Brugal Rum Andrés Brugal

When a band feels it has created the ultimate statement, releasing an album which encapsulates its character, it tends to go eponymous: The Beatles by the Beatles (“the white album” is a description, not the title); Blur by Blur; Fleetwood Mac’s second Fleetwood Mac. Brugal Rum has done the same with the release of Andrés Brugal. However, it is destined to be a cult favourite rather than a chart topper, since only 460 copies have been pressed, with 30 available in the UK. (We have actually done pretty well – there are only 50 available in the US!)

Andrés Brugal is bottled in a hand-blown crystal decanter and housed in a display cabinet which is reminiscent of the presentation cases the Brugal family would use when travelling the world selling their rum a century ago. It also features a map of the world back in 1888, when Spaniard Don Andrés Brugal and his sons established a sugar cane plantation in the Dominican Republic (more than 50 years after the abolition of slavery in the country, to be clear).

The case – made from American oak, just like the casks in which Brugal ages – unfurls into what is known in the bar trade as a glorifier, a mirrored plinth to show off the liquid in the decanter.

Created by the aestra ronera Jassil Villanueva Quintana, it is quite the liquid to glorify. She has blended two double-aged reserves with first fill single casks to create rich, warm amber liquid which finely balances complex sweetness with earthy and spicy flavour notes.

The sweet flavours – dulce de leche, buttered fruit cake – hit you on the nose, along with fresh ground coffee or cacao nibs. And it continues onto the palate: crème caramel (or flan, in the context) and vanilla, as you’d expect from American oak ageing, but surprising spikes of red fruit, peppercorns and cloves, with a dry, woody finish.

Andrés Brugal’s deep, warm and radiant amber liquid boasts rich, balanced notes of roasted coffee beans and freshly harvested Cacao, layered gently with the sweet fragrance of homemade dulce de leche fudge and the buttery softness of Dominican rum cake. On the palate, an enchanting combination of oak, vanilla bean and sweet caramel flan dance together in harmony, and are complimented by fresh ripe berries, delicate notes of aromatic black peppercorns and sweet cloves. The silky, long-lasting dry finish is intensely rich with warming, woody spices.

Brugal says that this is the first in a series of special, limited-edition rums. Often, those self-titled albums marked a restart as much as a culmination (The Beatles post-Pepper hysteria; Fleetwood Mac adding Stevie Nicks and Lyndsay Buckingham to their line-up; Blur moving beyond Brit Pop), so it is exciting to see Brugal move into the ultra-premium rum category and to experience its Abbey Road, Rumours or 13.

Brugal Rum Andrés Brugal, £2,200

Hine Bonneuil 2012

Hine is one of Cognac’s smaller producers – 40,000 cases a year is less than one per cent of the production of some of the larger houses – but punches well above its weight in recognition, largely due to its quality. Maître de chai Éric Forget is a relaxed and playful character but is laser-focused on his winemaking. And he does view himself as a winemaker first and foremost.

Hine Cognacs are made only from grapes grown in the Grande and Petite Champagne crus (where the chalky soil is similar to the northern sparkling wine region of the same name). But, where some houses aim only for the refinement that eaux de vie from the heart of Cognac can provide, Hine’s cellarmaster attempts to strike a balance between that elegance and something more characterful.

One of Forget’s tactics to achieve that is to distil with the lees – the yeast that has already done its job in fermentation can add more complexity to the spirit. Another is that Hine does not use the traditional local Limousin oak for its barrels to age its eau de vie until it becomes Cognac. Forget feels that variety conveys too much tannin into the brandy so sources oak from further north, where they grow taller and develop a finer grain. He believes this leads to more delicate aromas, as does the light toasting of the barrels, as opposed to a full charring.

Normally, like a single malt whisky, Cognac will be blended from different years’ production to ensure consistency, with an age statement based on the youngest spirit (albeit less specific: VSOP, over four years; XO, over 10 years; and so on). Occasionally, while there is no such thing as a declared vintage year in Cognac, there are wines produced in undeniably good years that lend themselves to the vintage treatment. Hine has a particular vineyard in the Grande Champagne cru that reaches the heights in certain years and, when it does, the house releases its Bonneuil single estate vintage.

Domaines Hine’s 80-hectare vineyard is in ideal limestone terroir in the village of Bonneuil, south of Jarnac. It is an area of High Environmental Value, so it is cultivated with certified sustainable methods. Hine has released a limited-edition Bonneuil (usually only around 15 casks-worth – only a few hundred bottles) from 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2010 – and each has had a distinct flavour profile, reflected in the colour chosen for the packaging each time. The 2012 is probably the most “Christmassy” edition yet… as the golden-brown colour code suggests, it is all nuttiness, tobacco and coffee earthiness and sweet pastries. Smooth and soft, it’s a real post-dessert treat and an unexpected bargain.

Hine Bonneuil 2012, £95

Hibiki Blossom Harmony

It’s not exactly cherry blossom season but this special release from Japan merits a taste any tome of year…

While all whisky (no matter the spelling) has to be aged in oak, it is allowed to rest in other woods at the end of its maturation to give it an unusual remix. As the non-oak finish trend has grown in recent years, several makers have tried to work with cherry wood, with its promise of floral delights. But it is notoriously difficult to get right – the wood effect can be overbearing. Given the cherry blossom’s revered place in Japanese culture, it is fitting that it would be Suntory that nails it with Hibiki Blossom Harmony.

Hibiki’s chief blender Shinji Fukuyo experimented with the sakura (as the wood is known in Japanese) effect on the different ingredients realised that the answer was to leave the malt whisky elements alone. Instead, the previously unremarkable Chita grain whisky base is elevated to a spicy, sassy band leader, but allows the different malt whiskies their moments to shine too.

Hibiki Blossom Harmony, £175

Maestro Dobel Añejo

For tequila lovers, we are including this recent UK release as a “special”, because it has only just hit these shores after years of anticipation, and it is only available at Selfridges initially.

Añejo tequilas must be aged for between one and three years. To a whisky drinker, this may not seem long but bear in mind the different effect of the Jalisco meteorology to that of Speyside weather. Not all Añejos are the same – they can lose some of the more interesting notes of the original agave character and just take on wood notes. Juan Domingo Beckmann and his maestros tequileros have learned from 10 previous generations of tequila makers and perfected a blend of different ages within the bracket to create what many would view as the ultimate Añejo.

The amber glow is a visual foretaste of the rich intensity to come… smooth and nutty with vanilla notes but with highlights of orchard and tropical fruits, enough herby and vegetal notes to maintain its agave authenticity, and just a whispering wisp of smoke to chase. It has a long but refreshingly dry finish that tends to lead to a second pour. At the price, though, it offers remarkable value as a premium aged spirit.

Maestro Dobel Añejo, £79.99

X Muse Reveal Series x Pablo Bronstein

And, for those who prefer their spirits clear… Jupiter Artland sculpture park, near Edinburgh, is the spiritual home of this, the first vodka made from a blend of Scottish barley varieties. One of the philosophies behind X Muse is “art thinking”, hence this, the first of an annual limited edition of the vodka, the Reveal series.

X Muse commissioned London-based Argentinean artist Pablo Bronstein to create a unique Christmas gift box inspired by his unconventional approach to the history of architecture. Bronstein loves exploring the performativity of design and this packaging is a dynamic two-handed play between Gothic and Chinoiserie elements. It echoes his Jupiter Artland installation Rose Walk, which features two follies with juxtaposed styles connected by a rose garden.

A strategic cut-out offers a glimpse into the vibrant design of the bottle, which itself resembles the majestic landscape sculpture Cells of Life by Charles Jencks (yes, another tie to the sculpture park).

The X Muse Reveal Series x Pablo Bronstein Gift Box is on sale in Harvey Nichols and at Selfridges priced at £55