Narrowing 2008's new distilled spirits down to 10 was an extremely difficult task. There are so many great liquors out there now and I had to make some very tough decisions, leaving out some of my other favorites. The way this list ended was to display some of the best of the best in the competitive markets and I attempted to give examples of the major categories being explored by distilleries this year. Trends of the year seem to be leaning toward organic, "green" production, special aging, and those controversial caffeinated spirits. If 2008 was this good, 2009 should hold some equally intriguing newbies.

There have been many vodkas released this year and Cape North made the top of my list because of its exceptional smoothness. Made from French golden wheat and Swedish spring water, this vodka is perfect for all vodka cocktails, especially those that accent its citrus and vanilla notes. To show off this spectacular vodka, signature cocktails like the Basil North and Beautiful Boat are ideal.

The Bottom Line
What has been available in Europe for quite awhile has now hit the U.S. market. Okay, so at this time, Cape North Vodka is only available in the Northeast, but it's close enough and worth hunting down. This premium wheat vodka is exceptionally smooth and makes a great base for some equally exceptional cocktails. Cape North has a little bit of everything, including the distinction of being distilled from golden French wheat, cut with Swedish spring water and delicious citrus and vanilla notes.

Guide Review - Cape North Vodka
Cape North is a delightful addition to the vodka market and a truly international, well-crafted spirit. The vodka is distilled five times in copper pot stills from 100% golden wheat from the Bourgogne region of France, filtered in a ceramic system and blended with imported, fresh spring water from Sweden. The result is an ultra smooth, premium vodka worth getting your hands on.

I have to say Cape North is an impressive mixer in every vodka cocktail I tried it in. The artistry of the vodka is also seen in the signature cocktail collection on the company's website. Cocktail like the Basil North, Beautiful Boat and Cape Samurai are just a sampling of the stunning creations of some of Europe's most innovative bartenders and represent the creative concoctions that are possible when working with such a well-designed spirit.

Tasting Notes:
Cape North holds citrus and faint vanilla notes in the aroma. The palate is exceptionally smooth and watery, continuing with the vanilla and citrus and adding a ever-so-slight hint of chocolate. The finish is substantially long, clean and pleasant.

Pros:
An exceptionally smooth wheat vodka.
Excellent straight, chilled or mixed.

Cons:
Very limited availability.

Description:
Distilled from golden wheat from Bourgogne, France and blended with Swedish spring water.
Small-batch, premium vodka distilled five times in copper pot stills.
Retails for around $39/750ml bottle
40% alc/volume (80 proof)

Colleen Jean Graham

Screaming Eagle Winery and Vineyard
Screaming Eagle is one of Napa Valley's smallest wineries, and a California cult wine favorite. The little stone winery (a 12- by 18-foot stone building off Silverado Trail) is perched on a rocky hillside in the Oakville Appellation overlooking the vineyard planted in Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The wine is aged in 65% new French oak barrels in a small cave for almost two years. Annual production is approximately 500 cases with most wine sold directly to consumers via a mailing list, however you can buy it here.
The winery was founded in 1989 with its first release of approximately 200 cases of the 1992 vintage. Owner Jean Phillips, who purchased the 60-acre property in 1986, along with wine maker Heidi Peterson Barrett have created a cabernet sauvignon that is sought after by collectors and wine lovers alike, these hard to find wines are often available only in limited quantities.

In March of 2006 the winery was sold to Charles Banks, a money manager for NBA players and other athletes, and Stanley Kroenke, owner of the Denver Nuggets and the Colorado Avalanche hockey team. The new owners have announced that they have hired famed vineyard manager David Abreu to replant some of the vineyard. It appears that they are also hiring a new winemaker - Andy Erickson. Andy has worked at Stag's Leap Wine Cellars and Staglin Family and is currently making wine for Hartwell and Arietta. He also has his own wine label Favia. Heidi Peterson Barrett will stay on to complete the vintages she has started through 2005.

In 2001 at the Napa Valley Wine Auction a collector paid $650,000.00 (US) for eight extremely rare 3.0L bottles of Screaming Eagle Wine spanning from 1992 to 1999.

Credit Crunch! What Credit Crunch?

Thanks to the guys at Whyte & Mackay, who it seems are big fans of the site, this is the first time you will be reading about this rather special new whisky, anywhere! If you?ve recently been considering downgrading your vehicle for a cheaper and more cost efficient alternative or have been convincing yourself that two weeks in Tenby is just as much fun as a couple of weeks on Necker Island then this newly available 50 year old expression of The Dalmore, which contains whisky first distilled 140 year ago, is probably not the tipple you?re looking for. If however you appreciate The Dalmore, a brand which has long been recognised by malt lovers as a true Highland malt and which was deemed so exceptional by one un-named businessman in 2005 that he purchased a bottle of 62 year old for £32,000, then you will no doubt be excited by this exclusive new release.

Imagine enjoying a liquid which began life before the car, the telephone or the electric light, a whisky which was maturing quietly before the Eiffel Tower was built and the Statue of Liberty erected. The Dalmore Master Distiller Richard Paterson, a huge and internationally renowned character who has even had a Japanese anime magazine dedicated to him, describes this unique liquid as ?soft and elegant? and states that it will reward the drinker with a ?multitude of complex flavours that linger in the mouth?. Tasting of orange peel and liquorice initially, the ancient and refined liquid slowly reveals added touches such as crushed almonds and cinnamon.

Or so we are led to believe (thanks to it?s obscene exclusivity we?re still dreaming of getting a chance to try it ourselves), given the age of this malt the value placed upon this rarest of whiskies suggests a retail price in the region of £700 per 10cl unit, the equivalent of around £5,000 for the usual full size 70cl bottle, or up to £800 a dram in a prestigious outlet. Only 191 hand blown Portuguese crystal decanters are being released, something that leads Mr Paterson to declare ?My advice would be to buy two decanters. Drink one and enjoy drinking a whisky steeped in flavour and history, and then watch the value of the one you keep grow and grow.?

And that?s the beauty of this exclusive whisky, the rare and vintage whisky market is something which is growing hugely thanks to emerging economies such as Russia, China and India and if you?ve got the money then this could be a huge investment, god knows in these times it?s probably a lot more sound than it will be humping a few grand into one of the world?s largest banks, and with this kind of investment we?re sure it will be a lot more fun too. Just be careful not to drink your profits!

Perrier-Jouët, will be launching the first tailor-made champagne in history: a Perrier-Jouët cuvée made by and for you alone. A mere one hundred people around the world will enjoy the exclusive privilege of a champagne experience devoted solely to them, over the course of an exceptional day at Perrier-Jouët?s headquarter?s the Maison Belle Époque, which has never opened its doors to the public.
Guided in person by Hervé Deschamps, the Maison?s 7th Cellar Master in a lineage dating back two centuries, the fortunate few will have the unprecedented opportunity to create their ?own? personal cuvée in the privacy of our Épernay"

Perrier-Jouët By & For is much more than simply a prestige cuvée ? it is a uniquely bespoke luxury experience which incorporates.

Go get your guns to protect yourselves against this double shooter from Ardbeg.

This beauty bottling of the Ardbeg 1974 is definitely something to die for.

The package contains:

- Two single cask bottles of Ardbeg 1974 ? the oldest and rarest Ardbeg

- Eight sterling silver Hamilton & Inches drinking cups

- A bespoke oak and sterling silver Omas pen, complete with detailed Ardbeg engraving

- Two hand-stitched leather-bound books ? a ?Sampling Register? with full tasting notes of the 1974 cask bottlings and ?Double Barrel?, a quirky miscellany of Ardbeg single malt and shooting traditions

Only 250 of these exquisite cases exist anywhere in the world -The ultimate in luxury for the ultimate Islay Malt.

Price: £10000 and it?s available in the Ardbeg online shop among other places.

Ardbeg has launched a small slideshow on it?s website to pay tribute to this beauty.

Coffret with 6 bottles of Dom Perignon and 3 glasses. You can buy it on Harrods for 70.000 Pounds.

2005 Pininfarina Napa Valley Vino Rosso

The 2005 Pininfarina Napa Valley Vino Rosso is a great expression of the character of the Napa Valley. The aromas start off with a hint of vanilla and nutmeg spice, which quickly gives way to black currant and raspberry aromas which meld with background aromas of ripe blueberries and a hint of violets. In the mouth, the first impression is of concentrated fruit, particularly black currants and blueberries. The tannins are ripe, sweet and chewy, giving the wine a very generous depth and structure, without harshness. This balance of fruit and ripe, fat tannins is one of the hallmarks of the best Napa Valley wines. The finish is smooth and elegant, with enough tannin to suggest good ageability.

The 2005 Vino Rosso is perfectly accessible for current enjoyment, however, it will really start to show its prime between 2010 and 2012. For those with the proper cellaring conditions, and a generous bit of patience, the ultimate peak for this wine will probably be between 2017 and 2021.

For food pairings, try something based on game fowl; such as a duck confit, or slow roasted pheasant with a demi-glace. Another great combination is the traditional Milanese veal osso buco, served with a saffron risotto.

Vintage: 2005
Appellation: Napa Valley
Varietal Composition: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon,
29% Cabernet Franc, 6% Sangiovese, 5% Petit Verdot
Production: 1,125 cases [9L]

Midnight Gold: A Match made in Gold. For 2008 end of year, Moet & Chandon remains true with its spirit of celebration and Luxury. Thanks to Camille Toupet, a talented French designer who has already worked with legendary brands as Louis Vuitton, Dupont, Boucheron, Loewe and more. Moet & Chandon gives the Brut imerial bottle an irresistible and very exclusive case. Its name: Midnight Gold.

Guided by the sensibilities of Swedish contemporary design, the bottle was sculpted to represent luxury, tradition and culture with the goal of uniting form and function. The technical requirements, a screw cap, used to eliminate the risk of inuences from organic cork, and the bottle?s form with a superior ability to retain the cold. The latter was attained by a chamber of thicker material.

Cape North has earned worldwide recognition of its quality and distinctive taste.

The Gin category has just gotten a heavy dose of sex appeal directly from London with the entry of BULLDOGTM Ultra-Premium Gin. BULLDOGTM carries an exotic mélange of botanicals, including Poppy and Dragon Eye, giving it incredibly seductive fruit and citrus notes.

BULLDOGTM was founded by Anshuman Vohra, a former JP Morgan Investment Banker and David Kanbar, an industry veteran from Skyy Vodka and the owner of Bambu Ultra-Premium White Rum, who with his expertise in developing spirits brands, was enlisted to help make the vision a reality.

BULLDOGTM was engendered out of Mr. Vohra?s quest to create the ultimate Dirty Gin Martini and G & T (his favorite cocktails). In fact, the botanicals in BULLDOGTM were selected specifically out of this relentless pursuit.