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Kensington Wine Market 2017 Whisky Advent Day 10 - Glenfiddich 15 Year Solera

Posted on November 12, 2023

KWM Whisky Advent Day 10 – Glenfiddich 15 Year Solera Reserve


Before we dig into today’s Advent whisky, I have a confession to make. Until earlier this year I had written off Glenfiddich as boring, washed up, and increasingly irrelevant. Glenfiddich is the world’s bestselling single malt. One statistic claims that it accounts for 35% off all global single malt sales. That figure seems suspiciously high, but the point remains, Glenfiddich is huge, dominant and ubiquitous. I am willing to admit I was wrong. I was too critical and dismissive of Glenfiddich, and not open to the possibility that their whisky could still be interesting and exciting.

William Grant & Sons, the parent company of Glenfiddich, and also owners of The Balvenie, is huge. On a tour a number of years ago I was given a figure for the volume of whisky they had maturing at their site in Dufftown. It was and still is a staggering amount, I did some quick math in my head, comparing it to then Scotland’s smallest distillery Edradour. At the time Edradour’s production was 100,000L a year. It would have taken Edradour nearly 1500 years running flat out to produce the volume of whisky in William Grant’s warehouses.

Glenfiddich, which means “valley of the dear” was founded in 1886 in the town of Dufftown. Scotland was in the midst of a massive boom in distilling due to the surge of interest in Blended Scotch whisky. The distillery was built by hand by William Grant and his family (seven sons and two daughters) in the glen of the River Fiddich. Spirit ran off the stills for the first time on Christmas Day 1887. Business was so good that just a few short years later in 1892 the family opened their second distillery, Balvenie, just a few hundred meters away.

In 1898 Pattison Elder & Co., William Grant’s largest customer (also that of many other distilleries), filed for bankruptcy. Many distilleries and whisky companies in turn went bankrupt as a result, but William Grant & Sons held fast. They saw an opportunity to produce and sell their owns blends like Standfast. The prohibition era was a difficult time for the Scotch whisky industry, by the turn of the 1930s there were less than a dozen distilleries still operating in Scotland. William Grant & Son’s saw an opportunity. The Depression would eventually end, and then there would be a mad scramble to make more whisky, which would take years to mature. So during the Great Depression William Grant & Sons increased production to position themselves to supply future demand. It was a bet that would pay dividends.

Glenfiddich 15 Year Solera Reserve – 40% - Matured in Ex-Bourbon and Ex-Sherry Casks. Some of the whisky is finished 2 years in New Ame...

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Kensington Wine Market 2017 Whisky Advent Day 9 - Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban

Posted on November 12, 2023

KWM Whisky Advent Day 9 - Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban


In last year’s KWM Whisky Advent Calendar we featured the Glenmorangie Original, it was the first time we were able to include a Glenmorangie whisky. Glenmorangie is back this year in the 2017 edition, with the Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 12 Year. After maturing 10 years in Ex-Bourbon barrels, the whisky is finished a further 2 years in Ruby Port Pipes, hence the name Quinta Ruban. “Quintas” are the port houses or lodges in Villa Nova de Gaia where the wine is laid to mature before bottling. Ruban is a reference to ruby port.



Port is an interesting fortified wine style with deep roots and a strong connection to the British isles. The British had a great fondness for French wine, especially Bordeaux, which they call Claret. There was only one problem, the English & French were at war with each other more often than not in the 17th and 18th Centuries, and that made the importation of French wine impractical to say the least. The British naturally turned their attention to Portugal, a nation with which they had a long allegiance, but this was not as straightforward a solution as one might expect.

 

[caption id="attachment_6249" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="The fearless Scotch guy in Villa Nova de Gaia, Portugal. "][/caption]

 

During the age of sail, it was seldom possible to sail directly from Portugal. The prevailing winds made the journey long and difficult. The conditions at sea were not favourable to the transportation of wine. So this lead to the birth of a new wine style, Port. Port is named for Oporto, the Portuguese port city at the mouth of the River Douro. After crushing the grapes were fermented as with all wines, but early in the fermentation a neutral grape spirit is added to stop the fermentation and preserve sugar. The combination of higher alcohol and sugar made the wine more durable and stable. And the British loved it! Port was shipped to the UK including Scotland in cask, and many of these barrels would then be used to mature whisky.



One surprising fact about Port, is that the Douro’s appellation is the third oldest in the world. It was granted in 1756 well before Bordeaux or Burgundy. The only older ones are Chianti 1716 and Tokaji 1730 are old.



There are a few distinguishing characteristics which make Glenmorangie unique. First and foremost, its stills, which are the tallest and most slender in all of Scotland. “They are 8 metres high (26ft 1/4 inches) with their long copper necks standing at 5.14 metres (16ft 10 1/4 inches), the same height as a fully grown adult giraffe!” These stills ensure that only the lightest and most delicate vapou...

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Kensington Wine Market 2017 Whisky Advent Day 8 - Gordon Macphail Glentauchers 1996

Posted on December 16, 2024

KWM Whisky Advent Day 8 – Gordon Macphail Glentauchers 1996

Glentauchers Distillery was established in 1898, at the height of a major boom in whisky production. There was a surge in distillery openings in the 1890s as global demand for Scotch whisky surged. The distillery was built out of granite by the prominent blender James Buchanan. As with many distilleries built around the turn of the 20th century, the legendary Charles Doig was the architect.

The distillery’s production surged in the 1960s during the next major whisky boom, when two new pairs of stills were added to the first set. Even though it had been modernized just 20 years earlier, that was not enough to save the distillery from the industry downturn of the 1980s. Glentauchers was mothballed in 1985 and sold off by Diageo in 1989 to one of its competitors Allied Distillers. Allied reopened the distillery in 1992 with an intention of using the whisky in its Ballantine’s blends. Allied became a part of the Chivas Group in 2005.




Bottlings of Glentuachers single malt have been almost non-existent for most of its history, with the exception of the odd independent bottling. The one major exception to this is Gordon Macphail, who have had a long standing relationship with the distillery. Glentaucher’s is one of the many distilleries with which Gordon Macphail has an arrangement to bottle and sell semi-official bottlings, the Distillery Label range. A few Chivas Visitor Center bottlings have been released over the last few years. Early this fall it was announced that Chivas would be releasing Glentauchers 15 Year single malt for the first time, along with Glenburgie and Miltonduff.



About Gordon Macphail’s Distillery Range: “Building and nurturing long-lasting relationships has always been key to curating our collection of single malt whiskies. It’s our relationships from the Sherry bodegas in Jerez, Spain, and the American Oak cooperages in Kentucky – where we source casks of the finest quality – to those who distil the Scottish malt spirit – which we fill into our casks – that has helped shape our foundations and continue to develop the future of Gordon & MacPhail. The result of the mutual support and friendship with some of Scotland’s single malt producers means that Gordon & MacPhail has traditionally matured and bottled whisky from a collection of distilleries, releasing them with a ‘house’ label, unique to each distillery.”



“From the Orkney distillery of Scapa, through to Speyside classics such as Strathisla, Longmorn, and Glen Grant, our 'Distillery La...

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Autumn Ales

Posted on November 12, 2023

Autumn Ales is the tasting where I finally come to terms with my denial and start to celebrate the coming of the Fall and start drinking darker, more comforting beers. They’ve certainly been flowing into the store like mad now, and it’s becoming painfully apparent that I need to start wearing scarves and toques too now as well. Not to be negative about this sort of thing! I have northern blood in my veins, and a beard that I can get nice and frosty, so I’m all set for this season. And soon I’ll have a belly full of stout to keep me warm before I head outside after writing this.

 

So what did I do for this tasting? Well, I gathered a room full of friends, and got a bunch of cheese from Peasant Cheese, and opened a bunch of m autumn themes beers! From Fresh hopped ales (only available locally in the fall, so truly an Autumn Ale.) to a rich boozy stout, and everything in between. Here we go, take a look!



Ground Swell IPL by Lighthouse: Groundswell is a so-called India Pale Lager, fresh hopped with Cascade, Centennial, and Mt. Hood hops. Herby citrus aromas accompany a slightly earthy but light malt profile. Mildly to moderately bitter on the finish shows off the fresh hop character that lingers throughout. ($10.79 for a 650mL bottle)

Oktoberfest Bier by Sierra Nevada: Marzen is the quintessential Oktoberfest bier. Sierra Nevada's rendition is a robust malty powerhouse with mild spice and grassy notes. Not too sweet, and the German hops provide a nice balance, making the beer incredibly comforting and pleasant. ($3.79 for a 330mL bottle)

In Hops We Trust by Outcast: A New England style IIPA done with Fresh Alberta hops, and double dry hopped. Robust silky body with a mild malty sweetness, dank fresh hops smell very green on the nose and add a ton of mango, and citrus, along with a good amount of sappy but soft bitterness. (Currently not available)

The Julia Peach Cobbler Sour by Dandy: Slightly different than the previous year, this edition is drier on the palate, with less nectarine skin flavours, and less crumble-like graininess. Tart and fruity, and delicious though just the same! ($9.99 for a 650mL bottle

St. Ambroise Pumpkin Ale by Macauslan: Light bodied, crackery and light lemony malts. Leafy and grassy hops that lay pretty low. Delicate and enjoyable without going out of balance or being too intense in one way or another.($11.79 for a 4-pack of bottles)

There Will be Porter by Last Best: A big round body without being overly dense or weighty. Chocolate and lightly toasted malts, with concentrated cold-pressed coffee notes and a hint of acidity rounding the finish off. (Currently unavailable)

Noa Pecan Mud Cake by Omnipollo: A big and rich, sweet imperial stout with big flavours of nuts, chocolate, c...

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Kensington Wine Market 2017 Whisky Advent Day 7 - Millstone Oloroso Sherry

Posted on November 12, 2023

KWM Whisky Advent 2017 Day 7 - Millstone Oloroso Sherry


It has been a little over a year now since Millstone hit the market in Alberta, and our customers are lapping up the many different whisky releases we have from the Dutch distiller, which also goes by the name Zuidams. Zuidams is a family owned distillery in Baarle Nassau, The Netherlands. The firm opened its doors in 1974, and for the first 14 years it produced vodka, liqueurs, gin and genever. The latter spirit, genever is the key to the firms progression to making whisky.



Genever, is a spirit with a very long history. In the early days of distillation in Europe, beer made from malted barley was crudely distilled into a spirit. The result was essentially a proto-whisky, but the spirit would have been almost unpalatable. To make it more drinkable herbs were added to alter the flavour. Juniper was also added as it was believed the berries had health benefits. The name Genever, or Jenever, is derived from the Dutch word “jeneverbes” or Juniper Berry.



The origins of Genever go back to at least the 13th Century, and they are not exclusive to the Netherlands. There is reference to Genever coming from Bruges in the 1200s and Antwerp a couple of centuries later. But most scholars argree that Genever was likely first produced in Flanders, in the Netherlands.  By 1606 the industry was sufficiently large for it to attract the attention of the Dutch authorities, who began levying taxes on genever and similar spirits in 1606.



There are two types of Genever, Old and Young. Young or “Jonge” genever is a style that came about around 1900. Modern distilling techniques allowed for the creation of lighter spirits. During the Great War (First World War) there was a shortage of grain and Genever was made from molasses and sugar beets. People started referring to the Old or “Oude” style genever. Some Old Genever is matured in oak barrels, like whisky. It is this style that Millstone is famous for.



In 1988 at the behest of the sons, especially Patrick van Zuidam, the firm started experimenting with whisky making. In 1996 they began laying down casks in earnest. The company produces not just single malt whisky (both peated and unpeated malt), made in the Scottish style, but also 100% rye whisky. We bottled our own cask of Millstone Rye Whisky this year and it has been a hit!



So first and foremost, we know, the whisky is not a 50ml… Apparently Millstone does 40mls instead. We aren’t really sure why. I chalk it up to the Dutch being Dutch. Good folk that they are, sometimes it is best not to ask… besides, we would not have otherwise had this whisky in our Calendar!
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