Newsletter
Sign up for our newsletter for information on our latest products and promotions.
Sign up for our newsletter for information on our latest products and promotions.
Please confirm that you are of legal age
to purchase alcohol in your region.
You currently have an active checkout session
open already, would you like to clear it?
1257 Kensington Road NW
1 (403) 283-8000 / atyourservice@kensingtonwinemarket.com
This is our 12th KWM exclusive Arran single cask, 13th if you count the cask we did for the Companions of the Quaich...It was distilled in 2009 and matured in a single Sherry Hogshead cask #838, before botting at 11 years and 57.1%. At the bargain price of $125, this is a cracker of a dram!
700 mlAndrew's Tasting Note
Nose: dunnage warehouses and sherry casks; soft leather, Christmas cake, and dark chocolate rise first, followed by Christmas spices, juicy malt, and a hint of peat; Wine Gums and Jujubes to round things out.
Palate: rich, earthy, and malty with a lovely balance of sherry and peat; more Christmas cake, polished new leather, Dominican cigars, and espresso beans; dark baker's chocolate, more Jujubes, and Wine Gums with a touch of tropical fruits too: mango and papaya; spices galore: Christmas baking spices, cinnamon sticks, and star anise.
Finish: long, coating, and rich with layers of peat, chocolate. spices and fruits.
Comment: tasted blind you might be tempted to think this is an old Ileach; it is hard to believe this is just 11 years old as it has the elegance of a much older whisky; a fine balance of gentle peat, sherry, and malt; with the bottled product finally here, nearly 9 months after we first selected the cask, I can see clearly why we were so excited about this young Arran!
$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!
May Clynelish's waxiness never wane!
$224.99
The 18 year old Arran was added to the distillery's core range in 2016 for its 21st anniversary. Bottled at 46%, un-Chillfiltered and with no colouring added, the Arran 18 year old is created predominantly from carefully selected first and second-fill Ex-Sherry casks. Rich, fruity with some soft spices in style, the 18 year year old Arran represents a great value for its age. The new packaging looks good, but I still love the old one! #torn The current release was bottled 05/09/25.
$114.99
Bottled at 48% after finishing (presumably) in "Spanish Sherry casks," the whisky is rumoured to hail from the Ardbeg Distillery; but we can't really be sure!
$219.99
Limit of 1 per customer!
This is the old 18 year we knew and loved, 3 years older still. Matured exclusively in ex-Sherry casks, and bottled at 46% without added colouring or chill-filtering. Only around 6,000 bottles released per year, sourced exclusively from first fill ex-Sherry casks. Exceptionally good value for a whisky of it's age and quality! The current bottling was filled 14/09/21.
Producer Description
"We are proud to introduce the Arran 21-year-old as a permanent part of our core range. This is one of the oldest expressions of our Arran Single Malt to date. Our long-awaited 21-year-old has now joined our core range of Single Malt whiskies. This is truly the jewel in Arran Single Malt's crown and is 100% matured in a mix of some of the oldest Sherry Butts from our distillery. This precious liquid is presented in a beautiful gift box with the finest attention to detail which ensures a real treat for the owner of this special whisky, each time to pick it up to enjoy a dram."
