Scotch Malt Whisky Society 35.241

$119.24

A REAL SHOWSTOPPER

From a refill hogshead, this 13 year old Speysider is 55.6%.

Flavour profile:  Sweet & spicy.

Outturn:  237 bottles.

Panel's tasting note:  "We noted at first a very pale fino sherry type colour on pouring but the sweet fruity scent of apples, pears and apricots permeating the air focused our attention on the aroma. A rich fruit parfait as well as a foamy syllabub dessert combining lemon and fragrant rosemary made this a real showstopper.

We tasted it – warm, mouth-coating and syrupy on the palate neat with hints of tobacco, chili and pepper. A drop of water and an invigorating spicy and fresh aroma of lemongrass, eucalyptus and cinnamon appeared while on the palate lemon-poppyseed Linzer cookies and a mango, pineapple and kiwi salad."

Scotch Malt Whisky Society 112.28

$159.99

A FRUITY FOOL

This 15 year old Highlander was matured in a 1st fill hogshead and comes in at 52.4%.

Flavour profile:  Sweet, fruity & mellow.

Outturn:  263 bottles.

Panel's tasting note:  "A warm invitingly sweet aroma of banana bread cake with butterscotch icing was followed by vanilla scones with strawberry cream as well as blackcurrant jam and red fruit coulis. On the palate neat, gooseberry yoghurt fool and mint chocolate chip cookies as well as orange and Earl Grey iced tea with mint syrup.

With water initially a whiff of linseed oil and new glossy magazines soon superseded by German cinnamon star cookies (Zimtsterne) and banana pancakes with hazelnut mascarpone cream. To taste, sweet and creamy like Portuguese custard tarts (Pastel de nata) or crème caramel with Marsala-baked pears."

Teeling 16 Year KWM Single Cask

$127.49

Our first ever exclusive single cask of Irish whisky is here... Andrew paid a visit to Teeling in the Spring, and visited the Dublin based distillery's extensive warehouse in the north of Ireland. He was blown away by the selection of casks on offer. We have been privilege to bottle a 16 Year Teeling Single Malt exclusive for KWM. The cask is a First Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, No. 12297. The whisky is either from Cooley or Bushmills... we don't know for sure, and they wouldn't tell us, but it is glorious. Our only regret, is that there are just 216 bottles! 54.6%.

Andrew's Tasting Note

Nose: butterscotch ice cream, creme caramel, clotted cream and Jujubes; very floral and decadent, with prominent soft citrus notes; a touch on the waxy side before more exotic fruits emerge: cantaloupe and melon, banana chips, mango and papaya with cracked pepper sprinkled on top; soft malty tones and nougat.

Palate: soft, creamy, floral, decadent and very fruity; an explosion of fruits: first white fruits, then melon with citrus hard on their tail; ripe mango and papaya, again with a spicy black pepper hit; lush vanilla, honey, clotted cream and butterscotch ice cream; late malty notes of chewy barley; still floral, warming and a touch toasty.

Finish: long, coating, warm and toasty; the decadent, fruity and floral tones linger long, fading in to gentle spices and sugars.

Comment: this is the Irish whiskey you are looking for, and wow, what a fruit bomb it is; Teeling has such an incredible variety of casks maturing in their warehouses; the Scots must rightly be very envious; but will all that selection we opted for something classic!

The Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar 5th Ed

$349.99

This is the 5th (2018) edition of the Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar from Secret Spirits. It was on sale, so we passed on the savings. The Calendar features 25x50ml Scotch whiskies, a glass and some other goodies!

Spoiler Alert - Don't browse the list of whiskies below if you want to be surprised:

1. Single Cask Nation MacDuff 14 Year Old
2. Wemyss Malts Treacle Chest Blended Malt
3. Lost Distillery Company Auchnagie Classic Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
4. Secret Spirits Glen Moray 9 Year Old Single Malt
5. Secret Spirits Craigellachie Single Malt Whisky 12 Year Old
6. Exclusive Malts Regional Series Islay
7. Adelphi Breath of Speyside “Blended” (teaspooned) Malt Scotch Whisky 11 Year Old
8. Old Malt Cask Balmenach 13 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
9. A.D. Rattray Glen Moray 10 Year Old Single Malt
10. Secret Spirits Royal Brackla 11 Year Old Single Malt
11. Wemyss Malts Vanilla Burst Blended Malt
12. Lost Distillery Company Stratheden Classic Blended Malt
13. Auchinderom Peated (Glenglassaugh) Sauterne Cask 7 Year Old
14. A.D. Rattray Knockdhu 9 Year Old Single Malt
15. Secret Spirits Caol Ila 8 Year Old Single Malt
16. Wemyss Malts Nectar Grove Limited Edition Blended Malt
17. Secret Spirits Glentauchers 10 Year Old Single Malt
18. Secret Spirits Glenallachie 9 Year Old Single Malt
19. A.D. Rattray Williamson (Laphroaig) 13 year old
20. Single Cask Nation Stones of Stenness Orkney 18 Year Old
21. Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Inchgower 25 Year Old Single Malt
22. Lost Distillery Company Towiemore Archivist Blended Malt
23. A.D. Rattray North British 30 Year Old Single Grain Scotch Whisky
24. Secret Spirits Inchmurrin 21 Year Old Single Malt
25. A.D. Rattray Glen Grant 30 Year Old Single Malt

Valinch & Mallet Caol Ila 10 Year

$123.19

Classic, feisty young Caol Ila. Distilled in 2008 and matured in an ex-Bourbon Hogshead cask for 10 years before bottling at 53.5%. Only 6 total bottles are coming to KWM, and we opened one for a tasting, so make it 5!

Andrew's Tasting Note

Nose: soft, floral and honeyed with vanilla and dried fruits; tarry, savoury, and honeyed with seared scallops and smoked mussels; chewy malt and crisp earthy peat smoke. 

Palate: soft, floral and malty; silky vanilla, creamed honey and girsty-chewy malt; tarry, oily peat and briny medicinal tones; loads of citrus: lemon and lime juice; fatty butter and more seafood-y tones: smoked mussels and seared scallops.

Finish: clean, decadent and maritime; malty with oily peat and vanilla; juicy citrus.

Comment:  a lovely, young, elegant malt; without flaws; classic young Caol Ila!

Boutique-y Glentauchers 21 Year

$174.99

Only 30 bottles have come to Alberta, exclusively to KWM, of this 21 year old Glentauchers, bottle at 47.1%. 500ml. The graphic on the label is an illusion to the time, long, long ago, that Glentauchers experimented with colums in place of pot stills...  500ml.

Proudcer Description: "How times have changed. Glentauchers like to keep things very traditional, not using computers to make their whisky. However, back in the day, the Glentauchers distillery was interested in experimenting in new ways to distill malt whiskies, which led to their foray into ‘silent malt’ (the process of making malt whisky in column stills). This trend happily didn't catch on and pot stills are used to this day by Scotch whisky distilleries to make their malt whisky. As you can see from our label, showing the exact moment Glentauchers decided to try out ‘silent malt’ production, obscene amounts of facial hair was popular back then too. Some things never change."

Producer’s Tasting Note

Nose: Salted caramel, chocolate digestive and red apples, then morello cherry jam, nuttybarley and a helping of fresh vanilla beans and oak chips.

Palate: Marmalade on brown toast with a little melted butter and dried fruit. Burnt sugar,citrus and a little garden herb emerge, with plenty of oak spice prickling away throughout.

Finish: Bread and butter pudding and a hint of struck match.

Compass Box Malt Whisky Collection

$57.99

Signatory Tormore 1988 47.2%

$299.99

Faulty product, retured to supplier.

Isle of Jura 1988 Rare Vintage

$1,049.99

Bottled at 53.5% after maturing in ex-Bourbon and finishing in 20 Year Old Tawny Port Pipes for several years.

Producer Tasting Note

Nose: Black Forest fruits, coffee and blackberries.

Taste: Red berries, caramel and liquorice.