Adelphi Limerick Slaney 1991
$233.99
Adelphi The Glover 14 Year
$157.49
Glendronach 19 Year Madeira Finish
$141.29
This 19 year old Madeira finished Glendronach bottled at 46% without colouring or chill-filtering is the oldest whisky released to date in the Wood Finish line. Initially matured in European oak casks, the whisky was finished in Madeira hogsheads before bottling.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: fresh, fruity and decadent with warming spices; lots of white fruits, dried pineapple and apricot jam; creamy, sugary and floral top notes.
Palate: very honeyed, creamy and fruity, frankly a stunner; the palate shows more white fruits, baked apple, poached pear and exotic tropical ones too: mangos, pineapples and peaches; still creamy, it is sinfully decadent with sweet warming spices, soft floral tones and gentle toasted oak.
Finish: long and lovely, stays very honeyed as the fruits, spices and toasted oak slowly fade out.
Comment: wow, this is very far off of Glendronach's beaten path in terms of style; very sweet and the sherry tones are third or fourth fiddle to the Madeira notes; very elegant fruity and complex; wow.
Distiller's Tasting Note
Nose: Crisp apple and pear sweeten to apricot syrup and ripe gooseberry. A citrus twist and a touch of black pepper add a warm, contrasting depth to the ever-evolving nose.
Palate: Cinnamon-dusted tarte Tatin and notes of green apple skin balanced with the clean, crisp warmth of stem ginger and candied peel. Rich stewed barley lingers on the palate, adding a traditional character to the long succulent finish.
Finish: A delightful contrast of ripe summer fruits and vibrant warm spices perfectly complements the robust depth of the traditional Highland style.
Adelphi Glen Garioch 1993
$221.39
New Alberta exclusive for KWM, a 22 year old single cask of Glen Garioch from Adelphi, distilled in 1993 and bottled in 2015. Only 20 bottles have come in to the market. Matured in a First Fill Ex-Sherry Hogshead Cask, # 775, 285 total bottles.
Andrew;s Tasting Note
Nose: rich old Oloroso sherry, old leather library chairs, dusty books and nutty tones with prunes and dark chocolate; rich Christmas cake and plum pudding; Big Turk and honey drizzled figs.
Palate: big Christmas cake, massive licorice and treacle sauce drizzled on plum pudding with bakers chocolate and chocolate covered espresso beans; leather and nutty, classic Oloroso sherry tones, it softens with each sip, mangoes, prunes and figs emerge; a faint tinge of smoke perhaps?
Finish: big, long, rich and coating with Demerara sugars, leather, tobacco and dark fruits; late clean smoke.
Comment: this is a big, heavily sherried Glen Garioch, a faint tinge of smoke? This is around the time the distillery closed its floor maltings!
Producer's Tasting Note
Nose: Old desks, cigar boxes and worn leather initially, and then the fruits begin to surface: mango, sticky date pudding, Turkish Delight are all there.
Palate: On the palate, plenty of figs and plums, gingery with sherbet and cocoa powder. It becomes quite tangy and then minty, leather and wood notes return with lingering caramac bitter coffee on the long finish.
Edradour Super Tuscan Matured
$98.99
Balblair 1983
$449.99
Bottled at 46% from Ex-Bourbon casks this whisky is superb, one of the best in the current range. After 30 years it is very tropical and delicate.
Distiller's Tasting Note
Nose: On the nose there are warm aromas of butterscotch, toffee and vanilla that come from the long years of maturation in American oak ex-bourbon barrels. Citrus fruits can also be detected in the aroma adding to the complexity of this exceptional Vintage.
Taste: On the palate it is sweet and spicy; with overtones of fresh fruits and honey.
Finish: A long, warming and full bodied finish.
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 112.10
$159.99
A COMFORTING HUG IN A MUG
This 14 year old Highlander came from a refill barrel and is 57.4%.
Flavour profile: Juicy, oak & vanilla
Outturn: 147 bottles
Panel's tasting note: "The neat nose had honest sweetness (golden syrup, honey, fudge), plenty of vanilla and cereal notes (grainy bread, Ovaltine) – even tropical fruits, but a hint of cleaning cupboards made some of us hesitant. The same applied to the palate, which was lively, even feisty and almost effervescent (Campinos, juicy oak, Maltesers). However, a drop of water brought resolution and redemption – the nose became fresh, juicy and tropical, with caramel, vanilla and new-baked bread. The palate completely dispelled any doubts – its complex character provoked comments like ‘Delicious vanilla, marshmallows, strawberries and white chocolate’ and ‘Like a comforting hug in a mug’."
Drinking tip: "If ever a whisky had its sins washed away in the water of baptism – this is it – don’t even bother trying it neat – unless you want to see for yourself if we are right"
Springbank 16 Year Local Barley
$197.99
COMING SOON! - Taking Pre-Orders - !!!NOT SOLD OUT!!! - Limit 1 per customer.
This very sought after new Springbank release is the first since 2001. It is the first in a series of 5 whiskies to be released over 5 years. The whisky is 16 years old and was distilled from barley grown at Low Machrimore Farm in Southend, a few miles outside of Campbeltown. Bottled at 54.3% only 9000 bottles have been released world-wide, with just a tiny fraction of that coming to Alberta.
Distiller's Tasting Note
Nose: Initially Sweet and briny before notes of butter shortbread, vanilla, pear drops and raisin develop.
Palate: Sweet and rounded with a very subtle peat influence combining with butter tablet, soft fruit and mineral notes.
Finish: A long evolving finish with notes reminiscent of our earthy dunnage warehouses. The peat is slightly more prominent and integrates well with lighter notes of candy and lemon zest.
Maltbarn Glen Garioch 1993
$289.99
Distilled in 1993 and bottled in 2015 at 52.5% after 21 years in a Bourbon cask. Only a dozen or so bottles of the 142 from the cask have come to Canada, exclusively to KWM.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: beeswax, Old English Butterscotch ice cream, olive oil pancakes with white chocolate chips and mixed berry compote for syrup; thick, chewy and enticing.
Palate: insanely creamy and oily, very fruity and rich; more beeswax and Old English Butterscotch ice cream; the olive oil pancakes are still there with white chocolate chips, a side of mixed berry compote and some chewy bacon.
Finish: long, creamy and toasty with subtle fruits and toasty but juicy oak that all fade into a coating beeswax.
Comment: I can't decide whether there is a trace of smoke in this one, but ultimately who cares it is lovely with loads of fruit and massive creamy beeswax notes.