes, some pepperiness
with floral hints.
Finish: Short.

Our Price: £17.99 RRP £22.99 Save £5.00!!

Taste of Gold for Smokehead

Smokehead has been awarded an International Review of Spirits’ Gold Medal by the highly respected Beverage Testing Institute (BTI).

Judged by an expert panel from BTI in the institution’s Chicago Tasting Room, Smokehead was awarded an ‘Exceptional’ rating of 91/100 for its explosive, peaty flavours. With the appearance of ‘bright old gold’, the panel commented on the Single Malt’s ‘aromas of honeyed raisin scone, dried peaches and medical tinctures with a hint of cedar and mesquite-like smokiness’. The BTI also commented on Smokehead’s ‘good depth and lingering body’ with ‘subtly complex and earthy smoked wood, leather and a prairie grass driven finish’.

The International Review of Spirits’ Gold Medal for Smokehead’s rich and complex flavours, follows two Gold Medals from BTI in the 2009 International Review of Spirits Packaging Competition. These recognised the brand’s innovative, bold and modern packaging in the Creativity and Graphic Design categories.

Since launching in 2006, Smokehead Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky has won a number of awards for both its eye-catching packaging and balanced, seaweedy flavours, including the Scottish Field Whisky Challenge Gold Medal and Wine & Spirits Design Awards for Best Dark Spirit and the overall Trophy for Design of the Year.

Visit www.smokehead.co.uk