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750ml
Bottle:
$20.04
$21.10
12 bottles:
$18.91
1786 VS is a rich Cognac which is the result of high-quality terroirs and experience. Made from Ugni Blanc grapes and...
750ml
Bottle:
$31.54
$33.20
12 bottles:
$30.40
A blend of fine cognacs from 15-30 years old, this XO Cognac is characterized by a pleasant light-gold color,...
750ml
Bottle:
$159.60
$168.00
Hans Reisetbauer is widely recognized as one of the world‘s great farmer-distillers, relentless in his pursuit of...
700ml
Bottle:
$74.10
$78.00
The latest creation from master distiller Hans Reisetbauer. A cuvée of 50% Jamaican and 50% Reisetbauer‘s own...
750ml
Bottle:
$74.55
$78.47
6 bottles:
$62.39
A very delicate blend of eaux-de-vie from Grande and Petite Champagne, aged between 8 and 15 years in cask, and...
750ml
Bottle:
$65.03
6 bottles:
$57.59
TOP 100 SPIRITS OF 2019 - This Cognac offers rich aromas and flavors, yet still remains light and easygoing....
750ml
Bottle:
$235.52
$247.92
Carefully matured, balancing the influence of oak with that of time, to produce a complex Cognac. Rich, sweet and...
700ml
Bottle:
$47.42
$49.92
A complex VSOP, with herbal and spicy notes mingling with fruit and well-selected oak. The texture is thick and rich,...
750ml
Bottle:
$100.32
6 bottles:
$99.60
Complex and in need of some time to breathe. However, patience is rewarded with richness, fruit and the layers of...
375ml
Bottle:
$10.26
$10.80
24 bottles:
$7.84
A gold rum with a smooth, bold taste carefully blended with savory spices. Winner of the 2019 & 2020 SIP Awards...
750ml
Bottle:
$16.82
$17.71
12 bottles:
$11.40
A gold rum with a smooth, bold taste carefully blended with savory spices. Winner of the 2019 & 2020 SIP Awards...
750ml
Bottle:
$28.50
$30.00
12 bottles:
$26.22
Ak Zanj, from Haitian Creole, translates to "With Angels" and is a nod to the evaporated spirit stolen by thirsty...
750ml
Bottle:
$52.44
$55.20
12 bottles:
$49.02
Ak Zanj, from Haitian Creole, translates to "With Angels" and is a nod to the evaporated spirit stolen by thirsty...
750ml
Bottle:
$78.66
$82.80
12 bottles:
$74.10
Ak Zanj, from Haitian Creole, translates to "With Angels" and is a nod to the evaporated spirit stolen by thirsty...
750ml
Bottle:
$33.06
$34.80
12 bottles:
$30.78
Ak Zanj, from Haitian Creole, translates to "With Angels" and is a nod to the evaporated spirit stolen by thirsty...
750ml
Bottle:
$30.02
$31.60
6 bottles:
$25.20
Bright tropical notes shine through the rich, earthy flavor of the Caribbean cane, giving way to a long, creamy,...
750ml
Bottle:
$29.40
$33.60
The aged expression of the Original Albany Rum, picking up its distinctive color as well as rich spice and vanilla...
750ml
Bottle:
$11.25
$12.50
12 bottles:
$7.60
Peach please. Sip and savor the juicy peach bubbs. André Peach Bellini is a cocktail that you can't help but take...
Cognac Fruit Wine Mavrodaphne Rum
For over three hundred years, Cognac has enjoyed its reputation as the king of brandies. Indeed, it is widely regarded as the finest drink to be distilled from grapes to be found anywhere in the world, and it is a testament to its producers and the master craftsmen who make it that this reputation has never faltered, and remains as strong as ever to this day.
Cognac is produced solely in the beautiful towns of Cognac and Jarnac, found about fifty miles north of Bordeaux, on the west coast of France. Here, around six thousand grape growers work exclusively in the production of white wine, used for the Cognac distilleries which are scattered throughout the region. The wines are made primarily from the Ugni Blanc or Trebbiano grape - one of the most commonly planted grape varietals in the world - which benefit from the cool, coastal climate and mineral rich soils which are found there. The wines themselves wouldn’t be suitable for drinking in themselves, as they are high in acid and low in alcohol, but this makes them ideal for distillation, and they can impart their wonderful, complex, rich flavors to the brandy.
Cognac varies quite significantly from bottle to bottle, depending on how long it has been aged for, and which appellation it comes from. The Cognac region is split into six separate Crus, all with their own distinctive characteristics, and the spirit can be aged from two years (VS) to six (Hors d’Age and Napoleon) and longer.
In the Archaea region, high in the Northern Peloponnese mountains, the predominant grape varietal grown is the prized Mavrodaphne. Meaning 'Black Laurel', the Mavrodaphne grapes have extremely dark skins, and ripen slowly under the Greek sunshine, helped by the mineral rich soils the vines thrive in. This grape varietal is mostly used to produce the opaque, inky fortified wine of the same name, which is popular all over Greece and elsewhere in the world. This fortified wine allows the grapes to really show off their complex and fascinating flavors, which range from a rich marzipan to flavors of bitter chocolate, sweet coffee, dried figs and prunes, as well as plenty of jammy fruit notes.
Mavrodaphne is produced in a traditional method which involves leaving the grape juice exposed to the sun in large vats, before having its fermentation halted by the addition of various distillates taken from previous successful vintages. This mixture contains plenty of residual sugar, which gives the end result its characteristic sticky sweetness, and also helps with the next fermentation process, which typically takes place in large underground cellars. The final product is a heady drink, absolutely bursting with unusual, rich and sweet flavors and carried in a dark and slightly viscous Port-like liquid.
Mavrodaphne grapes are also used for the production of still red wines, but are generally blended with varietals such as Agiorgitiko or imported grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon. Mavrodaphne grapes are excellent for mellowing more acidic varieties, and producing deliciously rounded wines, which have taken the international market by storm in recent decades.
Additional Information on Greek Wines
Greek Wines
Ancient Greek Wines – A Brief History of Wine in Greece
The Myth of Dionysus, Greek God of Wine
What is Retsina?
It is difficult to categorize rum as a single spirit, because of all the spirits found around the globe, rum is perhaps the one which varies most dramatically from place to place. Clear, white rum - a favorite for cocktail drinkers - is perhaps the most prevalent example found today, but there is a whole world of darker, spiced and molasses-rich rums to explore, thanks to the fascinating history and wide reach this drink has.
Rum came about during the colonial times, when sugar was a huge and world-changing business. The molasses left over from the sugar production industry could easily be distilled into a delicious alcoholic drink, and provided extra income for the sugar traders. Before long, it became a favorite of sailors and transatlantic merchants, and it quickly spread across the Caribbean and Latin America, where it remains highly popular today.
The production of rum is a basic and simple one - you take your molasses, add yeast and water, and then ferment and distil the mixture. However, as is often the case, the devil is in the detail. The variation in yeasts found from place to place, the maturation period, the length of the fermentation and the type of stills and barrels used provide the rainbow-colored variation that gives rum its spectrum of styles and characteristics.