New & Noteworthy
What we are most excited about right now!
Callejo Flores
$25.99
Made from 100% Tinto Fino - AKA Tempranillo - picked from high altitude vineyards near the village of Sotillo de la Ribera, the wine is fermented with natural yeast and aged for five months in barrel and tank before bottling.
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%.
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!
Glenfarclas 1992 KWM 30 Annv Family Cask
$599.99
We were given the opportunity to sample a few Glenfarclas 1992 casks last year, to select one for bottling as a special Kensington Wine Market 30th Anniversary release. We had the privilege to bottle a 1997 Family Cask in 2011. As demand and prices for Family Casks rose over the last decade, I never thought we'd ever bottle another.
Last summer we were shown some samples of Glenfarclas distilled in 1992, and offered the opportunity to select one to help us mark our 30th Anniversary. 1992 is after all the year we first opened our doors, and whisky from the early 1990s is getting increasingly scarce and expensive. I never doubted for a moment that we would find a cask we liked, but rather worried about the total cost of committing to a full cask of whisky from 1992...
After reviewing the samples, one of the casks clearly stood out, it was stunning. I knew at that moment that we couldn't possibly pass on the opportunity to bottle another legacy bottling like this, and I think that gamble has more than paid off.
This is our 8th KWM exclusive bottling of Glenfarclas, and our second Glenfarclas Family Cask. The whisky was bottled on the 20th of January, 2022, at 29 years of age, as a special 30th Anniversary bottling. 52.6%
While not inexpensive, it is relatively speaking, a very good deal: $100 less than the Summer 2021 Family Cask release of 1992; and $240 less than the current pricing for Glenfarclas 30 Year... With the right perspective, this whisky is in fact a steal!
We'd like to thank our friends at Glenfarclas, and their importer Pacific Wine & Spirits, for being such big supporters of our humble business over the last couple of decades. And also for giving us the opportunity to bottle whiskies like this which set us apart from our competition!
Kentucky Spirits Ltd. KWM Barrel Bourbon
$104.99
That's right, we have another KWM cask single barrel Bourbon on the way!
Distilled in Paris, Kentucky by Kentucky Spirits Limited. Barrel #31 was picked by the KWM Whisky staff. Made from a mash bill of 75% Corn, 21% Rye, and 4% Malted Barley (yeah, the photo does say 10% for the Malted Barley. Shawn pointed out that it would make the mash bill to give 106%. That's impossible. No mash bill can give more than 100%. By definition that is the most any mash bill can give....), it was filled into a standard charred virgin American White Oak 53-gallon barrel on November 25th, 2018. It was aged for 3 years and 6 months before being bottled exclusively for our shop at a cask strength of 60.4%. 228 bottles total.
Vignobles Bulliat Beaujolais Blanc
$25.99
This crisp and lively Chardonnay seems purpose-built to convert anybody still firmly entrenched in the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) movement. As the name Sur La Granit implies, this organic white wine boasts plenty of minerality and citrus zing to keep things interesting. Yet like most of father & son duo Noel & Loic Bulliat's wines it remains in the 'dangerously crushable' category. Try pairing it with seafood salad, a light pesto pasta, or a bottle of Vignoble Bulliat's Beaujolais Rouge.
KWM 2022 Whisky Calendar Pre-Pay EarlyBd
$399.99
As with the past couple of years, you have two options to reserve a KWM 2022 Whisky Calendar: the Pre-Pay Early Bird offer, and the full price Pre Order & Pay Later Option.
If you select the Pre-Pay Preorder option, you will save $60! *** EARLY BIRD PRICING IN EFFECT UNTIL MONDAY OCTOBER 10th! ***
The KWM Whisky Calendar, aka "25 Days of Dram Fine Whisky", is back for the 9th straight year. Once again the calendar will have a fresh new look, which will be revealed in a few weeks time. This year's calendar includes 24 50ml premium whiskies, a custom logo Glencairn glass, and a 100ml Scotch Malt Whisky Society whisky for Christmas Day. You can follow along on the KWM Blog starting December 1, or one of our various social media channels as we introduce and discuss each day's whisky.
Because they were such a big hit the last two years, we will once again be hosting the Whisky Calendar Recap Tastings throughout the month of December. Purchasers and recipients of the KWM 2022 Whisky Calendar will be able to join us for any or all of the 5 virtual tastings on December 5, 10, 15, 20 and after Christmas on the 28th, at 7PM MT. Each of them will cover the 5 previous day's whiskies in the Calendar.
We always keep the exact whisky list a secret, there are too few surprises left in this life... but we can tell you this year's Calendar includes 3 KWM exclusive casks, a couple of whiskies in their 20s, and more than a dozen distilleries and producers never before featured in any of our prior Whisky Calendars. We are confident that we have put together another fantastic Calendar this year, and we know you are going to love it!
Best of all, if you select the pre-pay preorder option, you will save $60... this option was very popular last year, and completely sold out 2020's original production in just 2 weeks!
We anticipate the KWM 2022 Whisky Advent Calendars should be ready for pick up in early November, that is as long as everything goes as planned... which in the Post-Covid Era you can never be 100% sure of. But we've planned accordingly, and ordered early from all of our suppliers!
Two Options to Order the KWM 2022 Whisky Calendar
- Pre-Pay Early Bird Special Offer - Select this option if you wish to save $60 on the regular price of $460, by prepaying now in full (please note this cannot be combined with other offers or discounts). You will be charged $400+gst when we receive your order. This pricing in effect until Oct 10th only !
- Pay Later Pre-Order - If you want to reserve a KWM 2022 Whisky Calendar and pay the full price of $460+gst later, please select this option to submit your order, and you will not be charged until a few days before it is ready for pick-up.
Canella Prosecco Advent Calendar
$204.99
In the wide world of alcohol retail, few things herald the arrival of the holiday season like advent calendars. This year the esteemed Prosecco house of Canella has the distinction of being the first to arrive. With vineyards situated in the stunning mountains of the Valdobbiadene DOCG, they enjoy the reputation as one of Italy's preeminent Proseccos. This calendar features 24 x 375ml of six different styles of Prosecco, perfect when a glass of holiday fizz is in order!
