Boutique-y Clynelish 20 Year KWM Cask
$219.99
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!
G&M Generations Glenlivet 80 Year
$140,000.00
ONE BOTTLE LEFT... IN THE WORLD! - Bottle #121 Available!
This was the oldest bottle of whisky ever bottled, for a little over a year and a half, and it is exclusive to KWM in Alberta! Only 4 of the 250 decanters produced are destined for Canada. Distilled February 3rd, 1940, at the Glenlivet Distillery, the whisky was filled into a First Fill Sherry Butt, and matured 80 years before botlling on February 5, 2020, at 44.9%. It isn't inexpensive, but it is stunning, and beautifully presented! 93pts Angus @ Whisky Fun!
We launched exclusively in Canada, a sister cask, the Gordon & MacPhail Generations Glenlivet 70 Year around a decade ago. Details on our archive!
Producer Description: "On 3rd February 1940 in a quiet corner in the north of Scotland, George Urquhart and his father, John, had the extraordinary foresight and vision to lay down spirit from Glenlivet Distillery in a bespoke Gordon & MacPhail cask to be enjoyed by future generations.
"On 5th February 2020, leaning on the unique skill and experience acquired by over more than 125 years, the decision was taken to finally bottle the cask’s precious out-turn of 250 decanters."
Ardbeg Heavy Vapours 46%
$174.99
The 2023 Ardbeg Day special release, Heavy Vapours, is bottled at 46%, from a parcel of spirit made without Ardbeg's spirit purifier.
Producer Description
"A missing purifier. A dram forsaken. Who will restore the balance? Something weird has been going down at the Distillery. The legendary purifier on the still – responsible for Ardbeg’s exalted balance – is nowhere to be seen. And this whisky – Ardbeg Heavy Vapours – is the consequence. The familiar harmony between peat and floral fruitiness has been disrupted. What have risen are the untamed darker flavours and notes, gathering and filling the senses. It is an ominous dram of dramatic, aromatic pungency. Heavy Vapours will rise. Non chill-filtered at 46% ABV."
Berry`s Bowmore 1997 KWM Cask
$734.99
How could we turn down the opportunity to bottle another cask of Bowmore, we've only ever bottled one before... This 26 year old from our friends at Berry Bros. & Rudd was filled into a sherry butt (cask #85) in 1997, and was bottled at a natural cask strength of 46.1% in 2023, exclusively for yours truly! There are only 98 total bottles... Sister casks to this bottling have done well on Whiskybase and WhiskyFun (89-91pts). Only 98 bottles!
Ardnamurchan Ad/11:16 KWM Cask 1146
$131.99
This whisky was featured on Day 13 of our 2024 KWM Not An Advent Calendar Tastings! You can read more about the whisky here.
This is our first KWM-exclusive cask of Ardnamurchan… it is also the first Ardnamurchan cask bottled exclusively for a Canadian retailer... and we are more than a little excited to have it. Of the 40-odd new distilleries in Scotland, Ardnamurchan is one of our favourites. This 7 year old peated Ardnamurchan was matured in a single ex-Bourbon Barrel, selected by your friends here at Kensington Wine Market. 57.5%. Loads more geeky details below!
Ardnamurchan Blockchain Anorak (Geeky) Details:
- The malt variety is Concerto, grown at Broomhall Farm, and it was peated during the malting process.
- The mashing was done by Gordon Mackay, and the three waters were respectively: 64.5C, 82C, and 96C.
- Fermentation was by Nicky Docherty, with an average of 76 hours.
- Distillation was also by Nicky, with the spirit run starting at 73% and cutting off at 64%.
- Matured in an ex-Bourbon Barrel, Cask No. 1146, filled in November of 2016.
- The whisky was bottled on March 26th by Kelly Combe, Holly McCafferty, and Reece Donaldson.
Millstone 2016 KWM Oloroso Cask
$111.99
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!"
Benromach 2002 KWM Cask 969
$334.99
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!
G&M CC Caol Ila 2002 KWM Cask 8384
$349.99
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!
Cono Sur 20 Barrels Pinot Noir
$32.99
Cono Sur has led the way in pushing the boundaries of viticulture and winemaking in Chile, with varieties formerly barely known in Chile. The first Chilean winery to use screwcaps on their entire range of white wines. The first to produce and export Chilean Viognier.The first to produce Riesling from the Bio Bio Valley. They are the biggest Pinot Noir Producer in South America, and top five in the world. As for this wonderful value-priced Pinot Noir, it has red fruit notes of raspberry, cherry and strawberry, as well as leather, cassis and a smoky note in the background. Voluptuous and youthful, it has a silky finish. One heck of a Pinot Noir!