Here's your perfect excuse to eat salted chocolate caramels - one of the world's great fortified wines; Amontillado from a top producer. Bodegas Hildago Amontillado Napoleon is a complex full bodied amber coloured sherry with flavours of caramelised almonds, sandalwood and vanilla. It's a blend made up of Oloroso Faraon, Cream Alameda and PX Triana, all between six and 20 years old, which add to the taste of cedar and sandalwood.

It is excellent served lightly chilled with a platter of aged cheddar and nuts or simply on its own as a late night cap with salted caramel. 

Bodegas Hidalgo - a rare sherry producer, six successive generations...

Bodegas Hidalgo is one of the few independent sherry producers remaining in Andalucia in the south of Spain - the home of sherry. All of its grapes come from its own vineyards, another rarity these days and one that definitely supports the universally high quality of its wines, which are made at Sanlúcar de Barrameda near the Guadalquivir River, at sea level. The continuous exposure to sea breezes bears a strong influence on the quality of the wines and their long aging process, helping to keep barrels moist in the solera system, which creates a slow and steady aging. 

Bodegas Hidalgo produces about 200,000 cases of sherry and brandy every year.

1919 Distilling - named for the year that New Zealanders stood up for their rights and voted down prohibition, the original gin (41% abv) is locally produced in their custom made still. Created using Otago cherries, manuka honey, organic lemons, and oranges, plus botanicals including juniper, orris root and cinnamon, this is a classic gin that celebrates old world charm, passion and charisma.

If Cotes du Rhone reds haven't made their way onto your wine drinking radar yet, then now's the perfect time because many of the 2016 wines are still available on the market and it's a vintage that rocks. This wine is made by the Sabon family, who have carved a name for themselves as high quality producers of great Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This red is made from the hills of the surrounding southern Rhone Valley from a blend of 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah.
This crowd pleaser drinks beautifully now but undoubtedly has eight to nine years of aging and evolution up its vinous sleeve.

BlackSpot Rum has bountiful, deep flavour neat or on the rocks.  Mixes superbly with cocktails, refreshes over ice with ginger beer or ale and a squeeze of lime or try BlackSpot and coconut water.

Another cracker from South Africa's master craftsman Duncan Savage. This is a blend of Cinsaut, Grenache and Syrah from Citrusdal Mountain in the Olifants River Valley, Western Cape. This is a pretty wine real depth and sees 70% whole clusters in the ferment. 

"The wine shows a real individuality and personality with bright fragrant violet perfume, sappy spicy peppery raspberry and redcurrant confit complexity, hints of sun raisined cranberries, cured bresaola, boiled raspberry sweets and wild strawberries. The palate weight is soft and sensual, combining the best of both Grenache and Cinsault to form an impressively harmonious, silky soft sappy red blend. The wine seems to grow exponentially in the glass, unfurling and unravelling to reveal layers of strawberry jam, raspberry compote and Turkish delight all framed with bright crystalline acids that really amplify the wines purity, minerality and sense of place.

Such a pretty wine with the sleekest and most polished tannins and a mellow fruit intensity. Despite its eminent drinkability in youth, this is no frivolous ?vin de soif? and could just maybe, over time, acquire a similar cult following to that of Duncan?s excellent Cinsault-dominated Follow The Line red from Darling. A very confident debut!" Drink from 2018 to 2028+. (93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Basilic is a basil-flavoured liqueur from Briottet which is made by macerating basil flowers and leaves in an alcohol-water solution. This is a very pure expression of basil which makes a great addition to summery cocktails.

Pear liqueur.

An elegant multi-award winning rum, the 12yr old typifies the smooth mellow sweetness of Demerara Rum. This rum is a blend of specially selected aged rums, the youngest being no less that 12yrs old.
Savour it straight, on the rocks or in a classic cocktail

40% ABV

Reviewed at our "Rum Pool on the Basin" tastings July 2011 by 50 tasters, by average rating it Score 8.16 Came Second. NOSE: Bananas, classic rum, brown sugar, Scotch, playdough, butterscotch, linseed, Xmas pudding, sultanas, mint, menthol, pistacio nuts, ironing, charr, caramel, plastic, luscious. PALATE: Brown sugar, builds, nice feel, rich, burnt caramel, metals, chewey, wood, alcohol, anaesthetic kava, dark chocolate, good width FINISH: Burnt orange, nice with beer, bourbony, sweet, then goes bitter chocolatey, spicey, toffee apple, very sweet, medium. ;RWS/DMM

Sang des Cailloux Vacqueryas is a labour of love and tastes like it. It's a blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre and Cinsault and named after the daughters of Serge Férigoule: Floureto, Doucinello, and Azalaïs. 

All grapes are hand harvested and fermented with natural yeasts in cement cuves with daily pumpovers then moved into 450 litre barrels for 12 months' maturation before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. 

This is a delicious, full bodied dry red from one of the great appellations of the Southern Rhone Valley in France. 

Gouden Carolus Cuvée van de Keizer Imperial Dark was enriched by an infusion of Gouden Carolus Single Malt whisky. The result is a unique beer: powerful and full-bodied, with subtle touches of vanilla, oak and chocolate. An imperial brew to cherish and enjoy in moderation.

11.7% ABV.

Best Before: 2028/01/08

This is a beautifully balanced wine that offers aromas of cherry, dark plum and fragrant plum blossom on the nose. The palate is velvet textured with flavours of blackberry, plum, complex spice and white pepper, balanced by fine grained tannins, and a hint of smoky oak.

Food matches include wild pork, red meats and game dishes.

It’s complex, full-bodied and surprisingly smooth with a delicate, long finish that’s unbelievably mellow. Drink straight up or on the rocks. 

NOSE:  Dried spice, pear, cocoa, vanilla & maple syrup.
PALATE:  Hints of ripe plum & cherries, robust, full body, mellow.
FINISH:  Smooth & delicately long.