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)
Pike Creek Double Barreled
$37.79
Compass Box Enlightenment
$80.99
Strictly Limited to 2 Per Customer!
This new limited edition release is stunning, and will available in Alberta in only very limited quantities. At $100 it is a steal, and that is not even getting into its fabulous raison d'etre, essentially Compass Box is poking a sharp pointed stick in the eye of the Scotch Whisky Industry's governing body and EU Law. The whisky has been released as part of their Campaign for Scotch Whisky Transparency which we support, and in their own words a whisky: "with which to ponder the world of Scotch not only as it is but also as it could be."
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: silky, loads of vanilla, soft floral tones, juicy malt and loads of citrus fruits: lemon and lime; almond brittle, Dulce Leche and apple crumble.
Palate: big, toasty, creamy, floral and subtly spicy; more juicy malt, silky vanillans, creamed honey, dulce leche and baked apples; poached pear, green vegetal tones and more citrus tones.
Finish: still creamy, subtly toasty, floral and vegetal with delicate spices.
Comment: this is a beautiful and delicate malt, and at under $90 it is a steal; the only shame is that less than 300 bottles
Producer Tasting Note: "Fresh, vibrant and uplifting with a mouthfeel that is moreish and mouth-watering. On the nose you will find bright apple and pear, vanilla cream and light violet; on the palate soft spice, gentle citric notes."
From the Producer: "Since launching the Compass Box Whisky Co., I have always been a firm believer in the spirit of enlightenment – that the more information we can share with our customers about the Scotch whisky we produce, the better. Alas, it transpires such beliefs fall foul of current EU and UK regulations, which prevent us from sharing information about the age of every component whisky used in the creation of our blends."
"This whisky, Enlightenment, is our response to these regulations. Inspired by the writers, philosophers and scientists of the Age of Enlightenment it sets out to encourage the industry to consider the absurdity of a system that prevents producers from telling consumers exactly what has gone into the whiskies they are drinking.
"And of course the whisky itself is something rather special. A blend of fruity, fragrant Highland Single Malt Scotch Whiskies, it is bursting with aromas of fresh orchard fruit, flavours of vanilla, soft spice and pear and an alluring apple peel waxiness on the finish. An uplifting, enlightening whisky with which to ponder the world of Scotch not only as it is but also as it could be."
Compass Box The Circus
$292.49
Strictly limited to 1 per customer!
Demand for this very limited edition blend is expected to be high, coming on the heels of the General and This is Not a Luxury Whisky. The quantity coming to Alberta is expected to be small. It is composed primarily of two mysterious older whiskies, blended while young and married together for more than 2/3 of their lives in refill sherry butts. Even Compass Box doesn't know what all of the components are, but they are clearly excellent. There is also a moderate component of old blended grain whisky.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: jammy, nutty, fruity and layered; lush old grains, smooth old leather and dark chocolate with cayenne spice; salted caramel and a touch of dried fruit bars with baklava.
Palate: big, leathery, fruity and spicy with dried fruits (cherries, cranberry and raisins); dark chocolate with cayenne spice, silky honeyed grain notes and more jammy notes: strawberry-rhubarb; old leather, delicate tobacco and musty old oak.
Finish: big, long and elegant; more leather, dark chocolate, spices and dried fruits with a silky honeyed base.
Comment: this is a beautiful older blend, the silky grains shine through as do the bolder rich sherry notes; again, sadly available in but pitifully small quantities!
Producer Tasting Note: "A lithe frame and opulent mouthfeel showcasing the supple softness of mature grain and the complexity of aged Blended Scotch Whisky. Brimming with dried fruit character, a luscious maltiness and nuances of almond and hazelnut."
From the Distillery: "I have a longstanding belief that there is a magic to certain combinations of Scotch whisky. Such blends – like the very best of circuses – have the capacity to take us outside of ourselves for just a moment, to elevate the senses beyond the everyday and – following the sentiment of Charlie Chaplin’s immortal clown – to raise our eyes upwards to consider horizons new."
"Such is the case with this whisky, for which we were lucky enough to uncover that rarest of finds – old parcels of Blended Scotch and Blended Grain whisky that had been aged pre-blended in cask for many years. In such parcels, what you get are whisky blends so seamless, so complex that they function for us as single components.
"We know little of the component distillery whiskies used in these blends for The Circus, only that they contain both single malt and single grain whiskies and that the ‘marrying casks’ are sherry butts. However, the provenance of the components isn’t important to us now, as what we have are old casks containing whiskies that are extraordinary."
Cadenhead Small Bt. 12 Strathclyde 1989
$160.99
Strathclyde is a grain distillery founded in 1927. As with most grain distilleries in Scotland - just about all of the whisky produced here goes into blended scotch. It is rare to find a bottling of Strathclyde on its own - let alone a 26 year old such as this.
From a small batch of 2 ex-bourbon barrels.
Distilled in 1989.
Bottled in 2015.
354 bottles total with only a few cases coming to us.
Staff tasting note
Nose: pine, limoncello, vanilla, cinnamon, mint, cigar box and polished leather.
Palate: lemon, vanilla again, honey, cinnamon, mulling spices, gingerbread, butterscotch.
Finish: long and warming, creamy with a pleasant heat.
The Famous Grouse Whiskey 1.14L
$43.99
The Bruery Poterie Barrel Aged Ale
$44.99
Poterie is French for “pottery”, the traditional eight-year anniversary gift. This is The Bruery's eighth anniversary ale. Poterie follows in the footsteps of the anniversary releases before it, which are loosely based on an English-style old ale, fermented with their house yeast strain and then blended using the solera method. This means that a portion of each anniversary ale is saved in oak barrels and blended in with the next year’s production, providing more complexity and depth of character as the years go by. The result is layered in robust and complex flavours of toffee, caramel, dark fruit, vanilla and oak. Poterie will age gracefully for decades when cellared properly.
The Nikka 12 Year Japanese Blend
$224.99
This new Blended Japanese whisky was launched earlier this year to fill some holes in Nikka's production gap.
Fromt the Producer: "There is nothing more suitable than a blended whisky to represent Nikka’s way of whisky making. The asymmetry design of the bottle is inspired by the neck of a “Kimono”, just as if the layers visualize all the passion and craftsmanship devoted in the history of Nikka. The honorable golden emblem engraved was designed by Masataka Taketsuru for his very first Nikka whisky bottle. Malty, soft and well-balanced, this expression portrays our gratitude to the heritage and our will to advance our tradition."
Evan's tasting note:
Nose: Grain, custard, hints of earthy peat, white chocolate fudge, peeled apples and pears, dried mango and dried pinapple slices.
Palate: Citrus, honeydew melon, tart green apples, pineapple, black pepper, light smokey peat, new leather, grain cereals, oily and creamy with a hint of spice.
Finish: whispy peat smoke stays with you along with black pepper and light honeydew melon notes.
Comment: The elegance that you expect from Japanese Whisky as a whole with the light, ethereal peat that seems to be Nikka's signature. Lovely stuff.
A.D. Rattray Bank Note 5yr
$41.99