Compass Box The Spice Tree 50ml
$9.89
Featured on Day 12 of KWM Whisky Advent 2019, this is a 50ml of the legendary Compass Box Spice Tree Blended Malt Scotch Whisky. The original version of this whisky was so clever and innovative that the SWA (Read: Scotch Whisky Association [Read: Lords of Mediocrity]) banned it. So John Glaser of Compass Box came back to the table with a whisky that seems to dance through the hoops the SWA has placed before him. Whisky from 1st and 2nd fill bourbon casks have a secondary maturation in custom casks with heavily toasted new French oak heads. 46% NCF.
Evan’s Tasting Note
Nose: Fruit and woody spice notes. Like you are dipping assorted fruits (pineapple and honeydew cubes, apple slices, grapes, and more) into a chocolate fountain. Mocha and Chocolate mousse, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and espresso beans.
Palate: Oily and creamy fruit, but the wood spices shows up quite a bit as well. Peaches & cream, fruit & nut bars, french press coffee, candied ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, fruit cup syrup and grapefruit slices.
Finish: The fruit and spice mingle and linger before a dry nuttiness takes over at the end. Think toasted almonds with a light dusting of cinnamon powder.
Comment: Quite rich and round – the spice is there but it is so well integrated with the sweet fruit notes that it is never an attack. A very well put-together dram in the core range of Compass Box.
From the Producer
"A long time ago, we created a rich, bold Scotch whisky called The Spice Tree. Unfortunately, due to its avant garde method of oak-aging, we were compelled by the powers that be to discontinue production. Undeterred, we worked with our cooper friends in both France and Scotland to develop a new, hybrid oak cask that would allow us to achieve similar results, but in a way that would be acceptable to even the most conservative of observers. Et voila, THE SPICE TREE was resurrected – matured using a custom-made cask with French oak for the heads and American oak for the bodies. THE SPICE TREE is a rich, intense malt whisky redolent of baking spices and layered with toasty oak accents that complement the underlying distillery character."
Whisky Advent 2019 MLR12
$8.39
Ballechin 10 Year 50ml
$12.59
This is a mini bottle / 50ml version of the Ballechin 10 Year Old. For the full-sized bottle, click here.
This 10 Year Old is the flagship bottle of Edradour Distillery's heavily peated Ballechin line. It is bottled at 46% ABV, non-chill filtered and with no colouring added. Ballechin is peated to a level of 50 PPM, and the 10-year-old is a combination of mostly ex-Bourbon casks with some ex-Oloroso Sherry casks put in the mix just for fun.
Evan's Tasting Note
Nose: Smoky salami, well-weathered railroad ties, cracked black pepper, earl grey tea, smoked applewood cheddar, a touch of menthol, blackberry jam, banana peel, roasted cashews, burning marshmallows on a campfire, and dark coffee grounds.
Palate: Earthy again but with some nice sweet notes. Roasted malt, milk chocolate, huckleberry pie with a slightly burnt crust and vanilla ice cream on top, earl grey tea but with milk this time, and Oreo Cookies to dunk.
Finish: Chewy and creamy with some earthy smoke sticking around for a long time afterwards.
Comment: Lovely stuff. Rich and deep with a lot of complexity coming from the peat itself, This is big, dense and earthy. If that doesn't make you shy away, it is time you tried this Single Malt out.
SMOS Ben Nevis 1996 KWM Cask 50ml
$15.99
This 22 Year old Ben Nevis is one of a pair of really exciting single casks we obtained from Elixir Distillers this fall. Distilled in 1996 and matured in a Sherry Butt, the whisky was selected by and bottled exclusively for Kensington Wine Market at 53.4%. More than half of the 440 bottles sold in the first month! We also have 700mls of our cask!
This whisky was featured on Day 5 of our KWM Whisky Advent Calendar™!
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: Eatmore and polished new leather shoes; dark fruits; nutty with caramel, leather and tobcco; dried apple chunks sprinkled with cinnamon; woody: freshly sawed cedar and a dry-mossy pine forrest floor; fig jam and pineapple.
Palate: round, rich and fruity; there is a soft silky body full of dried dark fruits: raisins, sultanas, date squares and figs in honey; dark milk chocolate and Caramilk; not quite molasses-y enough to be in Eatmore territory, but it is close; pineapple in sweet & sour sauch; honeyed and decadent with burnt caramel and maple syrup; the leather and tobacco move in with soft spices; sherried and woody but balanced in both cases.
Finish: big, drying, fruity and spicy; the fruits and caramels fade leaving traces of their past glories; not as complex as the palate but elegant none the less.
Comment: this is a big rich and sherried Ben Nevis with a soft coating body; there is a touch of more tropical fruits, but it is the sherry tones driving the bus on this one; the nose is good, the palate is great; Ben Nevis has built a cult following among whisky geeks, and this is another fine example as to why...
Evan’s Tasting Note
Nose: Rich, concentrated, but austere. This noses like an old school style sherry-cask whisky – not the sherry seasoned fruit bombs that you are more likely to find today. Dates, stewed plums, prunes, raisins blueberries – the fruit is there. So are tangy notes of reduced balsamic vinegar, and cherry cider along with fruity tobacco, polished leather, soft cedar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Palate: Rich, sweet and tangy with a touch of spice on the tongue. Figs, prunes, blueberry jam, fruit leather, a touch of black liquorice, reduced balsamic again, dark chocolate, espresso beans, and pecan pie.
Finish: Slightly drying but so concentrated and umami-like at the same time. The sweet notes are there, but not decedent due to the tangy notes that keep it in check.
Comment: I have not been a sherry fan as of late, preferring refill hogsheads and and ex-Bourbon casks to age the whisky I taste – but I love this cask. It gives so much but still stays tightly wound in style. This isn’t your flabby, over the top sherry. This is big, rich sherry in a refined style.
Kilchoman 2011 KWM Cask 770 50ml
$29.99
Our 8th exclusive single cask of Kilchoman is a 7 year old matured in a single Ex-Bourbon Cask, No. 770, bottled at 56.8%. This is the 50ml format.
We are big fans of this Islay distillery at Kensington Wine Market. Kilchoman is relatively young by Scottish standards, as they have only been distilling since 2005. Even though much of their single malt releases would still be considered young, Kilchoman produces a robust, rich, and moderate to heavily peated spirit that shows tremendous complexity even at well under 10 years of age.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: honey, candied lemon, butter cream icing and chocolate marzipan; gentle ashy peat, scallops pan seared in butter and delicate fruits: honeydew melon, dried apricots and nectarines.
Palate: starts light but quickly builds with the decadent oak, crisp peat and spices holding centre stage; more honey, butter cream icing and chocolate marzipan; firm maritime smoke, a touch of tar and silky peat oils; more soft fruits, lots of lemon-citrus, more honeydew melons, apricots and nectarines; on the spices front: fennel seeds and licorice root.
Finish: soft, elegant and decadent with fading spices, peat and most prominently, soft delicate fruits.
Comment: Kilchoman is after Arran, our second most bottled single malt, when it comes to KWM Casks; here is another fine example of why that is the case; the whisky, even at a young age is complex, elegant and bursting with fruit; we decided to go a little younger this time, compared to our last two casks, both of which were ten years of age; peat heads will be happy about that!
Glenfarclas 21 Year 50ml
$10.00
Bottled at 43% after maturing exclusively in ex-Oloroso sherry seasoned casks. The Glenfarclas 21 year is favourite of the Scotch Guy, and has been for more than a decade!
Ardbeg An Oa 50ml
$11.99
This is a mini/50ml bottle of Ardbeg An Oa. For the full-sized version click here.
"An Oa" is named for Islay's wild Mull of Oa on the south-west coast. The prominent headland offers the Kildalton coast a bit of shelter from the tempestuous North Atlantic. The area was in centuries past the scene of much illicit distilling. The whisky is the first new core release in the Ardbeg range for close to a decade. Crafted to offer a more approachable take on Ardbeg whisky, the spirit was matured in a mix of PX Sherry, Virgin Oak and Ex-Bourbon casks. The mix was then rested in the distillery's new Gathering Vat'.
46.6% ABV
Evan's Tasting Note
Nose: Peanut shells, apple cider, yeasty bread, maple bacon, brown sugar, Ovaltine, lavender, potpourri, milk chocolate, olive oil, sponge toffee, sea salt and hay in a barn.
Palate: Creamy. Soft smoke and ash, sweet chilli sauce, sea water, honeydew, black pepper, Juicy Fruit gum, nutmeg, Ovaltine again.
Finish: Smooth, smoky and soft. Not as big as Corryvrecken and Uigeadeal which shouldn't come as a surprise with the lower alcohol content.
Comment: A slightly lighter and sweeter side to Ardbeg.
Producer Tasting Note
Nose: Rounded and smoky - like burning Applewood - with creamy toffee, aniseed, treacle and dates. A curious suggestion of juicy fruits, such as peach and banana. With a drop of water, reminders of Ardbeg’s classic fragrance – lime, pine resin, fennel, saddle soap and tar. A gentle waxiness, like fragrant candle wax, and hints of smoked herbs. An Oa gives a final subtle reminder of the sea with briny notes and seaweed but always accompanied with creaminess.
Palate: A smooth, creamy texture leads into a huge syrupy sweetness, flavours of milk chocolate, treacle toffee, aniseed, orange and smoky tea leaves. Gentle, sweet spices (nutmeg & cinnamon), some cigar smoke, and a very unusual flavour of grilled artichokes. Wood is always present in the spirit, gently nutty and reminiscent of a carpenter’s workshop. A long, sweet finish, with floral overtones, mint toffee and some gentle malty biscuit notes.
Finish: A smooth, creamy texture leads into a huge syrupy sweetness, flavours of milk chocolate, treacle toffee, aniseed, orange and smoky tea leaves. Gentle, sweet spices (nutmeg & cinnamon), some cigar smoke, and a very unusual flavour of grilled artichokes. Wood is always present in the spirit, gently nutty and reminiscent of a carpenter’s workshop. A long, sweet finish, with floral overtones, mint toffee and some gentle malty biscuit notes.
Producer Description: "A welcome new addition to the Ultimate range. Ardbeg An Oa is singularly rounded, due in no small part to time spent in our newly established bespoke oak Gathering Vat where whiskies from several cask types - including; sweet Pedro Ximenez; spicy virgin charred oak; and intense ex-bourbon casks, amongst others - familiarise themselves with each other. The result is a dram with smoky power, mellowed by a delectable, smooth sweetness. Hallmark Ardbeg peat, dark chocolate and aniseed are wrapped in smooth, silky butterscotch, black pepper and clove, before rising to an intense crescendo of flavour."
Eau Claire Single Malt Batch 002 50ml
$10.99
This 50ml whisky was featured on Day 11 of KWM 2019 Whisky Advent. It is the 2nd ever release of Alberta Single Malt from Turner Valley's Eau Claire Distillery.. Full size bottles are long gone!
Batch 002 of Eau Claire Single Malt has been made with Alberta barley and is bottled at 43%. We were impressed with Batch 001, and are excited to be able to sell a handful of bottles of Batch 002. Limit 1 per customer.
Producer Description: "Alberta’s first craft distillery, Eau Claire, is proud to announce its second, limited edition release of Single Malt Whisky. A farm to glass whisky that encapsulates the best of Alberta – blue skies, mountain fresh water, malted barley and entrepreneurial spirit."
This subtly complex whisky has flavours of sweet red fruit with underlying vanilla and caramel. A long oaky finish and raisin undertones, this whisky is a testament to traditional craft – it is remarkably mature for its age, but young and innovative in its outlook."
Evan’s Tasting Note
Nose: More wood is prominent than I recall noticing in the inaugural release. Cocoa powder, nugat, toasted hazelnuts, and cloves along with underlying fruit notes of bananas, lemons, and fresh peach slices.
Palate: Very creamy and also oily on the palate. Pastries and fresh out of the oven baked bread, chocolate coated almonds, vanilla and marmalade.
Finish: A bit more spice and wood notes on the finish. Lemon jujubes and a touch of Frangelico in there as well.
Comment: Like the First Release this is an oily and well-balanced whisky, especially for being so young. I do feel that the First Release had a bit more fruit on the nose and palate, but I have not tasted them side by side. I still hope that one day Eau Claire will do a release at higher than 43% ABV. This may be balanced and approachable, but it would be a ton of fun to taste a cask strength version of it.
Kilchoman Madeira Finish AB Cask 50ml
$29.99
This is the 50ml mini bottle version.
Selected by Andy Dunn at Gold Medal Marketing and bottled exclusively for the Alberta market. This 7 Year ( and 9 months) Kilchoman was finished for 11 months in a Madeira Cask after maturing in ex-Bourbon. This is Kilchoman's heavily peated style, bottled at 50PPM. 56.2%.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: tarry and ashy; rare Elk with a blueberry jus, a side of sautéed carrots and grilled broccoli; too specific? maybe I'm just hangry! some gun smoke, but I am struggling to get at it and past the meaty-peppery wine tones.
Palate: sweet, malty and smoky; tarry with Dutch licorice and a touch of gun smoke; I still get some rare Elk in there, blueberry jus and sautéed carrots; burnt green veg too? yes; loads of berry fruits, a touch of jam with clotted cream and a salted caramel.
Finish: long, sweet, fruity, spicy and malty with gun smoke.
Comment: bias declared, I struggle with wine finished/matured Kilchomans, but I know there are many who like this style; if that’s you, you’ll love it; this is a unique and interesting take on Kilchoman, and diverges greatly from our own cask selections and the distillery’s core range.