Balblair 18 Year Old 50ml MINI
$20.99
This bottle was featured in mini form on Day 20 of our 2020 KWM Whisky Calendar.
Full-sized bottles can be found here.
Part of the new core range from Balblair Distillery, which focuses on age statements rather than vintages. Bottled at 46% after maturing in ex-Bourbon and finishing in First Fill ex-Sherry Seasoned Spanish Oak Butts. Bottled at 46%, unchill filtered with no colouring added.
Boutique-y Clynelish 20 Year KWM Cask
$219.99
It is finally here... we have been teasing and talking about this whisky for months, and it was worth the wait. We are thrilled to introduce you to our first ever KWM exlcusive single cask from That Boutique-y Whisky Company. Although the bottle doesn't explicitly tell you which "Highland" distillery the whisky is from, there are clues on the label... 578 bottles have been filled exclusively for Kensington Wine Market at 51%. But we have nothing holding us back from telling you that Boutique-y Highland #2 is Clynelish... That's right, this is 20 year old Clynelish!
Andrew's Note on the Whisky & Label
Could that be a cat in the clouds, a Wild Highland Cat perhaps? Is it not strange to see a waxy candle-powered balloon? Incidentally, it is lifting the KWM whisky team aloft. And what of the monument? If we told you it was a controversial monument near the town of Golspie dedicated to the infamous Duke of Sutherland, would that give you all the information you need to know? What Highland Distillery has a Wild Highland Cat as its symbol, a waxy profile, and an infamous Duke as its founder?
This label is a cheeky take on a shared memory, with embellishments, embedded details, and Easter eggs, in the tradition of the best Boutique-y Whisky Company Labels. More importantly, it tells a story, which is personally important to my family. My mother was born into the Clann Gunn in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. Her ancestors roamed swaths of what is now Caithness and Sutherland in northern Scotland. That is until they were compelled to leave Scotland in the late 18th century, cruelly and rudely displaced to make way for sheep during the early days of the Highland Clearances.
On the label there is a ship at sea, heading to Canada presumably, as hinted at by the flags (the Canadian flag as it is today was only introduced in 1965). On the flat coastal plain at the base of the mountains sheep can be seen grazing. In front of the monument stand a pair of Canadians stand in hockey jerseys. Sam Simmons, Head of Whisky at Atom Brands, and a native Torontonian, stands closest to the monument in what appears to be a hockey jersey. Further back, a native Calgarian, yours truly can be seen waving a white hat, an iconic symbol of "Cowtown", whilst sporting a local hockey team jersey of his own. In the balloon Keith, Evan, Shawn & Curt can be seen waving at Andrew & Sam below. Speaking of those two, what are they doing atop Ben Bhraggie? Funny story that.
When TBWC offered us this cask of Highland Malt, they asked us what we wanted on the label, and I had a cheeky idea. In 2006 I made my first trip to Scotland, and on that trip, I hiked up Ben Bhraggie, a small mountain (really a foothill by Canadian standards) to see the monument of the infamous Duke. Someone had spraypainted the word "Monster" in neon green at the base. When I was sure no one was looking I dropped trow and relieved myself on it. I sent Sam an email of this tale, my connection to the area and my idea for the label. I was sure it was just a little too edgy...
Minutes later my phone was ringing... it was 3 AM in the UK, but Sam wanted to make sure I had seen his reply. He too had hiked Ben Bhraggie in 2005, and he had also paid his own respects to the infamous Duke of Sutherland...
One last little nugget, Keith, who is a personal trainer and headed to Beijing as a Team Canada Skeleton coach, felt his arm didn't look appropriately burly, in an early draft of the label. So we had the artist, Emily Chappell, 'bugs bunny' his arm... In case it isn't already apparent, nothing is sacred (especially when it comes to The Duke of Sutherland and Keith's pipes)!
And the rest as they say is history. On the back of every bottle, That Boutique-y Whisky Company includes the following text: "We are passionate about great whisky, we don't take ourselves too seriously and we LOVE a good story." No wonder these chaps are such a great fit to work with!
Berry's Orkney Islands 2003 KWM Cask
$199.99
This is our 4th single cask of Highland Park, from our friends at Berry Bros. & Rudd. They can't be quite so explicit about this as we can, but let's be honest, there are only 2 distilleries in the Orkneys, and production was all but non-existent at Scapa in the early 2000s. Any way, this cask was distilled on the mainland of the "Orkney" archipelago in 2003, filled into a Sherry Butt (Berry's Cask No.1), and matured for 17 years before bottling at 59.9% in 2021. It is almost 50% stronger than the Highland Park 18 Year, and about 15% cheaper... that and its awesome. Would we ever bottle it if it were not?!
Port Askaig 110 Proof 50ml
$5.99
Not for sale!
Teeling 15 Year KWM Armagnac Cask 16570
$149.99
Our second exclusive single cask from Teeling is a 15 Year, finished in an Armagnac cask (#16570). 462 bottles, 58.4%.
Tomatin Contrast
$105
This is a very interesting two half bottle release from Tomatin Distillery which shows the contrast between ex-bourbon and ex-sherry barrels and their influence on Scotch. The disitllery vatted whiskies from 4 decades, and then further matured it in ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry before bottling at 46%.
Producer Description
Here is more information from Tomatin's website:
"This limited release presents a unique opportunity to directly compare the effect of Bourbon and Sherry casks on whisky distilled in specific years at Tomatin Distillery; 1973, 1977, 1988, 1991, 2002 & 2006. Having selected and vatted casks from the same six years in both types of casks, our Distillery Manager, Graham Eunson, has created two incredible whiskies and an exceptional tasting experience.
Cask Type:
1. Fully matured in Ex-Bourbon Casks
2. Fully matured in Ex-Sherry Casks
Strength: 46% alc./vol.
Released: July 2015
Ardnamurchan AD 01.21:01 50ml Mini
$12.99
This mini / 50ml bottle of Ardnamurchan Single Malt 2nd release was featured on Day 16 of our 2021 KWM Whisky Calendar
This is the second official Single Malt Whisky Release from Ardnamurchan. The AD 01.21:01 release is a batch made with a blend of 50% peated and 50% unpeated single malt whisky that was matured in a combination of 65% Ex-Bourbon casks / 35% Sherry casks.
Compass Box GKS Glasgow KWM Cask 2
$89.99
Bottled at 49%, this is our 2nd Glasgow Blend Single Marrying Cask from Compass Box. Married in April 27, 2020 in a American Oak Barrel, Cask No. 130, it was Bottled August 18, 2021. 228 total bottles. The Glasgow Blend is Compass Box's peated and sherried Blended Scotch Whisky. This bottling is from an extra matured single marrying cask of Glasgow Blended Scotch Whisky, selected by and bottled exclusively for KWM.
The Components of Our Cask - Pre-Finishing in 1 Year & 5 Months in an American Oak Barrel
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38% Cameronbridge First Fill Bourbon Barrel
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31% Distillery Near the Town of Aberlour Revatted Oloroso Sherry-Seasoned Butt (cough Craigellachie!)
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17% Laphroaig Refill Hogshead
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9% Clynelish Distillery First Fill Bourbon Barrel
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3% Highland Malt Blend Custom French Oak Cask - Very Heavy Toast
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2% Clynelish First Fill Bourbon Barrel
Glen Scotia Double Cask 50ml MINI
$6.99
This 50ml/mini bottle of Glen Scotia Double Cask was featured on Day 14 of our 2021 KWM Whisky Calendar
The entry-level release in Glen Scotia's retooled range is bottled at 46%. Matured in American oak some of the whisky is finished in Pedro Ximenez Sherry and the rest in First Fill Bourbon.