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Kensington Wine Market has partnered with Ghost River Theater for a Unique Scotch Tasting Experience!

Posted on November 11, 2015

Ghost River Theatre teams up with Kensington Wine Market to create Calgary’s first Multisensory blindfolded SCOTCH TASTING


Press Release from Ghost River Theater - November 09, 2015, Calgary AB

Ghost River Theater, is teaming up with Kensington WineMarket and renowned scotch expert Andrew Ferguson to create Calgary’s first multisensory blindfolded scotch tasting, November 20th at The National’s Bourbon Room. Audience members will be blindfolded, and led into Bourbon Room where they will experience an intimate scotch tasting that will mingle live performance, immersive sound design and a specially designed scotch tasting mat that will engage the audience sense of touch. And of course, there will be some incredible scotches, each chosen for their unique taste and geographic profile.

Ghost River Artistic Director, Eric Rose, playwright, Jason Patrick Rothery and scotch expert and owner of Kensington Wine Market, Andrew Ferguson creatively drive the experience.

“I’ve been putting on specialized whisky tastings for nearly 15 years, and this is a first, not just for me but possibly in the world of whisky,” say Ferguson. “We are taking 5 whiskies, breaking down their stories, their sense of place and creating a narrative around them. Participants will be led blindfolded on a journey of touch, taste, sound and scent. By removing our participants’ sense of sight we want not just to enhance the other senses but allow their imaginations to take control of the experience. I’m really excited to see how the experience is received!”

TASTING SCOTCH is part of the Six Senses Series, a bold new series of sensory performance experiences that Ghost River will produce in upcoming seasons. Each installment will focus on the theatrical potential of our senses. Tasting Scotch, re-imagines the traditional scotch tasting as a multisensory performance, designed to expand the audiences sensory perception of some of the world’s most exceptional scotches.

“The goal is to offer Calgary audiences and scotch lovers an exceptional one-of-a-kind multisensory performance, the first in Calgary, if not Canada,” say Rose. “We are experimenting with how story and the interaction from the different senses changes or enhances the taste profile of scotch.”

Tasting Scotch marks an exciting partnership between Ghost River Theatre and The KensingtonWine Market.

One Performance only on November 20th, at 5:30pm at The National’s Bourbon Room

Tickets: $150 each including a $50 tax receipt and are available via www.ghostrivertheatre.com....

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New beer arrivals - Friday November 6, 2015

Posted on November 8, 2015

Shawn Young
Friday November 6, 2015
Hey beer lovers!

This has been a crazy couple of weeks with over 22 new beers gracing our shelves, and my head is spinning! Aside from all the beer craziness, we're gearing up for all of our festivals coming up next week! For those who love more than just beer, I hope you bought tickets to the WineFest or WhiskyFest, and if so, I'll see you there! Now I want to get to the point here and show you all the goods, so here you go!



Noir by Ninkasi Brewing: The latest special release from Ninkasi brewing is a milk stout made with cold brewed coffee. ($9.89 for a 650mL bottle)

187 on an Undercover Hop by Parallel 49 brewing: A big fruity Imperial IPA form one of our favorite Vancouver brewers. ($6.29 for a 650mL bottle)

Your Father Smelt of Elderberries by Stone brewing: This ancient ale boasts an interesting combination of elderberries and peated malt. ($14.29 for a 650mL bottle)

Patrolman's ESB by Two Sergeants Brewing: This is a biscuity and doughy ESB from one of Alberta's newest breweries. ($5.99 for a 650mL bottle)

Pinedrops IPA by Deschutes Brewing: Yet another on in their Bond Street series, this one shows off huge pine and spruce notes with great bitterness and balanced malt. A brilliant compliment to their Fresh Squeezed IPA. ($23.09 for a 6-pack of bottles)

Derniere Volonte (with Bret) by Brasserie Dieu du Ciel: They take their fantastic Belgian IPA and referment it with Brettanomyces, making this one a little more funky, and has to be tasted to be believed. ($19.79 for a 4-pack of bottles)

Cuvee du Chateau by Brouwerji Van Honsebrouck: This is one of several new Belgian beers to hit the province lately. This one is a caged cork Quadruple, and at a great price, I might add! ($11.89 for a 750mL bottle)

IPA from Meantime Brewing: This one is a returning favorite, and this time in a smaller, more accessible bottle. Thought to be one of the last true english IPA's around. ($5.99 for a 330mL bottle)

Chocolate Porter from Meantime Brewing: A rich English porter with generous chocolate flavors. ($5.99 for a 330mL bottle)

St. Louis Gueuze Fond Tradition by Brouwerji Van Honsebrouck: Another gueuze to hit the shelf? Yes please. A true, traditional style gueuze for a dynamite price. ($7.29 for a 350mL bottle)

Lei Fur Saison by Ga Run brewing: This is the second craft offering from one of Iceland's largest  breweries. A medium test saison with a great malty sweetness. ($4.69 for a 350mL bottle)

Libertine Black Ale by Brewdog: I was pretty excited to see this come into the province. An amazing chocolaty black ale with hints of savory soy. One of my favorites! ($4.39 for a 350mL bottle)

Para Normal Imperial Pumpkin Ale by Flying Monkey brewing: Likely the last of the new pumpkin ale...

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New beer arrivals - October 22, 2015

Posted on October 26, 2015

Shawn Young
October 22, 2015
Greetings fellow beer geeks!

I hope everyone is getting their fill of Pumpkin beers this wonderful autumn! I want to take this opportunity to fill everyone in on some of the latest beers that have arrived over the past couple of weeks. There are some pretty cool things on the shelf right now, along with some neat stuff yet to come! Here’s what’s already on the shelf.


Black Butte XXVII by Deschutes Brewing
Deschutes anniversary ale is done a little differently every year. This year it was made with apricot puree, cocoa nibs, pomegranate molasses, rose water and spices, also, half of the beer has been aged in bourbon barrels. These special releases (usually denoted with a wax seal) are meant to be put down in a cellar and drank at least one year after bottling to ensure all the components integrate and stabilize.($25.19 for a 650mL wax sealed bottle)

Crooked Coast Altbier by Driftwood Brewing
It's always exciting to when a new Driftwood beer comes into the province, and this month we get two! The first is their Alt Bier. This old German style is malty with bready toffee like malts, and a light fruity yeast note. Probably the nicest example of this style in Canada! ($6.29 for a 650mL bottle)

Pilsner Doehnel by Driftwood Brewing
This is Driftwood's first lager, and it's named after the maltster whom they got the malt from. It's a crisp, very dry northern German style with plenty of zesty citrus and floral aromas. Both citrus and floral notes lend themselves heavily to the palate as well, along with grainy bread and mild spices. ($6.59 for a 650mL bottle)

Mango Astronaut Ale by Rogue Brewing
The 5th in Rogue's unique Voodoo doughnut series is this mango flavored craziness. The fruity, amber colored ale has tones of mango and other fleshy fruit on the nose, and as well on the palate. The beer has some sweetness to it, but less so than the Lemon chiffon they released previously to this. All in all not a bad beer, and likely one of the best of the series so far! ($17.19 for a 650mL bottle)

Orlison IPL
Orlison brewing specializes in lagered beers, and their IPL is their take on a big west coast style pale ale lager. They use 9 different hops, and when combined with the crisp lager style, turns into a north American hop powerhouse! ($20.29 for a 6-pack of cans)

Aside from all of that we have Rogue's Pumpkin Patch ale back on the shelf, along with two limited edition saisons by Dageraad, and a smoked Dopplebock from De Molen!



Seriously, so much cool stuff. In the coming weeks, we'll see Sierra Nevada finally hitting the province (what the heck took them so long?) some of the newest releases from Stone, and hopefully the wet hop beers from Deschutes!

That's it for new beers, but before I go I want to remind eve...

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Learning to Love Craft Beers tasting - October 6, 2015

Posted on October 16, 2015

Shawn Young
October 6, 2015
When we were asked to think up ideas for new classes this fall, I knew exactly which one I wanted to put on. I wanted to invite those of you who may yearn to learn a little more about the beer culture, and those who may be intimidated by all the labels, terms, and acronyms surrounding craft beers so I could help demystify them! For this tasting I chose 7 beers which I felt represented some of the most popular styles (without getting too geeky), and took my guests on a tour through the world of craft beer!

We accompanied our beers with a selection of cheeses and charcuterie from our wonderful neighbors at Peasant Cheese. The pairing of our beers and the food from Peasant was just heavenly, if I do say so myself.

Here's a peak at what we sampled:



Konig Ludwig Weissbier
I wanted to start out with an easy going style, and German beer happens to be what got me started on good beer! This stays true to the classic south German style with plenty of banana and spice notes, and a big but soft bready characteristic. One of my all time favorite Germans. ($4.39 for a 500mL bottle)

Le Merle Saison by North Coast brewing
To stay on the lighter side of the brew, we went on to the classic farmhouse ale, but one done in the US. North Coast's Saison is a little heavier in alcohol than many of its historic cousins, but still gives plenty of yeasty flavors along with fruity esters, and great straw notes. A really great American Saison. ($15.59 for a 4-pack of bottles)

Sculpin IPA by Ballast Point brewing
I couldn't have an "intro to craft beer" tasting without getting into the long, and sometimes disputed origins of the pale ale. Heck, I could (and have) dedicate an entire tasting to talking about just them! Though I went through the history of it, I wanted to focus on what it has become, and the power that modern hop use gives the brewer. It has the perfect balance of citrusy grapefruit and sappy pine notes. A golden malty body that supports and showcases the bitterness and the overall style. If you haven't tried this one yet, I suggest you pick it up asap! ($26.39 for a 6-pack of bottles, or $11.49 for a 650mL bottle)

Salvator Double Bock by Paulaner
I took my guests back to Germany, and chatted about lagers for a bit, and pushed tasting into a darker, heavier beer. The original Paulaner was the Double Bock, and it's easy to see how it's survived all these years. With a sweet, roast bready malt, with generous spice and a smooth finish, this beer is a real treat. The high alcohol is noticeable but goes with the maltiness nicely. ($19.19 for a 6-pack of bottles)

Dogma by Brewdog
As the beers started to go darker, I had to take the opportunity to introduce everyone to the Scottish ales. A style that I can't help but try whenever I see a new one. Though my usual favorites ar...

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A Trip Down the Loire tasting - October 1, 2015

Posted on October 8, 2015

Eric Southward
October 1st, 2015
The snow hadn't arrived... yet.  The sun was shining on this night, both literally - it was a nice, balmy 20 degrees in Calgary on the first day of October - and figuratively, as inside the Kensington Wine Market's tasting room people loved some bright, sunny wines from France's Loire Valley.

The Loire is a fascinating, almost paradoxical wine-making region at the moment.  People have loved their wines for a long time, yet most of the region's treasures are just now being discovered and appreciated.  There also seems to be a bit of a push towards quality within the Loire, yet there is also a bounty of phenomenal wines that have always been there, just waiting for some evangelists to praise their worth to the masses.  This tasting at the Kensington Wine Market was about discovering some of these gems, and rediscovering some old favourites.

And in the end, it was a wine from a place unfamiliar to our group that won them over.  A single vineyard Savennieres from Domaine du Closel was the runaway champion of the evening.  Below is a complete list of what we tasted, with a few notes on the wines.



Thanks to all who came.  And, to my owner Andrew, that was low.  You know what I'm talking about!

Cheers.



NV BERNARD FOUQUET Vouvray Brut Methode Traditionnelle (Vouvray, Touraine) - $25.
"The latest rendition of Aubuisieres Non-Vintage Vouvray Brut Methode Traditionelle smells of ripe melons and narcissus, with a whiff of snuffed candle wick. Pineapple and lime join the melons on a juicy, delicate palate, with hints of salt as well as pungent citrus zest and smoke adding to the invigoration conveyed by a fine stream of bubbles. I was surprised to find the finish entirely satisfying and fruit-filled despite there being a mere 2 grams of residual sugar.  The latest installment of what is surely the consistently best value in its appellation. - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2010 VERDIER Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie Chateau de l'Oiseliniere (Muscadet, Nantais) - $18.
"The lemon and grapefruit pulp notes are backed by a flash of straw. Drink now." - Wine Spectator

2012 JONATHAN & DIDIER PABIOT Pouilly-Fume "Aubaine" (Pouilly-Fume, Central Vineyards) - $49.
"The 2012 Pouilly-Fumé Aubaine with its lime greenish citrus color comes from a 0.3-hectare river bank parcel in Tracy where 45-year-old Sauvignon vines root in poor calcareous clay soils (“Marnes Portlandien” and “Oxfordien”) and produce a small yield. After pressing, this spontaneously fermented wine was kept on its lees in concrete tanks for more than 10 months at a constant low temperature. It reveals a lovely clear and dense bouquet with invitingly tropical fruit flavors. On the palate this is a full-bodied, fruit-intense, minerally structured ...

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