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750ml
Bottle:
$105.07
$116.75
This is a single malt from the Yoichi distillery, Nikka’s first distillery built in 1934. The founder Masataka...
750ml
Bottle:
$16.93
$18.34
Brothers Dario, the oenologist and Andrea, the agronomist, are responsible for more than 70ha of proprietary...
750ml
Bottle:
$39.95
$43.60
A different, fuller-weighted brood, boasting ample stone fruits, nutmeg and truffle. Savvy use of oak (tonneaux and...
750ml
Bottle:
$29.93
Racy, bone-dry and loaded with tension, this intriguing white offers delicate scents of white spring flower,...
750ml
Bottle:
$59.93
The salubrious flagship, crafted with a cordon cut technique to concentrate the fruit across a meld of three...
750ml
Bottle:
$28.95
$32.00
Vibrant and mineral, it's full of lemongrass, wax, seaweed and lemon candy with a peaty depth and hints of noble rot....
750ml
Bottle:
$34.93
12 bottles:
$34.23
Offers a rich note of petrol on the nose, which underscores the palate's flavors of blood orange, pink grapefruit...
750ml
Bottle:
$17.93
12 bottles:
$17.57
Energetic, mid-weighted Soave. Delicious drinking. Prosaic in the best sense, with attractive notes of garden herbs,...
750ml
Bottle:
$24.90
12 bottles:
$24.40
A bright, zesty white, with lively hints of grapefruit zest and milled white pepper accenting peach, lentil and...
750ml
Bottle:
$41.80
$44.00
12 bottles:
$35.63
The taste of sandalwood is present, a precious ingredient in Oriental incense used for aromatherapy, meditation, and...
750ml
Bottle:
$49.30
$51.90
6 bottles:
$46.02
This skillfully aromatic whisky smells softly herby, floral, and nutty. On the palate, it’s smoky with some...
750ml
Bottle:
$25.06
$26.38
6 bottles:
$22.78
The combination of mature single malts from Lowlands, Scotland and Niigata, Japan that have been double distilled in...
750ml
Bottle:
$57.55
$60.58
6 bottles:
$56.98
An intriguing nose combines exotic aromas of ripe banana, mango flesh, dried papaya, and key lime with indulgent oak...
750ml
Bottle:
$322.60
$339.58
Sourced from Kumesen Distillery, this was distilled, matured in bourbon casks, and bottled in Okinawa. Sweet exotic...
750ml
Bottle:
$70.66
$74.38
Double distillation in stainless steel produces a higher filling strength than single distillation, which may account...
750ml
Bottle:
$50.14
$52.78
6 bottles:
$49.18
Manzanilla and fino casks were selected to mature this elegant single-distilled rice whisky from Shinzato Distillery,...
750ml
Bottle:
$57.55
$60.58
6 bottles:
$56.98
Opulent amber color gives way to a decadent, buttery nose dripping with stewed and dried fruit. There's a thickness...
Garganega Japanese Whiskey Savatiano
Italy is a fine country for white grape varietals, and white wines have been produced in this ancient country for thousands of years. One of the more popular varietals in the modern age is Garganega, which is currently the 5th most planted white grape across Italy. This grape is most closely associated with the Veneto region of Italy, although it is also grown in Sicily, where it is known as Grecanico Dorato. Garganega is a rigorous, hardy grape, which can grow in huge yields - explaining its popularity in the past. Today, winemakers must be careful to keep yields as low as possible, as this a varietal which can easily lose its distinctive characteristics and fine qualities when grown in bulk.
We know Garganega most commonly from the Soave wines which have been consistently popular over the past few decades. Indeed, the Soave Classico wines which still sell in large quantities across the globe are made from 70%-100% Garganega varietal grapes, and these wines showcase the varietal’s fresh and delicate qualities. The most common flavors present in Garganega wines are delicate, citrus notes, balanced by a hint of almond, and the best examples have remarkable balance and length, with wonderful aromatic notes.
Whisky might not be the first thing that springs to mind when we think of Japanese fine produce, but over the past one hundred years, this fascinating and multi-faceted country has diligently forged a unique whisky identity which is growing in popularity, and which is entirely its own.
The story of Japanese whisky begins in 1918, when Masataka Taketsuru was sent to Scotland to undertake a tour of single malt distilleries in the Highlands, and bring home a knowledge of whisky and distillation skills. He returned full of inspiration, helped no doubt by his new Scottish wife, and alongside his friend, Shinjiro Torii, set up what would become a successful whisky industry.
Today, the Japanese whisky industry is spread over a relatively small handful of distilleries, which continue to use Scottish techniques and recipes, but with a hefty dose of distinctly Japanese experimentalism. This is displayed most obviously in the barrelling techniques the Japanese use - to create a distinctly Oriental set of tasting notes, native Japanese oakwood casks are used for ageing, alongside casks taken from plum wine producers, which impart a beautiful set of floral flavors to the whisky.
While some distilleries produce some excellent single malts, the majority of Japanese whiskies are blended, which reveals a unique set of flavors and aromas ranging from honeysuckle and orange blossom, to toffee and acetone.
Savatiano is probably Greece's most well known and most widely grown grape varietal, as it is the primary grape used in the production of Retsina, where the fermenting juices of the Savatiano varietal are flavored with pine resin in order to make this distinctive and famous wine. One of the reasons for the wide cultivation of this grape is due to its hardiness, and resistance to drought conditions. In the sun-drenched and dry, rocky Greek landscapes, this makes it an ideal vine to grow for wine-makers who require a strong and bounteous yield each year.
However, there are plenty of examples of Greek white wines which use the Savatiano grape but withhold from the addition the pine resin flavoring, allowing the true characteristics of this varietal to shine through. The result is often very pleasing indeed, with Savatiano grapes generally producing extremely well balanced and rounded white wines, with a juicily fruity flavor. Their aromas can vary quite a lot, with many Savatiano wines bearing the fragrance of citrus fruits, and also occasionally having a strong floral aroma reminiscent of elder and rose. Due to the relatively low acidity of Savatiano grapes, the wines which use them (including Retsina) generally bolster themselves with the addition of smaller quantities of more acidic varieties, such as Assyrtiko or Rhoditis, in order to improve their sometimes weak structure.
Additional Information on Greek Wines
Greek Wines
Ancient Greek Wines – A Brief History of Wine in Greece
The Myth of Dionysus, Greek God of Wine
What is Retsina?