Scotch Malt Whisky Society 88.11
$107.24
A DAY AT THE BEACH
This 8 year old Speysider comes in at 54.8% after maturing in a refill barrel.
Flavour profile: Spicy & dry.
Outturn: 224 bottles.
Panel's tasting note: "On the nose neat we felt like a morning walk over the sand dunes. The reed grass rustled in the sea breeze whilst we watched the sun appear over the clear horizon and felt the warmth of the first rays on our skin. We then enjoyed a sweet porridge with grilled crispy crumpled bacon rashers as well as sweet and salty peanut granola bars.
Invigorated with a drop of water we started to paint our beach hut in bright colours and by the end of the day, having finished, we sat on the veranda and enjoyed a mint-flavoured Grasshopper cocktail."
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 71.54
$135.99
CAKE DOUGH REMINISCENCE
This 10 year old from Speyside is from a refill barrel and comes in at 60.5%.
Flavour profile: Juicy, oak & vanilla.
Outturn: 168 bottles.
Panel's tasting note: "Sweet and fragrant scents implied happy childhood attempts at mixing up cake dough in a giant bowl whilst being enveloped by a cloud of icing sugar and flour. Drops of vanilla extract landed in the dough and from the oven came hot sponge cakes ready to be topped with sticky icing. The air carried the aroma of ladies' perfume that mingled with other treats like poached pears with cream, salted fudge and pink wafer biscuits.
Through the front door the wind blew a fresh whiff of pine forest with its dry and dusty needle strewn floor. A dash of water delivered brown sugar on porridge followed by a dessert of rhubarb and custard. A thick and luxurious texture was framed by heavy oak, still dusty from the sawmill and a lasting finish of dry spice."
Alexander Murray Glen Moray 12 Year
$61.99
Price recently dropped by 1/3! - Was $90 - Now $62
This is a lovely 12 year old cask strength bottling of Glen Moray, from Alexander Murray. Bottled at 56.7% after maturing in ex-Bourbon casks, this would have been a decent buy at $90, it is an absolute steal at $62!
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: delicate, honeyed, floral and fruity; a fine balance of malt and oak; Honey Nut Cheerios; rose petals and hibiscus oil; loads of creamy vanilla and bright citrus.
Palate: big, rich and honeyed with a creamy vanilla backbone; more floral hibiscus and rose notes; toasty with barley sugars and more bright citrus; melond, still nutty, Honey Nut Cheerios without the milk; some decadent spice: cinnamon on butter toast and sliced fresh ginger.
Finish: light and creamy, decadent, coating and fruity with crisp spices.
Comment: run, don't walk, for $62 this is a no brainer!
Alexander Murray Dalmore 15 Year
$74.99
If you are looking for classic Dalmore, this is not it. To be honest, the best thing I can say about this whisky is that the price, having dropped by 50%, is very good for a 15 year old at cask strength. Matured in oak casks, without the Patterson treatment.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: malty, barnyardy and honeyed with some orange; floral with jelly beans.
Palate: malty, musty and leathery; some honey, orange and more jelly beans; rough new leather, a little feinty.
Finish: short, musty and branyardy with traces of honey and jelly beans.
Comment: meh; not good, but not diabolical either; a try before you buy malt.
Kavalan Solist Port Cask
$213.99
Bottled at 57.8% from a single Port seasoned Protugese barriques, the Solist Port was a category winner for "Best Single Cask", in the 2018 World Whisky Awards.
Producer Description: “Port is a Portuguese fortified wine that is robust and sweet with a fuller and richer body. It is therefore usually served as a dessert wine or digestif. Kavalan Solist Port Cask is fully matured in Portuguese Port barriques under the subtropical climate to create the multiple fruity flavours such as plum, blueberry, blackberry and strawberry just to name a few, with chocolate as the main background note.”
Producer Tasting Note
Nose: The rich fruity and nutty flavours combined and enhanced by orange and citrus notes that can be enjoyed together with gentle and elegant wood spices of our American oakiness.
Palate: Satisfying fruitiness blended with quality chocolate aromas that melt delicately on your palate. A wonderful and long lasting after taste for your unique sampling pleasure.
Kavalan Solist Vinho 56.3%
$279.99
Matured in Jim Swann STR (shaved, toasted and recharred) American Oak ex-Wine Barriques. Bottled at 56.3%. The Kavalan Solist Vinho was named World Whisky of the Yeart 2015 (Best Whisky in the World).
Producer Description: “Vinho is fully matured in used American oak wine barrels that have been toasted and recharred in a way that brings out fruity vanilla notes from the whisky and wood overlaid on a delicate background of complex fruitiness. It has a complex and multi-dimensional background of pepper, spice, dates and other fruits, such as ripe melon and mango together with kiwi and a delicate blend of citrus fruits burst."
Producer Tasting Note
Nose: A rich fusion of vanilla and caramelized sugars with dark chocolate on top. Ripe melon and mango together with kiwi and a delicate blend of citrus fruits burst. Pepper is also present in the background waiting to be noticed. This bouquet is simply a sensational feast to your olfactory organ…
Palate: The taste ends with clean and complex flavours embodying all that is best in the finest malt whiskies enjoying a long aftertaste.
Glenfarclas 21 Year KWM Cask Strength
$179.99
SOLD OUT, BUT HAVE YOU SEEN OUR GLENFARCLAS 25 YEAR FERG IN HOMAGE TO GEORGE GRANT!
Bottled at 53.5% this cask strength 21 year old Glenfarclas has been bottled exclusively for Kensington Wine Market. The back label says it is bottled for "The Scotch Guy's 15th Anniversary at KWM!" but we are actually launching it on his 16th Anniversary, November 25, 2019. This is not a single cask, a Glenfarclas Family Cask of this age would cost at least twice as much as this, but it is a bespoke exclusive, especially the label. See below. The whisky is 75% sold in just a month!
The Story Behind the Bottling
This exciting new whisky requires a bit of explaining… When we did the label for our first Glenfarclas 15 Year Cask Strength, it became apparent to me that we could have some fun with the label. We didn’t have time for anything bespoke on that occasion, but after the Glenfarclas label below was brought to my attention I was inspired. In short, a gentleman was visiting Glenfarclas, and somehow ended up driving his Ford rental car in to the Spey. I am not entirely sure how or where that is possible, but he had a special label commissioned to commemorate the incident. They had to say Ferd, and not Ford, out of a precaution for avoiding litigation.
I like to strike a balance between relaxed and professional when I’m touring around Scotland visiting distilleries. I usually wear a dress shirt and shorts, often with flip flops. A man likes to be comfortable. A couple of year back during Feis Isle, I decided to make an impromptu visit to Bowmore, while everyone else was elsewhere on the island. It was my first in a few years. As I entered the door, I was greeted: “Hello Mr. Ferguson. Welcone back to Bowmore!” I was completely taken aback, how did the woman know my name? So I asked and she answered: “Oh, you’re the nice gentleman from Canada who’s always walking around in shorts and a dress shirt.” Seems I have a bit of a reputation… And so, knowing that we could be a little more creative with our second cask strength bottling of Glenfarclas, I decided to have a little fun with the label, inspired by the Ferd in the Spey label, I’d like to introduce you to “Ferg in the Spey”!
As $180+gst it is exceptionally good value, and we are hoping it won’t last long!
Kilchoman STR Cask
$169.99
One per customer!
A marriage of 43 STR (shaved, toasted and recharred; aka Jim Swann casks) casks filled in 2012 and bottled in 2019 at 50%.
Producer Description
"We are excited to announce the arrival of our second (of two) spring limited edition releases; the STR Cask Matured which will be available in the UK from Wednesday (8th May), hitting shelves in Europe later this week and further afield soon after that. A creation of the late Dr Jim Swan, STR refers to a specific formula for the Shaving, Toasting and Re-Charring casks. A total of 43 casks filled in 2012 were selected by Anthony Wills, Kilchoman’s Founder and Managing Director, bottled at a strength of 50% abv without chill-filtration or colouring."
Producer's Tasting Note
Nose: Summer fruits with a hearty measure of cinnamon spice, toffee and gentle peat smoke.
Palate: Soft caramel at first with layers of red berries, lemon tart and earthy peat smoke.
Finish: Long with a pronounced spice, honey and caramel notes.
A.D. Rattray Glenallachie 2007
$99.99
Every now and again a malt crosses our path that succeeds in spite of itself. This mere baby of a whisky, from the warehouses of A.D. Rattray, is case in point. At a mere 8 years of age, this Glenallachie is an absolute cracker of a dram. Normally, I'd consider this 'underage', but I can't lie...I'm not sure I'd like to see this one at a higher age statement. And the absolutely blinding abv is the perfect vehicle for delivering this bombastic marriage of flavours to the palate.
657 bottles from a single Sherry Butt
65.5% abv
Producer Tasting Note
Nose: Fresh, sweet malt, citrus.
Palate: Soft. delicate, oily, coconut
Finish: Mild, long with a little malt