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1257 Kensington Road NW
1 (403) 283-8000 / atyourservice@kensingtonwinemarket.com
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This is our 4th single cask of Highland Park, from our friends at Berry Bros. & Rudd. They can't be quite so explicit about this as we can, but let's be honest, there are only 2 distilleries in the Orkneys, and production was all but non-existent at Scapa in the early 2000s. Any way, this cask was distilled on the mainland of the "Orkney" archipelago in 2003, filled into a Sherry Butt (Berry's Cask No.1), and matured for 17 years before bottling at 59.9% in 2021. It is almost 50% stronger than the Highland Park 18 Year, and about 15% cheaper... that and its awesome. Would we ever bottle it if it were not?!
700ml mlAndrew's Tasting Note
Nose: nutty with dark fruits, coal smoke, and sea breeze; big Oloroso sherry tones with notes of damp leather, dark bakers chocolate and Cuban cigar tobacco; grilled dates, fig jam, and candied orange; marzipan coated in chocolate, floral heather honey and classic gentle Orcadian peat.
Palate: big, rich, and earthy; bold oloroso sherry notes lock antlers with firm peat; dark bakers chocolate, Cuban cigars, damp new leather, and Dutch licorice; more grilled dates, fig jam, and prunes; chocolate-covered espresso beans; the peat is earthy but balanced; candied orange, crisp spices, and savory salty tones to round things out.
Finish: rich, coating, and very sherried with more firm Orcadian peat; more leather, chocolate, licorice and dark fruits.
Comment: this is nothing like our last couple of Berry's "Orkney" single malts, it is much more sherried and closer to the Highland Park house style; regardless this is a lovely expression, everything I wish the HP18 could be, and more!
Producer Tasting Note
"This sherry butt has achieved the trick balance of peat and sherry beautifully, aromas of cigar boxes, leather and honey abound. The palate delivers a near perfect Orcadian whisky blanacing dried figs, dates and prunes with peat smoke and complex floral notes. This superlative whisky finishes with clove rock and more rich fruits."
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One of our favourite independent bottlers, Berry Bros. & Rudd is a stored London-based firm which has resided at #3 St. James Street, a stone's throw from St. James Palace, since 1698. Primarily a wine merchant, they have also played a prominent role in the Scotch whisky industry. In addition to founding the Cutty Sark Blend, and managing the Glenrothes brand for 30 years, BBR is also an independent bottler. We have long been impressed not only by the quality of their independent bottlings, but also their value!
Berry Bros. & Rudd in Their Own Words
With two Royal Warrants and more than 300 years of history, Berry Bros. & Rudd is Britain’s original wine and spirits merchant.
We can trace our history back to 1698, when an enterprising woman called the Widow Bourne started an “Italian grocer’s” at No.3 St James’s Street, selling tea, snuff, spices and the most fashionable drink of the day, coffee. The sign of the coffee mill still hangs outside our premises at No.3 today, in tribute to our roots.
In due course, our focus shifted to something a little bit stronger. As wine became important to the business, so too did spirits, and we started bottling casks under our label in the early 19th century, making us Britain’s oldest independent spirits bottler. Three centuries on, the family business continues to flourish, with its heart still very much at No.3.
While much has changed over the years, we are still owned and managed by members of the Berry and Rudd families, and we continue to supply the British Royal Family, as we have done since the reign of King George III. We still, from time to time, weigh customers on a giant set of coffee scales, a tradition which began in the 1760s, with Lord Byron, William Pitt and Beau Brummell among those who have had their weights recorded in our ledgers. Most importantly, we still believe that everything you should look for in a wine or spirit comes down to one simple question: “Is it good to drink?”
$219.99
It is finally here... we have been teasing and talking about this whisky for months, and it was worth the wait. We are thrilled to introduce you to our first ever KWM exlcusive single cask from That Boutique-y Whisky Company. Although the bottle doesn't explicitly tell you which "Highland" distillery the whisky is from, there are clues on the label... 578 bottles have been filled exclusively for Kensington Wine Market at 51%. But we have nothing holding us back from telling you that Boutique-y Highland #2 is Clynelish... That's right, this is 20 year old Clynelish!
Andrew's Note on the Whisky & Label
Could that be a cat in the clouds, a Wild Highland Cat perhaps? Is it not strange to see a waxy candle-powered balloon? Incidentally, it is lifting the KWM whisky team aloft. And what of the monument? If we told you it was a controversial monument near the town of Golspie dedicated to the infamous Duke of Sutherland, would that give you all the information you need to know? What Highland Distillery has a Wild Highland Cat as its symbol, a waxy profile, and an infamous Duke as its founder?
This label is a cheeky take on a shared memory, with embellishments, embedded details, and Easter eggs, in the tradition of the best Boutique-y Whisky Company Labels. More importantly, it tells a story, which is personally important to my family. My mother was born into the Clann Gunn in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. Her ancestors roamed swaths of what is now Caithness and Sutherland in northern Scotland. That is until they were compelled to leave Scotland in the late 18th century, cruelly and rudely displaced to make way for sheep during the early days of the Highland Clearances.
On the label there is a ship at sea, heading to Canada presumably, as hinted at by the flags (the Canadian flag as it is today was only introduced in 1965). On the flat coastal plain at the base of the mountains sheep can be seen grazing. In front of the monument stand a pair of Canadians stand in hockey jerseys. Sam Simmons, Head of Whisky at Atom Brands, and a native Torontonian, stands closest to the monument in what appears to be a hockey jersey. Further back, a native Calgarian, yours truly can be seen waving a white hat, an iconic symbol of "Cowtown", whilst sporting a local hockey team jersey of his own. In the balloon Keith, Evan, Shawn & Curt can be seen waving at Andrew & Sam below. Speaking of those two, what are they doing atop Ben Bhraggie? Funny story that.
When TBWC offered us this cask of Highland Malt, they asked us what we wanted on the label, and I had a cheeky idea. In 2006 I made my first trip to Scotland, and on that trip, I hiked up Ben Bhraggie, a small mountain (really a foothill by Canadian standards) to see the monument of the infamous Duke. Someone had spraypainted the word "Monster" in neon green at the base. When I was sure no one was looking I dropped trow and relieved myself on it. I sent Sam an email of this tale, my connection to the area and my idea for the label. I was sure it was just a little too edgy...
Minutes later my phone was ringing... it was 3 AM in the UK, but Sam wanted to make sure I had seen his reply. He too had hiked Ben Bhraggie in 2005, and he had also paid his own respects to the infamous Duke of Sutherland...
One last little nugget, Keith, who is a personal trainer and headed to Beijing as a Team Canada Skeleton coach, felt his arm didn't look appropriately burly, in an early draft of the label. So we had the artist, Emily Chappell, 'bugs bunny' his arm... In case it isn't already apparent, nothing is sacred (especially when it comes to The Duke of Sutherland and Keith's pipes)!
And the rest as they say is history. On the back of every bottle, That Boutique-y Whisky Company includes the following text: "We are passionate about great whisky, we don't take ourselves too seriously and we LOVE a good story." No wonder these chaps are such a great fit to work with!
$154.99
This 2009 Inchgower was matured in an ex-Oloroso sherry cask for 13 years, before bottling at 54.2% exclusively for Kensington Wine Market.
$262.49
One of the world's finest spirits, Highland Park 18 Year has been a benchmark whisky for decades. It is bottled at 43% after maturing predominantly in first-fill sherry seasoned European and American oak casks.
Producer Description
"Named Best Spirit in the World in the Spirit Journal, on two separate occasions, the intense balance of the flavours found in VIKING PRIDE owes everything to our five traditional keystones of production, honoured for over 220 years. Slow-burning, aromatic peat from Hobbister Moor; hand turned floor maltings, Sherry seasoned European oak casks, cool maturation in our temperate island climate and a long and unhurried harmonisation process. Like our founder, Magnus Eunson, we share our Viking ancestors’ commitment to skilled craftsmanship as well as their proud, independent spirit."
Highland Park, the northernmost of Scotland's distilleries, dates back to 1798. Definitely an island style with typical smokiness, but with elements of a classic single malt that include a smoothness, roundness and heather-honey accent all its own. Very capable of developing to great ages, the distillery is now making available some older vintages which display considerable depth and richness. Consistently one of the best single malts in the world. Heather & honey on the nose, w/ hints of sap, peat, smoke & fresh oak. Lightly salty on the palate with layers of flavor. Amazing finish.
$104.99
Valknut is the second release in Highland Park's Viking Legend series. Produced from a higher proportion of spirit peated with Orkney malt and predominantly matured in Sherry seasoned casks, Valknut is said to be a sweeter and smokier take on Highland Park. Bottled without added colouring at 46.8%.
Producer's Description
"Created using a higher proportion of our local peated malt and predominantly matured in sherry seasoned oak casks to give this whisky its smoky, sweet flavour, "VALKNUT is the second in our Viking Legend series, celebrating our rich Nordic ancestry here on Orkney.
"Valknut means ‘knot of those slain in battle’ and its symbol of three interlinked triangles appears on numerous artefacts from the Viking Age. The symbol is closely associated with the Norse god, Odin, who guided the spirits of the dead to the underworld and back to the world of the living, and is believed to represent the transition from life to death or the connection between earthly life and heavenly life."
