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Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $25.08 $26.40
12 bottles: $23.94
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $31.54 $33.20
12 bottles: $30.40
A blend of fine cognacs from 15-30 years old, this XO Cognac is characterized by a pleasant light-gold color,...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $45.82
12 bottles: $44.90
The 2021 Grenache Bessan Vineyard is one of the more austere selections in this range. Fruit is very much pushed into...
12 FREE
VM
92
Red
750ml
Bottle: $32.94
12 bottles: $32.28
• Practicing Organic. • 100% Grenache. • Sourced from Hofer Vineyard (Rancho Cucamonga AVA) 42 miles east of...
12 FREE
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $28.93
12 bottles: $28.35
The Santa Barbara County Grenache was inspired by Fonsalette from Chateau Rayas. The wine represents two very...
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $41.87
12 bottles: $41.03
The 2021 Grenache Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard is one of the more ethereal and aromatic wines in this range....
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VM
92
Red
750ml
Bottle: $44.93
12 bottles: $44.03
Fermented with 38% whole clusters, the 2020 Grenache Thompson Vineyard is more meaty and almost nutty, with ripe,...
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JD
91
VM
90
Red
750ml
Bottle: $45.66
12 bottles: $44.75
Deceptive in its light-bodied structure, the 2021 Grenache Vie Caprice packs quite the punch. Darker tonalities of...
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VM
93
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $74.55 $78.47
6 bottles: $62.39
A very delicate blend of eaux-de-vie from Grande and Petite Champagne, aged between 8 and 15 years in cask, and...
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Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $65.03
6 bottles: $57.59
TOP 100 SPIRITS OF 2019 - This Cognac offers rich aromas and flavors, yet still remains light and easygoing....
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WE
94
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $235.52 $247.92
Carefully matured, balancing the influence of oak with that of time, to produce a complex Cognac. Rich, sweet and...
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Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $100.32
6 bottles: $99.60
Complex and in need of some time to breathe. However, patience is rewarded with richness, fruit and the layers of...
12 FREE
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $51.94
A sleek, harmonious red, with a rich undertow of sweet smoke, fig jam and mocha notes, plus generous flavors of...
12 FREE
WS
92
Red
750ml
Bottle: $44.88
12 bottles: $43.98
Appearance: Opaque red-black. Scarlet rim. Aroma: Initially closed. The wine opens to an amalgam of minerals and...
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Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $29.93 $31.99
12 bottles: $29.64
It is a wine with an attractive collection of balsamic notes, of chocolate and black fruits, very warm in the mouth...
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $11.70 $13.00
12 bottles: $11.12
100% Garnacha sourced from three villages within Sierra Santa Cruz, Aragon. Hand-harvested partially destemmed but...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $344.95 $347.20
The single-vineyard 2019 Quiñón de Valmira is made with Garnacha (and 10% other traditional varieties) grown at 616...
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WA
98
JS
95
Red
750ml
Bottle: $76.08
6 bottles: $74.56
This old-vine Grenache delivers aromas of strawberry and rose jam that is hard to resist. Red licorice, green herbs...
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WE
92
DC
90
Sale
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $23.26 $24.48
This spirit is amber in color and exhibits nutty, caramel notes on the nose. The palate has subtle hints of citrus...
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $99.93 $105.19
Arbikie's signature rye is matured in virgin oak casks, giving notes of cinnamon swirls, choux pastry, vanilla seeds,...
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WKY
92

Blended Scotch Cognac Grenache Japanese Whiskey 750ml

For over three hundred years, Cognac has enjoyed its reputation as the king of brandies. Indeed, it is widely regarded as the finest drink to be distilled from grapes to be found anywhere in the world, and it is a testament to its producers and the master craftsmen who make it that this reputation has never faltered, and remains as strong as ever to this day.

Cognac is produced solely in the beautiful towns of Cognac and Jarnac, found about fifty miles north of Bordeaux, on the west coast of France. Here, around six thousand grape growers work exclusively in the production of white wine, used for the Cognac distilleries which are scattered throughout the region. The wines are made primarily from the Ugni Blanc or Trebbiano grape - one of the most commonly planted grape varietals in the world - which benefit from the cool, coastal climate and mineral rich soils which are found there. The wines themselves wouldn’t be suitable for drinking in themselves, as they are high in acid and low in alcohol, but this makes them ideal for distillation, and they can impart their wonderful, complex, rich flavors to the brandy.

Cognac varies quite significantly from bottle to bottle, depending on how long it has been aged for, and which appellation it comes from. The Cognac region is split into six separate Crus, all with their own distinctive characteristics, and the spirit can be aged from two years (VS) to six (Hors d’Age and Napoleon) and longer.

The purple skinned grapes of the Grenache varietal have quickly become one of the most widely planted red wine grapes in the world, flourishing in several countries which have the correct conditions in which they can grow to ripeness. They thrive anywhere with a dry, hot climate, such as that found in central Spain and other such arid areas, and produce delightfully light bodied wines full of spicy flavors and notes of dark berries. Their robustness and relative vigor has led them being a favorite grape varietal for wineries all over the world, and whilst it isn't uncommon to see bottles made from this varietal alone, they are also regularly used as a blending grape due to their high sugar content and ability to produce wines containing a relatively high level of alcohol.

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.