Posts of each month’s taster!
The Club was honoured to go back to its original roots with a Linkwood distillery direct release representing bottle #300, the very same distillery from which we sampled that all-important bottle #1. A true full circle journey, Linkwood 37 was not only nostalgic, but downright delicious. Cheers to a fantastic run ETKW, 300 bottles in under 18 (amazing) years! Sourced from a private collection.
Bottle #299 did not disappoint, although a little pricey at $477 , sourced from Alberta.
August marked the annual Expensive Taste KW cook off competition. Before we fired up the grills, the club had a chance to dive into another Signatory Vintages bottling.
We are exploring a new distillery to the already expansive club tasting history, is the Strathmill 1996 23 Year Old single malt whisky. This one was secured via a club members trip to Alberta a couple years back.
Here are the details of this bottling:
Distilled on 07/31/1996
Bottled on 03/06/2020, remarkably right around the start of the covid shutdowns.
Bottle # 391 of 458 produced from a marriage of cask #’s 2099 and 2103 (must be Strathmill’s numbering system)
This cask strength whisky came in at 57.4% abv.
Notes: There isn’t much out there on this specific bottling. But I’ll add a few details I took during the tasting.
Nose: warm sweetness, grassy undertones with a little bit of the alcohol from the cask strength
Pallate: stonefruit, warm grassy understones, but not too strong that it overpowers, a little bit of dry sweetness
Finish: was quite warm, got a little bit of the dryness come through again, perhaps some lingering of the sherry hogshead finishing barrels
This one was really interesting, not overly complex, the finish didn’t linger too long, was quite clean. Once again will say quite warm on that finish. A bunch of the group tried it with a drop of water in our drams. Would recommend you try it both ways so that you can compare for yourself.
Overall I think I would like this whisky more when the temp drops to around 0 on a late fall afternoon, maybe not on a warm Saturday afternoon in August.
Really solid tasting overall!
Our taster bottle for July was aged and bottled by the cask-gobbling beast that is Gordon & MacPhail, a 20 year-old Macallan distilled in 2004, marketed under the modified name of “Speymalt” due to the independent bottling.
This one promised to be fantastic, a big sherry bomb at 59.1%, and did not disappoint. Chocolate was the word of the day during this sampling. Good Macallan is hard to come by at an affordable price these days, so we’ll take it! Sourced from Alberta, with some still available at the low low price of $500 +tax. Darn Lovely!
This single cask bottling of Ardmore Single Malt whisky is brought to you by one of the greats in the independant bottling world, Gordon and Macphail. Here are the details:
Bottled at Cask Strength 55.5%
1 of 223 Bottles
Filled using Refill American Hogshead in 1998
Bottled Jan 26, 2021 at 22 Years of aging.
Notes from Gordon and Macphail: Citrus and crystalised violet aromas gives way to milk chocolate. Flavours grapefruit and brazil nuts lead to sured meats. A medium bodied finish with a lingering spice.
There’s not a whole lot of notes out there on this exclusive bottling as it’s one of only 223 bottles of this specific version. I must agree with our club members that this was a delight to try out and share. A very unique and interesting whisky that doesn’t taste as “hot” per say of a normal cask strength bottling. You didn’t need a drop of water to enjoy the full flavours and aromas of this offering. I would say great job all around to the finishing and bottling from the team at Gordon and Macphail.
From our experience you just can’t go wrong with with these independant bottling offerings!
A little about Ardmore:
The Ardmore distillery sits at the highest point of the Northern railway line, 600 feet above sea level. Close to the small village of Kennethmont, the proximity to the railway line allowed founder Adam Teacher to transport materials from Glasgow to this remote corner of Aberdeenshire, helping the distillery flourish.
Almost unchanged from the moment he made his dream a reality, the water is still drawn from the naturally rising springs that sit on the 1,500 foot tall Knockandy Hill.
Those who live on the rugged fringes of the Highlands embrace the freedom of the great outdoors and The Ardmore® brings together the power of nature in every drop that travels from our distillery.
Highly recommend this Ardmore 22!!
Our April 2025 taster was quite the interesting dram, and one that’s a little more rare and hard to find here in Ontario. This is the Glen Keith 25 Years Old single malt whisky distilled in the Speyside region. This is a bottle of their “Special Aged Releases” series that was bottled in March of 2023. This is one of 1460 bottles from this version that indicates it was matured in 1st fill American oak barrels and comes in at 43% abv.
From the landmark distillery Glen Keith ,which was the first to be built in Speyside region in the 20th century. The tall copper stills used to distill this twenty five year old Whisky imparts distinctively Speyside flavours. On the nose there is a syrupy sweetness; akin to toffee apples and spiced ginger marmalade. This is followed by tangy gooseberry jam and vanilla custard on the palate. The finish is long, smooth and sweet. Tasting Note by The Producer Nose Notes of toffee apple with spiced ginger marmalade. Palate Tangy gooseberry jam and vanilla custard. Finish Long, smooth, and sweet.
Nose: A delicate bouquet of ripe orchard fruits, honeycomb, and soft vanilla, underpinned by gentle floral notes and a whisper of oak.
Palate: Lusciously smooth with layers of stewed apples, toasted almonds, and creamy toffee. Hints of citrus zest and nutmeg add a refined spice, while the oak maturation lends depth and structure.
Finish: Long, warm, and impeccably balanced, with lingering notes of dried fruit, vanilla bean, and a soft malt sweetness.
This bottling was easy on the palate and packed some great flavours! I would highly recommend sourcing out a bottle of this for one of the best values in a 25 year old single malt available in Canada.
A delightful release from Kilbeggan that is matured in three different cask types (Bourbon, Pedro Ximenez Sherry, and American Oak). This premium blend delivers a characterful Irish whiskey with rich notes of summer fruits and vanilla, leading into an oak spice finish. We sourced this one for approx. $65 CAD.
Bottled at 43% abv.
Pictured on the right below:
This was just a great flavourful whiskey! Well done a nice easy drinker with a little punch of dry sweetness. Thanks for a nice affordable whiskey from Kilbeggan!
