New whisky. Don't call it scotch. We've just received four new expressions from Nikka Whisky, from Japan. Mr. Masataka Taketsuru established the Nikka distillery, and is considered the father of Japanese whisky. Japanese distillers are known for producing whisky in the Scotch style, and Nikka has been doing so since 1934.
New Whisky
The product line includes Nikka Coffey Grain, with a nose of tropical fruits, coconut and banana, and on the palate it's rich, soft, sweet flavor with a hint of vanilla wafer, leading to a gentle finish with a touch of honeyed citrus.
Nikka Miyagikyo 12yr. This soft and luxuriantly fragrant single malt whisky is distilled and matured at the Miyagikyo distillery in Sendai. At Miyagikyo, the different natural environment and the use of steam heat distillation results in a malt whisky with a full and mature nose with an essence of the cask reminiscent of cacao nuts. It is characterized by a deep, mature sweetness and richness that expand softly and fragrantly, and by the soft and smooth tang of its palate.
Nikka Taketsuru 12yr. Made from the combination of the two distilleries of Yoichi and Miyagikyo, the nose is very well balanced with gentle peat and pleasing malty aroma. It has a round, pleasant taste with good structure. Rich palate derived from careful aging in hand selected casks, leading to a long and smooth finish, with a touch of fruit and spice.
Nikka Yoichi 15yr. Strictly selected from among the malts distilled and matured for 20 years or more at the Yoichi distillery, birthplace of Nikka Whisky, this single malt whisky is characterized by the fragrance of aged casks, a mellow well-rounded palate, and a bold, powerful taste.
New Rieslings, from Leitz!
Panorama of Leitz vineyards, with identifiers
Leitz is one of our consistently favorite Rieslings. With styles that go from fairly dry to sweet, there's a lot to love with Leitz. Here's what's new:
2011 Leitz Rüdesheimer Riesling Kabinett - This wine comes entirely from the Magdalenenkreuz Vineyard, located on the hillsides banks of the town of Rüdesheim. The vineyard starts at an elevation of 100 meters and rises to 165 meters in a relatively short distance. It lies directly below the Rüdesheimer Kirchenpfad and Klosterberg and on the top of this hill lies the historic Abbey of St. Hildegard. It was the church that controlled the vineyards for hundreds of years, hence the religious names: Magdalenenkreuz translates to Mary of the Cross. $13.96 in the Bottle Club®.
Steep inclines are common for Riesling growers such as Leitz
Leitz 2012 Rheingau Riesling - a delicate and sophisticated entry to the estate, this QbA is not produced in the sweet, syrupy style that many wines in this price range tend to be. Johannes Leitz knows that this wine always needs to be about balance, eschewing high sugar levels in favor of a wine like this that is a delicious aperitif, and extremely versatile at the table. Johannes takes great pride in the high quality of his entry level wines; “Drinking Riesling can be similar to playing music” he says. “If you give someone a low quality violin and try to teach them to play, they might not like what they hear and not want to play again. If you give a novice something really good to begin, it excites them and whets the appetite for even more interesting and complex wines.” $9.96 in the Bottle Club®.
We're also getting a new line from Berkshire Mountain Distillers. They're taking their Bourbon and finishing the aging in recently used craft beer barrels. First up is a Bourbon finished in a Troegs Troegenator Double Bock barrel.
From the classics to the cutting edge, they're all on the shelves at Joe Canal's in Lawrenceville and Woodbridge. Where good times start...for less!
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