Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve
$299.99
Price recently dropped over $100CDN, but here is the crazy thing... in Ireland it goes for €850.00!
Rarest Vintage Reserve is a blend, like the other Jameson whiskeys, consisting of older grain whiskeys in addition to pure pot still whiskey (containing both malted and unmalted barley), some of which was aged entirely in ruby port casks (with the rest matured in second fill bourbon casks). The grain whiskey is 23-24 years old, with the pot still component being slightly younger. The whiskey is bottled at 46% and is not chill-filtered!
Writers Tears Gift Pack
$65.99
This gift pack features the Writers Tears Copper Pot Whiskey along with two glasses.
Writers Tears Copper Pot is bottled at 40% and is a blend of 60% single pot still and 40% single malt whiskey. This whiskey was featured on Day 14 of Kensington Wine Market 2017 Whisky Advent.
Green Spot Irish Whiskey
$89.99
Green Spot is an 8 to 9 year old Pot Still Irish whiskey made under license for Mitchell & Son of Dublin, an independent wine merchant. 94.5pts in the Whisky Bible it is "unquestionably one of the world's great whiskies."
Teeling Whiskey Small Batch Rum Finish
$53.99
Teeling does cask finished Irish Whiskey well, and the small batch is no exception. Finished in Rum Casks, it definitely has a good amount of rum influence on this bottle. 46% ABV.
Teeling Single Grain
$66.99
This Single Grain Irish Whiskey from Teeling Whiskey Company was fully matured in California red wine barrels before being bottled at 46% ABV. This whiskey was awarded "World's Best Grain" at the 2014 World Whiskies Awards. 2016 Day 11 Whisk(e)y in the KWM Whisky Advent Calendar.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: double caramel corn, brandy filled chocolates, silky honey and pure vanilla extract; soft earthy tones, crisp but gentle spice and subtle leather; easily identifiable as a grain whiskey, but not sharp or rough.
Palate: huge caramel notes, butterscotch and creme brule; more caramel corn, white chocolate and mixed berries smothered in whipped cream; fruits become darker and more jammy, with more crisp but delicate spice and soft leather; waxy Strawberry Twizzlers.
Finish: light but long; warming and full of character: more berry fruits, Straberry Twizzlers and slowly fading spices.
Comment: this is probably the most unusual whisk(e)y in the 2016 KWM Whisky Advent Calendar, but it is very pleasant and full of character. An unusual grain!
Producer's Tasting Note
Nose: Spice and fruit notes mingle with an underlying sweet nose.
Taste: Strong spice at the start developing into lush red berries and grapes, with drying tannin effect at the end.
Finish: Dry finish dominated by wood and spice.
Jameson Gold Irish Whiskey
$109.99
This is a blended Irish whiskey, triple distilled with a high proportion of pot still whiskey, and the rest grain. The distillery decribes the casks used to mature it as Grade "A". Bottled at 40%.
Glendalough 7 Year Irish Single Malt
$78.99
The number 7 is not just lucky, it is also special to the Irish town of Glendalough, founded as his city of 7 churches. Before doing so he spent 7 years in the wilderness, experiencing all 4 seasons, 7 times, just as this Irish Single Malt has. There are 7 silver crosses on the label, one each for its years and the churchs of the town who's name it shares. The whiskey is rumoured to have come from the Cooley distillery. Matured in Ex-Bourbon and bottled at 46%.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: very soft, perfumed and fruity; it is incredibly soft with Wine Gums, chewy malt and lots of lemon.
Palate: still fruity and perfumed, lots of cream, soft oak, vanilla, marzipan and more Wine Gums.
Finish: long, toasty and malty, it retains its softness, is coating and sugary.
Glendalough 13 Year Irish Single Malt
$139.99
Although most Irish whiskey today is blended, the first Irish whiskies were single malts. Even Pot Still whiskies only came about as a means to avoid paying taxes in the 1800s. This single malt, rumoured to have come from Cooley distillery has been matured in Ex-Bourbon casks and was bottled at 46%.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: nutty and honeyed, some light leather and a touch cheesy with white fruits and lemon.
Palate: very sweet and honeyed, peppery and drying, very herbacious; lots of lemon, more soft leather with vanilla and peach; pan seared apple and poached pear with building licorice and fennel.
Finish: drying, malty, soft and fruity.
Teeling Single Malt Whiskey
$71.99
This single malt is produced from the legacy stock the family took after selling their first distillery, Cooley, to Beam Global (now Beam Suntory). The whisky has no age statement, but consists of whiskies of different ages, the oldest of which were laid down into oak in 1991. The whisky is matured in American oak but finished in five different wine casks: (Sherry, Port, Madeira, White Burgundy, Cabernet Sauvignon). The whisky is bottled at 46% without colouring or chillfiltering.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: clotted cream of fresh baked scones and vanilla icing sugars; white fruits and citrus, toasty and honeyed with almonds.
Palate: creamy and very honeyed, more clotted cream on scones and vanilla icing on white cupcakes; still toasty, a touch of white pepper, more citrus and white fruits with some honeydew melon; soft and malty with a hint of licorice and dark fruits.
Finish: long, malty citric and sweet.
Comment: a very pleasant malt, youthful but complex and eminently drinkable.
Distiller's Tasting Note
Nose: Vibrant with notes of melon, figs, toffee and lemon.
Taste: A balance mix of dry fruits, citrus, vanilla, spice and cloves.
Finish: Long with sweetness in harmony with dry tannins from the wood.