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Spirits
700ml
Bottle: $154.80
6 bottles: $141.60
Robust notes of cinnamon, pastry custard, banana, and smokey incense on the nose precede a weighty palate of black...
12 FREE
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $49.98
6 bottles: $41.40
Get back to nature; this is a whisky to savor during a spectacular sunrise. Lychee, edamame, pea shoots, green apple,...
12 FREE
WKY
90
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $39.92 $41.10
12 bottles: $37.91
12 FREE
Sale
Spirits
700ml
Bottle: $42.18 $44.40
12 bottles: $39.90
Showing a nose combining earthy aromas of barley cake, toasted walnut, and campfire smoke with more fruit driven...
12 FREE
UBC
89
White
750ml
Bottle: $21.94
12 bottles: $21.50
Dry and well-cut, with flavors of white cherry and almond skin enriched by hints of brioche and vanilla. Minerally...
12 FREE
WS
88
White
750ml
Bottle: $13.01
12 bottles: $11.65
Case only
White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $14.25
Attractive pale-yellow hue with green tints, a sign of the wine’s youth. The seductively fresh and fruity nose...
Case only
White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $14.25
Attractive pale-yellow hue with green tints, a sign of the wine’s youth. The seductively fresh and fruity nose...
White
750ml
Bottle: $20.94
12 bottles: $20.52
From Bien Nacido in Santa Maria, this is a crisp, mineral driven wine with captivating brininess. Made for shucking...
Case only
Spirits
750ml - Case of 4
Bottle: $122.40
12 FREE
Sale
Spirits
700ml
Bottle: $63.54 $66.88
6 bottles: $54.12
12 FREE
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $17.51 $18.43
12 bottles: $14.00
PALE STRAW WITH GREEN OVERTONES. INTENSE FLOWERY BOUQUET WITH COMPLEX FRUITY CHARACTER. FRESH, ELEGANT AND WELL...
Sale
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $148.50 $199.94
Prunes, forest honey, vanilla seeds, dark chocolate cookies, and Brazil nut, with hints of chocolate orange and...
12 FREE
WKY
94
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $32.36 $34.80
12 bottles: $30.78
Number 19 in the 2020 Top 20. This new, higher proof Iwai (pronounced EE-why) was designed for cocktails; however,...
WKY
91
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $47.43 $51.00
12 bottles: $43.32
This carmine dram has a soft, mellow nose of raisin, earthy red wine notes, wet slate, prune flesh, stewed rhubarb,...
12 FREE
WKY
88
White
750ml
Bottle: $16.94
12 bottles: $16.60
From the westernmost edge of the Loire Valley, where the Loire River meets the Atlantic Ocean, comes our savory and...
Sale
Spirits
700ml
Bottle: $38.76 $40.80
12 bottles: $36.48
Blending only the best malt and grains, combined with the fresh spring water from the streams of Mount Daisen...
Sale
Spirits
700ml
Bottle: $126.54 $133.20
Honey-tinged and citrus-laden nose with subtle suggestions of yellow apple skin, cherry compote, and maple. Fresh...
12 FREE
UBC
91
Sale
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $249.94 $349.94
Showing an attractive straw-gold color, this mature whisky has bright flavors of baked cereal grains, toasted vanilla...
12 FREE
UBC
92
Sale
Spirits
700ml
Bottle: $99.18 $104.40
A very soft and alluring nose reveals an elegant whisky that has myriad flavors of gingerbread, pound cake, malt...
12 FREE
UBC
91

Japanese Whiskey Melon de Bourgogne Verdicchio

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.

One of the more unusual French grape varietals, Melon de Bourgogne has been grown in and around the Loire Valley for several hundred years. In fact, this grape was first planted in the Loire region of Pays Nantais back in the mid 17th century, after a devastating frost decimated most of the red grapes which were typical in the area. The winemakers of Pays Nantais were keen to cultivate vines which were hardy, high yielding, and capable of surviving another such frost, and so turned their attention to Melon de Bourgogne for this very reason. The native home of the varietal is actually in Burgundy, where it is still grown to a lesser extent.


Because Melon de Bourgogne produces naturally heavy yields, the vintners of Pays Nantais go to great lengths to reduce the amount of fruit the vines bear. This allows the finest characteristics of the grape to come forward, and also opens up the opportunity for it to express the wonderful granite and schist soils in which the vines are grown. Melon de Bourgogne is a minerally white wine grape varietal, with a very subtle set of fruit flavors. It is prized for its freshness and brightness, and is seeing a revival in the twenty first century as an excellent wine for pairing with a wide range of foods.