Four Autumnal Recommendations from Vessel Liquor to Enjoy This October

The Goods from Vessel Liquor

Since opening doors in December 2015, Vessel has become Victoria’s hub for all things wine, beer, spirits, cider, and the conversation and culture surrounding them. Our locally-owned, independent company was built around supporting authentic products and producers, from our BC backyard and from around the globe.

Awarded Best Liquor Store in Victoria (five times!), Vessel remains even more committed to serving the community. In 2022 we greatly expanded the footprint of our store, allowing for hundreds more listings. And in 2023, we expanded provincially, with an extensive new website and online store, allowing customers from across BC to shop Vessel from home.

It’s the season of decorative gourds, friends! Here are our top peak Autumn picks for October:

MADE IN BC

Driftwood Brewery Sartori Harvest Fresh Hop IPA, Victoria, BC. $5.99 / 473ml

It’s fresh hop season, and this is one of the finest ways to enjoy it. This wet-hopped IPA can only be brewed once a year when, amidst the hop harvest, fresh Centennial hops are spirited from Sartori Cedar Ranch near Chilliwack to the Victoria brewery to make this citrus pine bomb. Find it online.

MYTHIC MONK MAGIC

Green Chartreuse, France. $49.99 / 375 ml

The Carthusian monks have been making this French alpine liqueur since 1605, and the mystical elixir, designed to prolong life, is a blend of 130 different herbs, plants, and flowers. The recipe is so secret (beyond the vow of silence) that only three living people know the full procedure. A couple of years ago they decided to limit production even further, making this glowing green gem even harder to find. We’ve got some, and it’s limited to one bottle per customer. Find it online.

SERIOUS CAVA

Juvé Y Camps Reserva de La Familia Cava Gran Reserva Brut Nature 2019, Catalunya, Spain. $34.99

One of the most serious, traditional, and authentic Cava producers, Juvé Y Camps is renown for their vintage dated Cavas, like this Brut Nature. Organic fruit and three years on lees in-bottle yields alluring wild herbs and spices streaming down the vivid, toasty, buzzy palate, kissed with cherry and salted almonds. Serious stuff. Find it online.

BIGGEST EVER FIELD BLEND

Pheasant’s Tears Poliphonia 2019, Kakheti, Georgia. $44.99

417 heirloom unique varietals native to Georgia? Yep. Planted in an experimental vine nursery preserving ancient varietals that were almost lost forever when the Soviet Union ripped out all but a handful of the highest yielding grapes. Field blend is an understatement. WILD. Three days on skins, nine months in Qvevri. Chill it, and revel. Find it online. Fun fact: Georgia has a rich musical history of polyphonic singing (arguably the earliest polyphonic tradition).