Spirits
Spirits are the highest ABV products of the alcohol family and as a result have the greatest capability to age, far beyond most fine wines. Cognac and other types of Brandy have long been collectible, with a bottle from the 1762 vintage selling at auction in 2020 for $1,500,000, and rare, aged Rums have started breaking into the mainstream but fine whisky is certainly the most desirable spirit on the world right now.
Whisky can be made in a variety of styles and is mostly produced in Japan, Ireland, the United States and most prominently, Scotland. Single malt Scotch Whisky is extremely collectible and is one of the most sought-after in the world, with the The Macallan's top releases being the pinnacle.
Fortified wines are not categorised as spirits, yet they contain a distilled spirit, usually brandy, to stop fermentation and “fortify” the wine. Port and Sherry are two of the most well-known and popular examples of fortified wines.
Spirits
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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|
Madeira | 2 | - |
Inc. VAT
£3,478.12 |
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|
Porto | 5 | 94 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£861.10 |
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Wine Advocate (94)The 2016 Vintage Port is a field blend originally seen about a week before bottling. It comes in with 104 grams of residual sugar. Not a lot has changed except that it seems even more approachable and much better balanced now. It also seems drier than its statistics would suggest. Tight and intense on first taste, this comes around relatively well with a couple of hours of air on the first day tasted, but it isn't expressive until a couple of days later. The initial firmness moderates to some extent, showcasing a relatively approachable young Port. (That doesn't mean it is ready or close to it.) The concentration seems good enough now, so that the hints of alcohol that I saw in June—and again this time around when this was in its first 90 minutes of aeration—seem under much better control. The balance is just more appealing. It shows beautifully with a couple of days of air. As with all Ports of any quality, this could use some time. This is gripping, but it won't sear your mouth with tannins. You are going to have to cellar it awhile to allow it to acquire more complexity and more harmony, though. This is showing more promise than ever. |
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|
Porto | 1 | 90 (VN (ST)) |
Inc. VAT
£644.24 |
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Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (90)Full medium ruby. Roasted black raspberry and cassis lifted by musky espresso and an exotic smoky, peaty element. Dense and rich; sweet and approachable but with shape and grip. A bit youthfully grapey in the mouth, with smoke and earth notes. Finishes with building, slightly austere tannins and very good length. (Kobrand, Inc., New York, NY) |
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|
Cognac | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£2,844.00 |
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|
Porto | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£1,484.40 |
|||||
|
Porto | 1 | 97 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£907.20 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (97)Fonseca has scored in both the 1991 and 1992 vintages. The 1992 is a majestic young port that should ultimately rival, perhaps even surpass this house's most recent great efforts (1985, 1977, 1970, 1963). This colossal vintage port reveals a nearly opaque black/purple color, and an explosive nose of jammy black fruits, licorice, chocolate, and spices. Extremely full-bodied and unctuously-textured, this multi-layered, enormously-endowed port reveals a finish that lasts for over a minute. It is a magnificent port that will age well for 30-40 years. Importer: Kobrand, Inc., New York, NY; tel. (212) 490-9300. |
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|
Porto | 1 | 96 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£819.10 |
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Wine Advocate (96)The 2000 Fonseca continues to exude finesse and focus on the nose, with pure blackberry, juniper berries, licorice and a touch of sloes, perhaps as Adrian Bridge remarked, just beginning to close after ten years in bottle. The palate is underpinned by very fine tannins, a sensual, svelte texture with wonderful acidity. The harmony and symmetry is alluring, the finish precise and demonstrating the persistency to suggest a long future ahead. Drink 2020-2060. |
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|
Porto | 1 | 95-100 (WS) |
Inc. VAT
£849.60 |
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Wine Spectator (95-100)Wild aromas, with flowers, blackberries and passion fruit. Full-bodied, massive on the palate. Medium-sweet. The finish goes on for minutes. A mega young Port. Fonseca. What do you expect? Score range: 95-100 |
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|
Porto | 1 | 98 (JS) |
Inc. VAT
£867.10 |
|||||
James Suckling (98)Lots of ripe fruit here with raisins and wet earth that turn to violets and hot stones. Full-bodied, tannic and powerful with fantastic grip and intensity. Grabs you. Impressive. Drink in 2025. |
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|
Scotland | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£12,458.23 |
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|
Scotland | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£9,309.43 |
|||||
Immerse yourself in the distinctive pleasure of the Springbank Single Malt Local Barley 11YO Bottled 2022 2011, a whisky that delivers a unique expression town's terroir. This rare single malt hails from Springbank, the oldest functioning distillery in Campbeltown, Scotland, respected worldwide for its traditional, hands-on production methods. What sets this whisky apart is the local barley that is grown, malted, fermented, distilled, matured, and bottled entirely on-site, creating an essence of true locality. Aged in a mix of bourbon and sherry casks for 11 years to accentuate the flavours imparted by the barley, the result is a subtly sweet, creamy whisky, showcasing notes of orchard fruits, vanilla, and a hint of peat smoke, encased in the warming embrace of oak. The Springbank Single Malt Local Barley 11YO Bottled 2022 2011 is a testament to quality craftsmanship, evoking the spirit of its Campbeltown origins with every sip. |
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|
Porto | 1 | 98 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£951.10 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (98)Among the most saturated blue/purple/black-colored examples of the vintage, Taylor's 2000 tastes like a young vintage of Chateau Latour on steroids. Aromas of graphite, blackberry liqueur, creme de cassis and smoke jump from the glass. Spectacularly concentrated and enormously endowed, with sweetness allied to ripe tannin, decent acidity, and layer upon layer of fruit and extract, this is the leading candidate for the port of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2040. |
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|
Porto | 4 | 100 (JS) |
Inc. VAT
£909.96 |
|||||
James Suckling (100)OMG. This is really the most amazing young Taylor's I have ever tasted. Full-bodied and lightly sweet with super power and intensity. So racy and focused. Yet this has such muscle and intensity. Needs at least eight years to show you everything it has to offer. Drink in 2025. |
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|
Porto | 1 | 86 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£1,080.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (86)This house makes rather restrained yet rich, flavorful vintage port and a very good tawny called Nimrod. Their vintage ports seem slow to develop, and while they never quite have the voluptuous richness of a Dow, Graham, or Fonseca, they have a unique mineral-scented character that gives them their own complexity and style. The1975 is soft, supple and clearly mature. |
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|
Porto | 1 | 18.5 (JR) |
Inc. VAT
£763.56 |
|||||
Jancis Robinson (18.5)Deep blackish purple. Lovely lift and savour. Slight hint of sawdust on extremely luscious fruit then some fine tannins. Pretty interesting, if non-classic wine. A real flatterer. Long but with great interest. Dry finish. |
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Madeira | 2 | - |
In Bond
£2,842.00 |
|||||
|
Porto | 5 | 94 (WA) |
In Bond
£665.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (94)The 2016 Vintage Port is a field blend originally seen about a week before bottling. It comes in with 104 grams of residual sugar. Not a lot has changed except that it seems even more approachable and much better balanced now. It also seems drier than its statistics would suggest. Tight and intense on first taste, this comes around relatively well with a couple of hours of air on the first day tasted, but it isn't expressive until a couple of days later. The initial firmness moderates to some extent, showcasing a relatively approachable young Port. (That doesn't mean it is ready or close to it.) The concentration seems good enough now, so that the hints of alcohol that I saw in June—and again this time around when this was in its first 90 minutes of aeration—seem under much better control. The balance is just more appealing. It shows beautifully with a couple of days of air. As with all Ports of any quality, this could use some time. This is gripping, but it won't sear your mouth with tannins. You are going to have to cellar it awhile to allow it to acquire more complexity and more harmony, though. This is showing more promise than ever. |
|||||||||
|
Porto | 1 | 90 (VN (ST)) |
In Bond
£483.00 |
|||||
Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (90)Full medium ruby. Roasted black raspberry and cassis lifted by musky espresso and an exotic smoky, peaty element. Dense and rich; sweet and approachable but with shape and grip. A bit youthfully grapey in the mouth, with smoke and earth notes. Finishes with building, slightly austere tannins and very good length. (Kobrand, Inc., New York, NY) |
|||||||||
|
Cognac | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£2,844.00 |
|||||
|
Porto | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£1,484.40 |
|||||
|
Porto | 1 | 97 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£907.20 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (97)Fonseca has scored in both the 1991 and 1992 vintages. The 1992 is a majestic young port that should ultimately rival, perhaps even surpass this house's most recent great efforts (1985, 1977, 1970, 1963). This colossal vintage port reveals a nearly opaque black/purple color, and an explosive nose of jammy black fruits, licorice, chocolate, and spices. Extremely full-bodied and unctuously-textured, this multi-layered, enormously-endowed port reveals a finish that lasts for over a minute. It is a magnificent port that will age well for 30-40 years. Importer: Kobrand, Inc., New York, NY; tel. (212) 490-9300. |
|||||||||
|
Porto | 1 | 96 (WA) |
In Bond
£630.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (96)The 2000 Fonseca continues to exude finesse and focus on the nose, with pure blackberry, juniper berries, licorice and a touch of sloes, perhaps as Adrian Bridge remarked, just beginning to close after ten years in bottle. The palate is underpinned by very fine tannins, a sensual, svelte texture with wonderful acidity. The harmony and symmetry is alluring, the finish precise and demonstrating the persistency to suggest a long future ahead. Drink 2020-2060. |
|||||||||
|
Porto | 1 | 95-100 (WS) |
Inc. VAT
£849.60 |
|||||
Wine Spectator (95-100)Wild aromas, with flowers, blackberries and passion fruit. Full-bodied, massive on the palate. Medium-sweet. The finish goes on for minutes. A mega young Port. Fonseca. What do you expect? Score range: 95-100 |
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|
Porto | 1 | 98 (JS) |
In Bond
£670.00 |
|||||
James Suckling (98)Lots of ripe fruit here with raisins and wet earth that turn to violets and hot stones. Full-bodied, tannic and powerful with fantastic grip and intensity. Grabs you. Impressive. Drink in 2025. |
|||||||||
|
Scotland | 1 | - |
In Bond
£10,211.00 |
|||||
|
Scotland | 1 | - |
In Bond
£7,587.00 |
|||||
Immerse yourself in the distinctive pleasure of the Springbank Single Malt Local Barley 11YO Bottled 2022 2011, a whisky that delivers a unique expression town's terroir. This rare single malt hails from Springbank, the oldest functioning distillery in Campbeltown, Scotland, respected worldwide for its traditional, hands-on production methods. What sets this whisky apart is the local barley that is grown, malted, fermented, distilled, matured, and bottled entirely on-site, creating an essence of true locality. Aged in a mix of bourbon and sherry casks for 11 years to accentuate the flavours imparted by the barley, the result is a subtly sweet, creamy whisky, showcasing notes of orchard fruits, vanilla, and a hint of peat smoke, encased in the warming embrace of oak. The Springbank Single Malt Local Barley 11YO Bottled 2022 2011 is a testament to quality craftsmanship, evoking the spirit of its Campbeltown origins with every sip. |
|||||||||
|
Porto | 1 | 98 (WA) |
In Bond
£740.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (98)Among the most saturated blue/purple/black-colored examples of the vintage, Taylor's 2000 tastes like a young vintage of Chateau Latour on steroids. Aromas of graphite, blackberry liqueur, creme de cassis and smoke jump from the glass. Spectacularly concentrated and enormously endowed, with sweetness allied to ripe tannin, decent acidity, and layer upon layer of fruit and extract, this is the leading candidate for the port of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2040. |
|||||||||
|
Porto | 4 | 100 (JS) |
In Bond
£707.00 |
|||||
James Suckling (100)OMG. This is really the most amazing young Taylor's I have ever tasted. Full-bodied and lightly sweet with super power and intensity. So racy and focused. Yet this has such muscle and intensity. Needs at least eight years to show you everything it has to offer. Drink in 2025. |
|||||||||
|
Porto | 1 | 86 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£1,080.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (86)This house makes rather restrained yet rich, flavorful vintage port and a very good tawny called Nimrod. Their vintage ports seem slow to develop, and while they never quite have the voluptuous richness of a Dow, Graham, or Fonseca, they have a unique mineral-scented character that gives them their own complexity and style. The1975 is soft, supple and clearly mature. |
|||||||||
|
Porto | 1 | 18.5 (JR) |
In Bond
£585.00 |
|||||
Jancis Robinson (18.5)Deep blackish purple. Lovely lift and savour. Slight hint of sawdust on extremely luscious fruit then some fine tannins. Pretty interesting, if non-classic wine. A real flatterer. Long but with great interest. Dry finish. |