Boutique-y Clynelish 20 Year KWM Cask
$164.99
It is finally here... we have been teasing and talking about this whisky for months, and it was worth the wait. We are thrilled to introduce you to our first ever KWM exlcusive single cask from That Boutique-y Whisky Company. Although the bottle doesn't explicitly tell you which "Highland" distillery the whisky is from, there are clues on the label... 578 bottles have been filled exclusively for Kensington Wine Market at 51%. But we have nothing holding us back from telling you that Boutique-y Highland #2 is Clynelish... That's right, this is 20 year old Clynelish!
Andrew's Note on the Whisky & Label
Could that be a cat in the clouds, a Wild Highland Cat perhaps? Is it not strange to see a waxy candle-powered balloon? Incidentally, it is lifting the KWM whisky team aloft. And what of the monument? If we told you it was a controversial monument near the town of Golspie dedicated to the infamous Duke of Sutherland, would that give you all the information you need to know? What Highland Distillery has a Wild Highland Cat as its symbol, a waxy profile, and an infamous Duke as its founder?
This label is a cheeky take on a shared memory, with embellishments, embedded details, and Easter eggs, in the tradition of the best Boutique-y Whisky Company Labels. More importantly, it tells a story, which is personally important to my family. My mother was born into the Clann Gunn in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. Her ancestors roamed swaths of what is now Caithness and Sutherland in northern Scotland. That is until they were compelled to leave Scotland in the late 18th century, cruelly and rudely displaced to make way for sheep during the early days of the Highland Clearances.
On the label there is a ship at sea, heading to Canada presumably, as hinted at by the flags (the Canadian flag as it is today was only introduced in 1965). On the flat coastal plain at the base of the mountains sheep can be seen grazing. In front of the monument stand a pair of Canadians stand in hockey jerseys. Sam Simmons, Head of Whisky at Atom Brands, and a native Torontonian, stands closest to the monument in what appears to be a hockey jersey. Further back, a native Calgarian, yours truly can be seen waving a white hat, an iconic symbol of "Cowtown", whilst sporting a local hockey team jersey of his own. In the balloon Keith, Evan, Shawn & Curt can be seen waving at Andrew & Sam below. Speaking of those two, what are they doing atop Ben Bhraggie? Funny story that.
When TBWC offered us this cask of Highland Malt, they asked us what we wanted on the label, and I had a cheeky idea. In 2006 I made my first trip to Scotland, and on that trip, I hiked up Ben Bhraggie, a small mountain (really a foothill by Canadian standards) to see the monument of the infamous Duke. Someone had spraypainted the word "Monster" in neon green at the base. When I was sure no one was looking I dropped trow and relieved myself on it. I sent Sam an email of this tale, my connection to the area and my idea for the label. I was sure it was just a little too edgy...
Minutes later my phone was ringing... it was 3 AM in the UK, but Sam wanted to make sure I had seen his reply. He too had hiked Ben Bhraggie in 2005, and he had also paid his own respects to the infamous Duke of Sutherland...
One last little nugget, Keith, who is a personal trainer and headed to Beijing as a Team Canada Skeleton coach, felt his arm didn't look appropriately burly, in an early draft of the label. So we had the artist, Emily Chappell, 'bugs bunny' his arm... In case it isn't already apparent, nothing is sacred (especially when it comes to The Duke of Sutherland and Keith's pipes)!
And the rest as they say is history. On the back of every bottle, That Boutique-y Whisky Company includes the following text: "We are passionate about great whisky, we don't take ourselves too seriously and we LOVE a good story." No wonder these chaps are such a great fit to work with!
Berry's Blended Malt 1999 KWM Cask #4
$247.49
Who doesn't love a 25 year old whisky at a great price? Does it matter where it came from, or what's in it? This 25 year old Blended Malt, 1999 Cask #4 was bottled exclusively for KWM at a cask strength of 48%. If this looks familiar, that's because we had a sister cask of this whisky back in 2023. Good as that was, and it was pretty decent, this is even better. Almost certainly sherried ex-Edrington (cough Macallan, Highland Park, etc), this one is even better than the last.
No box, and no tube, this is whisky for drinking, and forgoing those extras kept the price down. Exclusive to KWM!
SMOS Tormore 14 Year KWM Cask
$125.99
This 14 year old Tormore was offered to us by our friends at Elixir Distillers, who purchased the distillery in 2022. While there aren't currently any official distillery bottlings, this cask was part of the distillery purchase, and is technically a Tormore Distillery cask, bottled by the distillery owner. Bottled under the Single Malts of Scotland label, the whisky was filled into a fresh ex-Bourbon Barrel in 2010, and bottled in late 2024 at 55.7%. Only 216 total bottles!
SMOS Linkwood 13 Year KWM Cask
$118.79
This lovely little Linkwood was distilled in 2010, maturing 13 years in an ex-Bourbon Hogshead cask before bottling at 56.8% exclusively for KWM. We weren't looking for another Linkwood cask for the store when we picked this one, but we couldn't turn it down. Bottled 20 days shy of its 14th birthday, it has taken nearly a year to come home, and we are thrilled it is finally here. 295 Bottles.
Berry's Teaninich 2010 KWM Cask
$110.49
This KWM Cask is our first cask pick ever from Teaninich Distillery, courtesy of indie bottler Berry Bros. & Rudd. It was distilled in 2010 and matured in a hogshead until hitting the bottle in 2024 at a strength of 54.1%. 245 bottles in total from cask number 709018.
G&M CC Caol Ila 2002 KWM Cask 8384
$314.99
This is the oldest Caol Ila cask we have ever had the privilege of bottling. Distilled in 2002, the whisky was matured 22 years in a First Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, Cask No. 8384, before bottling at 55.2%. 177 total bottles!
Benromach 2002 KWM Cask 969
$301.49
This is our 6th KWM exclusive cask of Benromach, and the 4th since the move to the new packaging. More precisely it is our 3rd from the early 2000s, and it is yet another Brora-esque twenty-somthing Benromach with creamy smoke and tropical fruits. Matured in a First Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel for 21 years before bottling at 57.9%. Only 179 bottles!
Benromach 2005 KWM Cask
$256.49
Our 7th KWM exclusive Benromach cask, is the first from sherry... Distilled in 2005, the whisky was matured 18 years in a First Fill Sherry Hogshead Cask (No. 335) before bottling at 58.5%.
Millstone 2016 KWM Oloroso Cask
$95.19
Our 3rd KWM exclusive cask of Millstone is a single malt distilled in 2016, and matured in an Oloroso sherry hogshead. The whisky has been bottled after 7 years at 52.3%. We're big fans of Millstone and its impresario Patrick Van Zuidam. We've been looking for an opportunity to select and bottle a cask of sherry-matured Millstone single malt, and are thrilled that this one is finally here!
The artwork on the label is from a painting of the store Andrew's wife Jen had made for him several years ago... it is our old entrance, pre-"the infamous Dodge Ram incident!"