Issue 055: The River Remembers - Water Shapes Everything

Issue No. 55 — May 20, 2026

Your daily discovery of 8 exceptional wines and spirits

In This Issue

Bourbon Scotch Whisky Irish Whiskey Tequila Gin Rum Red Wine White Wine

Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Brand: Michter's

Distillery: Michter's Shively Distillery

Proof: 91.4 (45.7% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Deep burnished copper with amber edges

MSRP: $90 +

Mash Bill: Corn-dominant with rye and malted barley

Barrel Type: New charred American oak, then transferred to toasted American oak barrel

Nose: Immediate butterscotch and toasted marshmallow, followed by a wave of brown sugar and dried apple. Underneath there's a subtle nuttiness and gentle oak char that keeps it grounded.

Palate: Silky entry with caramel custard and vanilla bean, then toasted pecan and a hint of dark chocolate emerge at mid-palate. The mouthfeel is noticeably plush, with a warmth that builds gradually rather than arriving all at once.

Finish: Medium-long with lingering maple sweetness, a dusting of cocoa, and dry oak tannin that provides welcome structure.

Bourbon Kit Aromas: Butterscotch, Vanilla, Pecan, Cocoa (Dark), Maple Syrup

The Verdict: The secondary toasted barrel adds a dimension of roasted sweetness that sets this apart from standard bourbon profiles. It's indulgent without being cloying — a careful balancing act that Michter's executes with discipline. Worth seeking out for its textural richness alone.

Classification: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Brand: Royal Brackla

Distillery: Royal Brackla Distillery

Proof: 80 (40% ABV)

Age: 16 Year

Color: Polished gold with honeyed highlights

MSRP: $90–$120

Region: Highlands

Mash Bill: 100% malted barley

Distillation: Double pot still distillation

Maturation: Aged in first-fill oloroso sherry casks and American oak ex-bourbon barrels

Cask Type: Oloroso sherry and ex-bourbon

Peat Level (PPM): Unpeated

Chill-Filtered: Yes

Nose: Ripe peach and honey dominate the opening, followed by a wave of sherry-soaked dried fruit and a floral rosewater quality. There's a creamy, almost buttery undertone that holds everything together.

Palate: Honeyed malt arrives first, then transitions into poached stone fruit and a gentle clove warmth. The texture is medium-bodied and remarkably smooth, with hazelnut and dark chocolate appearing at the edges.

Finish: Long and warming, with lingering dried apricot, vanilla, and a whisper of oak spice that fades gracefully.

Whisky Kit Aromas: Peach, Honey, Dried Fruit, Clove Spice, Cocoa (Dark)

The Verdict: Royal Brackla remains one of the Highlands' least-discussed treasures, and the 16-year expression shows why it deserves more attention. The sherry cask influence is measured, never heavy-handed, allowing the distillery's naturally fruity character to shine. A refined whisky for contemplative evenings.

Classification: Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Brand: Waterford

Distillery: Waterford Distillery

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Pale straw with green-gold glints

MSRP: $75–$95

Mash Bill: 100% Irish-grown malted barley from Bannow Island farm

Distillation: Double distilled

Maturation: Combination of first-fill American oak bourbon barrels and French oak

Chill-Filtered: Non-chill filtered

Nose: Green barley and freshly cut grass open the nose, followed by a honeyed cereal sweetness and delicate rosewater. There's a mineral, almost chalky quality beneath — evidence of the terroir-driven approach at work.

Palate: Vibrant malt and honey at the fore, with peach skin and a gentle vanilla creaminess developing at mid-palate. The texture is lively and medium-bodied, with a touch of white pepper spice and earthy complexity from the single-farm grain.

Finish: Medium-length with lingering green apple, a hint of toasted oak, and a clean minerality that calls you back for another sip.

Whiskey Kit Aromas: Green (Cut Grass), Honey, Peach, Vanilla, Earthy

The Verdict: Waterford's Single Farm Origin series is the most radical expression of terroir in Irish whiskey today. The Bannow Island edition — sourced from a single farm on Wexford's coast — delivers a transparency of character that makes you taste the land. If you've ever wondered whether barley provenance matters, this is your proof.

Classification: Tequila Blanco (100% Agave)

Brand: Cascahuin

Distillery: Tequila Cascahuín

Proof: 80 (40% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Crystal clear with faint silver sheen

MSRP: $85–$95

Agave: 100% Blue Weber Agave from lowland Tequila Valley

Cooking Method: Brick oven cooked agave, natural fermentation with open-air yeasts, double distilled in copper pot stills

NOM: NOM 1123

Additives Free: Yes

Nose: Bright cooked agave and wet mineral earth are immediate and compelling. Citrus zest — lime and grapefruit — floats above a grassy, herbaceous base with a light floral whisper of violet.

Palate: Clean agave sweetness meets a peppery bite at the center, with crushed herbs and a chalky mineral quality that speaks directly to El Arenal's volcanic soil. There's a hint of green apple fruit and a yeasty breadiness underneath.

Finish: Short to medium, finishing clean with lingering white pepper, citrus pith, and a final flash of cooked agave.

Tequila Kit Aromas: Agave (Cooked), Earth (Mineral, Soil Notes), Citrus (Lemon, Lime, Orange, Grapefruit), Pepper, Herbal (Mint, Thyme, Eucalyptus)

The Verdict: Cascahuin's Plata is an object lesson in what unaged tequila can be when the raw materials and process are right. At this price, it outperforms bottles costing three times as much. The mineral backbone gives it a serious, contemplative quality that rewards sipping neat, though it's also one of the finest cocktail bases you'll find.

Classification: Barrel-Aged American Gin

Brand: Barr Hill

Distillery: Caledonia Spirits

Proof: 86 (43% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Deep amber-gold from barrel aging

MSRP: $40–$55

Style: Barrel-Aged American Gin

Botanicals: Juniper, raw northern honey

Base Spirit: Grain neutral spirit

Distillation: Pot distillation with juniper; raw honey added post-distillation before barrel aging

Nose: Juniper and raw honey greet you first, quickly joined by warm vanilla and cassia bark. There's a waxy, herbaceous quality to the juniper that gives it depth, with subtle floral notes emerging as it opens.

Palate: Honeyed sweetness balanced by resinous juniper and baking spices. The barrel aging contributes a warm vanilla and oak character without overwhelming the botanical core. Mid-palate delivers gentle ginger warmth and a hint of orris root earthiness.

Finish: Medium-long with lingering juniper, honey, and a spicy cassia bark warmth that echoes pleasantly.

Gin Kit Aromas: Juniper (Herbaceous/Waxy), Vanilla, Cassia Bark, Ginger, Orris Root

The Verdict: Tom Cat proves that barrel-aged gin can be more than a novelty. The interplay between raw northern honey, juniper, and new American oak creates something genuinely distinctive — part gin, part whiskey-adjacent sipper, wholly itself. Vermont's cold winters slow the aging, building complexity without sacrificing botanical clarity.

Classification: Pure Single Jamaican Rum

Brand: Hampden Estate

Distillery: Hampden Estate Distillery

Proof: 120 (60% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Rich amber with mahogany undertones

MSRP: $85–$110

Base Ingredients: Molasses

Distillation: Pot still distillation with long open-air fermentation (up to 21 days)

Nose: An explosion of tropical fruit — overripe banana, pineapple, and mango — immediately meets deep molasses and a funky ester-driven note that is unmistakably Hampden. Underneath, dried fruit and leather emerge with time in the glass.

Palate: Full-bodied and intense. Muscovado sugar and dark chocolate anchor the palate, while waves of tropical fruit and citrus peel dance above. Despite the proof, there's remarkable control — the fusel character is present but integrated, adding depth rather than harshness.

Finish: Exceptionally long, with lingering coffee, tobacco, and a final burst of tropical fruit that refuses to leave.

Rum Kit Aromas: Tropical Fruits, Molasses, Banana, Coffee, Leather, Muscovado

The Verdict: Great House is Hampden turned up to maximum volume. It sits at the high end of the ester spectrum, and that means it's not for the timid — but for rum enthusiasts who want to taste the full expression of Jamaican pot still tradition, it's essential. A few drops of water open it beautifully. The distillery's spring-fed limestone water, drawn from the Martha Brae River basin, creates the mineral-rich environment that makes Hampden's legendary fermentation possible.

Classification: Red Wine — Pinot Noir

Brand: Domaine de la Côte

Distillery: Domaine de la Côte

ABV: 12.5%

Primary Varietal: Pinot Noir

Blend: 100% Pinot Noir

Vineyards: Memorious Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills

Maturation: Whole-cluster fermentation (approximately 50%), native yeasts, minimal intervention, aged 16 months in French oak

Color: Translucent ruby with garnet rim

MSRP: $80–$100

Nose: Red cherry and wild strawberry meet a savory undercurrent of crushed rock and dried herbs. There's a lovely violet perfume and a hint of cedar that adds structure to the aromatics.

Palate: Elegant and taut. Bright cherry fruit is laced with fine-grained tannins and a persistent minerality that evokes the diatomaceous earth soils of the vineyard. A whisper of rose petal and mint adds complexity without weight.

Finish: Long and lifted, with lingering red fruit, a stony mineral note, and gentle cedar tannin.

Wine Kit Aromas: Cherry, Violet, Cedar, Mint, Berry (Generic)

The Verdict: Rajat Parr and Sashi Moorman's coastal Pinot Noirs are some of California's most Burgundian, and Memorious from the wind-hammered Sta. Rita Hills captures a tension between fruit and earth that most New World producers can't achieve. The maritime influence — cold Pacific fog funneled directly through the transverse valley — keeps acidity razor-sharp. This is site-specific winemaking at its most transparent.

Classification: White Wine — Vouvray AOC Sec

Brand: Domaine Huet

Distillery: Domaine Huet

ABV: 13.0%

Primary Varietal: Chenin Blanc

Blend: 100% Chenin Blanc

Vineyards: Le Clos du Bourg, Vouvray

Vinification: Biodynamic farming, hand-harvested, natural yeast fermentation in old oak demi-muids, minimal sulfur

Color: Pale gold with green-tinged highlights

MSRP: $45–$60

Nose: White flowers and honey open into green apple and quince. There's a waxy, lanolin quality and a wet-stone minerality that anchors the aromatics, giving depth to the fruit.

Palate: Taut and textured, with citrus pith, ripe pear, and a persistent chalky minerality that runs the full length of the palate. The tension between residual richness and brisk acidity is beautifully managed, with hints of almond and toasted brioche from the clay-rich tuffeau soils.

Finish: Exceptionally long. Honeyed citrus and wet limestone linger, with a saline quality that refreshes and invites another sip.

Wine Kit Aromas: Honey, Apple (Green), Citrus (Generic), Toasted, Nut (Almond/Coconut)

The Verdict: Le Clos du Bourg is Huet's most structured vineyard, and the 2022 sec demonstrates why Chenin Blanc from Vouvray's clay-over-tuffeau slopes deserves comparison with the world's great whites. Biodynamic farming since the 1990s has amplified the transparency of this site. The wine will evolve beautifully for a decade or more, but it's already compelling in its youth — electric with energy and rooted in place.

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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.

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