Balvenie's Curious Casks

Vinyl collectors around the world are always on the hunt for that elusive B-side track, available only as a 45 or demo pressing. As music collectors, many of us covet the rarities from our favorite musicians, as much (if not more) than their standard catalog of albums.

A slight deviation from the expected norm can be thrilling, especially when it offers a deeper and more introspective look at something you truly love and appreciate.

In the case of Balvenie single malt (a whisky we adore here at Mission), their “Collection of Curious Casks” represent the barrels too wonky or outside-the-norm of their everyday expressions to be utilized for standard release. As it pertains to their new 14 year old expression, the whisky is comprised of casks filled directly after Balvenie’s “peat week”—the one week a year that Balvenie distills its smoky whisky.

As it turns out, peat is difficult to get rid of once its in the stills. Hence, some of the distillate produced just after peat week picked up just a touch of that smoke by accident. After 14 years in American oak ex-Bourbon barrels, that subtle hint of phenols is both too smoky for the standard Balvenie, and not smoky enough for the peated Balvenie!

What it is, however, is 100% delicious. Not only is the whisky entirely unique in the Balvenie lexicon, it’s one of the best new single malts we’ve tasted this year. The first sip brings orange cream, loads of toasted vanilla beans, and a thick, mouth-coating texture that is surprisingly decadent for a Bourbon barrel-aged single malt. Those flavors morph into baking spices and roasted nuts with just a touch of campfire smoke on the finish.

It’s hard to remember a whisky from Balvenie that didn’t deliver, as it’s one of Scotland’s perennial overachievers. Yet, this little anomaly was a welcome surprise and its flavors perfectly encapsulate the essence of Fall.

To put it more simply, this is the exact whisky you want to be drinking in October. We think you’re going to love it.

Ardbeg's 17 Year Returns After a 25 Year Absence

When the resurrection of Ardbeg was just getting started (and the committee bottlings were actually only for committee members), it was the Ardbeg 17 year single malt that launched the reputation of the revamped Islay distillery.

Considered legendary by all who remember it, the classic flavors of salt, smoke, peat, brine, and vanilla were in complete harmony, rising to the level of iconic status at 17 years of age. It was a symphony of Islay complexity, whisky fans went absolutely crazy for it, and the response launched a new era of single malt connoisseurship around the world.

Back then, few drinkers knew the story of Ardbeg. Absolutely no one had heard of Dr. Bill Lumsden. Yet, today, Ardbeg is one of the most beloved and famous single malt whiskies in the world and Lumsden just finished helping Beyonce blend her new American whiskey release.

Times have certainly changed, but—when fortune smiles upon us—sometimes it repeats itself.

The release of Ardbeg’s latest committee bottling is a moment many of us have been waiting decades for. Dr. Bill Lumsden spent an incredible amount of time reconstructing the flavors of the original Ardbeg 17 year (down to the exact ABV%) and the result is finally here.

While supplies last, the limited edition Ardbeg 17 year old single malt is finally available again, bringing with it all the complexity of the original. For those who missed out the first time around, now is your chance.

Much like your favorite rock band, there’s no guarantee this show will come back around for a third time.

The Bartender's Handshake

Long before the Negroni cocktail became a global phenomenon and Italian amaro was a household bar staple, Fernet Branca was the bartender’s shot of choice up and down California (also known as “the Bartender’s Handshake.”

With its distinctive herbaceous flavors and slightly bitter finish, Fernet Branca’s appeal as a digestivo has been in place for over 150 years at this point, but its modern renaissance stems from California’s bar scene where it’s said that over 35% of Fernet Branca is consumed globally!

If you’re too old to be taking late night shots at the bar these days (we understand!), you can still enjoy a shot of Fernet Branca at home after a nice meal with your friends and family. Normally $26 a bottle, we’re discounting it down to $19.95 today so that home bartenders can extend their own “handshake” to their loved ones.

If you’re a Fernet Branca lover, it’s time to stock up at our nationwide low price. If you’re new to Fernet Branca, there’s no better time to try a bottle than now!

Highly-Coveted Allocations of Marie Demets Champagne

Ever since Vinous reviewer Neil Martin famously called Marie Demets his “Sparkling Wine of 2022,” we’ve been dying to get our hands on allocations of this micro-production Champagne.

Just this past week, we were able to track down and locate the importer for Marie Demets Champagne here in the states and secure just a handful of cases. Every single grape in these wines is harvested by hand and you can tell when you taste them.

Because of low availability, these wines will not be available for walk-in orders, so please place your orders online in advance.

As Martin wrote in his glowing review: “Pierre Demets is the third generation winemaker who took over the running of the house in 2014, joined by his wife Mathilde three years later. It’s a tiny house in the middle of nowhere, apparently closer to Dijon than Reims. I appreciated its delineation and joie-de vivre. The palate has real weight and race, a vibrant Champagne with a fine edgy, citrus-led opening before subtle white peach, lime and Clementine notes furnish the finish. Prices for this are incredibly reasonable in the present inflationary climate for Champagne, so it is highly recommended!”

We were able to secure allocations of the $50 Brut Tradition and just a few scattered bottles of the $99 single vineyard “La Fôret.”

Not only is the Champagne some of the best we’ve ever tasted, the bottles are just as beautiful. Here’s the breakdown of what makes these wines so special:

Marie Demets Tradition Brut Champagne $49.99

Made with 100% Pinot Noir from 10 hectares of fruit in the Côte de Bars and Gyé-sur-Seine, this Blanc de Noir expression is the definition of elegance. Fine bubbles, elongated minerality, and perfect balance from front to back. This is easily the best $50 Champagne in the store right now (for as long as it lasts!).

Marie Demets “La Fôret” Extra Brut Champagne 2018 $99.99

An absolutely gorgeous Champagne in a stunningly beautiful bottle. Made from 100% Chardonnay from just 0.23 hectares of vineyard, La Fôret isn’t just a single vineyard Champagne, it’s a single vintage. The expression of a particular time and place. 22 months of lees aging gives it richness and weight, but the laser-like acidity and minerality are what immediately draw your taste buds in. Every single grape is hand-harvested and it shows. This wine is clean, delicate, fresh, and lithe on the palate. Lemon peel, mousse, and green apple in utter gracefulness. Do a side-by-side with Dom Perigon and it’s not even close. There’s no Champagne in the store this good at $100. Don’t miss it.

An American Chardonnay Worth Splurging For

Sometimes you taste a wine that truly takes your breath away, so much so that time almost stops, and every sense of your being is focused on just how amazing its flavor is.

We had one of those experiences last week when tasting the 2022 Granville Chardonnay from Koosah Vineyard, a wine that rivals the top Grand Cru of Chablis in terms of freshness, acidity, minerality, and grace.

This is not your buttery, oaky, over-extracted California Chardonnay. This is an up-and-coming label that we think could soon rival some of the best expressions of the Santa Rita Hills in terms of its character and depth. In fact, we’re so over the moon about it, we felt the need to send you this email!

Limited in quantity and absolutely microscopic in terms of production, Granville is a family-owned winery located in Oregon's Willamette Valley, focusing on high-elevation vineyards in the Dundee Hills and Eola-Amity Hills appellations. Founded by Jackson and Ayla Holstein, Granville grows and sources grapes from vineyards farmed with organic and biodynamic standards, thriving on volcanic soils.

The fruit they harvest from Koosah Vineyard is some of the most precious in the entire country. Sitting atop the Eola-Amity Hills, it’s also one of the highest and steepest vineyards in the Willamette Valley. As a result, the cost of harvesting these grapes is set at a premium.

Because so little of this wine is made, we were only able to track down 5 total cases.

As a result, all bottles are only available to order online from our warehouse. If you’re looking to pick up, please use one of the ship-to-store options.

This wine carries our highest possible recommendation. Our only regret is that we couldn’t get more.

2022 Granville Chardonnay Koosah Vineyard $64.99

93 POINTS: VINOUS - The 2022 Chardonnay Koosah Vineyard bursts from the glass with a vibrant array of citrus zest, crushed rocks and sage. This mixes savory and sweet, with ripe nectarine and hints of sour melon catapulted forward by zesty acidity atop a framework of salty minerals. Despite its intensity and girth, the 2022 finishes wildly fresh and long, with a staining of lemony concentration and spice. The high-elevation fruit of Koosah Vineyard is on full display in this young and electric Chardonnay.

A. Overholt Returns to its Monogahela Roots

To explain the full history of A. Overholt rye whiskey would take far longer than we have the space (or the attention span) in this blog, which is why we highly recommend reading Bourbon historian David Wondrich’s article from 2017 here.

For the sake of brevity, however, we’re gonna give you the quick bullet points as to why today’s whiskey offering is so very special:

• The Overholt brand is over 200 years old with production that dates back to 1810, making it America’s oldest continually-maintained brand. Ulysses S. Grant drank it, as did JFK.

• Yet, the brand has languished over the years in the Beam portfolio, eventually winding up in the sub-$20 price point and near the bottom shelf in terms of quality.

• While Beam produces Old Overholt in Kentucky, the brands history dates back to the old days of Pennsylvania rye distillation, or what’s known as “Monogahela” rye whiskey, which accounted for more than a third of America’s whiskey distillation in the 19th century.

• With the resurrection of A. Overholt Monogahela rye whiskey, Beam has returned the Overholt brand to its original mashbill of 80% rye and 20% malted barley, rather than the Kentucky style it had been producing.

With its return to greatness, Beam’s new A. Overholt Monogahela rye is receiving rave reviews from whiskey fans nationally, and it’s classy bottle and old school packaging makes the presentation even cooler.

A. Overholt Monogaleha Mash Rye Whiskey

SirDavis Delivers

Many of us in the industry asked ourselves the same question when we heard rumblings about the SirDavis whiskey project: Beyoncé likes whiskey?

Apparently, not only is Beyoncé a Japanese whisky connoisseur, her family also has a historical tie to moonshining in Alabama. SirDavis is named for Beyoncé’s great-grandfather, who according to family lore was quite skilled at distilling.

How do you tie a love of delicate Japanese blending together with American whiskey history? You team up with one of the best blenders in the world to help you. Beyoncé, together with Ardbeg and Glenmorangie legend Bill Lumsden, created an American whiskey with the finish and grace of a Japanese whisky.

Here’s how they did it:

Using MGP Indiana-distilled rye whiskey with a heavy malted barley component, the resulting blend of barrels is finished in Pedro Ximenez Sherry butts for an exquisitely smooth finish. The mash bill of SirDavis comes in at 51% rye and 49% malted barley, combining the two preferred grains of American and Japanese distillation history.

Perhaps the biggest accomplishment of SirDavis, however, is that it’s a distinctly American rye whiskey that should please a far wider drinking demographic with its intricate flavor and easy-drinking character. The sweetness of the Sherry rounds out the palate without masking the inherent flavors of the grains. Beyoncé knows she can’t rely simply on whiskey geeks to make SirDavis a success: she needed a whiskey the whole world could enjoy.

And we think she’s very much accomplished that here.

SirDavis Whisky $79.95 (limited time offer)

Leopold Bros New Aperitivo Bianco

Todd Leopold isn’t just one of America’s godfathers of craft whiskey. He’s also one of the most amazing innovators in the entire spirits industry, with a dizzying range of elixirs from absinthe to fruit eaux-de-vie, to abstract liqueurs, and more!

In what seems like a never-ending series of amazing new concoctions (seeing they just put out one of the best new Bourbons of 2024 a few months ago), the Leopold Bros are back again with a limited new Aperitivo Bianco created almost specifically for white Negroni cocktails.

Following the success of their Aperitivo Classico, one of the only Campari-like red bitters in the world that doesn’t use artificial flavors or dyes, Todd created the perfect counterpart using individual distillations of marigolds, chamomile, and lemongrass, before adding gentian root for bitterness and a bit of cane sugar for sweetness.

The result is a spirit that can make a dynamic cocktail with just simple soda water, but brings out the gusto in its true intention: the white Negroni. All you need is gin and some bianco vermouth (not dry vermouth) and you’ve got everything you need for the perfect mix.

Due to the immense popularity of the Aperitivo Bianco at the distillery store in Denver, Leopold Bros hasn’t been able to produce enough for national distribution at this point, so supplies have been limited as a result. We managed to snag 60 bottles for today’s email, but it may be a while before we can order more.

We tried mixing it with their incredible Orange Blossom Cordial, as that spirit can stand alone at 40% ABV, and it was utterly divine. Bravo to Todd Leopold and team!