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1257 Kensington Road NW
1 (403) 283-8000 / atyourservice@kensingtonwinemarket.com
$264.99 $238.49
Of the 1200-1500 bottles of this whisky bottled for La Maison du Whisky, fewer than 100 bottles are coming to Alberta, exclusively to KWM. Bottled at 49% the whisky is supposedly composed of Benrinnes, Clynelish, and Laphroaig, with both ex-Bourbon & Sherry casks employed in the mix. Limit 2 Per Customer!
Producer Description
"Drawing its inspiration from eclectic and sometimes offbeat worlds, the London-based house, founded in 2000 by John Glaser, sets itself apart by constantly renewing the blend genre. The Architectonics blend is a nod to 19th-century industrial architecture. Particularly complex, this version is the result of blending a rich, smooth single malt aged in sherry casks, a peated Islay whisky, a blended malt and softer, fruitier whiskies aged in bourbon casks. Long afterwards, the intensely malty, empyreumatic dry extracts that escape from the empty glass punctuate a nuanced olfactory and gustatory journey."
700 mlAndrew's Tasting Note
Nose: dark, fruity, nutty, and just a little bit grundgy; lots going on here, but you can kind of pick out the pieces; farmy/malty Benrinnes, honeyed/waxy Clynelish, and smoke/medicinal Laphroaig; soft leather, medium dark chocolate, and dried dark fruits from the sherry with a touch of spice.
Palate: honeyed, malty, and fruity with soft medicinal peat; the components are well balanced and harmonious; I would love to know the ratios of the different components here because the Laphroaig has been tamed, and the Clynelish is still shinning through; more medium dark chocolate, dried dark fruits, warming spices, and waxy honey; late juicy Starburst fruit candies.
Finish: surprisingly soft and elegant given the robust palate; mouth coating beeswax, decadent chocolate, and a whiff of smoke;
Comment: this is a lovely malt, I probably would have scored it a notch or two higher than Le Serge; every time I go back I get something more; wish we could have bottled something like this, with a little less sherry, for our 35th Anniversary; but alas, one door closes and another one opens!
Producer Tasting Note
Nose: fine, well-developed. On the first nose, a translucent peat fills the entire aroma palette, also marked by salty notes and wildflower. This ensemble is then refreshed with fragrances of citrus and malt. Clove gradually brings heat into the mix.
Palate: lively, dynamic. Continuing on from the nose, the attack is a melting pot of spices (cardamom, star anise), vanilla, and chocolate, liquorice and herbal scents (verbena, oregano). The rustic end of the palate takes us to the heart of the Spey Valley.
Finish: long, silky. Seeped in an oily peat, the finish is first characterised by sublime notes of lit Havana cigar. Now exotic (pineapple, kiwi), the flavour palette is also coated in beeswax. The empty glass is intensely malty and empyreumatic (smoke, tarmac).
87pts Whisky Fun
"A blend paying homage to the Grande Halle de la Villette in Paris, where Whisky Live has been held for a few years now. It features some of Compass Box’s favourite malts, like Laphroaig and Clynelish. Colour: deep gold. Nose: complex, oily, with toasted hazelnuts to start. Then come smoked sesame, lapsang souchong, beeswax, orange peel, dandelion flower, and Ovaltine. Just a hint of juniper. Mouth: a real balancing act, with many different influences (coastal, charcoal, wax, orchard fruits), yet none overpowering the others, though it’s clearly a ‘peated’ whisky at its core. A touch of lemony liquorice too. Finish: long, with lemon, ashes, apples, and a bit of cedarwood. Hints of gentian and verbena in the aftertaste. Comments: a lovely marriage and almost a full panorama of Scotland. It does borrow some traits from Johnnie Green in my book. SGP:554 - 87 points."
$391.49
This is the fourth and final release in the Compass Box Extinct Blends Quartet, which celebrates - or laments - the blends of decades' past which are no longer available. Celestial draws on peated whisky from Ardbeg and Caol Ila, which are always good malts to build around. Malt from Pulteney and grain from Port Dundas and Cameronbridge are also in the mix along with prior Compass Box blends and other assorted magic, courtesy of Blender James Saxon. Bottled at 51%.
Producer Description
"Our latest and last in the Extinct Blends Quartet Celestial takes to the sky through billowing clouds and glittering constellations, inspired by a whisky from the 1960s with both an extravagant flavour profile and an equine theme. The peatiest of the Extinct Blends Quartet, and our most expansive, Celestial offers a depth of flavour and maturity that has become the series’ hallmark.
Celestial accentuates the smokiness of its forebear, drawing on malt whiskies from the Ardbeg and Caol Ila distilleries, two parcels we previously brought together six years ago for the original No Name."
$427.49
The third release in the "Extinct Blends" quartet is Metropolis, a Blended Scotch whisky composed of whiskies aged 25-30 years of age, bottled at 49%. The whisky is mainly 30-year-old Aberlour with dashes of 24-year-old Bowmore and 29-year-old Miltonduff. Intrigued? It is inspired by a blend originally created in the late 19th Century, made with Glenmorangie.
Producer Description
"For our third release in the Extinct Blends Quartet, Metropolis, we step into the throng of a striving city through the ages. Blended Scotch began in the metropolis, with blending vats in Glasgow and Edinburgh producing bottles for urban jungles around the world. The soul of blended Scotch continues to reside in the city.
"Vanilla arrives first on the nose, followed by a medley of different honeys. Fudge, apricot and pineapple lead to fresh fig. A rich and very complex palate with sultana, apricot again and hints of smoky woodiness. A long and sweet finish, with a pleasing weight."