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Scotch Malt Whisky Society of Canada June 2020 Outturn

Posted on November 13, 2023

by Evan

For those of you that have been hiding under a rock (a wise choice) during the Covid-19 pandemic, here are a few important links for your perusal to help get you caught up on the past few months Outturn-wise:

This is a list of all April 2020 Outturn bottles still available.

This is a list of all May 2020 Outturn bottles still available.

This is a link to the Dram Association's awesome and informative video where they run through the June Outturn. It is definitely worth a watch, and they have videos for the April and May Outturns as well if you want to take a deep dive.

Tools like this can be crucial in the time we are in since we have not been able to host tastings and we do not have most of the bottles open to sample people on due to that. I deeply feel the absence of hosting the in-store SMWS Outturn tastings, and I miss interacting with all of you that attend dearly. Hopefully, we can figure out a way to run an online version for future Outturns, but we haven't quite reached that yet. We will possibly get our ducks in a row and be able to offer something of that ilk soon...

Before I get teary of eye and runny of nose thinking about what I cannot do right now, I had better focus on what I can. Since I cannot do it in person, I can at least annoy from afar with my own tasting notes on the June 2020 SMWS Outturn of six fresh new bottles. Here are my thoughts on what you have to look forward to in purchasing one of these fine emerald beauties:

66.159 - This is bizarre - not only do we have an Ardmore at the start of the lineup, we also have an Ardmore that is not donning a light or dark green cap colour-wise. The SMWS characterizes this is sweet, fruity, and mellow. Could it be an entirely unpeated 66? Is that even done? Let's see! On the nose, it is earthy and honeyed with roasted peanuts, Cracker Jack popcorn, plus peaches and cream. The palate gives an oily texture along with a salty and spicy tingle. More of that Cracker Jack note something through along with honey, graham crackers and baked apple crumble. It is a touch drying on the finish like peanut skins and Golden Grahams cereal without milk. The salty, spicy and sweet notes keep your mouth watering. I do not detect any peat, and I am shocked by that. This veers into Old Pulteney territory style-wise for me, though a bit richer on the palate. Very surprising for an Ardmore!

95.32 - This is the first time seeing a 95 from the SMWS Canada, so it could be interesting. Beyond the occasional old and overpriced official bottlings and some younger inexpensive bottlings from Cadenhead, you don't see Auchroisk distillery bottlings every day. How does this one stack up? Well, on the nose shows some of that very high ABV (66%!) as well as lots of cereal and floral notes. Chamomile and vanilla jump out for me. On...

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Scotch Malt Whisky Society of Canada May 2020 Outturn Part 2

Posted on November 7, 2021

by Evan

Part 1 of the May 2020 SMWS Outturn can be found here

Better late than never is the motto I have been living by recently, as evidenced by how long it has taken me to get May's SMWS Outturn blog posts out! Here is part two of the SMWS Canada May 2020 Outturn, which features the final three bottles in the lineup. If you are playing catch-up (like me), you can find my blog post on the first four bottles here. Enough with the preamble lets jump right in!

68.29 - This guy is fairly clean on the nose with some vanilla and baked pastries along with floral notes. The palate gives a spicy tingle but is also very juicy and mouthwatering before drying out a touch on the finish. A bit of herbs and saltiness in there accent the juicy notes of pears, plums, and those tapioca balls used in bubble tea. Maybe a touch subtle on the nose at the start, but I really enjoy the taste of this one.

13.65 - Lots of wood and tea notes up front for me on this one. I get spearmint, chamomile, granola and elderflower on the nose along with a dash of ripe citrus. There is a bit of musty dunnage and minerality in there too. The palate is juicy and fruity with some spice and then a nuttiness on the finish. Juicy as in Juicy Fruit Gum flavour-wise, along with sweet potato, candied carrots, pomelo and apricots. Adam Bradshaw from the Victoria SMWS shop mentioned that he enjoyed this one, and I can see why. Once again, it is lovely to see a naked Dalmore from the SMWS. The distillery makes good whisky when it isn't Pattersoned to oblivion!

137.2 - Oh boy. I think a lot of people were waiting for this guy. We were lucky enough to see an excellent peated English Whisky Company bottling from Cadenhead recently at KWM. It sold out fairly quickly - I wonder how this guy will compare? The nose is like the ashes left from a doused fire, along with some nicely seasoned wood, menthol, sea kelp and lavender. Like being next to a chain smoker that is wearing a revitalizing face mask. But more attractive. On the palate it is ash and wood, lemon curd, a dash of brine, Fisherman's Friends, and crispy Pancetta. Tasty stuff.

That is all from me, for now. Read on below for the SMWS tasting notes and pricing.

Cheers,
Evan
evan@kensingtonwinemarket.com
Twitter and Instagram: @sagelikefool
Instagram: one part of @kwmwhisky

Here is Part 2 of the May 2020 Outturn

68.29 - SCOTTISH TRIFLE WITH ITALIAN LIQUEUR
This 10 year old from the Highlands comes in at 55.7% and was matured in a refill hogshead.
Flavour profile: Juicy, oak & vanilla.
Outturn: 296 bottles.
Panel's tasting note: "Some of us got on the nose neat vanilla custard, Victoria sponge cake and lilies of the v...

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Scotch Malt Whisky Society of Canada May 2020 Outturn Part 1

Posted on November 7, 2021

by Evan

Part Two of the May 2020 Outturn can be found here

Month three of Social Distancing is here, but so is part of the SMWS Canada May 2020 Outturn! The release is working a wee bit differently this month, as it has been broken up into two parts. The first four bottles below are part one. The second part with see three more bottles released mid May. Stay tuned!

A few things that you should be aware are happening - you know - beyond the obvious:

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society has been killing it on the social media front over the past month. I am talking both about our own Canada Chapter (@smwscanada on Twitter and Instagram) and the SMWS UK as well!

Both have been engaging with members online through Zoom Meetings, Instagram and YouTube Tastings, and almost daily Twitter Discussions. If you want to learn more about the SMWS or want to interact with your fellow whisky lovers, definitely give @smwscanada a follow on Twitter.

The SMWS Headquarters in the UK (Twitter / Instagram)have been putting out everything from printable colouring pages to Find Your Spirit Animal/Society Flavour Profile quizzes. I am apparently a Great Cormorant which makes sense since I love that oily & coastal style. You can find out what you are here.

Like last month, take a look at The Dram Association's awesome Youtube rundown of these four bottles as well. Those lads are great!

Before I leave you with the SMWS notes on these four bottles, allow me a moment to inflict my own thoughts on them upon you:

58.33 - The nose and palate both give off nice fruit and pastry notes - I get a lovely combination of lemon tarts, earl grey macaroons, blanched almonds and a touch of ginger ale. There is a light spice and dryness on the finish which makes sense given the name.

16.39 - Wow. SEVENTEEN YEARS in a Port Pipe before being finished in a puncheon? That sounds like a recipe for an over the top chewy beast of a dram. Yet somehow, it isn't. The chewiness is evident, but the cinnamon stick and licorice notes are a treat. This is like a high ABV version of mulled apple cider. It is big, yet somehow understated for all of the pomp and circumstance that the two casks used should evoke. This is a mindbogglingly good dram.

OLD FASHIONED - Speaking of cask weirdness, here is the blended malt. Old Fashioned is bottled at what seems to be the SMWS standard for blends: 50% ABV. The nose is tangy apricot jam, brown sugar, cinnamon, Orange Crush soda, and well-worn in leather. For me that palate transitions soda-wise into slightly flat ginger ale, fuzzy peach candies, and orange wedge stabbed with cloves and garnished in a snifter of Benedictine plus a slight spicy-yet-cooling minty-ness. Or is that cucumber. Wait... Pimms?!?. I can't tell anymore. These notes are g...

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Scotch Malt Whisky Society of Canada April 2020 Outturn

Posted on November 13, 2023

by Evan

As I write this, it has only been 22 days since I started writing my blog post for the SMWS March 2020 Outturn. That feels like way more than a year ago. I think we all probably feel like we have aged more than a year over the past three or so weeks. Who knew that the planet could turn so completely upside down in such a short period of time - at least not without some form of war or a nuclear holocaust or both? Given neither of those things has happened as well (knock on wood), I guess should count ourselves relatively lucky?

What has transpired has definitely been a game-changer for all of us, if not in a permanent manner then at least for the short to medium term. We are all stuck in this fog and none of us know exactly when it will lift yet. For me, and for KWM it hurts. We as a store rely on tastings, in general, to showcase and sell the bottles that we bring in, and the seven new bottles brought in for the SMWS Canada Outturn each month the prime example of this. Not being able to host the SMWS tastings at the beginning of April means it is more difficult for people to taste them and in turn harder to entice members to purchase said bottles.

Selfishly, it also means that I don't get to hold an audience captive in our tiny tasting room as we work our way through the lineup. That hurts me a lot personally. I enjoy the comradery of the groups that attend and the discussions that ensue as we work our way through each dram blind. I have always considered myself to be an introvert, so the amount that I will miss doing these tastings surprises me somewhat. I didn't really understand how much I craved that kind of social attention.

Hopefully, we will get back to normal in the future, or some version of normal in which we can all get together and listen to me blather on about the nonsense I nose and taste in the glass. Doing this without an audience at home just isn't as much fun. Sharing the whisky and my own version of nonsense with some like minds is what makes it so much fun. So, let's raise a glass to a future in which we can do that safely again!

If you are not interested in my own thoughts on each of the seven new bottles, you may instead want to check out this Youtube video from the Victorian chaps at the Dram Association. This crew wears many hats (and many ties it seems) and are gifted in ways I could only hope to be. Check out their reveal of the SMWS Canada April 2020 lineup here.

But enough about them, let's get back to me. Here are my thoughts on the April 2020 SMWS Canada Outturn.

Like last month, April gives us a very affordable Outturn. There is only one bottle north of two hundred bucks this month and three (!) that are less than $140. Below are some more details:

72.67 - Miltonduff typically has some nice fruit notes, and this one is no exception. Wood notes to be found right ...

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Italian Job

Posted on March 14, 2020

by Abigail

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Italian wine. Itâ€™s incredible to see the diversity of the grapes, the regions and the wine styles in Italy; there is a wine for every occasion! But, I feel like only a handful or so Italian grapes get the recognition. For this tasting, I decided to focus more on the unknown grapes of Italy that are just as good (if not, better) as Sangiovese or Pinot Grigio.

Barone Pizzini Franciacorta Rose 2014
Oh Franciacorta, one of my favourites! This is THE CHAMPAGNE of Italy (sorry Prosecco). Based in the modest region of Lombardy, Franciacorta wines show just as much elegance and complexity as their French counterparts. The wine goes through the same process (traditional method) as Champagne and they also focus on the similar grapes (Pinot Nero, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanco) creating wines with a similar premise, but unique character. The Barone Pizzini Rose 2014 is one of my favourites on the market right now. A blend of Pinot Nero and Chardonnay that spends 40 months on lees and 6 months in barriques, this wine has complexity beyond its price point. This sensual and idyllic expression of Pinot Noir is transformed into notes of underbrush, currant, and blueberry together with hints of rose petal in the glass. The structure and balance of this wine are interwoven in a lingering tension between its rich flavour and acidity. Barone Pizzini was also the first Franciacorta producer to be 100% Organic!

Belisario Pecorino
Pecorino needs to be the new replacement for Pinot Grigio, seriously! Itâ€™s fresh, vibrant and can easily be consumed on a patio in the summer. Situated in the beautifully picturesque valley of the Esino River, Cantina Belisario is full of wonder. It's a winery focusing on the breathtakingly humble traditions of the Marche region, producing native grapes such as Verdicchio, Pecorino, Passerina and Lacrima. Their wines speak stories of their home, telling tails of the terroir, tradition and showcasing their enlightening complexity.

Marche is one of the smaller Italian regions, responsible for producing only about 2% of Italyâ€™s total wine volume. Even so, Marche is in the lead for organic agriculture, continuously producing upwards of 22% of Italyâ€™s total organic wine production, an impressive feat for this modest region. Belisario is much the same, only focusing on organic agriculture, letting the grapes grow as they need.

Oddero Langhe Bianco Collaretto
Oddero is one of the most historical wineries in Barolo. Dating back to the end of the 18th century, Oddero was one of the first to officially bottle Barolo wines. They also produce only organic wines, which is not a small feat for a legendary producer like themselves.
Like stated earlier, I wanted to showcase some other wine styles from Italy. This Chardonnay/Riesling blend is fresh and vibrant, y...

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