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1257 Kensington Road NW
1 (403) 283-8000 / atyourservice@kensingtonwinemarket.com
A sub $100 cask strength single cask? That's almost unheard of these days! Distilled December 1, 2009, the whisky was bottled at 58.3% on May 20, 2021, after maturing 11 years in an ex-Bourbon Barrel. Then it took a year to find its way to us... but it was worth the wait!
700ml mlAndrew's Tasting Note
Nose: sweet, ashy, and barnyard-y, classic Ardmore; there is a farmyard-y funk on the nose, I'm thinking an old-school dairy barn... it's cheesy too; Granny Smith apples, orange, and almond; there is smoke rising from a fire fueled with the dried-out wood of a century-old barn; like I said, an old-school farm; there is a slightly medicinal, salty, seafood-y note here... could this be yet another Ardmore from an ex-Laphroaig cask? Curt through out deet... maybe take this camping with you.
Palate: tarry, ashy and medicinal, with salted caramel and a hint of creosote; this has that distinctly south coast of Islay style to it, so I think my suspicions from the nose are being born out... ex-Laphroaig cask me thinks... the hay, proper aged Gouda, and barnyard-y tones are still there along with hickory and old wood smoke; orchard fruits to boot.
Finish: sweet, creamy, and cheesy, with fading smoky barnyard tones; white and citrus fruits at the very end.
Comment: we literally have a barn burner here... both for the price and the profile; I'm picturing a farmer's wife in a ruffled apron on the porch, ringing an old-fashioned, dinner bell and yelling come and get it!
Originally written by Evan for a blog post relating to KWM's 2020 Whisky Calendar.
Ardmore distillery was founded in 1898 and was purpose-built to provide whisky for Blending, as pretty much all distilleries were at the time. However with Ardmore that hasn’t changed much – even today just about all of Ardmore’s is still being used for blending, trading stock, or selling.
Only a small portion of Ardmore Single Malt Scotch lands in official bottles released by Ardmore and its parent company Beam Suntory. When it comes to profile and releases, Bowmore and Laphroaig get plenty of attention, being the Islay darlings that they are. Auchentoshan in the Lowlands gets similar treatment. Even Glen Garioch gets more releases, and that is saying something!
One of the reasons Ardmore is the heart of Teacher’s Highland Cream and also sought after by independent bottlers is that just about all of the whisky produced at the distillery is moderately peated. I have only tasted one unpeated Ardmore that I can recall. There is also a lighter peated style that the distillery makes which is sometimes dubbed Ardlair. I suspect some of the Ardmore I have tasted have been this style, which tends to amp up the sweet, creamy and ashy notes of the whisky.
$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!
$167.99
I really wanted to dislike this... the price is a touch high, it is from an ex-Wine hogshead, and Ardmore, especially young Ardmore is so hit and miss for me. But it is excellent! 2010 vintage, 13 years old, 50%, and bottled for the 25th Anniversary of the Old Malt Cask range.
$159.99
Ardmore in Ratafia. Hmmmm. Anyone else imagining Braveheart meets Versailles? Trust our friend Gilles Dumangin to marry a rough-and-tumble Highlander with the elegance of French wine. This peated malt spent 9 years in a Refill Hogshead before being moved into an ex-Ratafia Champenois barrel for a 2 year polishing.
281 bottles. Natural colour and non-chill filtered. 48%
$177.99
Hot take: the G&M semi-official Ardmore, bottled under the Distillery Label series, is far superior to the official branded releases. It's also abundantly clear that Ardmore is being handled with love and care at Gordon & MacPhail, where they match that big earthy, organic spirit profile with incredibly complimentary cask types. In this case, Refill Sherry Hogsheads. Miss this one at your own risk.
Natural colour, non chill-filtered, and bottled at 46%.
