Cadenhead Small Bt. 11 BenRiach 1986

$349.99

Part of Cadenhead's 11th Small Batch release, a range exclusive in Canada to KWM. This rare 1986 vintage BenRiach has come from a single Bourbon barrel, and has been bottled at 50.1% after 29 years. Only 6 of 360 bottles came to Canada. 

Producer Tasting Note

Nose: Some soft oaky notes along with red fruits. Faint dunnage warehouses with raspberries and lychees. With this amazing nose the palate is now expected to deliver an amazing taste.

Palate: Slightly nutty with strong orange oil notes coming through with hints of lime and kiwi fruits. The palate has delivered rather well.

Finish: The finish is superb as expected it's Very creamy with soft spice, orange bitters and strawberries.

Distillery Fact: This whisky was distilled in 1986 one year after the distillery had increased from 2 to the current 4 stills. At the time of this distillation the distillery still had its own florr maltings.

Cadenhead Small Bt 11 Cameronbridge 1989

$211.49

This 1989 Small Batch bottling has been bottled at 56.6% after maturing in two Bourbon Hogsheads for 26 years. Exclusive to KWM in Canada, only 18 bottles are coming into the market. 

Cadenhead Small Batch whiskies are bottled either as single casks or from very small batches of no more than 4 or 5 casks. Cadenhead established in 1842, is Scotland's oldest independent bottler. Headquartered in Campbeltown, it is today owned by J.A. Mitchell & Co., Springbank Distillery's parrent company. The Cadenhead Small Batch range is exclusive to KWM in Canada.

Producer's Tasting Note

Nose: Milk chocolate; brandy snaps and runny hone come from the nose alone, what will the palate deliver if this is just the nose?

Palate: The palate delivers a rather nice soft woodiness that gives way to vanilla pods, gingersnap biscuits and lemon icing.

Finish: Initial toffee notes fade to reveal hints of pears, white chocolate and some soft earthy notes. Very enjoyable indeed.

Distillery Fact: Cameronbridge distillery can produce up to 120 million litres of alcohol per year with most of the grain whisky production ending up in blended whisky. With grain whisky it takes time for the cask to work its magic as the spirit is a lot purer than single malt whisky coming off the still at up to 94.8% alcohol. Given time in a good cask single grain such as this one can easily rival a similar aged single malt.

Cadenhead Small Bt. 11 Glentauchers 1989

$224.99

A 25 year old from Speyside's Glentauchers, a distillery not often seen. Only 378 bottles produced. Big vanilla and candied ginger notes, an excellent older bourbon barrel.

Cadenhead Small Bt. 11 Cambus 1988

$188.99

This Cadenhad Cambus is from a single Bourbon Hogshead distilled in 1988 and bottled after 26 years at 47.5%. Of the 288 bottles produced only 6 have come to Canada, exclusively to KWM.

Producer's Tasting Note

Nose: very oily; peaches; mangoes and white chocolate.

Palate: soft white pepper and raisin butter; soft brown sugar; hints of fresh ginger and lemongrass.

Finish: some caramelised bananas; boiled sweets; Scottish tablet and faint sauternes notes.

Distillery Fact: Cambus grain distillery was closed for good in 1993 and is now becoming increasingly rare. Cambus was one of the founding members of Distillers Company Limited so plays a large part in the history of Scotch whisky. Certainly this is an example of history.

Cadenhead Small Bt 11 Royal Brackla 1976

$557.99

Exclusive to KWM in Canada, this 38 year old Royal Brackla is from a single Bourbon Hogshead cask. Only 6/150 bottles are coming to Canada at a cask strength of 52.9%. 

Producer's Tasting Note

Nose: soft notes of cured meats with watermelon, golden syrup, peaches and vanilla ice cream.

Palate: old scholl fruity whisky with a faint trace of peat. Lots of tropical fruits with smoked almonds.

Finish: a soft gentle finish. Mainly syruppy notes with soft dry smoke.

Distillery Fact: In 1835 Brackla distillery was the first of three distilleries to gain the right to use the term Royal. The distillery has 2 pairs of stills and has an annual capacity of 4 million litres - this capacity was much less when this whisky was distilled in 1976.

Cadenhead Small Bt. 12 Bunnahabhain 2005

$98.99

Part of Cadenhead's 12th Small Batch release, a range exclusive in Canada to KWM. This whisky was distilled on the 26th of January (our Scotch Guy's birthday!) in 2005. It is a marriage of two barrels, casks 42 and 43 and bottled at 46%.

Distiller's Tasting Note

Nose: A fantastically balanced nose of olive oil, smoked mackerel and dried herbs.

Palate: Smokiness is dryer than the nose, prominent but not overpowering. Ashy and with a little sea salt.

Finish: A dry finish, again ash and sea salt. The smoky party continues all the way down!

Distillery Fact: This Bunnahabhain has been distilled using a higher peating level than the distillery normally uses creating a smokier style of Bunnahabhain.

Cadenhead Small Bt. 12 Aultmore 1997

$152.99

COMING SOON TO KWM - Available for Pre-Order!

Part of Cadenhead's 12th Small Batch release, a range exclusive in Canada to KWM. This whisky was distilled on the 12th of May in 1997. It is the product of a single Hogshead casks 3333 and has been bottled at cask strength, 53.9%. Only 6 bottles coming. 

Distiller's Tasting Note

Nose: Very light initially, but becoming more complex. Delicate notes of cut hay and a hint of boiled sweets.

Palate: More chewy than the nose suggests - soft toffee that is slightly drying and then subtle aniseed and mint. 

Finish: Long and dry,  more aniseed and black currant.

Distillery Fact: The distillery was completely rebuilt in the 1970’s, at which point the stills were increased from 2 to 4.  This whisky was distilled a year before Bacardi took over the distillery through their ownership of Dewars.

Benromach 35 Year

$1,149.99

This long anticipated release is one of the oldest Benromachs ever bottled. It comes on the heels of the 21, 25, and 30 year olds which were all bottled from the pre-closure stocks laid down in the early 1980s. Matured in First Fill Sherry and bottled at 43% in a bespoke decanter, only 36 bottles are initially coming to Alberta! Scored 91pts by Serge at Whisky Fun.

From the Distillery: Benromach Distillery Manager Keith Cruickshank said: “Benromach 35 Years Old is a very special whisky for everyone at the distillery, as very few casks of Benromach remain from this time period. Benromach today is created respecting the traditional working practices of yesteryear and is lovingly handcrafted by sight, by sound, and by touch, using the finest natural ingredients. The 35 Years Old is the perfect dram to toast the past, present and future of Benromach.”

Andrew's Tasting Note

Nose: it smells old, molasses, dark fruits, chocolate and candied orange; very rummy the sherry notes and strong but not overpowering; salty caramel with dunnage warehouse floors and dark chocolate; big rich and tangy Manuka honey, soft saddle leather and assorted cracked nuts.

Palate: a big hit of rum, molasses and leather right off the bat; more of the saddle leather with expensive men's leather driving gloves, and salty Dutch licorice; lots of orange: candied, zest and oils, chocolate, more Manuka honey, vegetal notes and spice; old musty oak, sherry wine, more dunnage and nutty notes with building dried dark fruits.

Finish: long, tangy, earthy and vegetal with subtle spices and leather; the finish is old, sherried, elegant and satisfying.

Comment: very different, not what I was expecting, it is showing its age, but far from over the hill; the sherry has made its mark but hasn't drowned the spirit! 

Distiller's Tasting Note

"Pour a dram and appreciate the AROMA WITHOUT WATER… the nose offers rich sherry influences with orange marmalade, kiwi and grapefruit aromas, complemented by gorgeous cinnamon spice. Now lift it to your lips and take a sip, enjoying the TASTE WITHOUT WATER. Initially, it is sweet on the palate with honey, fruitcake, ripe banana and melon flavours. Watch out for the smooth white chocolate edge as it develops, combined with a soft menthol note, giving a full body and long and smooth fruity finish. Now add a drop or two of water and notice the AROMA WITH WATER… sherry influences with honey, blackcurrant and beeswax polish aromas, complemented by a subtle hint of cloves. Now it’s time to savour the TASTE WITH WATER… a fabulous combination of white pepper followed by dried tobacco, dewy stewed pear, raisin and zesty orange peel flavours, heightened by a delicate edge of charred oak…the result of lingering for over three decades in oak casks."

Whisky Fun Tasting Note www.whiskyfun.org

"Good, this baby wouldn’t tell its vintage, BUT a leaflet says that it was ‘laid down to mature in the 1980s’. I suppose the vatting was done last year, so that means that it must be some 1980, unless the casks were disgorged in 2016, which means that there could be some 1981 as well. Doesn’t that make sense, Watson? So in theory, it could be the same juice as that of the 30 yo from circa 2011, which wouldn’t be bad news (WF 90). But enough speculation, let’s try this new baby… Colour: deep gold. Nose: instant pleasures. A beehive in the midst of summer, some fresh apple juice, and very discreet touches of mustard, or perhaps horseradish. Let’s go a little further, that would be beeswax, heather honey, pollen, artisan cider, and yes, horseradish (smidgens), then hints of old books, furniture polish, and orange zests. All this is very lovely, both compact and complex. Forgot to mention walnuts. Mouth: starts bitter like old style manzanilla (indeed, again – that’s pasada) and raw cocoa powder, plus walnuts yet again, and bitter oranges. This bitter style is something that I enjoy a lot, this baby could be seen as the most complex form of Jaegermeister. Yes, in a way. Keeps unfolding on various dry herbs (thyme) and even more walnuts, with an ashy smokiness that’s also very ‘Benromach’. The oak tends to come to the front, but it would come with quite a lot of tobacco, Habana-style. And some pepper too. It’s also a case where the 43% are not a problem at all. Finish: long, herbal, with some dry mint, some bitter oranges, and quite a lot of cinnamon. The lovely old oak has got the last word. Comments: very excellent as such, but also singular, and different from any other old malt. That’s clearly a tremendous asset, when many whiskies – unless peated - tend to taste more or less the same. Vanilla? Who mentioned vanilla? SGP:372 - 91 points."

Cadenhead Small Bt. 12 Dufftown 1978

$557.99

Part of Cadenhead's 12th Small Batch release, a range excluisve in Canada to KWM. This whisky was distilled on the 31st of March 1978 and was matured in a single Hogshead cask and bottled at 47.6%. Only 6 total bottles. 

Distiller's Tasting Note

Nose: Time has been kind to this one - lots of vanilla, creme brûlée with lot’s of juicy fruits on the nose.

Palate: The nose doesn’t lie, more vanilla and caramel but not overly sweet, edging towards a spicy nutmeg note. 

Finish: Mandarin segments and cream, before the soft spicy notes coming to the fore.

Distillery Fact: Produces spirit via small still volumes, which allow for high levels of copper contact and subsequently a green and grassy spirit.