Alzinger Riesling Loibenberg
$89.99
This wine is pressed from a large number of small vineyards at the foot of the Loibenberg. What they have in common is that they are still decisively shaped by the Loibenberg and its eroded weathered rock. There are influences of sand and various sediments found among the vineyards located in the warmest Wachau terraces with an arid and shallow soil lying 200 metres above sea level. They use traditional agriculture in the vineyard and, when the grape reaches its optimum ripeness, it is harvested manually.
Once the grapes reach the winery, they are selected, pressed and left to macerate for about 24 hours. They are then vinified at a controlled temperature with selected yeasts. No oak barrels are used in the process. When it is ready, the Alzinger Riesling Loibenberg Smaragd wine is clarified and filtered. Alzinger Riesling Loibenberg Smaragd is a dry white wine that contains all the delicacy and complexity of the charming Wachau Valley.
Rest & Be Thankful Finglassie 2017
$85.99
Finglassie is what the Inchdairnie distillery calls their peated stocks. We've only seen one or two of them so far - Inchdairnie was only founded in 2015 - so it's hard to say what the distillery profile will be, but it was probably a smart decision to release this is a small batch bottling, as opposed to single cask releases. We're probably getting a closer approximation of what we can expect in future releases. The peated ones, anyway.
This 5-year-old was matured in ex-Islay Bourbon casks (so...introducing a bit of the Islay style of peat perhaps?), and finished in ex-Oloroso butts.
Natural Colour, non-chill filtered, and bottled at 46% abv.
Dalmore 18 Year
$559.99
From The Producer
"The Dalmore 18 harnesses bolder notes for a robust whisky that’s deliciously rich with deep chocolate notes. A limited-edition annual release, this 2023 expression is a rare and exceptional single malt whisky."
Orion Japanese Draft Bottle
$8.19
Orion is brewed in Okinawa, Japan. Their Draft is made with malt, hops, rice, corn and starch and is both rich and malty plus clean and crushable in style.
From The Producer
"ORION DRAFT BEER offers mild taste and crisp aftertaste developed in the semitropical climate. It is invigorating, and yet has rich body that only beer can offer. It goes well with any dish, not to mention Okinawan cuisine, bringing out the best of each dish and stimulating appetite."
Huber Gruner Veltliner Berg
$79.99
In just a few years, Markus Huber has successfully established his winery as a showcase enterprise in Austria as a wine producing country. His distinctive, top-quality wines, grown on outstanding soils of lime and conglomerate, serve as an example of the very best of the Traisental Valley – full of character, clear in style and site-related minerality. The family’s highest priority is to work without compromise in the vineyards and in the cellar for premium quality. The vineyards are cultivated according to organic guidelines and the entire winery is certified according to the “Sustainable Austria” criteria. This vineyard occupies a steep, east-facing, terraced slope with a gradient of more than 25%. The soil, which overlies calcareous conglomerate of the Hollenburg-Karlstetten Formation, is very meager with only a thin layer of humus.
Huber Riesling
$89.99
In just a few years, Markus Huber has successfully established his winery as a showcase enterprise in Austria as a wine producing country. His distinctive, top-quality wines, grown on outstanding soils of lime and conglomerate, serve as an example of the very best of the Traisental Valley – full of character, clear in style and site-related minerality. The family’s highest priority is to work without compromise in the vineyards and in the cellar for premium quality. This vineyard occupies a steep, eastfacing, terraced slope with a gradient of more than 25%. The soil, which overlies calcareous conglomerate of the Hollenburg-Karlstetten Formation, is very meager with only a thin layer of humus.
El Maestro Oloroso
$79.99
El Maestro Sierra was founded in 1830 by master cooper José Antonio Sierra, who ran a prosperous barrel-building business called La Merced. Recognized as one of the top coopers in the area, he longed to become involved in the Sherry trade itself. Eventually, he set about building a small winery to make the best sherries possible. As the sherry business was, and remains to this day, dominated by aristocratic families, the idea of a humble worker joining their ranks was met with open disdain. After many hardships he was able to establish and grow his business, becoming one of the most respected almacenistas (stockholders) of high-quality sherry. It is still run by his descendants, located in a privileged part of Jerez on top of the hill, exposed to the cool Poniente winds which nourish the elegant wines. As a reminder of the bodega’s struggles, the labels depict a hunting scene with a hare being chased by the nobles, alluding to José Antonio Sierra’s struggles in founding the artisanal house in a social climate dominated by the aristocrats of his time.
El Maestro Sierra was passed down through the family and protected by the legendary Doña Pilar Pla Pechovierto from 1976 until her passing in 2020. She was a brave and resolute woman who inherited the business after the early death of her husband, Antonio Borrego. Pilar managed to drive the business forward despite the prevailing machismo of the time. El Maestro Sierra became the first and is still one of the few bodegas run entirely by women. When her husband passed away in 1976, she resisted the intense pressure to sell and kept the winery going through tough times by selling wines to the locals in jugs. In 1997, while the men were away from the Consejo Regulador, she was stealthily able to obtain the first bottling permit for an almacenista house, which was forbidden until that point. Pilar was an extraordinary individual with a singularity of purpose: to maintain the grand estate of El Maestro Sierra. Because the wines have remained virtually unmoved due to the slow business in the following decades, the stocks at El Maestro Sierra are some of the oldest and most undisturbed in Jerez.
The tradition is continued by Pilar’s daughter and current owner, Dr. Carmen Borrego Pla, and Capataza Ana Cabestrero; aided by long-time family friend and consultant master Capataz, Paco Salas. Dr. Borrego Pla, a historian and expert in the History of the Americas at the University of Seville, has published many books and papers relating to Andalucia’s role in this grand history and continues to be one of the region’s foremost cultural historians.
Cragganmore Distillers Edition
$109.99
This is Cragganmore draped in Port. Port-seasoned American Oak, that is. It lends a slightly jammier edge to one of Scotland's most iconic single malts.
40% abv
Whisky Sponge Highland Malt 1993 No.59A
$324.99
Distilled in 1993, this mystery Highland Single Malt as filled into a Refill Hogshead, where it matured 28 years before bottling at 44.7%. 87pts Whiskybase
Producer Description
"Made from a secret, ancient family recipe handed down since the primordial era, this delectable Cream Of Sponge features only natural highland ingredients, tinned fresh at unreduced strength without any additives or colouring. Full of vitamins, minerals, vegetable emojis and famed for the waxy residue it leaves on your tongue. Please sup your Cream Of Sponge responsibly, in the manner of an ancient, wizen Druid sooking it painstakingly by the thimbleful from a wooden spoon..."