Leap Day Store Updates

We hope you're able to enjoy this extra day. We tried to work it like clock changing and sleep through the day, but that didn't go well. So we'll all enjoy this posting instead.

Lawrenceville is closing out the Leap Year Sale & Celebration with wine tastings all day long. We started at 9am, and we end with a dessert wine tasting session from 5-7pm. Click here for the full list, or just stop in.

The bigger news out of Lawrenceville is that we're starting the online ordering/in-store pickup service today. Even with an extra day, we know that time can be tight. This service allows you to order from anywhere-your office, the train, etc., and our staff will assemble the order and have it ready for you. Click here for complete details on this great new service (Please note that this service is already in place in Woodbridge).

We hope that you've noticed our new store sign, on the previously

blank west side of our building. We fielded lots calls from people who were in the Mercer Mall, but were unable to find us. There was a lot of red tape to cut through, but we were finally able to get the sign added to the building.

Woodbridge is welcoming New Belgium's Fat Tire Amber Ale with samplings on three consecutive days, beginning March 17. We

anticipate having the beer available for sale on March 14 in both stores, and we'll provide additional updates as we get closer. Your blogger had previously brought Fat Tire home from road trips, so we're among the many who are happy to see it coming to our stores.

Also in Woodbridge, we're maintaining an email list for anyone who wants updates on craft beer deliveries. To join the list, send an email with your name and contact info to srindosh@joecanalswb.com. Please put "beer list" in the subject line. In the very near future, we'll add lists for wine and spirits items as well.

Find us on social media by clicking on these links:

Lawrenceville Facebook
Lawrenceville Twitter
Woodbridge Facebook
Woodbridge Twitter

Please note that we publish Twitter-exclusive coupons every Thursday. That's in addition to the weekly coupons we publish on our website every Tuesday.

Leap Day Weekend Grab Bag

We understand the calculations that lead to the need to designate a Leap Year, but why add the day in winter?  Yes, we had too much time on our hands to think today. We have a lot to report today, so we'll just go ahead and start.

In-Store Events

Lawrenceville is celebrating Leap Year in a big way. Starting today, there will be around twenty different tastings and other events in celebration of the extra day. Clearly, there are too many events to list in this space. The first tasting event begins at 1pm today, with a tasting of Charles Krug wine, and the final events are on Monday. Click here and scroll through the full schedule.

Woodbridge is celebrating with a weekend of wine tastings. The tasting hours are 4-6pm Friday and 1-3pm on Saturday. Click here for the tasting menu. Look for special tastings of New Belgium's Fat Tire Amber Ale starting on St. Patrick's Day.

New Products

Both stores will roll out Fat Tire in mid-March, just about 2 weeks from now. This is the most anticipated craft beer debut in quite some time. Read this blog and follow our social media for updates.

Yellowstone Select Kentucky Straight Bourbon, a masterful fusion of flavors from seventh-generation distillers, Paul and Steve Beam. It features a hand-picked blend of sweet, spicy, and smoky bourbons, each selected to give this exclusive whiskey a taste that celebrates its deep, family origins. 46.5% ABV. Limited availability, at $45.99.

Nose: Leather and dried fruit with a slight hint of citrus and smoky oak.

Palate: Spicy rye with a whisper of dried cherries fading to smoked caramel.

Finish: A memorable finish, rich with brown sugar and Kentucky tradition.

Bodegas Abanico Hazana Vinas Viejas 2014. 92 points from Wine Advocate. Their review: "The 2014 Hazana Vinas Viejas is simply one of the greatest values in Rioja that money can buy. A blend of 85% Tempranillo and 15% Graciano, this collaboration between importer Eric Solomon and the owner and winemaker has produced an absolutely amazing Rioja from 45- to 70-year-old unirrigated, head-pruned vines. Loads of lead pencil shavings, black and red currants, licorice and tobacco leaf all jump from the glass of this dense, ruby/purple wine. Soft tannins, medium to full body and fabulous intensity, make for a sensational Rioja to drink over the next 5-7 years." Only $11.99 in the Bottle Club®.

This next wine is available exclusively in our Woodbridge store.

Voga Dolce Rosso. The always striking Voga package, with its bold red branding, captivates consumers and invites them to celebrate the sweet life—la dolce vita—in style. Voga Italia innovates with this tantalizing and supple blend of Italian Syrah and Merlot that is the perfect red wine for daylight delights or evening temptations. Seductive sweet flavors of plum and cherry entice the palate and deliver a smooth lingering luscious taste. Only $9.79 in the Bottle Club®.

                                                       Survey Says

If you shop at either of our stores, and if you haven't done so already, please take a moment to answer a brief survey on your shopping experience. Your answers will help us improve our operations, and you can enter for a chance to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card (one winner per store).

Click here for the Lawrenceville survey. Click here for the Woodbridge survey.

Several survey respondents posed questions, and we provided answers. Click here for that Q & A.

Ripped from the Headlines

Click here for an update on the lawsuit over possible arsenic in wine. Hint: lawyers vs. scientists.

Have a great weekend!

Build a Bar Workshop: Bourbon

With all due respect to Rye Whiskey, Bourbon is what comes to mind for most people when the question is American whiskey. It's the largest category of American whiskey in our stores.

Woodford Reserve fermenters

Bourbon's roots go back to the late 1700s, when westbound British, Irish and Scottish settlers started making whiskey in Kentucky. As we detailed previously, rye was more frequently used as a whiskey base than other grains. In 1964, the US Congress established federal regulations for producing bourbon and other American whiskey. All American whiskeys are distilled from a fermented mash (mixture) of cereal grain and water without any coloring or flavoring additives. American whiskey must by law be aged in new, charred oak barrels and no more than 160 proof (80% alcohol by volume). In order to be classified as "straight" whiskey, it must be aged for at least two years and unblended. Bourbon must be made from a mash that is at least 51% corn. The rest of the mash is made up of any ratio of rye, wheat and/or malted barley. While most bourbon today is still made in Kentucky, it can legally be made anywhere in the United States, and you see that on the shelves at Joe Canal's. The spirit’s beautiful amber color comes from the wood that it's aged in for at least two years while the alcohol by volume climbs to a minimum of 40% (80-proof) before bottling.

Buffalo Trace

The best way to briefly describe bourbon might be this: Distilled from at least 51% corn, aged for at least 2 years, with nothing added and nothing removed.

Over the last ten years, bourbon has seen a rapid rise in popularity around the world. Demand has grown so much that distillers are having trouble keeping up. If you recall, Maker's Mark talked about cutting their bourbon with water to extend supplies, before deciding against that. As with any spirit, the more time bourbon spends aging in a barrel, the more the angels take. That means Pappy might have only 65% of a barrel to sell after it's aged to their standards. High demand, low product availability, and that often leads to higher prices for the remaining supply.

Jim Beam Rickhouse, one of many

In addition to the color, barrel aging tends to add vanilla notes to bourbon, as well as the obvious oak notes. In basic terms, here's how that bit of science happens. The barrels are stored in large warehouses, typically called a rickhouse. In warmer weather, the heat causes the wood to expand, and the whiskey seeps into the oak. In colder weather, the wood contracts, expelling the whiskey, after it has taken on some of the oak characteristics. That goes on year after year. Where the barrel is located within a rickhouse will have an impact on this exchange; higher floors get hotter, after all. Some distillers will move barrels around, so that all barrels are similar. Other times, barrels are left in place to preserve that individuality.

While not as vast a category as vodka, there are seemingly limitless choices in bourbon. Jim Beam remains the world's best-selling bourbon. Buffalo Trace, Maker's Mark, Woodford Reserve, Evan Williams and Wild Turkey are also among the top selling national brands. We also carry a number of choices under each label, giving you more decisions to make.

The boom in craft distilling has brought a number of new brands to the market, and many of these producers are outside of Kentucky.

Tuthilltown Spirits has the Hudson Baby Bourbon. This upstate New York distiller keeps things local. When you take the Hudson New York Corn Whiskey and store it in a first-use charred American Oak barrel,out pops the Baby. The barrel aging process gives this spirit a light sweetness and deep amber color. This 100% corn bourbon has a bright,defined taste and a warm finish with notes of marzipan and roasted corn. Look also for the Four Grain Bourbon, as well as other whiskey from Tuthilltown.

A self-admitted whiskey nerd founded the Breckenridge distillery, in Colorado, at the highest altitude of any distillery.

Year round, we make grain to bottle Whiskeys and Rum, distill botanicals, and blend Bourbon Whiskey in small batches. Our Blend of Bourbon Whiskeys also consists of Barrels selected from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana chosen for their unique qualities, heritage, and ability to marry in our blend, always made from a high-rye mash bill.

Breckenridge Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys: Deep honey-amber hue with warm, pronounced aromas of under-ripe banana and brown sugar, with spicy notes of white pepper and toasted sesame. Light body with warm texture and long sweet oak, vanilla finish with a touch of bitterness to balance. Reminiscent of a slice of toasted rye bread with honey drizzled on it.

Smooth Ambler Old Scout is distilled in the southeastern part of West Virginia. Appalachia has always been known for whiskey. Like the Scotch-Irish farmer-distillers and settlers who forged western Virginia from the surrounding jagged hills, we too, have built our homes and lives here. Ingrained are the virtues of beauty, family, quality and hard work in everything we do; including the world class whiskeys and white spirits we produce. From grinding our  own carefully selected regional grains, to labeling and signing each bottle, Smooth Ambler does everything by hand, the old-fashioned way. Our folks have one goal; to create a truly rare drink you and your friends will never forget.

We carry their Old Scout Straight Bourbon Whiskey. 7 plus year old barrels with a high rye content of 36%, this fine whiskey has exceptional taste and smoothness.  Non chill filtered, non carbon filtered.  A robust 99 proof, it’s strong, but deliciously drinkable like all of Smooth Ambler’s offerings.  Bold, sweet-spicy flavors with subtle apple, cherry and tobacco aroma. 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malt – a ‘high rye’ bourbon. Look also for Contradiction.

Contradiction blends two whiskeys. One is a 'wheater', or wheated Bourbon and the other is a Bourbon made with rye. We are very proud of our knack for bringing you great spirits we hand-make and excellent spirits we hand-select; Contradiction is the opportunity to enjoy in a single sip,  the convergence of those two very different efforts.

We think you'll have no trouble finding something that fits your palate and budget at Joe Canal's. Please stop in and ask questions if you need.

Some information courtesy of Liquor.com, as well as the distillers mentioned in this post.

Cleaning Out My Inbox

We've been busy with a variety of projects, and our email inbox filled up this week, largely with new product deliveries. So this is a classic win-win, where we have a good topic for the blog, and our inbox gets cleaned up. Please note than quantities may be limited.

One other quick note: we're roughly 3 weeks away from the official launch of New Belgium's Fat Tire Amber Ale here in New Jersey. We're still finalizing our plans for the big day, but the team at our Woodbridge store already has some tastings on the schedule. Click here for details.

Bulleit Bourbon, 1.75 liter. We've been carrying the 750ml size, but we've had a number of requests for the 1.75 liter size. In fact, at least one request came in via last week's survey-we do listen.

Bulleit® Bourbon is inspired by the whiskey pioneered by Augustus Bulleit over 150 years ago. Only ingredients of the very highest quality are used. The subtlety and complexity of Bulleit® Bourbon come from its unique blend of rye, corn, and barley malt, along with special strains of yeast and pure Kentucky limestone filtered water. Due to its especially high rye content, Bulleit® Bourbon has a bold, spicy character with a finish that's distinctively clean and smooth.

Medium amber in color, with gentle spiciness and sweet oak aromas. Mid-palate is smooth with tones of maple, oak, and nutmeg. Finish is long, dry, and satiny with a light toffee flavor. $46.99 in the Bottle Club®.

Cimarron Blanco Tequila. This is, by far, the biggest bang for the tequila buck that you can get. Cimarron is a tequila made by Enrique Fonseca, who is best known as a maker of some very expensive products including Fuenteseca, Artenom 1146, Don Fulano, and Tres, Cuatro y Cinco. The single-estate agave used in all of these products, including Cimarron, is sourced from his own farm, which is another reason why it remains affordable during the current agave shortage, where the price of agave is near an all-time high.

This highland agave tequila distilled for a dry profile to allow greater control of cocktail sweetness. Rich, earthy agave character and pronounced highland aromatics are balanced with a delicate smoothness and a bright, flavorful finish. $19.99 in the Bottle Club®.

Pintupi 9 "The Red". Cabernet and Shiraz have been blended together for generations in Australia. Arneis dropped in? Not so much, but why not? Cabernet Sauvignon brings structure and tannin, ripe Shiraz highlights texture and fruit and the Arneis brightens aromatics and adds acidity. Côte Rotie has traditionally used Viognier to stabilize color and add floral notes, Arneis here is just a little riff on that...sort of.

Bright ruby. Lively aromas of red berries, cherry, cracked pepper and dried herbs. Spicy and precise on the palate, offering tangy red fruit flavors, picking up a bitter licorice quality and leaving red fruit notes behind. The Arneis is a barely noticeable, but important, tang to the wine keeping it lively and nervy.

70% Cabernet Sauvignon - 25% Shiraz - 5% Arneis. Only $10.96 in the Bottle Club®.

Ultimat Vodka. Repackaged, with a lower price. Another win! Unlike any other ultra-premium vodka, Ultimat is a carefully crafted balance of three ingredients — wheat for smoothness, rye for complexity, and potato for richness. Ultimat is produced in Poland, long considered the birthplace of vodka. To sip Ultimat is to find balance. Literally and figuratively. Available for $27.99.

Grant's Scotch Whisky, Ale Cask Finish. Our Ale Cask is the only Scotch to be finished in barrels that once held ale, giving it an irresistible creamy

maltiness. To those who brewed the beer and built the barrels, we say #IOU. We wouldn’t have this amazing dram without you.

Not only perfect for bringing to friend’s houses for big sporting occasions, like the boules (bocce) championships, but also great for saying "cheers for teaching me to dance" or "thanks for lending me your horse." $16.99 in the Bottle Club®.

Smirnoff Sourced. The latest innovation from Smirnoff Vodka is infused with real fruit juice, bringing authenticity to an often artificially flavored category of the spirits business. Smirnoff Sourced responds to consumer demand for natural flavor choices and transparency about product ingredients. Naturally fresh and gluten free, this new brand features three deliciously-sourced flavors:

Ruby Red Grapefruit: Zesty yet sweet and refreshing tasting.

Pineapple: Exceptionally juicy and vibrant flavor.

Cranberry Apple: The taste of crisp apple with a touch of cranberry sweetness.

-Exceptionally smooth, triple distilled vodka that is filtered ten times in a unique process for supreme clarity

-Made with real fruit juice from concentrate and other natural flavors (refrigerate after opening to preserve freshness)

-Contains no high-fructose corn syrup, and is gluten free

Available for $12.99 each.

An Iberian Daily Double

In the survey we started last week, we had requests for more wine from Portugal, and requests that we include ratings from sources like Wine Spectator or Wine Advocate. Today, we've hit the Daily Double.

Duorum Douro Colheita 2013 is indeed from Portugal, scored 91 points from Wine Spectator, and finished as #84 in their Top 100 wines of 2015. The WS review: "This has a delicate core of violet, plum and red berry flavors that are broad yet well-defined. Medium-grained tannins gain power midpalate, with mineral and shiso leaf notes on the taut finish. Drink now through 2020. 600 cases imported."

From the winery: "Deep red color with violet tones. Lush, fresh and complex aroma dominated by ripe black fruits, blackberries, prunes and cassis, showing notes of violet and spices originating from 'elevage' in the barrels. Full bodied, with well-balanced acidity, firm and ripe tannins. Elegant, long and persistent finish."

The wine is a blend of Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, and Tinta Roriz grapes.

We've carried this winery's Loios red and white in the past. This wine is a step up in quality, while still being a value, at only $15.99 in the Bottle Club®.

Survey Says!

If you're a member of our Bottle Club®, you received a survey via email on Thursday of last week. The survey remains open until this Friday, 2/26. As always happens, we received a number of questions that we can address here. If you have not yet taken the brief survey, and would like to, please click here for the Lawrenceville survey, or click here for Woodbridge. After the survey closes, we'll randomly select one $50 Amazon gift card winner from each store.

We appreciate all of the positive comments regarding our staff, our customer service, our selection, and our low prices. We won't pat ourselves on the back too much here. Instead, we'll deal with challenges of various types.

A lot of questions concerned the availability of specific products, or products from a specific country. Sometimes, they are just not available here in New Jersey. Sometimes, we just don't have enough shelf space for everything we might carry. If you're interested in a product that you don't see, please ask a staff member. If it's possible, we can special order something for you.

We were also asked about delivering to homes in New York and Pennsylvania. Under the laws currently in place, that is simply not possible.

Although the comments below are divided by store, they really apply to both, so please read them all!

Lawrenceville Comments

Q: Maybe ensure that the stock is available - particularly for those who might travel a distance because of pricing.
A: We're grateful that so many people make Joe Canal's in Lawrenceville (and Woodbridge) their destination store. Many of the products that we carry are available to us only in limited quantities. For wine that carries a vintage designation, every one is sold out eventually. Seasonal craft beer is designed to be sold for a short period of time. The "angel's share" makes sure that most whisk(e)y has a greater demand than supply (we're looking at you, Pappy). So if you're planning on a special trip to our store for one particular item, while we do our best to maintain adequate stock, it's best to call first.

Q: I never see any coupons or one day sales that would bring in people or have sample tasting to decide if I like the product enough to pay the price.
A: We post fresh coupons on our website every Tuesday. We tweet another coupon every Thursday (another reason to follow us on Twitter). Click here for the Lawrenceville coupon page, but the coupons are valid at both stores. A few times per year we mail out post cards to select zip codes that highlight a few special prices, and that card also includes a coupon or two. We generally don't do any one-day sales.

We have wine tastings most every Friday and Saturday, with craft beer or other products mixed in as well. On occasion, there are unannounced tastings; check with Customer Service to see whether anything is available. As of this moment, our calendar includes 4 cider tastings, 3 craft beer tastings, 2 beer tastings, 2 hard soda tastings, and 1 malternative beverage tasting. Click here for our complete calendar.

Q: I do not like being asked for my ID when I walk in to the store on weekends and then asked again at check out.
A: Ours is a highly regulated industry, and possibly the most important challenge we face is in keeping our products away from those not legally allowed to have them. Unless an underage person is accompanied by a parent, they are not permitted in the store. That's why we ask for a valid ID as you enter the store. Our cashiers simply cannot see whether or not someone provided ID at the door, and that's why they will ask for your ID.

Q: Would like you to have an on line catalog.
A: A few comments were similar to this. In fact, nearly all of our products are searchable on our website, and we offer several ways of filtering the selections. From jcanals.com, you can sort via the Wine, Beer or Spirits pull-down tabs, which offer a nearly endless range of additional filtering options. There are always several products feature on our home page, with a "View More" option. If you know the 5-digit stock number (sku) of an item (find it on your receipt), you can search for that. You can also search by product name in the search box.

Woodbridge Comments

Q: I would like to see on the website a tab for the new beer for the week. Or the special beer for the week.
A: New beer is a difficult category to track. We get such limited quantities of some in-demand beers that they are gone that same day. This blog will feature new beers as often as three times per week. Our social media often includes new beer deliveries. Our Bottle Club® emails will feature a new beer regularly (not necessarily weekly, but we're trying).


Q: I think organization of wine by country in a store that big makes it difficult to find new/different wines if you like a particular type.
A: There isn't any sort of industry standard way of organizing the wines. Generally speaking, we sort first by country, then by region or appellation, then alphabetically. For example, we think it's logical to separate Bordeaux wine by appellation, especially because we rarely know the exact blend, making it impossible to sort by varietal, and the amount of any one grape likely won't be enough to qualify as a varietal. And our California red blends also defy categorization. Some are Bordeaux style, but others are Zinfandel based. As always, if you're looking for something new and/or different, please ask a team member.

Q: Always looking to try wines on the Wine Spectator Top 100 list and you carry very few.
A: The Top 100 list is published in November, covering wines they tasted throughout the year. You'll notice that many are from small wineries, or are otherwise of limited availability. By the time the list is published, many are already sold out, and you'll find that we're not the only store unable to get wine X from that Top 100.

Sometimes, additional supplies of a Top 100 wine are in the supply chain, and it just takes a little extra time to get to us. For example, last week we added 2015's #24 and #84. Those additions are usually featured in this blog.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to answer our survey. The feedback will help us improve your shopping experience.

Friday Grab Bag

The forecasters are talking about a new round of snow for next week. Maybe, maybe not, but you can't be too careful. The weekend makes for a great time to stock up at Joe Canal's in Lawrenceville and Woodbridge, then you can get the bread, milk and eggs. We have tastings on our weekend schedule, so you can find your new favorite while you shop.

In Store Events

It's a wine tasting weekend in Lawrenceville. We're hosting our regular tastings, from 4-6pm Friday and 2-4pm Saturday. Click here for the tasting menu. Next weekend, we'll be in the middle of our Leap Year Sale & Celebration. We expect to officially add a number of tastings to the calendar later today, and we already have a book signing on the agenda.

On Sunday, 2/28, 1-3pm, you'll be able to meet Lew Bryson, author of "Tasting Whiskey". He's visiting our Lawrenceville store to sign copies of the book (they will be available for purchase) and to share his knowledge of all things whiskey.

We recently added about a dozen new events to our schedule. To see the full Event Calendar for Lawrenceville, please click here.

Three days, three tastings at our Woodbridge store. We have a wine tasting today, 4-6pm, featuring four easy-drinking, approachable and very affordable wines. Click here for the tasting menu.

On Saturday, we're sampling Dream Catcher Irish Liqueur. Dream Catcher is rooted in an old Gaelic recipe and started in an historic farmhouse with a pot still in County Cavan, Ireland. A farmer was inspired to blend the natural flavor of toasted chestnuts and other superb ingredients with Premium Irish Spirits. The farmer said that it was a "dream worth catching." Tasting hours are 3-5pm.

The weekend tasting schedule wraps up on Sunday, also 3-5pm, with a sampling from Leinenkugel's. Please click here to see the rest of the Event Calendar for Woodbridge.

New Products

As we noted earlier this week, New Belgium's Fat Tire Amber Ale is finally coming to New Jersey. We'll have it available for sale at the first possible opportunity, which will be in mid-March. Read this blog and follow our Twitter feed for updates.

La Merika Pinot Grigio. La Merika is named for a shining star that was once considered a beacon and guide for early explorers with a thirst for discovery. Today, La Merika celebrates the beauty of California’s Central Coast, a wildly diverse landscape where world class vineyards and award-winning wines thrive.

A refreshing take on Pinot Grigio —lively, vibrant and crisp. Enticing floral aromas of orange blossom and honeysuckle are framed by luscious white peach, pear and nectarine on the palate. This crisp and juicy medium-bodied Pinot Grigio delivers clean acidity and a lengthy, refreshing finish.

Pair this with grilled shrimp with lime & basil. Only $9.99 in the Bottle Club®.

Blandy's Colheita Bual Madeira 2002. 94 points, Wine Spectator, #24 of their 2015 Top 100 wines. "Deep, rich and exotic-tasting, with plenty of smoky accents to the dried mango, apricot and roasted pineapple flavors, featuring notes of crème brûlée. Very fresh midpalate, presenting an unctuous finish of ginger and cream. Drink now through 2050. 500 cases made." Also 95 points, Wine Enthusiast. $44.99 in the Bottle Club®. Limited availability.

Ballast Point Watermelon Dorado. Our Watermelon Dorado Double IPA

is not one to back down from big flavors. Mash, kettle, and dry hopping blend to create a huge hop profile that is balanced with a blast of watermelon. The result is a refreshing brew that is all summer and no seeds. 10.0% ABV, 90 IBU's.

Recommended pairings: Shrimp Po Boy (where in NJ can you get a good one of these?), Pineapple custard, Asiago or Manchego cheese.

                             Ripped from the Headlines

There's a new fight over age statements in blended Scotch Whisky, led by Compass Box (we carry several of their products). Click here for the complicated story.

Have a great weekend!

It's National Drink Wine Day!

We can't argue with the Internet declaring today to be National Drink Wine Day. If you ask us, that's every day, but that's another story. There's also a saying in California's wine country that it takes a lot of beer to make a good wine, so we thought we'd discuss both today.

Cabernet Sauvignon is called the King of the grapes, as it is the most popular varietal. Lawrenceville's Senior Wine Manager Brandon Bartfalvi recommends celebrating National Drink Wine Day with the 2013 Robert Storey Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. It's an even better value right now, as it's on sale for only $22.96 in the Bottle Club®.

One of the top offerings of the year, do not miss this great Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from Burgess Triere Vineyard and their signature hillside estate on Howell Mountain. Napa Valleys Burgess is one of our most requested Cabernets and this wine from their Estate Vineyards and a great vintage is one of the most incredible offerings yet from wine industry icon Robert Storey.

While the Cabernet will satisfy you during your meal, consider the 90+ Cellars Lot 2 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc as an aperitif, with salads or with lighter fare. The wine is expressive on the nose, with bright citrus, lemon zest, and grapefruit notes and subdued green bell pepper and fresh cut grass undertones. The mouth feel is incredible with racy acidity and fruit. It’s very crisp and clean and varietaly accurate of Sauvignon Blanc, with almost a hint of minerality on the finish. Only $7.94 in the Bottle Club®.

We like to focus on seasonal beer here, due to the interesting character of the beers, along with their limited availability. One such beer that's new this week is the Smuttynose Rhye IPA.

In craft beer, there are almost as many bad rye puns as there are bad hop puns; Smuttynose is happy to spare you from more of either. Instead, we’ll tell you about our new Big Beer, Rhye IPA. We brewed it because we like drinking hoppy American-style beers and we wanted a chance to brew with rye. The rest, as they say, is history. The result is a 7% hoppy IPA, with rye spiciness and big hop character. This beer will really get under your armor...

The image on the Rhye IPA label is a famous drawing of an Indian rhinoceros by 16th century German painter and printmaker, Albrecht Dürer. Dürer had never seen the creature before and

created the drawing based on one description and a crudely scribbled sketch. $8.89/6-pack, 12 ounce bottles.

Flying Dog Tropical Bitch Belgian-Style IPA. Pineapple and mango dominate with subtle passionfruit and sticky sweet, yet crisply bitter, hop notes. Give this beer a whirl with spicy Mexican and you'll never go back to a mango margarita again. 8.0% ABV, 55 IBU's. At this time, only available in Woodbridge. $10.99 for a 6-pack, 12 ounce bottles.

Celebrate National Drink Wine Day with a real stunner, the 2010 Chateau Barde-Haut St. Emilion. 93 points from Wine Spectator: "Still a bit compact, with blueberry coulis, fig and blackberry paste notes tightly wound, backed by tangy black licorice,

singed apple wood and tar on the finish, which features a very sleek structure and a buried iron note. This has good vivacity and should unwind nicely in the cellar. Best from 2015 through 2030."

92 points from Wine Advocate: "Loads of blueberry, black cherry and dusty, loamy soil notes as well as hints of herbs, licorice and incense jump from the glass of this well-endowed, supple wine. Tannins are sweet and the acidity sufficient to give delineation to the wine. Full-bodied and impressively endowed, it should drink well over the next 10-15 years."

"The 2010 Barde-Haut is a delicious, seductive style of St.-Emilion made from 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Proprietress Helene Garcin-Leveque purchased the estate in 2000 and has been pushing quality ever since."

James Suckling, 91-92 Points: "This is very concentrated, with a treacle tart and chocolate character. Almost raisiny. Full and velvety. Intense."

Each store has a limited amount of this wine, for $39.99 in the Bottle Club®.

Finally, as we noted yesterday, we're less than 4 weeks away from the New Jersey debut of New Belgium's Fat Tire Amber Ale. Stay tuned for updates.

Find Them Fast

Your blogger likes to offer reminders about the limited availability of many of the items that we carry. With vintage wines, every one eventually runs out. Craft beer, especially seasonal offerings, are severely time-limited. Without even worrying about how the angel's share robs us of aged spirits, there's only so much room available to most distillers who age their products. As we've also recently seen with Bourbon and Scotch, unexpected increases in demand also cut into available supplies. That's all to reinforce the point that if you see something you'd like to get, you should act quickly.

And most of the products we'll discuss today have limited availability.

Prairie Organic Vodka. Attention to detail is a big reason why we make Prairie Organic Vodka the way we do. We take the time to handcraft its naturally smooth taste, so you can take the time to enjoy drinking it. Prairie’s single vintage organic corn is distilled to taste, not a prescribed number of times. That’s because climate, soil, and moisture levels give each small batch its own unique character. We're also carrying Prairie Cucumber Vodka. In Lawrenceville only.

Codice Red Rioja. We also include returning products under the "limited" umbrella. For example, we're about to accept delivery on a shipment of the Codice Rioja, and we haven't carried the wine in about 2 years.

"Aged for six months in stainless steel tanks and then moved into French and American oak barrels for another six months): Bright violet color. Black and blue fruit aromas are lifted by a peppery nuance and a hint of fresh flowers. Sappy and seamless in texture, offering juicy boysenberry and mocha flavors and a bracing kick of spiciness. Finishes silky and precise, with lingering spiciness and smooth tannins. An off-the-charts value." - 90 points, Vinuous Media.

COMING SOON! Actually, the sale date is a little under a month away, but New Jersey is finally getting New Belgium's Fat Tire Ale.

Named in honor of New Belgium's co-founder's bike trip through Europe, Fat Tire Amber

Ale marked a turning point in the young electrical engineer's home brewing. Belgian beers use a far broader palette of ingredients (fruits, spices, esoteric yeast strains) than German or English styles. Together with co-founder Kim Jordan, they traveled around sampling their homebrews to the public. Fat Tire won fans with its sense of balance: toasty, biscuit-like malt flavors coasting in equilibrium with hoppy freshness. Fat Tire: Pairs well with people.

The nose is sweet biscuity and caramel malts, with subtle notes of fresh fennel and green apple. On the palate, toasty malt, gentle sweetness, and a flash of fresh hop bitterness. The malt and hops are perfectly balanced. 5.2% ABV, 22 IBU's. Look for a mid-March roll-out, and more information about Fat Tire will be posted in the coming weeks.

Resonance Pinot Noir Yamhill-Carlton District Résonance Vineyard 2013. "Light and focused, showing distinctive subtlety. A layer of crinkly tannins underlies a pulsing core of mineral-accented cherry and red berry flavors, hinting at cinnamon as the finish lingers gently. Best from 2017 through 2023." - 93 points, Wine Spectator. Extremely limited availability.

The Resonance Vineyard Pinot Noir showcases Maison Louis Jadot’s longstanding tradition of making terroir driven wines from the best vineyards. Although clearly new-world, Resonance has old-world Burgundian influences that are seen throughout the wine. Pairs well with grilled or roasted red meats, game, and poultry.

MYX Moscato. MYX Fusions revolutionized the wine industry by leveraging the explosive popularity of Moscato and improving on the experience of drinking it, becoming the fastest

growing wine beverage in America.

MYX Fusions Moscato is an all natural and refreshingly carbonated fruit infused Moscato. The seductive taste of Moscato Wine is enriched with hints of apricot, vanilla and honey. Natural fruit juices and effervescent bubbles refresh the palette and leave with a sweet and subtle finish. We're also carrying the Moscato & Coconut, as well as the Moscato & Peach. Woodbridge only.

Tis The Seasonal

Most craft beer aficionados know to grab the seasonal brews as quickly as possible. One reason is that they are possibly the freshest beers that we have available. More importantly, all seasonal brews are available for a very limited time, in equally limited quantities. And while beer seasons don't exactly align with the calendar seasons, enjoying a spring seasonal while it's snowing outside is a nice way to improve your mood.

Part of the appeal of craft beer is the range of products they produce. A craft brewer might have a dozen or so beers available all year, with at least that many brewed for seasonal availability. Because production is small, at least when compared to the national brands, they have more flexibility.

Another part of the appeal is the backstory, along with the idea that you're dealing with individuals. Founded by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner in 1996, San Diego-based Stone Brewing Co. is the 9th largest craft brewer in the United States. Stone has been listed on the Inc. 500 | 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies list 11 times, and has been called the “All-time Top Brewery on Planet Earth” by Beer Advocate magazine twice. The multifaceted company will be the first American craft brewer to own and operate a brewery in Europe, and is also building a production brewery and destination restaurant in Richmond, Virginia. Brewing at both locations is anticipated to begin in early 2016. Known for its bold, flavorful and largely hop-centric beers, Stone has earned a reputation for brewing outstanding, unique beers while maintaining an unwavering commitment to sustainability, business ethics, philanthropy and the art of brewing.

That brings us around to this week's New Product, Stone Pataskala Red X IPA.

Pat-ASK-ala? Pata-SKALA? Pa-TASK-a-la? While those in the know favor the third pronunciation, no matter how you say it, this is a unique red IPA. The beer was first brewed in September 2015 to support music and arts education programs in Pataskala, Ohio, where Stone co-founder Greg Koch grew up. People there loved it, so we added the beer to our seasonal lineup. The deep crimson hue is courtesy of a fairly new special German malt variety by BESTMALZ called Red X. Dry-hopped with Mosaic, Cascade and Amarillo hops, this beer is incredibly citrus-forward, rounded out with biscuit and toffee notes. We think you’ll find this red IPA to be quite deliciously satisfying, no matter how you choose to pronounce it. 7.3% ABV, 75 IBU's. Get it while you can!

Frozen Friday Grab Bag

We get it; it's winter, and it gets cold in the Northeast. We don't have to like it. However, we do give you reasons to go out in the cold and stop at Joe Canal's. Look for our Valentine's Day wine & chocolate info at the end of this post. One holiday note: Monday is the federal holiday for President's Day. Both of our stores will operate on a normal schedule for Monday.

Events

We start the weekend with our regular wine tastings. 4-6pm today and 2-4pm tomorrow. Click here for the tasting menu. And we offer coupon savings for 3 of the 4 wines being tasted. Follow the link on the tasting menu page for the added savings.

Also on Saturday, from noon-3pm, is The Macallan bottle engraving. If your sweetheart might enjoy an extremely well-made single malt, then an engraved bottle of The Macallan would be a very nice Valentine's Day gift.

In the last 24 hours, we've added more than a dozen events to the calendar for Lawrenceville. There are new tastings, a winemaker meet-and-greet, plus a book signing on February 28. Meet Lew Byson, author of "Tasting Whiskey" from 1-3pm on 2/28, as part of our Leap Year Sale and Celebration. Click here for the full Events Calendar at our Lawrenceville store.

In Woodbridge, our weekend starts with a tasting of Jim Beam products, from 4-6pm today. Stop in to sample Jim Beam Apple and Jim Beam Kentucky Fire. On Saturday, we'll have our regular wine tasting, from 1-3pm. Click here for the tasting menu, which features two different all-star

caliber wines.

We also have some great tasting events in the next few weeks at our Woodbridge store, featuring Leinenkugel's, Henry's Hard Soda and Dream Catcher Irish Liqueur. In addition, we also have a Small Plates Dinner and Tasting Event with Founders. Click here for information on that event. The cost is only $20, and space is limited. And click here for the full Events Calendar at our Woodbridge store.

New Products

Dogfish Head Oak-aged Noble Rot. Noble Rot is the head-on collision of the beer world and the wine world ... and now we've aged it on oak ... for a whole year!

This saison-esque science project gets complexity and fermentable sugars from the addition of two unique white wine grapes, sourced with our friends at Alexandria Nicole Cellars in Prosser, Washington.

The first addition is the must of viognier grapes that have been infected with a benevolent fungus called botrytis. This 'noble rot' reduces the water content in the grapes while magnifying their sweetness and complexity.

The second is a pinot gris intensified by a process called 'dropping fruit,' where large clusters of grapes are clipped to amplify the quality and distinction of those left behind.

We then aged Noble Rot in one of our oak tanks for an entire year, making for a hazy ale that has a spicy white wine body and a dry, tart finish. Available in 750ML bottles. 9% ABV, 18 IBU's. Pair with crab, lobster and other shellfish.

Grandpa Chacha's Home Style Rosso Salento Wine, 1.5L. John "Cha Cha" Ciarcia has been on Mulberry Street in New York's Little Italy his entire life and has held the title "The Unofficial Mayor of Little Italy" for over 30 years now. Grandpa Cha Cha's Home Style Wine is soft to the palate and enjoys an elegant balance of the softness of a red Zinfandel, blended with the fruitiness and tannins of a full-bodied Merlot. The wine is made with a combination of Primitivo grapes and Negromaro grapes, both from the Puglia region of Southern Italy. The Primitivo grape, from Italy, is the sister grape to the California red zinfandel. The combined taste of these grapes is the closest thing to the "old country." Available only in Woodbridge.

Two Roads Brewing Henry's Farm Double Bock. Made in honor of our CEO's great-grandfather Henry, who made a doppelbock every year on his South Dakota farm to warrant the coming of spring. A classic strong German lager with a robust body and a deep ruby red color. Two Roads' recipe uses a generous amount of toasted German and North American barley that is lightly balanced with floral hops. 

        Ripped from the Headlines

Valentine's Day wine & chocolate pairing. Click here for the story.

Have a great weekend. And Happy Valentine's Day!

Build a Bar Workshop: Rye

Our Build a Bar series is designed to supplement your knowledge in the spirits category. Whether you're stocking a home bar, preparing for a party, or you just have an interest, we'd like to offer you the tools to properly evaluate your choices. And since we stock two dozen or more different Rye whiskies, that education is really useful.

The "recipe" for Rye Whiskey is the mash bill, which details what grains, and in what percentage, go into the whiskey. A rye whiskey must be at least 51% rye; corn, wheat and/or malted barley typically fill out the balance of the mash bill.

Rye whiskey is distilled to no more than 160 proof, and aged in charred, new oak barrels. The whiskey must be put into the barrels at not more than 125 proof. Rye whiskey that has been so aged for at least two years may be further designated as "straight", as in "straight rye whiskey".

Reaching back into US history, the Whiskey Rebellion was a protest against the tax applied to distilled spirits. At that time, the late 1700's, the whiskey in question was mostly rye. Prohibition severely damaged the rye whiskey business, and it has really only recently recovered, thanks in large part to the craft distilling industry. The fact that rye whiskey is an important part of many classic cocktails was another key factor in its rebound.

If you haven't sampled rye whiskey, your blogger finds the taste to be somewhat sharper than bourbon, which is no less than 51% corn. Bourbon, which can also include a significant percentage of wheat, tends to be a bit sweeter than rye whiskey. Think about the difference between rye bread, wheat bread and corn bread, and you can visualize the difference in the taste of these different whiskies.

As we noted earlier, craft distillers have played a large role in the restoration of rye whiskey. This photo was taken when the Joe Canal's team paid a visit to the Corsair Artisan Distillery in Nashville. That's a pre-Prohibition still that was smuggled to Canada to avoid destruction, before being returned to the US. In Nashville, Corsair is located in a certified historical building, so the column had to be bent to conform to code. Yes, that still is currently used by Corsair.

Some craft distillers, Tuthilltown being one example, source their grain locally. Dad's Hat is even distilled in this area (Bristol, PA), showing the strength of the rye whiskey category. Other craft brands on our shelves include Whistle Pig, Old Pogue Five Fathers and Catskill Distilling Defiant Rye.

Here's evidence of the growth in the craft distilling segment: In 2003, there were 60 craft distillers operating in the United States. Today, that total is 760, according to the American Distilling Institute (ADI), and a further 200 are under construction.

As with craft beer, the craft spirits category is ascending swiftly. The ADI estimates current growth at around 30 percent. Its market share has doubled in the past two years, and analysts at the ADI believe that it could hit 8 percent by 2020, coming close to recent share levels achieved by craft beer. Much of the credit goes to whiskey, which represents 37 percent of all craft labels, followed by gin at 13 percent, vodka at 12 percent and rum at 10 percent.

The larger, national brands have joined the craft distillers in producing new (well, properly aged) rye whiskey. You can find rye whiskey from George Dickel, Jack Daniel's, Jim Beam, Wild Turkey and Woodford Reserve in our stores.

Whether you're looking for a craft distiller or a national brand, the above lists are partial; you can find lots of other choices on our shelves.

The most classic of rye-based cocktails is the Manhattan. Here's a basic recipe:

2 ounces rye whiskey
1 ounce Martini & Rossi sweet vermouth
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Pour the whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters into a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir until outside of shaker is very cold to touch. Place a maraschino cherry in a chilled cocktail glass. Strain the contents of the shaker over the cherry and serve immediately.

Up next, one of your blogger's favorites, and a New Orleans classic, the Sazerac.

1 teaspoon sugar
3 or 4 dashes Peychaud's Bitters
a few drops water
2 ounces rye whiskey
1 teaspoon Pernod
lemon peel

Chill an Old Fashioned glass or small tumbler in your freezer. In a mixing glass, combine sugar, Peychaud’s Bitters, and a few drops of water. Mix until sugar is dissolved, and add rye. Add plenty of ice, and stir for about 30 seconds.

Pour Pernod into your chilled glass, and rotate glass until the inside is well coated; discard the excess. Strain the liquid from your mixing glass into the serving glass. Twist a piece of lemon peel over the drink. Indulge.

Rye whiskey has been an essential part of the American experience since the beginning. We hope this will help you appreciate the value having of a rye whiskey in your collection.

Some information from wikipedia, Market Watch and seriouseats.com.