A balanced blend - it's richly aromatic, but is much dryer to the palate than you might expect. There are some neat marmalade and dark chocolate flavours, couple with some smooth sweet spice.Great blended dram.

This peach macerated liqueur offers great purity and intensity of fruit flavour. This is a perfect drink for enjoying on ice, blended with white wine or in a cocktail.

It was the Chinese who first imagined cooking roses by making preserved rosebuds. Following the Silk Roads, the rose arrived in Iran. Widely used around the Mediterranean, its use spread through Europe during the Middle Ages. Briottet continues this tradition by creating a rose infused liqueur. A perfect pairing with Champagne. 

This is a bright purple-red Syrah. On the nose, aromas develop with finesse and complexity with notes of blackberry jam, liquorice, a hint of toast and spice. The palate is full and generous with notes of ripe fruit and a hint of smokiness. Tannins are dense and intense, but with great finesse, giving the wine excellent structure and a long finish. 

Decant if drunk immediately. It may be cellared for 10 to 15 years.

This cr?me de cassis uses the prestigious ?Noir de Bourgogne? variety of blackcurrant which is only grown in the C?te d'Or region in Burgundy. The fruit is macerated in a water-alcohol solution for around 10 weeks to extract the optimum flavour and aromatic intensity.

Known for over 5000 years, eaten and used in the pharmacopoeia in the Middle East from where it originated, the fig is grown throughout the Mediterranean basin. The Egyptians used figs for wine-making, the Gauls from Southern France used them to sweeten their dishes. Figs are macerated in an alcohol-water solution, creating an intensely flavoured, pure fig liqueur.

Dry delicious Hawke's Bay rose is one of this country's most under rated pink wines and this beautiful medium bodied version is a stellar example. Try it, preferably with a great cheese alongside.

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

The Arran Single Malt selected for this cask strength expression was initially matured in first-fill ex-Bourbon barrels for 7 years before being transferred for secondary maturation into smaller Quarter casks also made of the finest American oak for a further 2 years. The process of transferring our whisky into the smaller 125 litre sized casks for their final 2 years of maturation produces far greater contact between the whisky & oak and a faster, more intense maturation.

The end result is a full-bodied expression of Arran Single Malt combining power and finesse full of rich vanilla sweetness and bold peppery spice. Bottling at natural Cask Strength without chill-filtration or artificial colouring of any sort presents this whisky in its purest form. Small casks would have been a common feature of the Arran whisky trade in the eighteenth & nineteenth centuries as they were easier to handle and transport around the island. With our much-loved Quarter Cask expression we proudly bring this tradition back to life.

Nose - Apple tart, pineapple brioche

Palate - The citrus hallmarks of Arran welcome you, and the sweet spice of cinnamon and vanilla promises a memorable dram.

Finish - Sweetness, Honey, Pineapple, Vanilla, Coconut.

GlenDronach is, quite simply, the go to distillery for sherry aged whiskies. This large, imposing Victorian distillery makes whisky to match and some of their single cask offerings are as dark as night and like drinking liquid Xmas pudding and crêpes suzettes.

This is the archetypal 12 year old, aged in ex-oloroso and PX sherry casks. The nose is rich and lifted with honey, caramel, treacle, vanilla sugar and prunes dominating. The palate is rich and rounded with dried fruit, sultanas and milk chocolate. A fantastic all-round whisky and a must for the cabinet at home.

Pale, dry pink wines are all the rage right now from all over the world, and this Portuguese example is made from more than 10 different indigenous Portuguese and international grape varieties, including Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Touriga Nacional. Together these grapes provide complex red berry aromas with savoury notes of herbs and fresh lees influence from light aging prior to release. 

A great match with all seafood.