One of our favourite malts, Highland Park, has introduced a cask strength (63.3 ABV) version (thank you!) that delivers buckwheat honey aromas complemented by mild smoke, baked apple, a dash of toasted grain, and a whiff of sultana. Similar nuances reappear in the mouth, with the powerful palate also introducing some warm, toffee notes. A big whisky with a gentle side.
Opens with scents of violets, cherry, a whiff of minty herb and a touch of vanilla. Generously ripe dark cherry flavours come in a nicely balanced and structured package, finishing with a lick of mineral and a deft touch of oak. An interesting wine showing both Burgundian and New World influences.
This is the first sparkling wine from Ontario that comes packaged in a radically cool single-serve can. It’s made with 100% Vidal with a shot of Vidal Icewine and produced using the Charmat method for bubbles. The nose shows lemon, apple, biscuit, toast and fresh tropical fruit notes. It has a gentle bubble in the glass and on the palate, with a fruity, slightly sweet taste, but nicely balanced out by freshening acidity.
This inaugural release delivers aromas of orchard fruit, citrus and tropical notes leading to a juicy, fruit forward entry, quite full-bodied, off-dry lemon lime palate with a hint of honey with a lengthy citrus edged finish.
A squeeze of lemon tightens the peach, melon and pear Albarino from a co-op in Rias Baixas. Spanish warmth gives this an easy and friendly generosity, one that would partner well with fish tacos or gentle green curry. A slick of spice perks up the finish.
The Bierzo appellation is gaining attention for the potential of the native red Mencia and white Godello varieties. This one is almost black in the glass, with dark ripe but broodingly intense fruit on the nose, backed up by hints of fig, clove and cinnamon. Powerfully concentrated ripe blackberry, dark plum, firm tannic grip and lots of weight in the mouth, finishing with a splash of dark chocolate, offsetting tannic dryness and a touch of alcoholic heat.
Lifted aromas of tropical and orchard fruits precede a generous, mouth-filling palate of white peach and pineapple with fresh acidity countered by assertive oak through a firm end.