Signatory Longmorn 2002 55.3%
$184.99
A 2002 16 Year single cask of Longmorn, bottled at 55.3% after maturing in Bourbon Barrels. It is better priced than the distillery bottling, bottled at a higher proof, and far more interesting.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: bam, fruit bomb: cherries leaping out of the glass, jammy with berry fruits, strawberry puff candies and Twizzlers; cream soda and French crepes with powdered sugar and lemon juice.
Palate: big, honeyed and fruity with rich spices; the whisky comes at you and keeps growing; crisp malt, Manuka honey and flowers in a botanical garden; more cherries, lemon juice, waxy Twizzlers and jammy berry fruits; the spices are firm: angelica, cardamom and fennel.
Finish: medium-long, drying with fading honey, fruits and spices; pleasantly warms the palate.
Comment: Longmorn is not a single malt we see a lot of, with the exception of Gordon Macphail and the Scotch Malt Whisky Society; this is a lovely malt; honeyed, fruity and spicy; a good warm you up dram on a cool fall night or after a vigorous thunder storm.
Signatory Ben Nevis 1991 57.5%
$349.99
Exclusive to KWM, 30 bottles coming to Canada of this 1991 27 year old Ben Nevis. It was matured in a Refill Sherry Butt, No. 2381, and was bottled at 57.5%.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: decadent and nutty; cold tea dregs with demerara, burnt brown sugar and building spice; very nutty: beer nuts, candied almonds and maple coated walnuts; mince meat pie right from the oven; cooked raisins, orange peel and clove.
Palate: rich, spicy, nutty and decadent; more candied nuts, demerara tea dregs and mincemeat; the spices are bold and decadent: ginger, nutmeg and clove; more cooked raisins, apple and orange; some creamy-tropical bits underneath; leather and tobacco to boot, but they don't steal the show.
Finish: long and medium in weight; more rich sherry notes: leather, candied nuts, cooked fruits and spices with late tobacco.
Comment: this is a lovely Ben Nevis, not quite as nutty and leathery as the 30th Anniversary, but lovely none the less; very good value for a sherry cask whisky of this style.
Signatory Glenturret 1989 44.7%
$289.99
A 1989 Glenurret bottled from a single Hogshead #238, after 29 years at 44.7%. Exclusive to KWM, only 18 bottles are coming to Canada.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: bright, fruity and honeyed; waxy, antique-y, honeycomb and creamy; clotted cream, Maroccan marmalade, fresh goat cheese with lemon slices; Turkish delight.
Palate: soft, creamy and floral; toasty and creamy with more honeycomb, clotted cream and fresh goat cheese with lemon wedges; candied ginger, citrus wedges, white orchard fruits and dried apricots; very waxy, a touch of white pepper and old school ex-Bourbon.
Finish: long, creamy, toasty and floral; waxy and coating; fresh orchard fruits.
Comment: this is an eminently drinkable whisky, reminds me a lot of Littlemill; fresh, floral, fruity and creamy; no hint of the advancing bitter oak you often see in a whisky of this age!
Sansibar The Clans Tullibardine 24 Year
$344.99
wrong sku
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 66.128
$128.24
GREAT FUN
This 12 year old Highlander spent 11 years in a bourbon hogshead before being transferred to a 1st fill charred red wine barrique for the rest of its maturation, and comes in at 57.6%.
Flavour profile: Peated.
Outturn: 229 bottles.
Panel's tasting note: "The nose – sweet peat reek, bandages, earthy; plums soaked in brandy, burnt toast with marmalade and jam. The taste – earthy, deep, woody – syrup of figs, aniseed, liquorice; venison with juniper, dark chocolate, fruits of the forest, red currant, leather and pears poached in wine.
The reduced nose – antiseptic and medicinal, woollen socks on an Aga stove, venison goulash, banana toffee and smoke. The reduced palate – chewy and substantial – toffee apple rolled in embers, pickled ginger and blood orange – lots going on and great fun. After 11 years in a bourbon hoggie we moved this into a 1st fill charred red wine barrique."
Two Brewers Yukon Single Malt Release 18
$129.99
Release 18 from Two Brewers of Whitehorse, Yukon marks their first very high stength single malt Canadian Whisky. Bottled at 58% ABV, this release was aged in new oak and is limited to a scant 454 bottles.
About Two Brewers
Glenfarclas Family Cask 1979 W18
$1,634.99
This Family Cask bottling is from the Winter 2018 release. It matured 39 years in "4th Fill Hogshead" (could be 2nd, 3rd or 4th fill, they just don't know), before bottling at 48.4%. 91.25pts Whisky Base
Arran Explorers Series Lochranza Castle
$224.99
The 2nd release (aka Vol. 2) in the Arran Explorers Series is the Lochranza Castle 21 Year. This is a limited release of 9000 bottles, matured in Sherry Hogshead and finished Amontillado Sherry Casks. Bottled at 47.2%.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: soft, elegant and sherried; nutty with maple butter, polished leather and Fruit Source bars; chocolate-y with candied cherries and a raspberry puree; oak shavings, Eat-More and Junior Mints.
Palate: round, fruity and elegant; maple syrup and treacle sauce; more polished leather and dehydrated fruit bars; ripe tropical fruits: mango, papaya and a touch of flambeed banana; candied orange and melons; more chocolate, leaning more towards Caramilk than Eat-more, but retaining the Junior Mints; its very refreshing...
Finish: coating, fruity and spicy with more smooth leather and chocolate; good length and weight.
Comment: Arran's older expressions are always elegant, and this one is no exceptions; sherried with a very good balance and loads of complexity; a very good follow up to the Brodick Bay!
Producer's Tasting Note
Nose: Rich, layered and complex. Caramelised almonds and chocolate covered crystallised ginger dovetail with deep aromas of dried apricots and caramelised brown sugar. Dusty smells of the dunnage warehouse abound.
Palate: Bright and mouth coating, showing notes of honecomb and salted caramel. Herbaceous accents offset the orchard fruit which comes to the fore to display the ever-present Arran house style. Seamless integration of age, wood characters and Arran spirit.
Finish: Enigmatic, developing toward Assam tea and subtle cigar smoke. A resurgence of freshness completes the circle. A fabulous example of Arran in more advanced years.
Producer's Description
"Lochranza Castle joins Brodick Bay as one of the best-known and most-loved areas of our beautiful island, moving north for Volume Two towards the home of Arran Single Malt in Lochranza. We are proud to present another expression of our aged Arran Single Malt - 21 years old - stunningly packaged in a beautiful presentation gift tin.
"The Arran Explorers’ Series is a collection of limited edition expressions of The Arran Single Malt. Each edition celebrates the outstanding scenic beauty and diversity of nature on the Isle of Arran.
"On the northern coast of the Isle of Arran, the visitor will enter the picturesque village of Lochranza, home of The Arran Single Malt. Stretching across the wide bay in the middle of the village lies a short peninsula upon which Lochranza Castle strikes a solitary figure across the landscape. A rare sight, it was originally built as a medieval hall-house in the 1200s and today stands proudly as a focal point of the village. Stags roam freely and the natural amphitheatre of the hills provides a stunning backdrop for this ancient ruin, sparking the imagination of the visitor and creating a sense of the history of this tranquil coastal village.
"This view of the castle from the banks of Lochranza Bay is best taken in with a dram of The Arran Single Malt in hand. This particular example is 21 years old and has been matured in Sherry Hogsheads before being finished in Amontillado Sherry Casks sourced directly from Bodegas Tradicion in Jerez De La Frontera, Spain. The resulting elegant and flavoursome whisky perfectly compliments the majestic scenery and natural beauty of our home village of Lochranza. Take your senses on an adventure around the Isle of Arran."
Arran 12 Year: Man with the Golden Glass
$81.19
We find it a little amusing to see one of the most humble men in whisky, posing James Bond-esque on the bottle and box. James is a gem though, and his fame is well deserved. Bottled to mark James' 12th Anniversary at the Arran distillery, "The Man with the Golden Glass" is a limited edition of 12,000 bottles, finished in Palo Cortado sherry casks, hand picked by James in Spain. The whisky is bottled at 51.3%.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: classic early teens Arran; creamy, honeyed and fruity with juicy barley; toasty with brown sugar and Seville oranges; peppery with a touch of under-ripe tropical fruits.
Palate: big, rich, nutty and very sherried with crisp spices, tart fruits and rough new leather; woah, where did this come from, the palate is far more exotic than the nose; gooseberries, sour melons and grapefruit juice; the spices pick up with more under-ripe tropical fruits; as the palate adjusts the creamy base of vanilla, honey and juicy barley is able to emerge.
Finish: medium in weight, but long in length; lovely, elegant and warming with fading spices, leather and fruit.
Comment: the nose and palate are slightly out of sync, but the palate is brilliant; it also has a maturity beyond its years; it is bright and unapologetic, but far from hot or rough; James MacTaggart is one of my Whisky Heroes; he is a gentleman, and has been a very steady hand over his dozen years at Arran; this is a fine tribute to his growing legend!
Producer Tasting Note
Nose: Bright and mouth-watering; Seville orange marmalade, peaches and mango freshness are followed by the warmth of root ginger and a waft of drying grass and gorse bushes.
Palate: Rich in chocolate orange, quince jelly and the zest of citrus fruits. The subtle tang of yeasty, buttered sourdough and a kick of rock salt come through as the Palo Cortado cask displays its influence.
Finish: Cider apples accentuate Arran house style before the warmth of ginger returns alongside a rich impression of these exceptional sherry casks.
Producer Description
"We are delighted to present a 12 year-old Single Malt bottled in honour of our Master Distiller James MacTaggart. This characterful limited edition of the Arran Single Malt has been specially created by Master Distiller James MacTaggart as a stunning example of a successful partnership between whisky and cask. A selection of Palo Cortado Sherry Casks handpicked in Spain by James add a delightful and warming dimension to another memorable and classic expression of Arran Single Malt. There are 12,000 bottles of this edition available worldwide."
