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Frank' Whisky Blog

Jan.5/12

I am pleased to report the addition of one of the greatest whiskies on the planet has arrived at the Rogue gantry, The Macallan 25 yr Sherry Wood is now available for purchase. Yes, I will give you the fact that it's expensive, but this whisky will never be on the deal bin at any liquor outlet.This is a special treat to be savoured, enjoyed on a special occasion. 

I have added a few new whiskies to the bar this week including Wiser's Legacy, Century Reserve 21 yr Rye, Caribou Crossing, a new deluxe rye whisky bottled in the US,Canadian Club Classic 12 yr, Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey.

 

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a healthy and Prosperous New Year. I'll blog about my new Christmas bottles in the new year.  

Dec,16/11

A few whisky suppliers have lowered their prices at your favourite liquor store for the Christmas season. A couple of my favourites have been reduced by $5.00 a bottle. Glenfiddich Solera Vat 15 yr old and the Macallan Fine Oak 15 yr. I plan on picking up a bottle of each for the holidays. The other great deal at the government store and I do hate nagging about this one Highland Park 18. The price of $89.99 is a gift considering it runs in just about very province in Canada for a minimum of $129.99 to $159.99 depending on where you live.Mark my words this will go up in the very near future to $129.99 here in NB!! The next shipment into NB will have the new  marked up price due to distiller's increase brought on by lower supply and ever growing world  demand. Here is a Christmas tid bit to you from me. For every three you buy it's like getting one bottle free. Stock up.    

 

Dec.14/11

Right now in NB you can purchase just about all the Distiller's Editions bottlings from Diageo.This quite unique situation to be in. A quick check around the whisky shops in the world and most can not supply all nine of the bottlings.at the same time.Nine you say? Yes, I know. Diageo markets only six bottlings as the "classic six". However they do nine bottlings of the Distiller's Editions. Right now in NB you can purchase the ultimate Christmas gift for the whisky connoisseur in your family.  Caol Ila DE for $99.99, Cragganmore DE for $79.99, Clynelish DE for $99.99,Dalwhinnie DE for $89.99, Lagavulin DE for $119.99, Oban DE for $109.99, Royal Lochnager DE for $140.79 and Talisker DE for a steal at $82.98.The only one missing? Glenkinchie DE maybe next year. So what would your eight days of Christmas joy cost you in total?  A whooping $823.71. I know I have not been that good so it's it's doubtful I will be picking up a set. What would the set cost in say Ontario?Well you could only get 4 in Ontario, What about Quebec? only 5. If you wanted a full set from outside of NB you would have to finish up you drive in Alberta to get the rarest one Talisker DE ( and one of the cheaper ones here). No other province has that bottling east of Alberta. That's right Alberta!! The total price if you picked them up on the road? $995.99 That does not include gas or road expenses.Sometimes it's great to live in New Brunswick. Especially, if you love great single malt whisky. Right? Now we have to buy it up before they figure it out up there.

 

 

Dec.13/11

A good selection of American whiskies still on the shelves at ANBL. I have been waiting a while to sample a couple of them. Just to many whiskies in the system right now and we all have just so much available $$$'swith the Holiday Season coming up soon.I will be sampling Jack Daniel's new Tennessee Honey, Evan Williams Single Barrel and Balntons; in the very near future.   

Dec.7/11

A new whisky will be hitting the shelves of ANBL very soon. Keep an eye our for Glen Grant 16 yr. a Speyside whisky that has rarely been available in Canada. ANBL managed to secure 10 cases out of the 100 cases that have been made available to Canada. Nice job ANBL!! Priced in the 75.00 range not a bad  for a 16 yr old single malt. The whisky has been aged in ex bourbon casks, the nose has lots of fruits I found  pear, kiwi, creamy vanilla, th palte was soft and spicy, hints of coconut, with a  spicy  pleasurable finish, a very enjoyable whisky.   

Dec.1/11

A month left in the year.... hard to believe that 2011 is almost a done deal.Stopped by the York St Station Store yesterday to pick up a bottle of Balvenie Signature 12 yr ( I got the last one in Freddy but there is more in Dieppe) This is the 4th Batch of the Signature and it could be argued that this one is the best yet. I sampled the whisky at the Balvenie Distillery in May. The Malt Master, David Stewart guided us throught the full range of Balvenies including the Doublewood 12,Single Barrel 15 yr, Portwood 21 yr and the glorious Balvenie 30 yr. The Balvenie Signature  12 yr was included and I recall enjoying it very much. Good luck tracking down a bottle.If you can not find one, remember we have lots at the Rogue. 

Nov.28/11

Took a break on the weekend and sampled the lovely Glengoyne 21 yr. I have been lobbying ANBL to get this whisky in the province for a few years now. I was pleasantly surprised when it turned up on the 2011 Festival product list.  I picked it up at the Festival and I am sorry to report that it all sold out that night.Loads of character this has been aged in a sherry cask for awhile, definite sherry notes, mouth coating  buttery feel on the palate, spicy, toffee, rich, this is a charmer, Stewed pears and custard came to my mind on the nose, bursting with flavours.This is a great one to have over the holidays. it's available at the Rogue if you missed it at the Festival. 

Nov.26/11

Just added a nice selection of whiskies to the Rogue's back bar. I will updating our whisky menu over the next few days as I work my way through the drams. Awful job but I will shoulder on. No smirking. Today we put up Laphroaig Triple Wood 48% abv.Only 34 bottles left in the province as I write this note. So I would not dally if you want one.

.The whisky that has been finished in 3 different casks types starting in an ex bourbon for an undetermined time.tranfered into the small quarter casks ( Laphroaig use the quarter casks to mature whisky faster than traditional size casks try their Laphroaig Quater Cask some time) again for an unknown time period, then finally finished in European oak ex sherry casks. I found this whisky completely different from your standard Laphroaigs and I would recommend you go slow with an open mind. This is not a whisky that the Laphroaig 10 guys are going to fall over themselves getting to the ANBL store. Lighter on the peat smoke than usual, some rich spiciness with a bit of sherry notes thrown in for good measure.The nose is kind of creamy and I found hints of lemons. The mouth feel is creamy,rich with a complex balance between the fruitiness of the sherry and the peat smoke. The finish long fruity,smoky and it lingers for ever. Priced in the $70.00's I liked it. Alot.

Nov.21/11

Another great Festival and a major success to boot. I want to thank all the folks who attended this year and helped make our 3 day event one for the record books.I think we were all impressed with the selection of products this year. Congratulations to the folks at ANBL who did an outstanding job sourcing out this years catolog of fine spirits.The on site store ran extremely smooth with four tills in operation all evening I found that the lines moved quickly.I thionk this allow many of you to stop in for a second and third visit over the evening.

Ever supplier had some very unique products and I managed to sample quite a few and chat with many of my blog readers. It was a great pleasure for me to meet you individually and talk about our passion "Whisk(e)y" Thanks for all the positive feedback, I had no idea how many of you were keeping up with my rants.Lots of great discussion and it was great for me to see your interest my selections. I hope you will enjoy your purchases over the next weeks and months and I hope it will last until the holiday season. If it doesn't, well, there is still a great selection of products still available in the ANBL stores. I will give you my thoughts on some of purchases over the next few days and weeks. I told far to many people about my love for the Glenrothes 30 yr by Gordon and MacPhail, It was all gone by 9:00pm. The Old Pulteney 21 yr flew off the shelves.

Slainte

Frank

Nov.15/11

Just a quick update. I have 2 pairs of tickets at the Rogue for sale.They are from people who had something come up and can not attend Friday night Main Showcase.Unfortunately, if your looking for a tickets it must be paid in cash to the bartender at the Rogue so that I can pay the current ticket holder. Please hurry as tickets are sold out at all stores. I will start a waiting list at the pub if any others might have to cancel and want to sell, them.

Good news Lagavulin Distillers Edition and Dalwhinnie 15 yr have just arrived in time for the Festival.Please check out the Diageo list up of their Classic six Distillers Editions at the show. Talisker is one of my favs. The other one just in is Laphroaig Triple Wood. I think we have close to 200 products at the Festival. Great rums this year too. El Dorado has a full selection fo various ages. There are a few top quality master Class tickets still available.  

Nov.10

The Festival Product list will be available on the Festival website very soon. I am afraid to report the tickets for the Main Showcase are all but gone for this year. You can still take part on the Thursday evening Master Classes and most tickets are a very reasonable $10.00. Most classes the reps are pouring hundreds of dollars worth of great whiskies and cognacs. All class tickets are available at the Lunar Rogue. 

 Nov.9th

The days are rushing by and I find myself getting further behind on my "to do" list. I apologize for not getting back here sooner for more updates.The Festival consumes a lot of time with the dinner only one week away. Let's continue with Speysides and a couple of new ones coming in from Glencadam Distillery located near Brechin. We have the Glencadam 12 yr Portwood and The Glencadam 21 yr. I am looking forward to sampling both these whiskies. I have never had a Glencadam that I did not like. Maybe not that well known in the global community this is one to watch in  the future.

The sister distillery of Glencadam is Tomintoul Distillery and I am delighted to see it back at the Festival this year.Tomintoul is the highest distillery on Speyside and located near the village of Tomintoul. The village has an excellent whisky shop called the Whisky Castle and  if you ever happen to be on Speyside in the future, the shop owner/manager can sometimes organize tours of Tomintoul (not usually open to visitors) and many insiders consider it one of the the best tours you can ever get to a distillery.

The Tomintoul 16 yr  has a  nose of candied peel with a lovely hazelnut coming through. The palate I find has a smooth, rich spiciness, full favoured and creamy. Tomintoul 12 yr Oloroso Cask is back this year, This whisky sold out quickly and after trying it recently I can see why.Lovely hints of oloroso sherry (mostlikely a second fill cask) I found it to be soft creamy and elegant.Well worth a look and a reasonable price to boot.

Nov.5th

The count down continues only 30 tickets for the Friday Night Main Showcase remain at ANBL select outlets.Check their website for store locations with tickets left on hand.Speyside whiskies coming to the Festival? I promised awhile ago I would give you a peek into the list so here goes. One of my long time favourites Balvenie will have the latest version of the  12 year Signature on hand, The Balvenie Single Barrel 15 year, the Balvenie Peated 17 year and the glorious Balvenie Portwood 21 year. The first time we had this whisky at the Festival it was selling for $83.99, I wish I had bought a case.It now sells for $225.00. The demand as out strips  the supply available from the distiller. I say buy it now, it will be $275.00 in a year or two.

The great Speyside distiller, The Macallan has a wonderful selection this year including the sherried family of The Macallan 12 yr, The Macallan 18 yr and the out of this world Macallan 25 yr and the Fine Oak Macallan 15, and the Fine Oak Macallan 30 yr ( bring your Brinks truck for this one at $1099.99)

Gordon and MacPhail the great independent bottler has a lovely selection of Speysiders. Some you might know and others you might not be that familiar with. The list includes the cult like favourite Mortlach 15 yr, MacPhail's Collection Glenrothes 30 yr ( a favourite of mine heavily sherried) The work horse of the Diageo family of distilleries the blending malt, Dailuaine 1993,and the long closed Imperial 1993 and The Macphail's Collection Tamdhu.

The uniquely independent, Grant family owned, Glenfarclas Distillery has great selection at the Festival this year and they include The Glenfarclas 15 yr,17yr, 21yr and the lovely 25yr at a steal of a price of $125.00, What a great deal for a 25 year old whisky. Stay tuned for more....

 

Nov.4/11

As of this morning, I did a quick check around with our ticket outlets and they tell me that there are only 62 tickets left for the Friday Night Main Showcase. Looks like the earliest sell out ever! Please get your tickets soon and avoid disappointment.

 The interest in quality spirits has never been higher. I am pleased to report that ANBL will be adding extra tills in the on site store this year, doubling the number two last year to a total of four this year. This should expediate customers through the store in a much more timely manner.   

The Whisky Dinner on Wednesday Nov.16th hosted by Whisky and Food pairing expert Martine Nouet of France and Islay Scotland and Marc Laverdiere Brand Ambassador, of Highland Park/The Macallan will  be the highlight of the 3 day Festival.A six course dinner pairing carefully with matching drams should be a delightful evening of fun. The Whiskies selected for the dinner include The Macallan 15 yr Fine Oak, The Laphroaig Quarter Cask, The Famous Grouse 18 yr The Highland Park 18 yr and the Macallan 18 yr. aong with an arrival whisky or cocktail.

Nov.2/11

The problem with a great selection of Master classes at this year's NB Spirits Festival is which ones to miss. I am going to make that choice a little bit harder for everyone attending this year's classes.This year we have an amazing selection of fine cognacs from Pierre Ferrand Cognac of France. Ferrand is located in the heart of the Grande Champagne area in France where only the very best quality grapes are grown in the unique chalky soil that provides the right amount of acidity to produce amazing grapes that are used in the process to make great cognac. Their Brand Ambassador, Mr. Guilluame Lamy, will guide you through a selection of their best vintages, Pierre Ferrand Ambre, Ferrand 1er Cru Reserve and Ferrand Selection Des Anges,1er Cru. The highlight of the evening will be a once in a lifetime experience, a sample the glorious Pierre Ferrand "1914" . With a retail price of over $6000.00 a bottle it maybe the most expensive product we have ever had sampled at a Master Class at the Festival. This will be your only opportunity to sample this extremely rare cognac at the Ferrand Cognac Class on Thursday evening at 8:30pm. Ticket price? $10.00 This like winning the lottery for cognac lovers.

Oct.31/11

Tickets update The Main Showcase is down to about 100 tickets left in the province.Select ANBL outlets have a few. Try Prospect St or York St Liquor Stores in Fredericton or Vaughan Harvey Blvd. in Moncton and Parkway Mall store in Saint John.

This year we have a very nice line up of Diageo whiskies coming to the Festival.A few for the whisky collector's out there, who like me, scour the globe looking for a rare or interesting bottles. This year we have a very rare bottling of a long closed distillery, Glenury Royal. Glenury Royal was founded in 1825 near Stonehaven Aberdeenshire, the name being taken from a local nearby glen in the district of Ury. It was only one of 3 distilleries that was given a warrant from the crown to carry the name "Royal" the other two being Royal Lochnagar and Royal Brackla.

The distillery was mothballed in 1983 and finally closed for good in 1985. In 1993 private developers purchased the buildings, land and  demolished the distillery to make way for new housing. The bottling at the Festival is the Glenury Royal 40 yr and sells at a modest price of $759.99. We plan to pour it a bottle at the Ultimate Master Class on Friday afternoon at 4:30. This could be your only chance to sample some liquid history.