Sovereign Single Grain Girvan 26 Year
$183.99
A cask of single grain Scotch whisky from a single cask bottled at 56.3%. Girvan is a Lowland Grain distillery first opened in 1963. The whisky was distilled in 1988.
Producer's Tasting Note: "Pale golden coloured with rich mellow sweet nose – toffee apples & a floral aroma. Smooth, sweet on the palate with crème brulee & apple skins. A long, pleasant dry finish with a slightly sweet aftertaste and a hint of oak."
G&M Glenturret 2000
$98.99
Matured in Refill Sherry Hogsheads, you'll forgive Gordon & MacPhail for bottling this sherry bomb of a Glenturret at 43% because it is exceptional! Exclusive to KWM in Canada it is nearly gone, so don't hesitate too long! Only 120 bottles have come into Canada, we've sold 96 in less than 2 months!
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: Christmas cake in a glass: nutty and leathery with bright orange, chocolate, leather and tobacco; as it softens more delicate fruits emerge: banana, melons and kiwis.
Palate: big, fruity and rich with a seductively silky backbone of honey and smooth leather; more Christmas cake with lots of spices running the gamut from ginger and cinnamon to clove and anise; layers of fruits both light and dark.
Finish: long, rich, layered and very fruity.
Comment: this is an excellent malt, when we first tasted it we new we had a winner and asked for exclusivity in Canada.
Producer's Tasting Note
Nose: Sherry influences with vanilla, green apple and marzipan aromas complemented by zesty orange and delicate cinnamon notes.
Palate: Peppery with ripe banana, milk chocolate and ground coffee flavours. Tropical fruits develop with hints of grapefruit and pineapple. A lingering charred oak edge develops.
Finish: Medium, creamy and smooth.
About the Distillery (Courtesy Gordon & MacPhail)
Glenturret, previously called Hosh, is the second distillery to take the name Glenturret. It was renamed in 1875, some 20 years or so after the nearby original distillery of that name closed. It is one of Scotland's smallest distilleries with only two stills, it was silent between 1923 and 1959. It is situated on the banks of the river Turret, near Crieff in Perthshire. It is tucked away in a steep valley between fields and tree-covered hillsides. In the days of illegal distilling, this would have been a good hiding place. Today, Glenturret is home to "The Famous Grouse Experience" and is one of the most visited distilleries in Scotland.
G&M Glenlochy 1979
$1,034.99
Exclusive in Canada to Kensington Wine Market, this is only the 2nd bottling of Glenlochy we've ever had at our shop. Bottled at 46% in a Refill Sherry Hogshead from Gordon & MacPhail's "Rare Old" collection. Only 9 bottles have come into the market. Bottled in 2012 at 33 years of age, Glenlochy is one of the rarest closed distilleries.
Distiller's Tasting Note
Nose: Campino boiled sweets and fresh apple pie. Freshly cut green grass and driftwood aromas.
Palate: Initially sweet and salty - toasted digestive biscuits, with a hint of smoke.
Glenlochy Distillery (courtesy of Gordon & MacPhail)
"Glenlochy was built in 1898 by the Glenlochy - Fort William Distillery Co Ltd, founded by David McAndie of Nairn. Glenlochy was in production until 1919, it then fell silent, apart from a short period during 1925. Thomas Rankin, a local car hirer, bought the distillery in 1937 but it was not long before he sold in onto Train and McIntyre. Train and McIntyre then transferred it to their subsidiary Associated Scottish Distillers Ltd, who acquired Bruichladdich, Benromach, Fettercairn, Glenesk, Glenury Royal and Strathdee distilleries around the same time. In 1953 Train and McIntyre was acquired by DCL. Glenlochy was in production until 1983. In 1992 the site was then sold to West Coast Inns Ltd, and made into a hotel complex."
Springbank Longrow Red Pinot Cask 12Year
$109.79
Only 9000 bottles have been released worldwide, with a small fraction of that having come to Canada. Matured in Bourbon it was finished for its final year in Pinot Noir casks from New Zealand befroe bottling at 52.9%
Distillery Tasting Note
Nose: There’s a cornucopia of fruity aromas: marmalade, strawberry preserve, fruit coulis and orange sherbet. Not forgetting the tobacco smoke which is associated with Longrow whiskies.
Palate: The fruit theme continues with raspberry jam, and strawberry jam with cream sponge. The whisky has a sweet side too, rich toffee, honeycomb and candy floss.
Finish: Very soft, this Longrow whisky doesn’t disappoint with campfire smoke and charred embers dominating the finish.
Glendronach 1994 Cask 1051
$254.99
Carn Mor Strictly Limited Westport 1997
$106.19
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 29.154
$188.99
CAMPING WITH M*A*S*H
This 23 year old from Islay came from a refill hogshead and is 49.8%
Flavour profile: Peated
Outturn: 253 bottles
Panel's tasting note: "Wow – the nose had so much – burlap, canvas, leather, bandages, first aid boxes, surgical soap, seashells, seaweed, tar, bonfire smoke – it was like M*A*S*H set up camp on an Islay beach. The palate spoke confidently of harbours and hospitals – lobster pots, fish boxes, fishing boats, salted macadamias, heather and mussels lined up against Big Red gum, Elastoplasts and sweet peat-smoke. After reduction, the nose twitched at a breeze carrying heather, peat and crab claws over the machair. The palate became easy-drinking; medicated sweetness, both cooling (menthol throat sweets) and with pleasant heat on the finish. The distillery looks out to the Isle of Texa."
Drinking tip: "An end-of-the-pier sundowner"
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 123.8
$128.69
IN THE SPANISH MOUNTAINS
This 12 year old from the Southern Highlands is 59.2% after spending its life in a refill port pipe
Flavour profile: Spicy & sweet
Outturn: 743 bottles
Panel's tasting note: "From the nose, we conjured an image of Spanish mountain villages – horses, hay-wains, orchards, citrus groves, rose gardens, sunshine on rosemary and rustic farm-labourers whittling wood. We also found plentiful sweetness in plum jam, juicy raisins, chocolate, toffee, marshmallows and fig rolls. Water brought out raspberry notes and Sangria. The palate was fruity, winey and tasty, with various jams, dried figs, vanilla sponge, Soreen and granola, but spicy notes of ginger, clove and chili tweaked our tongues. Water sweetened it further resolving those tweaks into tingles –cranachan, jam tarts, Pavlova and posh Pimms. The distillery is near the West Highland Way."
Drinking tip: "Will get a conversation going for sure"
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 76.119
$165.59
ON CHIRSTMAS DAY IN THE MORNING
From a refill butt this 18 year old Speysider is 56.7%
Flavour profile: Deep, rich & dried fruits
Outturn: 586 bottles
Panel's tasting note: "The panel were whisked away to the excitement of Christmas morning as a child. Aromatic spiced orange mingled with eggnog, sugar puffs and milky hot chocolate sprinkled with nutmeg. Still in their pyjamas, the panel dipped into their stockings to find cranberry, pomegranate and red currants with Hubba Bubba gum. Water opened glugg infused with orange and mint, cola bottles. Fragrant lavender, saffron and lemon thyme wafted from the glass. Fresh wood from a homemade dolls house gave a grippy quality to the reduced taste which tingled with Ras el Hanout spiciness. Lingering flavours of pomander completed the festivities."
Drinking tip: "Well now...Christmas Day"