THE ANCIENT MALTS TASTNGS - Thursday March 29th and Friday March 30th - $275.00+GST
Posted on November 5, 2012
Once or twice a year the Kensington Wine Market puts on an epic tasting of whiskies most of us can only dream about buying. Over the years we've opened the Black Bowmore 1964, Gold Bowmore 1964, Macallan 50 Year Lalique, Auchentoshan 1957 50 Year (both incarnations) and other rare whiskies just to name a few. These tastings are an opportunity for a community of people to come together and share an experience that most of us could never have on our own. Late last year it occurred to me that I had access to a number of distillery bottled 40 year old whiskies and I thought to myself, why not hold a 40 year olds tasting? On Thursday and Friday March 29th and 30th we will be conducting two back to back tastings featuring seven 40 year old whiskies. Six of the seven whiskies are distillery bottled, all of them are exceptionally rare and many of them rank among the most highly scored whiskies in the world. To sweeten the deal everyone will receive a commemorative Glencairn glass and as a special bonus will get a taste of the Gordon & MacPhail Generations Glenlivet 70 Year.This will be an unparalleled tasting event, and a night(s) to remember. The whisky list is as follows:
BenRiach 1971 40 Year - $660.99 (sold out)
Exclusive to KWM
93pts Serge Vanlentin, Whisk Fun
96.5pts Jim Murray
Fettercairn 40 Year - $1515.99
Exclusive to KWM
92pts Jim Murray
89pts Serge Valentin, Whisky Fun
Glendronach 1971 40 Year - $703.99
Exclusive to KWM
89pts Jim Murray
Glenfarclas 40 Year - $499.99
95pts Whisky Advocate
94pts Jim Murray
Glenfiddich 40 Year - $2729.99
96pts Jim Murray
Highland Park 40 Year - $1854.99
91pts Serge Valentin, Whisky Fun
90.5pts Jim Murray
Signatory Bowmore 1970 40 Year - $1136.99
Exclusive to KWM
G&M Generation Glenlivet 1940 70 Year - $5,999.99(200ml) $21,999.99(700ml)
Exclusive to KWM
95.5pts Jim Murray
This tasting event is a once in a lifetime opportunity! Not counting the Gordon & MacPhail Generations Glenlivet 70 Year old, a bottle of each of these 7 whiskies would set you back more than $10,000.00 if you could even find them all. You'd need more than treble that to buy a full bottle of everything including the Glenlivet 70 Year.
...
An Cnoc 16 Year Back While Supplies Last!
Posted on November 5, 2012
In May of last year I had the honour of being inducted into the Keepers of the Quaich, a by invitation only society founded to recognize those who make significant contributions to the global success of Scotch whisky. Standing in a room full of the biggest names in the industry, there I was a humble self-professed whisky expert from a single small retail store in Calgary, the first Canadian retail expert to be so honoured. The generous dram of An Cnoc 16 Year I was handed couldn't have come at a better time. After a few pulls I relaxed and it dawned on me that this An Cnoc was a lovely little dram and I made a mental note to inquire about it on my return. We launched it as an exclusive this fall, and it was a huge hit, selling out quickly. We've managed to get just 24 more bottles!An Cnoc for those of you who don't know is a pseudonym for Knockdhu distillery. When the brand was first launched as a single malt, it was felt that the name Knockdhu might be confused with another not too distant distillery Knockandoo. Even though Knockdhu predates Knockandoo by the better part of five years, the latter had gone to market first with its single malt (both being primarily made for blending until a relatively short time ago) and it was felt that single malt from Knockdhu should have a distinct moniker.
An Cnoc 16 Year - 46% - American Oak - My Tasting Note: Nose: floral, bourbony and citric; dandelions, geraniums and rose petals; barley sugars, firm toasted oak and roasted coconut chips; citrus notes include shades of lemon and lime zest; Palate: is massively bourbony with vanilla icing, shredded coconut and more firm toasted oak; the citrus notes are much more prominent on the palate with lemon drops, candied orange and lemon/lime zest; there is a soft creamy component to it too but the whisky retains a soft character and is far from over the top; Finish: drying and toasty with burnt orange, a late wave of lemon drops and more vanilla icing; Comments: this whisky will be forever linked to Keepers of the Quaich inauguration in May of this year. It was our welcome dram, it was three fingers deep and it cut my nerves just before the ceremony. This is the first An Cnoc which has really impressed me, and I'm sure it won't be the last! - Exclusive to KWM - $87.99...
The Prodigal Whisky-Glenmorangie Sonnalta-Has Returned for one Final Appearance!
Posted on November 5, 2012
The Sonnalta PX was the first expression in The Glenmorangie “Private Collection†range. For a little over a year it was exclusive to the Kensington Wine Market in Canada. It was one of our best sellers in 2011 and to my great surprise the distributor has found a few more cases for us to play with. We couldn’t be more pleased! The Private Collection range is series of limited edition expressions which will highlight the best of the Glenmorangie style while pushing the bounds of creativity. In Scots Gaelic Sonnalta means “generousâ€Â, an appropriate name for this full and complex whisky. Like the Extra Matured whiskies in the Glenmorangie range (Lasanta, Quinta Ruban and Nectar D’Or) the Sonnalta PX has spent approximately 10 years maturing in first fill ex-bourbon casks before a finishing period(extra maturing) in another type of cask. In the case of the Sonnalta it spent an additional 2 years in Spanish Pedro Ximenez casks.We are seeing a lot of whiskies matured in ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry casks (PX for short) these days. Pedro Ximenez is an intensely sweet and very rich style of sherry. Legend has it that the grape originated in the Canary Islands and from there was introduced to regions along the Rhine in Southern Germany. A Spanish soldierâ€â€Pedro Ximenez serving Charles V in the Spanish Netherlands was said to have brought it to Jerez in Southern Spain in his baggage. The rich, sweet, bold sherry was named in his honour. It’s a great story, but may be a bit of a stretch. It is more likely that the grape was brought to Spain by the Moors and renamed after the Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula.
Jim Murray’s Tasting Note: Nose: now this works: has that heavy-handed feel of a sweet sherry butt (or five) at work here, usually the kiss of death for so many whiskies. But an adroit praline sub-plot really does the trick. So with the malt evident, too, we have a three pronged attack which somehow meshes in to one. And not even the merest hint of an off-note…goodness gracious: a new experience…!!! Taste: Neanderthal grape drags its knuckles along the big vanilla floor before a really subtle light Columbian coffee kick puts us back on course; sharper vanillas from some awkward oak threatens to send us off course again but somehow finds it settled, common ground; Finish: now goes into orgasmic overdrive, as Demerara sugar is tipped into some gorgeous, cream-lightened mocha. This is obviously to wash down the Melton Hunt cake which is resplendent in its grape and roast nut finery…phew!!! It is, unquestionably, the perfect whisky finish… Balance: this one passed me by. If they told me anything about this chap, I’d forgotten. It absolutely groans from the lucid sweet grape and I discover its actually...
Three New Whiskies From Berry’s Own Selection
Posted on November 5, 2012
Berry’s Own Selection is a line of independently bottled single malt whiskies sourced, selected and bottled by Berry Brothers & Rudd in London. They are one of the world’s oldest wine merchants, and have been trading from the same shop at 3 James Street for more than 300 years. The company began retailing whiskies in 1909 under the “Berry’s Own Selection†label, making it one of the oldest independent bottlers in Scotland. For two successive years, 2010 and 2011, Berry Brothers has been awarded Independent Bottler of the Year by Whisky Magazine as part of their “Icons of Whisky†awards.Kensington Wine Market has carefully selected three bottlings from Berry Own Selection for exclusive sale in Canada! I sat down with my good friend and fellow whisky lover Dr. Jane Cameron and a batch of samples for review some months ago. After the tasting we settled on three favourites which I arranged to bring in to the store.
Berry’s Own Teaninich 1973 – 41.8% – 37 Year – Bottled 2010 - Cask 10418 - My Tasting Note: Nose: fruit flan, shortbread with icing sugar and softly toasted oak; it is so decadent with Crave vanilla cupcake icing, peaches, almond paste and buttery French croissants right out of the oven; there are some green floral and herbal notes but they never manage to dull the lustre of the more decadent ones; Palate: very soft, grassy but buttery with more sweet decadent notes; the oak is firm, thick and oily with roasted coconut chips, vanilla extract and cocoa beans; there are citrus notes to the palate which I didn’t pick up on the nose: like lemon drops and candied orange; Finish: drying and oily, but sweet with rich sugars and warm toasted oak; the oils linger as the sweet oak coating the palate long into the finish; Comments: this is dollar for dollar a better buy than the Daluiane (see below) and the one which will please the greater number of whisky drinkers. - $246.99
Berry’s Own Daluaine 1973 – 50.6% - 37 Year – Bottled 2010 – Cask 6074/5 - My Tasting Note: Nose: at first warm with caramelized fruit and gentle spices; the spices develop into ground cinnamon, coriander, cardamom and anise; the toasted oak develops next followed by some stewed and poached fruits like apple and pear then figs and prunes; as it opens up the fruits come to the fore and dominate all else with peaches, plum and dried apricots; Palate: the fruits waste no time coming out on the palate, though they are immediately accompanied by sweet spices like ginger, cardamom and liquorice; the oak makes its presence felt with some earthy notes, wet leaves and clove; fresh peaches, strawberries and dried apricots also emerge with some stronger notes of coffee bean, candie...
A Beer Posting to Keep the Wine and Whisky One's Company!
Posted on November 5, 2012
As many of you know we aren't just a wine store... that may be the bulk of our business, but we also specialize in Scotch Whisky and Beer. Our beer selection is one of the best in town, focussing on microbrewed, craft, import and other specialty beers. Here's a little taste of what we have to offer:Samuel Smith's Yorkshire Stingo: Some of the oak casks at Samuel Smith’s date back more than a century with individual oak staves being replaced by the Old Brewery coopers over the years. Over time the casks change and develop absorbing some of the beer's character while giving some of its own. The ale is fermented in stone Yorkshire squares, and is aged for at least a year in the well-used oak casks. The casks rest in the brewery’s underground cellars. They add fruit, raisin, treacle toffee, Christmas pudding and light oaky flavors to the beer which is then bottle conditioned before its final release. Tasting Note:Pours reddish brown. The aroma and flavors are complex with rich raisins, dates, figs, plums, cherries, oak, vanilla, caramel, toffee and bread. Medium bodied, and a rare exceptional offering from Samuel Smith. $13.99
Fuller 1845 Celebration Ale: is a true landmark in British beer history. Although brewing at Griffin Brewery on the banks of the River Thames dates back to 1654, the partnership of Fuller, Smith and Turner was formed in 1845. In 1995, to commemorate the company's 150th anniversary, Fuller's commissioned special, celebration ale. The 1845 Celebration Ale was the result. A more auspicious beginning the brew could not have had; the inaugural beer's hops were added to the copper by none other than His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, during a royal visit to the Fuller's brewery! Its launch was so successful that 1845 quickly became the number one bottle conditioned brand in the UK. Tasting note: Pours amber with a nose of sweet English malt, dark fruit and yeast. A full flavoured brew; malty & doughy with sweet fruit, raisins and plums, followed by a sturdy hop backing, very smooth with good carbonation. $4.79
Birrificio Del Ducato New Morning: Inspired by the beauty of a new spring morningwhere the first rays of sun warm the blossoming flowers. New Morning is a bottle fermented beer based on the Belgian Saison style. The surprising spiciness is the result of wildflowers (including chamomile) and other ingredients like: cilantro, green pepper and ginger. The beer has exceptional floral aromas with a spicy & dry finish. Tasting Note:Pours a hazy orange with a thick, dense white head. The aroma is complex and spicy upfront with notes of herbs, yeast, white pepper, coriander and honey. The sweet malt base has very light doughy notes followed by spicy dry coriander & chamomile on the finish. $6.99
...
Recent Posts
- Day 25 - KWM 2025 This Is Still Not An Advent Calendar
- Day 24 - KWM 2025 This Is Still Not An Advent Calendar
- Day 23 - KWM 2025 This Is Still Not An Advent Calendar
- Day 22 - KWM 2025 This Is Still Not An Advent Calendar
- Day 21 - KWM 2025 This Is Still Not An Advent Calendar
- Day 20 - KWM 2025 This Is Still Not An Advent Calendar
- Day 19 - KWM 2025 This Is Still Not An Advent Calendar
- Day 18 - KWM 2025 This Is Still Not An Advent Calendar
- Day 17 - KWM 2025 This Is Still Not An Advent Calendar
- Day 16 - KWM 2025 This Is Still Not An Advent Calendar