Getting into the spirit of
... a quiet night at home
Wine sales are booming under lockdown. With many of our normal forms of evening entertainment still out of bounds, plenty of us have been opening more (and better) bottles at home. If we can't thumb through the wine list at our favourite restaurant, we might pop the cork on something very nice back at home, instead. It's not just wine; some of us are rediscovering past indiscretions at the back of the spirits cupboard (that odd bottle that came back from holiday, somewhere…we've all got one!). Opening spirits doesn't have to mean the slippery slope of heavier drinking; sometimes an after-drink snifter of cognac or a dram of Scotland's finest is just what we need to head off the temptation to broach that second bottle of wine. If your drinks cabinet needs refreshing, we have an immensely fine selection of spirits to offer at Uncorked. Click on the words highlighted in bold for further details of our range of spirits, including comprehensive tasting notes.
Whiskies
Whether you like it peaty or sweet, soft or smoky, we have a whisky to please your palate. When we talk about a single malt, we mean a whisky produced from only one distillery (as opposed to a blended whisky, where the produce of different distilleries has been mixed for a more mainstream style). At Uncorked we go one step further; the cream of our range is a diverse selection of single cask whiskies. These are highly individual whiskies produced from just one barrel at just one distillery. Each barrel is different, and when it's gone it's gone. There are only a few hundred of each of these bottles - and they're not all as expensive as you might imagine. A world of discovery awaits…
Gin
The great spirits phenomenon of recent years has been the new gin craze, with craft gin distilleries cluttering the pavement from here to the Hebrides. We have recently fallen under the spell of spirits mastermind Nicolas Juhles and the unique gins he makes at his Distillerie de Paris. Closer to home (Balham, in fact) Hayman's is a true English classic, a London dry gin that is still family owned and which has been on the scene since 1863. And we love Smeaton's, a modern revival of a Bristol method gin. With all the botanicals distilled separately (and each at their freshest) the result is deliriously attractive aromatics; I've rarely seen a customer who sniffed this gin in the shop and who didn't then go on to buy a bottle.
Cognac
A top-class cognac is one of the finest spirits known to humanity. Frapin is the only Cognac house to own all the vineyards their fruit comes from, and it shows in sky-high quality of their product; they make Cognac in a dark, rich style. Contrast that with Delamain, another very artisanal house who favour a slightly more delicate, floral style. Armagnac is often thought of as Cognac's more rustic cousin, but there are some extremely fine producers here too; just try Loubere.
And more… they don't just make a damn fine gin up at Sacred in Highgate, they also make a beautifully pure vodka. We have bitters and vermouth, Calvados and rum. You may not have heard of cachaca, but thanks to its role in the Caipirinha, it's one of the most consumed spirits in the world. Route all your cocktail enquiries via our former cocktail bartender Colin. /NT
Offered subject to remaining unsold
