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Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $47.43 $51.00
12 bottles: $41.04
TOP 100 SPIRITS 2015. Almost like dessert in a glass, this deep topaz-hued Cognac has a scent that evokes baked apple...
12 FREE
WE
94
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $30.13 $32.40
12 bottles: $24.49
A blend of unfermented grape juice mixed with unaged brandy then aged together for 18 months in oak. 17% abv
Instore only
Sale
Spirits
375ml
Bottle: $20.96 $22.06
Sumptuous confectionary aromas of chocolate orange, salted caramel, vanilla, almond butter, and orange peel. The...
UBC
96
BTI
94
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $40.31
12 bottles: $38.29
Sumptuous confectionary aromas of chocolate orange, salted caramel, vanilla, almond butter, and orange peel. The...
12 FREE
UBC
96
BTI
94
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $171.46 $180.48
This version of Grand Marnier uses rare Cognac reserves aged up to 50 years. Here, the flavor and scent are closer to...
12 FREE
WE
96
UBC
94
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $67.72 $71.28
6 bottles: $67.20
This noble cordial combines both the essence of pure citrus peel and the heady flavors of aged Cognac. The two find...
12 FREE
UBC
96
BTI
95
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $42.63 $44.87
6 bottles: $38.39
12 FREE
Instore only
Spirits
375ml
Bottle: $26.99
Hennessy Very Special (V.S) is one of the most popular cognacs in the world. Matured in new oak barrels, Hennessy V.S...
Instore only
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $39.90 $42.00
Hennessy Very Special (V.S) is one of the most popular cognacs in the world. Matured in new oak barrels, Hennessy V.S...
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $45.60
12 bottles: $39.90
Hennessy Very Special (V.S) is one of the most popular cognacs in the world. Matured in new oak barrels, Hennessy V.S...
12 FREE
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $250.79 $263.99
Figgy pudding and date syrup are sweet but not cloying on the nose. The flavors are soft and subtle, layered with...
12 FREE
VM
93
UBC
93
Rapid Ship
Spirits
700ml
Bottle: $1199.94
This blended whisky is an ideal sipper, with an enticing crème brûlèe and dried apricot scents. Those notes are...
12 FREE
WE
95
WKY
93
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $93.50
6 bottles: $89.42
Gold color. Aromas and flavors of honey and toasted vienna malt, white flowers and oak dust, orange marmalade, and...
12 FREE
BTI
94
UBC
92
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $33.47
Aromas of apricot, honeysuckle, and fresh fig overlie rich buttery, baked notes on the nose. The palate presents as a...
12 FREE
UBC
95
VM
92
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $65.44 $68.88
6 bottles: $61.20
A blend of Grande and Petite Champagne with an average age of seven years. Deep copper with aromas of maple and...
12 FREE
VM
92
Sale
Spirits
700ml
Bottle: $78.66 $82.80
NOSE: Ripened dark fruits, white pepper, and aged allspice mix harmoniously with subtle citrus & morning dew. PALATE:...
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Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $100.70 $106.00
Kaiy? whisky is matured in the finest Japanese Mizunara oak casks. These casks are handmade due to Mizunara oak’s...
12 FREE
Sale
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $78.17 $82.28
This was aged in Japan's rare Mizunara oak for the entirety of its maturation, which includes three-month ocean...
12 FREE
WE
91
WKY
90
Sale
Spirits
700ml
Bottle: $106.01 $111.59
12 FREE
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $86.82 $91.39
The lightly smoky sea-breeze aroma entices on the nose. The palate opens with bolder peat smoke underpinned by...
12 FREE
WE
92

Cognac Japanese Whiskey Lacrima Mencia

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.

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.