Arran 10 year 50mL
$9.99
Arran is the only distillery on the island of Arran. For the Arran 10 year, the oak type is not specified, but it is likely predominantly ex-Bourbon, with a dash of sherry. You will see more sherry cask influence as you move up the range in age statements! This whisky (along with the rest of Arran's core range) is a staple on our shelves, and for good reason! 46% ABV
The Arran 10-year-old was featured in Day 7 of our 2018 Kensington Wine Market Whisky Advent Calendar.
The full-sized Arran 10 year old can be found here!
Andrew’s Tasting Note
Nose: butterscotch pudding and vanilla bean icing; earl grey crème brule and juicy malt; lots of honey and candied citrus tones with a faint gravelly minerality.
Palate: classic Arran, honeyed, malty and floral with loads of citrus; this malt never disappoints with lovely oils, loads of vanilla, butterscotch and dried apricots; more grassy tones and faint minerality.
Finish: medium-long but lovely; malty, honeyed and floral with more citrus and vanilla.
Comment: this is such a pleasing malt for its age and quality; if this was the baseline single malt available anywhere, anytime, one would never be disheartened!
Wolfburn Morven 50mL
$9.79
Wolfburn Morven is a lightly peated single malt bottled at 46% from the Northernmost mainland distillery in Scotland. It will be exclusive to KWM in Calgary!
The Wolfburn Morven was featured on Day 11 of our KWM 2018 Whisky Advent Calendar.
Evan's Tasting Note
Nose: light, earthy peat, sea spray, fruit cocktail syrup, creamy oatmeal, toasted pecans, honeydew melon, eucalyptus, mulled apple cider, a touch of grassiness and a hint of leather shoe polish.
Palate: slightly oily but more creamy in style. earthy and nutty, apples, pears, some dried fruits, a touch of saline, ginger, buttercream frosting and lemon zest and mint.
Finish: warming with soft peat, dried fruits and salty, nutty notes sticking around.
Comment: This is a solid young whisky done right, with an approachable nose and enticingly creamy mouthfeel. The peat is a nice touch and adds nuance, as young peated whisky is typically more interesting than unpeated whisky of the same age.
Distiller's Tasting Note
Nose: Initially smoky with hints of fruit and fresh sea air, accompanied by vanilla and oak woodshavings.
Palate: Floral notes abound, followed by raisins and light spices. Malty flavours open up on the palate, with soft honey sweetness at the finish.
About Wolfburn:
"Thurso is the most northerly town on the British mainland with records dating back to Viking times, when it was under Norse Orcadian rule and a major gateway to Scandinavia and the Northern Isles. The area is fringed to the north and east by dramatic coastal scenery and is home to internationally important colonies of sea birds.
"Thurso Bay and the distillery overlook the turbulent waters of the Pentland Firth towards the imposing cliffs of the Orcadian Island of Hoy – on a clear day the Old Man of Hoy can be seen in the far distance. The Thurso area was inhabited long before the Vikings arrived to give it its name.
"In May 2011 one of our team went to locate the site of the old Wolfburn Distillery in Thurso, Caithness. After 150 years of neglect what we found was a barely discernible pile of stones, but one thing remained from the yesteryears of Wolfburn distillery; the water. The cold clear waters that fed the mash tun and stills all those years ago were still flowing just as they always had, and if the Wolf Burn was still there then we reckoned the whisky could be too.
"A short walk downstream from the old site we found a small flat piece of land carpeted with thistles. We could take just a little of the water each day and once again turn it into whisky. The purchase of the land was finalized in May 2012 and the first ground was broken a few months later in early August. Things were on the move, plans were being drawn up, equipment was being sourced from far and wide and by the end of September the structures of the new buildings were beginning to take shape."
Beinn Dubh Ruby Black Flying Scot 50mL
$9.09
The Beinn Dubh Ruby Black Flying Scotsman is supposedly produced without adding E150 “caramel colouring”, which given the hue of the whisky is an impressive feat. I will let the producer discuss the origins of the wood which flavours and colours the whisky:
“Tanoaria Josafer Lda are experts in the art of cooperage and supply the Ruby Port from the Douro Valley in Portugal, which produce ‘Vinho do Porto’. It is these casks which give Beinn Dubh its unique Ruby Black colour. Our whisky is matured in charred casks to produce a unique “ruby black” toasted whisky with a dark rich ruby colour and a unique chocolatey flavour. The casks used for finishing have been drained of any liquid prior to use and any changes in our spirit will therefore result from its interaction over time with the wood of the case.”
The Bein Dubh was featured on Day 15 of our 2019 KWM Whisky Advent Calendar.
Andrew’s Tasting Note
Nose: chocolate and treacle; Sunrype fruit bars, Fruit by the Foot, burnt molasses and fudge; very muted for the colour.
Palate: over the top sweet and fruity upfront; Christmas cake, more chocolate fudge, Fruit by the Foot and Sunrype fruit bars; leathery, spicy and oily with more burnt molasses and treacle.
Finish: light and short considering its massive upfront profile; fading, but not unpleasant.
Comment: there is a market for this style of whisky, but full disclosure this is not to my taste; it is an interesting inclusion in the Calendar, but would we stock it in the shop, likely not.
Evan’s Tasting Note
Nose: grenadine syrup, Dr. Pepper, maraschino cherries, Twizzlers, candied oranges, Dutch licorice, cherry cough syrup, oven-baked beet chips, and somehow a bit of malt survives under all of the candy and syrup notes.
Palate: it has an… interesting texture to it. Maybe the colour is just faking me out but it sure comes off like flat soda on the tongue. Molasses syrup, cherry and mint chewing gum, some earthy spices, pepper, nutmeg and even some saltiness in there as well. Like eating teriyaki flavoured beef jerky and a fruit rollup at the same time.
Finish: fuzzy with saline and slightly cloying with a touch fruit roll-up. More texture than flavour-driven on the finish.
Comments: This is what happens when you let your five-year-old child get behind the bar and mix their own Roy Rogers: they come back with a glass stuffed to the brim consisting of 1/2 grenadine, 1/3 maraschino cherries, and 1/3 Coca-Cola with just a touch of fruit juice. Yes, I know that doesn’t add up, but this is a five-year-old we are talking about. Check their pockets and confiscate those extra cocktail sabres they pilfered.
Compass Box Peat Monster 50mL Mini
$7.69
This is the 50mL / mini bottle version featured in Day 3 of our 2018 KWM Whisky Advent Calendar. The full-sized bottle can be found here.
46% ABV - Blended Malt Composed of Coal Ila, Laphroaig and Ardmore - Matured in First Fill and Refill Ex-Bourbon
For those who love big, rich, peaty and smoky malt whiskies, this is your whiskey. Bottled at 46%, The Peat Monster combines extremely smoky malt whisky from Islay with medium-peated Highland whiskies to create a balanced and approachable monster, but a monster, nonetheless. Enjoy!
Andrew’s Tasting Note
Nose: honeyed and creamy, clotted cream on fresh scones with pan seared scallops and bacon sizzling in a skillet over a hot peat fire; creamy and doughy with bright citrus and firm but clean peat smoke.
Palate: grassy and malty, tarry and more medicinal than expected; steamed mussels in a white wine sauce; the bacon and scallops are still there (classic Caol Ila influence), drizzled with lemon and poached in butter; still creamy with candied anise and vanilla icing sugar.
Finish: muscular, coating and creamy; there is a surge of tarry peat, chewy malt, sugars spices and more vanilla icing.
Comment: this is one of the peatier batches of Compass Box Peat Monster I’ve tried; it is full and forceful but elegant; fans of Caol Ila and Laphroaig will be happy with this one!
Compass Box Story of the Spaniard 50mL
$7.69
The Story of the Spaniard was featured on Day 22 of our 2018 KWM Whisky Advent Calendar.
We are taking pre-orders on the full-sized release here!
The Story of the Spaniard is first new core range release from Compass Box in more than five years. The whisky is a blend of malt whisky matured in ex-Sherry casks, virgin French oak and Spanish red wine barriques. The whisky was inspired by a chance meeting between John Glaser and a local in Spain, his first proper introduction to sherry. The whisky is also inspired by a bespoke bottling done previously for a Greenich Village bar in New York.
Andrew’s Tasting Note:
Nose: honeyed, nutty and leathery; soft chocolate tones, honeyed granola with dried apple chunks and bright citrus and gentle oak tannins.
Palate: meaty and leathery with firm spices at first and gentle oak; it becomes more honeyed and fruity as the palate develops with a fresh elegant cool mint flourish; more bright citrus and dried apple chunks; a touch of chewy malt with dried berry fruits.
Finish: bright, fruity and coating with tingling delicate spices and more dried fruits: citrus, apple and berries.
Comment: as ever, Compass Box has created another balanced, elegant expression; the sherry and wine cask notes are prominent but far from over the top; a great addition to the range!
Proudcer Tasting Note: "Full, soft and sumptuous on the palate with notes of citrus peel, red wine and spices. The finish is long, with hints of rich vanilla panna cotta, ripe berries and cherries. "
Producer Description: "Inspired by an eponymously named bespoke whisky we recently created for a bar in New York City called The Spaniard, we decided to explore the sherried style further to create a new whisky for our permanent range. The name is a nod to our founder’s chance encounter with a man in the South of Spain, where he was introduced to Sherry for the first time."
"In this, our first release, 48% of the whiskies have been aged in ex-Sherry casks and 25% in ex-Spanish red wine casks. You will find a whisky that is full, soft and sumptuous on the palate with flavours of citrus peel and pears poached in red wine and spices. It’s a whisky ideal for late evening sipping or stirring into a cocktail."
Kilchoman 100% Islay KWM Cask 10yr 50mL
$22.39
Our 7th exclusive KWM single cask of Kilchoman is also our most unique, and not because it is 10 years old... we already have one of those! It is our first KWM exclusive cask of Kilchoman's 100% Islay. Distilled on August 8 2008, the whisky was bottled on August 8 2018 at exactly 10 years of age. Only 209 total bottles at 56.6% after maturing in Ex-Bourbon.
100% Islay is whisky that Kilchoman produces from its own barley, grown, malted, mashed, fermented, distilled, matured and bottled on site. This is farm to bottle whisky, with 100% of the production taking place at Rockside Farm. Kilchoman refers to it as Islay's only "Single Farm Single Malt". 100% Islay is peated to approximately 20ppm, though this can vary, considerably lighter than the distillery spec malt at 50ppm.
Evan's Tasting Note
Nose: full of brine and pungent oils, like walking past the pick your own olives bar in the deli of a grocery store. Floral and full of fresh malt notes. Aloe vera, eucalyptus, lavender, dryer sheets, mandarin orange, marashino cherries, almond paste, dried and pressed flowers, thyme, plus a touch of licorice.
Palate: Creamy, ashy, sweet and spicy delivery. Salted caramel ice cream, peanut butter icing, grilled scallops, mushroom pizza with a heavy dose of chili flakes sprinkled on, black olives, blackberries, lemon and lime jujubes, a touch of salty liquorice and Fisherman's Friend.
Finish: No. I don't want to... Wonderful seafood sweetness battles a final explosion of spice and then a warm and creamy ashiness rules over all.
Comment: When we tasted cask samples and decided on this barrel I was happy with the choice, but I did not think it was quite up to par with that previous KWM cask. Then the final bottles arrived and we cracked one open and I revised my thoughts immediately. This is a very different cask then our first 10-year-old, but it is just as amazing a whisky!
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: soft and creamy, delicate smoke, wine gums and white cupcakes with vanilla icing; poached pear and cooked apple, candied lemon and chewy malt; a touch waxy with white chocolate and fresh berries: raspberry and strawberry; so-oh buttery.
Palate: still buttery, silky, honeyed and sweet; loads of white chocolate, vanilla and caramel; the soft earthy peat and faintly medicinal smoke build quickly with some seafood-y tones; the mouthfeel is big and oily, delicately coating the palate; more wine gums, berry fruits and candied lemon but also melons and pineapple.
Finish: long, coating, buttery and malty with soft earthy peat and bright citrus.
Comment: this is confident, elegant and refined; Kilchoman 100% Islay taking full strides and not looking back; a softer take on one of Scotland's boldest whiskies!
Cadenhead Balmenach 2005 50mL
$10.99
Balmenach does not get bottled as a Single Malt Scotch by owners Inverhouse/Thai Beverages, instead being used mostly for blends. Independent bottlings such as this mini from Cadenhead can be found from time to time, however. One of the only ways to drink official, distillery bottled Balmenach spirit is to buy their Caorunn Gin, which has been produced at the distillery since 2009.
This Cadenhead bottling of Balmenach is only currently available in mini/ 50mL bottle form. It is bottled at as cask strength of 54.2% ABV.
Evan's Tasting Note
Nose: floral, canned pears in syrup, light citrus, butterscotch, vanilla, almond butter, white and milk chocolate, wood shavings with a slight hint of pine sap, peppery arugula and other leafy greens.
Palate: oily and creamy with cashews, canned pears again, apples, and dried fruits, honey-sweetened oatmeal, integrated cracked pepper notes along with soft wood spices.
Finish: sweet and nutty with a touch of pepper and oak.
Comments: I am honestly surprised. I have never been an avid Balmenach follower but this is one pleasant dram. Smooth and sweet with just a touch of spice to add nuance. Youthful for certain, but also delicious and well balanced!
Cadenhead Glen Spey 2001 50ml
$8.39
Bottled at 54.4%, the whisky matured for 16 years in a Bourbon Hogshead before bottling earlier this year.
This Cadenhead Glen Spey 2001 is available in mini / 50mL bottles only.
Andrew’s Tasting Note
Nose: very honeyed and nutty; Quaker Harvest Crunch; decadent with marzipan and candied grapefruit; there is a floral almost minty profile.
Palate: decadent and very creamy; more Quaker Harvest Crunch, barely touched by the milk; loads of candied fruits both sweet and tart, hence the grapefruit on the nose; there is an oily coating, goats milk character and canned pineapple.
Finish: long, coating and decadent with more tart citrus fruits; big but balance.
Comment: it is easy to see why a blender would like working with a malt like this; it has a great body and lovely oils; the cask has softened it up and added nicely to it.
Cadenhead Glenrothes 2001 16 Year 50ml
$11.99
This Cadenhead Glenrothes is available in 50mL / Mini bottle only - if you are interested in a full-sized bottle we may be able to get some!
Andrew’s Tasting Note
Nose: honeyed and nutty; very floral with cool mint, dried cranberries and orange peel; Demerara sugars and maraschino cherries; a touch of creamy vanilla fudge.
Palate: big, honeyed, floral and fruity; warming with decadent sugars and juicy fruits; more cool mint makes way for baked apple and poached pear; also melons creamed honey and more vanilla fudge; there is a big coating body with a lovely mouthfeel.
Finish: Medium-light, but long, coating, fruity and floral; elegant, fresh and doughy.
Comment: I am a self-confessed Glenrothes skeptic, I find it disappoints more often than not, but we’ve had a lot of good luck with Cadenhead Glenrothes, and this one is no exception!”