Issue 136: The Friction of Still Air - Tension Yields Beauty

Issue No. 136 — August 9, 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, Bottled in Bond

Brand: New Riff

Distillery: New Riff Distilling

Proof: 100 proof (50% ABV)

Age: 4 Year Old

Color: Deep amber with copper highlights

MSRP: $60

Mash Bill: 65% corn, 30% Balboa rye, 5% malted barley

Barrel Type: New charred American oak, level 4 char

Bottled in Bond: Yes

Nose: A bright, insistent nose of orange peel and green herbs opens into baking spice — clove, allspice, cinnamon stick — with an undercurrent of pastry crust and toasted grain. Aeration reveals honeyed vanilla and a faint dusting of cocoa.

Palate: Immediately taut and spice-forward, with peppery Balboa rye pressing against a foundation of caramelized corn and buttered biscuit. Midpalate softens into vanilla cream, dried cherry, and orange marmalade, while a sinewy oak grip keeps everything in tension.

Finish: Long and warming, with lingering baking spice, mint leaf, leather, and a faint char-smoke echo. Dry, structured, and unmistakably rye-driven despite the corn majority.

Bourbon Kit Aromas: Brown Spices, Corn, Orange, Charred Oak, Vanilla, Leather

The Verdict: A bourbon that earns its complexity through friction rather than finesse — the rare high-rye bourbon that tastes engineered for tension, then rewards patience with genuine grace.

Classification: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Brand: Glengoyne

Distillery: Glengoyne Distillery

Proof: 86 (43% ABV)

Age: 12 Year

Color: Polished gold with warm copper reflections

MSRP: $45–$55

Region: Highlands

Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley (Golden Promise & Optic)

Distillation: Copper pot stills, slowest distillation rate in Scotland

Maturation: Combination of refill and first-fill sherry casks for a minimum of 12 years

Cask Type: Refill and first-fill European oak sherry casks

Peat Level (PPM): 0

Chill-Filtered: Yes

Nose: Toffee apples and honey dominate the opening, with subtle sherry-cask nuttiness underneath. Hints of green malt and a gentle floral note emerge with air.

Palate: Creamy mouthfeel delivering caramel, dried fruit, and hazelnut. A mid-palate brightness of orange peel balances the sweetness. The sherry influence is measured — present but never overbearing.

Finish: Medium-length, resolving in warm oak, a dusting of cocoa, and lingering honey sweetness.

Whisky Kit Aromas: Honey, Caramel, Dried Fruit, Nut (Hazelnut), Orange

The Verdict: Glengoyne's unhurried distillation — the slowest in Scotland — yields a malt of uncommon refinement for its age. The 12 Year Old is a benchmark for what sherry-matured Highland whisky should taste like without peat or smoke to lean on. Pure malt character at an accessible price.

Classification: Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Brand: Tyrconnell

Distillery: Cooley Distillery

Proof: 92 (46% ABV)

Age: 10 Year

Color: Rose gold with pink copper tints

MSRP: $100 - $120

Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley

Distillation: Double distilled in copper pot stills

Maturation: Initially matured in ex-bourbon barrels, finished in port pipes

Chill-Filtered: No

Nose: Ripe peach and dried berry fruit from the port cask, layered with honeycomb and vanilla. Beneath, a gentle earthiness and a hint of clove spice keep it grounded.

Palate: Silky and medium-bodied. The port influence brings dark fruit and a mild cocoa bitterness, while the malt backbone supplies buttery shortbread and a flash of orange zest. Well-integrated wood tannins provide structure.

Finish: Medium-long, with dried fruit and vanilla fading into a subtle smokiness and dry oak tannin.

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

The Verdict: The port cask finish adds complexity without masking the whiskey's essential double-distilled character. This is Cooley at its most approachable — a whiskey that demonstrates how thoughtful cask finishing can add dimension to an already solid malt. Non-chill filtered at 46%, it rewards neat exploration.

Classification: Extra Añejo Tequila

Brand: G4

Distillery: El Pandillo Distillery (NOM 1579)

Proof: 80 (40% ABV)

Age: 5 Year

Color: Deep mahogany with tawny edges

MSRP: $200–$250

Agave: 100% Blue Weber Agave, Highland (Los Altos) grown

Cooking Method: Tahona-crushed, open-air fermented, copper pot distilled

NOM: 1579

Additives Free: Yes

Nose: Rich cooked agave sweetness blends with butterscotch and leather. Dark chocolate and oak resin develop, joined by subtle vanilla and dried tobacco leaf. A distant mineral note anchors the complexity.

Palate: Dense and layered. Caramel and cinnamon wrap around the agave core, with coffee and dark chocolate emerging at mid-palate. The oak is prominent but never extractive — five years of rest have integrated the wood flavors fully. A peppery undercurrent runs throughout.

Finish: Exceptionally long. Tobacco, vanilla, and a lingering earthiness that recalls damp soil after rain. The agave whispers through to the very end.

Tequila Kit Aromas: Agave (Cooked), Butterscotch, Leather, Chocolate (Dark Chocolate, Cocoa), Oak, Pepper

The Verdict: Felipe Camarena's dedication to traditional production — tahona-crushed agave, open-air fermentation, copper pot distillation — creates an extra añejo that never forgets it's tequila. Five years in barrel could easily overwhelm lesser distillates, but the agave here is strong enough to hold its ground. A masterclass in the friction between spirit and wood.

Classification: Botanical

Brand: Sacred Spirits

Distillery: Sacred Spirits Distillery

Proof: 86 (43% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Crystal clear

MSRP: $40–$50

Style: Contemporary Botanical Style

Botanicals: Undisclosed

Base Spirit: English grain neutral spirit

Distillation: Vacuum distillation — each botanical distilled individually at low pressure, then blended

Nose: Juniper leads clearly but not aggressively, supported by bright coriander seed and a lifted citrus note of fresh lemon. Underneath, orris root gives a powdery, violet-like depth. A whisper of angelica binds it all together.

Palate: Medium-bodied and elegant. The juniper takes on a more herbaceous, waxy quality on the palate, while cassia bark adds a warm spice element. Grapefruit pith appears at mid-palate, and the finish of each sip hints at lavender and a dry, peppery kick.

Finish: Clean and lingering, with juniper, dried angelica, and a faint floral sweetness that dissipates slowly.

Gin Kit Aromas: Juniper (Herbaceous/Waxy), Coriander, Lemon, Orris Root, Cassia Bark, Lavender

The Verdict: Sacred's vacuum distillation technique preserves the freshest expression of each botanical — no boiling, no heat degradation. The result is a gin of unusual clarity and precision. Each botanical is distinct yet integrated, making it equally suited to a contemplative neat pour or a gin and tonic that reveals new layers with every sip.

Classification: Aged Cachaça (Sugarcane Juice Rum)

Brand: Novo Fogo

Distillery: Undisclosed

Proof: 88 proof (44% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Pale gold with green-yellow highlights

MSRP: $35

Base Ingredients: Fresh-pressed sugarcane juice (organic, single estate)

Distillation: Single distillation in copper pot stills, then aged two years in ex-bourbon American oak barrels in the Atlantic rainforest of Paraná

Nose: Fresh-cut grass and green banana leaf lead, followed by honeysuckle, warm butter, and a whisper of white pepper. Beneath the vegetal brightness sits a soft toasted oak note and a hint of green olive brine — the signature tension between raw cane vitality and quiet cask maturation.

Palate: Silky and lightly oily, opening with sugarcane sap, unripe pear, and lime zest. Mid-palate reveals almond skin, chamomile, and a savory umami thread reminiscent of green tea. American oak lends restrained vanilla and a dusting of cinnamon without softening the cane's herbal edge.

Finish: Medium length, drying and grassy, with lingering white pepper, wet stone, and a faint saline echo. The cask presence trails quietly rather than dominating — cane has the last word.

Rum Kit Aromas: Agricole, Banana, Vanilla, Oak, Tropical Fruits, Spice (Generic)

The Verdict: A benchmark for accessible aged cachaça: bright enough for a Caipirinha upgrade, structured enough for neat sipping. It rewards drinkers curious about how minimal oak influence can sharpen rather than mask a cane spirit's identity.

Classification: Gigondas AOC

Brand: Domaine de la Bouïssière

Distillery: Domaine de la Bouïssière

ABV: 14.5%

Primary Varietal: Grenache

Blend: 80% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, 5% Syrah

Vineyards: Les Olivets vineyard, Dentelles de Montmirail slopes, old vines (50+ years)

Maturation: Whole-cluster fermentation in concrete, indigenous yeast, minimal sulfur

Color: Dense garnet with violet rim

MSRP: $35–$45

Nose: Ripe black cherry and crushed violets lead, followed by garrigue herbs, cracked black pepper, and a stony mineral undertone. With air, a hint of cedar and dried lavender emerges.

Palate: Full and generous without excess weight. Dark berry fruit is framed by firm but polished tannins. A savory mid-palate of dried herbs and olive tapenade gives way to sweet spice and a faint marzipan quality from the Mourvèdre component.

Finish: Long and structured, trailing cedar, blackcurrant, and warm stone. The tannins grip gently and fade slowly.

Wine Kit Aromas: Cherry, Violet, Cedar, Blackcurrant, Marzipan

The Verdict: The Faravel family farms old-vine Grenache and Mourvèdre on Gigondas's rocky Dentelles de Montmirail slopes, where low yields and extreme diurnal temperature swings build concentration naturally. Les Olivets is their flagship — a wine of real substance that never sacrifices drinkability for power. Give it thirty minutes in a decanter and it opens beautifully.

Classification: Etna Bianco DOC

Brand: Pietradolce

Distillery: Pietradolce

ABV: 12.5%

Primary Varietal: Carricante

Blend: 100% Carricante

Vineyards: North face of Mount Etna, 700m elevation, volcanic soils

Vinification: Hand-harvested, whole-cluster pressed, fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel, no malolactic fermentation

Color: Pale gold with greenish glints

MSRP: $22–$30

Nose: White flowers and citrus blossom lead, followed by green apple skin and a pronounced mineral note — wet stone and volcanic ash. A subtle hint of almond adds warmth.

Palate: Taut and precise, with bright citrus acidity driving the palate. Green apple and pear flavors are underscored by a saline minerality that speaks directly to the volcanic soils. A faint honeyed richness develops at mid-palate without softening the wine's essential tension.

Finish: Clean and persistent, with lingering citrus, crushed stone, and a faintly bitter almond note.

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

The Verdict: Pietradolce's Carricante vines grow at 700 meters on Etna's north face, rooted in millennia of lava flow. Winemaker Michele Faro handles the fruit with restraint — stainless steel only, no malolactic — letting the grape and the volcano speak. The result is one of Italy's most compelling white wines at a price that borders on absurd for this level of quality.

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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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