Rezpiral Agave Artisans & Spirits

Posted on October 30, 2020 in New Arrivals

Rezpiral Agave Artisans & Spirits

Rezpiral is a spirits label, project and fair trade practice that brings beautiful selections of the highest quality traditional artisanal single-batch (non-certified) Mezcals into a handful of places in the USA. At the core of the project is the embrace of an ethos that aims to respect and support the multi-generational knowledge, independence, flavors, lands and ways of each mezcalero family with whom we work. The project upholds quality and value, working from batch to batch, bringing to market an eclectic selection of spirits, each complex and excellent.

Rezpiral’s small scale allows for the advocacy of diversity on different levels, from supporting the autonomy of producers & their continued production of single batch artisanal agave distillates to the preservation of local land control. These ethics seek to contribute to the countering of industrial standardization and cultural appropriation of this family & pueblo produced spirit and culture of excellence.

Ecologically, seeding and planting practice is key to sustainability, autonomy and sustenance, and its something independent artisans have been doing for years. Rezpiral actively supports master artisans in planting and managing agave. Rezpiral believes that the burden of planting and protecting varieties should not fall completely on the shoulders of the artisan campesino, but be shared by the consumer. Our nursery program promotes and practices this idea (see Vivero). Rezpiral also redirects 30% of its earnings back into supporting producer’s farming costs and practices

Rezpiral works with and bottles select small batch (typically between 100 and 250 liter) agave spirits from a handful of traditional farmer artisans of different regions whose spirits hold and emanate their own styles, complexities, agave varietals and terroir. These spirits are made available to states across the USA.

Core producers/partners:

Aureliano Hernandez, San Baltazar Guelevila
Berta Vasquez, San Baltazar Chichicapam
Simeon Ramírez, San Agustín Amatengo
Reina Sanchez, San Luis Amatlan

Past, recently joined or occasional producers/partners:

Abel Martínez, Santo Domingo Albarradas
Eduardo Angeles, Santa Catarina Minas
Ignacio Antonio Santiago, San Vicente Coatlan
Leonardo, San Baltazar Guelevila

2020, series #5, first release: seventeen complex artisanal small batch agave spirits.

From Berta Vasquez of San Baltazar Chichicapam, 45 liters of Mexicano from a 150 liter batch, Tepextate, Espadin, Tobala/Tepextate ensamble (2/3 & 1/3), Cuish and a Cuish/Tobala/Tepextate ensamble.

From Aureliano Hernandez of San Baltazar Guelevila a 130 liter batch of Pechuga de Café, a 400 liter batch of Arroqueño and 200 liter batch of Coyote.

From Abel Martinez of Santo Domingo Albarradas, a 180 liter batch of Jabali/Mexicano, a 2019 180 liter batch of Tobala.

From Simeon Ramirez of San Agustin Amatengo a 100 liter batch of Espadin & Piñuela, a 40 liter batch of Piñuela, a 100 liter batch of Mexicano & Tepeztate.

From Reina Sanchez of San Luis Amatlan, a 200 liter 2018 batch of Tepextate, and Madrecuish.

From Ignacio Antonio of San Vicente Coatlan, a 120 liter batch of Espadin.

Labels in this series were designed with colored pencil, digitalized and printed offset, with silk screen printing.

Additional Resources:
Rezpiral Website
Profit Sharing at Rezpiral
Information on the current series, current and past producers
The agave nursery and educational center of Rezpiral
NY Times article on Rezpiral and other Mezcal reviews

Decoding Sake, a beverage for all Occasions!

Posted on October 19, 2020 in Education

Just like the origin of mead, beer, whisky and wine the origin of sake is unclear. Sake production dates back to at least a 1,000 years, some believe they have been perfecting sake for over 1,500 years.

Sake commonly referred to as Japanese rice wine is produced in a process that has more in common with beer than wine. It is brewed using highly polished sake mai rice, water, a mold called Aspergillus oryzae (also used in the fermentation of soy sauce), and yeast.

There are over 270 varieties of rice cultivated in Japan and about 100 are are explicitly made for sake brewing. Scotland may have about 120 distilleries making whisky and Japan has about 1,500 Sake producers. While 90% of the Scotch produced in Scotland is exported and 20-30% of wine produced in France and Italy, only 3% of Sake produced in Japan is exported. The rest of the world has a lot to catching up to do and learn about Sake.

All Sakes you will ever drink fall into one of main two categories. The pure rice style (called “junmai” in Japanese) or the alcohol-added style (called “aruten” in Japanese). Pure rice sakes are sakes that are made with only rice, water, yeast and koji, with no additives of any kind. Alcohol-added sakes use the same ingredients as pure rice sakes, but they add a small amount of distilled brewers alcohol (a neutral distilled alcohol) to the mash. This alcohol is added to influence the body, aroma and viscosity of the sake. When it comes to milling rice in the case of , the more the sake rice is polished down, the more premium (upto 50% or less of its original weight) and expensive the sake will tend to be.

Introducing Legent Bourbon: Where East Meets West!

Posted on September 16, 2020 in New Arrivals

An unprecedented collaboration between two whiskey legends, Fred Noe and Shinji Fukuyo.

Introducing Legent, a Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey partially finished in wine and sherry casks. This unique bourbon is an unprecedented collaboration between two whiskey legends: Fred Noe, from the founding family of bourbon and Jim Beam’s seventh generation Master Distiller, and Shinji Fukuyo, from the founding house of Japanese whisky and Suntory’s fourth-ever Master Blender.

Fred Noe
Frederick “Fred” Booker Noe III, son of the late great Frederick “Booker” Noe Jr. and great grandson of Jim Beam, is a seventh generation distiller and keeper of a family flame that has burned for more than 200 years. Fred Noe became the Master Distiller for Jim Beam Brands in 2007. Fred Noe was inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame in 2013. Fred has over 36 years of experience in the bourbon industry.

Shinji Fukuyo
In 2009, Shinji Fukuyo became only the fourth master blender at the 120-year-old Japanese distiller Suntory. That means he is responsible for every bottle of whisky that is released by Suntory’s three distilleries in Japan. This includes the Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013, which was named the Best Whisky in the World in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2015. He has over 35 years of experience in the whisky world and being the Master Blender since 2009. He is only the fourth Master Blender in Suntory a company formed in 1989, a tremendous accolade

Together they have developed a truly unique bourbon that is the perfect example of what they do best. Fred used generations of heritage and his own insightful expertise to take Legent from grain to barrel, while Shinji’s imaginative and meticulous blending techniques took it from barrel to bottle.

Legent starts with a historic bourbon recipe from Fred Noe’s family. Legent Bourbon starts with bourbon mash bill (76% corn, 12% rye, 10% malted barley). Every drop is crafted with high-quality grains and calcium-rich, iron-free, limestone water and is aged for at least four years in newly charred white oak barrels.

It’s here that Legent begins to pick up unique flavors from the different casks. Layers of spice and fruity undertones are imparted from the sherry casks, while the red-wine casks lend Legent a light tartness and help punch up the dried fruit flavors.

Shinji Fukuyo takes these distinct, secondary-finished bourbons and meticulously blends them with Kentucky straight bourbon. Blending allows Shinji to balance the different flavors to consistently hit the flavor profile he and Fred originally envisioned.

Three Barrels, One Unique Taste.

Bourbon Barrel Aging.
From these barrels, Legent absorbs char notes and rich, traditional bourbon cues like layers of caramel, oak and vanilla.

Sherry Cask Finishing.
Sherry casks add complex layers of spice, raisin and heavy dried fruit flavor. These casks also help give Legent its deeper, reddish color.

Red-Wine Cask Aging.
French oak wine casks impart different oak notes than traditional white oak bourbon barrels. These red-wine casks also give Legent mild, fruity undertones and a light acidity.
Neat or On The Rocks.

As you drink Legent neat or on the rocks you’ll notice it change quickly as it sits on your tongue. It starts like a bourbon – rich, warm and oaky. Then, like a Japanese whisky, it features both complex layers of dried fruits and spice. Adding an ice cube or two accentuates Legent’s already bright, smooth and unexpectedly long finish.

Buy Legent Bourbon

Irish Whiskey

Posted on September 7, 2020 in Education

Ireland is the birthplace of whiskey. The word ‘whiskey’ (or whisky) comes from the Irish (or ‘Gaelic’) uisce beatha, meaning water of life. Irish whiskey was once the most popular spirit in the world, with a 60% share of the world export market before declining precipitously. In 1835, there were 93 legal distilleries in Ireland. By 1900, there were about 150. However, a combination of factors that included Irish Independence, two World Wars, prohibition in the US, and the failure to adopt Column distilling at an early stage all contributed in decimating this once flourishing industry. In the 1970’s there were only two Irish whiskey distilleries left, with Cooley Distillery coming into being as the third in 1987.

Irish whiskey has recently seen a resurgence and is back on its feet with over 32 active distilleries and many more in the various stages of planning. Irish Distillers is one of the most recognized distilleries and came into being in 1966 through the merger of various Irish distilleries. They produce many popular brands such as Jameson, Powers, Redbreast, Middleton, the Spots (Green, Yellow, Red) and Method and Madness.

There is a lot of variety in Irish Whiskey and much overlap among styles from other countries. The major categories are Blended, Grain, Single Malt and Pot Still. Once the most popular style in the world, single pot still whiskey is a style of Irish whiskey made by a single distillery from a mixed mash of malted and unmalted barley distilled in a pot still.

Leap Year 2020 Sale – Our Largest Sale Ever!

Posted on February 28, 2020 in Sales

We’re running our largest sale ever with over 800 spirits on sale through the end of the month!

All Tequila, Mezcal, Raicilla, Sotol, Bacanora, and Rum is 15% off, all Gin is 20% off, and a curated selection of Whiskies from Amrut, Ardbeg, Arran, BenRiach, Glenglassaugh, Kilchoman, Laphroaig, GlenDronach, and more are discounted up to 22% off! Additionally, all Independent Bottlers are 15% off (in-store only).

Sale ends 11:59 PM on February 29, 2020. First come, first served. While supplies last. Rare and allocated items excluded. Other exclusions may apply. Norfolk Wine & Spirits is not responsible for typographical, pricing, or product information errors.

Mount Gay Rum Tasting at Eagle Brook Saloon with Jason Cousins (February 27, 2020)

Posted on February 19, 2020 in Events

Join Mount Gay National Brand Ambassador Darrio Prescodat and New England Brand Ambassador Jason Cousins at Eagle Brook Saloon in Norfolk, MA on Thursday, February 27th and travel to the beautiful sun soaked Caribbean island of Barbados where Mount Gay (originally Mount Kilboa) has been produced since 1703. Enjoy a welcoming and refreshing rum punch cocktail before exploring various expressions from the distillery paired with a multi-course meal.

Tickets are $48 per person ($39 per person for groups of 4+). Each ticket includes attendance for one adult and a bottle of Mount Gay Black Barrel ($34.99 Value).

Tasting Line-up:

Mount Gay Eclipse (Regularly $29.99)
Mount Gay Black Barrel – New, Reformulated Blend! (Regularly $34.99)
Mount Gay XO – New, Reformulated Blend! (Regularly $64.99)
Mount Gay 1703 Master Select (Regularly $214.99)
Mount Gay XO The Peat Smoke Expression (Regularly $279.99)
Mount Gay Master Blender Collection Pot Still Rum – New Release! (Regularly $189.99)

Dinner Menu:

Caesar Salad/Greek Salad
Jerk Chicken Wings
Assorted Tacos
Grilled Caprese chicken
Fish & Chips
Dessert (TBD)

Click here to purchase tickets. Tasting line-up and menu items subject to change without notice. No refunds. Please inform us of any allergies and dietary restrictions prior to the dinner in order to allow enough time to make necessary accommodations.

Must be of legal drinking age (21+) to participate.

Flash Sale: Arran, The Exclusive Malts & Knappogue Castle!

Posted on February 14, 2020 in Sales

We recently procured an assortment of Scotch and Irish whiskies from Arran, The Exclusive Malts, and Knappogue Castle at closeout prices and now we’re passing the savings on to you! All items listed below are immediately available for purchase at the sale prices, but quantities are limited so act quick!

On Sale Through February 29, 2020:

Arran The Bothy Quarter Cask Batch 1
Sale Price: $64.99 (Regularly: $99.99)

Arran Master of Distilling James MacTaggart 10th Anniversary Edition
Sale Price: $79.99 (Regularly: $114.99)

Arran The Explorers Series Volume One – Brodick Bay – Aged 20 Years
Sale Price: $199.99 (Regularly: $269.99)

The Exclusive Malts – Glen Keith – 1995 – Aged 22 Years
Sale Price: $149.99 (Regularly: $224.99)

The Exclusive Malts – Braes of Glenlivet – 1994 – Aged 23 Years
Sale Price: $149.99 (Regularly: $239.99)

Knappogue Castle Cask Finish Series – 12 Years Old – Marchesi Di Barolo Wine Cask
Sale Price: $59.99 (Regularly: $84.99)

Amrut Whisky Dinner (March 27, 2020)

Posted on January 29, 2020 in Events

The Amrut Whisky Dinner is now SOLD OUT! We look forward to seeing everyone on March 27th!

Join us at Olive & Mint in Foxborough, MA on Friday, March 27th for an evening with Raj Sabharwal of Glass Revolution Imports and learn about the Amrut distillery while enjoying a multi-course meal paired with ultra-premium, highly limited expressions from India’s first single malt whisky distillery.

Tickets are $150 per person ($125 per person for groups of 4+). Each ticket includes attendance for one adult and a bottle of Amrut Indian Single Malt Whisky ($59.99 Value).

Tasting Line-up:

Amrut Greedy Angels Chairman’s Reserve Peated Sherry Finish 10 Years Old
Amrut Greedy Angels Chairman’s Reserve First Fill Ex-Bourbon 10 Years Old
Amrut Greedy Angels Chairman’s Reserve Peated Rum Finish 10 Years Old
Amrut Aatma – Single Cask – Single Barrel – Collector Series – 8 Year Peated Ex-Bourbon
Amrut Aatma – Single Cask – Single Barrel – Collector Series – 7 Year Ex-Oloroso Sherry
Amrut Aatma – Single Cask – Single Barrel – Collector Series – Peated Port
Amrut Special Limited Edition Single Cask (Cask No. 662, “Ailaan-E-Jung”, Selected by Norfolk Wine & Spirits)
Blackadder Amrut Nicaraguan Rum Cask Finish
Blackadder Amrut Sherry Cask Finish

Dinner Menu:

Welcoming Buffet: Artisanal Charcuterie Board, Pakoras, Falafel
First Course: Manchurian Soup
Second Course: Tandoor Cooked Olive & Mint Salmon
Third Course: Braised Lamb Leg
Dessert: Kulfi/Gajar Halwa

In addition to whisky, a welcoming cocktail and red and white wine will be served throughout the evening.

Must be of legal drinking age (21+) to participate.

Limited to 40 attendees!

Robert Burns Supper (January 24, 2020)

Posted on January 17, 2020 in Events

A Burns Supper is a celebration of the life and poetry of Robert Burns (January 25, 1759 – July 21, 1796), a popular Scottish poet. Suppers are typically held on or near his birthday and are known as Robert Burns Day, or more commonly, Burns Night. Join us at Olive & Mint in Foxborough, MA on January 24th for an evening of poetry, music, and a multi-course meal paired with whiskies from around the world.

Robin Robinson and Bikram Singh will be your guides for the night, with Tim Holmes on bagpipes and Gordon Craig reciting poetry.

Tickets are $65 per person ($50 per person for groups of 4+). Each ticket includes attendance for one adult and a bottle of Arran Robert Burns Single Malt ($44.99 Value).

Tasting Line-up:

To Be Announced

Dinner Menu:

Welcoming Buffet: Artisanal Charcuterie Board
Amuse-bouche: Smoked Salmon, Cheese Crostini with Pickled Onion
First Course: Salad (Mixed Greens, Pecans, Red Onions, Blue Cheese Crumbles, Honey Vinaigrette)
Second Course: Minestrone Soup
Third Course: Blackened Salmon, Rice Pilaf or Quinoa, Citrus Beurre Blanc
Fourth Course: Braised Lamb Leg, Sour Cream Mash
Dessert Course: Chocolate Flourless Torte, Strawberries

In addition to whisky, red and white wine will be served throughout the evening.

Must be of legal drinking age (21+) to participate.

Decadent Spirits Tasting (January 11, 2020)

Posted on December 27, 2019 in Events

Start the decade off in spectacular fashion by sampling rare and limited edition spirits worth over $10,000 in retail value!

Tasting Line-up:

Scotch Whisky

Bruichladdich 1984 / 32 Year Old Rare Cask Series – Bourbon: All In ($1,199.99 Value)
Bruichladdich Black Art 1990 – Edition 04.1 – 23 Years Old ($449.99 Value)
Benromach 1974 Single Cask (41 Year Old) ($2,169.99 Value)
Benromach 35 Year Old ($899.99 Value)
Highland Park The Light Aged 17 Years ($309.99 Value)
Highland Park The Dark Aged 17 Years ($309.99 Value)
Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare (Glenury Royal) ($459.99 Value)
Laphroaig Aged 30 Years – The Ian Hunter Story – Book 1: Unique Character ($1139.99 Value)
Balblair 1983 Vintage (1st Release) ($569.99 Value)
The Exclusive Malts – Carsebridge – 1974 – Aged 44 Years ($499.99 Value)
Distiller’s Art – Bunnahabhain – Aged 27 Years ($399.99 Value)
The Girvan Patent Still 25 Year Old Single Grain Whisky ($399.99 Value)

American Whiskey

Heaven’s Door Distillery – Bootleg Series 2019 – Rare & Unreleased 26 Year Old Whiskey Finished in Japanese Mizunara Oak Casks ($599.99 Value)

Taiwanese Whisky

Kavalan Whisky Sherry Cask Single Cask (Cask No. S100303043A, 57.1% ABV, Selected by Norfolk Wine & Spirits, NWG #37) ($229.99 Value)

Australian Whisky

Dram Hunters – Southern Coast Distillers – Distilled 2011 – 7 Years Old (Selected by Norfolk Wine & Spirits) ($300.00 Value)

Wine

Henriques & Henriques – 20 Year Old Madeira Terrantez NV ($149.99 Value)

Water and snacks will be provided.

Tickets are $100 per person. Join us at Session One from 12:00 PM-2:00 PM or Session Two from 4:30 PM-6:30 PM. Tasting line-up subject to change without notice. No refunds.

Must be of legal drinking age (21+) to participate.