FATHER'S DAY GIFT IDEAS IN OUR SPIRITS DEPARTMENT
Father's day is just around the corner and this whole week we'll have customers coming in looking for a nice bottle of booze for Dad. So whether your Dad is a whisky guy or a whiskey guy, a fan of agave, rum or likes to take a snifter and enjoy some brandy here are some picks that are available at your favorite local wine store.
High Coast Hav Oak Spice Single Malt Whisky $57.99 per bottle
Typically when people think of single malt whiskies they think of whiskies from Scotland and Japan. Some of the most popular brands are from those two countries, but High Coast out of Sweden is starting to make their mark as well. Hav is the Swedish word for Sea. The whisky is a combination of 77% unpeated whisky and 23% peated whisky that is aged for 5 months in Hungarian and Swedish oak and then aged for an average of 6 years in bourbon barrels. This is the ogre of whiskies because it has layers. A salinity coats your palate and allows delicate tobacco leaf notes to come through. The smokiness from the peat subtly coats the palate along with the salinity. Vibrant baking spices brings a savoriness to the experience and light apple notes create a more rounded body. Toasted oak flavors add more to the savoriness and the salinity becomes more briny on the finish.
High Coast Timmer Peat Smoke Single Malt Whisky $64.99 per bottle
100% peated whisky that is aged in first fill bourbon barrels. Red apple with minerality up front gives this whisky a light start. Floral peat turns to more of a fire pit smokiness making an earthy profile. Toasted vanilla, baked apple and baking spices combine to make an apple pie finish.
Stellum Bourbon $60.99 per bottle
This bourbon is a blend of 3 bourbons with different mash bills (MB), MB1: 75% corn, 21% rye and 4% malted barley, MB2: 60% corn, 36% rye and 4% malted barley and MB3: 99% corn. The bourbons 3 different mash bill bourbons are aged between 4-16 years and on top of those 3 bourbons, 8-16 year bourbon from Kentucky and Tennessee is blended in as well. The result is bourbon that up front has savory tea leaf characteristics with some rich caramel. Subtle toasted vanilla and dark coco add to the depth of the spirit. Returning back to savory on the finish vibrant oak spice comes out at the end.
R6 Distillery Straight Rye Whiskey $56.99 per bottle
While this rye is more vibrant than R6's bourbon, as would be expected, it does have a similar richness to the bourbon. Toasted vanilla and subtle rye. Hints of brown sugar and soft oak spice. More rye comes out on the finish.
Amatitena Tequila Blanco $64.99 per bottle
If you're looking for a clean and "pure" tasting tequila, this blanco is what you need. Crushed with Tahona and fermented in open air tanks this is the kind of tequila blanco that allows you to really taste the blue weber agave. Earthy with hints of lime. Savory white pepper on finish.
Don Abraham Organic Tequila Agave Extra Anejo $110.99 per bottle
Such an amazing mouthfeel in this Tequila. Rich coating flavors, but fresh agave characteristics as well. Aged for a minimum of 3 years. Cracked pepper coated in butterscotch. While there is a coating mouthfeel, the spirit finishes dry. A beautiful balance of rich and lean. Subtle notes of cinnamon and vanilla as well.
Estancia Raicilla Pechuga Agave $57.99 per bottle
Raicilla has a history in Mexico dating back to when Spain colonized Mexico. The King of Spain needed more money so they decided to tax all Mezcal and Tequila distillers. So as a result some distillers started calling their products raicilla. Usually using Maximiliana agave raicillas are very vegetal. Pechuga is a distillate that celebrates harvest. During fermentation different nuts and fruits are added to the tank while meat (typically chicken, can sometimes be turkey or even snake!) hangs from above the tank and the fat/oil drips into the tank adding richness and texture to the finished products. Seeing both raicilla and pechuga on one label is really interesting. In this bottle you're getting a spirit with wonderful weight and mouth coating feeling. Bright minerality with zest of lime bring a brightness and freshness to the profile. Soft earthy and white pepper notes on finish.
R. L. Seale's Finest Barbados Rum $51.99 per bottle
Richard Seale is a 4th generation rum producer with his Great Grandfather, Reginald Leon Seale, starting R.L. Seale in 1926. Reopening the Distillery in 1996, he has continued the family traditions. Bold dark chocolate pairs with toasted oak and wood spice. The richness of the chocolate is very nicely balanced out by the vibrancy of the wood. Butterscotch, cinnamon and baked apple on finish bring along more richness to round out the finish and let those richer flavors linger.
Bleeding Heart Rum Company "Don Papa" Small Batch Rum $41.99 per bottle
7-year-old molasses based Rum aged in ex-bourbon barrels. Bright orange zest greets the palate and brings a vibrancy not many expect from an aged Rum. Toasted toffee and rich butterscotch add a richness that works very well with the orange zest. Toasted spices on the finish linger.
XO by Joy Armagnac $60.99 per bottle
One of the most impressive things about Joy is the amount of flavor you get for the prices! Made with 100% Bacco grapes. Toasted toffee and dark chocolate bring a richness that warms the body as you sip. Woodsy vibrancy along with dried apricot and tobacco leaf create a balance to the sweeter flavors from up front. The finish is more savory with the woodsy characteristics and tobacco leaf flavors lingering.
Baardseth Cognac VSOP $52.99 per bottle
Made from grapes of the Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne region which are aged separately (between 4-6 years) before being blend together, Baardseth's VSOP has some light richness and a little bit of a savory characteristic. Shortbread cookie and hints of savory herbs hit your palate first with this spirit. The combination of minerality and red apple give the libation a slight freshness. A slight sweetness, toffee and vanilla, on the finish rounds it out.