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Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $15.89 $17.09
12 bottles: $15.57
ā€˜Telleiraā€™ is the Galician word for tile factory. In the past, tiles were made in this plot with the clay from...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $17.92
12 bottles: $17.56
Red
750ml
Bottle: $31.94
12 bottles: $31.30
ā€¢ Varietal MencĆ­a from a few parcels, some younger and some up to 100 years old. ā€¢ Spontaneous fermentation in...
12 FREE
Red
750ml
Bottle: $18.94
12 bottles: $18.56
There is a note of dry hay and esparto grass in the 2022 Fusco, which made me think of some wines from Douro in...
WA
90
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $49.02 $51.60
6 bottles: $48.00
Mashed, fermented, distilled, aged, and bottled by the Albany Distilling Company. Made from grain grown in New York...
12 FREE
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $22.94 $23.60
6 bottles: $20.00
Among the better expressions from this vast, somewhat sclerotic Lugana region, evidencing many styles and...
JS
91
DC
90
White
750ml
Bottle: $32.39
6 bottles: $31.74
In the 1930s Manzoni Bianco was created by Prof. Luigi Manzoni, director of the renowned Conegliano Research Center,...
12 FREE
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $59.94 $64.08
Native to the northwestern corner of the Iberian Peninsula, mencĆ­a is known for its thick skins and dark fruit and...
12 FREE
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $11.31 $12.57
Our wine stands out because of its marked fruity character which brings out all the qualities and characteristics of...
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $21.93 $22.80
12 bottles: $21.49
The 1st vintage of Bianco di Ampeleia was 2016. A neighbor's vineyard had old vines of a local biotype of Trebbiano...
White
750ml
Bottle: $25.20
12 bottles: $24.70
Red
750ml
Bottle: $36.00
12 bottles: $34.20
A new paraje bottling from Antoine Graillot, the 2021 Encinas La Rata is from just below El Rapolao, on clay-rich...
WA
94
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $25.89 $26.40
12 bottles: $25.37
The 2021 Encinas feels cleaner and less reductive than previous years but still has the earthy rusticity that seems...
WA
93
White
750ml
Bottle: $36.72
6 bottles: $36.00
COLOR: Intense yellow in color. NOSE: Elderflower, citrus, musk, and almond. Floral fragrances gradually give way to...
12 FREE
Case only
Spirits
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $71.59
Golden amber color. Toasty aromas and flavors of honey-butted toast, chocolate toffee, raisin cake, and frosted...
12 FREE
BTI
92
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $21.50
A vin de soif, made in a light, refreshing style. Earthy with some smoked meat aromas on the nose. The palate is...
12 FREE
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $19.01
A vin de soif, made in a light, refreshing style. Earthy with some smoked meat aromas on the nose. The palate is...
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $41.88
6 bottles: $34.20
12 FREE
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $90.38
6 bottles: $86.30
ON THE NOSE, sun-kissed notes of poised pressed flowers & clover hay are engulfed by mango meringue & pineapple gum...
12 FREE
Sale
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $44.97 $51.40
A soft dusty nose is accompanied by savory vegetal notes and aromas of caramelized banana. The palate is bold and...
UBC
93

American Whiskey Grappa Italian White Blends Mencia 750ml

The United States of America is a country of great cultural diversity, influenced by migrating nations from across the world. As such, its whiskey industry is a fascinating and complex one, which represents the range of regional differences found there.

The Irish were the original pioneers of American whiskey, and when they emigrated in their thousands from the old country, they brought their skills, knowledge and distillation techniques with them, to give them something to remind each other of home in the New World. This is why American whiskey goes by the Irish spelling, with the additional ā€˜eā€™, and why many traditional American whiskies closely resemble the original Irish style.

Today, there are several different types of American whiskey, and the styles and production techniques are now set out in US federal law, cementing a set of characteristics and production methods to preserve and protect the industry.

Corn whiskey, which is made from a minimum 80% corn in the mash and aged for a short period, is probably the most historic of the American whiskey styles, but others like rye whiskey, which is made from a minimum of 51% rye and aged in charred barrels, are growing in popularity among a new generation of drinkers looking for something unique, interesting and independently produced. Alongside these styles, we find Tennessee whiskey, which uses maple charcoal for sweeter notes, the softer wheat whiskies, the world-dominating Bourbon whiskies, and others which are peculiar to specific states and regions.

Like so many of the great spirits of Europe, Grappa was born from a need to make resources go that little bit further, to eke out the last drop of flavor and potential from the crops of winemakers. Indeed, Italian vintners invented Grappa as a way to make use of the pomace - leftover grape skins, stems, pulp and seeds - which remained after the juice was extracted from the fruit needed to make wine. Over the centuries, the process was refined, and the distillation of Grappa became an art in itself. Today, top Grappa producers use a range of state of the art equipment, from continuous stills to pot stills, to manufacture a wide variety of Grappas, each with their own distinct characteristics.


Most of us know Grappa from our local Italian restaurants, where it is commonly served as a digestif. However, in the twenty first century, there is a high interest in unique, boutique Grappas, which showcase the talent of the distillers through a range of interesting qualities. Grappa can be aged in oak, in which case it takes on a beautiful golden color, quite different from the clear Grappas we are most familiar with. The high end Grappas are a world away from the harsh spirit many of us have encountered, and have a smooth, gentle quality which can be nothing short of a revelation.