Tomatin Contrast
$209.99
This is a very interesting two half bottle release from Tomatin Distillery which shows the contrast between ex-bourbon and ex-sherry barrels and their influence on Scotch. The disitllery vatted whiskies from 4 decades, and then further matured it in ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry before bottling at 46%.
Producer Description
Here is more information from Tomatin's website:
"This limited release presents a unique opportunity to directly compare the effect of Bourbon and Sherry casks on whisky distilled in specific years at Tomatin Distillery; 1973, 1977, 1988, 1991, 2002 & 2006. Having selected and vatted casks from the same six years in both types of casks, our Distillery Manager, Graham Eunson, has created two incredible whiskies and an exceptional tasting experience.
Cask Type:
1. Fully matured in Ex-Bourbon Casks
2. Fully matured in Ex-Sherry Casks
Strength: 46% alc./vol.
Released: July 2015
Sovereign Carsebridge 42 Year
$499.99
SOLD OUT
Glenglassaugh Chosen Few 33 Year
$391.49
Berry's Miltonduff 1995 KWM Cask
$152.99
SOLD OUT!
New for December 2015 an exceptional new cask from Miltonduff Distillery selected by and bottled exclusively for KWM. This cask was an accidental discovery, happened upon by our Scotch Guy while he was trying to help a corporate customer find a barrel. Bottled at a cask strength of 55% only 174 bottles were filled from a single Refill Bourbon Barrel. Beware it is dangerously drinkable!
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: beeswax and pineapple wedges, hintes of cedar and pine; Madagascar vanilla, canteloupes and not quite fully ripened mangos; decadent, fruity and floral with a hint of white pepper.
Palate: frim but delicate and layered, very fruity and creamy; floral and sweet with loads of Madagascar vanilla and floral malt; more hot white pepper, oily oaky tones and fruits, loads of fruits: more mangos, canteloupes, mushy banana with juicy malt.
Finish: decadent, layered and complex, lots of sugars, fading fruits and spices.
Comment: it has been 5-6 months since I requested this cask and I forgot how good it is... dangerously drinkable!
About Miltonduff Distiller (Courtesy of Berry Brothers & Rudd)
Miltonduff distillery was built to the south of Elgin in 1824 in the Glen of Pluscarden, a short distance from the eponymous Abbey ruins. In 1964 two Lomond stills were added producing a different of whisky which was known as Mostowie
MacKinlay's Shackleton The Journey
$224.99
This is the second batch of the Mackinlay's Rare Old, also known as the Shackleton Whisky. The original release was exclusive Kensington and one of our best ever selling whiskies. The whisky is a replica of the one Shackleton's 1907 expedition took to the Antarctic. The expedition abandoned some of their whisky under their hut, where it remained undiscovered until 2007.
Three crates of whisky had to be abandoned to the Antarctic winter in 1907. They were rediscovered a few short years ago, and two of the bottles were given to Whyte and MacKay, owners of the rights to the MacKinlays brand. Their master blender Richard Patterson, known as "nose" has painstakingly recreated the whiskies by blending together a number of Highland whiskies.
Distiller's Tasting Note
Nose: Soft, elegant and refined. Delicate crushed apple, pear and fresh pineapple. Notes of oak shavings and smoke. Hints of vanilla, creamy caramel and nutmeg.
Palate: Plenty of impact on the palate; a tantalizing array of flavours, harmonious and exhilarating.
About the Packaging
Box: A unique, stand-out hexagonal "shipping case" with an open "see me" window on the front panel. The raffia-encasing of the product is reminiscent of the original straw-bound bottles discovered in the Antartic. A holographic badge issues authenticity.
Bottle: A painstaking process was followed to ensure all bubbles and imperfections in the original were replicated. In effect, the glass manufacturer turned off all the modern-day quality controls.
Label Set: All lettering was meticulously drawn by hand to ensure a perfect match to the original. Paper stocks were selected to perform as the original stocks of over a century ago.
More About Shackleton's Whisky - From the Producer
In June 1907, the Glen Mhor distillery in Inverness, Scotland, received an order from the famous explorer Ernest Shackleton for a total of 46 cases of Mackinlay's Rare Old Highland Malt – one of the more indulgent items included among the provisions designed to sustain his British Antarctic Expedition of 1907.
In February 2007, after almost a century entombed in thick ice beneath Shackleton's expedition hut in Antarctica, three crates of this long lost whisky were discovered by a team from the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust. The team was carrying out a full programme of conservation work on the ageing expedition hut at Cape Royds when they made their stunning discovery.
However, in line with international protocols agreed by the Antarctic Treaty Nations, the crates could not be removed from Antarctica unless it was for conservation or scientific reasons.
In early 2010, one crate of the whisky was removed from the ice by the Antarctic Heritage Trust and flown directly back to Canterbury Museum for careful thawing and stabilization. Eventually, this crate was returned – and became one of over 14,000 expedition artifacts which the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust cares for across this frozen continent.
In Canterbury Museum, the temporarily liberated crate of Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt was slowly de-frosted in a purpose-built cool room. Over a two-week period in mid-2010, while captured in the increasing glare of worldwide media interest, the temperature of the crate itself raised extremely slowly from around -20ºC to 0ºC.
The team of conservators were able to examine the contents and were eventually delighted to recover 11 bottles, 10 of which are perfectly intact, still wrapped in protective paper and straw.
With the whisky finally freed from the frozen crate, the museum conservators were able to complete their detailed analysis of the packaging, labels and bottles. However, the global spotlight was intensely focused on what these precious artifact bottles contain – a Highland malt whisky that was already well over 100 years old.
Indeed, never before in the history of whisky experts had access to a century old bottle of whisky that had been stored in a natural fridge well beyond human reach. So it was arguably only a slight exaggeration when this rare and valuable malt was described as ‘a gift from heaven for whisky lovers’ by Richard Paterson, Master Blender at Whyte & Mackay, the owners of the Mackinlay brand. And, with the bottles now ice-free, plans were made to undertake an analysis of the whisky so that it could be re-created in all its long-lost glory.
The analysis of the whisky first determines its strength at 47.3% alc./vol. The team described the whisky as light honey in colour, straw gold with shimmering highlights, and with an aroma that is soft, elegant and refined on the nose. Indeed, detailed nosing revealed delicate aromas of crushed apple, pear and fresh pineapple with notes of oak shavings, smoke and hints of buttery vanilla, creamy caramel and nutmeg. And, finally, the tasting revealed a spirit that has plenty of impact on the palate; a tantalizing array of flavours that is both harmonious and exhilarating.
Analysis of the cask extractives indicated that the spirit was matured in American white oak sherry casks, while testing of the phenol content, which was lighter than expected for a whisky of this period, revealed that the peat used for the malting originated in the Orkney Islands.
Indeed, documentary evidence supports this, recording the supply of peat to both Glen Mhor and Glen Albyn distilleries in Inverness from the Isle of Eday in Orkney during the early 1900s. Final examination of each bottle delivered almost identical spirit profiles, suggesting that these far-travelled bottles may be representative of all whisky made at Glen Mhor.
Kilchoman 10th Anniversary
$179.99
Only 30 bottles of this very limited edition 10th Anniversary bottling have come to Canada. Strictly 1 per customer!
From the Distillery: "As many of you know 2015 is our 10th Anniversary year, we in fact opened the visitor centre doors to the public at Feis Ile 2005 although we didn't produce any spirit until early December. To celebrate the 10th Anniversary year we have created a special 10th anniversary release to mark the occasion!
"The 10th anniversary release is a vatting of sherry and bourbon casks filled between 2005 and 2012 and includes whisky from Cask Number 01/2005, the first cask ever filled at Kilchoman. This limited edition is just 3,000 bottles at cask strength (58.2%abv). Bottles are all individually hand numbered and will be available from Saturday 23rd."
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: very creamy, fruity, honeyed and delicate; maritime, clean smoke, soft peat oils and citrus; grassy herbaceous tones, oak shavings, lemon and lime.
Palate: soft, elegant, smoky and honeyed with buidling clean maritime smoke; the peat oils are soft and briny with crisp green grasses and bright fruits; white fruits: green apple and ripe pear, more citrus tones and some building dark spices (clove and anise).
Finish: long, coating and honeyed with clean salty smoke.
Comment: another sign that the distillery is on the right track and it's brightest days ahead!
Kilchoman Madeira
$121.49
Only 120 bottles of the limited edition Islay single malt have made their way to Canada, and they won't last long. Limit 1 per customer!
From the Distillery: "Madeira Cask Matured follows the release of our Port Cask Matured bottling in late 2014, both are firsts for Kilchoman. In 2010 approximately 20 Port, Madeira and Sauterne casks were filled for a full maturation period of 3-5 years rather than the industry norm of finishing the whisky in wine casks for just a few months. The result is a rich, nutty influence from the Madeira wine casks combined beautifully with the peaty Kilchoman spirit to give a punchy yet refined Islay dram."
Sovereign Single Grain Girvan 26 Year
$183.99
A cask of single grain Scotch whisky from a single cask bottled at 56.3%. Girvan is a Lowland Grain distillery first opened in 1963. The whisky was distilled in 1988.
Producer's Tasting Note: "Pale golden coloured with rich mellow sweet nose – toffee apples & a floral aroma. Smooth, sweet on the palate with crème brulee & apple skins. A long, pleasant dry finish with a slightly sweet aftertaste and a hint of oak."
G&M Glenturret 2000
$98.99
Matured in Refill Sherry Hogsheads, you'll forgive Gordon & MacPhail for bottling this sherry bomb of a Glenturret at 43% because it is exceptional! Exclusive to KWM in Canada it is nearly gone, so don't hesitate too long! Only 120 bottles have come into Canada, we've sold 96 in less than 2 months!
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: Christmas cake in a glass: nutty and leathery with bright orange, chocolate, leather and tobacco; as it softens more delicate fruits emerge: banana, melons and kiwis.
Palate: big, fruity and rich with a seductively silky backbone of honey and smooth leather; more Christmas cake with lots of spices running the gamut from ginger and cinnamon to clove and anise; layers of fruits both light and dark.
Finish: long, rich, layered and very fruity.
Comment: this is an excellent malt, when we first tasted it we new we had a winner and asked for exclusivity in Canada.
Producer's Tasting Note
Nose: Sherry influences with vanilla, green apple and marzipan aromas complemented by zesty orange and delicate cinnamon notes.
Palate: Peppery with ripe banana, milk chocolate and ground coffee flavours. Tropical fruits develop with hints of grapefruit and pineapple. A lingering charred oak edge develops.
Finish: Medium, creamy and smooth.
About the Distillery (Courtesy Gordon & MacPhail)
Glenturret, previously called Hosh, is the second distillery to take the name Glenturret. It was renamed in 1875, some 20 years or so after the nearby original distillery of that name closed. It is one of Scotland's smallest distilleries with only two stills, it was silent between 1923 and 1959. It is situated on the banks of the river Turret, near Crieff in Perthshire. It is tucked away in a steep valley between fields and tree-covered hillsides. In the days of illegal distilling, this would have been a good hiding place. Today, Glenturret is home to "The Famous Grouse Experience" and is one of the most visited distilleries in Scotland.