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1257 Kensington Road NW
1 (403) 283-8000 / atyourservice@kensingtonwinemarket.com
As part of the MS Society Savour Campaign, we will donate 10% of the total sales of this product between November 24 and December 24 to the MS Society of Canada!
Our third KWM exclusive single cask of Tomatin was distilled in 2006, matured in a French Oak Hogshead (Cask 33306) and bottled after 15 years, 10 months and 10 days at 57.3%. Only 288 bottles, exclusively available from your friends at KWM!
One other note, the price... due to inflation, logistics and whiskyflation (I'm taking credit for that word...) you won't likely be seeing to many 15 year old KWM casks at this price moving forward. Things are getting crazy!
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: cigar tobacco, plush leather sofas and old Armagnac in a big brandy snifter; candied nuts, dark chocolate and decadent spices; strawberries dipped in chocolate, Turkish Delight, and Jujubes; Australian licorice, candy apple, and poached pear.
Palate: big, rich and lovely... wow... where to start; it hits with a lush buttery mouthfeel, warm but not sharp or rough; very decadent and toasty with treacle sauce, Demerara sugars, and more candied nuts; decadent spices: cinnamon hearts, candied ginger and fennel seed; strawberries dusted in granular sugar, mixed berry compote and baked white fruits; most Aussy licorice, dark chocolate, tobacco, leather and Armagnac are here too.
Finish: decadent, warming and fruity with loads of spice; silky and buttery with gently toasted oak; medium-long, balanced and complex.
Comment: you would think this was sherried if you didn't know any better...; that it is French oak makes lots of sense, it is so decadent and spicy; but was it wine seasoned? Shaved, toasted and re-charred? fact is we don't know... but what we do is that it is lovely!
$269.99
Our second ever, KWM exclusive Daftmill Cask is a 13 year old, matured in a First Fill Oloroso Butt (filled in 2011), before bottling at 58.9%. Daftmill is one of Scotland's smallest distilleries, it is literally a one-man show, and it only fills about 100 casks a year. Of the 100, the vast majority are ex-Bourbon Barrels, just a handful of sherry butts are filled each year, so it is a real honour to have been given the opportunity to bottle one. This is the first sherry matured Daftmill to come to Canada!
$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!