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Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
1.8Ltr
Bottle: $41.61 $43.80
6 bottles: $40.80
Defined and precise, the Bijofu Junmai is a sake with zip, spice and drinkability. Not a heavy or earthy Junmai, this...
Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
300ml
Bottle: $11.40 $12.00
Defined and precise, the Bijofu Junmai is a sake with zip, spice and drinkability. Not a heavy or earthy Junmai, this...
Sake/Fruit Wine
720ml
Bottle: $18.00
12 bottles: $17.10
Defined and precise, the Bijofu Junmai is a sake with zip, spice and drinkability. Not a heavy or earthy Junmai, this...
Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
500ml
Bottle: $15.44 $16.25
“Schwa!” is the sound of bubbles or fizz in Japanese, and Bijofu’s sparkling sake shares all the clarity and...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $13.93 $15.48
12 bottles: $11.58
Flavors of cranberries and raspberries, leading to notes of red fruits, marionberry pie and baking spices.
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $17.64 $19.60
12 bottles: $15.83
Deep red and purple in color, this wine has welcoming aromas of dark fruits with a tinge of licorice. A sip reveals a...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $14.64 $15.41
12 bottles: $11.52
This Zinfandel offers aromas of blueberry, black stone fruit and black pepper. Polished tannins and flavors of...
Instore only
Red
3.0Ltr
Bottle: $18.94
TASTING NOTES Bota Box Zinfandel is round and full of vigor, with a nose of black cherry, black pepper and baked...
Sake/Fruit Wine
750ml
Bottle: $35.94
12 bottles: $35.22
Dry and light with a hint of honeysuckle.
12 FREE
Sake/Fruit Wine
375ml
Bottle: $18.00
12 bottles: $17.64
Our classic, Number Fourteen, is a junmai ginjo namazake. Intended to be served locally, chilled, and enjoyed soon...
12 FREE
Sake/Fruit Wine
750ml
Bottle: $29.94
12 bottles: $29.34
Our classic, Number Fourteen, is a junmai ginjo namazake. Intended to be served locally, chilled, and enjoyed soon...
12 FREE
Sake/Fruit Wine
750ml
Bottle: $33.88
12 bottles: $33.20
Notes of oat, and brown spices. Peppery, velvety, medium body with a dry finish.
12 FREE
Sake/Fruit Wine
750ml
Bottle: $38.95
12 bottles: $38.17
“Occidental” is a single yeast junmai. At the end of the fermentation process (post pressing), the sake is gently...
12 FREE
Sake/Fruit Wine
750ml
Bottle: $23.94
12 bottles: $23.46
Our classic, Blue Door, is a junmai namazake. Intended to be served locally, chilled, and enjoyed soon after the...
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $33.60 $38.40
Eye: Garnet core, pink rose rim. Nose: Kumquat, exotic spice, wild strawberries, raspberries, Rainier cherry. Time...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $13.94 $15.17
12 bottles: $13.66
Red
750ml
Bottle: $44.90
12 bottles: $44.00
60% Zinfandel,15% Grenache, 10% Alicante Bouschet, 5% Petite Sirah and 10% "other" (20+ other varieties, in fact)...
12 FREE
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $26.93 $28.80
"Bambino" comes from a ten-acre block planted on Old Hill in 1998. This young-vine field blend is patterned after the...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $29.94 $31.60
12 bottles: $26.60
Our Zinfandel was aged for 12 months in a combination of French and American oak barrels, 20% of which were new. At...
Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
300ml
Bottle: $17.67 $18.60
This traditionally made sake has a very unique nose filled with chocolate, cream, and wool elements. Talk about a...

Irish Whiskey Japanese Whiskey Sake Zinfandel

The Irish are hailed as being the original producers of whiskey in the British Isles, and their innovations and techniques were so successful, that neighbouring Scotland were quickly influenced by them in the 15th century. Centuries later, it was the Irish who brought whiskey to America, and their style of whiskey has since become popular all over the world.

However, it wasn’t always plain sailing for the Irish whiskey industry - from being a dominant force in the 19th century, whose produce was considered far superior to that of Scotland, political upheaval and war saw the Irish whiskey almost disappear forever in the early 20th century. Today, the Irish whiskey manufacturers are back on their feet, and they are once again proving that the original is often the best. With new distilleries opening every year, it is safe to say that Irish whiskey is very much back.

Irish whiskey differs from Scotch whisky in a number of ways, and not least the spelling - the extra ‘e’ was said to be added in the 19th century as a way of distancing the Irish drink from what they saw as an inferior Scottish product. Irish whiskey was traditionally made in enormous stills, as a way of ensuring consistency from bottle to bottle, and maintaining the quality and complexity their reputation was founded on. The typical tasting notes of fine Irish whiskey include apple and vanilla, alongside spicy and sweet touches of nutmeg and fresh hay, making this a highly pleasant and smooth drink, made for relaxation and stimulating conversation about times past.

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.

The precise origins of what became known as the Zinfandel grape variety are uncertain, although it has clear genetic equivalents in both Puglia and Croatia. However, when it was brought to the New World in the mid 19th century, it became known as the Zinfandel, and has been consistently popular and widely grown ever since. These very dark and very round grapes have a remarkably high sugar content, resulting in relatively high levels of alcohol in the wines they are made into, with bottles often displaying as much as fifteen percent. What makes the Zinfandel such an interesting grape, though, is the fact that the flavors produced by this varietal vary considerably depending on the climate they are grown in. In cooler valley regions, the Zinfandel grapes result in wines which hold strong flavors of tart and sweet fruits; raspberry, redcurrant and sweet cherry, held in a very smooth and silky liquid. Conversely, warmer regions result in more complex and spicy notes, including anise, pepper and hedgerow berries.