When you’re ready to step into the big boy world of Scotch, there is no better person to consult in Calgary than Andrew Ferguson. The co-manager of Kensington Wine Market, known to many as simply “The Scotch Guy”, he is one of less than a dozen people in Canada to be inducted into the Keepers of the Quaich — a society of world-renowned Scotch experts. At a private ceremony held at Blair Castle in Scotland, Ferguson was recognized by the organization as one “who has made important contributions to the international success of Scotch whisky.”
Ferguson’s recent travels to Scotland took him on a two-week whiskey trek through several Scotch-centric regions, such as Arran, Campbleton, Jura, Islay, and Speyside — managing to somehow pack more Scotch-knowledge into his crammed mental database.
The Scotch Guy pulled four special bottles off Kensington Wine Market’s shelves, and is sharing these recommendations exclusively with DailyXY. The next time you want to impress the boss, father-in-law, or simply want to toast the signing of a peace treaty, be sure to do it with one of these expert-approved choices.
Glenfarclas 40-Year: $499
“Most distillery bottled 40-year-old whiskies sell for between $2,000 and $4,000 — making this one a steal at just under five hundred. Malt Advocate magazine called it “Scotch Whisky of the Year” and Whisky Magazine named it ‘Speyside Whisky of the Year’. It is rich and smooth with Christmas cake notes, toasted oak and hints of leather and tobacco. Glenfarclas is the second-oldest family-owned distillery in Scotland.”
GlenDronach 1995: $114
“Like Macallan, an 18-year on steroids, but for two-thirds the price. The whisky is chocolaty, sweet and rich, with loads of spice. Only 682 bottles have been bottled from a single Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon and bottled exclusively for the Kensington Wine Market. Glendronach is a small distillery in the Eastern Highlands of Scotland, west of Aberdeen.”
Signatory Bowmore 40-Year: $1139
“There were some incredible old Bowmore’s filled into casks in the late 1960s and early 1980s. This Bowmore has been bottled by the independent bottler Signatory, after maturing for 40 years in the cask. It is one of two 40-year old Bowmores distilled in 1970 bottled by Signatory this year. The whisky is lush with tropical fruits and notes of sticky toffee pudding. Fewer than a dozen bottles are available in Canada.”
Springbank 18-Year: $130
“Springbank is Scotland’s oldest family-owned distillery and also its most traditional. It malts all of its own barley (the only distillery in Scotland to do so) and bottles its product on site. The Springbank 18-Year is the distillery’s oldest expression and exceptionally rare. Fewer than a couple hundred bottles find their way into Alberta each year.”
Be sure to stop in the Kensington Wine Market and visit Andrew, or follow him on Twitter.
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Image courtesy of wsimmons.
