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Andrew's Interview on CBC Calgary's The Eye Opener - Wednesday September 23rd, 2020

Posted on September 25, 2020

by Evan

There has been a social media storm in the whisky world over the past week. The storm started with a certain Panama hat-wearing person naming the Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye his 'World Whisky of the Year'. His press release on this award not surprisingly coincided with the release of his annual book of whisky scores. Media jumped on the press release and the nearly sold out Alberta Premium Cask Strength became completely sold out shortly thereafter.

This in itself is not new. The same thing happened in 2015 when the hat-wearer bestowed the same award on another Canadian Whisky: the Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye.

The man in the Panama hat has been a divisive figure within the whisky industry for years. Some individuals and many companies lauded him and his scores for his ability to create buzz around brands that then saw a bump in sales. Others have seen him as doing more harm than good for the industry, creating artificial scarcity through somewhat dubious, and potentially self-serving, scores and awards that only showcase his own personal taste in whisky and book-selling.

What really caused a stir though, and continues to send waves through the industry, are a series of Tweets by Becky Paskin, former editor of Scotchwhisky.com, who pointed out some of the sexist and misogynist language the author of the whisky scores book wrote into his tasting notes. Becky's comments were a catalyst for others in the industry to chime in on how much of a disservice this is for women, whisky drinkers, and the whisky industry alike.

Whisky brands and companies, taking this all in, started to distance themselves from both the man in the Panama hat and his scores and book. With the uproar caused, Andrew was asked for his take on it by CBC Calgary's The Eyeopener.

In an interview with David Gray, Andrew was asked to comment on the allegations of sexism against Jim Murray and the Whisky Bible. The interview was quoted in an article posted on CBC News Thursday afternoon: "Calgary distillery unsure it'll promote its top rating by Whisky Bible after book deemed sexist by industry."

A few of people have asked if there was a way to stream Andrew's Wednesday interview. CBC was kind enough to send us a digital copy. You can hear it by clicking the link below!
CBC Calgary Eyeopener Interview - Sexism & the Whisky Bible
I am no fan of Jim Murray or his Whisky Bible but, like many, I have purchased a few of his books over the years. My interest in his ratings and writings waned when I eventually came to realise that they didn't offer much actual information and only represented one person's opinion. I moved onto books such as the great Malt Whisky Yearbook and followed blogs and websites such as Scotchwhisky.com, Whiskyfun.com. Along the way I even found an awesome site written by a fellow Calgarian. It isn't updated as frequently now, b...

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2020 World Whisky of The Year Alternatives

Posted on November 7, 2021

by Evan

Alberta Premium Cask Strength has been awarded quite a few accolades since it was first released in October of 2019. When it first hit our shelves and we had a chance to taste it, I wrote up my own tasting notes for our web description. I ended up being a whisky Nostradamus with this comment:

This is going to win some awards, and rightly so. It has been a long time coming, but it is great to see Alberta Distillers showcase what their 100% Rye is capable of.

My comment is now easy to stand by - Alberta Premium Cask Strength has been given high marks and awards by Whisky drinkers' professional and hobbyist alike.

Now it has become one of the most talked-about whiskies this year, joining the likes of Pappy Van Winkle, Ardbeg LatestStrangelyNamedSpecialEdition, Yamazaki ANYTHING, and a host of others that people ask for at liquor stores where the answer usually starts with "No, but we do have...". This is followed by the staff person at the liquor store showing you some potential alternatives that you may enjoy just as much.

This response often comes as a disappointment to the potential customer trying to track down the bottle, which is understandable. If you are that potential customer: I am sorry. You were excited about getting their hands on the Alberta Premium Cask Strength and likely wanted to taste for yourself what this "World Whisky of the Year" is actually like. It does not help you if I say it is a great whisky, and deserving of this attention because that will not get you any closer to acquiring a bottle of it.

What I can tell you are there are plenty of great whiskies out there, just waiting to be discovered. There may even be some that you personally enjoy more than that elusive unicorn bottle that is impossible to find. If you keep an open mind and are willing to try some bottles out, you might find one or two that you fall in love with.

Or you might end up like me, falling off the deep end and discovering that you love all whisky, be it Canadian or Scottish or peated or made with rye or barley or corn or a combination thereof. There are many amazing whiskies being made and bottled - and that is why we carry hundreds of different labels and styles in our whisky section.

Looking at the shelf can be daunting. Where do you start? For today, let's focus on possible alternatives to the whisky of the moment: the Alberta Premium Cask Strength.

Here are some worth a look:

Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye

Looking for another "World Whisky of the Year" that can make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside because it is Canadian? Then look no further! The Crown Royal Northern Harvest was chosen by the man in the Panama hat as 'World Whisky of the Year' when he wanted to sell copies of his 2016 edition Whisky Revie...

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Scotch Malt Whisky Society of Canada September 2020 Outturn

Posted on November 7, 2021

by Evan

I have no movie review or recommendation this time around, so just go ahead and watch Kung Fu Hustle again. And again. And again.

Labour Day long weekend has come and gone, and it back to... normal? Who knows. The kids are back to school (or being homeschooled) and the KWM Whisky Calendar is close to being finalized. We can't do much around Kensington Wine Market to provide you with a sense of normalcy beyond just keep on keeping on, and that is what we plan to do.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society of Canada is also doing the same. Here are the latest seven bottles in the September of 2020 Outturn, with my thoughts on them:

26.136 - In my book, Clynelish is always welcome in any outturn. It tends to be full of verve and excitement when young (aren't we all), and with age, it gets even better (I wish I could say the same!). With a name like CANDY FLOSS AND CAROUSELS and a stated age of 8 years old, this should plenty of that Clynelish vivacity. Let's see: The nose gives honey and salty corn nuts along with baked apple, peach and pear. There is a touch of waxy character and roasted malt along for the ride. On the palate, I get a generously salty delivery with lots of the already stated fruits, corn nuts, and peanut skins as well. The palate reminds me a wee bit of Beachcomber, sans the peat and missing a touch of that big fruity zing. It finishes with a touch of creme brulee and Cracker Jack popcorn. On the whole, this isn't really colouring outside the lines for this distillery, but it is delicious nonetheless. It is pretty much what I personally want from Clynelish - though I do wish it was older. Then again, they can't all be 24 Year Old Single Casks costing $340, can they?

95.36 - This is our second Auchroisk from the SMWS Canada, with the first coming to us recently in the June 2020 Outturn (that was 95.32 - BLONDIE BOMBSHELL). Like it's predecessor, BODY BUILDERS IN BALL GOWNS is a touch on the high side when it comes to ABV at a dainty 66.1%. Not only is that 0.1% higher than June's, this one also has a more awesome and evocative name. At least to me... Let's check out the muscles and lace on this guy (or gal): On first nosing, it is all fresh and candied ginger for me, plus sunflower seeds, chamomile tea, hay, and a mix of cream soda and lemonade. To taste: Woah, that is indeed big. The alcohol is definitely there, but so are macadamia nuts, shortbread cookies, green grapes, spicy ginger ale and a squeeze of white grapefruit. Impressive. It is zesty and quite tasty. It is like holding onto a lit stick of dynamite and finding out that is actually a birthday sparkler - I mean sure, those sparks do burn off some of your arm hair, but you do still get to keep the arm!

48.110 - With a name like SOOOOTERNES!, you are definitely given an idea on what this Balmenach will be about. Nos...

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Scotch Malt Whisky Society of Canada August 2020 Outturn

Posted on November 7, 2021

by Evan

Kung Fu Hustle is the best combination of a Martial Arts movie and Looney Tunes Cartoon that has ever been made.

In my teens and twenties, I was a bit of a kung fu movie junkie. I loved Jackie Chan flicks, with their slapstick vibe. I would grab any movie I could from Blockbuster that featured the actor. That era of my life has three movies that still stick in my mind as classics of the genre. Those are the Matrix (the first one. They didn't make any more after that. There was no trilogy,), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Kung Fu Hustle itself. The first two are just about all serious in their style and story despite the respective sci-fi and mythical motifs they hang their martial arts scenes on, and that is fine. Kung Fu Hustle though? It has the thinnest historical veneer and the barest of stories that still manages to have enough meat on the bone to get you smoothly from one action and comedic set piece to the next.

I still enjoy all three of these movies, but Kung Fu Hustle is the one that leaves me with a smile on my face just thinking about it. When I noticed that it was back on Netflix, I had to watch it again. It had been at least a year, so it was time.

And that is why it is nearly 11 PM and I am now just getting to tasting the lineup for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of Canada's August of 2020 Outturn. This isn't procrastination, I swear! Just like Kung Fu Hustle, it needs my full and undivided attention when it is put in front of me.

So, what do we have going on this month? Time to dive in!

85.59 - I have been digging some other recent Glen Elgins from indie bottlers recently, so I am excited to see where Beer Pong takes me. It is indeed beer-forward in style, with fermenting, floral and yeasty notes coming through along with waxy fruit and candy such as nibs on the nose. On the palate, there are wine gums and jujubes all over the place - including those black ones that taste like anise/licorice. It even has the tang and texture of black licorice on the tongue. Very enticing whisky, with a nice bit of black pepper on the finish.

77.57 - As the name suggests, this one goes waxy on the nose as well, but in a different way. There is citrus, wax, and candy cane on the nose for me along with a touch of grassiness and hay. Wow. very waxy again with plenty of juiciness in the mouth. Like eating a taffy candy with the wax wrapper still on it. But better, obviously. A bit of polished wood on the finish as well. I don't feel that I have pinned down Aultmore whisky yet when it comes to it's typical characteristics and DNA, but I quite like this expression.Edit: What was I thinking? This isn't from Aultmore Distillery - it is a Glen Ord. Mea Culpa. I will stick with the rest of what I said there, though. I know Glen Ord for grassy and citrus-driven notes when young, but not much more person...

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Scotch Malt Whisky Society of Canada July 2020 Outturn

Posted on December 14, 2023

by Evan

Here we are and it is already July. These "interesting times" we are living through just keep on rolling by, for better or worse. This pandemic has been difficult on us all. This is petty and self-serving, but one of things I miss the most is getting to run the monthly SMWS tastings here at Kensington Wine Market. Getting to chat with all of you SMWS members and make a fool out of myself by coming up with bizarre tasting notes was something I always looked forward to.

We will get back to that fun eventually, but for the time being I have to relegate my thoughts to digital screens only. I hope you will bear with me regardless!

As we did in the long ago, before Covid-19, the SMWS Canada drops to six new releases from the typical seven for the summer months of June, July, and August. So we have six new bottles to look at (though one is already sold out!). Let's take a look at the lineup:

6.32 - The first time we have seen Macduff in a green bottle in Canada. Macduff does have official bottlings, but for those it is called The Deveron, or Glen Deveron in Duty free shops. Let's give Knickerbockers at a wedding a go and see what gives. I find green apples, nectarines, honey, and a dash of salt on the nose along with soft vanilla and oak. There is also something cooling in there, like eucalyptus or menthol. The palate is oily and tangy with a pleasant saltiness again. Butterscotch, apricots, candied ginger, plus cookies and cream ice cream come through nicely as well. This is a very tangy and tasty start to the lineup.
113.24 - Young Braeval from a first-fill barrel and a fairly high ABV of 63.4%. Nose: wow, as the name suggests there are some pretty good floral notes on this one. I also get light, flakey pastries with icing sugar on top, steel-cut oats, lemon drizzle, and diced pineapple as well. For taste, it is big and juicy - mouth-wateringly so! Also mouth-tingling in a nice manner thanks to the high alcohol. Lemonade, saltine crackers, ginger heat, salt and vinegar potato chips, This is a tightly wound but very expressive whisky at the same time. Lots of other bottles at this young age would be weird and jagged and all over the place, but somehow this seven year old is laser-focused on the nose and the palate.
59.58 - Teaninich has become a distillery I watch for when it comes to indie bottlings. It tends to have a fun combination of gassiness, minerality and juiciness - at least from those that I have tasted recently. How will This ain't no pussycat fare? Let's see. The SMWS tasting notes mention waxiness right off the hop, I and get that. Not sure if it is from the power of suggestion or not at this point, but regardless there it is. There is a grassy note in there as well - possibly because I am looking for it. I also get fresh mint sprigs like you are muddling with lime wedges to make a mojito, chamomile tea, and honeydew melo...

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