A nice bottling thats quite heavy on the Islay component - but not too peaty.

Untouched – Muroka Nama Genshu – Jyunmai Ginjo 1

Zenkuro UNTOUCHED Muroka nama genshu is a very special style of sake which can only be produced in small amounts from each batch of sake. Only the sake from the very middle part of the pressing process is used, after it has been laboriously drip pressed. This middle take is the cleanest and most delicate portion of sake. Without processing, aging or blending, it immediately offers up sake with naturally well balanced flavours, gentle umami, soft viscosity and delightful aromas. In order to share this with you, the sake has been bottled in this fresh, untouched condition; un-filtered, unpasteurised and un-diluted.

Zenkuro UNTOUCHED will complement the full range of wonderful food flavours.

17% ABV

The Cotswolds Distillery in Stourton is up and running - hooray! This is their Cotswolds Dry Gin, made with juniper, coriander and angelica root macerated in their pure wheat spirit for 24 hours. Following this, they add a botanical selection including bay leaf, grapefruit, lime, black pepper, cardamom seed and Cotswolds lavender to their carter head still for distillation. To bring it down to bottling strength, a robust 46% ABV, they use naturally refined Cotswolds water.

Nose: Light, floral juniper blends well with the Cotswolds lavender. This soon gives way to the vibrant grapefruit peel and warming cardamom.

Palate: Opening with grapefruit, fresh juniper and black pepper, followed by herbaceous notes of bay leaf, coriander and angelica. More lavender brings a bright, delicate character to the full-bodied gin.

Finish: Refreshingly clean on the palate, with lime and bay leaf.

Following on from Glenmorangie's A Tale of Cake, the magnificent distillery has gone and created A Tale of Winter. Director of whisky creation Dr. Bill Lumsden wanted to evoke the feeling of winter, of sitting in front of a fireplace while the snow fall outside, and to do so, he finished a bourbon barrel-matured single malt in ex-Marsala wine casks. All those rich, comforting, chocolatey notes certainly put this one in the 'winter warmer' category.

Nose: Honeycomb, chocolate digestives, fragrant lavender, sultana, and cinnamon.

Palate: Cocoa, Brazil nuts, vanilla tablet, jammy red berry sweetness developing, crystallised ginger.

Finish: Spicy ginger remains, mellowed by vanilla and chocolate mousse.

This vodka is made with the finest Irish grain and is flavoured using Irish nettles and fruit from the Kigelia Africana tree found in Africa and known locally as the ?Sausage Tree? ? and whose curative and purifying powers are highly sought safter.

Remember Pimms? Of course, you do. Well, Sipsmith takes it up a notch. Sipsmith is the brainchild of a couple of likely lads, who saw the opportunity for delicious craft-distilled gin and vodka and decided to do it themselves.

Mix 1 part Summer Cup to 3 parts lemonade, add cucumber, strawberries and ice. Drain, and start again. Drink with: Cucumber sandwiches. Based on our award winning London Dry Gin, it is then blended with a host of carefully selected summery ingredients including infusions of Earl Grey tea, Lemon Verbena and Cucumber. Aromatic yet surprisingly dry, it's crying out for lemonade and fruit. The Sipsmith Summer Cup 1 part Summer Cup3 parts Lemonadecucumber and strawberriesIce Fill a big jug with ice, add cucumber and sliced strawberries. Add the lemonade and Sipsmith Summer Cup, and enjoy summer. Source - www.sipsmith.com

Reviewed by: Joe Czerwinski

Drink Date: 2023 - 2035
A 60-40 blend of Grenache and Mourvèdre aged in a combination of demi-muids and new barriques, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Renaissance shows plenty of smoky, toasty nuances laid over the top of roasted cherries. Full-bodied, rich and velvety in texture, it finishes long, with overtones of mocha lingering on the finish. It's oaky now, but it should improve with short-term cellaring. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes.

I confess to being slightly disappointed in the offerings from this fine domaine this year. The Grangeon family owns vineyards in some superb sandy sites, including the lieux-dits of Cristia and la Font du Loup, but the 2019s and 2020s (to a lesser extent) are too easy in style, and some cuvees are overly marked by wood. Still, there is no denying their commercial appeal. The 2020 white, however, showed well on both occasions I tasted it. Baptiste Grangeon is picking those grapes a bit early "to keep the freshness," then compensating by using a bit more new oak and bâtonnage.

"I was a big fan of 2019 and less of 2020 in the beginning," Grangeon said as we tasted through the range. "But with time, I like '20 more and more." Alcohol levels here were close to 16% in 2019 but more like 15% in 2020. "You can't get in '19 what we got in '16—that was a perfectly balanced vintage. Chateauneuf is supposed to be a fine and elegant wine," Grangeon added in closing.

Looking at the older wines, the 2011 (there was only a single cuvee produced) should be consumed without further delay, and the 2001 came across as tired and of only academic interest at this point (no review given). As a rough rule of thumb, I would suggest drinking these wines within their first decade.

Published: May 06, 2022

Made using barley grown on Macallan's Speyside estate, distilled once a year in a single week, this single malt has been matured exclusively in sherry seasoned oak butts and hogsheads. Warm, comforting aromas of cinnamon, dried fruits, sweet lemons and caramel fill the nose, and the palate initially offers notes of warm spice, dry oak and fresh figs. Sweet orange and dried fruit flavours develop slowly, alongside delicate citrus and sweet toffee.

Macallan Estate is presented in a striking box inspired by the landscape of Speyside. Featuring an inlay of hand-cut slate, this unique box reflects the sense of place found in the whisky.

Compass Box Whisky - At their best, aged in good quality American oak casks, brimming with vanilla and echoing rich pastry cream on the finish, they are amongst the most delicious whiskies in the world. At their best, grain whiskies are the perfect whiskies to name...Hedonism.

The inspiration behind our whisky HEDONISM is just that ? pleasure, enjoyment, a celebration of that ideal marriage between distilled spirit and high-quality oak maturation. The aromas and flavours hint of vanilla, caramel, a delicate fruitiness, accented by flashes of coconut in the finish. This is a whisky that will appeal to both the ardent whisky enthusiast and newcomers to whisky alike.

12x330ml

Beautiful layered flavours superbly balanced. There’s dark fruit in the forefront (prunes, cherries), and bright, slightly bitter notes in the back (orange peel, hints of clove and coriander seed) Great mouthfeel. It’s syrupy, but not overly sweet. This is an almost perfect quad, quite probably my favourite.

10% ABV

Shipping from our bond warehouse in Hamilton

Amrut Distilleries recently launched an umbrella brand, the Single Malts of India, to showcase the hidden gem malts of India. Neidhal is described as a single malt eponymously sourced from a Neidhal or coastal region and is said to exhibit traits that uniquely spring from the locale. 

Tasting notes make mention of tropical fruits, vanilla punctuated by soft phenols and above all sea salt on the nose. On the palate, it is fruit cocktail and mesmerising phenols with a touch of iodine. The middle ground is an essay in chewability and a finish that is phenolic with a touch of sweet vanilla.

46% ABV

Thomson Rye and Barley is made from New Zealand grown grain.  This we've crushed, mashed, fermented and finally double distilled through our hand beaten copper pot stills.

Small cask aged for maximum flavour.