A couple of new purchases just to run up the balance on my 2% cash-back Costco Executive Membership card before the end of the year... The first is probably a shoe-in for the always-fun Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2008, the lead-up to which should start in a couple of weeks:
"Smart Buys: A seductive and vigorous Zinfandel, with smoky black cherry and blueberry aromas and youthful wild berry, sage and cracked pepper flavors that have a lingering finish and zesty tannins. Drink now through 2012. 68,000 cases made."
~~ Tim Fish, Wine Spectator Advance for 12 December 2008 issue
And, (don't laugh!):
Kirkland Signature (by Alexander Murry & Co.), Macallan Distillery Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 18 Years Old (distilled 1989), with Sherry Cask Finish
Kirkland is the Costco house brand. Apparently this is new-make whiskey ('scuse the Irish spelling!) from Macallan, barrel-aged by Andrew Murray for 18 years in bourbon casks and 6 months to finish in sherry casks. The real thing, The Macallan 18 Years Old (several versions), one of the best Speyside single malts, usually retails for a lot more than $80. From the bottle:
"...dark in color with hints of honey, spice, clove and peat on the nose, and displays flavors of sweet sherry, caramel and hints of orange. With a long elegant finish, this scotch is perfect as an after-dinner drink."
Sounds odd, I know, but private labels have a long tradition in Scotland and Ireland (Green Spot Irish Whiskey from Mitchell & Son of Kildare Street in Dublin is a favorite example of mine). From the Wall Street Journal:
"Plenty of chatter on Web bulletin boards has questioned whether the Kirkland malt could be proper Macallan whisky -- perhaps, some speculated, this was a batch gone wrong that the distillery offloaded at a discount. Not so. It was just that 20 years ago, Macallan had excess capacity. "We were still producing more liquid than we could sell," according to Patricia Lee in Macallan's marketing department. "We sold the surplus new-make spirit to independent bottlers to store and bottle in their own time under their own label."
Bought a few for Xmas gifts (and one for me!)...
[Not counting the 2%...Seghesio: Costco, $16.79; release, $24. Macallan: $79.99; The Macallan 18 year old Sherry Oak, ~$140.]
Note added in proof: The Seghesio was #10 on Wine Spectator's "Top 100 Wines of 2008" list, although a controversial choice if one pays attention to the online commentary on the ebob forum.
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