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Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $129.94
After igniting the rye revival of the ‘00s and ‘10s through the iconic success of WhistlePig Whiskey, BHAKTA...
12 FREE
Red
750ml
Bottle: $34.94
12 bottles: $34.24
• 100% Barbera. • Practicing Biodynamic. • Sierra Foothills AVA (Shake Ridge Vyd). • Planted in early...
12 FREE
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $46.27 $48.71
6 bottles: $43.19
BLACK DIRT Rye is distilled from 100% NY rye grown in upstate New York. The mash bill consists of 90% Rye and 10%...
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Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $103.73 $109.19
Emerald Rye is Blue Run’s second Rye Whiskey release. Contract distilled at Castle & Key in Frankfort, Kentucky,...
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Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $50.16 $52.80
6 bottles: $45.60
Bright citrus immediately jumps out on the nose—orange peel and clementine—along with dried mango, cinnamon...
12 FREE
WKY
88
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $124.94
The 2019 Barbera d’Asti Ai Suma is laced with blackberry jam, crème de cassis, sweet spice, licorice, lavender and...
12 FREE
VM
93
Case only
Red
375ml - Case of 24
Bottle: $35.39
A supple, concentrated red, with plum, blackberry, earth and iron flavors permeating the rich texture. Stays...
WS
92
Case only
Red
1.5Ltr - Case of 3
Bottle: $163.62
A smooth red, saturated with plum, blueberry, loam and toasty oak flavors. Reveals assertive tannins on the finish,...
WS
93
Case only
Red
375ml - Case of 24
Bottle: $42.99
A smooth red, saturated with plum, blueberry, loam and toasty oak flavors. Reveals assertive tannins on the finish,...
12 FREE
WS
93
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $68.88
A smooth red, saturated with plum, blueberry, loam and toasty oak flavors. Reveals assertive tannins on the finish,...
12 FREE
WS
93
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $83.91
Ruby red in color, with purple hues. Rich, intense and persistent aromas of liquorice, violet, plum and vanilla....
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Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $30.40
Characterised by well defined fragrances of ripe cherry and small red fruits. Violet ruby red in color. Intense mouth...
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $53.58 $56.40
6 bottles: $48.00
A remarkable four-grain blended rye whiskey with a final mash bill of 77% Rye, 16% corn, with wheat and barley making...
12 FREE
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $34.94 $38.40
Intense ruby red colour with violet reflections. Intense winey bouquet recalling sour cherry and spices. Lively,...
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $29.30
Bruno Rocca's 2020 Barbera d'Alba offers terrific brightness to play off its red fleshed fruit. This mid-weight,...
VM
91
Rapid Ship
Spirits
1.0Ltr
Bottle: $39.94
Ideal for Manhattans and other cocktails, this 95% rye has a malty profile that mixes vanilla, crème brûlée, and a...
12 FREE
WE
93
UBC
92
Instore only
Spirits
1.75Ltr
Bottle: $59.94
Ideal for Manhattans and other cocktails, this 95% rye has a malty profile that mixes vanilla, crème brûlée, and a...
WE
93
UBC
92
Sale
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $29.07 $30.60
Ideal for Manhattans and other cocktails, this 95% rye has a malty profile that mixes vanilla, crème brûlée, and a...
WE
93
UBC
92
Rapid Ship
Spirits
12 FREE
Dessert/Fortified Wine
500ml
Bottle: $83.94
The wine is of a brilliant and intense ruby colour. The nose offers intense aromas of a fruity nature. The taste is...
12 FREE

Barbera Mavrodaphne Recioto Rye Whiskey

For centuries now, the beautiful red grapes of the Barbera varietal have been grown in Italy, where they are prized for their unusual high acid content and low tannins, brought about by their thin skins. The Barbera grape varietal thrives in warmer climates, and has had some success overseas in the new world, where its strongly aromatic flavors of intense hedgerow fruits make it a favorite with wineries and wine drinkers looking for a grape which offers plenty of interesting characteristics. Interestingly, the differences between young and aged wines made from this varietal are quite significant, with younger bottles holding a plethora of berry flavors, including blueberry and raspberry notes, and oak aged wines made from the Barbera grape being much loved for their ability to become extremely complex and spicy, and picking up vanilla flavors from the wood they are barreled in.

In the Archaea region, high in the Northern Peloponnese mountains, the predominant grape varietal grown is the prized Mavrodaphne. Meaning 'Black Laurel', the Mavrodaphne grapes have extremely dark skins, and ripen slowly under the Greek sunshine, helped by the mineral rich soils the vines thrive in. This grape varietal is mostly used to produce the opaque, inky fortified wine of the same name, which is popular all over Greece and elsewhere in the world. This fortified wine allows the grapes to really show off their complex and fascinating flavors, which range from a rich marzipan to flavors of bitter chocolate, sweet coffee, dried figs and prunes, as well as plenty of jammy fruit notes.

Mavrodaphne is produced in a traditional method which involves leaving the grape juice exposed to the sun in large vats, before having its fermentation halted by the addition of various distillates taken from previous successful vintages. This mixture contains plenty of residual sugar, which gives the end result its characteristic sticky sweetness, and also helps with the next fermentation process, which typically takes place in large underground cellars. The final product is a heady drink, absolutely bursting with unusual, rich and sweet flavors and carried in a dark and slightly viscous Port-like liquid.

Mavrodaphne grapes are also used for the production of still red wines, but are generally blended with varietals such as Agiorgitiko or imported grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon. Mavrodaphne grapes are excellent for mellowing more acidic varieties, and producing deliciously rounded wines, which have taken the international market by storm in recent decades.

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?

Rye Whiskey is enjoying something of a renaissance of late, with sales rocketing in recent years thanks to a growing interest in strong, unique flavors, and small, independent distilleries. Rye Whiskey is a drink which is all about powerful, bold flavors, with plenty of spice and bitterness when drunk young. Aged, however, it takes on a deep set of subtle notes which are beautifully mellow and complex, and becomes a fascinating example of what whiskey can be when made with expert hands.

In order for an American Whiskey to be labeled a Rye Whiskey, it must have a mash content which is no less than fifty one percent rye. This separates it from Bourbon, and it is this which gives it its distinctive flavor and spiciness. Toffee, cinnamon, caraway, cloves and oak are typical tasting notes, and ‘straight rye’ whiskies - which are aged in charred oak barrels - take on plenty of the smokiness of the wood, adding a further, fascinating facet.

Rye Whiskey has its spiritual home in the northeastern states of Pennsylvania and Maryland, and cities like Pittsburgh produced vast quantities of Rye Whiskey in the 18th and 19th centuries. Most the old distilleries were closed during the prohibition era, after which time rye whiskey more or less disappeared completely, but the twenty-first century is seeing old recipes being resurrected and released to rave reviews.