Balvenie 26 Year A Day of Dark Barley

$1,684.99

Balvenie's answer to Glenmorangie Signet was supposedly born of an accidental deliver of heavily roasted, dark barley, at the distillery more than a quarter of a century ago. Bottled at 47.8%, this is a part of the Balvenie Stories range.

Producer Description: "The arrival at the distillery of a batch of dark roasted malted barley, more commonly used in the production of stout, marked the beginning of a 26-year long experiment. The result was a pleasing depth – smokiness and oakiness as well as the classic honey, vanilla and citrus flavours."

Secret Spirits Royal Brackla 2006 12 Yr

$79.49

This Single cask selected by Calgary company Secret Spirits was distiled at Royal Brackla distillery in 2006. Bottled at 12 years of age from an ex-Bourbon Barrel at a cask strength of 57.5% ABV.

Secret Spirits Glenallachie 2009 9 Year

$109.99

A single cask bottled by Secret Spirits, featured in the 2018 Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar (Edition 5). Bottled at 66.2% after maturing 9 years in a Bourbon Barrel.

Secret Spirits Smoldering Secrets 2011

$93.74

This mystery Islay malt was distilled at Caol Ila Distillery in 2011. Aged in a refill Bourbon Barrel, it was Selected and bottled by Secret Spirits at 8 years old and a cask strength of 59.5% ABV.

GlenDronach Cask Strength Batch 7 57.9%

$134.99

This is the first batch of GlenDronach Cask Strength we've seen in a while. Bottled at 57.9% after maturing in a mix of Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso Sherry.

Producer Tasting Note

Nose: Cherry brandy and chocolate with blackberry vines, wild figs and Highland Toffee.

Palate: Burst of brambles and ripe sultanas give way to Seville orange and roasted chestnut. Finish of baked apple and damson plum linger with chocolate walnut and whipped cream.

Producer Description

"Like all previous Cask Strength batches from The GlenDronach, this expression continues our tradition of marrying the finest Spanish sherry casks from Andalucía; Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez . The Oloroso contributes to the fruity and elegant nature of The GlenDronach, with notes of dark bramble fruits and gentle spices. Pedro Ximenez contributes the robust and full-bodied richness of The GlenDronach, often characterised by notes of dark chocolate and stewed fruits. With each Cask Strength release, our Master Blender selects the ideal marriage of these two casks before bottling without chill filtration, at high strength and naturally deep in colour, as was the custom before the turn of the 20th century. Add a drop or two of water to reveal a cornucopia of flavour – from wild figs and brambles to baked apple and damson plum."

Cadenhead Small Batch Bruichladdich 1988

$479.99

Finally! A Cadenhead Laddie! These gold label releases from the Single Cask range are nearly always stunning. The price may seem a tick high, but consider a moment: this is three decade old malt, at natural cask strength, from an era prior to the distillery's 2001 renaissance. Bottlings like this are becoming more and more scarce as the days go on. A single ex-Bourbon Hogshead yielded just 174 bottles at 48.9% abv, and only half a dozen bottles are making their way to us. Exclusive to Kensington Wine Market.

Producer Tasting Note

Nose: very creamy, mandarins, peach yogurt, apricots, pineapple and strawberry milkshake.

Palate: Syrupy fruits, with a soft salty back ground. Peaches, cardamom pods, sweet and sour notes, limoncello with toffee sauce.

Finish: Thick and chewy, soft coastal notes give way to bags of fruit and golden syrup.

Cadenhead Small Batch Benrinnes 18Y 57.5

$171.99

One of the big beasts of Speyside. And I mean that not necessarily as relates to production numbers, but the style of whisky produced at Benrinnes. Highly coveted by blenders, the malt that comes from Benrinnes is big, bold and often referred to as meaty. It's a textural whisky, to be sure, but it's also incredibly complex and weighty. This 18 year old Cadenhead Small Batch release, a marriage of four ex-Bourbon Barrels, packs a hefty punch at 57.5% abv. 

Producer Tasting Note

Nose: Rich and fruity, figs, white chocolate, raspberries, mango and a touch of pineapple cake.

Palate: Old School fruitiness, tropical fruits with a slight earth edge. Peaches, passion fruit, lychee and apricots with creamy yoghurt and vanilla custard.

Finish: Long, slightly drying and then growing syrupy fruity notes.

Cadenhead Small Batch BenRiach 2008

$86.09

Pair one of our favorite indie bottlers with one of our favorite active distilleries and the results are bound to be a fireworks show. Especially at 57.6% abv. BenRiach seems to be a spirit that can succeed at all ages, in all cask types. But our preference, of course, is for clean ex-Bourbon, like this expression from Cadenhead. This is a perfect example of how small batch bottlings are generally better than single cask releases. Two Hogsheads yielded a meager 534 bottles for a world thirty for BenRiach. Only a handful are coming our way, and they won't last long. Especially at this price.

Producer Tasting Note

Nose: Aniseed, dried apricots, whole olives, rosemary and touches of linseed oil.

Palate: Burnt sugar, quite earthy with an almost phenolic note. Very oily with praline, granite, salted butter and peanut butter.

Finish: Long and drying, earthy and flinty before orange and lime notes build.

Cadenhead Small Batch Tomatin 2008 55.5%

$95.99

Tomatin used to be a monster of a distillery. In fact, at one point in the 1970s it was the largest malt distillery in all of Scotland, commissioning 23 stills by 1974. As of 2019, however, the distillery flows on just a dozen stills. Still substantial, of course, but production is a mere fraction of what it once was, and the distillery is producing at less than half capacity. Don't expect it to stay that way, however. Demand for Tomatin is very much on the rise, and the future is bright, largely due to a reinvigorated campaign to properly launch the brand on a global scale and, more importantly, a much more rigid cask policy. The brand is almost certain to continue its current upward trajectory. Now is the time to buy, while prices remain fair.

But if you're looking for a different sort of Tomatin - something the brand themselves aren't offering up - look to the indie bottlers like Cadenhead, and releases like this 10 year old, single cask, cask strength offering. Three Hogsheads yielded just 834 bottles at 55.5% abv

Producer Tasting Note

Nose: malty, barley lofts and icing sugar. Pear skins, almond milk and honey.

Palate: More honey, with lemongrass, elderflower and caramel shortbread. Grape skins, olive oil and green bananas with touches of coconut and all spice.

Finish: Initial spice then growing floral notes along with marshmallows and salted popcorn.