As usual, the 2017 RunRig is approximately 2% Viognier. It spent almost 30 months in oak, 40% of which was new. Hints of peach or apricot appear on the nose, alongside notes of hickory smoke, cherries and baking spices. It's full-bodied and concentrated but supple and silky enough to seem lighter in the mouth, showing tremendous length and elegance on the finish, where it adds nuances of cinnamon and cocoa. Rating: 98/100.

Mijenta is an award winning additive-free, sustainable tequila that celebrate the traditions of Mexican culture and embodies the best of the land and its people. This Tequila Reposado is aged up to 6 months in a blend of American white oak, French oak, and French acacia casks presenting a more mature and fuller expression with a long finish. Rich flavors of cooked agave, honey, vanilla with a mid-palate of cacao nibs. A long and generous finish on the palate

Mijenta is an award winning additive-free, sustainable tequila that celebrate the traditions of Mexican culture and embodies the best of the land and its people. Aromatic, elegant and complex, with unfolding notes of cantaloupe, honey and cinnamon. An outstanding, generous and round finish. Bright and transparent with a powerful body. On the palate rich flavours of cooked agave, vanilla, fresh fruit and spices such as cinnamon.

Limpid and amber in colour. Hints of honey, wood, vanilla and light toasted and caramelized notes typical of the long permanence in wooden barrels. The taste is warm, fine and elegant. Finish is well balanced.

Note: Product has come from a private collection and as such has some minor scuffing/scratches/handling marks. Actual product not shown. Following on from the duo of Rich Cacao and Fine Cacao comes the second instalment in Macallan's limited annual series. 'Intense Arabica' and 'Smooth Arabica' are said to be influenced by the Ethiopian Arabica coffee bean. Both special malts exude flavours of sweet oak, tiramisu and dark chocolate and reportedly provide a delightful whisky and coffee pairing experience. The story goes that Chief Whisky Maker, Steven Bremner wanted to create an expression that would pair perfectly with an espresso, so he worked with a group of caffeinated experts including Ethiopian grower Kenean Asefa Dukamo, Scottish roaster Lisa Lawson and acclaimed American barista Andrea Allen. “Exploring the world of coffee with our masters in the industry, who shared their knowledge, creativity, and love for their art, was both an education and an inspiration,” says Bremner. “There are many parallels between the approach to creating incomparable whisky and coffee. Each requires unique skills and craftsmanship to achieve depth and complexity of taste and both worlds aim to deliver an extraordinary consumption experience.” Each whisky was aged in a combination of American and European oak casks but have different accents. As the name suggests, Smooth Arabica brings a creamy, silky character to Macallans malt, retaining the dark spice and heavy fruit we've come to expect. Also one for the collectors to complete the set. Drawing inspiration from a connection to the natural world, the distinctive packaging incorporates organic by-products and gives them new life. These are made partially from repurposed coffee bean husks, created by Italian paper mill, Favini. Very limited stocks.

Family run since the 19th century, the Billecart Champagne house delivers large number of bottles which are always well made and of the highest quality. Champagne Billecart-Salmon was founded with the marriage of Nicolas-François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon in 1818. Situated in the village of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, near Epernay. Champagne Billecart-Salmon is still a family-run organisation with seventh generation Mathieu Roland-Billecart overseeing business. In 2016 Chef de Cave François Domi retired after 30 years with Billecart and handed over to his deputy Florent Nys who started with the business in 2005. The vineyards are overseen by Denis Blée and all of the team are members of the eight strong "tasting committee" along with 6th generation François Roland-Billecart and Antoine Roland-Billecart and fifth generation Jean Roland-Billecart. By 2020 production had expanded with grapes now coming from 300 hectares and 40 crus mostly within 20 kms of the winery. This unique release celebrates 200 years of Billecart-Salmon independence and family savoir-faire since 1818. Bicentenary Cuvée 200 is a multi-vintage blend of four exceptional harvests: 2000, 2003, 2008 and 2012. In tribute to the foundation year, just 1,818 magnums and 18 Jeroboams were produced. The blend constitutes wine heralded from eight Grand Crus in the Montagne de Reims and Côte des Blancs, 50% of which were vinified in oak barrel. The champagne is Pinot Noir dominant in order to reflect the ‘old rose’ fragrance that is typical of Billecart-Salmon's famous Clos St-Hilaire, as well as the founders’ cuvées Nicolas François and Elisabeth Salmon. Appearance: Pale gold colour intensity, draped with a bright luminosity with golden yellow tinges. A persistent and abundant finesse of bubbles evolving in a disciplined and energetic way Aroma: A noble and racy expression of a chiselled complexity towards floral notes, orchard fruits and slightly roasted dried fruits (carnation, Williams pear and just roasted hazelnuts). A natural and vibrant sparkle evolving towards scents of citrus zest (lemon caviar and kalamansi) Palate: An ample and dense tension where the texture slowly reveals itself under a controlled and exhilarating acidity. The mid-palate offers a distinguished balance, vinous, almost salty, under the gustatory impact of careful maturing (vine shoots and blond tobacco) Food Pairing: This exceptional cuvée will enchant your taste buds when paired with fine vegetable ravioli, creamy celery with Cévennes chestnuts Bicentenary Cuvée 200 is a powerful statement from Billecart- Salmon, representing a move away from their tradition of releasing wines that have been perfectly matured and are ready to drink, as this special bicentenary release will benefit from longer ageing.

Kirin Fuji Single Blended Masterpiece Japanese Whisky 700ml is a beautiful single blended whisky from the Fuji Gotemba distillery. They are one of Japan's most popular producers or grain whiskies. The natural environment around Mt. Fuji is blessed with lush forests, crystal clear water, and pure air. FUJI whiskies are delicately fruity and mellow, and have been nurtured over time in this environment, with its unique climate and terroir. Mt. Fuji Distillery is nestled at the foot of Mt. Fuji, 620 meters (2,035 feet) above sea level and 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) from its peak. Since this is a misty area, Mt. Fuji can only be seen about 1/3 of the year, despite being at such a close distance. The high humidity maintained by a year-round blanket of fog, a cool highland climate with a yearly average temperature of 13℃ (55℉), and air purified by the forests at the foot of the majestic mountain has been combining to form its climate and terroir around the distillery. This natural environment, the cool highland climate with moderate temperature changes and high humidity, is ideal for making whisky. Because of this climate and terroir, the whisk(e)y produced at Mt. Fuji Distillery is mellow, and delicately fruity on the palate. Water plays a vital role in high-quality whisky production. With excellent and abundant water being essential, we call its water “mother water,” meaning it is a blessing from Mother Earth. This excellent water source is one of the main reasons why Mt. Fuji Distillery was built at its location. The “mother water” is drawn from the aquifer that runs 100 meters (328 feet) deep underground, where snow and rain that falls on Mt. Fuji is filtered and polished for 50+ years to reach the aquifer. Master Blender Jota Tanaka is formerly of Four Roses Distillery, in fact the Barrels used at Fuji Gotemba are purchased from the same cooperage and the ex-bourbon barrels used for ageing some of the distilleries whiskies are from Four Roses as well. This single blended whisky has been produced using four different stills and includes both malt and grain all grown and produced at the distillery. The blend and includes whiskies up to 30 years old with an average age of over 15 years, there is also a small amount of peated whisky in the blend. The nose is heady with caramel, dark cherry, poached pears, honey and chocolate. The palate leads with sherry, stewed stone fruits and crisp rye spiciness lingering on the finish.

The fall of communism in Hungary saw many new beginnings, and one of note for wine lovers was the formation of The Royal Tokaji Company by wine-writer Hugh Johnson, and a consortium of foreign investors with the sole vision of revitalising the magnificent sweet wines of Hungary. The Royal Tokaji Company today is a benchmark for the noble wines of the region, from their 3 Puttonyos wines at around 60-90 grams per litre of residual sugar through to the intense Essencia at 450-850 grams, they are wines that offer the drinker a unique insight to one of the great wine styles of the world. In truly exceptional years Royal Tokaji selects the finest berries from its finest vineyards and carefully produces a few barrels of Single Vineyard Aszú. 2017 was such a year, just the eighth this century, showing exceptional richness, structure and backbone balanced by lively acidity - a truly volcanic vintage. Summer was hot, so we began the Aszú berry harvest in early September and continued to pick steadily in the ideal autumn weather. In particular October provided three textbook weeks for fine quality Aszú, with day after day of early morning mists, afternoon sunshine and drying winds. The Aszú wines show great structure, plenty of botrytis, depth and freshness with excellent complexity, all attributes of long ageing potential. The excellent Aszú berries with good structure and perfect botrytis were macerated in fermenting must for two days. After pressing and finishing fermentation in barrel the wines were filled into Hungarian oak casks in our extensive, deep underground cellars to mature for over two years. The final blends were carefully crafted in the spring of 2020. Bottled at 203.3 grams of residual sugar per litre. Nyulászó (meaning “a good place to catch hares”) is a celebrated First Growth vineyard overlooking the village of Mád. Its volcanic bedrock is overlaid with rich, brown clay interspersed with lighter rhyolite tuff, consistently producing racy, perfumed, elegant wines with a steely backbone. This wine is lively and elegant, highly perfumed on the nose with ripe peach and apricot on the palate balanced by silky acidity. The finish is long and incredibly complex.

Piper-Heidsieck's roots trace back to Florens-Louis Heidsieck, who created the original company of Heidsieck & Co. Christian Heidsieck joined the venture alongside Guillaume Piper and once Florens-Louis died in 1828, the duo decided to continue the adventure side by side, founding Champagne Piper-Heidsieck. Émilien Boutillat offers a reflection on time with Brut Sauvage 1982 and Hors-Série 1982, presented in the Diptyque 1982 gift box, numbered, and released in a limited edition of 500 boxes. Offering more than a mere flashback, the Chief Winemaker proposes a particularly unique tasting: Émilien Boutillat shares a real reflection on time in his pairing of the two cuvées in one box. A dialogue between two facets of one vintage, of one blend, of one philosophy, revisiting bygone times, each with its own vision. The results of the 1982 harvest are considered amongst the most exceptional ever witnessed in the history of Champagne. The grapes grew under steady weather conditions. The results were irreproachable and the harvest abundant! The grapes, all varieties included, were in excellent condition and stood out for their nesse, equilibrium and grandeur, hallmarks of a great year in Champagne. The fruit of the same vintage, the same blend and dosage, Brut Sauvage 1982 and Hors-Série 1982 each boast a distinctive character, a result of their different ageing processes. There are two ways for a champagne to age: on lees or in a corked bottle following disgorgement. Disgorged in 1992, Brut Sauvage 1982 was cellared on lees for 10 years and cork-aged for 29 years. Hors-Série 1982 spent 39 years on lees before being disgorged in 2022. Tasting the two together offers a truly unique experience as these two cuvées showcase a new perspective on time, revealing different phenomenal sensations and precise generous aromas on the nose and the palate. Hors-Serie 1982 Tasting Note: With a pale golden robe, Hors-Série 1982 being recently disgorged present quite young, luscious notes of mirabelle plums, kumquats, dried pineapple, and fresh quince, with a touch of ginger and earl grey tea. Smoky accents of coffee beans and toast balance out the wine’s minerality. Brut Sauvage 1982 Tasting Note: Harbouring a golden robe and glints of copper, Brut Sauvage 1982 presents a clean, fresh structure and long finish. Initial accents of candied fruits, pastry notes of brioche and frangipane and a touch of vanilla and nutmeg pave the way to warm harmonies of chestnut honey, aged rum and Espelette pepper.

The Michter's "US 1" bottlings are so named to honour Michter’s heritage. The brand was established in 1753 as America’s first whiskey company. Washington and his troops drank Michter’s while they were hunkered down in Valley Forge.