G&M Linkwood Cote Rotie 1998
$157.49
G&M Glencadam 1993
$161.99
G&M Speyburn 1991
$114.74
This is a discontinued Connoisseurs Choice bottling of Speyburn from 1991, bottled in 2015 at 46%. The whisky was matured in Refill American Oak Hogsheads.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: creamy, floral and toasty; white chocolate, cocoa butter and perfumed French soaps.
Palate: sweet, creamy, fruity and floral; toasty with some dusty oak shavings; loads of vanilla, icing sugar and shredded coconut; white fruits, citrus and melon; very sweet and fruity with more fancy perfumed soap.
Finish: long, toasty, floral and decadent; soft and layered.
Comment: a lovely old malt, also a fraction of the price of some comparably aged new Connoisseurs Choice releases.
G&M Tomatin 1997
$161.99
Exclusive to KWM in Calgary, this 17 ish year old Tomatin has been bottled by Gordon & Macphail under their Connoisseurs Choice label at 46%, without colouring or chill-filtering. This malt is the Day 1 KWM Whisky Advent Calendar bottling. Matured in 1st Fill ExBourbon Barrels.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: soft and toasty, loads of vanilla; juicy malt and white fruits: Granny Smith apples and prickly pear; loads of white chocolate and toasty American oak.
Palate: big, honeyed, toasty and malty with soft floral tones and more white fruits; tart green apple and supple prickly pear; some sweet orange and more white chocolate; overall very smooth and decadent.
Finish: medium weight, but long coating and toasty with fading white fruits, chocolate and floral malt.
Comment: lots to love here, it is decadent, fruity and very smooth; a good wind down malt for a stressful day!
Caol Ila 17 Year
$166.49
COMING SOON! - Taking Pre-Orders!!!
Every year Diageo puts out an unpeated version at cask strength, and this 17 year old is the 2015 edition. Bottled at 55.9%, KWM will be geting approximately 30 bottles. This is a limited release and our allocation will not last long!
Distiller's Tasting Note
Nose: Reserved; at first fruity, with zesty orange or mandarin, then slowly becoming sweeter and denser - with a balancing, lightly smoky and fresh-clean aroma too.
Palate: Intense, starting with sweet mixed fruit, chocolate and ginger, then distinctly salty, growing warm and slightly bitter. Waxy and coating, later adding a strong, clean, herbal dryness.
Finish: Medium to long, warming and coating, with dark chocolate, an appetizing bitter-sweetness, distant light smoke and a touch of salt. With water, gently comforting.
Glendronach Grandeur 25 Year Batch 7
$652.49
1180 bottles of this 25 year old whisky were bottled at 50.6%. Only 10 have come to Alberta, and they won't last long!
From the Distillery: “This bottling, batch number 7 of the Grandeur releases, is limited to 1180 bottles. Individually numbered by hand, each one is a one-off and truly unique, making it a very special single malt – showing the finest sherry oak casks, expert maturation and traditional crafted Highland single malt in perfect harmony.
“Grandeur has been specially selected by Master Distiller, Billy Walker, from some of our oldest and most unique Oloroso sherry casks. A vast selection of barrels, hogsheads, puncheons and butts have been maturing in our traditional dunnage warehouses since the 1960s, and it is the most extraordinary and remarkable of these which have been chosen for this very special bottling.”
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: classic older sherry matured whisky, loads of dark fruits, raisins, dates, figs and Christmas cask; cigar tobacco in a leather pouch, toasted oak and cedar shavings, cloves and anise; tropical fruits develop with clotted cream and marmalade.
Palate: creamy, fruity and spicy with big but balanced sherry notes; loads of dark fruit, lots of raisins, dates or figs and more Christmas cake with rich chocolate; musty old oak and more cedar shavings, very earthy with loads of tobacco; the more delicate tropical fruit notes are there, soft melons and mango; more clove, fennel and anise.
Finish: long, rich, creamy, coating and layered with lots of dark fruits; smooth with balanced spices, tobacco, leather and chocolates.
Comment: will this be the last release of Grandeur? If it is, it is a fitting final tribute, and it doesn't disappoint!
Distiller’s Tasting Note
Nose: An abundance of classic sherried fruits, rich damsons, dates and sweet plum juice infused with freshly sliced ginger and cracked black pepper. Softer notes of orange chocolate and walnut loaf add a delicate balance to the robust, dark sherry influences.
Palate: An elegant, vintage sherry style comprising of classic Mediterranean fruits, dark sundried raisins, dates and fig syrup infused with delicate chocolate fondant, roasted coffee and a dusting of ground almonds. A delightful combination of sophisticated warm oak spices, freshly cut ginger and gentle waves of caramelised orange gives a vibrant, crisp contrast to the traditional Highland sherry cask characteristics.
Finish: After a quarter of a century peacefully lying in our traditional dunnage warehouses, Master Blender Billy Walker has selected a combination of casks which truly encapsulate the rich history and heritage between the Highland character of GlenDronach and the finest Spanish Oloroso sherry casks.
Amrut Peated Port Pipe
$89.99
Bottled from a single port pipe at 59% the entirety of this peated Indian single malt cask, is coming to Canada. Cask 2712 is a monster, made of peated malt and matured a little over 5 years, but in Bangalore India, so it drinks much older! Distilled in January 2011 and bottled in February 2016, 660 Bottles.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: smoky bbq sauce and salsa; Dutch licorice, sea salt, cayenne-infused dark chocolate, lightly burnt bacon, grilled prosciutto-wrapped dates and figs; musty old wood, Late Bottle Vintage port wine and black tarry smoke.
Palate: a pleasant but powerful assault of smoke, sea salt, malt, Dutch licorice and burnt bacon; leather and sharp tobacco make way for pineapple, melon and mango; more smoky bbq sauce and salsa; bacon infused dark chocolate, grilled figs and dates and firm wine tannins.
Finish: long drying, coating and anesthetizing with a mild numbing sensation; the bbq notes, salt, fruit, smoke and leather linger long.
Comment: this is the biggest, badest Amrut I’ve ever had, a monster; fans of Islay single malts like Supernova and Octomore will love this!
Curt's Tasting Note - 90/100pts
Nose: A lot of really lovely chocolate. A fair bit of peat that manages to stand rather independent of the smoke. Damp ash meets dark earthy soil (very cool nuances here!). Iodine and grape. Fresh orange juice. There’s a dark smokiness, but it’s very juicy, not dry. I can still pick up on that typical Amrut spicy cereal note even through all of the peat and port. Surprisingly creamy with a bit of a vanilla skeleton.
Palate: This is a salty dram. One that has a great meaty/sour mix (in an absolutely pleasant tingling sensory way). I love it. Smoked fruits…weird but awesome. A lot of juicy grape and a bit of citrus. This carries a similar profile to the BenRiach Solstice (which I also loved, incidentally), but do note…the Solstice was a fifteen-year-old whisky…while this is only four!
Comment: This is single malt for the forward-thinking. It’s a little outside the norm, and definitely a whisky that will be hard to forget. Hopefully, Amrut will consider adding something like this as a part of the core range, or at least something to be released in small batches in an ongoing basis.
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 1.179
$209.69
THE ARTIST'S STUDIO
This elegant Speysider is 47.2% after spending its life in a refill hogshead
Flavour profile: Sweet, fruity & mellow
Outturn: 201 bottles
Panel's tasting note: "The panel had a collective memory of an artist’s studio with aromas of wooden easels, paintbrushes, linseed and canvas. Our painter had arranged white lilies in a pewter jug. While he contemplated his subject he enjoyed a slice of toffee sponge cake and a cup of sweetened espresso. To taste they found figs, dates and fresh almonds, then chocolate brownie and coffee cake. Water released runny caramel, golden syrup and advent calendar chocolate. The texture was deliciously coating and salivating and one panel member was reminded of licking the bowl after baking. A hint of mint completed the masterpiece."
Drinking tip: "For inspiration"
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 46.29
$157.99
SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED
From the Speyside region, this 14 year old is from a refill hogshead and is 59.1%
Flavour profile: Young & spritely
Outturn: 272 bottles
Panel's tasting note: "Young Bond prepared the ingredients for his cocktail: bruised mint, Gomme syrup, pink peppercorn and aromatic cherry and violet. As he mixed his ingredients for this Old Fashioned together he scanned the scene, it was a bit of a mystery. A large arrangement of flowers was the first observation. A table set with a curious collection: hard mint candies, chocolate chip ice cream, raspberry jam cookies and salted limes. He sipped his cocktail and enjoyed its sprightly kick. The perfumed scent of some exotic beauty lingered. He investigated further finding cream soda, marshmallow and Andes chocolate mints. What did it all mean?"
Drinking tip: "When you're saving the world"