Issue 196: The Iron in the Soil - Minerals Shape Flavor

Issue No. 196 — October 8, 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: Maker's Mark

Distillery: Maker's Mark Distillery

Proof: 109.1 (54.55% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Deep burnished copper with amber edges

MSRP: $60–$75

Mash Bill: 70% Corn, 16% Red Winter Wheat, 14% Malted Barley

Barrel Type: New charred American oak with custom finishing staves

Wheated: Yes

Nose: Rich caramel and toasted wheat open the nose, followed by dried orange peel and a dusting of cocoa. A faint minerality emerges underneath, like wet limestone after rain.

Palate: The palate is dense and chewy with butterscotch, dark cherry, and baking spice. Charred oak gives structure while the wheated mash bill contributes a pillowy softness that absorbs the higher proof without burn.

Finish: Long and warming with lingering maple sweetness, toasted pecan, and a dry mineral close that keeps the sweetness honest.

Bourbon Kit Aromas: Butterscotch, Cherry, Charred Oak, Wheat, Maple Syrup

The Verdict: This annual limited release showcases what Maker's Mark does best: balance. The custom oak staves add complexity without overwhelming the distillery's signature wheated character. A bourbon that rewards patience and attention in equal measure.

Classification: Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Brand: Kilkerran

Distillery: Glengyle Distillery

Proof: 115.4 (57.7% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Pale straw gold with green-tinged highlights

MSRP: $80–$110

Region: Campbeltown

Mash Bill: 100% malted barley

Distillation: Double distilled in traditional copper pot stills

Maturation: Matured in a combination of ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry hogsheads

Cask Type: Ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry hogsheads

Peat Level (PPM): Approximately 50 ppm

Chill-Filtered: Non-chill filtered, natural color

Nose: An immediate rush of briny sea air mingles with smoldering peat and crushed wet slate. Behind the smoke, there are notes of lemon peel, green apple, and a distinctive chalky mineral quality reminiscent of limestone quarry dust. A hint of lanolin and heather honey emerges with time in the glass.

Palate: Cask-strength intensity delivers waves of maritime salinity, ashy peat, and a striking flinty minerality that speaks directly to Campbeltown's ancient geology. The mid-palate opens into white pepper, toasted barley, and a creamy malt sweetness that balances the phenolic weight. Oily texture coats the mouth with impressions of smoked oyster shell and iodine-kissed rock pools.

Finish: Long and drying, with lingering campfire embers, crushed granite, and a final saline-mineral echo that recalls the iron-rich coastal bedrock beneath the distillery. A wisp of vanilla sweetness arrives at the very end.

Whisky Kit Aromas: Peaty, Smoky, Malt, Honey, Earthy, Medicinal

The Verdict: Kilkerran's Heavily Peated series is a masterclass in how mineral-rich Campbeltown terroir shapes a whisky's character—the iron and limestone beneath Glengyle leave an unmistakable geological fingerprint. At cask strength, the interplay of coastal brine, flint, and earthy peat smoke is vivid and uncompromising. This is a bottle that makes you taste the ground it came from.

Classification: Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Brand: Tipperary

Distillery: Tipperary Boutique Distillery

Proof: 94 (47% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Pale gold with green-tinged highlights

MSRP: $55–$70

Mash Bill: 100% malted Irish barley

Distillation: Triple distilled

Maturation: Aged in first-fill bourbon barrels

Chill-Filtered: Non-chill filtered

Nose: Opens with crisp green apple and fresh-cut barley, followed by a distinctive wet-stone minerality that evokes limestone spring water. Honeycomb sweetness emerges beneath hints of white pepper and gentle floral notes.

Palate: Medium-bodied with a striking mineral backbone — chalky limestone and flint weave through layers of orchard fruit, toasted malt, and lemon zest. A saline quality underscores the cereal sweetness, with touches of ginger spice and vanilla adding warmth.

Finish: Medium-long with persistent mineral dryness, fading through barley sugar and a whisper of white pepper. The limestone character lingers like cold spring water over rock.

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

The Verdict: Tipperary Watershed is a compelling demonstration of how Ireland's limestone-rich Golden Veil aquifer shapes whiskey character from the ground up. The mineral thread running through every sip ties it to terroir as convincingly as any vineyard, making it a natural fit for drinkers who believe the earth beneath your feet ends up in the glass.

Classification: Blanco Tequila

Brand: Siembra Valles

Distillery: Feliciano Vivanco y Asociados (NOM 1414)

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Crystal clear with faint opalescence

MSRP: $150 - $175

Agave: 100% Blue Weber Agave (Tequilana Weber var. Azul)

Cooking Method: Tahona-crushed, open-air fermented in wooden vats, double distilled in copper pot stills

NOM: 1414

Additives Free: Yes

Nose: Intensely mineral and earthy — wet clay, crushed volcanic rock, and roasted agave. Behind the minerality sits white pepper, lime zest, and a delicate floral note of wild herbs.

Palate: Silky texture with rich cooked agave sweetness balanced by pronounced mineral notes. Green olive, citrus pith, and a savory umami quality emerge mid-palate. The higher proof gives excellent structure without heat.

Finish: Long and dry with lingering mineral salinity, black pepper, and a smoky echo from the earthen pit roasting.

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

The Verdict: Ancestral production methods — tahona-crushed, open-air fermented, copper pot distilled — yield a tequila that tastes like the valley it comes from. This is terroir made drinkable, with volcanic soil minerality at its core. One of the most transparent expressions of Amatitán's lowland character available.

Classification: Navy Strength Gin

Brand: Plymouth

Distillery: Black Friars Distillery

Proof: 114 (57% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Crystal clear

MSRP: $35–$45

Style: Navy Strength

Botanicals: Juniper, coriander seed, orange peel, lemon peel, angelica root, orris root, cardamom

Base Spirit: neutral grain spirit

Distillation: Single-shot pot distillation in a copper still

Nose: Juniper leads with a resinous, pine-forward intensity, backed by earthy angelica and bright coriander. Lemon zest and a faint violet floral quality emerge as the proof settles.

Palate: Muscular and full-bodied — the high proof amplifies every botanical. Juniper stays dominant with cassia bark warmth, a peppery bite, and orris root lending a powdery, almost chalky minerality. Orange peel sweetness rounds the edges.

Finish: Powerful and lingering with juniper resin, cracked black pepper, and a dry, slightly earthy close.

Gin Kit Aromas: Juniper (Pine), Juniper (Woody/Resinous), Angelica, Lemon, Peppery, Orris Root

The Verdict: Plymouth's navy strength is a masterclass in proportional scaling — every botanical that works at 41.2% works harder here without distortion. The Dartmoor water's soft mineral profile keeps the 57% from becoming aggressive. Essential for a proper gimlet and a reminder that Plymouth's geographic appellation is more than marketing.

Classification: American Rum

Brand: Maggie's Farm

Distillery: Maggie's Farm Rum Distillery

Proof: 80 (40% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Pale gold with bright straw highlights

MSRP: $30–$38

Base Ingredients: Turbinado sugar and fresh sugarcane juice

Distillation: Pot-distilled in a custom-built copper pot still

Nose: Fresh sugarcane and honeyed minerality rise first, followed by light citrus zest and a subtle flintiness reminiscent of wet stone. A grassy, almost herbal undercurrent weaves through faint vanilla and toasted grain notes.

Palate: The palate is surprisingly mineral-forward for an American rum, with a chalky, limestone-like quality that grounds flavors of ripe banana, light caramel, and tropical fruit. A peppery spice develops at mid-palate, balanced by a clean, slightly saline character that speaks to the distillery's meticulous fermentation.

Finish: Medium-length finish with lingering minerality, a whisper of toasted coconut, and a dry, pleasantly earthy fade.

Rum Kit Aromas: Banana, Caramel, Tropical Fruits, Vanilla, Agricole

The Verdict: Maggie's Farm Queen's Share is a craft American rum that punches well above its modest price point, delivering a mineral-driven profile that feels more terroir-conscious than most rums in its class. Its restrained sweetness and stony backbone make it a compelling fit for anyone who values place over sugar, proving that limestone-rich Pennsylvania water can shape rum as decisively as any Caribbean soil.

Classification: Etna Rosso DOC

Brand: Girolamo Russo

Winery: Girolamo Russo

ABV: 14%

Primary Varietal: Nerello Mascalese

Blend: 95% Nerello Mascalese, 5% Nerello Cappuccio

Vineyards: Contrada San Lorenzo, north face of Mount Etna, 600m elevation

Maturation: Spontaneous fermentation, 18 months in large Slavonian oak casks, unfined and unfiltered

Color: Translucent garnet-ruby with orange-brick rim

MSRP: $45–$60

Nose: Vivid red cherry and crushed wild strawberry with dried rose petals and a pronounced volcanic mineral note — wet pumice and iron filings. Hints of dried herbs and cracked black pepper add complexity.

Palate: Elegant and taut with bright cherry fruit, blood orange, and a ferrous minerality that runs like a spine through the wine. Fine-grained tannins provide structure without weight. There is a smoky, ashy quality that recalls the volcanic soil the Nerello Mascalese vines are rooted in.

Finish: Long and saline with lingering cherry, iron-tinged mineral notes, and a delicate floral lift on the close.

Wine Kit Aromas: Cherry, Floral (Rose), Violet, Berry (Generic), Toasted

The Verdict: San Lorenzo is one of Etna's most respected contrade, and Girolamo Russo's bottling demonstrates why. The volcanic terroir — black sand, ash, and iron-rich lava stone — is not background here; it is the protagonist. A Burgundian sensibility applied to Sicilian volcanic fruit, resulting in a wine of transparency and tension.

Classification: Santorini PDO

Brand: Domaine Sigalas

Winery: Domaine Sigalas

ABV: 13.5%

Primary Varietal: Assyrtiko

Blend: 100% Assyrtiko

Vineyards: Estate vineyards in Oia, Santorini; ungrafted vines, kouloura basket-trained, volcanic pumice soil

Vinification: Night harvest, gentle whole-cluster pressing, temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel, brief lees aging

Color: Pale straw with silvery-green reflections

MSRP: $25–$35

Nose: Intense lemon zest, crushed chalk, and sea spray open the nose. Beneath sits white peach, green apple, and a pronounced flinty minerality that defines Santorini Assyrtiko.

Palate: Razor-sharp acidity frames flavors of citrus pith, saline minerality, and unripe pear. The volcanic pumice terroir delivers an almost electric mineral quality — less fruit-driven, more stone and salt. Excellent weight and texture despite the lean, dry profile.

Finish: Long and bracing with persistent minerality, a bitter lemon twist, and a saline close that demands another sip.

Wine Kit Aromas: Citrus (Generic), Apple (Green), Green (Cut Grass), Honey, Toasted

The Verdict: Sigalas is widely considered Santorini's benchmark Assyrtiko producer, and the 2023 vintage demonstrates why. Ancient, ungrafted, basket-trained vines rooted in volcanic ash produce a wine of extraordinary mineral intensity. This is the vinous equivalent of licking a sun-warmed volcanic rock — in the best possible way.

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

Free guide: The 90% Gap — 90% of flavor is aroma, not taste. The 30-second test that proves it, and how to train your nose at home. Get the guide →

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

schoolofwineandspirits.com  ·  Amazon Author Page