Ron Zacapa CentenarioThe iconic Britto’s restaurant in Goa calls it ‘the best rum in the wold’. That’s a tall claim and yet, the Ron Zacapa is quite deserving of the title, being ranked first by the prestigious Beverage Testing Institute in Chicago. It’s made using “virgin sugar cane honey”, the company claims, and matured anywhere between 6 to 23 years. Yamazaki 18-Year-Old WhiskyDispel the notion that great single malts must be crafted in Scottish glens with this award-winning Japanese single malt. The sherry, oak and citrus notes keep you coming back for more. Dalmore King Alexander III WhiskyThe imposing pewter stag should be enough to make you buy this bottle. If not, buy it for the rich, fruity Highland single malt that’s matured in wine, Madeira, sherry, marsala, Kentucky bourbon and port casks. Old Monk The LegendThis sweet, vatted 7-year old rum might be too commonplace to make a memorable gift, unless you can get your hands on the Old Monk The Legend bottle.

Rumour has it that the bottle is shaped like the head of H.G. Meakin, the company’s founder. With the brand continuing to be clouded by uncertainty, these bottles are only going to become that much harder to find. Paul John Whisky BrillianceAmrut isn’t the only Indian contribution to the world of single malts. The Paul John distillery from Goa is a relatively newer entrant on the scene yet their single malts have been ranked higher than Laphroaig and Glenmorangie by Jim Murray, publisher of the annual Whisky Bible. Brilliance is an unpeated blend with notes of vanilla, honey, coconut and black pepper and ginger to finish. Charosa Reserve Cabernet SauvignonThis may be a budget buy but Charosa Wines are serving up strong competition to the market leader Sula. Try the Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from their cellar, it’s a full-bodied red with rich aromas of ripe fruits like plums and raspberries. Royal Salute Festive Pack Chivas produces more sophisticated whisky today, but the Royal Salute 21 years was the Scotch that started it all for the Chivas Brothers.

A blended Scotch which includes no whisky younger than 21 years, the deep amber spirit surprisingly has a Champagne smooth silky finish with notes of vanilla, toffee and old oak. Available now in a spanking new limited edition festive gift box designed by British designer Tom Lane, just in time for booziest festival of the year. Rs 14,900 (Delhi) and Rs. 20,000 (Mumbai) The Ardmore Legacy Launched this month in India, Beam Suntory’s The Ardmore is the hottest new single malt in town. A slightly peated, sweet dram, The Legacy captures both the floral notes of Speyside and the lightly peated notes that are more common to the coastal Highlanders. Keeping things uniquely traditional, it is made with 80% peat and 20% unpeated malt, unlike other heavily peated options in the market — perfect if ash isn’t a thing your friend wants lingering on his/her tongue. Rs 4,100 (Delhi) and Rs 3,200 (Haryana) Image: Wake n Bake Cocktail cupcakes For that friend who likes a sweet treat but still wants to keep it boozy at your Diwali taash party.

Try these signature cocktail cupcakes by Delhi’s Wake and Bake; available in chocolate whisky toffee, Kahlua Tiramisu, and Chocolate and Bailey’s, and more. wine and beer price listThe cherry here is the 10 ml alcohol shooter that’s stabbed into each alcohol-soaked treat.books on wine marketing Wall-mounted liquor dispenserFor that friend who doesn’t ever need a reason to throw a party, this little contraption will take his/her next shindig to a whole other level of epic. top wine retailers in usaThe dispenser holds four bottles, neatly measuring out 1.5 oz (approximately 45ml) shots each time. new world wine strategy

All you need to do is prep the lemon and salt.1. York Sparkling Cuvée BrutJust a few months after this baby hit the market, it’s raked up rave reviews. best wine with turkey 2016The York Sparkling is made of one hundred per cent Chenin Blanc, a grape variety that the wine house has always worked well with (their still Chenin Blanc makes for a lovely glass as well). best wines to help you sleepThe nicest thing about this sparkling wine is that the owners – the Gurnani brothers – have retained a fair bit of fruit while still managing to make a dry sparkling wine. what time can you buy wine in vaThis will be the Brut to beat in the coming year.buy dry red wine

Cost: Rs 975 in Maharashtra 2. Zampa Soirée Brut RoséWhen it comes to a sparkling wine, there are two main things to look out for – the quality of the effervescence and the overall balance of the wine. top selling us wine brandsThis one scores high on both counts. The blush-coloured bubbly is made from the Syrah grape and has a refreshing palate of red cherry and hints of strawberry with a creamy mid-palate. Cost: Rs 1100 in Maharashtra 3. Charosa Selections Sauvignon BlancThis Nashik-based winery debuted their wines in 2013 and has had everyone floored since. Among the whites, they produce an ace Viognier but it’s their Sauvignon Blanc that hits it out of the park. In fact, the Charosa Selections Sauvignon Blanc has outdone some well-reputed New Zealand and Australian wines in blind tastings. Cost: Rs 750 in Maharashtra 4. Fratelli Sangiovese BiancoPiero Masi, the well-known Tuscan winemaker, is the man largely behind the success of Fratelli’s wines.

Their range is extensive but this one is by far the most peculiar. The Sangiovese Bianco is a white wine made from red grapes. As you can imagine, it’s not an awfully easy task. Because you’re left with a crisp and fresh white wine with the vigour and body of a red one and that, if done right, can be a winning combination. An unusual wine by all measures, Fratelli’s Sangiovese Bianco is a wine you either love or hate. It’s a rarity even by international standards. Cost: Rs 880 in Delhi 5. Krsma Sangiovese As a wine house – which would probably fit into the ‘boutique winery category’ – Krsma Estates in Hampi makes some of the best wines in the country. Producing quality wine in India was a dream for Hyderabad-based owners Uma and Krishna Prasad Chigurupati (along with running a marathon in every continent for which they hold the Guinness World Record) which was realised in 2003. Among the wines they produce, their Sangiovese is particularly impressive with fulsome notes of dark chocolate, warm spices and nuts.

Available only in Bangalore 6. Charosa Reserve TempranilloTempranillo is likely to be the next big grape on Indian soil and this is probably why: It is most suited to hot climes and the people at Charosa have used this fact to their advantage. Their first vintage of the Reserve Tempranillo was so outstanding that it has inspired other wineries in the region to experiment with it. Cost: Rs 1700 in Maharashtra 7. Zampa Chêne Grande ReserveChêne, meaning oak in French, is the new red blockbuster from the house of Grover-Zampa. It is a blend of Tempranillo and Syrah and aged for 15 months in oak making it more of a New World style exploit – decidedly dominant and unabashedly oaky. Long after the sip, one can still recollect the taste of toasted coffee on the palate. It is a bold wine and, going by the international awards it has won so far, well-liked not just on home turf. 8. Fratelli Sette (2011)Sette is the most premium among the reserve wines from the house of Fratelli.

Sette, meaning seven in Italian, alludes to the men behind the winery. Three sets of brothers – the Mohite-Patils, the Sekhris and the Seccis – and the winemaker Piero Masi make for a total of seven. The current vintage 2011 is a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon and is elegant and beautifully balanced. Cost: Rs 1800 in Delhi 9. Myra Reserve Shiraz This wine coming out of Nashik is perhaps the friendliest and most unassuming of the wines bearing the ‘Reserve’ label. It is also the most affordable of the lot but given how the word Reserve isn’t quite governed by any formal law yet, it remains open to interpretation. The Myra version shows notes of ripe red fruit with generous amounts of vanilla from the oak, making for an elegant wine that is quite approachable. Cost: Rs 800 in Maharashtra 10. Sula Dindori Reserve Shiraz Dindori by Sula was the first wine to use the name of a region on its label, so in a way it was almost like a single-vineyard wine.