Armorik Yeun Elez Breton Single Mlt 50ml
$11.99
This whisky was featured on Day 18 of our 2023 KWM Whisky Calendar. You can check out Evan's blog post on the whisky here.
From Warenghem Distillery in Brittany, France. The Armorik Yeun Elez Single Malt Breton Peated is a Peated Breton Single Malt Whisky (see how I changed the order of these words to make myself sound smart?), distilled from peated malted barley imported from Scotland with a spec of 50ppm. Sadly, we only managed to get 50ml bottles of this limited release, not the full size.
Producer Note
"Launched in September 2020, Yeun Elez is the result of the distillery’s foray into peated territories. We offer you a peated variation of our Armorik single malt : we use Scottish 50 ppm peated malted barley, water from our own source and our artisanal know-how. Breton Single Malt whisky, it has been distilled and matured to highlights its delicate, elegant, and fruity peat."
Boutique-y Clynelish 20 Year KWM Cask
$164.99
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!
Bridgeland Taber Corn Berbon KWM Cask
$95.99
We have teamed up with our friends at Bridgeland Distillery to bottle our first-ever Canadian "Bourbon Style" whisky barrel pick. The mash bill consists of at least 51% Taber Corn, plus wheat and malted barley. At five years old, it is the oldest of Bridgeland's Taber Corn Berbon bottled so far, and at barrel proof, 62.5%.
Berry's Inchgower 2009 KWM Cask
$154.99
This 2009 Inchgower was matured in an ex-Oloroso sherry cask for 13 years, before bottling at 54.2% exclusively for Kensington Wine Market.
Berry's Teaninich 2010 KWM Cask
$129.99
This KWM Cask is our first cask pick ever from Teaninich Distillery, courtesy of indie bottler Berry Bros. & Rudd. It was distilled in 2010 and matured in a hogshead until hitting the bottle in 2024 at a strength of 54.1%. 245 bottles in total from cask number 709018.
Compass Box GKS Glasgow KWM Cask 3
$94.99
Our 7th KWM exclusive Compass Box, and 5th "Marrying Cask," is a bottling of the Glasgow Blend, finished in an ex-Clynelish, ex-Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cask for roughly 1 year, bottled at 49%. Married: June 16, 2022, bottled: July 2023.
The Compass Box Glasgow Blend, is the firm sherried and peated blend, inspired by the type of whiskies Glaswegians' used to prefer 100 years ago. This batch of this malt-heavy Glasgow Blend (before marrying) was 35.2% 10 year old Cameronbridge from First Fill ex-Bourbon, 34.1% 10 year old Craigellachie from sherry casks, 18.2% 8 year old Laphroaig from Refill Bourbon, 9.9% 9 year old Clynelish from First Fill ex-Bourbon, and 2.6% Highland Blended Malt from French oak.
SMOS Res Casks No.11 Caol Ila 11 Year
$114.99
This 2012 vintage Caol Ila is from a Refill Sherry Butt, bottled after 11 years at 48%. Exclusive to KWM. 87.74pts Whiskybase
G&M CC Glentauchers 2000 KWM Cask
$299.99
This whisky was featured on Day 19 of our 2024 KWM Not An Advent Calendar Tastings! You can read more about the whisky here.
Is it a coincidence we bottled two Gordon & MacPhail Glentauchers casks in a year? Yes, but it shouldn't be all that surprising... seeing as they are bottling some of the best whisky from the distillery. This 2000 vintage was matured 23 years in a First Fill Sherry Hogshead. We were blown away by this old-school dumpy, sherried single malt... it's a very cool dram! 55.8%.
Millstone Single Grain 9 Year 50ml
$6.00
This bottle was featured on Day 19 of our 2022 KWM Whisky Calendar
Full-size versions of this mini bottle can be found here.
This whisky was selected for Canada by Craftwork Spirits. It is a selection from multiple casks and includes whisky made from a mash of rye, malted barley, corn, spelt, and wheat. All whisky in this bottle was aged in virgin oak casks and the batch originally had a strength of around 47% or so before it was decided to bottle it at 46%.