Son, Father, Husband, Doodle Dad, Owner of @kensingtonwm đ˛đđĽđşđˇ. I'm currently drinking the two casks we've bottled for my 20th Anniversary at KWM!
đ˘đ¨â ď¸WALTERâS CHOICE 44 YEAR KWM BLENDED SCOTCH IS NEARLY GONE!!!â ď¸đ¨đ˘
We are down to less than 30 bottles of one of the best casks (we've bottled closed to 200 casks over the last 20 years) we've ever put our name on.
Per last week's Malt Messenger, if there are any bottles left as of February 1, 4 1/2 months since we launched it, the price is going up by $100.
This 1980 vintage Blended Scotch whisky is from a single Sherry Butt (cask #37) bottled after 44 years at 47.8% exclusively for KWM. It is an Edrington Blend, married in 2005, the youngest component of which had been distilled in 1980. The whisky has an antique-y, old-school sherry profile, reminiscent of the way old whiskies used to taste 20 years ago.
The whisky is named for KWM's store dog, and Chief Morale Officer, Walter. As it say on the label, this is "Man's Best Blended Scotch Whisky", "Doggone - Finest - Deluxe - Rare Auld Whisky", "A Special Treat for Ony the Goodest Boys & Girls", and it is "Aged 308 Dog Years!"
More details:
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NIKKA IN CALGARY // We are thrilled to welcome Emiko Kaji, Global Brand Ambassador (amongst other things) for Nikka Whisky, and her colleague Naohiko Kumagai to Calgary.
We've been working with Nikka Whisky since it first arrived in Canada more than 17 years ago, back before Japanese Whisky was cool.
I first met Emiko in 2012 while on a whisky tour of Japan with a group of customers, and I am thrilled that she was finally able to pay us a visit in Calgary.
Tonight Emiko is guided our customers through a deconstruction of the Nikka From The Barrel Extra Marriage, to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of From the Barrel.
It was an excellent tasting!
GORDON & MACPHAIL TASTING AT KWM TONIGHT
Tonight's tasting was all about introducing two new @kensingtonwm singlw casks. The Miltonduff 2007 17 Year and Glenburgie 2003 21 Year are respectively our 15th and 16th KWM exclusive casks from @gordonandmacphail .
The lineup also included our Glentauchers 2000 23 Year, and the long sold old Glentauchers 2006 16 Year, and the Distillery Label Glenburgine 25 Year.
The final two whiskies, poured for the first time in Canada, we're the CRN57 18 and 30 year olds, Blended Mlats created by G&M for their new @cairndistillery .
Narry a bad dram in the range... great start to 2026!
MACBETH ACT 2 // We tackled all 8 whiskies from Act 2 of the Macbeth Collection last night, a superb range without a single disappointment, but plenty of surprises.
The Glentauchers 27 Year, aka Lennox, was a solid opening dram, bright, fruity, floral and waxy.
The Clynelish 14 Year, aka Servant, was true to form honeyed, waxy, and rather fruity.
The Bunnahabhain 45 Year, aka Lord Macduff, was antiquey, and subtly sherried, with tropical fruits. Another gorgeous old Bunna from the folks at Elixir.
The Highland Park 18 Year, aka Young Siward, was honeyed with soft clean smoke; I love this style of HP Sauce, it is more interesting than the OB 18.
The Ben Nevis 28 Year, aka Ross, was gooey, funky, and old-school in style; a classic 1996. 1996 Ben Nevi (the proper plural) can be phenomenal, but we've seen some real duds in recent years. This was excellent!
The Benrinnes 12 Year, aka Soldier, was as solid a young Benrinnes as I've had in a while with appropriately a touch of steel.
The Highland (Jura) 14 Year, aka Second Murderer, was cheesy, fruity, and a bit untamed with firm smoke. It was quite a pleasant surprise, fair to say it greatly exceeded my expectations.
The Islay (Laphroaig) 26 Year, aka Second Witch, is very reminiscent of the Laphroaig 25 Year Cask Strengths from a decade ago. Soft oily peat softened by time with both balanced sherry notes and underlying tropical fruits..
Not a bad whisky in the bunch, but my favourites were:
1) Ben Nevis
2) The Islay (Laphroaig)
3) Glentauchers
4) Buunnahabhain
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Walterâs Choice Has Arrived â Manâs Best Blended Scotch Whisky might put you in the dog house⌠but itâs worth it!
This 44 year old whisky is a Blend originally created by the Edrington Group, the youngest component of which was distilled in 1980. The whisky was blended and put into Sherry Butts to marry in 2005. At some point after that, the casks were traded off, and Elixir Distillers acquired a parcel of them.
We were provided the opportunity to bottle the whisky as a KWM exclusive and chose to name it for Walter and put his likeness on the label. Walter is KWM beloved store dog, and Chief Morale Officer.
The whisky is from a Sherry Butt, cask #37, bottled at 47.8% after 44 long years (308 dog years)!
Andrewâs Tasting Note
"Nose: old, antique-y, and soft with syrupy sherry and underlying tropical fruit; nutty old solera sherry, dark milk chocolate, moist brown sugar, and earthy dunnage warehouse notes; soft leather and a touch of old Armagnac and Cognac; in the background ripe mango and papaya emerge from behind dried dark fruits. Palate: old and antique-y yet still full of life; the entry is soft and delicate for a whisky as dark and old as this; old leather, dark chocolate, brown sugar, and sweet tobacco kick things off; the earthy dunnage notes and soft spices are balanced by a touch of sweet syrupy sherry; raisins, dates, and figs hold court before letting more subtle tropical fruits into the frame; warming notes cinnamon, licorice, and fennel round things out. Finish: warming, elegant, and satisfying with a good length. Comment: this is proper, old-school, ancient whisky, and it is superb; married for nearly twenty years everything is so well integrated you can't even pick out the grain; this is what old sherry cask whiskies used to taste like 20 years ago, a style we sadly don't often see anymore; you'll regret it if you don't grab one while you can!"
At $500 Walterâs Choice isnât inexpensive, but for its age, style, and quality, it is also a tremendous value.
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Thanks @frombarreltobottle for the đ¸s!
HEATHER FROM ARRAN WAS HERE // Big thank you to @heather.rbrtsn of @arranwhisky for taking time from her trip to Alberta to host a tasting @kensingtonwm ! Guests sampled through an excellent range of Arran and @laggwhisky including a couple of long lost KWM Casks and the 25 year old.
NEW OLD SCHOOL WHISKY // 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 for a while, and we are thrilled that this one is finally here!
The artwork on the label is from a painting of the store my wife Jen had made for me several years ago... it is our old entrance, pre-"the infamous Dodge Ram incident!"
This is beautiful, balanced, old-school sherry style single malt at a great price... I dare you to show me a better single sherry cask, cask strength whisky at this price!
My Tasting Note
Nose:Â rich, sherried, and nutty; dried dark fruits: raisins, dates, and figs; jujubes, candied ginger, and Aussie licorice; dark milk chocolate, Fruit Roll-Ups, soft leather, and building spice; beer nuts and Nerds.
Palate:Â rich, sherried, and nutty with a luscious mouthfeel; starting with the dried dark fruits again we have fig jam, Glosset Raisins, and grilled dates; again with the Fruit Roll-Ups, Nerds, and candied ginger; dark milk chocolate, soft new leather, cigar tobacco, and festive spices: ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and licorice root; there is also a touch of earthy funk, like a cellar aged fruit cake.
Finish:Â rich, spicy, and sherried, with loads of dark and candied fruits; elegant and coating with soft leather and tobacco.
Comment:Â there is a lovely synergy here between the nose, palate, and finish; I don't often find that in young sherried malts... but this is Millstone whisky, and they fill and bottle some of the best sherry casks in the industry; there is a complexity, and elegance here that belies its age; this is old school style sherry, and it is lovely.
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