Follow Us:

Blog

Whisky Advent 2016 Day 1 - Connoisseur's Choice Tomatin 1997

Posted on October 25, 2024



Welcome to the first day of Kensington Wine Market Whisky Advent 2016! We are very excited about this year's Advent Calendar, and hope you are too. We know you are going to love it. If you haven't picked one up yet, it is never too late to get in on the fun! We still have them available in shop and you can order online!

Be sure to check back on the KWM Blog every day around super time, to see the details on the day's whisky. On day 1, you should find, the first of 24 50ml whiskies, and a KWM Advent Logo Whisky Glass. We recommend you give the glass a wee wash, or at least a rinse before getting down to business.

You should also have received a wee scroll with some details on how to interact with us on social media, and directing you to this blog for details on each whisky. I'm guessing if you've found us, you've already figured that out! Attached to the scroll there should be a discount card, valid now through the end of May 2017, entitling you to a 10% discount on your whisky purchases at Kensington Wine Market.

 



 

 

Each day during Advent you will find a new 50ml whisky behind the day's window. There are a pair of award winning Irish whiskies, an award winning Taiwanese whisky and 23 Scotch whiskies, all but one of which are single malts. On Christmas Day, there is a special 25th whisky, a 100ml Scotch Malt Whisky Society single cask, bottled exclusively for Canada. But enough blabber, let us get to today's whisky....

 

 



 

 

We are kicking off Kensington Wine Market Whisky Advent with a 1997 Tomatin, bottled under the Connoisseurs Choice line, by independent bottler Gordon MacPhail (more on both as well as the Tomatin Distillery, below). This whisky has been bottled at 46% after maturing in 1st Fill Bourbon Barrels. It has been bottled without added colouring or chill-filtering.

 

 

Connoisseurs Choice Tomatin 1997 - 46% - 1st Fill Bourbon Barrels - Bottled 2014 - Andrew's Tasting Note: "Nose: soft and toasty, loads of vanilla; juicy malt and white fruits: Granny Smith apples and prickly pear; loads of white chocolate and toasty American oak; Palate: big, honeyed, toasty and malty with soft floral tones and more white fruits; tart green apple and supple prickly pear; some sweet orange and more white chocolate; overall very smooth and decadent; Finish: medium weight, but long coating and toasty with fading white fruits, chocolate and floral malt; Comment: lots to love here, it is decadent, fruity and very smooth; a good wind down malt for a stressful day! - $180 / 750ml

 

 

Click here to order a bottle of this whisky online! Be sure to mention that yo...

Continue Reading →




Glenfarclas 25 Year Cask Strength Launch - Nov. 29, 2016

Posted on December 14, 2016

On Tuesday, November 29th we hosted a tasting of much of the Glenfarclas lineup here at Kensington Wine Market.



Glenfarclas is the second oldest family operated distillery in Scotland. The distillery has been owned by the Grant Family for six generations and because of this it has a lot of tradition behind it.

The Grants are very careful with their distillery - the current generation always makes a  great effort to ensure the the next generation has plenty of barrels aging to build upon. The next generation in turn maintains the business and bottlings with the same practiced patience of those that preceded. This means that this Speyside distillery has much more older stock still available and aging away than you would find at many others around Scotland.

Because of all of this Glenfarclas has one of - if not the - most impressive lineups of any Scottish Distillery when it comes to showcasing a variety of ages. Because of this we were able to taste our way through the following:



#1 - Glenfarclas 12yr / 43% ABV / $68
I have always considered this the best starting point for the Glenfarclas line - very approachable with great malt and some sherry influence. This is a solid everyday single malt.

#2 - Glenfarclas 15yr / 46% ABV / $95
The higher ABV really amps up the spice notes and the heat. Big, bold sherry influence on this one.

The 15yr is bottled at a higher strength because George Scott Grant (who passed away in 2002) always preferred it that way.

#3 - Glenfarclas 17yr / 43% ABV / $108
The 17yr is only sold in North America, Japan, and Sweden. I consider it the unsung hero in this group. It is a solid single malt at a very good price.

#4 - Glenfarclas £511.19s.0d / 43% ABV / $160
This is an interested no age statement bottling from Glenfarclas that was introduced in 2015 to celebrate the Grant family having owned the distillery for 150 years. There is a story behind the name of this bottle of Glenfarclas. Here is some information from the distillery website:

"On the 8th of June 1865, John Grant, 1st generation of the Grant family, bought the distillery for £511.19s.0d. His grandsons, John and George, later formed the company J. & G. Grant and to this day it remains an independent business and firmly in the hands of the family’s 5th & 6th generation.

"The £511.19s.0d Family Reserve, a non-chill filtered bottling at 43%, is a vatting of predominantly first fill sherry butts which proudly embodies the distillery’s sherry profile, bringing together all the character of this great spirit across the generations. Sweet and rich sherry, like a toffee syrup over a freshly toasted French baguette, the nose promises fresh fruit smothered in heather honey, ending almost like a sw...

Continue Reading →




New beers - November 25th, 2016

Posted on November 27, 2016

Hey everyone!

It's order day! It's order day! My favourite day of the week in which I get to see all the tasty things I had delivered and also fill my shelves up! Things are starting to ramp up for Christmas, and that was apparent during the last weekend when we had our pre-Christmas sale. People came in droves to stock up for the holidays, and it was fantastic! Now we have so many new items to talk about as well as a bunch of returning favourites. I will keep this short (I mean, I always try to keep it short, but sometimes it's more difficult than others).

One quick thing before I begin is that we're now only about a week away from December the beginning of Advent, and there are still a few Advent Calendars floating around the store (both Beer and Whisky!). These are both amazing gifts that give for nearly a whole month, and it'll be truly unfortunate if anyone were to miss out on them. Give the store a call if you have any questions (403 283 8000) or if you want to place an order for one, as we're almost at the "last minute" time-frame.

OK, so here are all the goodies this week!



Dive Bomb Porter by Powell Street brewing: Powell Streets fall seasonal is a chocolaty and nutty porter with mild roasted character and a decent bitter quality. Easy to sip on with dried fruit and toffee through the finish. ($9.09 for a 650mL bottle)

Bass Shaker Oaked Peach Sour by Phillips brewing: Bright and sour, with wonderfully full peach notes that intermingle very nicely with creamy and mildly fruity  American oak. Just like all seasonals and one shots from Phillips, this one will not last long at all! ($8.49 for a 650mL bottle)

Back Alley Brew Black Star Export Stout by Alley Kat brewing: Alley Kat's take on this British classic includes local biscuit malt and Golding hops. It's slightly sweet with notes of chocolate, toast, and a roasty bitterness to compliment it all. ($8.49 for a 650mL bottle)

Killer Green Fresh Hop IPA by Double Mountain brewing: This year’s Killer Green uses Brewer’s Gold and Simcoe. These wonderfully fresh hops give notes of blood orange, pine, and herbal notes that all sit atop a hefty 97 IBUs. ($9.99 for a 500mL bottle)

Sage Fight IIPA by Deschutes brewing: It's like sitting in a juniper filled forest. Huge herbal sage, spruce, and gin-like notes with a hefty bitterness, and a moderately sweet malty base. ($23.39 for a 6-pack of Bottles)

Affable IPA by Moody Ales: An aroma full IPA if there ever was one! Generous late hop additions make this an aromatic powerhouse. Plenty of pine and citrus, with hints of more tropical fruit. A moderate bitterness rounds out the light yet flavourful malts. ($9.09 for a 650mL bottle)

Dark & Dry Cider by Spire Mountain: A dark and interesting cider made all the more complex with the addition of a little molasses and brown ...

Continue Reading →




New beers - November 17th, 2016

Posted on November 18, 2016

Hello fellow beer geeks!

Time for another update on everyone's favourite subject: New beers! I couldn't resist bringing in a few more new items than usual this week. There are just too many amazing things up for grabs lately, and I need to taste them all (and I imagine you do too). I've got some really special beer in this week including the latest Dandy edition (We're the only bottle shop in Calgary to have it!) and two different beers to feature figs!

Enough of my talking though, you want to read about these new guys, so here you go!






The Dandy Edition (8th release) By The Dandy Brewing Company: This is the 8th in a series of super limited edition Dandy beers. Yours truly was present for the brewing of this exciting beer, and we're lucky enough to have it semi-exclusively in Calgary. This Biere de Garde is a rich malty farmhouse ale that was traditionally brewed in northern France. This one is quite malty, but comes across dry, with notes of rye spice, fruity esters, caramel and herbal hops. It finishes with dried fruits, yeasty flavours and good but balanced bitterness. ($10.99 for a 650mL bottle)

Ella IPA by Postmark: Postmark was lucky enough to secure some highly sought-after Ella hops from Australia, and they then turned them into exactly what you'd expect, an IPA! Their grainy malt base is present here just as it is in their other beers, but this time there are layers upon layers of tropical fruity goodness throughout! ($7.89 for a 650mL bottle)

Play Dead IPA by Yellow Dog: A wonderfully crafted IPA just as delicious as their pale ale. Full of orchard and tropical fruits alike, with a pleasant citrus forward bitterness that isn't too cloying. ($19.99 for a 4-pack of tall cans)

Liquid Double Fudge by Evil Twin: A rich, cocoa filled stout if there ever was one! Gigantic malt base, with a slight booziness to accompany it. Full bodied with generous  sweetness and a semi oily feel. ($16.99 for a 650mL bottle)

Pineapple Gose by Omnipollo: A salty and fruit forward Gose. Bright carbonation with a good briny backbone. Citrus and funk come with the nice fruity pineapple notes on a light and refreshing body. ($6.59 for a 330mL bottle)

Voodoo Doughnut Grape Guerrilla by Rogue Ales: This is a flavoured beer inspired by a doughnut made with vanilla frosting, grape dust and purple sprinkles. Like past releases, the nose is deceiving and makes you think it'll be sweet, but the beer itself is somewhat dry. As you may imagine, the beer would pair well with doughnuts! ($17.99 for a 650mL bottle)

Fig Stout by Mikkeller: The master is at it again! This is a big, full imperial stout brewed with figs. The figs impart a lot of rich dried fruit notes that are accompanied by chocolate, licorice and toasty (and roasty!) malts. ($6.59 for a 330mL bottle)

Figaro by Cascade: Th...

Continue Reading →




Red Wine Icons Tasting - November 15th, 2016

Posted on November 21, 2016

WoW! What a great tasting. I have done many tastings over the last 10 years and I would have to say that this one was the most exciting to do. The wines showed beautifully. The good thing is that with the November 18 weekend sale, you will be able to get an extra discount on these gems.

As all wines were enjoyed by all, I had attendees provide me their ranking based their liking. The rankings are noted below. As usual my personal favourites are a little different, I absolutely loved the Vieux Certan and the Rene Rostaing wines. They were drank a little young but boy are they going to be special and worth the wait in the cellar. Chin, Chin.



Phelps Insignia, Napa, California 2012 $354.99
A whopping 96 to 100 points for the 2012 vintage from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate! The Phelps Insignia is legendary, as you can probably tell from that score. The review says it all: "Joseph Phelps’ flagship wines include the incredibly age worthy Insignia. The 2012 Insignia Proprietary Red is composed of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, 10% Merlot, 3% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc, all aged 24 months in 100% new French oak. It boasts an opaque purple color as well as fabulous notes of graphite, blackberries, blackcurrant liqueur, camphor, barbecue smoke and spice box. Rich, full-bodied and opulent with plenty of tannin and structure lurking beneath the extravagant generosity of fruit, this stunning 2012 should drink well for 25-30+ years

Quintarelli Bepi, Veneto IGP, Italy 2005 $204.99
From one of Italy's legendary winemakers, the late Giuseppe Quintarelli, "one of the icons of Italy," according to Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. Rosso del Bepi is the label Quintarelli used for wines that don’t meet his exacting standards for Amarone. That said, it is still always a favourite of critics and serious fans of Italian wines!

Kaesler Old Bastard Shiraz, Barossa, Australia 2010 $167.99
96+ points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate! The review: "Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2010 Shiraz Old Bastard is a little closed with black fruit, licorice and chocolate box scents alongside some floral and cloves nuances. Full-bodied and concentrated with rich and seductive flavors, the vibrant acid frame persists through a long, spicy- and layered finish. Drink it from 2015 to 2025+”.

Allende Aurus, Rioja, Spain 2007 $204.99
91 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate! The review: "The 2007 Aurus has a very sweet, candied, coconut-tinged nose where the new oak is too conspicuous. Fruit is dark fruit, hints of raisin and liquorice. Tannins are softening. It has a very sweet, candied, coconut-tinged nose where the new oak notes are present. The palate is soft, fleshy and rounded with mouth-coating tannins. There is patently a smorgasbord of fruit here. Drink 2016-2026."

Rene Rostaing Cote Blonde, Cote Rotie, Fr...

Continue Reading →




Newer Posts →

← Older Posts

Recent Posts
Archives

Categories