1996 LCBO # 330365 August 2013 The Claymore Times

~All The News That’s Fit To Drink~

1996 Glen Keith LCBO #330365

INSIDE THIS Kevin Newall of Victory 46%vol $103.95 ISSUE: Cigars will give us his thoughts when pairing the Glen Keith and a cigar

History 2

Tasting notes 3

Cigar pairing 4

Benromach release 5 date change Durham’s first festival and Durham Festival of 6 how to make a Scottish Curry Spirits

Connoisseurs Choice 7

Kingston Single 8 Malt society

Companions & 8

Scottish Curry 9 P a g e 2 The history of Glen Keith distillery by Malt Maniacs http://www.maltmadness.com/whisky/glen - k e i t h . h t m l The Glen Keith distillery was built in 1957-1960 Chivas opened Glen Keith distillery in 1959, its on the site of a corn mill by Chivas Brothers, who output was destined for blending purposes. The also owned the nearby . It was Glen Keith malt whisky was used in Chivas Re- one of the first new malt distilleries to be built in gal, Passport and blended whisky. As Scotland since the late-Victorian whisky boom. far as I know, the Glen Keith 1983 depicted at Glen Keith (a.k.a. Glenkeith) originally had 3 the left (which was released in the early 1990's) stills because the distillery was designed for triple was the first real official bottling.

Until 1978, the official distillery name was 'Glen Keith-Glenlivet'; the 'Glenlivet' part had to be dropped from the name for legal reasons.

distillation. This 'Lowland' set-up was very un- usual for a Speyside distillery... The number of stills was increased to five in 1970, when they switched to double distillation. The new stills were a novelty; they were the first gas- fired stills in Scotland. The Glen Keith distillery The picture at the left (by Martine Nouet) shows was mothballed in 1999 and sold to Pernod four of the stills at Glen Keith distillery. Two of in 2001. Sadly, the new owners didn't maintain the these stills were added in 1970; for 10 years the original distillery equipment in the decade that distillery switched between triple and double followed. distillation. In the 1980's they switched to dou- ble distillation completely. In 1971 the stills at Glen Keith were the first gas-fired stills to be That made it look like Glen Keith distillery was installed in Scotland. Three years later, steam now silent for good - various pieces of distillery coils were installed. equipment require regular maintenance and clean- The Glen Keith 1983 single malt whisky was ing to remain in working order. The Glen Keith replaced by a 10yo bottling a few years later, but distillery buildings themselves remained in tip-top it would seem that Chivas stopped releasing of- shape though... Glen Keith was a malt whisky dis- ficial bottlings a few years later. The last time I tillery, but Chivas Brothers also used it as a labo- checked the Malt Maniacs Monitor it contained ratory for experiments with 'innovations' in pro- only official bottlings from the 1990's. All the duction and processing. When recent bottlings were from independent bottlers.

P a g e 3

NEWSFLASH: After being mothballed in 1999, the Glen Keith distillery was 'officially' reopened in on J u n e 1 4 , 2 0 1 3

AROMA without water

Malty and perfumed with hints of new leather, lavender and wood shavings. Sweet heather honey notes are also present. TASTE without water

Peppery initially, with ginger and cinnamon. Creamy with hints of citrus fruits. AROMA with water

Fresh and malty. Citrus fruits, green apples, with dark a hint of chocolate and vanilla. TASTE with water

Sweet toffee apples, followed a subtle pepper and vanilla notes.

Photos by Martine Nouet and Snorre Lenes Article by Malt Maniacs Page 4

Kevin Newell www.victorycigars.ca

Cigar Pairing with 1996 Glen Keith: Origin: Nicaragua Filler: Nicaragua My Father Le Bijou 1922 Binder: Nicaragua ToroVitola: 6 X 52 Toro Wrapper: Ecuadorian Grown Habano Oscuro

Appearance and Pre Light: through. The burn was near who was born in 1922. The Garcia’s This cigar has a beautiful perfect with an ash that held have a rich history of creating dark oily wrapper. It looks a strong. award winning cigars including Flor bit rugged with an almost De Las Antillas which was awarded hard consistency when Pairing with Scotch: I found squeezed slightly. There are the Glen Keith 1996 to have the coveted number one ranking in rich tobacco flavours on the strong citrus notes. This pro- Cigar Aficionado for 2012. In my pre light and you get hints of duced quite a kick of spice on the spice to come. my palate. The cigar brought opinion I think the Le Bijou is one this down a notch or two with of the best cigars to come out of The draw is perfect. its sweetness. The cocoa in the Nicaragua. With a price per stick Tasting: Large plumes of cigar matched nicely with the under $20.00, the My Father Le Bi- smoke are apparent right off pepperiness as well. With wa- jou Toro is a must try and is a “must the hop when I light the ci- ter the drink settled down fa- have” in my personal humidor at all gar. I can taste a bit of vourably allowing both drink times. This line is proudly distrib- sweetness and cocoa in the and cigar to work together to first third that I would expect create a perfect balance of cit- uted by House of Horvath in To- from this rich looking oscuro rus, spice and sweetness. This ronto. wrapper. As I get into the combo was such a winner I felt second third the cigar picks compelled to try them together up a touch of spice which is on more than one occasion. what helps to give this cigar About the Cigar: This cigar is a nice complexity. Notes of produced by the My Father Ci- coffee are also very preva- gar Company in Estelí Nicara- lent. The smoothness of this gua. French for “The Jewel”, cigar is outstanding from start to finish. This is a me- the Le Bijou was secretly de- dium to full bodied cigar veloped by Jose Don Pepin with sweetness all the way Garcia to honour his late father Page 5

Benromach, coming to the LCBO ‘whisky shop’ in August 2013

New York triumph for Benromach 10 Years Old

Benromach’s flagship 10 Years Old Single Malt has won a coveted accolade in the United States.

With a score of 95 out of 100 in the final of the Ultimate Spirits Challenge at the Astor Center in New York City, the Speyside malt whisky was awarded the status of “extraordinary, ulti- mate rec-

ommendation”.

The Ultimate Spirits Challenge is one of two annual events run by the Ultimate Beverage Challenge, which aims to es- tablish a higher standard of evaluation for spirits and .

Rigorously judged by some of the most respected and ex- perienced authorities in the United States drinks industry, the awards are designed to provide “meaningful and useful” results that accurately reflect the quality of the products be- fore them.

The judges said of Benromach 10 Years Old, which is ma- tured in hand selected oak casks at the in :

“Bursting with ripe fruit flavours reminiscent of mango, dark cherry and tangerine as well as offering deeper notes of vanilla, butterscotch, shortbread, and honeysuckle. In the mouth it is rich with a sherry sweetness balanced by gentle peat smoke and candied tangerine. It barrels into the finish boldly with notes of honey and citrus zest.”

Ewen Mackintosh, Director of Whisky Supply at malt whisky specialists Gordon & MacPhail, which owns Benro- mach, said: “We are absolutely delighted that Benromach 10 Years Old has been recognised as a very high-quality prod- uct in such a prestigious competition.

“The judging is remarkably rigorous and challenging, and it is heartening to hear our single malt whisky described in Page 6 P a g e 7

I’m always running into Roberto Difazio at one function or another, Roberto is the president of the Kingston Single Malt Society which has been in operation since 1998.

The group is about 75 strong and meet on a monthly basis to enjoy a fine meal in the company of three single malts.

The Kingston Single Malt Society is a club specializing in the tasting of Single Malts from a wide variety of places. They gather a number of times per year usually on the third Monday of the month. Dinners in the months of December, July and Au- gust are reserved for special events. Dinners move from venue to venue with some of the dinners held at the Vimy or Fort Frontenac Officers' Mess on Canadian Forces Base Kingston where we dine on a Five course meal coupled with a fine sampling of at least three single malt whiskies.

Each dinner samples single malts from a specific region of Scotland, Ireland or the world. The only condition is that they are single malts. With the whole world to choose from we often find that the best and most widely known Single Malts come from the Regions of Scotland. For each dinner a selection of Single Malts is made sometimes from each of the regions of Scotland. On occasion we choose a single malt from elsewhere in the world.

Roberto welcomes new members and visiting whisky enthusiasts and asks that you contact him directly for more information at [email protected] or 613-634-0397

Upcoming events in Kingston

September 23rd, 2013 - / Lowland - VIMY

October 21st, 2013 or October 28th, 2013 - Speyside - VIMY?

November 18th, 2013 - Highlands - VIMY December 9th, 2013 - Christmas Dinner - River Mill Page 8

Some great whiskies at your local LCBO

LCBO# Expression Price 262873 Mortlach 15yo $ 105.00 262832 Glen Grant 21yo $ 138.95 262790 1994 Caperdonich (CC) $ 99.95 680330 1997 Aultmore 43% (CC) $ 78.95 266833 1993 Glendullen (CC) $ 85.95 158139 Balblair 10 yo $ 79.95 262808 Glen Keith (CC) $ 405.95 330365 1996 Glen Keith (CC) $ 103.95 303156 1996 Allta Bhainne (CC) $ 99.95 303214 Teaninich (CC) $ 79.95 303206 1993 Craigellachie $ 119.95 303230 Dunkeld Atholl Brose $ 49.95 303180 1998 Coal Ila CC $ 98.75 303172 1997 Blair Athol ( CC ) $ 85.85 303222 1989 Tomatin $ 141.20 303198 1994 Clynlish $ 133.65 158196 21 yo Mortlach $ 160.95 305219 1996 Glen Grant $ 70.00 305235 1993 Ledig $ 94.10 305227 1997 Glendullan $ 71.45 208603 1975 Dallas Dhu Rare Vintage $ 409.95 330340 1998 Strathisla 43% $ 95.95 191817 Benromach 10yo delayed

Aug. 22nd Toronto, Tasting and dinner Ed Patrick, [email protected] 416-964-8180 Aug. 23rd Kincardine, Tasting and dinner Dave Dechene [email protected] 519 396-3692 Sept. 9th Hamilton, Tasting and dinner Ed Patrick [email protected] 416-964-8180 Sept. 25th Windsor, Tasting and dinner Steuart Bruce [email protected] 519-739-6484 Page 9

How to make a Scottish Curry

This is my own recipe developed over the years to make a wee curry, feel free to pass along to a member of the household that traditionally does experimental cooking. Chicken 2lb boneless Curry paste ½ can Onions 2 medium sized Black cardamoms 2 pieces Vegetable oil ¼ litre Cinnamon 2 sticks Ginger 2 inch cube Cumin powder ½ teaspoon Garlic 4 cloves Tomato puree 1½ teaspoons Chilli powder 1 teaspoon Green chillies 3 chillies Scotch bonnet pepper 1 diced Dry methi ½ tablespoon Turmeric ½ teaspoon Fresh coriander ¼ bunch Salt 1½ teaspoons Tinned tomatoes 1 tin Benromach 10yo 3 oz 1: Finely chop the onions and add to pot with hot oil

Peel and finely chop the ginger, garlic, peppers and add to the onions

Fry on a high heat stirring, frequently until the onions reduce and turn brown.

If necessary add a little water if the onions begin to stick to the pan.

This usually takes about 20 minutes.

2: When the onions ginger and garlic have turned brown and mushy, add the chilli powder, turmeric, salt, tomatoes, cardamoms, cinnamon, cumin, and tomato puree. Continue to cook until the sauce is mashed. If necessary add a little water to keep the sauce from sticking.

3: Once the sauce has become a dark brown colour add the cubed chicken pieces to the sauce and simmer until the chicken is cooked (about 20 minutes)

4: Add curry paste

5: Finely chop the green chillies and add to the sauce.

6: When sauce is ready add the methi and chopped coriander to the sauce and leave for a couple of minutes

VOILA – A GREAT WEE CURRY!!!! And now it’s time to drink the scotch, cause you won’t be able to taste anything after the curry! Note: if you do try this let me know the results Page 9