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1257 Kensington Road NW
1 (403) 283-8000 / atyourservice@kensingtonwinemarket.com
$724.99
At the high end of Balblair's lineup lies this 25-year-old. It spent the first part of its life maturing away in ex-Bourbon casks before a lenghtly secondary maturation in Oloroso Sherry seasoned Spanish Oak. Bottled at 46%.
700ml mlProducer Tasting Note
Nose: Indulgent overripe apricots and dark liquorice stand out against polished oak and a touch of saddle wax
Palate: Full-bodied with oily citrus, chocolate praline and a faint note of fresh tobacco leaf
Finish: Warming with smooth chocolate and blood oranges
Balblair is one of Scotland’s oldest distilleries. The official founding of the distillery was in 1790, by a local man named John Ross. There are records though that indicate the distillery may have been operating on its original location, as far back as 1749. Built near Edderton, the original distillery was moved a half a mile north in 1895, to make better use of the Inverness to Ardgay rail line. The distillery operated until 1911 when tough economic times forced its closure. It would not reopen until 1949.
The distillery was expanded twice in the 20th century, to take advantage of the boom in demand for Scotch whisky in the 1960s and 1970s. A major expansion took place in 1964, followed by extensive improvements in the 1980s. The distillery was owned by Hiram Walker from 1970 until 1996. In 1996 the distillery was sold to Inverhouse Distillers, who already owned Old Pulteney and Knockdhu (anCnoc) Distilleries. They would later add Balmenach before that firm was itself sold to a beverage industry giant now known as Thai Beverage Inc.
Balblair recently rebranded, moving to age statements and away from vintage concept bottlings. Independent bottlings of Balblair are increasingly rare, with the exception of Gordon Macphail and the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.
$394.99
This bottle was featured on Day 5 of our 2020 KWM Whisky Calendar. Mini (50ml) bottles can be found here.
Here it is: the classic 25 Year Old Glenfarclas Single Malt Scotch. No corners are cut at Glenfarclas. Even though it is much more expensive, and hard to procure, their focus is still on European oak. Founded in 1836, Glenfarclas is the second oldest family-owned distillery in Scotland.
$97.99
Part of the new Balblair range, which is moving away from the vintage concept and towards age statements. Bottled at 46%, the whisky was matured in American oak ex-bourbon & "double-fired American oak casks".
$659.99
The 25-year-old Arran is now part of the Lochranza Distillery's core range, though a very limited part of it. Currently an annual release, only 3000 bottles are available world-wide. It was matured in a combination of ex-Sherry and Ex-Bourbon casks which were filled in the distillery's first few years of operation. 46% ABV.
Producer Description
"As one of the first of the new wave of distilleries to reach maturity, we are delighted to share our oldest age statement with you every year. We hope that you will continue to join us in celebrating our whisky and Lochranza Distillery as the years continue to go by, and we celebrate each year with a new release of our oldest Single Malt.
Here’s to 25 years of making great Arran Single Malt!"
$494.99
"...the sherry, along with the extra aging, contributes a silky texture and a richer, fuller dimension to the whisky... peach, vanilla, tropical fruit, and honeyed malt... but its key flavor components are toffee, honey-dipped citrus, red licorice, chocolate-covered almonds, and fig, along with dried spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, mint tea) that peaks on the finish... seamless and elegantly balanced." John Hansell
