Elements of Islay Tasting Kit Sept 2019
$74.99
A gift pack with 5x30ml Islay Whiskies.
Benromach Heritage 1978
$2,294.99
This 40 Year old Benromach is part of the legacy stock acquired by Benromach when they purchased the distillery from Diageo in 1993. Matured in a Refill Sherry Hogshead. Only 1 bottle is coming and the price has come down $400 from the last time we had the whisky!
Producer Tasting Note
"Pour your dram of BENROMACH 1978, cask number 2608, and prepare your senses to encounter an experience as rare as this gorgeous whisky. First, lift your glass to the light and appreciate the beautiful deep golden hue created by lingering for 40 years in a single Refill Sherry Hogshead as the whisky grew and matured in character. Take a short inhalation, appreciating the wonderful AROMAS WITHOUT WATER… enjoy the rich, sweet notes of honey and vanilla, mingling with ripe fruits, tangy lime and a touch of butterscotch and fresh ginger. Now take a sip. Savour the smooth sweetness beautifully balanced by a hint of pepper. Top notes of oak mingle with succulent pear and kiwi, rich dark chocolate and dried tobacco, with lingering spices and a wisp of peat smoke on the finish."
G&M PC Dallas Dhu 1969 50 Year
$13,500.00
Only 1 bottle is coming to KWM of this 50 year old, 1969 vintage, single cask from the closed Dallas Dhu Distillery. Matured in a Refill Sherry Hogshead cask # 1656, the whisky was bottled at 43.1%.
Producer Description
“Laid down in a Refill Sherry hogshead cask no. 1656 on the 10th June 1969, our Private Collection 1969 from Dallas Dhu Distillery 1969 is a fitting tribute to a site with a colourful history that finally closed its doors in 1983. Elegantly sweet aromas of candied ginger and treacle toffee complement the lingering finish of roasted coffee beans.”
G&M Rare Vintage Linkwood 1946
$9,299.99
Only two bottles of this have come to Canada. It was bottled in 1992 after maturing 46 years in a Sherry Butt (Cask 73) at 40%. Meaning this beauty has been in bottle for nearly 30 years. 92pts Whisky Base.
Bladnoch 15 Year Adela
$179.99
Bottled at 46.7%, the Bladnoch 15 Year "Adela" had been matured in Oloroso Sherry casks.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: more farmhouse ale notes, just as on the nose; strawberry yogurt and dried dark fruits: raisins, dates and prunes; firm leather and crisp spices: fennel, anise and freshly sliced ginger; chocolate espresso beans and chili oil.
Palate: crisp oak spices, firm leather and dried dark fruits: cooked raisins, dates and prunes; dark chocolate with cayenne pepper and chili oil; more espresso bean and a tobacco leaf.
Finish: warming with firm leather and spices; espresso bean, chocolates and dark fruits.
Comment: not flawed, but possibly a bit one dimensional; I'm not sure if Bladnoch's delicate spirit has the ability to stand up to first fill sherry.
Producer Tasting Note
Nose: Rich raisins, sultanas, with hints of orange peel and wood spices
Palate: Raisins and sultanas, rich fruit cake, sweet cinnamon and chocolate
Finish: Rich and long with a slight dryness
Producer Description
"An all Oloroso Sherry matured 15 year old whisky. Scotch enthusiasts, especially Oloroso Sherry fans, will want to add this to their whisky collection. 100% Oloroso Sherry matured whisky. Adela is Latin for “rich and noble”, alluding to the style and character of this whisky."
Bladnoch 17 Year
$154.99
Matured in Bourbon casks the spirit for the Bladnoch 17 Year was finished in ex-wine casks before bottling at 46.7%. This is one of the first official releases from this Lowland Distillery (Est. 1817) to ever come to Canada!
Producer Description
“Originally filled into ex Bourbon casks in 2001, our Bladnoch 17 Year Old was disgorged and re-filled in red wine casks for vibrant, complex flavours.”
Producer Tasting Note
Nose: Rich red cherries, subtle oak spices with sweet cinnamon.
Palate: Deep dark cherries with gingerbread, dried fruits and warming cinnamon.
Finish: Medium to long, with slight dryness and hints of pepper.
Bladnoch 25 Year Talia
$564.99
The Bladnoch Talia, part of the first release of official bottling to ever come to Canada from the Lowland Distillery, was finished in virgin French oak before bottling at 43.2%. I believe it has been discontinued, and is to be replaced with a 26 or 27 year old moving forward. 89pts Whisky Base
Producer Description
“Honouring Bladnoch’s traditional style, this malt is brought together using a blend of three different woods, ex Bourbon, ex Sherry, ex Whisky(Refill?) and finally finished in brand new American Oak”
Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2011
$81.99
This edition of the Islay barley is produced from six farms on central and western Islay. Matured in a mix of 75% ex-Bourbon and 25% ex-European oak wine casks, it has been bottled at 50%.,
Producer Description
Our Islay barley series has always been a mission. For many years now we’ve sought to showcase the phenomenon of “terroir” in single malt whisky – the belief that soil, climate, micro-climate, geographic orientation, natural influences and local weather systems will influence the quality and flavour profile of the spirit, making it a unique expression of ‘place’. Bruichladdich Islay barley 2011 is distilled from barley grown on six western and central Islay farms in 2010.
Producer Tasting Note
Character: A sweet spot in the maturation of an incredible whisky. A chance to see the elements at work as the young spirit showing green fruits, apple, pear and gooseberry transitions to peach, apricot and mango with the influence of time. The careful selection of casks holds this moment perfectly in balance as their contribution to the ageing of the spirit brings oak depth, vanilla and coconut sweetness and lemon/grapefruit zest without overpowering the sweetness of the malt or the profound cereal notes that come from the Islay grown barley. The structure is firm, the texture luxurious, carrying the DNA of this island.
Nose: From the outset this is overtly floral and fruity. Slow distillation yet again brings out the best from the Islay grown Barley, the abundance of soft fruit notes and delicate floral style of this dram is shared with our past Islay grown releases. Typical Bruichladdich style fruit notes of crisp apple and ripe pear along with peach and dried apricot are further enhanced with lemon drops, grapefruit and orange zest. There is a vast array of flavour rising from this whisky as it opens further. The oak and cereal components come through after the fruit, pipe tobacco and vanilla notes mingle with barley sugar and caramel wafers, as ever a distinct marine tang hangs in the air.
Finish: The finish is about the fruit, dried apricot from the oak and lemon, kiwi and caramel wafer. A warm sand, marine note lingers as the Islay maturation tells its part of the story. As this whisky lingers on the palate it puts you in mind of the construction and structure to its form. Each element, distillation, time, cask and barley have a clear influence yet not one dominates another as this whisky reaches a crossroads in its development. This vintage is at the perfect stage to appreciate all that it is as it lays bare its DNA, its philosophy and its quality.
87pts Whisky Fun (Angus)
"The barley for this one was grown in 2010 at Coull, Rockside, Island, Mulindry, Starchmill and Cruach farms. Colour: pale straw. Nose: there is a definite yeasty quality that belies the youthfulness. Although, it is undeniably clean and focused on sourdough, rye bread, moss, cut grass, damp ferns and other greenery. Things like toasted pumpkin seeds, olive oil, new leather, oily rags and hints of coal and hessian. Feels rather fatty and gives the impression of an almost gloopy texture awaiting you - something I’m always delighted to find in whisky. Over time it develops more towards chalk, lemongrass, plain cereals and fresh fabrics. With water: a more obvious fruitiness now. Hints of melon, (hello Bruichladdich!) bubblegum and cider apple. Getting slightly farmy and quite a bit more bready and autolytic which is great. Mouth: there’s a richness and kind of gingery spiciness on arrival that feels like it derives from the European oak but there’s no jarring wine quality which is good news in my wee book. Instead we’re very much doubling down on that rye-esque spiciness of the nose. Some green pepper, dried thyme, lemon barley water and rapeseed oil. Very grassy and punchy now but it really is quite impressive for the age; that initial yeasty note feels suddenly quite distant. With water: melon again, along with green banana, cornflour and an elevated salinity and mineral aspect. Finish: rather long and with a nice earthy / cereal mix. Hints of quinine, lemon and spiced herbal teas. Comments: When you speak to farmers on Islay about growing barley, it can be fascinating to see the differences between there and the more common growing areas of the mainland. There are environmental challenges that deliver lower crop yields and less efficient barley. Which in turn has a notable impact on process during production. I’m always happy to try these kinds of bottlings as you really feel that there is character here in abundance. I’d add that that character feels quite different to what I’d consider ‘classical’ Bruichladdich. But when has Scotch Whisky been a static entity? If Scotch Whisky has a future, quality must be king in my view. A few more years and these stocks will be pretty serious hitters I think. SGP: 561 - 87 points."
North Star Glenturret 8 Year Series 008
$94.99
Glenturret. SOLD OUT