Canadian Rockies 17 Year Whisky
$69.99
New for 2018, and in a new bespoke bottle, this 17 year old Canadian whisky has been bottled at 50% abv. The whisky is produced at Highwood Distillery in High River, Alberta, primarily for export to Asia. It is 100% corn whisky!
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: toasty, floral and honeyed; Marcona almonds, dried cherry and cranberry, baked apple and cinnamon; lemon and candied corn.
Palate: sweet, corn forward and spicy; floral, ripe fruits, more baked apple, dried cherry and cranberry; toasted oak, more Marcona almonds, olive oils; jujubes and vanilla bean.
Finish: long, toasty and sweet; floral with fading fruits and jujubes.
Comment: classic Canadian whisky, corn forward, very drinkable, juicy and layered; not overly complex, but at this proof it is a fine cocktail whisky!
Crown Royal Blender`s Mash
$47.99
Made from a mashbill of 65% Corn, 32% Rye and 3% Malted Barley. Aged in a combination of ex-bourbon barrels and charred virgin oak barrels. Bottled at 40% ABV.
While the US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau or TTB originally the Bourbon Mash Label, upon review they decided it was not appropriate for a non-American Whisky to be called such. All bottles of this Canadian whisky destined to be sold south of the border are now labelled Crown Royal "Blenders' Mash."
Canadian Club 20 Year
$67.99
With a storied history that stretches back more than 150 years, Canadian Club is just as iconic as ever. Tales of bootlegging, speakeasies and the law-skirting hijinks of Al Capone are all wrapped up in the famous CC brand. And if rumours are to be believed (who knows?) even the origin of the phrase 'the real McCoy' are intrinsically linked to the narrative of this Windsor, Ontario distillery.
Forget the CC you know from the sale flyers. This 20 year old will take you deeper into flavour country.
Davin de Kergommeaux's Tasting Note
Nose: The nose opens on cloves, nutmeg and sweet rye spices before a truckload of fresh-cut lumber, cedar, and bond paper rolls in bringing with it some rich oaky notes. Smatterings of toffee, sweet fruits and grape drink balance off dry rye grain and almost meaty autumn smells: dry leaves and a hint of wood smoke. The nose is full and complex and so well-integrated that it smells like nothing so much as its distinctive self.
Palate: What starts out woody with some soft oak tannins, but without their harshness, quickly displays a range of tightly integrated flavours. These spread slowly across the tongue, but you have to pay attention to pick out fleeting individual notes. Sweet rye spices including nutmeg, hints of cloves, and cinnamon soon establish their presence, followed by a muted hot pepper. Patience is rewarded as the spiciness intensifies, with lots of complex interactions over constant rye notes until the whole becomes very hot and peppery with hot ginger in the background. About this time you begin to notice sweet black fruits and prune juice, with a balancing and refreshing bitter citrus zest. The fruity sweetness is underscored by toffee and vanilla notes with hints of burnt sugar. This is a weighty and mouth-filling whisky with a slightly creamy body.
Finish: Medium-long and fading, the finish is warm, sweet and slightly peppery as it disappears into traces of spices, vanilla, fruit, and wood. The flavours remain complex and well-integrated even as they diminish, with no dominant individual notes, but a concluding zing that is sweet and zesty and citric.
750 ml
Shelter Point Rye KWM Cask
$119.99
Our first ever KWM exclusive single cask of 100% rye whisky was selected by our team at Shelter Point Distillery on Vancouver Island, but it was distilled in Calgary at Alberta Distillers... Distilled in 2009 the whisky has been bottled after 9 years at 59.6%. 240 total bottles!
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: maple syrup, peanut brittle, cloves just plucked from a honey baked ham and treacle tarts; oily with loads of spice; there was a hint of dill at first but it quickly vanished; dark fruits, licorice root and fig jam; oh and glazed pork belly (seriously).
Palate: big, oily, syrupy and spicy; decadent Demerara and brown sugars before bacon infused dark chocolate and crisp spices: fennel, cloves and licorice root; more cloves plucked from a honey baked ham and sweet and sour pork; silky vanilla with dates and figs are late to the party.
Finish: insanely long, oily, coating and decadent with more dark fruits and soft spices; a touch of glazed pork belly.
Comment: wow... this was a serendipitous discovery on visiting Shelter point with Evan and Curt in September.
Wiser's Lanny McDonald Alumni Edition
$46.99
Described as well-rounded and wheat forward, the Lanny McDonald Alumni Edition from JP Wiser celebrates the Hockey Legend that helped the Calgary Flames win a Stanley Cup (and not the Leafs).
The Whisky is a 9 year old wheat-prominent blend aged partially in virgin oak.
Canadian Club Barley Batch
$51.99
Canadian Club is pushing the boundaries of the style we know (and occasionally love) as Canadian whisky. Barley Batch is a 2018 expression released to commemorate the 160th birthday of the brand, and it does so in a very unique style. Instead of simply releasing a slightly older version of their standard fair (or some other such shortcut), CC has given us a very singular expression. Most Canadian whisky is comprised of corn. And if we're lucky...maybe some rye. But imagine what you'd have if you took that sweet and approachable Canadian spirit and married it to some well-matured malted barley whisky? Well...you'd have Barley Batch. Well worth nabbing before it disappears. Especially at this price.
In the mix for this special release: 5 year old Canadian Club from Hiram Walker Distillery of Windsor, Ontario PLUS 6 year old malted barley whisky from Alberta Distillers of Calgary, Alberta.
42% abv
Canadian Club has a long and storied history, just like the Hiram Walker Distillery that makes it. It was the most sold bottle on the black market in the United States during prohibition. Canadian Club is the only Distiller outside of the United Kingdom to be awarded a Royal Warrant. The Canadian Club brand is owned by Beam Suntory. Just about all Canadian Club is distilled at Hiram Walker Distillery, which is owned by Pernod Ricard.
Burwood Single Hive Rye
$39.99
The Single Hive Rye Finish was distilled from 100% Alberta Honey, the spirit was aged in a first-fill ex-rye barrel for nine months before being bottled in 375mL format at 44.2% ABV.
Burwood Distillery is located right within Calgary, Alberta. It began distilling in mid 2017.
Burwood Spirit of Nemesis
$49.99
A Collaboration between Calgary, Alberta's Burwood Distillery and Zero Issue Brewery (also of Calgary) resulted in two very cool projects. The Spirit of Nemesis is a result of taking Zero Issue Brewery's Nemesis IPA Beer and distilling in Burwood's pot stills. The resulting spirit was then put into an ex-Bourbon barrel for one year before being bottled at 44% ABV.
From the Producer: "This Whisky has all of the attributes of the Nemesis with the added attitude and spice of becoming a powerful spirit. All of the sweetness, tropical fruit and rich bourbon smells on the nose carry straight through into the flavour when it is sipped. Specifically bottled at 44% to maintain the spice and head of the spirit it finishes with a wave of hops just to remind you that it doesn't conform to the whisky norm."
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: fruity, honeyed and malty; Jujubes and exotic Jelly Bellies; fresh squeezed grapefruits, perfume-y botanicals, juicy malt and prominent hops.
Palate: malty, floral and hoppy; honey with citrus flavoured Jujubes and more exotic Jelly Bellies; still perfumed.
Finish: medium and slightly hoppy with bright fruits and citrus.
Comment: it is remarkable how prominently the beer-y Nemesis notes have carried through the distillation; this is a very cool collaboration; and fine compliment to a pint of Zero Issue's Nemesis, or any other NEIPA.
Burwood Nemesis Hybrid
$49.99
A Collaboration between Calgary, Alberta's Burwood Distillery and Zero Issue Brewery (also of Calgary) resulted in two very cool projects. This one is a mix of Burwood's own single malt spirit and Zero Issue's Nemesis IPA Beer that was distilled at Burwood. The two malts were distilled separately and then blended together in one ex-Rye Whiskey cask and aged for a year before being bottled at 44% ABV. It is too young to be called whisky, but shows the direction that Burwood distillery is headed in, which is very exciting.
From the Producer: "Expertly blended together to highlight the attributes of each and elevate the tasting experience. The Nemesis IPA Whisky brings sweet and fruity notes as well as a nice hoppy finish to the blend. The Burwood Single Malt smoothes out the experience adding a dense and rich body to the middle of the taste profile and a characteristic single malt sweetness layers nicely on top of the fruitiness of the Nemesis. The use of a spicy Rye cask to finish this marriage ensures full integration and that this Hybrid emerges as a rounded and complete specimen."
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: bright and citrussy; there is a lovely backbone of rye spice and subtle, pleasant maltiness; creamy and floral with soft vanilla.
Palate: round and fruity with loads of honey and vanilla following; the spices show up late along with smooth toasted oak and more citrus fruits.
Finish: malty, fruity and decadent with soft toasted oak and layers of spice.
Comment: this is a very well put together spirit drink (it is two years too young to be called whisky); if this is a sign of what's to come from Burwood, they are going to make waves in the burgeoning Calgary/Alberta craft whisky scene!