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Arran Cask Launch Tasting with Evan

Posted on August 26, 2017

Arran distillery is relatively young by Scottish standards.
This usually the first thing I say to people who have not yet heard of the distillery or their bottles of Scotch. And it is true. Having started production in 1995 this is relatively true in the grand scheme of things and given the history boasted by many of Scotland’s other distilleries.
The Isle of Arran Distillery is located - unsurprisingly - on the Isle of Arran. The island lies just east of Campbeltown and well east of Islay and the distillery itself resides on the north of the island at Lochranza.

Arran’s first official Single Malt Scotch release was back in 1998 with a Limited Edition 3-year-old.

Going by my own faulty memory - Arran has been sold in Alberta since around 2003 or 2004. I was introduced to Scotch for the first time back in 2002 and immediately fell in love and started going to tastings and festivals. This is probably why Arran is so near and dear to my own heart. It feels like the distillery’s own evolution in whisky somehow mirrors my own personal growth and experience with whisky.

Arran started distilling and then releasing their first bottles at a fortuitous time both within Alberta and within the Scotch Industry as a whole: Alberta was in the midst of its economic boom. The province had also had privatized liquor stores (such as Kensington Wine Market) for a decade at this point and seen a large jump in the amount of available whisky available to new enthusiasts such as myself.

The Scotch Industry was also starting to see a much-needed boost in sales and was entering a boom of its own. Part of this was a new generation of drinkers turning their backs on that boring, intentionally flavourless alcohol known as vodka and looking for more interesting libations. The other part had to do with emerging markets of China, India, and Russia and the new middle class (and luxury class) that had opened up overseas.

Looking back at the early years of Arran releases that we were lucky enough to get in Calgary I remember tasting (and buying) a lot of single cask finishes from Arran. The company took a similar marketing and release route to another distillery at the time: Bruichladdich. Both had a tremendous amount of one-off releases - many of these were finished in wine casks or casks that held other spirits beforehand such as rum, calvados, cognac - you name it. I have fond memories of weird corrugated cardboard packaging of rum and Champagne cask-finished bottles of Arran.
These releases enabled Arran to release young whisky that was still interesting to whisky enthusiasts young and old. It gave us an idea of the distillery style and went a long way in showing us that that young whisky could still be good whisky. It also, of course, allowed Arran to develop an income from their own whisky well before they had their official 10-year-old hit the market.
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Tightwad: Summer Savers with Davis

Posted on August 26, 2017

Whether you’ve been affected by the current state of the Albertan economy, or are just a fan of a good deal this was the tasting for you! While it would be nice to drink Chateau Margaux and Petrus every day, most of our bank accounts just won’t support that. Trying to find an affordable wine that will impress can often be a game of roulette, but if know where to look some amazing deals can be found. When making my selections for this tasting I was able to find great deals from all over the world, though the countries with noticeably more offerings tend to be Chile, Spain, and Portugal.
As a group, we dove into the wine. Peasant Cheese provided an amazing selection of cheese. Here are the wines we tried:


Canals Nadal Cava Brut Nature Reserva
This winery in Penedes (just west of Barcelona) was founded by Antoni Canals Nadal in 1986 (though the family has been involved in wine since 19th Century), and now his sons' run it. The Brut Nature Reserva is made in the same method as Champagne, though with three non-Champagne grapes. This Cava is made from 45% Macabeu, 40% Xarel·lo and 15% Parellada. $25.99
Mayu Pedro Ximenez 2016
Mayu (which is an Inca word for the Milky Way) is located in the high-elevation Elqui Valley in Chile and was established in 2005. The singular Pedro Ximenez grape is more typically used for sweet sherry production, so it is quite unusual to see it turned into a dry white wine. $17.99
CVNE Rueda Verdejo 2015
CVNE was founded in 1879 by the Asua brothers and is still run by the descendants of the original family. They are well known for having some of the most advanced wineries in the world and maintain a very low carbon and water impact. This Rueda in made with 100% Verdejo and is aged in stainless steel.  $16.99
Quinta da Alorna 2016
The Alorna Palace and 2800 acre Estate were established in Portugal in 1723. The Estate can be found the Tejo wine region, close to Lisboa in central Portugal. This Rose is made from 100% Touriga Nacional (in the maceration method) and aged in stainless steel. $17.99
Tedeschi Valpolicella 2014
The Tedeschi family has been making wine for nearly 400 years, focusing on traditional grapes expressing the terroir of the region, while using modern wine making equipment like horizontal temperature controlled fermentation vats. The blend on this Valpolicella is 30% Corvina, 30% Corvinone, 30% Rondinella, 10% Molinara, and it spends one year in Slovenian Oak Barrels before being bottled. $19.99
Magellan Le Fruit Defendu Rouge 2015
The winemaker and viticulturist moved from Burgundy to the Languedoc region of France in 1999 to explore different grapes and a warmer region. The “Forbidden Fruit” used in this red are grapes transported from the famous Chateauneuf de Pape region in Southern Rhône to Languedoc in the 1960’s. The grapes in questi...

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Hopped up on IPA

Posted on August 25, 2017

Every few months I come across an article written by someone I’ve never heard of talking about how the IPA craze is over, and that beer drinkers are sick of all these hops. I’m not really sure where they are getting their information, as IPA is still one of the most beloved styles for nearly all brewers, and it’s not hard to see why. The popularity has bred more innovation in the world of hops than in all other aspects of brewing combined! What with the use of experimental varieties along with the full development of said varieties, different techniques of hop usage, freeze dried lupulin powder, and more! Sure, 10-15 years ago people were hopping (no pun intended) on the more=better train, and the result was some supremely bitter beers(but some of the best as well).
Alas, that time has passed and now we’re looking for hop bombs with at least a semblance of balance and not just bitterness, and boy are modern brewers delivering! I take it as part of my job to spread this message, so my IPA tastings are as staple as my much loved sour and stout tastings. Here’s a peek of how my latest one went.

Dieu du Ciel Ultra Mosaika: Who doesn't like Mosaic hops? Of course zero hands go up. Ultra Mosaika is an American pale with a massive load of these tropical, super aromatic green buds. Plenty of mango, citrus, papaya and prickly pear come to the table in this easy drinking powerhouse. ($17.19 for a 4-pack of bottles Currently sold out!)

Blindman New England Pale Ale: This New England style pale ale will knock your socks off with its hazy, juicy hop profile. Loaded with massive aromas of tropical fruits and citrus, and a silky murky body. Around for a very limited time! ($17.59 for a 4-pack of tall cans)

Dunham Cyclope IPA Theta: Dunham’s Cyclope series is an ever-changing beer with different hops in every incarnation. This one was done with experimental hop ADHA484 and Vic Secret. Citrus, herbal, and light tropical fruits all over the place, with a hazy and full but easy body. (sold out on our growler bar for the time being!)

Last Best Tokyo Drift: Hazy and fruity and bitter and all you could want. Tropical tones with huge citrus and a very “green” feel. A body full enough to stand up the onslaught of hops, and to keep things clean through the end. (Sold out on the growler bar for the time being. Please get a request into me if you want to see more!)



Outcast Neon Dream: Yet another take on the hazy IPA trend by Outcast. Big and mildly sweet, with huge tropical and citrus aromas. The exclusive use of lupulin powder gives monstrous aromatics along with a unique feel and bitterness. ($19.99 for a 4-pack of tall cans)

Oskar Blues Fugli: Fugli is a unique IPA featuring an infusion of Yuzu and Ugli fruits. A lighter style IPA with fruity mosaic hops on top of a distinct citrus zest, and mild to moder...

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Independents' Day Whisky Tasting with Evan

Posted on August 19, 2017



If you dive into the world of Scotch Whisky head first and start exploring - eventually you will ram into the Less well-known world of Independent Bottlers.

Independent Bottlers of whisky may not all be very well known, but for a consumer, enthusiast and collector alike the role they play is vital.

On Tuesday, August 8th I ran a Indie Bottle tasting at Kensington Wine Market. Here is the lineup we tasted our way through as a group:



G&M Distillery Label Miltonduff 10yr
40% ABV

Exclusive to KWM. This 10 year old Miltonduff is part of Gordon & Macphail's Distillery Label series. It is exclusive to KWM in Calgary, and our Day 8 whisky, in the 2016 Whisky Advent Calendar. It is the closest thing to an official bottling of Miltonduff ever to come to Canada.

Gordon & MacPhail is one of the oldest Independent Bottlers around. Originally founded in 1895 in Elgin, Gordon & MacPhail was originally a grocer and has made a name for itself by bottling many amazing and sometimes old single malts - including the oldest Glen Grant and Mortlachs to every be bottled at 70 and 75 years old respectively.

The company takes sourcing whisky a step beyond many other bottlers by filling their own casks at different distilleries in batches, then ageing it at the distillery warehouses or facilities of their own. Many bottlings such as their Distillery Label line are bottled at 40% or 43% ABV making them a good place to look for well-priced whisky and alternatives to official bottlings.

In 1993 the company entered the distillery ownership game with the purchase of Benromach. Notice how you can't find any independent bottlings of Benromach? Hmm...
$80 (700mL Bottle)
$11 (50mL Bottle)

Cooper's Choice 1972 Family Silver Blend
41% ABV

The Vintage Malt Whisky Company was founded in 1992. It owns The Highlands & Islands Scotch Whisky Company which bottles Finlaggan and Ileach. It also bottles the Cooper's Choice line - which has recently been releasing some amazing old whisky from closed and demolished distilleries such as Lochside and Garnheath. Much of what they release is bottled at 46% ABV.

The 1972 Family Silver Blend showcases the kind of incredibly unique whisky you can find nowhere else but an independent bottler. This is a one-off single barrel of 480 bottles that happens to be a blend of 3 different distilleries. All of the whisky was distilled in 1972. It was bottled in 2017 and is 44 years of age.  The most impressive thing about this bottle is the makeup of the blend. The back label states it is a blend of 60% Grain and 40% Malt whisky from 3 distilleries. The Distilleries in question are Lochside, Garnheath, and Invergordon.

Lochside and Garnheath don't get many bottlings from anybody these days. The reason for that? ...

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The In-Cider's guide

Posted on June 8, 2018

It’s been so long since we’ve done a cider tasting! Luckily, we had a little free reign in the summer tasting schedule (including all the names, the puns in half which you can credit yours truly… or not, either way, because I am personally ashamed.).

Cider is growing in popularity for a number of reasons, the biggest of which being the growing brewing/wine making/distilling scene, and the fact that cider is naturally gluten-free (with the growing awareness of Celiac disease). So it was high time we hosted another tasting of some of the wonderful apple ciders available in our rich province - pun or no. Peasant Cheese provided some very suitable cheese accompaniments for our amazing lineup. The ciders we tasted our way through were as follows:

Left Field Little Dry: Little Dry is a very lightly sweet, crisp BC cider from Logan Lake. Tart apple tones with a big fruity nose with just a hint of sweet apple flesh. Still dry enough for those who dislike sweet ciders. ( $10.79 for a 500mL bottle)

Bigoude Cidre Artisanal: Cider in Brittany has a certification of AOC. As part of the designation, the ciders are able to be made with 7 different apple varieties and fermented with 100% pure juice, along with natural carbonation. Bigoude has a lovely barnyard-y flavour with huge apple and funky aromatics and a lively effervescence. ($13.89 for a 750mL bottle)

Petritegi Sidra Natural: Everything about the Basque region screams artisan, unique and quality. Petritegi is a wonderful example of what a Basque Sidra can be. Funky, slightly bitter with a hint of sweetness, this mostly still cider is poured from high above a glass thanks to the provided cork/spout. One taste and you’ll see that it was meant for celebrating, and breakfast, and lunch… and dinner… and whenever! ($22.49 for a 750mL bottle)



Scenic Road Nearly Dry: Coming from Kelowna, Scenic Road is a recent arrival to the Alberta market. Their mostly dry and tasty ciders and made with “traditional apple varieties” and come across with robust apple flavours and the nearly dry has -as the name would suggest- just a hint of sweetness. ($11.49 for a 500mL bottle)

Sea Cider Pippins: A lovely, off-dry cider made with Yellow Newton Pippin apples. It pours with lovely tropical fruit aromas, and the taste says the same! Light pineapple and exotic apple notes, with a bit of an alcohol bite thanks to the 9.5% abv. Food friendly and guzzle friendly alike! ($21.99 for a 750mL bottle)

Sea Cider Rum Runner: This sweet and incredibly unique cider used to be aged in the barrels of a well-known Newfoundland rum, but that rum is no longer aged in oak barrels. What were they to do to keep up with the demand of one of their most beloved ciders? Soaking readily-available ex-bourbon barrels in rum solved that problem! Hints of dried fruit, molasses and a hint o...

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