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Wine Gift Club Selections for July

Posted on September 22, 2017

Here are the Wine picks for our July Gift Club Members:

Verum Pinot Noir Patagonia 2016
Argentina - Rio Negro Province - Red
From a small boutique winery that is still family owned. This Pinot Noir comes from Patagonia, Argentina's southernmost tip. Pour this one for Burgundy fans - we think they'll be as impressed as us. With notes of cherries, clay and spice, it's a winner paired with duck, chicken, turkey or lamb

Hen House Ruffled Red Blend
Canada - Okanagan Valley - Red
Trust Red Rooster, one of our favourite Okanagan wineries, to come up with a wine called Hen House Ruffled Feathers. Made from the classic Bordeaux blend: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, this is a very easy drinking red. There won't be any ruffled feathers when you serve this one to guests, or just keep it to yourself for a Friday night dinner.

Giocato Sauvignon Blanc 2015
Slovenia  - White
Yet another fantastic wine from Slovenia! This gorgeous Sauvignon Blanc, "softly aromatic quality wine. Its soft fragrance is reminiscent of elder blossoms, dried grass and kiwi, which is complemented by the soft aroma of melon and ripe pear. In the mouth, it gives a smooth, fresh taste; it is medium bodied with a nicely pronounced acidity. In other words, chill a bottle, open it up and enjoy!

Benjamin Bridge Tidal Bay 2016
Canada - Nova Scotia - White
Celebrating Canada's 150th, and looking for something extra-special? Look no further than this off-dry white wine from Nova Scotia's Benjamin Bridge. This award-winning winery is quickly becoming legendary around the world for its well-crafted, beautiful white wines, such as this one. Incidentally, Tidal Bay is also the name of the province's first appellation, and any wine bearing this on the label must be made from 100 percent Nova Scotia-grown fruit.



We pick a variety of unique bottles for our gift club members each month. More information about our Gift Club for both Wine and Beer take a look here....

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SMWS Canada July 2017 Outturn

Posted on July 8, 2017

July is here and we are currently entrenched in the long and hot days portion of summer. Being that this is Calgary we will likely see rain, hail, and a freak snowstorm soon but for the time being at least we can enjoy the outdoors and bar patios and barbeques.

The only reason to be inside is an occasion such as this: The July Outturn for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of Canada. What a reason though! This month's lineup includes TWO single malts that are at least 25 years of age. There is a twenty-year gap between the youngest and the oldest bottle tasted. There is an Islay bottle that was tasted second in the lineup instead of last. Has the world gone mad?

Perhaps. It is Stampede time so everything - at least here in Cowtown - is a little more topsy-turvy than usual so keep that in mind.  By next month we might return to calmer waters but for now, we should all enjoy this outturn with its generation gap of ages on the bottles and the vast spice notes and vibrant, big flavour contained therein!

Cheers,
Evan

Here are the six new SMWS bottles in the order tasted:



48.83 - "...AND THE LIVING'S EASY"
This 13 year old Speysider is 56.1% after maturing in a 1st fill barrel
Flavour profile: Light & delicate
Outturn: 120 bottles
Panel's tasting note: "Fresh, sweet and fruity aromas of apricot Danish, poached pears in honey, French apple tart, buttery shortbread and a melon medley salad in a citrus ginger dressing gave us all that ‘summer time and the living’s easy’ feeling. To taste; citric with the slightest touch of spice like pear Calvados liqueur served over refreshing mint and lime sorbet. Water added a creamy mango and lime smoothie, foamy bananas and the freshness of glacier mints, while on the taste deliciously easy drinking like a Pineapple Fluff cocktail; white coconut flavoured rum, pineapple and banana juice with the final ingredient being Midori melon liqueur."
Drinking tip: "Summer time, either reality or fantasy"
$149.99

10.101 - A STORM CLOUD OF FLOWERS
From Islay, this 9 year old spent its life in a refill barrel and is 60.9%
Flavour proflle: Young & spritely
Outturn: 204 bottles
Panel's tasting note: "A sweetly perfumed and floral cloud gave way to puffs of wheat breakfast cereal, salted caramel and sawdust in a dunnage warehouse before condensing into heavier dried papaya, samphire and Turkish delight in a sandalwood box. The texture was superbly rich and mouth coating with a buttery oiliness of shortcrust pastry and lifted sweetness of maple syrup in Earl Grey tea with lemon peel. Water released a complex interplay between sweet orange, vanilla ice cream, tuna steaks and leather alongside sweet and salty popcorn with a refreshing finish of Fisherman’s Friends and tangy wood spices."
Drinking tip: "Prep...

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New Beers June 15, 2017

Posted on July 1, 2017

Howdy again all you beer fans!
Another week, another carefully selected, and soon-to-be extensively tasted, truckload of new beers! I’ve got a whole bunch of new stuff for you all, plus some exciting returns!
Before I start I want to give you a heads up that I recently tapped a new Outcast keg, a Bridge Brewing keg, a Dieu du ciel keg AND a Bench Creek keg! You can check out the selection here!

Keep reading for more deliciousness.
Day Break White IPA by Powell Street: All the lovely yeasty, spicy tones of a Belgian wit, and all the fruity hop aromas and bitterness of your favourite IPA, this beer covers both bases. A soft, pillowy wheaty base holds all the goodies for you, including mild coriander and clove, mild citrus, with that malty sweetness poking up throughout! ($9.19 for a 650mL bottle)
150 Heritage Ale by Lighthouse: Celebrate Canada's 150th in style! Lighthouse dedicates this maple, smoky, rye strong ale to this lovely country and it's 150 years! Malty and moderately sweet, with hints of maple, smoke, and spice. Bold, powerful, but gentle (remind you of a certain country?). ($11.49 for a 650mL bottle but it's 15% off for Canada day weekend!)
Thunder Punch IPA by Phillips: This is a New England style (even if they don't say it in their description). Phillips brings you this hazy, silky bodied IPA with loads of juicy hops. Mango, Citrus and passionfruit tones on a grainy, soft, mildly sweet base. ($7.99 for a 650mL bottle)
The Last Aurochs by Driftwood: The Last Aurochs is a classic Weizenbock style, with a robust malty base, fermented with Hefeweizen yeast. The result is a bready malt beer with big tonnes of banana, dark fruits and spice along with a big, semi-fluffy carbonation. ($10.59 for a 650mL bottle)
Rotbier by Schanzenbrau: We don't get new German beers on the market too often! Schanzenbrau's Rotbier is a delicious example of a German Red. Plenty of caramel and toffee notes, on a tasty but dry malty base, accompanied and finishing with a firm, crisp bitterness. ($5.99 for a 500mL bottle)
Helles by Schanzenbrau: Schanzenbrau's Helles is a bright, crisp lager. Vibrant floral and white bread aromas come through, followed by light melon, earth and spice tones, along with a dusty grain husk bitterness. ($5.99 for a 500mL bottle)
Hefeweizen by Rittmayer: Rittmayer brings this medium bodied, full flavoured Hefe to the table. Huge clove aromas cover part of an over ripe banana underneath. A robust wheaty malt holds everything up and keeps throwing off aromas! ($6.19 for  500mL bottle)
Quaywi Sour by Bridge: This is a kettle sour done with Kiwi Juice and Hull melon. It's dominated by a moderate sourness and a wheaty base. Mild Kiwi notes throughout, which are accentuated with the acidity. Finished decently dry with the tartness lingering. ($8.89 for a 650mL bottle)
Maple & Thistle Rye Ale by Innis & Gunn: Just in time for Canada'...

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Canadian Whisky

Posted on December 11, 2022

by Evan

When it comes to Canadian Spirits there are a lot of interesting events in the works right now. We have new craft and micro distilleries popping up across the country and even quite a few right here in Alberta. Many of these distilleries will experiment with whisky down the line - but for most, we have to hurry up and wait to see what whisky they will release years from now. There is a reason for that.

 

 

In order to state that your bottle is Canadian Whisky, the contents must have spent at least three years ageing in a wooden barrel no larger than 700 litres in size. It must be bottled at a minimum of 40% ABV.

 

With so many new distilleries coming online in the past few years there are a plethora barrels quietly ageing away in various distilleries and warehouses - patiently waiting for the opportunity to eventually be called whisky. There are some that are close:

 



Eau Claire Distillery in Turner Valley could actually release their first Single Malt Whisky this fall if they choose to do so. They will have barrel aged spirit that meets the 3-year minimum at that point. We will just have to wait and see if Eau Claire feels it is ready for release when that happens… They also do Gin, Vodka and some cool limited releases seasonally.





Dubh Glas Distillery in Oliver, BC just celebrated it's 2nd birthday this June. Kensington Wine Market has its own barrel ageing there. It just passed the one-year of age mark. In the meantime, grab their Noteworthy Gin when you can.





Our store also has a barrel with Last Best Brewery and Distillery right here in Calgary. It is about seven months old right now. They also have excellent beer by the keg and are starting to release their Gins as well.


Shelter Point Distillery on Vancouver Island has sold out of it first Single Malt whisky release. We should be getting the 2nd edition from them later this year.


Two Brewers in the Yukon continue putting out very interesting and limited small batches of Single Malt. Releases 4 and 5 are available now. Release 6 should be just around the corner.



So what do these distilleries sell in the meantime if they do not yet have whisky to sell? Typically they sell clear spirits such as gin and vodka. Park Distillery does these and more as seen with the first bottle we tasted in the lineup:

 



 

Park Distillery Glacier Rye
As mentioned above - Park Distillery is located in Banff. It is actually a Restaurant which happens to also have a micro-distillery operating within. It is definitely worth a visit and a tour if when you have a chance to head ...

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Cool Climate Wines of the South Seas

Posted on July 1, 2017

Presented by Abigail
Our Summer Solstice tasting was a huge success with some clear favorites: Alkoomi Blackbutt  Cabernet Sauvignon, Frankland, West Australia the #1 pick followed by Grosset Alea Riesling, Clare Valley, Australia. Here is the lineup from the tasting:


Dunes & Greene Pinot-Chardonnay Brut
Hightide Vineyard, Eden Valley, AustraliaEden Valley shares its western boundary with the Barossa Valley wine region and is well known for producing high quality Riesling and Shiraz wines.  Within the Eden Valley region there is a sub-region called High Eden which is located higher in the Barossa Ranges, giving cooler temperatures.
This bottle of bubbles is made from a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir it shows delicate aromas of lemon zest, fresh strawberries and cream. On the palate, look for Chardonnay flavors of subtle citrus notes and fresh acidity. The Pinot Noir complements this by adding richness and texture. The result is a full flavoured sparkling wine with a refined finish. Enjoy with appetizers, seafood, Chinese takeout or just when you feel like some bubbles. $18.49
Flametree Embers Sauvignon Blanc
Margaret River, West Australia
Margaret River is the foremost wine growing region in the South West Australia Zone, with nearly 55 square kilometres (21 sq mi) under vine and over 138 wineries as at 2008. A Mediterranean-style climate, lacking extreme summer and winter temperatures, provides ideal growing conditions. The climate is described as similar to that of Bordeaux in a dry vintage.
This is a crisp, zingy and refreshing white wine is made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes. It's just what you want on a patio on a hot day, or enjoy as an aperitif at your next dinner party. And what's a Flametree, you ask? It's a type of tree that you can find in Australia, which blooms with bright orange, flame-like flowers. $23.99
Richmond Plains Blanc De Noir
Nelson, New Zealand
The Nelson Wine Region is located at the north end of the South island. Benefiting from a sunny, maritime climate, the picturesque valley vineyards of Nelson yield some of New Zealand’s most freshly scented, intensely flavoured Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, as well as vibrant, supple Pinot Noir.
Blanc de Noir is a white wine made from a red wine grape — in this case, Pinot Noir. This beauty comes from Richmond Plains, a well-respected New Zealand producer. It's aromatic and lovely, with notes of citrus flowers, pears, nectarine and spice! Check it out! $29.99
Moss Wood Chardonnay
Margaret River, West Australia
Oh yes, such a lovely wine — and an impressive 93 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, too! The review: "The 2014 Chardonnay, which saw 100% malolactic fermentation, has a pronounced and seductive, honeyed-peach and marzipan nose with a cinnamon toast and ginger undercurrent. Apple tart, as well as yeasty ...

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