Bruichladdich Laddie 22 Year
$134.99
Having sold out nearly 2 years ago the Bruichladdich 22 Year was discovered in a warehouse in France and has been offered to Alberta at an excellent price! The Laddie 22 Year is soft, subtle and sophisticated, matured in 1st and 2nd fill American oak it is creamy, toasty and very smooth. A classic American oak matured whisky, this is a lovely unpeated Ileach!
From the Distillery: "This spirit, stowed away in our loch-side warehouses, has slumbered for over two decades, respiring the invigorating marine air of the wild Atlantic. This is classic spirit, with the “Laddie” 10 and the 16, it shares a genealogy, a lineage and a philosophy that is the very essence of Bruichladdich."
Distiller's Tasting Note - Jim McEwan
Nose: I cannot recall many single malts which have such a disarming and elegant bouquet. Sweet yellow fruits, drizzled with honey and crushed almonds, intertwine wonderfully with freshly picked summer flowers; together they rise serenely on the first pass. It’s a beautiful experience. Then, with a little aeration, it's custard cream and toasted barley, banana bread and vanilla fudge. Marzipan continues to rise, now mingling with a citric twist created by the big sleep beside the Atlantic ocean. The final notes are of the malt and oak, evolving together over 22 years, with the aromatics hinting at the natural beauty of this special place called Islay.
Palate: At first you feel the power of the spirit. Its taste spectrum is intriguing, with flavours coming together like the threads of a fine tweed. The harmonious aromatics have merged superbly to give a mouth-feel that is the absolute single malt taste experience. The vanilla oak and lemon and honey lead on the first sips, with the soft, yogurt-like fruit flavours a heartbeat behind. Then it’s that brilliant Abernethy Biscuit, a vanilla wafer, and then sparkling like a firecracker all around the taste buds comes that marine citrus meringue flavour. The palate is experiencing an all-time high, and boy is the heart uplifted. The soul is rejoicing and the spirits are soaring. This is truly a rarespirit of exceptional quality. To call it a classic does notcome close; one of the best Laddies I’ve ever evaluated.
Finish: There is no terminal, no finish. This will remain with you long after the bottle has gone.
Mood: Generous, larger than life.
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 53.234
$199.99
SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE
This 16 year old from Islay came from a refill hogshead and is a whopping 64.1%
Flavour profile: Heavily peated
Outturn: 270 bottles
Panel's tasting note: "There was a lot of smoke but without the fire; smoked bacon, smoked sea salt, hot and cold smoked salmon, smoked mackerel pâté, smoked scallops and smoked brown sugar. The taste neat had some chili heat, some sweet fruity sangria and, what should not be coming as a surprise, plenty of big, deep and penetrating smoke with some crackling homemade pork scratchings in the finish. Water released smoked plum lemonade (grilling the lemons before adding them), smoked apple chutney as well as Arbroath smokies with cream and mustard, while on the palate a never ending sweet smoke and savoury chili heat sensation."
Drinking tip: "Late in the evening"
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 71.42
$177.99
SINBAD PREPARING FOR A JOURNEY
At 17 years old, this Speysider is 57.5% after spending its life in a refill butt
Flavour profile: Spicy & dry
Outturn: 750 bottles
Panel's tasting note: "The invigorating nose gave us cinder toffee, crème brûlée, burnt sugar, maple syrup, smoky bacon crisps, pork crackling and patchouli; also something between an old-fashioned boat-builder’s yard and an Eastern rug shop – we thought of Sinbad preparing for a journey. Adding water brought Dairy Milk chocolate in a steamroller cab and an Asian dish of prunes and roast pork. The palate was big, tasty and dark – treacle cake, pancakes and bacon with maple syrup, caramel popcorn, vanilla ice-cream, chili chocolate, caramelized apples with pork; beef jerky and leather. In reduction – sweeter and more pleasant –tarte tatin, bacon, custard and cigars."
Drinking tip: "Not an all night drinking dram - but could be very useful after chopping logs in the snow"
Bruichladdich Laddie 16 Year
$85.49
Discovered in a warehouse in France, we were given the opportunity to scoop up some long lost Bruichladdichs at fantastic pricing! The tin says classic American oak, but it was printed before they decided to finish it in Virgin French Oak which is by far its best attribute. It is oily, sugary and fruity with loads of ginger and fennel.
From the Distillery: "This, our classic 16-year old, has been matured in vanilla-rich casks coopered from American white oak; stowed away in our loch-side warehouses, slumbering, maturing, coming of age... al the time breathing in the invigorating marine air of the hebridean island."
Distiller's Tasting Note - Jim McEwan
Nose: Sensational. One's first impression is "Wow! This is so fresh and pure I've just got to taste it", but be patient, continue to inhale, there is so much more to enjoy: the dry crispiness of the barley becomes the perfect partner for the fruits of distillation - gooseberry, pineapple, melon, pear. Stay with it and you will find the mellow sweetness of prime American oak emerging gently, bringing Brazil nut and caramel. Add to that a drift of banana cake and you are now in olfactory overdrive. But there is more! The incredible wild flower aromatics (which can only come from a spirit matured full- term on Islay) create a wondrous slipstream.
Palate:The character and warming strength of the spirit upon entry is impressive. The aromatics never told the taste buds of this level of maturity. The sweet vanilla of Ozark Mountain oak is right up front bringing the structure with that hallmark homemade toffee flavour. The luscious freshness of fruit essence on mid palate is beautiful, performing alongside the delicious barley sugar, biscuity sweetness. It is show time for sure! The fresh floral notes have merged into a wild honey flavour which together with the marine/ lemon flavours highlight an illumination of the senses.
Finish: Multi-layered, elegant and classy; its warmth, sweetness and totally natural flavours extend inexorably in to a mellow space and are totally memorable.
Mood: Martini - any time, any place...
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 44.71
$107.99
INVIGORATING AND INSPIRING
This 11 year old Speysider is 58.3% after maturing in a refill barrel
Flavour profile: Spicy & sweet
Outturn: 222 bottles
Panel's tasting note: "The nose neat calmed our minds and immediately created a Zen like ambience. Descriptors of resins, cloves, musky, wood and the earthy scent of opening the door of an old-fashioned dunnage warehouse drew us in and we took the first sip. Now very different; candied ginger spice to start then, surprisingly, snowballing to a chili heat which left us all very much invigorated. Water released a bouquet of freesias; a combination of freshness and sweetness without being sickly and that slight hint of pepper. The taste was now all about being sweet and spicy in perfect harmony."
Drinking tip: "For those meditative moments"
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 3.261
$209.99
RECORD SHOP AT THE RACES
From Islay, this 14 year old is from a refill hogshead and is 55.7%
Flavour profile: "Lightly peated"
Outturn: 234 bottles
Panel's tasting note: "Heather and lavender buttonholes on crisply starched shirts mingled with blackcurrant sweets and parma violets candies. Aromas of vinyl, plastic sleeves, new carpet tiles, fake leather jackets, hairspray and cider reminded one Panelist of record hunting. Another found distinctive pit lanes at Le Mons: motor oil, rubber, fumes, overalls and leather car seats. Collectively they discovered truffle honey on toasted pine nuts, melted toy soldiers and smoked ham studded with wild garlic. Water released tobacco, damp tweed, scorched heather and dried lavender. A burnt twig used as a dipstick, and new wellington boots. Red vinyl records stored in a mahogany chest of drawers."
Drinking tip: "It'll take you back in time"
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 36.97
$138.74
GINGER PASSIONFRUIT TRIFLE
From a refill barrel, this 18 year old Speysider comes in at 57.9%
Flavour profile: Spicy & sweet
Outturn: 192 bottles
Panel's tasting note: "The nose neat had a very homey feel, a bouquet of brightly coloured flowers, autumn berry crumble with citrus cream, coffee walnut whips, fruity caramels, burlap potpourri hanging bags and clean wood ash. The taste had a sweet, gingery, citric balance like a well-made flavoured IPA accompanied by dry roasted nuts, coconut almonds and homemade bourbon biscuits. With a drop of water it became very aromatic and exotic as if walking down the fruit aisle of a supermarket with the flower display at the end. The flavours were that of lemon & ginger tea and a ginger passion fruit trifle."
Drinking tip: "Lazy Sunday afternoon in the garden"
Bruichladdich Octomore 5.1
$179.09
The fifth annual release of Octomore is the peatiest yet, t 169ppm. Still potent 59.5% the strength has come down a little for a 5 year old. This limited bottling was matured in American oak
Nikka Miyagikyo 15 Year
$724.99
!!!Only 6 bottles coming!!! - Archive Release - Pre-Order
Bottled at 45% this single malt was produced at the Miyagikyo Distillery, sometimes referred to as Sendai, near Sendai City Japan.
Description: “The most refined and least peaty of Nikka’s single malts comes from the Miyagikyo distillery in the north of Honshu island. Its whisky, also known as Sendai for export, reveals, in this alluring 15 year old version, the superb influence of oak and sherry.”
Distiller’s Tasting Note
Nose: with notes of walnut (walnut oil) and spices, it expresses the sherry cask’s influence. With pronounced rancio, it unveils delicate notes of honey and wild flowers (elderflower, clover).
Palate: full-bodied and subdued, marked by the sweetness of raisins (Malaga), as well as the lively tannins of oak - green walnut - and spice (ginger).
Overall: A great example of a sherry cask aged whisky, with a nourishing and alluring aspect.”