The best new bottles at the LCBO in December

The LCBO is constantly adding new products to its shelves. We tasted our way through the new releases and put together a guide to the best new booze of the month. Here’s what to look for on store shelves in December.

Spirits

Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye

$64.95 | Canada Cask-strength whiskies crank the alcohol content up by a few notches, so plan to mix this sharp and spicy 65-per-cent-ABV version in a cocktail, or pour it over an ice cube. LCBO 14089

Dillon’s Rye Whisky Single Cask

$29.95 | Canada This 100-per-cent-rye whiskey feels spicy and complex on the palate. It’s annual limited release, and would make a great stocking stuffer for anyone who craves local, exclusive bottles. LCBO 478651

Barchef Project The Toasted Old Fashioned

$25.10 | Canada This bottled cocktail from one of Toronto’s most influential bars has a slight floral flourish on the finish, and offers the on-demand convenience of a mixologist-quality cocktail at home. LCBO 546994

Sparkling

Ruinart R de Ruinart Brut Champagne

$88.95 | France Textbook champagne from first sniff to final swallow, it’s one to consider for New Year’s Eve. It’s biscuity, with plenty of lemon, apple and fresh bread crust, followed by mouthwatering, cleansing acidity. Vintages 189878

Whites

2027 Cellars Wismer Vineyard Fox Croft Block Chardonnay 2017

$22.95 | Ontario It’s hard to find a chardonnay with more complexity and more depth, especially at this price point. Peach, pineapple, and orange flavours are all wrapped up with perfectly balanced notes of spice and vanilla. Vintages 421362

Reds

2016 Pirramimma Petit Verdot

$28.95 | Australia Petit verdot isn’t often turned into wine on its own: it’s usually part of the blend for Bordeaux and Bordeaux-style wines. But this bottle, brimming with plush black and blue fruit and a solid acid backbone, is a strong argument for bottling it solo more often. Vintages 986752

2017 Wakefield Jaraman Shiraz

$24.95 | Australia Wakefield wines come through all the time, but this one is special. It’s a mix of Clare Valley and McLaren Vale fruit, with 30 per cent new American oak for “sweetness.” But it’s not sweet: it’s full-bodied with layers of everything that makes shiraz great. Vintages 377036

2016 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon

$89.95 | California Bursting with concentrated dark fruit and mocha, this wine deserves to be cellared for a number of years. It’s rugged with big tannins and built to last. Vintages 708982

2016 Isole e Olena Cepparello

$113.95 | Italy A luxurious Tuscan red to save for a special occasion at least five years down the road. Notes of smoke, mocha, blackberry, plum and Christmas spice lead things off and there’s a long grippy finish. Vintages 025650

2015 Chateau Clarke

$51.95 | France A stunningly good Bordeaux that doesn’t break the bank is a true rarity. This one could be easily given as a special gift or saved for a cold winter night, either this year or any time in the next 20. Vintages 503904

2016 Tenuta di Biserno Il Pino di Biserno

$74.95 | Italy Another age-worthy bottle to gift or save. It has notes of dark fruit, chocolate, black cherry, mocha and white smoke right now, and it should age gracefully. Vintages 218743

Rarities

The Balvenie 26YO Dark Barley Single Malt

$1698.80 | Scotland Twenty-six years is an exceptionally long time to set aside whisky in barrel. After so much time, significant evaporation occurs through porous oak, resulting in an unusually concentrated spirit. This experimental expression is made with dark barley—normally the purview of stout beer—and is rich and smoky, with lifted honey, vanilla and brown sugar notes. For true connoisseurs. Vintages 12311

Want these great bottles delivered to your home? Then check out our TL x Runner storefront.