Category: Stories

Casamigos means “house of friends,” and the name fits the story. Over time, what began as a tequila for a group of friends became one of the best-known tequila brands in the United States.

A tequila made for friends

George Clooney, Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman created Casamigos because they wanted a smooth tequila they could sip with friends. Then they launched it to the public in 2013, and the brand grew so quickly that Diageo acquired it in 2017.

How it is made

The tequila starts with 100% blue Weber agave from the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico. According to the brand, it slow-roasts the agave in brick ovens and ferments it slowly, which it credits for the tequila’s soft, smooth style. Because the brand bottles Blanco unaged, the agave flavor comes through clearly.

How it tastes

Expect sweet agave, citrus and a hint of vanilla, with a smooth, clean finish. As a result, it is easy to sip and excellent in cocktails.

Easy ways to enjoy it

• Classic margarita: 2 oz Casamigos Blanco, 1 oz fresh lime juice, ¾ oz orange liqueur or agave syrup. Shake with ice and serve over ice with a salted rim.
• Paloma: tequila over ice, a squeeze of lime, topped with grapefruit soda.
• Neat or on the rocks: with a slice of lime or orange.

The full range: we also carry Casamigos Reposado, Añejo, Reposado Cristalino, Jalapeño Blanco and Mezcal Joven.

Buy Casamigos in Millbrae

Visit T&Y Wine & Spirits at 260 Broadway, Millbrae, or order online for pickup or Bay Area delivery.

Frequently asked questions

Please enjoy responsibly. You must be 21 or older to purchase alcohol.

Yamazaki 12 Year Old is the single malt that introduced many drinkers to Japanese whisky. It comes from the oldest malt whisky distillery in Japan and shows the balance and precision Japanese whisky is famous for.

Where Japanese whisky began

Shinjiro Torii, founder of Suntory, built the Yamazaki distillery in 1923 on the outskirts of Kyoto, where three rivers meet and the soft water and misty climate suit whisky making. It was Japan’s first malt whisky distillery. Yamazaki 12 was launched in 1984 and became Japan’s flagship single malt.

The Mizunara touch

Yamazaki 12 is aged in a mix of casks, including American oak, Spanish oak and Japanese Mizunara oak. Mizunara is rare and difficult to work with, and it is prized for adding notes often described as sandalwood and incense.

How it tastes

Expect peach, pineapple, grapefruit and honey, with vanilla, coconut and a gentle spice from the Mizunara. It is smooth and fruity, with a long, elegant finish.

How to enjoy it

• Neat: to taste every layer.
• Highball: one part whisky to three or four parts chilled soda water over plenty of ice, a classic in Japan.
• Pair with: sushi, yakitori or tempura.

Explore further: we also carry Yamazaki Distiller’s Reserve, the rare Yamazaki 18, Hibiki Japanese Harmony and Suntory Toki.

Buy Yamazaki in Millbrae

Visit T&Y Wine & Spirits at 260 Broadway, Millbrae, or order online for pickup or Bay Area delivery.

Frequently asked questions

Please enjoy responsibly. You must be 21 or older to purchase alcohol.

Don Julio 1942 is one of the most recognizable bottles on any back bar: tall, slender and filled with golden añejo tequila. It has also become a go-to celebration pour, and its name tells a story.

Why 1942?

Don Julio González began making tequila in 1942, at just 17 years old, in the town of Atotonilco el Alto in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico. Later, his family created this bottle to celebrate his legacy and the year he started.

How it is made

The tequila starts with 100% blue Weber agave grown in the Jalisco highlands. Then it rests in American white oak barrels for about two and a half years. As a result, it has a golden color and notes of caramel, chocolate and vanilla. To learn more, see this guide to tequila.

How it tastes

Expect roasted agave, caramel, toffee, vanilla and a touch of spice, with a smooth, rich palate and a warm finish. In fact, it is smooth enough to sip on its own.

How to drink it

• Neat: in a small snifter or tequila glass, at room temperature.
• On a large ice cube: for a slower, cooler sip.
• Pair with: grilled meats, mole, or dark chocolate.

Year of the Horse edition: for Lunar New Year 2026, Don Julio 1942 comes in special zodiac packaging, a popular choice for New Year gifting. The tequila inside is the same 1942 añejo.

Buy Don Julio 1942 in Millbrae

Find Don Julio 1942 and other premium tequilas, including Clase Azul and Casa Dragones, at T&Y Wine & Spirits, 260 Broadway, Millbrae. Order online for pickup or Bay Area delivery.

Frequently asked questions

Please enjoy responsibly. You must be 21 or older to purchase alcohol.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label is the top of the Johnnie Walker range and one of the most gifted whiskies in the world. Each bottle carries its own serial number, and the blenders build each batch from some of the rarest whiskies in the company’s reserves.

From a grocer’s shop to a global name

The story began in 1820, when John Walker opened a grocery in Kilmarnock, Scotland, and started blending whiskies for his customers. His family built the brand into the famous “Striding Man.” Then, in 1992, the company introduced Blue Label as the pinnacle of the range.

What makes it special

Blue Label is a blended Scotch made from a small selection of rare casks, chosen for flavor rather than a single age statement. In fact, the brand says only a very small share of its casks are good enough for Blue Label. As a result, the whisky is smooth and layered, and every bottle carries its own number.

How it tastes

Expect honey, dried fruit, hazelnut, dark chocolate and a gentle wisp of smoke, with a velvety texture and a long finish. Overall, it is approachable for newer whisky drinkers and rewarding for experienced ones.

How to serve

• The brand’s ritual: sip a little ice-cold water first to refresh the palate, then taste the whisky neat.
• Neat or with a drop of water: no ice needed.
• Pair with: smoked salmon, dark chocolate or roasted nuts.

Limited editions: Johnnie Walker releases special Blue Label designs, such as Lunar New Year zodiac bottles. We carry the Year of the Horse edition, a popular Lunar New Year gift.

Buy Johnnie Walker Blue Label in Millbrae

Visit T&Y Wine & Spirits at 260 Broadway, Millbrae, or order online for pickup or Bay Area delivery.

Frequently asked questions

Please enjoy responsibly. You must be 21 or older to purchase alcohol.

If Moutai is the most famous sauce-aroma baijiu, Wuliangye is the most famous strong-aroma baijiu. It comes from Yibin in Sichuan province, where the Min and Jinsha rivers meet to form the Yangtze, and it is a classic choice for banquets, business dinners and gifts.

The name means “five grains”

Wuliangye (五粮液) translates as “five-grain liquid.” It is made from a blend of five grains: sorghum, rice, glutinous rice, wheat and corn. This mix gives Wuliangye its rounded, layered character, different from baijiu made mainly from sorghum. For background, see the history of baijiu.

Strong-aroma style

Wuliangye is the leading example of strong-aroma (nong xiang) baijiu, fermented in mud pits that are used again and again over many years. Expect a fragrant, fruity nose often compared to pineapple, pear and ripe fruit, a sweet and full palate, and a clean, long finish.

Which Wuliangye to choose

• Wuliangye 7th Generation (750 ml): the flagship bottle in its latest packaging, the classic banquet and gift choice.
• Wuliangye 1618 (375 ml): a smaller premium bottle, easy to gift or share.
• Treasure Edition in crystal box: a striking presentation for special occasions.

How to serve

Serve at room temperature in small baijiu cups and sip slowly. Wuliangye pairs well with Sichuan and Cantonese dishes, roast meats and spicy hot pot. At 52% alcohol, a little goes a long way.

Buy Wuliangye in Millbrae

T&Y Wine & Spirits at 260 Broadway, Millbrae carries several Wuliangye bottlings alongside Moutai, Guojiao 1573 and other famous baijiu. Order online for pickup or Bay Area delivery.

Frequently asked questions

Please enjoy responsibly. You must be 21 or older to purchase alcohol.

Hennessy XO is one of the world’s best-known Cognacs and a favorite gift at weddings, banquets and Lunar New Year. It also has a claim to fame: Hennessy created XO, short for “extra old,” as a style of its own.

From 1765 to the first XO

Richard Hennessy, an Irish officer who settled in Cognac, France, founded the house of Hennessy in 1765. In 1870, Maurice Hennessy created a blend of older eaux-de-vie for family and friends and called it XO. Later, that blend became the model for the “XO” category that Cognac houses use today.

How it is made

First, producers distill Cognac twice from white wine. Then they age it in French oak. Hennessy XO is a blend of many eaux-de-vie, some aged for decades and selected by the house’s master blenders to keep the same rich style year after year. In addition, Cognac rules require every eau-de-vie in an XO to spend at least 10 years in oak.

How it tastes

Hennessy XO is full and powerful, with dried fruit, dark chocolate, cinnamon, pepper and toasted oak, and a long, warm finish.

How to serve

• Neat: at room temperature in a tulip glass or snifter.
• On a large ice cube: softens the spice on a warm evening.
• With food: a favorite at Chinese banquets alongside roast duck, braised dishes and dim sum, or with dark chocolate after dinner.

Gift editions: Hennessy releases special XO packaging for the holidays, Lunar New Year and partnerships such as the NBA. However, the Cognac inside is the same XO blend, and the boxes make them popular gifts.

Buy Hennessy XO in Millbrae

T&Y Wine & Spirits at 260 Broadway, Millbrae carries Hennessy XO, gift editions, VSOP and Paradis. You can also order online for pickup or Bay Area delivery.

Frequently asked questions

Please enjoy responsibly. You must be 21 or older to purchase alcohol.

Few names say celebration like Dom Pérignon. Behind the famous shield-shaped label is a 17th-century monk, a strict commitment to vintage-only Champagne, and a wine built to age. Here is what makes it special and how to enjoy the 2015.

Who was Dom Pérignon?

Dom Pierre Pérignon was a Benedictine monk and cellar master at the Abbey of Hautvillers in Champagne in the late 1600s. He devoted his life to improving the region’s wines, and his name became a symbol of quality. Today Dom Pérignon is the prestige Champagne of Moët & Chandon.

Vintage only

Dom Pérignon is made only in years the house considers worthy, and every bottle comes from a single harvest. It is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, aged for many years on its lees before release, which builds its creamy texture and toasty complexity.

What to expect from the 2015

2015 was a warm, sunny year in Champagne. Expect ripe fruit such as white peach, citrus and pear, layered with toast, almond and a fine, persistent mousse. It is delicious now and will continue to gain depth with cellaring.

How to serve

• Temperature: chilled, around 50 to 54°F, a little warmer than everyday sparkling wine to show its aroma.
• Glass: a white-wine or tulip glass instead of a narrow flute.
• Pair with: oysters, sushi, crab, roast chicken, or simply salted almonds.

Buy Dom Pérignon in Millbrae

T&Y Wine & Spirits at 260 Broadway, Millbrae carries Dom Pérignon 2015 in its gift box and the Dom Pérignon Basquiat Edition, plus other top Champagnes. Order online for pickup or Bay Area delivery.

Frequently asked questions

Please enjoy responsibly. You must be 21 or older to purchase alcohol.

Ask a whisky lover to name a benchmark single malt and The Macallan 18 Year Old Sherry Oak often comes up first. It is rich, deep and remarkably consistent, and much of that comes from one thing: the casks it rests in for at least 18 years.

A Speyside estate since 1824

The Macallan distillery sits on the Easter Elchies estate in Speyside, Scotland, and it has held a licence since 1824. In particular, the distillery uses unusually small copper stills, which help create a rich, oily spirit that stands up to long aging.

The sherry cask difference

For the Sherry Oak range, the distillery matures the spirit in oak casks seasoned with sherry in Jerez, Spain. Macallan has long emphasized its investment in these casks and its natural colour: the deep amber in the glass comes from the wood, not from added colouring. As a result, the sherry-seasoned oak gives the whisky its signature notes of dried fruit, spice and dark chocolate.

How it tastes

Look for dried fruits, orange peel, ginger, cinnamon and a touch of wood smoke, with a full, round palate and a long, warming finish. At 43% alcohol it is approachable neat, and a few drops of water can open up more fruit and spice.

How to enjoy it

• Glass: a tulip-shaped tasting glass concentrates the aroma.
• Neat or with water: start neat, then add a few drops of water. However, skip the ice to keep the flavor.
• Pair with: dark chocolate, roasted nuts, aged cheddar or a cigar on a special night.

Double Cask or Sherry Oak? The Macallan 18 Double Cask combines sherry-seasoned American and European oak for a lighter, honeyed style. By contrast, Sherry Oak is the richer, more traditional expression. We carry both, so you can compare them side by side.

Buy The Macallan in Millbrae

T&Y Wine & Spirits at 260 Broadway, Millbrae carries The Macallan from the 12 Year to the 30 Year. You can also order online for pickup or delivery anywhere in the Bay Area.

Frequently asked questions

Please enjoy responsibly. You must be 21 or older to purchase alcohol.

Opus One is one of the most recognized names in American wine. It is a single red wine made in Oakville, in the heart of Napa Valley, and it came from an unusual idea: what if one of Bordeaux’s greatest families and California’s most famous winemaker made a wine together? Here is the story behind the bottle, what it tastes like, and how to enjoy it.

Two founders, one wine

Opus One began as a partnership between Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Château Mouton Rothschild in Bordeaux and Napa Valley pioneer Robert Mondavi. As a result, the two agreed to create a single wine that combined Bordeaux tradition with Napa Valley fruit, and the first vintage was 1979. Today, the label still shows the founders’ profiles side by side, a reminder of the partnership that started it all.

What is in the bottle

Opus One is a Bordeaux-style blend led by Cabernet Sauvignon, usually with smaller amounts of Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. However, the exact blend changes each year depending on the vintage. The winery then ages it in French oak and releases it only after it has had time to come together in barrel and bottle.

How it tastes

Expect dark fruit such as blackcurrant, blackberry and plum, with notes of violet, graphite, cocoa and fine oak. Above all, Opus One shows polish rather than power: the tannins are fine-grained and the finish is long and elegant. For example, recent vintages, including 2021, 2022 and 2023, are enjoyable now with decanting and will continue to develop for many years.

How to serve Opus One

• Temperature: slightly cool, around 60 to 65°F.
• Decant: one to two hours for younger vintages.
• Pair with: dry-aged steak, roast lamb, beef short ribs, mushrooms or aged cheeses.
• Gift it: Opus One is a classic gift for milestones, clients and celebrations, especially in a birth-year or anniversary vintage.

Buy Opus One in Millbrae

T&Y Wine & Spirits at 260 Broadway, Millbrae, CA 94030 carries several Opus One vintages, plus large formats and Overture by Opus One. You can also order online for in-store pickup or delivery anywhere in the Bay Area, minutes from SFO and the Millbrae BART station.

Frequently asked questions

Please enjoy responsibly. You must be 21 or older to purchase alcohol.

Few bottles carry as much history as Kweichow Moutai Flying Fairy. It has toasted state banquets, crowned weddings and New Year dinners, and become one of the most recognized spirits in the world. Its global story even began here in the Bay Area. This guide covers where Moutai comes from, how distillers make it, what it tastes like, and how to enjoy the 1-liter Flying Fairy bottle we carry at T&Y Wine & Spirits in Millbrae.

What is Moutai?

Moutai is a baijiu, the traditional Chinese spirit distilled from grain. It comes from Maotai, a small town on the Chishui River in Guizhou province in southwest China. The name Kweichow is the older romanization of Guizhou, which is why the label reads Kweichow Moutai.

Moutai is the benchmark for the sauce-aroma (jiang xiang) style of baijiu: rich, savory and layered, with a long finish quite unlike whisky or Cognac. Many experts consider the local climate, the river water and the town’s centuries of distilling tradition essential to its character.

1915: a gold medal in San Francisco

Moutai’s international story begins just up the Peninsula. In 1915, China exhibited Maotai spirit at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, where it won a gold medal. A favorite legend says visitors ignored the plain earthenware jars at first, until someone dropped one and it broke, and the aroma drew the crowd and the judges.

The connection is still celebrated. In 2015 the City of San Francisco proclaimed a “San Francisco Moutai Day,” and Moutai marked the 110th anniversary of its Expo medal with events at the Palace of Fine Arts in December 2025.

Why it is called Flying Fairy

The Flying Fairy (Feitian) label shows a pair of celestial dancers inspired by the ancient Buddhist murals of the Mogao Caves at Dunhuang. It became the label for Moutai’s export bottles, while bottles for the domestic market long carried the Five Star label. For a period from 1969, during the Cultural Revolution, export bottles used a Sun Flower label instead, before the Flying Fairy returned. Today the Flying Fairy bottle is the most recognized face of Moutai around the world.

How Moutai is made

Moutai is famous for one of the slowest production processes of any spirit. Local red sorghum and a wheat-based fermentation starter (qu) go through a full year-long cycle that follows the seasons, often summarized by the numbers 1-2-9-8-7:

• 1 production cycle each year
• 2 additions of sorghum
• 9 rounds of steaming
• 8 rounds of fermentation
• 7 rounds of distillation

Distillers age the spirit from each round separately in clay jars for several years. Then master blenders combine them before bottling. That patience is a big part of why Moutai tastes the way it does, and why people prize it as a gift.

What does it taste like?

Expect a powerful, savory aroma often compared to soy sauce, roasted grain and dried fruit, with hints of earth and spice. On the palate it is full and rounded despite its strength (53% alcohol), and the aroma lingers in the glass long after it is empty. Many drinkers say the empty cup is the best part.

How to serve Moutai

• Small cups: serve in small baijiu glasses, about 10 to 15 ml per pour.
• Room temperature, neat: no ice and no mixer, so the aroma comes through.
• With food: it pairs naturally with a Chinese banquet, such as Peking duck, braised pork, spicy Sichuan dishes and cured meats.
• Toast the table: a “ganbei” with the host or guest of honor is part of the tradition, but sipping slowly is just as welcome.

Why choose the 1-liter bottle?

The classic Flying Fairy comes in a 500 ml bottle, so the 1-liter size stands out. It is a natural choice for wedding banquets, company dinners and family celebrations, and it makes an impressive gift for business partners and elders during Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival.

Buying genuine Moutai

Because Moutai is so valuable, counterfeits exist. Buy from a licensed retailer you can visit in person, check that the seal and packaging are intact, and be cautious of prices far below market. At T&Y Wine & Spirits, every bottle comes through licensed distribution channels.

Get Kweichow Moutai Flying Fairy 1L in Millbrae

Visit us at 260 Broadway, Millbrae, CA 94030, near the Millbrae BART and Caltrain station and minutes from SFO, or order online for in-store pickup or delivery anywhere in the Bay Area. You can find it with our other baijiu, including Wuliangye and Guojiao 1573.

Frequently asked questions

Please enjoy responsibly. You must be 21 or older to purchase alcohol.