Nikka Coffey Gin
$62.99
Better known for their whisky, Nikka has produced both vodka and gin for the Japanese market for years. The Nikka Coffey Gin, 47%, is their first export gin. The gin is produced from a blend of "rich" and "mellow" spirits in their Coffey still a Miyagikyo Distillery. It is created with traditional gin botanicals (juniper, angelica, coriander, lemon and orange peels), but also zesty and exotic "Japanese citruses: Yuzu, Kabosu, Amanatsu and Shequasar." There are also notes of apple and sansho pepper.
Producer Description
Nikka Coffey Gin's complexity is achieved through the perfect balance between 11 selected botanicals and the silky texture of Coffey distillates. The bright and zesty aroma originating from four kinds of Japanese citruses, Yuzu, Kabosu, Amanatsu and Shequasar, compliments the traditional gin botanicals of juniper berries, angelica, coriander seeds, lemon and orange peels.
There is also a touch of apples, a fruit deeply related to the history of Nikka, followed by pleasantly tangy hints of green Japanese Sansho pepper on the finish.
The Coffey Still is the world’s first patented continuous still invented by Mr. Aeneas Coffey in 1830. The excellence of Nikka's Coffey distillates has been widely recognized through our Coffey Grain and Coffey Malt whiskies. In 2017, a new gin and vodka joined Nikka's Coffey range to further show the uniqueness and beauty of this traditional type of column still - the Coffey Still. These expressions are the integration of Nikka's Coffey Stills, expertise in distilling gin and vodka since the 1960s and blending skills inherited from the founder.
Burn Cottage Moonlight Race Pinot Noir
$68.99
The brainchild of American wine distributor Marquis Sauvage, Burn Cottage was born with the purchase of a property in the Pisa region of Central Otago in 2002. Sauvage enlisted the help of Ted Lemon in establishing the biodynamically farmed vineyard and in making the wines, although the day-to-day winemaking is handled by Claire Mulholland, whose previous résumé includes stints at Martinborough Vineyards and Amisfield. The site includes ten different Pinot clones planted on five different rootstocks on a terraced northeast-facing slope. The Moonlight Race Pinot Noir is made from purchased fruit, but the other wines are all estate bottlings.
Winemakers tasting notes: Enticing savoury aromatics of freshly rubbed thyme, dark berry fruits, rosehip, autumnal earth, truffle and black tea. Dark toned and dense, this wine has vibrancy, suppleness and power. The textural tannins yield to a lingering and powerful finish. An exciting youthful wine which is still unfolding, and also promising very good cellaring potential.
other great reviews:
94 Points, Robert Parker
97 Points, Bob Campbell MW
96 Points, Cameron Douglas MS
5 STARS, Michael Cooper - NZ Wine Buyers Guide
95 Points, Mike Bennie, Wine Front
94 Points, JamesSuckling.com
"One of the 75 Most Exciting wines of 2017", Decanter Magazine
Montifaud Pineau Des Charentes Rouge
$43.99
A French fortified wine from the Cognac region. It is produced by one of our favourite Cognac producers, Chateau Montifaud. Producer Tasting Notes: "Excellent and very underrated aperitif from the Cognac region of France. The white is made from 80% Colombard, and 20% Ugni Blanc grapes, blended with fine cognac from the excellent Chateau de Montifaud. It has freshness, a hint of sweetness and a clean finish. Aged in oak barrels." Producer Description: "About Pineau Pineau des Charentes is the sweet, strong 'Vin de Liqueur' of the Charentais (Cognac) region of western France. It is made by adding Cognac eau-d--vie from the previous year's distillation (or older) to fresh grape must of the current vintage. By law, the must is required to be freshly harvested (although it may have undergone a partial fermentation) and the Cognac must have an alcohol content of at least 60%. The resulting mixture has an alcoholic strength of 16-22% and a sugar content of at least 125g/L. Because the must remains essentially unfermented, it retains all of its 'grapey' flavors and- ideally - the varietal characteristics of the grapes used, which develop over time."
Quintarelli Alzero Magnum 2014
$1,549.99
A legendary wine from a legendary producer! "The late, great Maestro del Veneto, Giuseppe Quintarelli, succeeded in establishing his mythical and legendary estate during an amazing sixty-year career. All of the tradition, love, heart, and soul of crafting one of the world’s finest wines continue at the Quintarelli home and winery in the hills north of Verona," according to Kermit Lynch. Alzero is made by letting Cabernet Franc grapes air-dry before pressing. One of the last wines to be made by Quintarelli, who died in 2012. Serious collectors of top Italian wine will not want to miss out on this rich, intense beauty.
Dageraad Bright Side Saison
$2.99
A bright, clean table saison with lemon zest and juice. Crisp and clean with zesty notes throughout. Mellow and wheaty on the palate with hints of yeasty spice and a hint of pithy bitterness.
Bench 1775 Groove
$24.99
Bench 1775 Grooves shows a lush ripe blend of merlot, malbec and cabernet franc is a full-bodied red appropriate for the BBQ. Dark plum, blackberry and cassis are filtered through a smoked wood and spiced lens, one with bitter cherry pressed tannins to the powdery finish.
Benromach Red Door Gin
$59.99
A small batch Scottish gin from our friends at Benromach Distillery. Very citrus forward the gin is made with bitter orange, sea buckthorn, pearls of heather and rowanberries. 45%
Producer Description
"Open the Red Door to discover a world of flavour, inspired by the elemental beauty of Scotland’s mountains, forests and coastline. Handcrafted in our copper pot still, Peggy, our small-batch Highland gin has a heart of finest juniper, infused with locally-influenced botanicals that reveal defining citrus notes of bitter orange, aromatic sea buckthorn, pearls of heather and rowanberries. Complex and dramatic, yet perfectly balanced, Red Door is a deliciously distinctive, bittersweet London Dry with the lingering palate that works beautifully in a G&T or silky-smooth martini. Open, serve and share good times."
Highland Park Valknut
$104.99
Valknut is the second release in Highland Park's Viking Legend series. Produced from a higher proportion of spirit peated with Orkney malt and predominantly matured in Sherry seasoned casks, Valknut is said to be a sweeter and smokier take on Highland Park. Bottled without added colouring at 46.8%.
Producer's Description
"Created using a higher proportion of our local peated malt and predominantly matured in sherry seasoned oak casks to give this whisky its smoky, sweet flavour, "VALKNUT is the second in our Viking Legend series, celebrating our rich Nordic ancestry here on Orkney.
"Valknut means ‘knot of those slain in battle’ and its symbol of three interlinked triangles appears on numerous artefacts from the Viking Age. The symbol is closely associated with the Norse god, Odin, who guided the spirits of the dead to the underworld and back to the world of the living, and is believed to represent the transition from life to death or the connection between earthly life and heavenly life."
Cruxx Grain Spirit
$43.99
Cruxx is a high-proof grain spirit made from 100% Wheat by Highwood Distillers of High River, Alberta. It is 95% ABV or 190 proof and classified as a rectified spirit.
A rectified spirit or rectified alcohol is highly concentrated ethanol (drinking alcohol) which has been purified by means of repeated distillation, a process that is called rectification. Rectified spirits are used in mixed drinks, in the production of liqueurs, for medicinal purposes, and as a household solvent. Spiritus is a rectified or refined spirit comprised of 96% ethanol alcohol. The spirit is traditionally mixed with herbs and fruits to produce fruit brandies and other liqueurs.