Dewar's Signature
$244.99
Creative Whisky Co. Blended Malt 1994
$100.79
Creative Whisky Co. Irish Whiskey 2002
$103.49
This single cask of Irish Whiskey bottled by the Creative Whisky Company is a single malt from a distillery that cannot be named by the bottler. But I am under no such restrictions, it is a malt from the Cooley Distillery and it is fabulous. Distilled January 21 2002 and bottled in March of 2015. Only 336 total bottles at a cask strength of 51.8%.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: butterscotch and tropical fruits, soft floral malt and toffee chews; there is a hint of Jelly Bellies, saw dust and vaniila pods.
Palate: thick caramel and butterscotch, warm spices and loads of fruit; like stuffing one's mouth full of all flavours of Jelly Bellies followed by dried pinapple and appricots; the malt is thick and the oak is toasty with sugars and spices emerging as the fruits lets you in just a little further.
Finish: long, fruity and coating with coating vanilla oils and slowly fading sugars and spice.
Comment: this is a superb Irish single malt, at a terrific price; just don't let on you know it's from Cooley!
Creative Whisky Co. Islay Whisky 2008
$104.39
Compass Box This is Not a Luxury Whisky
$215.99
This hotly anticipated new limited edition release from Compass Box is not expected to last long. Reviews have been good, this boutique blend scored 92pts in Whisky Advocate and 90pts from Serge at whiskyfun.org. Less than 200 bottles for Alberta!
Bottled at 53.1%, 4,992 bottles of this boutique blend were released world-wide.
Composition: 79% First Fill Sherry Glen Ord / 10.1% Refil Ex-Bourbon Strathclyde / 6.9% Refill Ex-Bourbon Girvan / 4.0% Refill Ex-Bourbon Caol Ila –
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: very fruity anf creamy with rich butterscotch, dates dripping in honey and elegant new leather; there is a touch of spice box, a wood fire, dusty old books and loose leaf tobacco; some white chocolate and a touch of decandent silky grains.
Palate: still elegant, the palate is smooth, creamy and very elegant; more leather, tobacco and light but layered spices; again lots of fruit, mango, pineapple and appricots with more dates in honey; liquorice and smoke with a tad of salted caramel.
Finish: long, fruity and rich with layers of spice and sublty earthy sherry tones.
Comment: this is another stunner from John and his team at Compass Box, they implore you not to collect it, but how can you not if you want to be able to enjoy this brilliant one off in the years to come.
Distiller’s Tasting Note: “Complex, rich, lightly smoky and opulent. Sultanas, sweet sherry and concentrated floral notes combine with deep demerara sweetness, cacao and lighter creamy coconut character. An inviting nose, fat and full-bodied on the palate with a long, lingering sweetsmoke finish.”
From the Producer: "This is not a luxury whisky. Or is it? The inspiration for this limited release is René Magritte’s 1929 work “Ceci n’est pas une pipe”, a Surrealist painting which challenges peoples’ perceptions of reality.
"The reality is, these days we hear more and more commentators talking about ‘luxury’ whiskies, which are presumably whiskies that are either rare or expensive, or, possibly, both.
On one level, similar to the role Magritte’s painting played in the art world, this release is about getting people to consider for themselves what a ‘luxury’ whisky is.
"On another level, a level we consider much more important, this limitedrelease is about the liquid. This is about the whisky in the bottle, which we have painstakingly sourced and blended, and the engagement and enjoyment and pleasure this whisky will bring when shared with others.
"This latter point is what we believe a ‘luxury’ whisky is. And at CompassBox, this is what we believe whisky, generally speaking, is all about."
Cutty Sark Prohibition
$36.99
Putting the word "prohibition" on a whisky label seems to be all the rage in Bourbon these days, and it seems like this Blended Scotch from Cutty Sark is trying to grab onto those coattails. Or perhaps not, as it was originally released in 2013 to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the US repeal. Furthering the prohibition connection is the fact that the Cutty Sark brand was smuggled into America during the 1920s by Captain William ("the real") McCoy. This blend is bottled at 50% and the price is quite fair for that.
Loch Lomond Signature
$41.99
Teeling Revival 15 Year
$141.29
This 15 year old limited edition Irish single malt was distilled in 1999, matured in Ex-Rum casks and bottled at 46%. Only 100 bottles are coming to Alberta, no word on the rest of Canada, and we'll be getting our paws on just 24 of them! The whisky has been released to mark the opening of the Teeling Distillery in Dublin, the first new distillery in the city in 125 years, and the only one currently operating. It was a huge hit at our Irish Whiskey tasting last week. We've already sold 16 of the 24 bottles we'll be getting!
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: soft floral notes, light caramel chews, clotted cream on warm scones and citrus zest: lemon, lime and orange; a gentle maltiness with white fruits and the promise of spices.
Palate: creamy, sweet and still floral with lots of citrus; lovely sugars, more clotted cream on warm scones and floral notes with silky buttery oak; gentle spices at first too subtle for the nose build on the palate becoming darker and more prominent with Demerara sugars; the white fruits are still there with a bit of cooked pineapple and mango.
Finish: medium long, creamy and smooth with fading spices, oak and fruits.
Comment: dangerously drinkable spring dram, both refreshing but with the ability to warm you up a smidge if the day starts off with a chill!
Super Nikka The Revival
$71.99
This is a limited edition recreation of a special blend released by Nikka in 1962. A tribute to the original it is composed of grain whisky and malt from Yoichi distllery with a balanced peat character.
Nose: concentrated, rich. Begins with herbaceous (cut hay, straw) and lemony notes that mingle with liquorice and spices (ginger, cinnamon). It evolves with notes of cappuccino. Once aerated, aromatic plants (vervain, lime blossom) accentuate its earthy, vegetal character. Its almost perfect balance is an olfactory delight.
Palate: ample and round. The attack has two sides to it. One very smooth and honeyed (acacia, raspberry honey), and the other very long, almost ethereal, which focuses on heady florals (peppered rose, peony). Little by little, it becomes vanilla-flavoured and milky (coconut). Star anise, as well as a slight note of camphor invigorates the back palate.
Overall: long, slightly tannic. Delicately woody (oak), it develops clear notes of grain. Green malt ripples in the breeze. Full of light, it conjures up a lush, bucolic landscape on a sunny day. The retro-olfaction has notes of noble spices (saffron, ginger) and the empty glass is floral (heather, iris)