Latest Arrivals:
- Bruichladdich 18yr. Pedro Ximenez
- Nikka 'Straight From the Barrel'
- Nikka Vatted Japanese malt 21yr.
- Octomore 2_140
- Bruichladdich Organic 5yr.
- Bruichladdich X4 + 3
- Benromach 10yr.
- Aberlour 12yr.
- Balvenie 12yr. 'Signature'
- Glenfiddich 30yr.
- Andrew Hilton Private Bottling #3 - Laphroaig
- Glenglassaugh 21yr.
- Amrut Fusion
- Springbank Madeira Cask
- Kilkerran 5yr.
- Signatory Laphroaig 8yr.
- Signatory Mosstowie 28yr.
- Signatory Glencraig 30yr.
- Signatory Inverleven 30yr.
- McCarthy's Oregon Single Malt
- Bunnahabhain 12yr.
- G & M Rosebank 17yr.
- Arran Moscatel Finish
- Arran St. Emilion Finish
- Arran Fino Sherry Finish
- The Ileach Cask Strength
- Balvenie 17yr. Madeira Cask
Our Whiskey
Having been a market leader in Single malts for the past 15 years has taught us something: There is no substitute for selection when it comes to Single Malt Whiskey. This simple statement has led us on an exhaustive search to try and source at least one version of every single distillery, either open or closed, in Scotland. We are the Single Malt Specialists when it comes to sourcing rare malts such as Allt a'Bhainne, Dallas Dhu, Convalmore, and Tomatin. If you can't find it anywhere else, odds are we'll have it.
September 1, 2010
...and so it begins
Single Malt Season has begun, and we're a scant month away from the start of our Free Fall Whiskey Weekends. The schedule should be finished an posted shortly, I'm about half done at present. However, the first round of new whiskies have begun to arrive from Connect, and these are the ones that have arrived so far. {Bottler is listed in {fancy brackets} where applicable}:
Aberlour 16yr.
Bruichladdich 18yr. Cognac Cask Finish
Deanston 12yr.
Fettercairn {Old Malt Cask} 13yr.
Glendronach Revival 15yr.
Glen Elgin 16yr. Cask Strength
Glenlivet {Gordon & Macphail} 21yr.
Glen Mhor {Cooper's Choice} 27yr.
Ledaig 10yr.
Linkwood {Provenance} 12yr.
Port Ellen {Provenance} 25yr.
Tamnavulin {Provenance} 12yr.
Tobermory 15yr.
Brand New: Octomore Orpheus
An iron fist in a velvet glove...
Lets bring the Octomore count up to three...
"I would like your finest dish stuffed with your second finest"
"Very good sir, Lobster stuffed with tacos"
That's one of my all-time favorite Simpsons quotes, and it fits this Octomore version to a tee. Taking the world's peatiest whisky, they have gone all out to try and "tame the beast" and soften some of this spirit's hard edges. They've done this by finishing the whiskey in Chateau Petrus casks, the world's most expensive wine. The result is a surprisingly gentle and refined version of a very powerful and brooding spirit. On top of the intense smokiness, medicinal notes, pervasive peatiness, and bright spiciness, the wine finish adds a gentle fruitiness, a real butterscotch character, a nice floral note, and soft vinous acidity, enhancing the whiskey tremendously.
Despite the morbidly expensive wine finish, this also our least expensive Octomore...
Our Price: $142.50
Two New Whiskies from Japan:
Nikka 'Straight from the Barrel' and 21yr. Vatted Malt
I'm really loving the fact that we are able to get some of the more interesting Japanese whiskies, as this is a really under-represented distilling nation for Alberta. For those who aren't in the know, the Japanese REALLY love Single Malt, to the point where they have bought entire distilleries from Scotland, and transplanted them in Japan. There are actually 6 Single Malt distilleries operating in Japan, producing more than a few whiskies of great distinction. These whiskies hail from the oldest of Japan's distilleries, Yoichi, founed in 1934. This distillery was the first to produce Single Malt in Japan, and is the last distillery to use direct coal firing (as opposed to steam) to run their stills. A very traditional and well-made whiskey, which is sold under the Yoichi, Nikka, and Miyagikyo labels.
The Nikka 'Whiskey from the Barrel' is bottled as a Cask Strength at 51.4%, and is packaged in a very classy looking 500mL bottle. Notes of soft fruit, and a rather'cake-like' aroma are surrounded by a toffeeish note that pervades the palate as well. Gently spicy, and moderately sweet this is a great representation of Japanese whiskey, very much in the Glenrothes style.
Our Price: $54.50
The Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt 21yr is a very big, bold Vatted malt. really big, like Bourbon big. Massive, oily, and moderately sweet, with no real peat notes, just vastly bigger than you would expect a mildly peated whiskey to be. I really enjoyed this one. Bottled at 43% in a 700mL bottle.
Our Price: $142.25