Issue 002: From Source to Sip — March 28, 2026

The Still & The Vine by School of Wine and Spirits

Issue No. 2 — March 28, 2026

Your daily discovery of 8 exceptional wines and spirits

Every bottle in today’s lineup begins with water — and not just any water. Buffalo Trace draws from Kentucky’s limestone-filtered aquifer, where calcium and magnesium replace iron to create the sweet, mineral-rich foundation that defines great bourbon. Highland Park pulls from Cattie Maggie’s Spring on Orkney, where windswept heather and ancient peat color the water before it ever touches barley. Fortaleza’s volcanic spring, deep in the slopes of an extinct stratovolcano in Jalisco, carries minerals that shape the character of their agave spirit. And Mount Gay’s artesian well, dug in 1703 and filtered through Barbados’ coral bedrock, has been making rum for over three centuries.

Water is the invisible ingredient. It shapes fermentation, influences flavor extraction, and carries terroir from the ground into the glass. Today’s eight selections are a masterclass in how geography — the springs, rivers, aquifers, and rainfall of eight different places — writes the first chapter of every great drink. Let’s pour.

BOURBON Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Frankfort, Kentucky — where buffalo once carved paths to salt licks along the Kentucky River, and where distilling has continued uninterrupted since 1775 — even through Prohibition.

Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Company: Sazerac Company

Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, KY (National Historic Landmark)

Proof: 90 (45% ABV)

Age: NAS (approximately 8 years average)

Mash Bill: Undisclosed (estimated ~87.5% Corn, ~9% Rye, ~3.5% Malted Barley)

Color: Burnished gold

MSRP: $25–$34

Nose: Honey, vanilla, toffee, orange zest, caramel, hints of oak

Palate: Brown sugar, vanilla, leather, summer fruit, gentle smoke, tobacco leaf, spice

Finish: Dry and oak-forward with lingering licorice, rye spice, and caramel sweetness

Bourbon Kit Aromas: Caramel, Vanilla, Oak, Butterscotch, Maple Syrup, Tobacco

The Verdict: Buffalo Trace is the bourbon that proves you don’t need to spend $60 to drink well. The limestone-filtered Kentucky River water gives it a mineral backbone that more expensive bourbons often lack — a subtle sweetness and body that comes from the geology, not from added sugar. At around $27, this is arguably the best value in American whiskey. The fact that they’ve been distilling on this site since before the American Revolution, including one of the only operations to legally produce whiskey through Prohibition as “medicinal spirits,” only adds to the legend.

Cocktail — The Limestone Smash: 2 oz Buffalo Trace · 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice · 1/2 oz honey syrup (1:1) · 4 fresh mint leaves. Muddle mint gently, shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a mint sprig.

Pair with: Smoked brisket with a brown sugar rub — the caramel and smoke in both reinforce each other beautifully.

Awards: Global Distiller of the Year, Whisky Magazine 2022; 100+ awards since 2000

SCOTCH WHISKY Highland Park 12 Year Old

Kirkwall, Orkney — Scotland’s most northerly distillery, where the Gulf Stream warms the air, Atlantic gales shape the peat, and heather grows where trees cannot.

Classification: Single Malt Scotch Whisky (Islands)

Company: The Edrington Group

Distillery: Highland Park Distillery, Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland

Proof: 86 (43% ABV)

Age: 12 Years

Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley (floor-malted with Orcadian heather peat)

Maturation: European and American sherry-seasoned oak casks

Filtered: Chill filtered

Color: Glowing amber

MSRP: $50–$65

Nose: Heather honey, apricot, orange marmalade, gentle smoke, sea salt, tobacco

Palate: Full and rounded — honey and sea salt, white pepper, cereals, warm oak spice, herbaceous depth

Finish: Starts with sea and smoke, then sweet malt creeps through with lingering warmth

Whisky Kit Aromas: Honey, Peaty, Dried Fruit, Smoky, Floral (Rosewater), Woody

The Verdict: Highland Park 12 is the great balancing act in Scotch whisky. It’s peated but not aggressively so, because Orkney’s peat is infused with heather rather than the woody roots found on Islay — the result is floral smoke rather than campfire smoke. Add in the sherry cask sweetness and the unmistakable coastal salinity from water drawn from Cattie Maggie’s Spring for over two centuries, and you get a whisky that bridges the gap between Speyside smoothness and Island intensity. It’s the single malt that converts people who think they don’t like peat.

Cocktail — The Orkney Penicillin: 2 oz Highland Park 12 · 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice · 3/4 oz honey-ginger syrup · 1/4 oz Laphroaig 10 float. Shake first three ingredients with ice, strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice, float the Laphroaig on top. Garnish with candied ginger.

Pair with: Smoked salmon with crème fraîche and dill — the gentle smoke and sea salt in both create a seamless pairing.

Awards: Double Gold, San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2023 & 2024

IRISH WHISKEY Redbreast 12 Year Old

Midleton, County Cork — home to Ireland’s largest distillery campus, where the soft waters of the Dungourney River feed one of the last great pot still whiskey traditions on earth.

Classification: Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey

Company: Pernod Ricard (Irish Distillers)

Distillery: Midleton Distillery, Midleton, County Cork, Ireland

Proof: 80 (40% ABV)

Age: 12 Years

Mash Bill: 50% Malted Barley, 50% Unmalted Barley (Munster-sourced)

Distillation: Triple Distilled in Copper Pot Stills

Maturation: Ex-bourbon barrels and Oloroso sherry butts

Color: Deep golden amber

MSRP: $60–$65

Nose: Dried orange peel, toasted nutmeg, toasted wood, vanilla, gentle spice

Palate: Silky smooth — cinnamon, clove, toffee, marzipan, fragrant vanilla, dried fruits, walnut

Finish: Lengthy and satisfying with lingering baking spices, custard, and balanced malt sweetness

Whiskey Kit Aromas: Dried Fruit, Vanilla, Clove Spice, Peach, Honey, Woody

The Verdict: Redbreast 12 is the definitive pot still Irish whiskey — the one that shows you what the fuss is about. The 50/50 split of malted and unmalted barley creates a texture that’s impossible to achieve with malt alone: creamy, spicy, and full-bodied in a way that triple distillation normally smooths out. The combination of ex-bourbon honey and sherry dried fruit is seamless. The name comes from a bird-loving Gilbeys chairman in 1912, but the whiskey itself has roots stretching back much further — it’s one of only two single pot still brands produced nearly continuously since the early 1900s.

Cocktail — The Redbreast Orchard: 2 oz Redbreast 12 · 1 oz fresh pressed apple cider · 1/2 oz honey syrup · 2 dashes Angostura bitters. Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass over a large cube. Garnish with a thin apple fan.

Pair with: Warm apple crumble with vanilla custard — the orchard fruit and baking spice in both are a natural match.

Awards: 98 Points, International Wine and Spirit Competition 2019; Multiple Double Gold medals, SFWSC

TEQUILA Fortaleza Reposado

Tequila, Jalisco — on the slopes of an extinct volcano, where fifth-generation tequilero Guillermo Erickson Sauza crushes agave with a two-ton stone the way his ancestors did 150 years ago.

Classification: 100% Agave Reposado Tequila

Company: Destilería La Fortaleza (Guillermo Erickson Sauza)

Distillery: Destilería La Fortaleza (NOM 1493), Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico

Proof: 80 (40% ABV)

Age: 6–9 months in used American whiskey barrels

Production: Tahona-crushed, brick oven–roasted (3 days), open-air wooden tank fermentation, copper pot still distilled

Water Source: Volcanic spring from Volcán de Tequila

Color: Pale straw gold

MSRP: $65–$75

Nose: Roasted pear, vanilla, cinnamon, citrus zest, warm cream, toast

Palate: Cooked agave, citrus, sweet butter, caramel, crème brûlée, green apple, allspice, black pepper

Finish: Moderately tannic with lingering sweet oak, vanilla, and clean agave

Tequila Kit Aromas: Agave (Cooked), Vanilla, Cinnamon, Citrus (Lemon, Lime, Orange, Grapefruit), Pepper, Oak

The Verdict: Fortaleza is tequila made the way it was meant to be made. While most modern producers use autoclaves and diffusers for speed and efficiency, Guillermo Sauza — great-great-grandson of Don Cenobio Sauza, the “Father of Tequila” — insists on the tahona, the brick oven, and the wooden fermentation tanks. The volcanic spring water that feeds the distillery carries minerals from deep within the stratovolcano, and you can taste the terroir in every sip. The reposado rests just long enough to gain warmth and vanilla from the barrel without losing the agave’s voice.

Cocktail — The Volcanic Margarita: 2 oz Fortaleza Reposado · 1 oz fresh lime juice · 3/4 oz agave nectar · 1/4 oz Grand Marnier float. Shake with ice, strain into a salt-rimmed rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Pair with: Carnitas tacos with fresh pineapple salsa — the roasted pork and sweet fruit echo the caramel and agave in the tequila.

Awards: Double Gold, San Francisco World Spirits Competition

GIN The Botanist Islay Dry Gin

Islay, Scotland — where Bruichladdich’s team forages 22 wild botanicals from the island’s windswept hills, peat bogs, and Atlantic shoreline, then distills them in a rescued Lomond still they call “Ugly Betty.”

Classification: Islay Dry Gin

Company: Rémy Cointreau (Bruichladdich Distillery)

Distillery: Bruichladdich Distillery, Islay, Scotland

Proof: 92 (46% ABV)

Age: Unaged

Botanicals: 31 total — 22 hand-foraged wild Islay botanicals + 9 classic gin botanicals

Distillation: 17-hour slow distillation in Lomond pot still (“Ugly Betty”)

Base Spirit: 100% wheat spirit + Islay spring water

Color: Crystal clear

MSRP: $35–$42

Nose: Bright herbal freshness, citrus zest, sweet menthol mint, wildflower bouquet, pine

Palate: Silky and balanced — juniper, lemon, coriander with aniseed undertones, honey from thistle, coconut from gorse

Finish: Lingering herbal notes, coastal salinity, faint anise, and earthy warmth

Gin Kit Aromas: Juniper (Herbaceous/Waxy), Chamomile, Coriander, Lemon, Floral (Rose), Meadowsweet

The Verdict: The Botanist is the gin that proves terroir isn’t just a wine concept. Those 22 wild Islay botanicals — foraged by hand over 30 weeks each year from bogs, shores, and hillsides — give it a sense of place that no factory gin can replicate. The rescued Lomond still allows a 17-hour distillation, four times longer than whisky, extracting complexity that faster methods miss entirely. At 46% ABV and under $40, it’s one of the most characterful gins on the planet, and the subtle coastal salinity at the finish reminds you that this spirit was born on an island battered by the Atlantic.

Cocktail — The Islay Garden: 2 oz The Botanist · 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice · 1/2 oz elderflower liqueur · 3 oz tonic water · Fresh thyme sprig and cucumber ribbon. Build in a large wine glass over ice.

Pair with: Grilled salmon with dill and lemon — the herbal, citrus gin and the herb-crusted fish are made for each other.

Awards: Gold, World Gin Awards 2024; TWE Spirit of the Year 2014

RUM Mount Gay XO

Saint Lucy, Barbados — atop Mount Gilboa, where the world’s oldest documented rum distillery has been operating continuously since 1703, fed by an artesian well filtered through ancient coral.

Classification: Extra Old (XO) Rum

Company: Rémy Cointreau

Distillery: Mount Gay Distillery, Saint Lucy Parish, Barbados

Proof: 86 (43% ABV)

Age: Blend of rums aged 5–17 years

Base Ingredients: Barbados molasses

Distillation: Blend of column still and double retort pot still rums

Maturation: Triple cask — American whiskey barrels, ex-bourbon casks, and Cognac casks

Water Source: Artesian well (est. 1703), coral-filtered

Color: Deep golden amber

MSRP: $60–$80

Nose: Roasted coconut, vanilla, charred oak, caramel, clove, Earl Grey tea, marzipan

Palate: Buttery dark chocolate, coconut, vanilla custard, coffee, banana, grilled pineapple, tobacco, leather

Finish: Medium-long with charred oak, ginger spice, stone fruit, and lingering vanilla

Rum Kit Aromas: Caramel, Vanilla, Coconut, Coffee, Banana, Chocolate

The Verdict: Mount Gay XO carries 323 years of history in every sip. The artesian well dug in 1703 still supplies the distillery today, its water filtered through Barbados’ coral bedrock — a natural purification system that adds subtle minerality to the spirit. The triple cask maturation (whiskey, bourbon, and Cognac barrels) creates layers of complexity that unfold over minutes in the glass. Master Blender Jerry Edwards created the original XO expression in 1991, and it was the first XO in the rum category. This is sipping rum at its finest — no mixer needed, no apologies required.

Cocktail — The Coral Reef Old Fashioned: 2 oz Mount Gay XO · 1 bar spoon demerara syrup · 2 dashes Angostura bitters · 1 dash chocolate bitters · Express an orange peel over the glass and drop in. Stir over a large cube.

Pair with: Crème brûlée with toasted coconut — the caramelized sugar, vanilla, and coconut mirror the rum’s core flavors.

Awards: Double Gold (96 pts), San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2024; Gold, IWSC 2025

RED WINE Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2020

Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhône — where the Perrin family has farmed organically since the 1950s, and where ancient glacial river stones called galets roulés absorb the Provençal sun and radiate heat back into the vines at night.

Classification: Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC

Company: Famille Perrin (5th generation)

Winery: Château de Beaucastel, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhône, France

ABV: 14.5%

Primary Varietals: Grenache and Mourvèdre (co-dominant)

Blend: 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise, 20% other permitted varieties

Vineyard: 100 hectares; organic since 1950s, biodynamic since 1974; galets roulés terroir

Color: Deep ruby-garnet with excellent concentration

MSRP: $95–$121

Nose: Violet, black-olive tapenade, garrigue herbs, plum cake, leather, toasted almond

Palate: Rich and deep — blue fruit, star anise, sweet spice, blackberry, fine tannins, lovely acidity

Finish: Long and chalky with stony minerality and a silky fade

Wine Kit Aromas: Berry (Generic), Gamey, Cherry, Violet, Green Peppers, Woody

The Verdict: Beaucastel is Châteauneuf-du-Pape at its most complete. While most producers lean heavily on Grenache, the Perrins give Mourvèdre equal billing — and it shows in the wine’s structure, depth, and remarkable aging potential. The galets roulés — those iconic smooth river stones that carpet the vineyards — are more than photogenic; they store daytime heat and release it at night, pushing grapes to full phenolic ripeness. Organic since the 1950s and biodynamic since 1974, Beaucastel was farming this way decades before it was fashionable. The 2020 vintage scored 97 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.

Cocktail — Beaucastel Sangria Provençale: 1 bottle Beaucastel (or any quality CdP) · 2 oz Cognac · 1 oz crème de cassis · Sliced plums, figs, and orange · Fresh thyme sprigs · 3 oz sparkling water. Combine, chill 4 hours, serve over ice.

Pair with: Slow-braised lamb shoulder with Provençal herbs and olive tapenade — a Southern French wine with a Southern French dish.

Awards: 97 Points, Robert Parker Wine Advocate; 96 Points, Decanter; 95 Points, Wine Spectator

WHITE WINE Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough 2023

Marlborough, New Zealand — where the Wairau Valley’s gravelly, free-draining soils and the longest sunshine hours in New Zealand combine to produce the most recognizable Sauvignon Blanc on earth.

Classification: Marlborough GI (Geographical Indication)

Company: LVMH (Moët Hennessy)

Winery: Cloudy Bay Vineyards, Marlborough, New Zealand

ABV: 13.5%

Primary Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc

Blend: 100% Sauvignon Blanc

Winemaking: Primarily stainless steel fermented at low temperature; ~5% in large-format oak; ~1.5% wild yeast fermented

Color: Pale straw yellow

MSRP: $22–$28

Nose: Honeydew melon, passionfruit, vibrant citrus, fresh blackcurrant leaf

Palate: Concentrated and elegant — makrut lime, lemongrass, Meyer lemon, grapefruit skin, stone fruit, hint of sea air

Finish: Long and complex with refreshing saline edge and fresh-squeezed lemon acidity

Wine Kit Aromas: Gooseberry, Citrus (Generic), Melon, Green (Cut Grass), Asparagus

The Verdict: Cloudy Bay didn’t just put New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc on the map — it drew the map. Founded in 1985 as one of Marlborough’s first five wineries, it was Cloudy Bay that British critic Oz Clarke tasted before declaring New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc “arguably the best in the world.” Four decades later, the wine is still a benchmark. The 2023 vintage was blended from 55 of 81 individually fermented vineyard lots, with that tiny percentage of wild yeast and large-format oak adding just enough savory complexity to lift it above the pack. Named after the bay Captain Cook charted in 1770, it’s a wine that carries its geography in every sip.

Cocktail — The Cloudy Bay Spritz: 4 oz Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc · 1 oz Aperol · 2 oz sparkling water · Fresh grapefruit wedge. Build in a large wine glass over ice.

Pair with: Fresh ceviche with lime, cilantro, and avocado — the wine’s bright acidity and tropical fruit are a natural partner for raw fish.

Awards: 93 Points, Wine Spectator; 93 Points, Vinous

Train Your Nose: Today’s Aroma Spotlight

The Invisible Ingredient — How Water Writes the First Chapter of Flavor

We talk endlessly about barrels, grapes, grains, and botanicals. But every drink in today’s lineup started with water — and not all water is created equal. The mineral composition, pH, and source of water profoundly influence fermentation, flavor extraction, and the final character of a spirit or wine.

Consider: Kentucky’s limestone shelf naturally filters iron from the water while adding calcium — iron would turn whiskey black and give it a metallic taste, while calcium feeds yeast during fermentation and creates a sweeter, rounder spirit. That’s why bourbon country sits on limestone. Highland Park’s spring on Orkney delivers soft, low-mineral water through ancient heather peat, contributing the delicate floral smokiness that distinguishes it from mainland Scotch. Fortaleza’s volcanic spring carries unique mineral signatures from an extinct stratovolcano. And Cloudy Bay’s Wairau Valley vines sit in free-draining gravel beds that force roots deep, where they access mineral-rich subsoil water that expresses itself as the wine’s characteristic saline finish.

The lesson? When you taste minerality in a wine, or sweetness in a bourbon, or salinity in a coastal whisky, you’re tasting water’s invisible hand at work. The ingredient list may start with grain or grape, but the story always begins with the water.

Your training exercise: Open your Bourbon Aroma Masterclass Kit and isolate the Vanilla and Caramel vials. Now pour a dram of any bourbon and let it sit for five minutes. Smell the bourbon, then the vials, then the bourbon again. Notice how the water’s mineral character sits underneath those barrel-derived aromas — it’s the foundation they rest on. That subtle sweetness that isn’t vanilla and isn’t caramel? That’s the limestone talking.

Today’s Kit Reference

Explore the School of Wine and Spirits

Today, water connected all eight of our products — limestone springs shaping Kentucky bourbon, Atlantic-kissed Orkney springs feeding single malt, volcanic aquifers defining artisanal tequila, and coral-filtered wells giving character to the world’s oldest rum. Water is the ingredient you can’t see on the label, but once you learn to taste its influence, you’ll never approach a glass the same way again.

Our books go deeper into the science and history behind every sip — from the story of American bourbon in America’s Spirit, the whisk(e)y traditions of Scotland’s Spirit and Ireland’s Spirit, the wines of northern Italy in The Ultimate Northern Italian Wine Journey, the agave revolution in The Tequila y Mezcal Revolution, and the hidden terroir of Burgundy in our Chablis and Côte d’Or pocket guides.

Explore our Aroma Masterclass kits and books at schoolofwineandspirits.com

Join the School of Wine and Spirits Community

Connect with fellow connoisseurs, share tasting notes, and go deeper into every pour. Sign up at skool.com/schoolofwineandspirits

Our kits make the perfect gift for the curious drinker in your life — because once you learn to identify aromas, you never taste the same way again.

Know someone who’d love this? Forward this newsletter or share the link — and reply with your own tasting notes. We read every one.

Until tomorrow’s pour — cheers.

Robert R. Mohr, CPA, CGMA, WSET Level 3, WSG Certified Spirits Specialist — author of America’s Spirit, Scotland’s Spirit, Ireland’s Spirit, The Ultimate Northern Italian Wine Journey, The Tequila y Mezcal Revolution, The Definitive Pocket Guide to Chablis, The Definitive Pocket Guide to the Côte d’Or, and Strategic Tuning. Published author of the Aroma Academy Tequila/Mezcal and Distiller’s training kits.

The Still & The Vine is a daily publication of the School of Wine and Spirits.

schoolofwineandspirits.com · Amazon Author Page

Today's Kit Reference

Today’s Product	Key Aromas	Train With
Buffalo Trace	Maple Syrup, Vanilla, Oak, Butterscotch, Caramel	Bourbon Aroma Masterclass Kit
Highland Park 12	Honey, Floral (Rosewater), Smoky, Dried Fruit, Peaty	Whisky Aroma Masterclass Kit
Redbreast 12	Dried Fruit, Vanilla, Clove Spice, Peach, Honey	Whisky Aroma Masterclass Kit
Fortaleza Reposado	Agave (Cooked), Vanilla, Cinnamon, Citrus (Lemon, Lime, Orange, Grapefruit)	Tequila & Mezcal Aroma Masterclass Kit
The Botanist	Juniper (Herbaceous/Waxy), Chamomile, Meadowsweet, Lemon, Floral (Rose)	Gin Aroma Masterclass Kit
Mount Gay XO	Caramel, Vanilla, Coconut, Coffee, Banana	Rum Aroma Masterclass Kit
Beaucastel CdP 2020	Berry (Generic), Gamey, Cherry, Woody, Violet	Wine Aroma Masterclass Kit
Cloudy Bay SB 2023	Gooseberry, Citrus (Generic), Melon, Green (Cut Grass)	Wine Aroma Masterclass Kit

Explore the School of Wine and Spirits

Explore our Aroma Masterclass kits and books at schoolofwineandspirits.com

Explore our Aroma Masterclass kits and books at schoolofwineandspirits.com

Join the School of Wine and Spirits Community

Connect with fellow connoisseurs, share tasting notes, and go deeper into every pour. Sign up at skool.com/schoolofwineandspirits
Sign up at skool.com/schoolofwineandspirits

Our kits make the perfect gift for the curious drinker in your life — because once you learn to identify aromas, you never taste the same way again.

Know someone who’d love this? Forward this newsletter or share the link — and reply with your own tasting notes. We read every one.

The Still & The Vine is a daily publication of the School of Wine and Spirits.

schoolofwineandspirits.com

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Issue 002: From Source to Sip — March 28, 2026

BOURBON Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon

SCOTCH WHISKY Highland Park 12 Year Old

IRISH WHISKEY Redbreast 12 Year Old

TEQUILA Fortaleza Reposado

GIN The Botanist Islay Dry Gin

RUM Mount Gay XO

RED WINE Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2020

WHITE WINE Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough 2023

Train Your Nose: Today’s Aroma Spotlight

Today's Kit Reference

Explore the School of Wine and Spirits

Join the School of Wine and Spirits Community

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