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Sale
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $189.94 $249.88
Pours a lovely golden tawny with aromas of milk chocolate nougat, toasted honeycomb, candied orange, fresh cream, and...
12 FREE
UBC
93
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $30.49
This golden-hued Bourbon calls to mind butterscotch hard candies, blondie bars, toasted coconut, and sweet cream on...
12 FREE
UBC
94
BTI
92
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $56.49 $59.46
6 bottles: $50.77
The nose is somewhat tight at first, but opens to aromas of coffee cake, fruit cup, and faint notes of cherry,...
12 FREE
WKY
93
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $34.78
Golden amber color. Aromas of hot cinnamon candies, milk chocolate, corn pops, maple syrup, and toast with a supple,...
12 FREE
BTI
92
WKY
90
Sale
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $33.60 $38.40
Many argue that crafting a perfectly well balanced whiskey blend is harder than distilling whiskey itself. We're not...
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $27.36 $28.80
12 bottles: $26.22
Adirondack High Rye Bourbon was distilled in a custom copper pot, and released at the end of July 2016. It was aged...
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $29.54 $31.10
12 bottles: $28.41
This classic single barrel Bourbon is bold and complex with notes of vanilla, sweet fruit and warming spices.
Sale
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $44.73 $51.12
Mashed, fermented, distilled, aged, and bottled by the Albany Distilling Company. Made from grain grown in New York...
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $46.63 $49.08
6 bottles: $45.00
Amador Whiskey Double Barrel Classic Bourbon Cabernet captures flavors of vanilla, caramel, mildly tart black cherry,...
12 FREE
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $42.35 $44.58
6 bottles: $40.50
Amador Whiskey Co. Double Barrel marries the best of Kentucky Bourbon with Napa Valley wine barrel finishing. Its...
12 FREE
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $36.47 $38.39
6 bottles: $30.71
Sale
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $23.10 $26.40
A proprietary blend of corn and rye grains provides an authentic. old world flavor. Never chill filtered. Our...
Sale
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $91.93 $96.77
From country music star Brad Paisley and Kentucky’s Bardstown Bourbon Company, this bourbon uses 4 year old whiskey...
12 FREE
Spirits
12 FREE
Spirits
12 FREE
Sale
Spirits
375ml
Bottle: $28.23 $29.72
12 bottles: $22.79
TOP 100 SPIRITS 2015. Luxe and velvety, this port-finished Bourbon shows bold caramel and toffee up front, morphing...
WE
94
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $45.23
TOP 100 SPIRITS 2015. Luxe and velvety, this port-finished Bourbon shows bold caramel and toffee up front, morphing...
12 FREE
WE
94
Case only
White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $29.80
A fresh, complex, aerial Marsanne-based white wine. Notes of pear, peach, floral (hawthorn) and anise with a hint of...
12 FREE
Case only
White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $98.94
Golden yellow in color with aromas of white pear and apple blossom. Rich and textural on the palate with flavors of...
12 FREE
Case only
Spirits
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $50.16
A hint of sweet yellow corn on the palate gives way to rich vanilla. The palate is complex and full-flavored with a...
12 FREE

Bourbon Marsanne Mavrodaphne

Bourbon has survived all manner of difficulties and restrictions to become one of the world’s best selling and most recognizable spirits. This unique and distinctly American whiskey came from humble origins, allowing poor farmers in the fields of Pennsylvania and Maryland to make a living from their crops. Prohibition, temperance movements and conflict continuously threatened to wipe Bourbon from existence, but today the drink is stronger than ever and has a global audience of millions. Over time, it has become more refined, and innovation and experimentation has set modern Bourbon apart from other whiskey styles.

Today, the Bourbon heartland and spiritual home is in Kentucky, where the whiskey producers of northern states traveled to seek a new home, free from oppressive tax regimes in the early days. It is now far from the rough and ready spirit of yesteryear, governed by strict rules and regulations to maintain standards and keep quality high. Modern Bourbon must be made from a mash which is no less than 51% and no more than 80% corn (the rest of the mash being made from rye, wheat or barley), giving it a distinctive sweetness, and it must be aged in charred, white oak casks with no other added ingredient but water.

The varied flavors of different Bourbons come about mainly from the different quantities of the permitted grains in the mash. A larger proportion of rye will produce a spicy, peppery whiskey, whereas more wheat will result in a smoother, more subtle drink. Ageing and water quality, as well as the expertise and vision of the craftsmen who distill it, will also make a difference, meaning there is much more to Bourbon than might first meet the eye.

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?