Sansibar Speyside Very Old Selection
$204.99
SOLD OUT!
Only 64 bottles filled from a single cask bottled at 44.8% for Canada. After trying it we scooped up the lions share for the store. The scoop on this whisky is curious indeed, the bulk of the bottles, 515, from a Sherry cask were filled for "Rallye Team Paris-Dakar". Even more curious is the story of the whisky's origin. The bulk of the whisky is understrength Glenrothes from the 1960s, vatted with another cask from the early 1970s. If that's true the whisky is composed of whiskies at least 40 to possibly 50 years of age, making this a steal!
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: antique-y with hints of sherry and smoke; bright orange, candied ginger and licorice Goodies; smooth leather, cedar shavings and slowly emerging tropical fruits: dried apricots, underrype mango and freshly peeled kiwis.
Palate: starts soft but it quickly built in to antique-y sherry tones and subtle delicate smoke; sweet salted caramel and more smooth leather; dried apricots, cranberries and more mango and kiwi; more candied ginger and licorice goodies; orange peel in an oldfashioned cocktail.
Finish: delicate, sherried and elegantly smoked; more orange peel and aromatic bitters from an old fashioned cocktail.
Comment: this is a lovely older antique-y dram, and an insanely well priced one if the rumous are accurate; it could be the power of suggestion, but it does come across a little Glenrothes-y, even with the touch of smoke!
Sansibar ALOS Birds Collection Speyside
$2,999.99
Not a bottle, but a set of six Speyside whiskies bottled by German Independent bottler Sansibar! Only 2 sets have come to Canada!
About the Set: “Italian whisky traders Lion’s Whisky and Whisky Antique teamed up with Jens Drewitz of Sansibar to create a new label called Antique Lions of Spirits (ALOS). The first series, The Birds, are six single malts with drop dead gorgeous labels and packaging. ALOS was recently formed as a collaborative project between renowned whisky enthusiast and collector, Jens Drewitz and two Italian whisky merchants: Max Righi of Whisky Antique, and Diego Sandrin of Lions Whisky.”
The set includes the following 6 whiskies. Please note we are only selling the whiskies as a set, we won’t be breaking them apart…
1. Speyside 1975, 41 years old, 230 bottles (Glenfarclas)
2. Glen Moray 1988, 28 years old , 216 bottles
3. Fettercairn 1988, 28 years old, 292 bottles
4. Tormore 1988, 28 years old, 254 bottles
5. Mannochmore 1988 8 years old, 267 bottles
6. Blair Athol 1988 28 years, 262 bottles
Duncan Taylor Octaves Glenallachie 2008
$109.99
This 2008 Glenallachie was aged 8 years in "oak casks" before spending another 5 months in a sherry octave. This Speyside malt has been bottled at 53.1%, 106 total bottles.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: big sherry, maple cream cookies, firm leather and big salty licorice; black licorice Nibs and Jujubes, a touch rubbery with grilled dates and figs.
Palate: round, chewy and malty; more salty licorice, but also sweeter licorice Nibs and Jujubes; grilled dates and figs; a touch of blue cheese and rubber hockey mats; no sulphur, but very meaty... slightly burnt bacon dipped maple syrup.
Finish: earthy, leathery and loads of licorice; firm leather and tobacco linger long with dark fruits.
Comment: at times the whisky shows its youth, at others it does not; this is a big sherried dram, not over the top, but very muscular.
Archives Glentauchers 1996
$229.99
Bottled under the Archives "The Fishes of Samoa Line", this 20 year old Glentauchers has been bottled at 53.9% from an Ex-Bourbon Barrel. Only 211 bottles with a fraction of that coming to Canada! 87points Whisky Notes.
Whisky Notes Tasting Note: "Nose: very bright and summery. Tinned pineapple, Haribo sweets, white grapes, cherry candy. Grapefruit green tea. Some expected vanilla and gentle spices like ginger and aniseed. Whiffs of wood varnish too. Becomes more floral with water. Mouth: sweet start, fruity, with orange sweets, apples, lemon cubes, hints of banana cake. Gets slightly more tangy after a while, with added ginger and pepper, as well as some grapefruit zest. A fairly light profile. Water makes it creamier and again adds some floral notes. Finish: medium, bright and fruity, with peaches and zesty lemons. An easy-going fruity nose, but with a spicy kick on the palate. No surprises here, totally on par with earlier casks from other bottlers." 87points
Archives Cragganmore 1989
$404.99
This 27 year old sherry Hogsheads matured Craggamore was distilled in 1989 and has been bottled at 48.7%. A total of 70 bottles, bottled under the Archives "Fishes of Samoa" line; only a fraction of this have come to Canada. 88pts Serge at Whisky Fun!
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: rich and savoury; Korean BBQ, Russian caramels and Old English Butterscotch; dried apricots and candied ginger: orange rinds, maple toffee and soft leather; just a whiff of tobacco, coffee grounds and dunnage warehouses.
Palate: round, chewy and fruity; dark chocolate, more Russian caramel and Old English Butterscotch; a touch of salty Dutch licorice and dark chocolate; still meaty, with bigger, but balanced sherry tones: soft leather (polished shoes), nutty oloroso and dried dark fruits;
Finish: medium long, balanced-fruity sherry tones, very chocolaty with soft leather.
Comment: this is a sherried malt both for those who love and those who do not love sherried whisky; very balanced, subtle and of course tasty; Shawn says Vietnamese sub and I say Korean BBQ; potato - potato!
Tasting Note by Serge @ WhiskyFun.org: "A micro-bottling, and possibly a very close brother of the previous one. Colour: gold. Nose: the same whisky and yet it’s a wee bit different, so it may not be exactly the same. A tad drier and, well, less emphatic, but that may just be a matter of breathing, time spent in the bottle, and so on. Mouth: we’re so close, so very close… Yet this one’s a little tenser again, a notch grassier and more gingery… But the cores are identical. Finish: same comments. Peppery and shock-full of bitter oranges, with a layer of honey and ‘dry’ raisins. Comments: both are part of the same band and that’s not the Bee Gees." 88pts
Archives Bladnoch 1990
$339.99
This 1990 vintage Bladnoch is 26 years old after maturing in an Ex-Bourbon Barrel. Bottled at 48.5 under the Archives "The Fishes of Samoa" line. Only 106 bottles with just a fraction coming to Canada! 89pts Serge
About the Label: "The picture of the Queen Triggerfish was drawn by M. Casteby and published over 200 years ago in "The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands."
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: very honeyed, corn syrup, root beer, butter tarts and melon; bright and citrusy; freshly sliced oranges, lemons and grapefruit; spicy mango salsa.
Palate: round and fruity with a toasty, spicy background; lots of layers with the sliced citrus fruits at the fore, served on slate; chalky candies, more mango salsa and a peppery floral tone; white chocolate, vanilla and honey bring up the rear.
Finish: chalky, coating and drying, but the mouth waters, salivating for the rich citrus fruits; late spice and gentle oak.
Comment: this whisky oozes citrus and a slate-y minerality; Hunter proclaims Flintstone Vitamins... hard to argue with that!
89pts Serge: "We know these batches could be top notch, but let’s double-check that. For our common cause! Colour: pale gold. Nose: when sourness can be perfect. Many sour fruits, gooseberries, plums, whitecurrants, some mud, some chalky porridge, some freshly crushed mint, and bags of freshly cut grass. The lawn is clean! Mouth: really very good, and very Bladnochian this time. Lime and mint, with a wee medicinal side. Brushing your teeth with clay. More bitter herbs in the background. And wheelbarrows of grass. Finish: long, really bitter. Artichoke cordial and grass juice. Love this. Comments: top clean Bladnoch this time, well in the style of some much older bottlings. SGP:461"
Jack Wiebers Ben Nevis 1996 10btl case
$339.99
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 37.85
$149.99
EASTERN PROMISE
This 14 year old Speysider is 56.8% after maturing in a refill hogshead.
Flavour profile: Sweet & spicy.
Outturn: 234 bottles.
Panel's tasting note: "We were transported to a Thai street food market with a never-ending variety of fruits as well as a wide selection of dishes on offer all smelling of exotic spices being cooked right in front of us. The stall we stopped at served barbecued spice-rubbed chicken with a kumquat-lemongrass dressing. We decided to have a plateful of it and the mouthfeel was a delicate balance between sweet and spice with a light smoky finish. After some water we were drawn to aromas of rice noodles, shrimp and scallion rolls which we dipped in a soy and oyster sauce - weird but wonderful!"
Drinking tip: "Open your mind and you open your life"
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 54.45
$107.99
DRUNKEN CHERRY COCONUT ICE CREAM
Matured in a 1st fill barrel, this 9 year old Speysider is 58.9%
Flavour profile: Juicy, oak & vanilla
Outturn: 222 bottles
Panel's tasting note: "A fruity, slightly herbal note at first like an apple spritz cocktail using extracts of gentian and a little fresh muddled mint before sweeter notes of marzipan and green and red grapes covered in a fine layer of white chocolate appeared. Juicy fruity on the palate; a tropical fruit salad with chunks of pineapple, mango, kiwi and papaya, with the addition of a creamy coconut almond dip on the side – delicious! When we added water we imagined sitting under swaying palm trees eating rum soaked cherry coconut ice cream with dark chocolate and toasted pecans - no hurries … no worries."
Drinking tip: "Dreaming of sun, sea and sand"