Staff Favorites - Neal Fischer

Neal Fischer
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Reviews

Boulard-Bauquaire "Carte Noire" Brut Blanc de Noirs Champagne
Review Date: 07-22-2023
When a producer sets out to make a Blanc de Noir, they have to use an especially delicate pressing method to ensure none of the color from the skin bleeds into the juice. With the Boulard-Bauquire Carte Noir, "delicate" is definitely the byword. This sparkling wine is so clean and elegant in its delivery. It's quite floral, but always hinting at darker fruits and mixed berry notes, with just a little something tropical. Those darker notes come through more directly on the palate as black cherry and blackberry, but always with a kid-gloved approach. A light toast eases into an elegant finish, with the glimmer of those delicate dark notes.
Price: $34.99 Add To Cart

2021 Desire Lines "Winds of Change" California Syrah
Review Date: 07-05-2023
The nose opens with tightly coiled red fruits, both fresh and dried, most potently in the form of pomegranate, red currant, and raspberry. There is a hint of graphite and some other stoniness, with dark florals, and gently warming spices. On the palate, the spice comes early and tickles the tip of the tongue. Purple fruits show nicely without being too bold or ripe. The spices turn toasty on into a long finish that also folds in notes of woodiness and extra dark chocolate. This Syrah has really nice grip, texture, and structure.
Price: $24.95 Add To Cart

Bardstown Bourbon Company 6 Year Old "Origin Series #1" Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml)
Review Date: 06-02-2023
The Bardstown Bourbon Company's Origin Series #1 is a homerun at this price point. Right off the bat, the nose snaps with great cinnamon and black pepper bite. It moves into dusty spicebox, honey, med-dark caramel, then it hits with tropical fruit notes (pineapple, coconut). The palate starts bright and moves darker. There's flavors of orange marmalade, more coconut, and vibrant spice. Then coffee-flavored caramels and an earthy woodiness come to dominate. This Bourbon has a luscious round texture and slides into a very long finish with tongue-tingling spice.
Price: $39.99 Add To Cart

Suntory AO World Whisky (700ml)
Review Date: 05-24-2023
Suntory Ao kind of comes out of nowhere as a product. There's not a whole lot of whisk(e)y lovers who are screaming for more blends, let alone a blend like this. But sometimes life hands you something you never knew you wanted, so the only thing to do is be pleasantly surprised and appreciate what was poured into your glass. Ao sees the Beam Suntory folks blending malt and grain whiskies from Ireland, Scotland, the US, Canada, and Japan. I'd definitely be curious to see more specs on this and know more about what whiskies are going into it, but all I really need to know is that it all comes together seamlessly. On the nose I get a tickle of gentle sweetness. There's honey toasted cornflakes, caramel apple, fresh pear, creamy vanilla, and red fruit. Scents of new suede come in followed by tropical fruit notes like kiwi and papaya. The palate is incredibly smooth and inviting with a lovely round texture. I get flavors of nougat and a brooding smokiness. It gets a little earthy, and notes of dusty oak come in, then it transitions to orange blossom and more tropical fruit. This whisky is so layered, and it's very impressive the way no component overshadows any other. All the whiskies going into this blend have been expertly weaved together to create something totally delicious.
Price: $64.99 Add To Cart

Wild Turkey "Kentucky Spirit" Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey
Review Date: 05-13-2023
Wild Turkey has long been a favorite of mine, and I mean that for their whole lineup from the regular ole 101 to their more premium expressions. In my opinion, the Kentucky Spirit single barrel selections hit such a sweetspot of affordability and complexity. In our world-gone-mad where Bourbon prices regularly climb above $100 regardless of quality, Kentucky Spirit is there to remind us all that you can get something great at an approachable price point. The barrel I'm currently enjoying (#2386) has a nose packed with polished oak, medium caramel, and vanilla Italian soda. The spice gravitates toward level-handed cinnamon candies then shifts in a much more herbal direction, plus some very nice dark fruit notes like plum and blackberry. The palate is loaded with sweet corn, dark drizzly caramel, slight menthol, and much more pronounced fruit. The texture is a standout feature - as soon as it passes the lips you can tell how round and full this Bourbon is, and the longer that you hold it on the tongue the more viscous it gets. Towards the end, there's more sweet corn notes, chewy vanilla nougat, and candied almonds.
Price: $59.99 Add To Cart

Thierry Thibault Blanc de Noirs Brut Champagne
Review Date: 04-26-2023
Thibault's Blanc de Noirs is made up of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Meunier, so even though this is a white wine there is no shortage of richness and darker flavors. On the nose I get apple skins, cherry, and vanilla cream. The palate has earthy spice and mixed berries. The center of the palate holds a lovely fresh brioche quality that pleasantly lingers. The richness is counteracted aptly by a great line of acid to keep things fresh.
Price: $34.99 Add To Cart

Shiokawa 'Cowboy Yamahai' Junmai Ginjo Genshu Sake (720ml)
Review Date: 04-12-2023
The cowboy is gentle yet savory. There's a hint of tropical fruit and melon, then white flowers and creamy vanilla, but what hits home are the notes of slight saline, meatiness, and wafting smoke. It's more savory on the palate with more smoke as well, vanilla, salt, white pepper, then back to gentle smoke in the finish. The texture is big and round, so that along with the flavors, this sake can stand up to some heftier food pairings.
Price: $34.99 Add To Cart

Suntory Hakushu 12 Year Old Japanese Peated Single Malt Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 04-05-2023
The nose begins grassy and floral. Light smoke emerges and builds, though it never overshoots past the malt's elegance. Over time, notes emerge of honey, nuttiness, toasted marshmallow, and grilled cedar planks. The peat is more prominent on the palate, yet it remains restrained: still-smoldering embers, burnt rocks, and firepit ash. Yellow orchard fruits appear with a bigger floral component along with a mixture of vanilla tones. It all keeps coming back to those low, slow, smoky notes though - it's never aggressive, but it never lets go either. A beautiful slow-burner single malt.
Price: $159.99 Add To Cart

Four Pillars "Fresh Yuzu" Australia Gin (750ml)
Review Date: 11-16-2022
Four Pillars has been making great gin out of Australia since 2013, and K&L has worked closely with since they were available in the US. I'm very excited for their newest offering: this delicious and bright Fresh Yuzu Gin. I'm even more excited that K&L has early access to it, meaning we're the first folks in the States to taste it and have it on the shelf for our customers while the rest of the country has to wait for the official Spring release. As expected, big wafts of citrus zest emanate from the glass immediately. It's not just one-note, however, and heavier spices are quick to follow the lemony yuzu scents. Fresh-cracked black pepper and angelica root are quick to emerge and tingle the nose. Light floral notes play with the spices, adding finesse and complexity, then an earthy component comes in (think green tea). All these elements are present in the flavor profile as well (with a touch more of an orange note), though the palate goes through a friendly and simple transition of yuzu to floral and then back to yuzu again. A Gin & Tonic is an obvious use for this that comes out marvelously and smacking of summer, but it's definitely more versatile than that. I'm thinking a Fresh Yuzu vesper martini might be on the menu tonight.
Price: $30.99 Add To Cart

Jack Daniels "Barrel Proof" Single Barrel Select Tennessee Whiskey (375ml)
Review Date: 09-07-2022
Is it just me, or is this really approachable for sitting at 131.4 proof? It might just be me. The nose is treacle, caramel syrup on vanilla ice cream, rich coconut, and juicy crushed cherries. A little spice box and balsa wood adds weight and depth, and there's a hint of something savory just before the dessert aromas return. There's much more spice on the palate, but again this doesn't hit me as alcohol burn - it's quite enjoyable like finding extra chili peppers in your Mexican or Thai food. Black cherry dominates the palate for me with a bit of medicinality, then more caramel and notes of burnt sugar like the crusty top of creme brulee. Barrel spice and varnish make for a drying and somewhat tannic finish, but it stops short of being excessive. With water (let's be honest that's how a lot of folks with want it), banana arrives on the scene with dried coconut flakes, and the spice gets more oriented towards black pepper. The caramels come through more as well, while the texture is more rounded and the finish less tannic. Big black pepper and cinnamon stick hang out for a very long finish. That's good Jack!
Price: $29.99 Add To Cart

El Gran Legado De Vida Blanco Tequila (750ml)
Review Date: 09-07-2022
White pepper tickles the nose initially, with the light spice wrapped up in saline minerality. Soft tropical fruits arrive next: dragon fruit, overripe melon, a hint of pineapple. Spice continually returns, popping back up with more earthy notes of sun-baked earth. The pepper remains clearly front-and-center on the palate as well, but more fruitiness comes through in a pleasant counterpoint, specifically offering more melon. The texture is very round and mouth-coating making it a very pleasant texture for a sipping tequila. Though putting this in a margarita sounds really good right about now...
Price: $59.99 Add To Cart

Boulard-Bauquaire "Trepail" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne Vieilles Vignes
Review Date: 08-30-2022
Clean citrus, light floral notes, and just a touch of yeast make for a fresh and focused nose on this Champagne. On the palate there's more yellow fruit, concentrated nectarine, and lemon zest. What a wonderful and classic old vine Blanc de Blanc.
Price: $39.99 Add To Cart

Pierre Paillard "Les Parcelles" Grand Cru Extra Brut Bouzy Champagne
Review Date: 08-30-2022
Pierre Paillard is a favorite in my house and Les Parcelles is right up at the top. The nose has so much stone fruit for me, dominated by peach, apricot, and cherry. It's quite creamy with a little butter and soft floral notes. The palate kicks off with Meyer lemon followed by sour cherries, and as it heads towards the finish all this sparkler's chalky minerality comes out to shine. Epic Bouzy Grand Cru!
Price: $49.99 Add To Cart

Calumet Farm 16 Year Old "Single Rack Black" Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml)
Review Date: 08-16-2022
Dang, that's good! Coming off the heels of the 14 and 15 years, there's now a 16 year old Calumet Farm added to the lineup and it stands up alongside the others as the new torch bearer. I really enjoy the interplay between the big fruit in the profile and the ebbing-and-flowing spices. Up front on the nose I get luscious cherry syrup that's matched by wood varnish and cardamom. Next there's a wave of dried peaches, balsa wood, slight menthol, then a deep caramel followed by medicinal herbs. The palate offers darker flavors: first like salted caramel and mocha, but then the richness is matched by bold spice, bright cherry, and red apple. This Bourbon has a very round and supple mouthfeel, and then it finishes in a drying and spicy finish with the menthol peeking back through. I was impressed with the 14 and 15 year old Calumets because it seemed like every time I came back for a nose and a sip there was some other flavor component to find - this new 16 year old edition offers that same level of complexity with something more for me to enjoy each time I go back to it.
Price: $129.99 Add To Cart

Baron-Fuenté "Grande Réserve" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 03-16-2022
This is one of the lesser-known classics, though I've really loved this Champagne house for a while now. The Grande Reserve consists of 60% Pinot Meunier, 30% Chardonnay, and 10% Pinot Noir, and Baron Fuente uses 40% reserve wines for this bottling ensuring a lot of complexity develops. It also spends three years on the lees to develop a level of yeasty, toasty flavors that's just right for me. The nose opens with light cream and musty yellow pears with additional orchard fruit notes of peach and apricot. There's nice lemon acidity and a whisper of smoke and flint. The palate is pleasantly tart with both apple and pear, and this Champagne has fantastic texture. This Champagne's profile hits most of those classic Champagne aromas and flavors making it very approachable and perfect for crowd-pleasing at any event you might be hosting.
Price: $25.99 Add To Cart

Condesa 'Prickly Pear & Orange Blossom' Mexico City Gin (750ml)
Review Date: 03-08-2022
Gin from Mexico City? You better believe it and believe that it's great stuff too! Condesa Gins are made in the heart of Mexico with Mexican sourced botanicals, helmed by Maestra Destiladora, Hillhamn Salome. Right away, it's apparent that this is a very different experience that the Condesa Clasica, but it's still got that juniper structure and is still so aromatically expressive. The prickly pear makes it playful. The addition of orange blossom really shoots the floral and citrus components of the gin to the stratosphere. If you're a fan of more flower-oriented gins like Hendrick's then you owe it to yourself to check this out. Forced to describe this gin with one word, I'd have to go with "bright". This gin shines through and keeps going with vivacity and freshness. It makes a great Gin & Tonic, but honestly I just want this over ice with two dashes of bitters and a thin wedge of lemon, lime, and mandarin orange all squeezed and dropped in the glass.
Price: $34.99 Add To Cart

Condesa "Clasica" Extra Dry Mexico City Gin (750ml)
Review Date: 03-08-2022
Gin from Mexico City? You better believe it and believe that it's great stuff too! Condesa Gins are made in the heart of Mexico with Mexican sourced botanicals, helmed by Maestra Destiladora, Hillhamn Salome. As all great gin should, the Condesa Clasica hits first with a firm juniper note that forms the core of the spirit, but there's a lot at play here. Spicy and floral notes intertwine beautifully, raising the juniper higher. The sage and palo santo provide a nice herbal and earthy base, but then the jasmine and citrus keep bursting through to lighten everything up with a breath of summer that gets headier with each whiff. I prefer the Clasica in a Martini, but the cocktail potential here is vast with all the unique botanicals and complex flavors.
Price: $34.99 Add To Cart

Laurent Perrier "Grand Siècle" Iteration #23 Champagne Magnum (1.5L)
Review Date: 03-03-2022
Laurent Perrier's Grand Siecle series continues to be one of the absolute pinnacles of the Champagne world. Using only Grand Cru fruit and marrying 58% Chardonnay with 42% Pinot Noir, the Iteration 23 blends reserve wines from the 2006, 2004, and 2002 vintages. This iteration of Grand Siecle has the most orchard fruit aromatics of any from the series that I've tried. Big wafts of white peach, rustic pears, and soft yellow apples overflow from the glass. For me, along with the orchard fruit, the nose transitions through being more mineral driven, then a bit toasty and nutty, before arriving at a very spicy point full of clove and allspice. The palate has fruit skins, more light orchard fruit, and great acid with a silky mouthfeel and rounded texture.

Egrot Extra Brut Champagne
Review Date: 02-23-2022
I'm such a fan of this wine. My favorite aspect is the way that the citrus meets the vanilla notes head-on in a fantastic synthesis of flavors. There's biting lemon and pithiness, but these flavors go hand-in-hand with just-cut vanilla bean and deeper toffee notes. The palate is a little fresher with zippy acid, yummy pear notes, bright lemon, and a little cream. Vanilla peeks around the edges of the finish in a playful way so you don't forget it. It always stays fresh and crisp, so it's perfect for all manner of seafood dishes, particularly oysters and sushi.
Price: $39.99 Add To Cart

Laurent-Perrier "Grand Siècle" Iteration #24 Brut Champagne
Review Date: 02-17-2022
Iteration #24 of the Grand Siecle blends Laurent-Perrier stocks from their 2007, 2006, and 2004 vintages. The nose is so beautiful and delicate with soft floral notes like a breeze through a field of wildflowers, refreshing lemon-lime zest, and minerality of chalk and sea salt. Given how dainty the nose seemed, the palate’s bold and cutting acidity took my breath away. In addition to the acid, the citrus gets creamy like lemon meringue pie, with stone fruit and interesting toasty and smoky nuances.

Compass Box "Orchard House" Blended Scotch Malt Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 10-06-2021
Such a beautiful and inviting Scotch! As soon as you pour a dram of this, you can tell that you're in the company of a friend. True to it's name, Compass Box's new blended malt, Orchard House, is redolent of multiple orchard fruit aromas. Apple, pear, peach, and cherry step to the front of the line. When nosing this, from time to time it almost smells like Calvados, though never fully giving up its base cereal notes. Whipped buttercream floats through, cut by just enough spice (one of the contributions of Clynelish in the blend, I'm guessing). The palate keeps playing with the fruit and ups the ante with a bright citrus pop, though they are certainly grounded by earthy and leathery flavors providing excellent balance. I hear that Orchard House will be replacing Oak Cross in Compass Box's core lineup, so while I was sad to see Oak Cross go, I'm pleased that it's being replaced by this absolute stunner of a blended malt.
Price: $49.99 Add To Cart

Billecart-Salmon "Sous Bois" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 09-29-2021
It's Billecart, so you don't need me to tell you this wine is great - some assumptions are not foolhardy in the slightest. I was initially struck by the pretty florality of the nose that flows into aromas of light vanilla cream, soft breadiness, and citrus notes. The palate has amazing texture with weight lifted by elegant bubbles. Flavors of plum and apple mix with the citrus elements and baking spices. The oak aging really transforms this Champagne, adding complexity without applying a heavy hand.

Franck Bonville Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Review Date: 09-29-2021
This delectable all-Chardonnay Champagne has a wonderful little secret: at least 50% of what's in the bottle is reserve wines. So even though it's non vintage, Bonville is utilizing a lot of its premium older wine for this Grand Cru. This Champagne comes at you with bracing minerality and acidity. There are notes of green apple, lemon tart, and enough chalk to get stuck in your teeth. That pucker factor along with a velvety soft mouthfeel makes this one of my favorite go-to Champagnes.
Price: $53.99 Add To Cart

Frey Ranch Bottled In Bond Nevada Estate Straight Rye Whiskey (750ml)
Review Date: 09-15-2021
I like ryes that make spice the star (sorry, no softies for me please), and Frey Ranch's offering fits that bill. Great spice hits right off the bat featuring dill, fennel, cinnamon, dark vanilla, and clove. There's a little bit of funk that reminds me of Jamaican rums which is a curious - but welcomed - feature. Butterscotch and salted almonds round out the picture on the nose. This rye has exciting and fun spice without alcohol burn and tingles the tip of the tongue. On the palate, the spices have a brighter and fresher quality and get herbal, making this dram all the more exciting. The dill comes more to the foreground with other green flavors like eucalyptus. Cinnamon bark, polished leather, and bright lemon flavors emerge as well.
Price: $54.99 Add To Cart

Auchentoshan American Oak Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 07-22-2021
Yes, it's woody, but also graceful. There's a clear American oak presence accompanied by notes of cedar and sandalwood. Honey and light caramel trickle out with scents of cherry cough drops, baking spices, coconut, and dried flowers. The palate is more austere than the nose lets on with few sweet flavors. The wood and the spice take prominence with grippy tannins and flavors of shellac followed by notes of cardamom, clove, and mint. The Scotch has a viscous and mouth-coating texture, especially with an addition of water. A dry dusty wood finish caps things off into a gentle and lengthy finish.
Price: $39.99 Add To Cart

Germain-Robin XO California Alambic Brandy (750ml)
Review Date: 06-02-2021
This isn't quite the same as the Germain-Robin XO you might remember from 10 or 15 years ago, but it's some dang good brandy. Fig and damson plum come out of the glass--sticky but not cloying. The oak asserts itself, but then richer fruits come back to the foreground accented by cigar box, citrus zest, and burnt sugar. The palate reminds me of cherry-stuffed crepes I used to get at my favorite Colorado breakfast spot with an orange flambé flare. Assertive oak shows the brandy's boldness and age without undermining its grace.​
Price: $99.99 Add To Cart

2008 Taittinger "Comtes de Champagne" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Review Date: 10-15-2020
This special all-Chardonnay offering from Taittinger has a nose that swells with lemon, cream, stone fruit, and suede with a beautiful bead of minerality. The palate's character wonderfully manages to be zesty and creamy at the same time. Fruit flavors of cherry and apricot with a little butter make this very approachable and fun. Meanwhile, very fine bubbles create a rather elegant texture for soft sipping.

Angel's Envy 100 Proof Rye Kentucky Whiskey (750ml)
Review Date: 09-10-2020
Less cloying than the Angel's Envy Bourbon finished in Port barrels, this Angel's Envy Rye is definitely still a big sweetie! Butterscotch is the first characteristic that I notice coming from the Rum barrel finish and it does NOT let up throughout the dram. There are layers of gentle spice of cardamom, cinnamon bark, and red pepper. I pick up on a red fruit medley that eventually comes to rest as red licorice mixing with spice and pecan pralines. The core Rye elements poke through intermittently, but everything keeps coming back home to butterscotch. If you have a sweet tooth or are looking for a new after-dinner whiskey then check this out.
Price: $69.99 Add To Cart

2012 Bollinger "La Grande Année" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 02-17-2020
Beginning with bright apple scents, this wonderful vintage Champagne develops into lemon pith and light toast aromas. The palate is a lovely little mix of soft citrus, pineapple, fruit cocktail, honey, and a touch of salinity. This vintage of Grande Annee is packed with flavor. The combo of the citrus acidity and slight saltiness makes this quite a mouthwatering wine, and the finish is delectably long.

Littlemill "Old Malt Cask" 29 Year Old K&L Exclusive Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 11-18-2019
Littlemill was Scotland's oldest licensed distillery, so expertise and quality can be guaranteed in their output. Sadly decommissioned in the 1990s and then lost to fire in 2004, bottles from this distillery are now treasures and time-capsules of a forgotten era in Lowland whisky-making. Leather and honey melts into toffee brittle. There's a light orchard fruit component to the nose that gets bolstered by beautiful sharp spice of cayenne, white pepper, and mace. Spice, wood, and vanilla hover in the air above the glass. The palate is zippy and tongue-tingling with bold spice and bright citrus freshness. The body is light, but there's still a rounded soft texture that's fun to roll around the mouth. The flavors stay bright and get more tropical into a medium-long finish.
Price: $399.99 Add To Waiting List

2007 Alexandre Le Brun "Cuvée Fascination" Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Champagne
Review Date: 10-18-2019
This Champagne is all Chardonnay and comes from a single plot in the Monts Aigu parcel of the Grand Cru of Chouilly. The nose floods with rich brioche, cream, crushed autumn leaves, and Bartlett pears. The palate offers the same richness but matched with a grapefruit acidity. This is a great food Champagne.
Price: $69.99 Add To Cart

New Riff "Single Barrel" Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml)
Review Date: 08-20-2019
Cinnamon, clove, and burnt sugar waft up from the glass on this deceptively easy to drink cask strength Bourbon. I'm pretty used to drinking high-proof whisk(e)y, but this is dang friendly and I'm not sure I would peg it as cask strength if it was handed to me blind. Spearmint and eucalyptus create a lovely relaxing balm with other herbal and medicinal notes. The palate is fairly earthy and herbal with tea notes that then go in a creme brulee direction. Adding water offers exciting changes to the whiskey with more florality emerging and snappy spices. Pepper, dark caramel, and toasted oak spice linger in the very long finish.
Price: $44.99 Add To Cart

New Riff Bottled-In-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml)
Review Date: 08-20-2019
Balsa wood, incense, and musky cologne emerge from the glass. Cinnamon, clove, and other earthy spices come to the fore and dominate the nose of this bottled-in-bond Bourbon that's woody and peppery enough to make one wonder if it's a Rye. There's just enough caramel to keep things in Bourbon territory though with freshly sliced vanilla bean and nutmeg creeping in and making the nose a bit more rich and voluptuous. It's woodier on the palate with more bold spice character as well. This is definitely a great whiskey for lovers of high-rye Bourbons.
Price: $39.99 Add To Cart

Animas Joven Mezcal (750ml)
Review Date: 07-30-2019
I've said it many times myself: It's annoyingly difficult to get good, smoky mezcal at a moderate price point. Animas fills that agave-shaped hole in my life. The smoke comes on with moderate strength, giving wafts of charred wood and burnt earth, but it doesn't overpower the agave. Lightly tropical notes unfold the more I sniff with orange, lime, and mango. The palate has a great savory note with a mouth-watering saltiness and earthy minerality.
Price: $34.99 Add To Cart

The 86 Co. Ford's Gin (750ml)
Review Date: 07-21-2019
A classic gin profile. This London Dry style gin comes straight out of England and starts with UK-grown grain. Bright juniper notes come right at you with pine freshness and a supporting citrus peel character. There's a subtle floral bouquet as well, but it never gets in the way or becomes perfumy. The palate presents the spices and herbaceousness displaying coriander, angelica, and then the citrus elements become more distinctly grapefruit-oriented. This will work in every gin cocktail you can find, and at this price you might as well try them all.
Price: $24.99 Add To Cart

Suntory "Hibiki Japanese Harmony" Blended Japanese Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 07-21-2019
This whisky contains single malt from both Yamazaki and Hakushu, so there are chops to this blend. Toasted grain, vanilla syrup, new wood, and light tropical fruit notes on the nose with just a touch of spice to keep things playful. The palate has more caramel and honey characteristics balanced by more tingly spice. There's a great salinity here as well with a gentle medicinality and robust malt character.
Price: $74.99 Add To Cart

Four Roses "Small Batch Select" Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml)
Review Date: 06-18-2019
Woody and spicy and fruity! Oh my! This newest project from Four Roses is a special blend of six of their mashbill/yeast recipes. It is more robust and richer than the previous standards from Four Roses, lending a heavy-handed approach to a classic. Cinnamon and clove burst out of the glass with heavy oak toast scents and orchard fruits. On the palate, everything is just... more. Hotter spice is also joined by mint, while those orchard fruit notes are intensified and taste like they've been baked into a pie. The wood flavors get heavier too with well charred oak and cedar notes just barely calmed down by vanilla sweetness.
Price: $49.99 Add To Cart

Red Spot 15 Year Old Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey (750ml)
Review Date: 02-26-2019
This newest offering from the makers of Yellow Spot and Green Spot is a delicious Dublin single pot still whiskey matured in a combination of Bourbon, Sherry, and Marsala casks. The nose is rich, buttery, and a little sweet. Layers of caramel peel back to open on dried red fruits and apple. There's a nice allspice note that bends and binds with a gentle medicinality and leather scent. On the palate, the first thing I notice is the voluptuous mouthfeel - this whiskey has a wonderful texture. The red fruit flavors play off of nuttiness quite well, and the whole while there's a nice tongue-tingling quality. The medium-long finish keeps the fruit and spice notes going and going.
Price: $249.99 Add To Cart

Auchentoshan "Three Wood" Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 06-18-2018
I recently revisited this delicious Lowland Scotch that had once been a regular favorite of mine, and was quite pleasantly surprised that I had forgotten how great it is. The aging of this whisky in Bourbon barrels along with Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks gives the spirit deep richness. On the nose I get luscious ripples of dark chocolate, salted nuts, leather, and dried dark berries. The whisky provides flavors of salted caramel with cacao nibs, black cherry, light tobacco, leather, and woody sweet finish. Treat yourself to this Scotch after dinner like dessert in a glass.
Price: $59.99 Add To Cart