1993 Springbank 25 Year Old “The Perfect Fifth” First Fill Sherry Butt No. 315 Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)

$1,500.00 View

An absolute gem in the Perfect Fifth line up. At 96 points it’s close to the legendary Highland Park they’ve also bottled, but for half the price. Jim Murray says, “Anyone who remembers the old Springbank 25-year-olds of the early 1990s will recognize this aroma as a direct descendent – indeed it is near enough identical in both weight and character. The huge, nuggety oak is faultless (this must have come from a cask which had been seasoned in the old – virtually lost – style). Salt dominates but there are dried apricots and spiced pear, too. Meanwhile the vaguest of peaty notes (and I mean the odd atom here and there!) teases away as a barely audible background noise, which automatically becomes louder the moment you spot it. Taste: A malt on the threshold of perhaps dallying too closely with the oak. But that coastal-style bite makes just the right contact with the salty tannins and cocoa-laden phenol to make a course for more complex and satisfying port. Just enough oil makes the middle rich and promises a long finale. Finish: Drier, as is to be expected, as the tannins raise their game. Still salty, but a little barley sugar and lemon juice lightens the intensity, though – happily, but not too much; the residual oils ensure the finish is of extraordinary length. Balance: A real return to the past here with Springbank in its most full-bodied, uncompromising and complex style which those of us who discovered the distillery in the 1980s remember with great affection.”

Email: wine@klwines.com
Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637)
K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

KWM 2023 Whisky Calendar

Early Bird Pricing Ends Friday

SAVE $40 with the Pre-Pay Pre-Order Offer!

We wanted to take one final opportunity to remind you that the early-bird deadline is fast approaching. It was technically midnight tonight, but we have decided to extend it through midnight, Sunday, September 24, to give everyone a little more time. September is a busy month with summer vacations coming to an end and kids going back to school.

After Sunday, September 24, the price for the KWM 2023 Whisky Calendar goes up from $250+gst to $290+gst!

Sincerely,

Andrew Ferguson

Kensington Wine Market

About the KWM 2023 Whisky Calendar

The KWM Whisky Calendar, aka “25 Days of Dram Fine Whisky”, is back for the 10th straight year. Not only will it have a fresh new look this year, but it will be in a completely redesigned box. This year’s Calendar includes 25 28ml premium whiskies and a custom logo wee Glencairn glass. You can follow along on the KWM Blog starting December 1st, or on one of our various social media channels as we introduce and discuss each day’s whisky.

We will be revealing the design for the KWM 2023 Whisky Calendar in a few weeks’ time!

We will also be hosting Whisky Calendar Recap Tastings throughout the month of December. Purchasers and recipients of the KWM 2023 Whisky Calendar will be able to join us for any or all of the 5 virtual tastings on December 5, 10, 15, 20 and after Christmas on the 27th, at 7 PM MT. Each of them will cover the 5 previous day’s whiskies in the Calendar.

Every year someone asks the question, but we always keep the exact calendar whisky list a secret, as there are too few surprises left in this life… But we can tell you this year’s Calendar includes 3 KWM exclusive casks, a Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottling, at least five whiskies in their 20s, and more new distilleries and producers than we have featured in a long time. We are confident that this is the best Whisky Calendar lineup we have ever pulled together because we weren’t limited by what was available to us in 50mls!

Best of all, if you select the pre-pay preorder option, you will save $40… but this offer is only open for two weeks, until midnight, Sunday, September 24th!

We anticipate the KWM 2023 Whisky Calendars should be ready for pick up by October 31st.

Two Options to Order

the KWM 2023 Whisky Calendar

1) KWM 2023 Whisky Calendar Pre-Pay Early Bird Special Offer – Select this option if you wish to save $40 on the regular price of $290, by prepaying now in full (please note this cannot be combined with other offers or discounts). You will be charged $250+gst when we receive your order. – EARLY BIRD PRICING OPTION ENDS ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24th, 2023!

2) KWM 2023 Whisky Calendar Pay Later Full Price – If you want to reserve a KWM 2023 Whisky Calendar and pay the full price of $290+gst later, please select this option to submit your order, and you will not be charged until a few days before the Calendar is ready for pick-up.

Please order online if you can (using the links above), or by phone at 403-283-8000 if you can’t. 

As always, in the event of a discrepancy in price, the point of sale at KWM will be taken as correct. Please don’t hesitate to email me with any questions, comments, or requests.

Sincerely,

Andrew Ferguson

Kensington Wine Market

403-283-8000

Store Hours

Mon – Wed 10AM – 8PM

Thurs & Fri 10AM – 9PM

Sat 10AM – 8 PM

Sun 11PM to 6PM

*All Prices Quoted here are subject to change and do not include GST. In the case of pricing discrepancies, the price at our point of sale will be taken as correct.*

Glorious Glenburgie with a tropical twist

Discover this hidden Speyside gem through a richly fruit-forward lens

A 27 year old release bottled exclusively for our bar and shop by Gordon & MacPhail

Glenburgie 27 Year Old 1996 Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice Milroy’s Exclusive

£275.00

Here at Milroy’s we’re passionate about sourcing and sharing exquisite whiskies. This means bottling remarkable casks when we find them – and that’s exactly what we did with this Glenburgie refill bourbon barrel.

Distilled way back in 1996, this is a delectably tropical release is bursting with bold stewed fruit and vibrantly funky notes. Usually reserved for blends, this is a rare chance to experience this Speyside distillery in unadulterated form.

Secure your release from our online store now, or pop in to our Soho shop and bar. It’s available by the bottle to take away, or by the dram to taste!

Shop now

Milroy’s of Soho
3 Greek St, London W1D 4NX

Caol Ila 2007 15 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice #311967

This peated 1994 vintage has spent its entire life in a single Oloroso sherry puncheon with a yield of only 653 bottles. As part of the revered Gordon & MacPhail’s Connoisseurs Choice range of single casks, this Caol Ila was distilled in 2007 and is exclusively available from The Whisky Shop. It spent its life in a first-fill sherry butt for the whole 15 years, before being bottled at a cask strength of 59.2% abv, free from chill filtration and at natural colour.

Discover aromas of rich smoke, vanilla, and raspberry, moving to a palate of warming love, tangerine, and black pepper. The finish is spicy with lingering forest fruits and the smoky embers of a bonfire.

£175.00
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Free Next Day Delivery for 12 Months For just £14.95 you can enjoy free next day delivery on all your orders for a whole year! Geographic restrictions apply, see full T&Cs. Find out more ❯

Scotch Whisky

The Whisky Magazine Annual

Get ready to dive into the 3rd edition of Scotch Whisky, packed with distillery focus features, blind-tasting reviews, and interviews with leading figures in the Scotch whisky world. In this year’s edition, look behind the scenes at Torabhaig Distillery and Glasgow Distillery, tour the Johnnie Walker Princes Street experience, and read about F1 champion Jenson Button’s Scotch whisky project. Created by the team behind Whisky Magazine, Scotch Whisky is a valuable addition to any whisky lover’s bookshelf.

BUY TODAY

Buy your copy today! Single issue price includes delivery direct to your door!

ralfy review 995 – Kilkerran Heavily Peated (Batch 8) @58.4%vol

GORDON & MACPHAIL UNVEILS ‘EXTRAORDINARY’ 74-YEAR-OLD WHISKY FROM GLENLIVET DISTILLERY

Gordon & MacPhail has unveiled the latest addition to its prestigious Private Collection range – a single malt described by acclaimed whisky writer, Dave Broom, as ‘extraordinary’. 

Gordon & MacPhail 1949 from Glenlivet Distillery was laid down in a refill Sherry butt selected by Gordon & MacPhail on New Year’s Day 1949 and bottled on 6^th March 2023. Priced at £35,000 RSP and retaining a cask strength of 49.3%, only 192 bottles of the ultra-rare whisky are available for sale.

Its remarkable age means the whisky is among one of the oldest Glenlivet released by Gordon & MacPhail, having been aged in its warehouse for over seven decades. Adding an extra layer of rarity, the single malt is the company’s last ever 1949 cask from Glenlivet Distillery.

Layered with complex notes and full of vibrancy and character, the whisky displays sweet, stewed fruit aromas that combine with fragrant cinnamon, aged leather, clementine, and beeswax polish. On the palate, autumnal spices and fruitcake are balanced by cracked pepper, with undertones of garden mint, dark treacle, and charred oak.

Dave Broom, whisky writer, said: “To find a whisky of this age is absolutely extraordinary. What comes across immediately is the fruit – there’s richness and there’s depth. You have this wonderful interplay of distillery character, of oak and oxygen. It’s a gift that keeps on giving.

“When you taste it, you taste time. You can taste all the vintages and everything that’s happened. The concentration of fruits, the layers and the complexity are off the scale. You’d think it’s an old whisky but it’s not just an old whisky. It’s an extraordinary whisky.”

Ewen Mackintosh, Managing Director at Gordon & MacPhail, said: “Patience, knowledge, skill, and a commitment to quality are all principles exemplified in this greatly aged single malt. Gordon & MacPhail 1949 from Glenlivet Distillery is extremely scarce – our very last cask of Glenlivet from 1949, making it a must for whisky enthusiasts looking to savour a remarkable greatly aged single malt exuding layers of character and decades of maturation expertise.”

Those looking to be among the first to taste this latest Private Collection release can purchase the whisky at Dubai International Airport. Launching in partnership with Le Clos on Friday 1^st September, the Dubai airport store will have an exclusivity period, before the whisky becomes available worldwide on the 19^th of September.

Founded in 1895, Gordon & MacPhail has bottled spirit from over 100 Scottish distilleries, developing unique experience of how to mature single malts for many decades in their own casks.

For more information, visit www.gordonandmacphail.com

#GordonandMacPhail 

RSP: £35,000 ABV: 49.3% 

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Sweet stewed fruit aromas combine with a fragrant cinnamon spice and aged leather. A hint of aniseed gives way to clementine and beeswax polish.

Palate: Autumnal spice and fruitcake flavours are balanced by cracked black pepper. Undertones of garden mint come to the fore alongside dark treacle and charred oak.

Finish: A spicy finish with lasting citrus fruit and mixed nuts.

About Gordon & MacPhail Whiskies

For over 125 years, Gordon & MacPhail has been driven by a simple mission: to create single malt Scotch whisky of exceptional quality. Through four generations of family ownership, the company has matched spirit from over 100 Scottish distilleries to its casks. It is this unique depth and breadth of experience that enables Gordon & MacPhail to combine oak, spirit and time to create a portfolio of iconic whiskies found nowhere else in the world.

ELEMENTS OF ISLAY LAUNCHES NEW LIMITED EDITION

 BEACH BONFIRE GLOBALLY 

Elements of Islay, the award-winning independent whisky brand, is releasing its limited-edition whisky Beach Bonfire to global markets following an initial launch at Islay’s iconic whisky festival Fèis Ìle earlier this year.

The team wanted to create a whisky that captured the essence of the island’s rugged wilderness and transport the drinker to the heart of this untamed land with each sip. Head Blender Oliver Chilton took inspiration from a bonfire night where colours, smoke, flames, and sand all collided on a beach – truly representing the unique spirit and terroir of Islay.

The new release, bottled at 54.5% to be consistent with Elements of Islay’s core range, is matured in new oak, bourbon refill and sherry casks. The result is a powerful, herbaceous Islay malt with a rich, complex profile, laden with bonfire ember smoke and a sweet spice finish. Similarly to the rest of the range, Beach Bonfire is non-chill filtered and retains its natural colour.

“We’re thrilled to be releasing Beach Bonfire to markets across the world following its limited release at Fèis Ìle 2023,” said Elixir Distillers Head Blender, Oliver Chilton. “Beach Bonfire takes three distinct Islay spirits matured in a variety of different cask styles to bring a singular location and experience to life through flavour. The chance to condense and reimagine the incredible atmosphere of Islay’s coast by bonfire light into a glass of whisky is another step on our journey as blenders.”

The whisky is the first limited edition release from Elements of Islay since the re-launch of its core range in 2022.

Elements of Islay, Beach Bonfire, 70cl, 54.5% ABV, RRP £79.95, $115.00, €85.00 will be available in key markets across Europe in October 2023. It will be rolled out to Asia and the US from 2024.

Tasting Notes by Oliver Chilton, Head Blender

Nose: Oyster shells and bonfire smoke blend with rich baking spices and subtle notes of cherry and tarragon. Hints of mint and black pepper temper lemon oil and caramel cooking on a wood burning stove.

Palate: Bourbon-soaked Amarena Cherries, with baked vanilla pods, cinnamon and light ginger are surrounded by rich wood smoke. Touches of traditional, medicinal Islay peat play against a wonderful herbaceous character.

Finish: Warm and long, with more wood fire and soft brown sugar. A gingerbread spice starts to develop long after the last sip.

We hope you have enjoyed the summer and had plenty of family (or otherwise) fun. I know it is still hot for most of us this week, but the cooling autumn is just round the corner, and I, for one, am quite looking forward to it!

With the autumn comes the 2nd half of our festival year. Liverpool is just a week away, with York, Manchester and, finally, Nottingham waiting in the wings. Tickets are still available for all of these and, if you’re quick, there might well be some juicy ‘early-birds’ still left for some of them.

I thought for this newsletter, we could focus on some new exhibitors, fresh to our festivals, for you to look out for…

Saturday 16th September 2023
The Crypts

Buy Tickets Now!

Annandale have been with us a for a year or so now, but in the short time they have, they have swept the honours in terms of Dram of the Day! Making both, peated and unpeated single Lowland malt whisky and having the mystique of the Dr. Jim Swan connection, they are well worth seeking out! We are delighted to re-introduce

Buffalo Trace to you! It has been a very long time since we were able to do that, and we are hugely excited to broaden the range of American whiskies in our shows, especially with those from such a historical and legendary name. Our gain is your gain!

Saturday 7th October 2023
York Racecourse

Buy Tickets Now!

Although not new to us, we have not had Compass Box at our events for a good few year, and god did we miss them. Creative, innovative and always pushing the whisky boundaries, the line-up they have on offer at their stands has already delighted festival-goers…

Friday/Saturday 20th/21st October 2023
Manchester Cathedral

Buy Tickets Now!

These two, relatively new distilleries are both doing very exciting things and are well worthy of your attention. WEETWOOD are a Cheshire brewery and distillery, only a (long) stones throw from both Liverpool and Manchester. Only distilling since 2018, they are very keen to experiment with all the variables that make a difference, such as different yeast strains, maturation ABVs, distillation cuts and more.

NC’NEAN, from close to Oban, Scotland, are an organic whisky-maker, with one of the only net zero carbon whisky distilleries in the world. Aside from the mission to be as planet-friendly as possible, they make very tasty whisky indeed, so be sure to seek them out in Manchester!

Saturday 4th November 2023
St.Mary’s Church

Buy Tickets Now!

Ok, so neither of these guys are new to us, sorry! However, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society have not done all of our shows for a long time and, being one of, if not THE world’s largest independent bottler, they have really gone all out this year, in terms of breadth of range. Come and see and taste for yourself! When the guys and gals at Ardnamurchan told us they wanted to more shows this year, we were very excited!

We have know Antonia of Adelphi for a long time and were delighted when the long awaited distillery came on stream in 2014. The whiskies from this beautiful, west of Scotland located distillery are very exciting too, normally with bold and slightly smoky characteristics.

Balblair 2006 #73

Made with 100% rye malt, double copper pot distilled and finished in a delicious Moscatel wine cask, at 51.1% abv. This 16-year-old single Oloroso sherry cask has been bottled exclusively for us by Balblair. Distilled in 2006 and bottled in 2022, this has been left at a natural cask strength of 55% abv and limited to 564 bottles.

Notes from Charlie MacLean in Whiskeria Spring 2023: “Old amber in hue with good beading. A mild nose feel at natural strength, with top notes of clotted cream, on a faint base of strawberry jam (with a suggestion of scone? i.e. cream tea!); beneath all this is warm brown paper. The taste is a nice balance of light sweetness and faint saltiness, with a medium length, warming, finish.”

£179.00
SHOP NOW ❯

Free Next Day Delivery for 12 Months For just £14.95 you can enjoy free next day delivery on all your orders for a whole year! Geographic restrictions apply, see full T&Cs. Find out more ❯