Scotch Malt Whisky Society 93.90
$207.99
A MASCULINE ENIGMA
From Campbeltown, this 16 year old comes in at 53.1% after maturing in a refill hogshead.
Flavour profile: Lightly peated.
Outturn: 175 bottles.
Panel's tasting note: "On the nose, we found nougat dipped in white chocolate and Tunnocks Snowballs (coconut, chocolate, soft marshmallow). Easier to identify were rusting shipwrecks and rock-pools, West Coast disused slate quarries, peppery Scotch pies and honey-roast ham (with cloves); burnt jam tarts, vanilla pods, ash and smoke from burning cardboard. The palate also had its grubby side – charred twigs, charred lime, oiled wood, licking envelopes, watches with leather straps, smoke and ash – but we found enough positive sweetness to excuse it – nut brittle, sugar buns, honey, biscuit tin crumbs, cheap chocolate and pickled ginger. An enigma, but with a certain masculine charm."
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 135.4
$191.99
LIP-SMACKING SEDUCTION
This 17 year old Highlander comes in at 56.2% after maturing in a 2nd fill barrel.
Flavour profile: Sweet, fruity & mellow.
Outturn: 248 bottles.
Panel's tasting note: "On the nose, we got sweet, aromatic fruits (pear, passion fruit) some grassy notes (making jam in a meadow) and confectionery (Haribo jelly snakes, Jelly Babies) – all in all, very attractive. The palate was lip-smacking and seductive, with a combination of sweetness and zing, like apricot jam and candied citrus peel. With water, we agreed it was complex and delightful – now discovering vanilla sponge and hints of linseed oil and putty. The reduced palate found perfumed pear, waxed fruity sweets and candy necklaces – very comforting and enjoyable – and one or two of us had to revise previous prejudices."
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 26.121
$187.61
Cadenhead Small Batch Fettercairn 2008
$114.99
Official bottlings of Fettercairn aren't all that exciting, if we're being honest, but when you start working your way through the independent bottlings you'll find some real gems floating around out there. Even in youth. And this is just such a one. The marriage of two ex-Bourbon Hogsheads has yielded a mere 564 bottles, only a handful of which came to Canada. Gotta move fast for this, especially at this price.
57.8% abv
Producer Tasting Note
Nose: Honeyed barley, peppermint sweets
Palate: Mint toffee sweets, barley sugar, apple strudel
Finish: Breakfast cereal, custard powder, sage
Cadenhead Small Batch BenRiach 2008
$117.99
A lovely young BenRiach from the Billy Walker era of production. This cheeky youngster proudly bears the DNA of the distillery, despite its independent status and rather naked presentation. A pair of sister casks (two Hogsheads, actually) were married together to shore up the outturn a little bit, and what we ended up with was a healthy 564 bottles. Sadly, only a handful of which made it Canada.
Expect this one to be creamy and full of soft white-fleshed freshed, maybe a hint of pineapple and some toasted oak notes. These expressions are ultra drinkable, despite the high abv. Natural strength, natural color and unchill-filtered.
58.9% abv
Producer Tasting Note
Nose: Fresh with light citrus notes, sweet wood spice
Palate: Oily, old leather, hints of wood smoke, toffee biscuit
Finish: Buttered gingerbread, green apple, toasted coconut
Cadenhead Small Batch Speyburn 2008
$117.99
Speyburn largely flies under the radar here, but the reality is that this distillery is quite a formidable presence in the whisky world. Nearly half a million litres of annual production, and only a portion allocated to the blenders. So where is the rest going? Europe and the US, apparently. The parent company seems content to concentrate on some of the other distilleries in their portfolio for the Canadian market, so if we want the really interesting Speyburn malts we turn to the independent bottlers. Like Cadenhead.
Two ex-Bourbon Hogsheads yielded 540 bottles. Only a handful came to us.
55.6% abv
Producer Tasting Note
Nose: Freshly cut grass, clementines, spearmint leaves
Palate: Crunchy honeycomb, wood oil, foam bananas
Finish: Menthol, pineapple sweets, deep fried seaweed
Cadenhead Small Batch GlenAllachie 1992
$186.19
Timing is everything. We're tickled pink to have had a wide range of indie GlenAllachie lately to complement the recent launch of GlenAllachie as a viable brand in its own right. The independent bottlings, while often being as good or better than their official counterparts, are also great for providing perspective as to what the dsitillery's character really is. The mass market releases are great, of course; they're meant to be. But if you really want to round out your knowledge, check out bottlings like this quarter century gem from Cadenhead. And if you do...pause for a moment and consider that this was distilled at a time when the distillery was only half as old as it is now.
56% abv
Producer Tasting Note
Nose: Ginger biscuits, nettle leaves, linseed oil
Palate: Chocolate orange cake, green apples, tinned peaches
Finish: Quite fresh with peppermint sweets and tea leaf
Cadenhead Small Batch Auchentoshan 1999
$205.99
Cadenhead Creations 2007 Blend 10 Year
$114.99
A 10 Year KWM Creations Blend!