Categories
Whiskey

New Arrivals: Lost Prophet 22 Year, Wild Turkey Diamond, Jefferson’s Ocean Aged, Four Roses “Nate’s Barrel”

Hello Bourbon Fans,

The train is back on the tracks, as we’ve got a couple new bourbons for ya. The crowning jewel is probably the new Orphan Barrel Project’s: Lost Prophet 22 year bourbon. It uses a completely different recipe from the other three offerings and is sort of a perfect combination of age, complexity and smoothness. Definitely a little more tannic and oaky than say Barterhouse 20 year but a little more subtle and soft than Old Blowhard 26 year:

-Lost Prophet 22 Year Bourbon: $159.99

The next bourbon is a special celebration of Jimmy Russell’s 60 years as Master Distiller at Wild Turkey. They call it “Diamond”, and utilize specially selected casks ranging from 13 to 16 years old. This bourbon is delicate and perilessly drinkable. With some softer wild flower honey undertones and just the right amount of barrel char in the finish:

-Wild Turkey Diamond Bourbon: $149.99

Another bourbon that has been highly sought after but tough to come by is the Jefferson’s Ocean Aged. This release Introduces a subtle briny-sea air element from being on a ship at sea, it’s said the bourbon also ages faster as a result of the hot-humid climate and the gentle rocking of the boat:

-Jefferson’s Ocean Aged Bourbon: $99.99

And last but not least after so much success with Exclusive Four Roses single barrels I had to grab another “Nate’s Barrel”. Like most of my offerings in the past I went with the higher rye mashbill and fruitier yeast strain. At 11 and a half years old and bottled at cask strength its got an incredible amount of depth and spice, and an exceedingly long and lingering finish:

-Healthy Spirits Exclusive Four Roses Single Barrel OBSF “Nate’s Barrel”: $79.99

That’s all I got, enjoy everyone!

Nate

Categories
Whiskey

New Arrivals: Mortlach 25 year and 18 year, Hibiki 21 year, Oban Little Bay and Bunnahabhain Ceobanach!

Hey All,

With the holidays firmly in the rear view mirror we’re finally starting to catch up with all the new arrivals at the shop. Fortunately we’re not alone in our holiday hangover as industry giant Diageo has just now begun releasing their rare malts and distiller’s editions, offerings that normally hit shelves in November. Way to go Diageo, the most expensive whisky you have will probably sell much better in January. Actually that way of thinking reminds me of the immortal words of Homer Simpson:

Homer: “This year, I invested in pumpkins. They’ve been going up the whole month of October and I got a feeling they’re going to peak right around January. Then, bang! That’s when I’ll cash in.

Some time later…..

Homer’s Broker: “Homer, you knuckle-beak, I told you a hundred times: you’ve got to sell your pumpkin futures before Hallowe’en! Before!

But I guess in some ways that may mean we have first pick of the litter since most shops aren’t looking for the white whales right now. Here are some of the new Scotches and Japanese whiskies:

Bunnahabhain Ceobanach (Batch 1): A new heavily peated 10 year single malt that’s a throw back to the original Bunnahabhain recipe of the late 19th Century. $99.99

Oban Little Bay: Following suit with Laphroaig and dozens of American micro distilleries Oban introduces their first small barrel whisky. For this release they’ve taken fully matured Oban 14 year and finished for a period of time in smaller barrels producing a darker color and richer flavor. $99.99

Mortlach 25 Year: The long wait is over, branded Mortlach is finally available in the US. This single malt has a cult following and has only ever been available in single barrels from Independent Bottlers. The rich-concentrated-sherry forward flavors remind me of distillers like Glendronach, Glenfarclas and Macallan. Mortlach is epic, if you can stomach the price it’s totally worth it. $999.99

Mortlach 18 Year: $349.99

Hibiki 21 Year Japanese Whisky: Has the distinct title of winning best blended whisky in the world at the World Whisky Awards the last four years running. This is possibly the best Japanese whisky ever imported to the US outside of Yamazaki 25 year, and instead of dropping a full rent or mortgage payment on it like you would with the $1,800 Yamazki, Hibiki 21 year retails for the low low price of: $399.99.

Cheers everyone!

Nate

Categories
Beer

Friday to Friday Beer Sale: Midnight Sun Brewing

Castro only beer sale featuring Midnight Sun Brewing Company of Anchorage, Alaska.

Starting tonight 01/16/15 until next Friday 01/23/15 we will have all Midnight Sun Brewing Company 22oz bottles on sale at 15% off (20% off for club members) at our Castro location.

C’mon in and take advantage of this seven day Alaskan beer sale.

Categories
Beer

New Arrivals: Firestone Walker, Clown Shoes, Deschutes, Saint Archer, Bear Republic and more…


New beers are here.

If you follow this blog, you know that we probably sound like broken records at this point with the whole “new arrivals” post every week. Well, ok, maybe its just me then. Anyways, here’s our incomplete new arrivals list.

CASTRO:

James E. Pepper – 1776 Ale
(American Brown matured in Rye Whiskey Barrels)

Bear Republic – Apex
(India Pale Ale)

Red Betty – Gingerhead
(Gingerbread Stout)

Firestone Walker – Opal
(Dry Hopped Saison)

Clown Shoes – The Peace That Money Can’t Buy
(Belgian Style Quadrupel Ale)

Deschutes – The Dissident 2014
(35% ale aged in French Oak Wine Barrels and 65% ale brewed with Cherries)

Saint Archer – Double IPA
(Double India Pale Ale)

Anchor Steam – Brotherhood Steam
(Dry Hopped Beer)

Categories
Agave

New Arrival: Mezcal Tosba

Elisandro Gonzalez was first introduced to me at meeting of agave geeks hosted by tequila critic and enthusiast, Kelly Cash almost two years ago.  He and his cousin produce Tosba Mezcal, a process that’s been a decade in the making.

He shared with me an NPR audio story about their brand so I’m passing on the link right here.

So far I just brought in the Espadin at $76.99.  This Mezcal smells like sweet raisins and Blood Oranges. On the palate I get soft and round flavors of cloves and chai tea.  It has a long finish that dissipates nice and dryly, leaving lingering notes of chocolate malt.  Pairs beautifully with apples, salads, desserts and mixes well with citrus, dry sodas and chocolate bitters.

Categories
Agave

Tequila Alquimia

Hey Fam, Eli here.  I wanted to highlight another family owned brand tonight but since I know the owner, Dr. Adolfo Murillo personally I reached out to him and asked if he wanted to write tonights ‘Tequila highlight’.  So without further ado,
here’s the scoop on Alquima Tequila.

Alquimia Organic Tequila

Our handcrafted Alquimia Organic Tequila is 100 % natural, USDA Certified Organic, and made of 100% blue agave Tequilana Weber. All of our certified organic agave is estate grown on our family ranch in Arandas, Jalisco, Mexico.  We personally supervise all aspects of the growing and harvesting of our agave, as well as the production of our tequila.
 We carefully select the best and healthiest agaves, only harvesting plants that are at their peak of quality and ripeness. Our quality control process demands that we closely monitor the cooking, fermentation and distillation at every single step. This ensures that our tequilas are consistently of the highest quality possible.
 Our project is completely sustainable and eco-friendly. Our tequilas are bottled in specially designed bottles made of recycled glass by a family of glass blowers in Tonalá, Jalisco. All aspects of our artisanal production reflect a proper balance of the old world and the new: a combination of alchemy, modern science, and tradition-rich culture. The making of Tequila Alquimia is just as much an art as it is a science.
 Our tequilas have won a total of 34 gold medals in the past 7 years in the two most prestigious international spirits competitions: the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (where our Reposado and our Añejo were “Best in Class”) and the Chicago Beverage Testing Institute’s International Review of Spirits.  Tequila Alquimia was voted the #1 tequila by GQ Magazine’s men.style.com, and was also voted “Overall Favorite” by Huffington Post.
As a family owned company, Tequila Alquimia allows us to contribute to our communities, both in the United States and in Mexico.  Tequila Alquimia is our vehicle for the promotion of organics and sustainable agriculture. Our organic protocol, which we teach to growers throughout Mexico, is the tool we use to improve the quality of our soils, protect the health of the farm workers and consumers, and make a positive impact on the environment.

We hope you enjoy our tequila as much as we have enjoyed bringing it to you.  SALUD!
Categories
Beer

Friday to Friday Beer Sale: Jolly Pumpkin

Castro only beer sale featuring Jolly Pumpkin from Dexter, Michigan.

Starting tonight 01/09/15 until next Friday 01/16/15 we will have all Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales on sale at 15% off (20% off for club members) at our Castro location. C’mon in and take advantage of this seven day wild beer sale.

Categories
Beer

New Arrivals from Grimm, Mikkeller, Hanssens, Toøl and more…

Happy New Year folks!

Hopefully your New Year’s resolution doesn’t include drinking less beer. You would miss out on all the new stuff we just got in and well, we’d miss you, too. Peep our incomplete list of new stuff below…

CASTRO:

Mad – Sur
(Spontaneous Ale brewed with Yuzu)

Toøl – Sur Mosaic
(Dry Hopped Sour Ale)

Hannsens – Oudbeitje
(Lambic Ale brewed with Strawberries)

Saint Somewhere – Cynthiana
(Farmhouse Ale)

Grimm – Double Negative
(Imperial Stout)

Del Borgo – Prunus
(Ale brewed with Cherries)

Mikkeller – Tiger Baby
(Ale brewed with Mango and Passion Fruit)

Mikkeller – It’s Alive
(Belgian Wild Ale aged in Chardonnay Barrels with Mango Fruit)

Categories
Beer

Friday to Friday Beer Sale: Stillwater Artisanal

Castro Only Beer Sale featuring Stillwater Artisanal.

With the new year here, we thought it would be a good time to clear out some space so that we can bring in the new stuff for you.
Starting now 01/02/15 until next Friday 01/09/15 our Castro location will be discounting all Stillwater Artisanal 22oz bottles by 10% (Beer Club Members get 15%).
Moving forward, we will be featuring a brewery a week at a discount. So stay tuned.
Categories
Agave

Meet the Marqués.

I’m really excited to introduce you to Mezcal Marqués de Jaral De Berrio.  It is made from Agave Salmiana which is a big agave with large droopy leaves.  I had never heard of this varietal but have been doing a bit of research and it seems as if these agaves don’t yield as many sugars as other agaves and because of that, they are seldom used in commercial products.  This is however a very special mezcal made in Guanajuato Mexico.  We brought the Plata and the Reposado in the shop and both are super smooth and are pack very little heat.  The Plata is creamy with delicate vegetal notes reminiscent of sweet brussel sprouts and fresh greens.  The Reposado is barreled just enough to nudge the vegetal flavor in exchange for light accents of vanilla.

Available now at the Castro store for $49.99 & $54.99















Info to geek out on:

Distiller: Daniel Botello

Distillery: Embotelladora Jaral de Berrio SA de CV

Oven: Conic Stone

Fermentation: Inox open containers

Milling: Tahona (large stone wheel)

Distillation: Copper Still (alambique)/2x

Agave Elevation: 6,824′ (Highland)

Soil Type: Sub angular blocky structure, consistency ranging from firm to very firm texture and from argillaceous to sandy loam.  Its origin is colluvial to alluvial, pH of 6 to 7.8

Climate: Semi desert, warm weather with cooler winter season.  Average annual temperature is 16.7 C.  Rainfall is 473.4 ml.

Water: Well (thermal)