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Scotch Malt Whisky Society of Canada November 2019 Outturn

Posted on November 12, 2019

Wow! November arrived in full force here at Kensington Wine Market. In the first full week of the month we held a sold out whisky festival, which itself was sandwiched betwixt two days of SMWS tastings. As with October, the November tastings for SMWS at our shop sold out incredibly fast. Due to this, we added a FIFTH tasting, which itself sold out as well! All told, We hosted five SMWS whisky tastings and at our whisky festival over four straight days. It was like running a sprint and a marathon at the same time. Luckily, the groups at every one of these events were fun to hang out and chat whisky with, which made the time fly!



So, what does November bring us in green bottle form? Here are my thoughts:

Starting off with 80.9: an SMWS bottle from a distillery rarely bottled is always fun. As a person at one of the tastings said: Distillery 80 has possibly the most generic name of all. Marketing must not have been consulted when they named Glen Spey. Luckily the whisky made for a solid opener with round fruit, hints of green oak and barley and a zingy spice notes.
Bottle two was very popular at each tasting we held, and not just because of the low price. 63.53 is a wonderfully big and rich Glentauchers that does not show much in the way of rough edges, especially considering its age and ABV%.
Up next was a Single Grain, and an old Single Grain at that - even with an old-school SMWS label. From Caledonian - which was once the largest distillery in Scotland - closed for good in 1988  and was eventually demolished. G3.9 may be fairly straightforward in style, but I loved the small nuances it did show, with some lemon tea and cherry notes mingling with its grain forward style. To me it comes off as a hybrid of a Canadian Whisky and a Bourbon.
A Benriach (or BenRiach for you Alistair Walker fans out there) was the fourth green bottle of the Outturn, and quite a bit different from the previous two SMWS bottles we had from the Speyside Distillery. 12.25 is finished in a charred ex-red wine cask, this is a wine-heavy dram for those that enjoy the style.
10.147 continues the long line of excellent young Bunnahabhains' we have been seeing from the Society over the past few years. They arrive in both peated and unpeated form from this versatile Islay distillery - this specific bottle is one of the latter. Not a lot in the way of smoke or peat, but the coastal influence is alive an well even if brine and iodine are not around. Crisp, clean saline and seaside notes are abundant in fruit and a floral note packed in for good measure in this one. Delicious stuff.
Continuing the coastal notes in the number six spot was 4.251. Like the bottle previous, we have seen a good amount of Highland Park in SMWS form lately. This one is more on the soft and elegant side than any other bottle of green HP sauce that comes to mind though, with plenty of complexity to boot. This was my pers...

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Stillin' Gin's Still In

Posted on October 12, 2019

by Shawn

Another month, another dozen gins to hit the market.

No, seriously, there are so many new gins assaulting the province every month I can barely keep track. My poor shelves don’t get a moment's rest! Though it’s a pain to keep on top of it, I do have to admit that it makes these gin tastings more fun. I definitely enjoy putting together a well-rounded lineup featuring -mostly- new gins that showcase the different styles along with varied and interesting botanicals. So here’s what I have this time! If you read on, you’ll see what I mean. Let’s see, we’ve checked the dry box, the sweet, the floral, the fruity, the oaked, and even a classic genever!

My guests came, we laughed, we had some good conversation, and ate some fantastic cheese. This evening was a no brainer, and if you haven’t been to a KWM gin tasting... Wait, make that a SHAWN gin tasting, then you just gotta come see what it’s all about. I wax poetic, I geek out, and I guarantee everyone (including me) learned something. Read on for a look at what we tasted our way through this time 'round:





Scapegrace Premium Dry Gin: Scapegrace is the spawn of a New Zealand guy and his brother in law, birthed over drinks and hopes. This tight-knit, dry gin is made with 12 different botanicals including cardamon, nutmeg, clove, licorice and cinnamon. The delicate flavours and dry body make it perfect for martinis, and tonics.

Kavalan Gin: The Kavalan distillery -from Taiwan- is pushing their whisky back into the province with a fever. This is the first time their gin has been offered, and the reception has been hot! This exotic gin has ripe flavours of red guava, kumquat, and star fruit! Medium-dry and well suited to tom collins, tonic and mellower cocktails.

Hills & Harbour Gin: From Crafty Distillery near Galloway, Scotland. Hills & Harbour starts with a soft and lightly sweet base which is then layered upon with Bladderwack Seaweed and fir needles along with the traditional gin fare. Deep and complex with light candied notes and a spicy forest tones. This is a creative thing, so get creative with it!

Holyrood Auld Tam Gin: The first products from the brand new Edinburgh distillery Holyrood are a selection of 4 unique gins. Their Auld Tam is a medium-dry gin with some lovely fruity and licorice notes from the addition of fresh peach and chamomile. Though it makes you think Old Tom, this is actually drier than 99% of our local gins. It’s a really great overall gin.

Grit City Forbidden Fruit: Jen Schmunk is the co-founder and master distiller of Medicine Hat’s Grit City. She has stormed the market with a dozen products, and some of these are quite tasty! One of which is this fruit-infused gin. Citrusy and lively with an attractive pink hue thanks to a hibiscus steep. Th...

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Scotch Malt Whisky Society of Canada October 2019 Outturn

Posted on October 4, 2019

by Evan



Winter is coming. Or so they say. We have already seen snow on the ground, though most has since melted. In Calgary, and in many parts of Canada, that means it could be any month between January and December. Doesn't really narrow it down much, but looking at the Calendar tells me that we are indeed now in October.

Our busy fall season is now in full swing here at Kensington Wine Market, and we received clear evidence of that in how quickly the four Outturn tastings for October sold out. If only there was enough time in the day, we probably could have sold through a fifth tasting as well.

With October being busy, November will be absolute chaos when it arrives, with the four Outturn tastings being sandwiched around a sold out Whisky Festival. Fun times. Are we getting close to peak whisky? Is such a thing even possible? I have my doubts, but only time will tell.

Back to the present Outturn. Here is what October and the SMWS Canada have given us to salivate over:

Our second SMWS Canada bottling from the underated distillery 115 (Knockdhu, also known as anCnoc). 8 years old and flawless in my books. Creamy, oily and fruity with a bit of spice. So well put together at such a young age. This will likely be sold out very soon, if it isn't already. I would suggest looking at 12.18 - WHATEVER FLOATS YOUR BOAT as an equally-as-good alternative. BenRiach and Knockdhu both seem to have the combination of young single malt and well chosen oak casks dialed in - or at least the SMWS knows how to pick great casks from both of these distilleries!
Toffee and Turf from Lowlands distillery #5 was a fun second bottle in the lineup, exhibiting candied red fruit notes (Twizzlers and Nibs!) before moving through big spice and then earthy notes on the palate. The nose is great, and the transitions it goes through on the tongue are a lot of fun to experience. This is my favourite SMWS bottling from distillery 5 that I can recall tasting.
The third bottle in the tasting lineup is the first SMWS bottle we have seen in Canada from distillery #113. This workhorse distillery was purpose built to make single malt to be used in blended Scotch, and even indie bottles are rare. At seven years of age, THYME FOR A BANANA offers what you would expect based on the name - a combination of fruity and herbaceous character at a solid price.
We jumped from the very young to the respectably aged with A BRIDE IN A WAXED JACKET, which to me comes across as a remarkable mashup of Glen Grant and Clynelish in style. This 25 year old is a complex combination of wax, fruit, musty dunnage, and more. I guess I haven't tasted enough from distillery 46 to really peg its style down, but this one is excellent no matter what it tastes like.
The fifth bottle in the lineup was just slightly younger at 21 years old, having spent time in two casks which previously held differe...

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Tight Wad Oenophile: Back to School

Posted on October 1, 2019

by Bri

September is here and it's time to get all the layers of clothing out and prepare ourselves for ......cold-weather season. Not only do we have to get those calendars back out to keep track of all the fall events. We are also in the season of pumpkin spice drinks and exercise pants with Uggs. Keep those anxiety feelings at arm's length! The flip side is the kids are back in school and the daily summer hustle-bustle is slowing down just enough for some guilt-free affordable wine. Kensington Wine Market has many special wines however, we love those daily/ weekly deals. Plenty of variety that will satisfy any craving and also let you budget before the holiday season is upon us. The back to school tight-wad tasting took the overwhelmed in-store wine hunting and showcased seven wines that are budget worthy and delicious.



Ortega Rioja Young White 2017
Ortega Ezquerros is a family-run production based in Rioja, Spain. Starting in 1896 as a small collection of vines, Ortega Ezquerro continuously adapts and grows with the ever-changing wine environment, whilst maintaining their traditions and beliefs. This wine is a blend of 90% Viura, 5% Malvasía, 5% Garnacha Blanca. It's balanced and intriguing, with beautiful fruit and floral characteristics and an underlying acidity that brightens up the palate.

Conde Valdemar Rioja Rose 2018
The Valdemar family is a fifth generation winemakers, Anna and Jesus Valdemar.
Anna and Jesus focus on primarily Spanish grape varieties, such as Tempranillo Blanco, Graciano and Matiana. Their goal is to showcase the grapes that are native to the area and bring them to a higher level. This wine is as refreshing as they come. This dry rose is full of minerality and citrus notes. It is incredibly approachable with its grapefruit, saltiness, Meyer lemon and fresh/bright red fruit.

Bender Kulina Pinot Noir 2017, Germany
A new exclusive here at KWM and soon to be a favourite. Andreas Bender creates some wonderful modern wine in Germany. With vineyards in the Mosel and Pfalz,
Bender displays an unerring capacity to create a compelling balance of fruit and acidity. Bender understands that exceptional winemaking must involve and be combine with high-quality work, a sense of good soils and premium grapes, gentle cellar work, old vineyard crafts and new, modern “wine-thinking.” Well, all that hard work is paying off for Mr. Bender. He not only is leading the way for modern German wines, but the German Chancellor Angela Merkel also showcases his wines to any visiting diplomat. This particular Pinot Noir is full of umami flavours. It has a rich earthy mushroom note accompanied by black fruit, violet and raspberries. This wine not only is an easy sipper, but it can also be pair with countless food options.

La Posada Tempranillo 2018 - Spain
In 2005 Maria Victoria Montero started Bodegas y V...

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Isle of Arran Distillery with Mariella Romano

Posted on October 1, 2019

by Evan

For our recent tasting focused on the the Isle of Arran Distillers, we were lucky enough to have Mariella Romano - Arran's Global Brand Ambassador - lead us through the lineup.



The Isle of Arran has seen quite a few changes over the last three 25 years, at least when it comes to whisky. In 1995, just outside of Lochranza which is located at the northern tip of the island, the Isle of Arran's first legal distillery in over a century opened. Now we are in 2019 and a second distillery has just opened on the island, this time at its southern edge in a town called Lagg.

The Lochranza distillery has always focused on distilling unpeated malt, with limited forays into peated malt happening during only very small amount of its operation. The Lagg Distillery, which is also owned by Isle of Arran Distillers, is heading into much more peated territory, making a burly, heavily peated new make spirit that comes off very earthy, fruity, and even mezcal like in style. Islay lovers will have to keep an eye out for futures releases from Lagg once it has whisky to release.

Here is the lineup that Mariella led us through:



Arran Amarone Cask Finish
Finished in Amarone casks sourced from the Veneto region of Italy, this Arran typically aged for a total of around 8 years old. Before finishing the Arran single malt these casks nurtured one of the richest, boldest & most sought after Italian wines. Its time in the barriques has given it a spicier, dark fruity character that marries well with Arran's malt. 50% ABV.

Arran 18 Year Old
The 18 year old Arran was added to the distillery's core range in 2016 for its 21st anniversary. Bottled at 46%, un-Chillfiltered and with no colouring added, the Arran 18 year old is created predominantly from carefully selected first and second-fill Ex-Sherry casks. Rich, fruity with some soft spices in style, the 18 year year old Arran represents a great value for its age.

Arran 21 Year Old First Release
The latest core release in the Arran core range is the 21 Year. Matured exclusively in ex-Sherry casks, and bottled at 46% without added colouring or chill-filtering. The first release is just 6,000 bottles blended from a total of 15 casks - all first fill ex-Sherry.

Arran Explorers Series Lochranza Castle
The 2nd release (aka Vol. 2) in the Arran Explorers Series is the Lochranza Castle 21 Year. This is a limited release of 9000 bottles, matured in Sherry Hogsheads and finished Amontillado Sherry Casks. Bottled at 47.2% ABV.



Arran 1996 KWM Cask 559 21 Year Old
One of a pair of new KWM Arran single casks, it was selected by and bottled exclusively for the shop. Distilled June 17th, 1996 and bottled on April 9 2018 at 55.3% after maturing in a Sherry Hogshead. Our first 21 year old single cask of Arran, this would ...

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