Issue 035: Beneath the Surface - Depth Demands Attention

Issue No. 35 — April 30, 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: Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Brand: Stellum

Distillery: Barrell Craft Spirits (sourced, blended in Louisville, KY)

Proof: 114.98 (57.49% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Burnished copper with orange rim

MSRP: $38–$55

Mash Bill: Undisclosed blend of high-rye and traditional bourbon mash bills

Barrel Type: New charred American oak

Nose: Opens with assertive charred oak and caramel, but given five minutes reveals a quiet layer of dried cherry and pecan. A thread of orange zest weaves through, making the nose more complex than you'd expect from the price point.

Palate: Full-bodied and coating. The entry is butterscotch and corn sweetness, but the mid-palate shifts into leather, dark cocoa, and brown spices. High proof carries the flavors without burning.

Finish: Long and warming, with rye spice and charred oak lingering. A subtle maple sweetness appears in the final seconds.

Bourbon Kit Aromas: Charred Oak, Caramel, Cherry, Pecan, Brown Spices

The Verdict: Stellum is Barrell's answer to the question of what happens when you blend bourbons from multiple states and bottle at cask strength without apology. It rewards those who sit with it — the nose alone changes dramatically over twenty minutes. An outstanding value at this proof.

Classification: Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Brand: Benriach

Distillery: Benriach Distillery

Proof: 92 (46% ABV)

Age: 12 Year

Color: Rich gold with amber edges

MSRP: $55–$70

Region: Speyside

Mash Bill: 100% malted barley (peated)

Distillation: Double distilled in copper pot stills

Maturation: 12 years in bourbon barrels, sherry casks, and Marsala casks

Cask Type: Bourbon, Sherry, Marsala

Peat Level (PPM): Moderate (~35 ppm)

Chill-Filtered: Non-chill filtered

Nose: Gentle peat smoke gives way to honey and peach, creating a nose that shifts between savory and sweet. Underneath, dried fruit and a whisper of dark cocoa add warmth without weight.

Palate: Silky entry of malt and vanilla transitions into a smoky mid-palate brightened by orange peel. The sherry and bourbon cask influence provides caramel sweetness that balances the phenolic edge.

Finish: Medium-long, with clove spice and lingering peat. A final note of hazelnut emerges as the smoke fades.

Whisky Kit Aromas: Smoky, Honey, Peach, Dried Fruit, Clove Spice, Nut (Hazelnut)

The Verdict: Benriach has always played the complexity card in Speyside, and The Smoky Twelve is their most accessible argument for peated single malt outside Islay. The triple-cask maturation creates dimension beneath the smoke — this is a bottle that changes character entirely from first pour to the last drop in the glass.

Classification: Small Batch Irish Whiskey

Brand: The Irishman

Distillery: Walsh Whiskey Distillery

Proof: 80 (40% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Pale gold with straw highlights

MSRP: $35–$50

Mash Bill: Single malt and single pot still blend (malted and unmalted barley)

Distillation: Triple distilled in copper pot stills

Maturation: Bourbon casks

Chill-Filtered: Non-chill filtered

Nose: Deceptively simple at first — vanilla and green cut grass. After a few minutes, honeycomb, rosewater, and a dusting of cocoa emerge. The nose rewards patience in a way the modest proof doesn't advertise.

Palate: Creamy and malty on entry, with a buttery texture that coats the tongue. The mid-palate opens into almond, peach, and gentle woody spice. There's more structure here than the easy-going entry suggests.

Finish: Medium length with lingering honey and a faint clove warmth. Clean and balanced.

Whiskey Kit Aromas: Vanilla, Honey, Buttery, Almond, Peach

The Verdict: The Irishman Founder's Reserve blends single malt and single pot still whiskeys to quiet effect. It reads as approachable on the surface, but repeated sips reveal a carefully balanced architecture of pot still spice and malt sweetness. A thinking person's everyday Irish whiskey.

Classification: Añejo Tequila

Brand: Pasote

Distillery: Destilería El Pandillo (NOM 1584)

Proof: 80 (40% ABV)

Age: 18 Months

Color: Deep amber with copper highlights

MSRP: $65–$85

Agave: 100% Blue Weber Agave, highland-grown

Cooking Method: Tahona-crushed, open-air fermented with wild yeast, double distilled

NOM: NOM 1584

Additives Free: Yes

Nose: Cooked agave leads immediately but steps aside for caramel, butterscotch, and a surprising herbal complexity — dried thyme and eucalyptus. Oak and vanilla round out the background.

Palate: Rich and full without being heavy. Dark chocolate and cinnamon dominate the mid-palate, while roasted agave and a mineral earthiness create depth. A whisper of pepper adds lift.

Finish: Long and complex, with oak, tobacco, and lingering cooked agave sweetness. The herbal note from the nose returns at the very end.

Tequila Kit Aromas: Agave (Cooked), Caramel, Chocolate (Dark Chocolate, Cocoa), Herbal (Mint, Thyme, Eucalyptus), Oak, Pepper

The Verdict: Pasote's añejo is made with 100% tahona-crushed agave and fermented with wild airborne yeast, resulting in a tequila with more microbial complexity than most in its class. The initial sip suggests a well-made but conventional añejo; the second and third reveal layers of herbal and mineral character that set it apart.

Classification: Compound Gin

Brand: Ableforth's

Distillery: Atom Brands

Proof: 86.6 (43.3% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Pale straw with golden tint

MSRP: $30–$42

Style: Compound Gin

Botanicals: Juniper, orange peel, coriander, cassia bark, clove, cardamom

Base Spirit: Grain spirit

Distillation: Cold-compounded (botanical infusion, no redistillation)

Nose: Juniper and orange peel announce themselves, but a few moments reveal layers of coriander, cardamom, and a delicate floral rose note. There's a waxy quality to the juniper that deepens with air.

Palate: Soft and rounded entry — unusual for gin. Cassia bark and coriander create a warm spice core, while juniper stays herbaceous rather than piney. A touch of vanilla from the cold-compounding process adds texture.

Finish: Medium length with lingering coriander and cassia warmth. Orange peel returns gently.

Gin Kit Aromas: Juniper (Herbaceous/Waxy), Orange, Coriander, Cassia Bark, Floral (Rose)

The Verdict: Ableforth's Bathtub Gin is made by cold-compounding — infusing botanicals directly in the spirit rather than redistilling. The result is a gin with more body and color than typical London Drys, and an aromatic complexity that reveals itself slowly. It looks modest in its brown paper wrapper, but there's real craft underneath.

Classification: Aged Barbados Rum

Brand: Doorly's

Distillery: Foursquare Distillery

Proof: 80 (40% ABV)

Age: 12 Year

Color: Deep mahogany with tawny edge

MSRP: $28–$38

Base Ingredients: Molasses

Distillation: Blend of pot still and column still distillation

Nose: Opens with toffee and vanilla, straightforward and inviting. Behind that first wave sits dried fruit, leather, and a toasted oak note that becomes more prominent with time. A subtle sherry influence adds raisin-like depth.

Palate: Velvety texture. Chocolate and molasses on the entry give way to a surprisingly complex mid-palate of coffee, roasted nut, and baking spice. The oak integration is seamless — twelve years in the tropics at work.

Finish: Long and warming. Toffee and tobacco linger with a clean, dry exit. No bitterness despite the age.

Rum Kit Aromas: Toffee, Vanilla, Dried Fruit, Chocolate, Leather, Coffee

The Verdict: Made at Foursquare Distillery under Richard Seale's exacting standards, Doorly's 12 is one of the great value propositions in aged spirits. It presents as a pleasant sipper, but the depth of flavor — especially the interplay between sherry cask richness and tropical aging — places it well above its price point.

Classification: Barbaresco DOCG

Brand: Produttori del Barbaresco

ABV: 14.5%

Primary Varietal: Nebbiolo

Blend: 100% Nebbiolo

Vineyards: Multiple classified vineyard sites across Barbaresco

Maturation: Traditional fermentation with extended maceration, aged in large Slavonian oak botti

Color: Medium garnet with brick-orange rim

MSRP: $28–$40

Nose: Rose petal and fresh cherry appear immediately, but sitting with the glass reveals dried herb, a tarry earthiness, and a hint of cedar. The complexity builds rather than announces itself.

Palate: Medium-bodied with firm tannins and bright acidity. Cherry and berry fruit frame a mid-palate of violet, mint, and subtle woody spice. There's a beautiful tension between fruit and structure.

Finish: Long and savory, with cherry and cedar persisting. A gentle bitterness in the best Nebbiolo tradition keeps it lively.

Wine Kit Aromas: Cherry, Floral (Rose), Violet, Cedar, Mint

The Verdict: This cooperative has been turning out benchmark Barbaresco since 1958, and their classico bottling remains one of Italian wine's great truths. It seems austere at first pour — give it thirty minutes or a carafe and it becomes a different wine entirely. Beneath the tannin lies genuine beauty.

Classification: Mâcon-Vergisson AOC

Brand: Domaine Daniel & Julien Barraud

ABV: 13%

Primary Varietal: Chardonnay

Blend: 100% Chardonnay

Vineyards: La Roche, Vergisson

Vinification: Whole cluster pressed, fermented in stainless steel and oak, partial lees aging for 10 months

Color: Pale gold with green-tinged highlights

MSRP: $22–$32

Nose: Clean citrus and green apple on first pass, modest and restrained. But warmth in the glass draws out toasted almond, a whisper of honey, and delicate white flower. The nose gains altitude with patience.

Palate: Precise and mineral-driven, with lemon zest acidity framing a surprisingly full mid-palate. Stone fruit and melon emerge after the initial citrus, with a faint buttery quality from partial lees aging. Excellent balance of fruit and structure.

Finish: Medium and clean, with citrus and a chalky mineral note that lingers. Refreshing and inviting.

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

The Verdict: From the limestone slopes of Vergisson beneath the famous Roche, this Chardonnay looks like simple Mâcon on the label. Beneath that humility is a wine with real terroir expression — mineral, layered, and built for the table. It changes character as it warms, revealing Burgundian depth at a fraction of the Côte d'Or price.

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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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