The Corti Brothers grocery, which was started by Frank and Gino Corti in Sacramento, CA 1947, has long been at the forefront of the artisan food movement. The store's mission was to do more than just hand people products, but to talk food and wine with them, and this mantra was embodied in Frank's son Darrell, who developed an encyclopedic knowledge of products from around the world. Continuing his father's legacy, Darrell grew Corti Brothers to such acclaim that the LA Times credited the grocery with starting the gourmet-food revolution. In addition to his expertise in food and wine, Darrell Corti has quite a history with whiskey as well. In 1974, he traveled to Kentucky to bottle a special bourbon for Corti Brothers bicentennial, and on two separate occasions in the mid-80s he worked with the Van Winkle family to bottle private selections of Van Winkle Reserve. Now, in the spirit of the burgeoning craft distilling movement, Darrell Corti has partnered with Amador Distillery to create his very own private label whiskey, Corti Brothers Exquisite Whiskey. Corti Brothers Exquisite Whiskey is crafted from just 13 casks of seven year old, Kentucky bourbon whiskey that has been made with a mashbill of 70% corn, 25% rye and 5% malted barley. After seven years of maturation in these new, American oak casks, the whisky is then finished in barrels which previously housed Harbor Winery's Mission del Sole. This practice of double-barreling is common for Scotch whiskies, but relatively unusual for a bourbon whiskey. Afterwards, the whiskey is un-chill filtered and bottled at 90.5 proof. Corti Brothers Exquisite Whiskey has a nose of port and caramelized brown sugar, which leads to a palate filled with bright fruits, port, sherry and oak. The finish is rich and sweet, with more oak and a nice earthy character that lingers.