Scotch Malt Whisky Society 48.67
$134.99
GODZILLA VANILLA
At 57.6% this 13 year old Speysider came from a 1st fill barrel
Flavour profile: Juicy, oak & vanilla
Outturn: 78 bottles
Panel's tasting note: "The nose set the tone – a triumphant triumvirate of fruit (orange, mango, pear, peach, strawberries), sweetness (chocolate, caramelized sugar) and cask-wood influence (oak, turmeric, pepper). The palate followed through – mouth-watering tropical fruits, including apricots and banana smoothie got our taste-buds doing the tarantella and the cask supplied nutmeg and vanilla – not just a scintilla of vanilla but enough to fill a villa. Similar story on the reduced nose – honey flirted with passion-fruit and minty mojitos – a bitter-sweet romance, while oak stung the tongue with Japanese mustard. The reduced palate – pineapple, kiwi, toffee apple and lemon with full-on bourbon spice – proper lush!"
Drinking tip: "A good digestif - but actually, any time at all"
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 72.35
$202.49
PINK GRAPEFRUIT GRANITA
This 28 year old Speysider was matured in a refill hogshead and comes in at 50%
Flavour profile: Old & dignified
Outturn: 250 bottles
Panel's tasting note: "Initially the nose neat has a lot of sweet fruity aromas like apples, cherries, strawberries and bananas. At the same time, in the background, there is a freshness like an after dinner mint or a peppermint tea. With time a deeper note of custard pie with nutmeg grated on top appears. The taste surprises with flavours of liquorice, pecan nuts, nutmeg and the dry finish of a ginger ale. Adding a drop of water makes it soft like a chamois leather cloth with aromas of hazelnuts, oregano, citrus fruits and all with an air of fresh warm char and incense smoke. The taste is zesty and sweet like freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice with herbal notes of fresh ginger and cinnamon."
Drinking tip: "Summertime and the living is easy"
Glen Garioch Virgin Oak
$137.99
Bottled at 48% this Glen Garioch bottling has been matured in Virgin Oak. There is no age statement, but given the cask type it need not be old to be packed full of flavour! Released in 2013 this is the first release of Glen Garioch Virigin Oak.
Distiller's Tasting Note: "A velvet explosion of rich buttery malt, chocolate and spice. Tangy orange and ginger marmalade melds with treacle syrup and rich chocolate cake, leading to a long and warming finish of barley sugar and spice."
Strathisla 12 Year
$56.99
The flagship, and only regular official bottling from Strathisla distillery.
40% ABV
Black Gold HIghland Park 1995
$394.99
Ardbeg Dark Cove
$134.99
Ardbeg's 2016 special release, was launched at Ardbeg Night celebrations around the world on May 28th, 2016. It is exclusive to Ardbeg Embassies for the first few weeks and will then be opened to select other stores. It is not expected to last long.
Ardbeg Dark Cove is being billed as the Darkest Ardbeg Ever. Partially matured in rare Dark Sherry Casks and married with whisky matured in American oak.
Distiller's Tasting Note
Colour: The darkest Ardbeg ever.
Nose: At first meaty, earthy and spicy. Bold notes of dark chocolate emerge against orange, rich treacle toffee, coffee and oak. Wafts of a distant, smoky bonfire in the background, along with a mysterious floral note, like flowering blackcurrant bushes. And lashings of linseed oil.
Taste: The mouthfeel is almost tart or zesty lime. Raisins, dates, ginger and pepper spice surge forward, then retreat. Waves of smouldering charcoal, wood polish and huge, tarry creosote notes follow. Finally a more savoury note escapes; cured smoked ham and squid ink noodles.
Finish: Long, spicy and rich with lingering notes of toffee, coffee and tar.
More From the Distillery:
Take this whisky and hide it well. For its heart has been matured in DARK SHERRY CASKS, imparting waves of treacle toffee, coal tar, squid ink noodles and toasted coffee grounds.
THE DARKEST ARDBEG EVER
Its colour is that of copper stills in moonlight. Its nose – dark chocolate, rich treacle toffee and distant bonfires – betrays a secret: a clandestine meeting of Ardbeg matured in ex-Bourbon casks and a heart matured in dark sherry casks. Hints of pepper spice and zesty lime lure you in. Smouldering charcoal and wood polish flit across the palate, with raisins, dates and ginger emerging from shadows of tarry creosote. Echoes of cured smoked ham and squid ink noodles signal the arrival of a long, spicy aftertaste.
“It was a moonless night, with a fierce tide surging landward. The gang, having captured the lighthouse keeper and snuffed out the lamp’s wick, sent signal to the black boats to come ashore. What fearless men these are, that navigate without light the treacherous hidden reefs that extend from the shore like barbed fingers!”
If you stand on the rocky headland behind Ardbeg Distillery today, sunlight dancing on the waves, a soft breeze whispering through the long grass that fringes the shore, listening to the cheerful call of seagulls as they follow the fishing boats that pass this way, it’s hard to believe this idyllic spot has a turbulent and murky past.
For Ardbeg was once a notorious hideout for smugglers, who plied their trade within its hidden caves and secret beaches. Dark tales abound of ill-gotten gains, daring deeds and narrow escapes from the island’s excise men, until finally a raid was made, the dens destroyed and the gang scattered…
Shortly afterwards, John McDougall founded Ardbeg Distillery on the site of their nefarious operations. Thus, from that dark past, creating the greatest legend of all…
Even the greatest distillery on Earth cannot escape the shadows of the past. It is said (though not often, and then in hushed tones) that John McDougall’s own uncles, Allan and Alexander, were once apprehended on charges of distilling whisky without a license in the dark coves along Islay’s rocky coastline.
“They crept through the woods under cover of darkness. Feeling their way to the cliff edge, they clambered down to their secret hideout as they had done a thousand times before. But this time they were not alone. This time they were being watched, and it was the eyes of the law that were upon them.”
Cadenhead Small Bt. 11 Glen Elgin 1991
$160.19
This 1991 Small Batch bottling has been bottled at 46% after maturing in a very unusual cask, a Bourbon Butt, for 23 years. Exclusive to KWM in Canada, only 18 bottles are coming into the market.
Cadenhead Small Batch whiskies are bottled either as single casks or from very small batches of no more than 4 or 5 casks. Cadenhead established in 1842, is Scotland's oldest independent bottler. Headquartered in Campbeltown, it is today owned by J.A. Mitchell & Co., Springbank Distillery's parrent company. The Cadenhead Small Batch range is exclusive to KWM in Canada.
Producer's Tasting Note
Nose: Dark chocolate; some meatiness along with a good glug of sherry. Bruised bananas; distant smokiness and some maple syrup.
Palate: More chocolate, although softer than on the nose. Cinnamon buns; strawberry yoghurt and pached pears.
Finish: Some soft oaky notes along with red fruits. Faint dunnage warehouse with raspberries and lychees.
Distillery Fact: The distillery closed in 1992 for refurbishment and was re-opened again in 1995, making this some of the first spirit produced post-refurbishment.
Cadenhead Small Bt. 11 Bunnahabhain 1994
$157.49
This 20 year was bottled in 2015, with 354 bottles produced. There is an oily character on the nose and palate with herbal notes coming through and a moderate smokiness as well.
Cadenhead Small Bt. 11 Burnside 1989
$334.99
So it is technically a Blended Malt whisky, but it is 99.9% or more single malt, from Balvenie... Distilled in 1989 and bottled at 48.8% from a pair of Bourbon Barrels at 26 Years.
Producer's Tasting Note
Nose: Marshmallow; lemon meringue pie with runny toffee and hints of blueberries.
Palate: custard creams; almonds; slightly salty with growing citrus fruits.
Finish: creamy, hints of coffee beans with honey and dried apricots.
Whisky Fact: The Burnside trademark for bottled whisky is owned by J&A Mitchell & Co Ltd the parent company of WM Cadenhead Ltd, so no one else should be able to bottle the whisky under this name. The trademark for the whisky in bulk form is owned by William Grant & Sons.