2015 KWM Whisky Calendar Day 7 - Glendronach 15 Year
Posted on December 11, 2022
Welcome to KWM Whisky Advent Day 7!Wind the clock back a decade and Glendronach was a little known Highland distillery. Whisky connoisseurs in the know, knew of that 'Guid Auld Glendronach" but the brand had been long neglected by its owners, and it was an unknown quantity to your average punter. In 2008 the BenRiach Distillery Co., headed by industry veteran Billy Walker, made a successful bid for the distillery purchasing it from Pernod Ricard. Billy and his consortium (Intra Traing) had previously bought the BenRiach Distillery from Pernod in 2004. With BenRiach Billy and his team wasted no time re-launching the brand, releasing a new core range of single malts including both peated and unpeated expressions. A year later they began putting out single cask bottlings, and BenRiach quickly became one of the Scotch industry's most talked about producers. So when the BenRiach Distillery Co. announced its purchase of the Glendronach Distillery in 2008, whisky fanatics instantly began salivating.
They didn't have to wait long for their hopes and dreams to be rewarded. Only months after the takeover in 2009, Glendronach released a new core range of what have proven to be stalwart whiskies: 12, 15 and 18 year olds. The following year they opened a visitor center and they added the first release of Glendronach Grandeur 31 Year, 11 vintage single casks and four wood finish expressions. They haven't looked back since and the world has not been able to get enough of them. Over the last few years we've seen prices creeping up and we've started hearing rumours about some of the whiskies being put into allocation (like this 15 Year). The downside of Glendronach's growth is that they are struggling to keep up with demand. In just 4 years Glendronach went from being a little know distillery to the best selling whisky in our store. We now sell twice as much Glendronach as the next closest rival, in large part because of the amazing single casks we have been lucky enough to bottle.
Glendronach has one of the greatest founding myths of any distillery in the world. The distillery was founded in 1826 by James Allardice, hidden in the Forgue valley in the bucolic rolling hills north of Huntly. When he finally had whisky to sell Allardice did as one would in that day, he made his way to Edinbrugh, Scotland's largest city, to peddle his wares. After a long and futile day of calling on bars and pubs he decided to return to his hotel defeated. On the way, walking up the Cannongate, Allardice was propositioned by two ladies of the night, and this is where versions of the story diverge.
The one I prefer has Allardice sharing or gifting a flagon of his whisky to the ladies at the end of their affair. Perhaps it was a gratuity or payment for services rendered, or just a favour from a man desperate to share h...
KWM Whisky Advent Day 6 - Ardbeg 10 Year
Posted on October 25, 2024
Welcome to KWM Whisky Advent Day 6!Ardbeg is one of two Islay distilleries which marked their 200th birthdays this year. The iconic Hebridean Island distillery has been on a tear for the last 15 years, and it has one of the strongest and most loyal cult followings of any distillery in Scotland. Look at the popularity of its annual Ardbeg Day release if you need proof of this point. Or the sums people are willing to pay for older vintages like the 1974s or 17 year old expression. This makes it all the more striking when you consider that the distillery only operated intermittently from from 1981 through 1997, and it could easily have been demolished and lost forever!
Between 1885 and 1887 Alfred Barnard, a beer and whisky historian working for Harper's Weekly Gazette, travelled across the United Kingdom visiting 162 distilleries (129 in Scotland, 29 in Ireland and 4 in England). He wrote about his experiences and each of the distilleries he visited in his still referenced work, The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom. At the time of Alfred Barnard's visit Ardbeg was the largest distillery on Islay, producing 1.2 million liters of spirit a year, only slightly less than its annual production today. The distillery first started as most of Scotland's 18th and 19th century distilleries did as a farm. Although 1812 is the official founding date of the distillery there is some evidence it was operating as far back as 1794.
In 1888 the distillery was acquired by the Hay family in who's hands it would remain for nearly 100 years. In 1973 Hiram Walker acquired the distillery, and Ardbeg's fortunes turned. The new owners started moving away from barley peated in their own maltings in favour of relying on commercial maltings like the nearby Port Ellen maltings. This shift was most notable in 1974, which is regarded as a the benchmark vintage from the distillery. Sadly whiskies from this year are now rarer than hens teeth and command huge prices. The on site maltings closed for good in 1977. The photo above is of the old malting floors lit up during the Feis Isle festivities this past May. The party the night before Ardbeg Day was the finest Ardbeg tasting I will ever attend in my life. Ardbeg's most devoted fans brought back their bottles to the distillery and shared them with invited friends new and old from all over the world. I was poured healthy drams of Lord of the Isles, four different 1974s, 1975, 1977 and 1978 to name just a few. It was the Ardbeg tasting of a lifetime.
In 1981 Ardbeg was closed. Hiram Walker had a problem, the industry was in crisis, the various whisky companies had vastly overestimated future demand for whisky and there was a glut. Hiram Walker had two Islay disilleries, but they only needed one. That year Ardbeg was closed, while Laphroaig is kept open. In 1989 increasing...
KWM Whisky Advent Day 5 – Kavalan Ex-Bourbon 54%
Posted on October 25, 2024
Welcome to KWM Whisky Advent Day 5!Day 5 of KWM Whisky Advent 2015 has us sampling a single malt from southeast Asia, specifically the island nation of Taiwan. Kavalan Distillery was the vision of Mr. T.T. Lee, the founder of the King Car Group, a large pharmaceutical / agrifoods business. Taiwan is one of the world's hottest whisky markets, and it only took King Car four years to get the project rolling from concept to distillation. The distillery was built in Yilan province south of Taipei over a 9 month period in 2005. The founders vision was to create a world class single malt whisky in Taiwan, he spared no expense, sought the most respected experts and they achieved their aim in a stunningly short period period of time. It doesn't hurt that Taiwan's steaming hot climate supercharges maturation, in just three years they can loose up to a third of a barrel and develop flavours that take 10-18 years in Scotland or Ireland. In 2010, just four years after the whisky first started flowing from Kavalan's stills, the distillery started racking up awards. This year Whisky Magazine Awarded their Solist Vinho expression World Whisky of the Year.
Taiwan is a very mountainous island, it has 286 peaks over 3000m, and a range of rugged mountains separates the distillery from bustling metropolis of Taipei to the north. The drive from Taipei to Yuanshan, the town nearest the distillery, used to take two hours, but a tunnel through the mountains cuts the journey down to an hour. It is a beautiful and easy drive if you are ever in Taipei, and a curiosity if you've ever visited a whisky distllery i Scotland. The distillery is named for the indigenous people who once inhabited Yilan's "Kabalan plain". The King Car Group built the distillery here because of the plentiful pure waters that flow from Snow Mountain and Central Mountain, but also because of the location's proximity to Taipei. Kavalan receives over 1,000,000 visitors a year!
Kavalan produces a range of whiskies, but their most sought after are those in the Solist Range, consisting of: Solist Bourbon, Solist Sherry, Solist Vinho (Whisky Magazine World Whisky of the Year) and atop the range Solist Fino. Today we are sampling the Ex-Bourbon Oak 54%, who's closest approximation is the Solist Bourbon. Each of the whiskies in the Solist Range has a general style, but as they are always bottled as single casks there can be quite a lot of variation. While they will be quite similar, the Kavalan Bourbon 54% we are sampling here is not the same as the one we are currently stocking in the shop. But then the Solist Bourbon we have in stock at KWM is always changing as each Bourbon Barrel Kavalan bottles will yield little more than 100 bottles. Chances are every time you buy a bottle it will be a different single cask.
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Scotch Malt Whisky Society Canada - December 2015 Outturn
Posted on February 28, 2023
For the second month in a row the Canadian arm of the world's largest whisky club released eight new single cask, single malt Scotch whiskies. We had four full tastings at Kensington Wine Market to launch the release. irThey were broadly popular across the range. I had a lot of favourites this month, 55.25: "Scrumdidlyumptious" (which I think is a Ned Flanders reference) was so layered and delicate. 76.119: "Christmas Day in the Morning" lived up to its name, and 72.43: "Bunsen burner and burnt capacitors" (AKA Christmas in Voytek's house) was also a standout. My favourites were the two Campbeltown Malts, 27.109: "Guns on the grouse moor" and 93.63: "Unapologetic non-conformist" were also great.
55.25: Scrumdidlymptious - 54.3%- 20 Year - 2nd Fill Hogshead - Speysider - Profile: Deep, rich & dried fruits - Outturn: 199 Bottles -Â Panel's Tasting Note: ""This lavish dram oozed with honey and mead, and was perfumed with oiled sandalwood and rose petals. Aromatic aniseed mingled with carrot cake with frosted icing and chunks of roasted sweet potato. The flavours at full strength were deeply indulgent and the texture chewy and creamy. Juicy Jamaica cake laced with plump sultanas and coffee and walnut gateau topped with fudge. With water, cranberries and pomegranate tussled with plump prunes and honey soaked raisins. Peanuts and praline coated with caramel, and butterscotch jostled for supremacy. The finale delivered rich fruit cake and Black Forest gateau. Ravishingly indulgent and wickedly good."Â Drinking tip: "Great for a treat on a wet Monday night" - $203.99
123.8: In the Spanish mountains - 59.2% - 12 Year - Refill Port Pipe - Highland - Profile: Spicy & Sweet - Outturn: 743 Bottles - Panel's Tasting Note: "From the nose, we conjured an image of Spanish mountain villages – horses, hay-wains, orchards, citrus groves, rose gardens, sunshine on rosemary and rustic farm-labourers whittling wood. We also found plentiful sweetness in plum jam, juicy raisins, chocolate, toffee,marshmallows and fig rolls. Water brought out raspberry notes and Sangria. The palate was fruity, winey and tasty, with various jams, dried figs, vanilla sponge,Soreen and granola, but spicy notes ofginger, clove and chili tweaked our tongues. Water sweetened it further resolving those tweaks into tingles –cranachan, jam tarts, Pavlova and posh Pimms. The distillery is near the West Highland Way." Drinking Tip: "Will get a conversation going for sure." - $142.99
76.119: On Christmas Day in the Morning - 56.7% - 18 Year - Refill Butt - Speyside - Profile: "Deep, rich &...
KWM Whisky Advent Day 4 - G&M Connoisseurs Choice Ledaig 1999
Posted on October 25, 2024
Welcome to KWM Whisky Advent Day 4!The 4th day of KWM Whisky Advent features our first independent bottling, the Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice Ledaig 1999. Independent Bottlers are firms that bottle whiskies from a range of distilleries under their own label. Some of these firms, like Gordon & MacPhail (G&M), are over a century old having gotten their start as grocers. It may come as a surprise to many single malt drinkers, but prior to the 1960’s single malts were not easy to come by outside the Highlands of Scotland. Distilleries almost exclusively produced whiskies for blending, iconic brands like Glenffidich, Glenlivet and Bowmore only started promoting their own whiskies as single malts in the 1960s. However in the Highlands, grocers like Cadenhead and Gordon & MacPhail purchased casks which they sold to customers through their shops.
Most independent bottlers today bottle casks that they purchase on the secondary market or direct from the distiller, when they are willing to sell them. Unfortunately there is not as much care going into cask selection as some might like to believe. Many of the have to bottle whatever they can put their hands on. Gordon & MacPhail has a special and longstanding relationship with many distillers giving them special access to top quality whiskies. In many cases Gordon & MacPhail will have filled their own cask(s) with the distillery’s whisky, rather than rely on the latter’s supply. This is one of many the reasons why Gordon & MacPhail is regarded as one of the most respected independent bottlers. More reasons to come in a future post.
This Gordon & MacPhail has been bottled under Gordon & MacPhail’s Connoisseurs Choice line. From the Distillery: "In the mid-1960s Gordon & MacPhail took the unprecedented step of launching a range of single malts under the brand name 'Connoisseurs Choice'. Until this time, many of the whiskies the range featured would not have been available as single malt. Today, Connoisseurs Choice retains this exclusive nature with a range of rare and sought after single malts from distilleries throughout Scotland."
Our day 4 whisky is a peated Tobermory, which the distillery and G&M call Ledaig, pronounced Led-chig. Tobermory Distillery is one of the oldest in Scotland, founded in 1798 in the town of the same name on the island of Mull. The town is built around a beautiful small bay which has been safe anchorage for millenia. In 1588 a Spanish Galleon, allegedly the Florencia, took refuge in the harbour. It caught fire under suspicious circumstances and sunk after the powder magazine caught fire. Legend has it the ship was laden with gold the Spanish would need to pay their soldiers and buy local allegiance...
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