Cinco de Mayo Margaritas

This Saturday is Cinco de Mayo! Celebrated on May 5, it is celebrated nationwide in the United States and regionally in Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla, where the holiday is called El Dia de la Batalla de Puebla (English: The Day of the Battle of Puebla). The date is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride, and to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy during the first years of the American Civil War. Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day—the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico—which is actually celebrated on September 16.

This weekend we'll be celebrating at our tasting tables with samples of tequilas and mixers for you! What a great week to pick up a bottle of nice tequila and mix up some margaritas with friends? (Hint: Keep an eye in your Bottle Club newsletters this week for a special coupon!)

The Margarita, created in Tijuana in the late 1940s, is probably the best known tequila cocktail of them all. Its saltiness and sourness make it a great aperitif, and it is pleasingly strong, too. Some recipes use lemon juice instead of lime, but lime juice sharpens its bite.

Here's how you make a traditional Margarita:

-1 1/2 measures tequila
-1/2 measure Cointreau
-juice of a lime

Rub the rim of a cocktail glass with a wedge of fresh lime, then dip it in fine salt. Shake the tequila, Cointreau and lime juice with plenty of ice, and strain into the prepared glass. Garnish with a lime slice, or for an unexpected surprise, a twist of cucumber.

This Weekend's Tastings

Join us this weekend for our free wine tastings!  Here's what our staff has chosen for you to sample!

THIS WEEKEND IN LAWRENCEVILLE
Friday, April 27th - 4pm-6pm

Saturday, April 28th - 2pm-4pm

Sileni Sauvignon Blanc
A classic warm region style, this wine has concentrated flavours of white peach, citrus and passionfruit. The palate is mouth filling and ripe with a long finish.
Regular Price: $12.99 / Bottle Club Price: $9.96

DuMol Clare Chardonnay
Intense and layered palate with mouth-filling peach and quince flavors that are powerful yet tightly coiled.
Regular Price: $74.99 / Bottle Club Price: $64.98

Allegrini Valpolicella
A tangy, light-bodied Valpolicella, with a spicy baseline to the cherry, green plum and sandalwood notes. 
Regular Price: $12.99 / Bottle Club Price: $9.98

Pierre Amadieu Gigondas
Plum marmalade, vanilla and blackcurrant highlight the finesse of the soft tannins.
Regular Price: $24.99 / Bottle Club Price: $18.96

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THIS WEEKEND IN WOODBRIDGE
Friday, April 27th - 4pm-6pm

Saturday, April 28th - 1pm-3pm

Calle Mayor Blanco
Light straw color, citrus and white pear notes. Very crisp and fresh with grassy, pear notes. This is a great wine to pair with roasted or baked fish and of course green salads.
Regular Price: $9.99 / Bottle Club Price: $7.66

Alma Negra Bonarda/Malbec
Dark fruit on the nose leads to flavors of dried cherries and dark fruit with a hint of chocolate in this dense and structured wine. Lots of berryfruit and cherry in the mouth along with a touch of smoke.
Regular Price: $17.99 / Bottle Club Price: $14.96

Allegrini Valpolicella
A tangy, light-bodied Valpolicella, with a spicy baseline to the cherry, green plum and sandalwood notes. 
Regular Price: $12.99 / Bottle Club Price: $9.98

Flowers Pinot Noir Andreen-Gale
Core aromas are dominated by dark fruit; black cherry and plums. Hints of rose petal and violets uplift and compliment leather and oak components. Inviting flavors, redolent of dark fruit, crushed stone and delicate orange peel provide a finish that is long and luscious.
Regular Price: $59.99

Pretty in Pink

Spring has sprung and summer isn't far behind. We're still enjoying our reds but have started feeling the itch for some nice, cool refreshing wines. If it's too hot for a Zin and you're not feeling in the mood for a white, why not go pink?

Rose wines are are made from red grapes and begin their transformation into wine like any other red wine would, with the skin intact and on the pulp of the grapes. They ferment with the skins for only a few days, just long enough to get a little color and retain some of the skin characteristics. The skins are then removed and fermentation is completed as if it were a white wine, most often in stainless steel. What you're left with is a delicate pink wine that can range from very dry, to very sweet, depending on the winemaker, region or amount of time the grapes were allowed to remain in contact with the skin.

Roses are very food-friendly wines, especially in the summertime, with some foods you may already be throwing on the grill. Pork or turkey burgers, salads, chicken, cheese and fish pair well.

Here are some roses to pick up to share with your friends and family!

Enanzo Rose Garnacha NV (Navarra, Spain)
"This Spanish rose has a light, pink color with a pungent nose of roses and strawberry. It is quite light with some crispness and displays flavors of bright red fruit. Throw some chicken on the grill with a side of potato salad and enjoy!" -Debbie Miller Nelson, Wine Manager, Woodbridge

Turkey Flat Rosé (South Australia)
Light, crisp, off-dry and, quite simply, delicious! Made from the unusual combination of Grenache, Shiraz, Cabernet and Dolcetto the light red berry profile is superb as an everyday quaff. Served slightly chilled with jerk pork, cayenne-dusted catfish, rhubarb crisps or as an aperitif.
Mulderbosch Rose (Stellenbosch, South Africa)
"A wonderful salmon color swirls round the glass and intriguing aromas of cherry, strawberry and anise waft from the glass. Yet, it has flavors of a full-bodied Cabernet showing blackberry, mocha and licorice with a long, mesmerizing finish. This would excel with crab cakes." -Debbie Miller Nelson, Wine Manager, Woodbridge

Drink Wine and Support the Military

I'm already really passionate about wine, but I'm also really passionate about our military. For those of you who may not know, I am the proud of wife of a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Marine Corp. He is recently retired after 21 years, but our military life has been less than quiet. Right after we married, 9/11 followed and my husband was called to duty three times totaling about 3 years in all. One of those calls was a trip to Iraq and while he came home safe, not all families can say that their family member returned home or returned home in the health they left with. So, I'm really proud to support two new wines that we just brought in to our Woodbridge store.

Let me introduce U.S. Warrior Defender Red and White from California. Here is why it is extra special.

"U.S. Warrior Wines was built on a promise. While serving in Bagram, Afghanistan, Explorer Wines President, Jeff Cantor, visited with several wounded warriors at Craig Hospital. It was during these interactions that he decided he would take action on providing support and resources to our Military Warriors and their families. U.S. Warrior Wines was born. This brand offers a way to enjoy great wines while also giving back to those who protect and serve.

A portion of the sales of U.S. Warrior Wines will go to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Since 1980, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation has pledged support and assistance to the families of some 67,000 Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine special operations personnel

The Special Operations Warrior Foundation is a top-rated 501 c (3) nonprofit organization that offers three primary programs:

1. Full college educations to the sons and daughters of fallen special operations personnel,
2. Educational and family counseling to ensure the success of special operations families, and
3. Immediate financial assistance to the families of severely wounded special operations personnel so their family can be bedside during their loved one’s recovery"

We tasted both the red and white amongst our staff. They are light, easy and should be great crowd pleasers. The red is 100% Petite Sirah and is fruity enough to be enjoyed all summer long. It’s the perfect hamburger wine. The white is a blend of Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc and will be ideal with fish or salads. So, for only $9.99/bottle in our Bottle Club, you can buy a bottle, raise a glass and support the families of our American heroes.

Joe Canal's Presents John B. Stetson Bourbon!

Introducing an uncompromising American spirit.

From a legendary icon of American individuality and character comes the spirit that is uniquely American.

A guarded recipe yields this fine sipping bourbon, distilled from native American corn, locally sourced barley, rye, and wheat. This bourbon has a sweet oaky aroma layered with woody flavors, and finishes with hints of vanilla and caramel.

Simply, it is indisputable proof of John B. Stetson’s enduring pledge to “make things right, and the best they can be.” This bourbon is smooth enough to enjoy neat or on the rocks, yet flavorful enough to add to your favorite bourbon cocktails & mixed drinks.

Enjoy John B. Stetson Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey with your lust for independence, a sense of integrity and the strength of your convictions.

Try John B. Stetson Bourbon today for only $26.99 in our Bottle Club!

Spirits 101: Tequila

It may be a cold, dreary rainy day in New Jersey, but warmer temps are right around the corner! We're only one weekend away from Cinco de Mayo, and what better way to get into the mood than with a quick refresher course on Tequila?

Tequila is made only in Mexico. The country even has an international right to the name and threatens legal actions on other countries that try to manufacture the liquor. It comes from the blue agave cactus, which can only be grown in certain parts of Mexico that have a favorable red-volcanic soil.

Tequila's roots began in the 16th century, when the Spanish conquistadors arrived, and eventually ran out of Brandy. Instead, they distilled liquor from the agave plant. Tequila began being mass-produced in 1600 and was first distributed into the United States in the mid to late 1800s.

Tequila is usually bottled in one of five categories:
-Blanco ("white") or plata ("silver"): white spirit, un-aged and bottled or stored immediately after distillation, or aged less than two months in stainless steel or neutral oak barrels
-Joven ("young") or oro ("gold"): a mixture of blanco tequila and reposado tequila (Ex. José Cuervo Oro)
-Reposado ("rested"): aged a minimum of two months, but less than a year in oak barrels of any size
-Añejo ("aged" or "vintage"): aged a minimum of one year, but less than three years in small oak barrels
-Extra Añejo ("extra aged" or "ultra aged"): aged a minimum of three years in oak barrels.

Tequila is aged in barrels made from oak that is usually imported fro the US, France or Canada. Sometimes the distillery will char the wood to impart a smoky flavor to the spirit. Another technique for flavor is to age the tequila in barrels that were previously used other alcohol, such as whiskey, or even wine.

There's a common association with tequila and the presence of a worm. The presence of a worm in a type of tequila called mezcal, was actually started as a marketing gimmick in the 1940s. In truth, the presence of a worm in the agave plant indicates an infestation, and if there's a worm in the tequila it's a very poor quality spirit.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the most expensive bottle of spirits ever sold was a one-liter bottle of limited-edition premium tequila which sold for $225,000 in July 2006 in Tequila, Jalisco, by the company Tequila Ley .925. The bottle which contains the tequila is a two-kilo display of platinum and gold.

Skinnygirl Vodka Tastings THIS WEEKEND!

Joe Canal's LAWRENCEVILLE
Friday, April 20 - 4:00pm-6:00pm

Joe Canal's WOODBRIDGE
Saturday, April 21 - 1:00pm-3:00pm

Join us this weekend as we sample the new line of Skinnygirl Vodkas! Reality TV star Bethenny Frankel has done it again! The creator of the popular Skinnygirl line of cocktails, featuring Margaritas and Sangria, has released a new line of light vodkas!

"You all know that my goal with the Skinnygirl Cocktails brand is to offer a low-calorie, delicious and refreshing line of spirits. It all started with one simple idea and expanded from there,” says Bethenny, adding, “I could not be more thrilled to continue to offer you the same Skinnygirl taste and quality in all of these new varieties. The Skinnygirl Vodka line is everything I love in a vodka: smooth taste and vibrant flavor, but light on calories."

Come and enjoy a samples of the Skinnygirl Vodka Flavors: Cucumber, Coconut and Tangerine! We hope you can join us this weekend and sample the new offerings from Skinnygirl!

Wine Tasting - All in Your Head?

Our most sensitive of the five senses is our sense of smell. Our noses are so sensitive that they can detect one odor molecule out of a million, whereas with taste, the ratio is closer to one in 10,000. In fact, when we experience a taste, 75% of the "taste" is actually in our nose, rather than our taste buds. Our noses can distinguish over 10,000 different smells... but not automatically.

When we're very young, our nose has the ability to recognize scents, but not distinguish them from one another. We can only tell whether the scent is a new one, or one that we've experienced before. The ability to distinguish them from one another is developed over time, as we are exposed to more and more scents, over and over again. So, this explains how an experienced wine critic would taste a wine and describe it like this: "Full-bodied, fleshy and sinewy with dark mulberry and notes of eucalyptus," while someone new to the world of wine would swirl and sip and describe it like this: "It's... fruity? I guess?"

All this stuff about scents should not downplay the importance of those 9,000 little receptors on our tongues, though! They play an important part of how we experience a wine, in fact, our entire mouth does. The mouth is what senses the acidity of the wine, or how tannic the wine is. And, like our sense of smell, the mouth-palate is developed over time as well.

Now, when we're talking about enjoyment of wine, this too varies greatly from one individual to the next. What causes one person to prefer one thing over another? In addition to maturity of nose and mouth, there are so many variables that would lead someone to enjoy a particular wine.

Cultural upbringing is one. It's been studied and noted that Americans, having a culture of milk and sweetened beverages, prefer sweeter wines, while other cultures prefer bitter, citric or spicier wines, depending on their ethnic fare.

Another variable could be temperature. The same bottle of wine could taste entirely different if consumed in a 72 degree room as opposed to a 68 degree one. Same with humidity; if you drink a wine in a high-humidity environment and don't particularly care for it, try it again after you've run a dehumidifier for a couple hours and see if there's a difference.

And the one variable people may not think of is mood. If you're amongst company you don't particularly care for, you're not going to particularly enjoy the wine. Oh, it'll get you through the night, but begrudgingly. This about it in relation to your own wine drinking experiences. I remember wines I've enjoyed while having fun. I had one of my favorite wines for the first time over a sushi dinner "Girl's Night Out" with my best friend. I was having a great time and enjoying a great wine. But other wines that I know I've had, perhaps after a very hard day at work or a during a particularly uncomfortable dinner, I can't remember a thing about. Did I like it? Did I hate it? Was it acidic? I don't know... I was too busy adjusting my shirt or smiling and nodding to notice.

It all boils down to my main wine mantra: Drink what you like. BUT, and it's a big but, don't give up on a wine after trying it once. Try it again to celebrate a promotion. Try it on a warm summer evening, rather than a cold, snowy night. You might like it!

Enjoy!

Joe Canal's Presents Urban Uco Malbec/Tempranillo!

We're happy to announce the arrival of the 2011 vintage of the popular Urban Uco Malbec-Tempranillo blend! This budget-friendly every day wine from Argentina is a favorite of our staff.

"A friendly, approachable style that is a remarkable value for under $10. A juicy wine offering dark fruit flavors accented by strong spice and toasty oak notes. A ripe, lush wine with good mouthfeel and a smooth finish. If you like fruit-forward, modern-styled reds then this has it all: oak, spice and fruit." -Brandon Bartfalvi, Senior Wine Manager, Lawrenceville

It's also highly acclaimed by wine critics!

"The 2011 Urban Uco is a blend of 50% Tempranillo and 50% Malbec that spent 3 months in oak. Deep purple in color, with an inviting bouquet of smoke, blackberry, and blueberry, on the palate it is loaded with flavor, depth, and length. This stunning overachiever may be the finest value in my Argentina tastings. Buy it by the case.
Score: 91." -Jay Miller, Wine Advocate

Try this new vintage today for only $8.96 in our Bottle Club!

Joe Canal's Introduces Voli Vodkas!

After nearly two years of working with leading mixologists, vodka connoisseurs, and premier producers of distinguished spirits, Voli is proud to offer the first low calorie, delicious fruit and fusion flavored vodkas.

Light. Voli light vodkas are on average between 25% and 40% lower calorie than leading brands. In a world where things add up, it's nice to start subtracting.


Delicious. Voli light vodkas’ natural ingredients are expertly blended to achieve the perfect balance of natural fruit flavors and vodka distilled from superior French wheat and pure spring water. You balance the world on your shoulders; let us balance the cocktail in your glass.

Fusion. Voli light vodkas pioneer the introduction of fusion flavors. Voli’s fusion flavors are multiple fruit flavors masterfully blended together in perfect proportion to create tastes and aromas unlike any other. Simply pour Voli over ice and enjoy.

Joe Canal's carries Voli in original lyte, orange vanilla, raspberry cocoa and espresso vanilla. Enjoy Voli in your favorite cocktail or, even better, enjoy it straight up. Welcome to the fusion of light and delicious.

Try Voli for only $19.99 in our Bottle Club!

Early Spring at the Wineries

It's early spring in the United States, and this is when the fun begins for our wineries! The growing cycle of the vine begins right around now, and ends in late fall. This is "bud break" time, and we're not talking about beer. (Ha, ha.)


A bud breaks through at Benziger Winery, in Sonoma California
In the spring, the soil begins to warm, which causes water, organic acids, minerals and sugars to be pushed up through the vines. Buds that have remained dormant through the winter begin to sprout tiny shoots, which will in turn sprout leaves.

One of the biggest challenges for grape farmers comes during the early spring, when vines start to develop new buds. While the days are pleasant, nights can still get quite cold, and there's a possibility of frost to form, which can kill the newly-forming buds and ruin the chances for grape clusters to form and grow. One unlikely weapon against the nighttime frost of the spring is -- water.

Spraying the vines with water so ice forms on them actually helps to keep warm, as confusing as that may seem. When the water changes to ice, that physical conversion creates a tiny bit of heat, just enough to keep the vines from dropping below freezing temperatures. The sprinklers must remain on, because it's the change from water to ice that creates the warmth.

Other ways of keeping the vines toasty can include setting up heaters or wind circulators in the vineyard to keep cold air from settling on the vines.

Joe Canal's Presents Smoking Loon Sweet Red!

We're pleased to offer you this new Sweet Red from Smoking Loon!

The balanced sweet and savory nose, full of mixed berries and grilled pear, evokes summer picnics and barbeques. Flavors of raspberries, black currants, and cherries pair with notes of black pepper and smoky nuance from the rich French oak aging. Dark and juicy, with rounded tannins and bright sweetness, this wine has a long and flavorful finish, with just a hint of toasted marshmallow.

This easy-going red wine comes from a blend of 52% Petite Sirah, 32% Merlot, and 16% Syrah. Each varietal adds an extra layer of fruit flavor and spicy depth to the final wine. Pair this Red Loonatic with a summer fruit salad, grilled burger with swiss cheese, and nutella s'mores for a perfect dinner party or family gathering.

Try it today for only $8.49 in our BottleClub!

A Bourbon with a "Stormy" History

There's a very special bourbon on the shelves at Joe Canal's, that was recently released by the Buffalo Trace Distillery. It's called EH Taylor Tornado Bourbon, and it's got quite an interesting backstory. Here's the scoop from Buffalo Trace:

It was a Sunday evening, April 2, 2006, when a severe storm tore through Central Kentucky, damaging two Buffalo Trace Distillery aging warehouses. Fortunately, no one was injured and Warehouse “B” was empty at the time. However, Warehouse “C” sustained significant damage to its roof and north brick wall. Warehouse “C” is one of the most treasured warehouses on property, built by Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr. in 1881. This historic aging warehouse stores more than 24,000 prized bourbon barrels in its ricks. It is also a favorite warehouse for tourists; its century-old wooden beams and pungent aroma of bourbon make it an ideal stop for the 55,000-plus tourists that visit Buffalo Trace Distillery each year.

Throughout the strong storm that raged across the Distillery, the bourbon barrels stood strong, never budging from their resting spots. Patiently they waited while the roof and wall repairs took place that summer. The barrels sat exposed to the central Kentucky climate for months as the sun and wind took their toll.

Finally in late 2011, those same barrels were tasted and the bourbon was married into a single batch dubbed “Warehouse C Tornado Surviving Bourbon.” It was only fitting this bourbon would be released under the Colonel E. H. Taylor, Jr. moniker, as he was a bourbon industry survivor himself. Taylor owned and lost more than seven distilleries in his lifetime and built many of the buildings at Buffalo Trace Distillery, including the storm damaged Warehouses B and C.

All of the 93 Tornado Surviving Bourbon barrels were located on the top two floors of Warehouse C, and were at least 9 years, 8 months old when dumped; many of them were as old as 11 years, 11 months old. Like the previous two E. H. Taylor, Jr. releases, the Tornado Surviving Bourbon is “Bottled in Bond” at 100 proof.

During the summer of 2006 the sun and weather inevitably contributed to increased evaporation, wood interaction and rich flavors in this bourbon whiskey. The angel’s share amounted to an astonishingly high 63.9% loss.

Taylor is widely considered one of the founding fathers of the bourbon industry, fighting for the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, nearly three decades after he purchased the now Buffalo Trace Distillery. During his time, Taylor implemented several innovative methods still used today by Buffalo Trace, such as climate controlled aging warehouses. In addition to his bourbon interests, Taylor had political ties. He was the great-nephew of President Zachary Taylor and elected the mayor of Frankfort, state representative to the Kentucky General Assembly and a member of the State Senate.

You can try this stormy bourbon for only $66.99 at Joe Canal's Woodbridge and Lawrenceville!

Holiday Weekend Store Hours

We wish our customers a very Happy Passover and Easter! Our holiday weekend store hours are as follows:

WOODBRIDGE:
Friday, April 6th: 9:00am - 10:00pm
Saturday, April 7th: 9:00am - 10:00pm
Sunday, April 8th: 12:00noon - 4:00pm

LAWRENCEVILLE:
Friday, April 6th: 9:00am - 10:00pm
Saturday, April 7th: 9:00am - 10:00pm
Sunday, April 8th: 10:00am - 4:00pm

March-tini Madness Winners!

Congratulations to Ben C. and Ann Marie H., winners in our March-tini Madness drink recipe contest! Ben C. has won a Nintendo Wii Prize Pack, and Ann Marie has won a 32" LCD TV! Congratulations to our winners! Here are the winning recipes!

Pomegranate Pear Martini
by Ben C.

-3 parts Absolut Pear vodka
-2 parts apple juice
-1 part Pama pomegranate liquor

In a mixing tin with ice, thoroughly stir all ingredients, strain into a chilled martini glass, and garnish with a pear wedge. Enjoy!

* * *
Caramel Turtletini
by Ann Marie H.

-2 oz. Vanilla vodka
-2 oz. Godiva chocolate liqueur
-2 oz. Bailey's Caramel
-Splash frangelico
-Splash milk
-Caramel turtle candy
-Chocolate syrup
-Caramel syrup

Chill a martini glass in the freezer. Drizzle the chocolate and caramel syrups in the chilled glass. Shake liquids vigorously with ice, and strain into the glass. Garnish with the caramel candy.

Easter and Passover Wine Suggestions

Happy holidays, friends! We're open this weekend at Joe Canal's for all of your last minute Passover and Easter wine, beer and spirit needs. We're open regular hours on Saturday, 9am - 10pm in both locations. On Sunday in Woobridge, we'll be open from 12:00noon - 4:00pm, and in Lawrenceville from 10:00am - 4:00pm.

Here are some suggestions for wines for your holidays meals if you're looking for something special to bring!

Dante Pinot Noir: This inaugural Pinot Noir for the Dante line has a brilliant garnet color with aromas of sour cherry, dried orange peel, a hint of clove over a back drop of earthy leather. The palate is rich and supple on the entry with pomegranate, sandalwood spice and finishes with a balanced touch of cocoa and coffee. This wine pairs well with sundried tomato pesto pasta, Rabbit Ragu with soft polenta or roasted pork loin with balsamic glazed Brussel sprouts.
Reg: $9.99 / Bottle Club: $8.96

Montes Purple Angel: Montes pioneered the Chilean wine scene by creating super-premium wines, including the Montes Alpha range, and icons such as Montes Alpha M and Montes Folly. Montes also led the way to quality by planting on steep mountain slopes. But Montes, Chile's wine pioneer, also knows when to wait –Aurelio Montes preferred to take his time and develop the Carmenère variety until he was satisfied that it could be a top contender, the very best Montes could possibly produce. It was worth the wait...this new beauty (a blend of 92% Carmenère and 8% Petit Verdot, with 18 months in new French and American oak barrels) is touched by the wings of an angel... a PURPLE ANGEL.
Reg: $55.99 / Bottle Club: $48.99

The following two wines are Kosher!

Baron Herzog Chenin Blanc: This distinctive Chenin Blanc reflects the quality of the Clarksburg appellation in California’s Central Valley. Aromas of white peach and ripe apple are framed by a nice bright acidity. The kosher wine is off-dry, with around 1% of residual sugar.
Reg: $8.49 / Bottle Club: $7.49

Barkan Classic Cabernet Sauvignon: The grapes of this most "classic" of red varieties were grown in vineyards in the Galilee and Golan. Its aroma of wild berries and cherries blends with its tobacco, vanilla barrel bouquet. The wine has fine structured, yet rounded tannins, a long rich finish and aging potential.
Reg: $10.99 / Bottle Club: $9.79

Joe Canal's Presents Glen Grant Major's Reserve!

James Grant, known simply as ‘The Major’, was only 25 when he inherited the Glen Grant distillery in the Speyside region of the Scottish Highlands. A forward-thinking, contemporary man, the Major set his own high standards and was never afraid to explore new ideas. Indeed, his vision – to create truly extraordinary single malt with a bright, crisp taste and light golden colour – was realised thanks to the innovative purifiers and tall slender stills he designed. Today, the Major’s passion for quality and pursuit of pleasure lives on in everything we do, and helps to set Glen Grant apart: a genuine, refined and sublime Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

Inspired by James ‘The Major’ Grant, this easy drinking single malt is the most fresh and light of the Glen Grant range. Creamy and fruity on the palate it has a slightly dry, nutty finish. This is a very accessible, approachable malt ideal for beginners.

-Appearance: Light, golden colur
-Bouquet: Soft, slightly dry with a delicate apple/fruity note
-Palate: Creamy, fruity
-Finish: Slightly dry, nutty
-Whisky style: Rich, smooth, fruity Single Malt whisky with a hint of spice
-Cask type: Matures in Bourbon casks
-Distillery: Glen Grant Distillery, Rothes, Morayshire, Speyside

Try the Major's Reserve today for only $29.99 in our BottleClub!

The Balvenie Tradition

This Wednesday in Woodbridge, we're welcoming the Balvenie Roadshow for a Scotch Tasting and Seminar. (Details can be found at jcanals.com - click here!)

The Balvenie is unlike all other single malt Scotch whiskies, thanks to a unique combination of human craft and natural alchemy. Balvenie is unique: Nowhere else will you find a distillery that still grows its own barley, still malts in its own traditional floor maltings and still employs a team of coopers to tend all the casks and a coppersmith to maintain the stills.

Balvenie is the only single malt Scotch whisky distillery that still grows and malts its own barley. Each year they sow barley on their 1,000 acre farm Balvenie Mains just as they always have. These days they don’t collect and sheathe by hand: they use a combine harvester. Apart from that, it’s pretty much exactly as it was in the beginning.

Balvenie has the only traditional working floor maltings in the Scottish Highlands. After steeping in local spring water, they spread the grains across the malting floor. The barley warms up as it starts to germinate and needs to do so evenly. Four malt men turn it up to four times a day until it’s ready for the kiln. Here it is dried using anthracite and a carefully judged amount of peat, which adds further complexity to our whisky.

THE BALVENIE keeps a coppersmith on site to keep their stills just so. Of all the things that affect the taste of The Balvenie, the shape and size of the stills are two of the most important. No-one has pot stills exactly like theirs, with the ‘Balvenie Ball’ to concentrate and sweeten the flavors. Employing their own coppersmith means that these crucial (and rather large) craftsman’s tools are kept in peak condition.

If maintaining a still is an undertaking, it’s nothing to introducing a new one. Thanks to our coppersmith they don’t do it all that often. Each time they do, he cuts an armful of juniper branches and makes sure they’re the first thing boiled inside, in a process known as ‘sweetening the still’.How much juniper, and for how long? A good handful, and a good long while. As the coppersmith says, “there’s nae science to it” - but he’s convinced that if one day (heaven forbid) someone should forget, twelve or more years later a different spirit would emerge from the cask.

The Balvenie Malt Master is the longest-serving in the industry. His unmatched expertise ensures that each expression in their range makes the absolute best of the complex alchemy of spirit, wood and time. For all the skill required to ensure consistency in The Balvenie, the Malt Master looks forward to the future as much as to tradition: it’s he who pioneers new ways of bringing out the mysteries that hide within each cherished drop. Understanding the traditions of his craft like few others, he retains a passion for experimentation, using different cask types and ages of spirit to add new expressions to The Balvenie range.

We hope you can join us this Wednesday as we explore the Balvenie tradition and taste the fruits of their labor!