Issue 043: The Vintner's Almanac - Seasons Shape Spirit

Issue No. 43 — May 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: Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Brand: Woodinville

Distillery: Woodinville Whiskey Co.

Proof: 90 (45% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Warm honey gold with amber edges

MSRP: $35–$45

Mash Bill: Corn, malted barley, rye — exact percentages undisclosed

Barrel Type: New charred American oak

Nose: Butterscotch and toasted grain open immediately, followed by ripe red apple and a faint whisper of vanilla. A second pass reveals charred oak and a dusting of brown spice.

Palate: Medium-bodied with caramel and corn sweetness at the entry, developing into baking spices and a pleasant oakiness at mid-palate. The mouthfeel is satiny without being heavy, and a thread of dried cherry emerges late.

Finish: Medium length with lingering butterscotch, a touch of leather, and gentle charred oak that fades cleanly.

Bourbon Kit Aromas: Butterscotch, Charred Oak, Apple (Red), Caramel, Brown Spices

The Verdict: Woodinville demonstrates that Pacific Northwest climate — cool winters and warm summers — produces a distinctly approachable bourbon with excellent grain character. The warehouse conditions in Quincy, Washington create wide temperature swings that push spirit deep into the wood. A strong value that punches above its price point.

Classification: Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Brand: Tomintoul

Distillery: Tomintoul Distillery

Proof: 80 (40% ABV)

Age: 16 Year

Color: Pale straw with light gold reflections

MSRP: $60–$80

Region: Speyside

Mash Bill: 100% malted barley

Distillation: Double distilled in copper pot stills

Maturation: Aged 16 years in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks

Cask Type: Ex-bourbon and ex-sherry

Peat Level (PPM): Unpeated

Chill-Filtered: Chill filtered

Nose: Delicate honey and ripe peach lead, supported by vanilla and a faint note of cut grass. There is an ethereal lightness throughout, with almond emerging on the second nosing.

Palate: Silky and gentle, with malt sweetness and buttery shortbread at the core. Peach returns alongside a subtle floral rosewater quality, and the oak influence is restrained and elegant.

Finish: Medium length, clean and honeyed with lingering malt and the faintest touch of hazelnut.

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

The Verdict: Known as 'the gentle dram,' Tomintoul 16 earns that reputation through patience rather than timidity. Sixteen Speyside winters have softened every edge without stripping character. It is a masterclass in how a cool, consistent highland climate produces whiskies of quiet complexity.

Classification: Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Brand: Tullamore D.E.W.

Distillery: Tullamore Distillery

Proof: 82.4 (41.2% ABV)

Age: 14 Year

Color: Rich gold with copper undertones

MSRP: $70–$90

Mash Bill: 100% malted barley

Distillation: Triple distilled in copper pot stills

Maturation: Aged 14 years across ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, ex-port, and ex-Madeira casks

Chill-Filtered: Non-chill filtered

Nose: Orchard fruit and dried apricot open up, followed by toasted almond and a creamy vanilla note. A gentle waft of clove spice sits underneath, with honey holding everything together.

Palate: Smooth and medium-bodied, with a honeyed malt core and waves of dried fruit — fig and date — wrapped in gentle oak. A floral rosewater quality emerges at mid-palate, adding elegance.

Finish: Long and warming, with clove spice, fading vanilla, and a woody dryness that grounds the sweetness.

Whiskey Kit Aromas: Honey, Dried Fruit, Clove Spice, Vanilla, Floral (Rosewater)

The Verdict: The marriage of four different cask types across fourteen Irish seasons gives this whiskey a layered complexity that defies its approachable price. It captures the moderate, damp Irish midlands climate that keeps angel's share low and maturation gradual. A textbook example of how patience and Ireland's mild climate produce uncommon depth.

Classification: Extra Añejo Tequila

Brand: Tapatio

Distillery: La Alteña Distillery

Proof: 80 (40% ABV)

Age: 4 Year

Color: Deep mahogany with russet highlights

MSRP: $120–$150

Agave: 100% Blue Weber Agave (estate-grown highland)

Cooking Method: Brick oven cooked, roller mill extracted, natural fermentation with house yeast

NOM: NOM 1139

Additives Free: Yes

Nose: Rich cooked agave melds with dark chocolate and butterscotch. Vanilla and oak dominate a second wave, followed by hints of tobacco leaf and dried citrus peel.

Palate: Full-bodied and velvety, with caramel, roasted agave, and a pronounced coffee note. The oak is present but integrated, never overwhelming the agave character. A flash of cinnamon warms the mid-palate.

Finish: Exceptionally long, with lingering chocolate, tobacco, and a final whisper of cooked agave that refuses to leave.

Tequila Kit Aromas: Agave (Cooked), Chocolate (Dark Chocolate, Cocoa), Butterscotch, Vanilla, Tobacco

The Verdict: Four years in American oak have transformed highland agave into something that could be mistaken for a fine aged spirit of any category — yet the agave core never disappears. Carlos Camarena's refusal to use diffusers or additives means every bit of complexity here comes from raw material and time. A tequila that rewards those who understand what patience costs.

Classification: Vintage Dry Gin

Brand: Blackwoods

Distillery: Blackwoods Distillery

Proof: 80 (40% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Crystal clear

MSRP: $35–$50

Style: Vintage Dry Gin

Botanicals: Juniper, meadowsweet, sea mint, angelica, coriander, ginger, violet, lemon peel, and wild Shetland botanicals

Base Spirit: Grain neutral spirit

Distillation: Pot distilled, single batch

Nose: Bright juniper with a distinct pine quality leads, joined by meadowsweet and violet. A subtle angelica earthiness anchors the bouquet, and lemon zest lifts the top notes.

Palate: Clean and brisk, with juniper and coriander seed at the forefront. Meadowsweet sweetness balances the herbal bite, and a ginger warmth develops mid-palate. The texture is slightly oily and satisfying.

Finish: Medium, with lingering juniper pine, a floral violet fade, and clean citrus on the exhale.

Gin Kit Aromas: Juniper (Pine), Meadowsweet, Violet, Lemon, Ginger

The Verdict: Blackwoods is one of the few gins to carry a vintage date, because the wild Shetland botanicals — sea mint, meadowsweet, and others — vary from season to season. The 2017 growing year produced a particularly aromatic crop, and you can taste the difference. This is gin as agricultural product, subject to the same seasonal logic as wine.

Classification: Single Estate Jamaican Rum

Brand: Worthy Park

Distillery: Worthy Park Estate

Proof: 114 (57% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Burnished copper with deep amber reflections

MSRP: $70–$95

Base Ingredients: Estate-grown sugarcane molasses

Distillation: Double-retort copper pot still

Nose: Concentrated tropical fruits — overripe banana and mango — meet a muscovado sweetness and a hint of burnt rubber funk. Oak and vanilla provide structure, with a dried fruit note lurking in the background.

Palate: Full-bodied and intense, with molasses, roasted coffee, and dark chocolate at the core. The Jamaican ester character is assertive but controlled, presenting as tropical fruit compote rather than solvent. Toffee sweetness balances the proof.

Finish: Long and resonant, with leather, spice, and a lingering tropical fruit echo that evolves for minutes.

Rum Kit Aromas: Tropical Fruits, Muscovado, Toffee, Oak, Banana

The Verdict: The 2013 vintage distillation captures a specific year of Jamaican sugarcane and fermentation conditions at Worthy Park's Lluidas Vale estate. Aged in the tropics where angel's share is punishing, what remains in the barrel after those hot Jamaican seasons is concentrated and unapologetically flavorful. This is rum for people who want to taste the land and the year.

Classification: Haut-Médoc AOC

Brand: Château Sociando-Mallet

ABV: 13.5%

Primary Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon

Blend: 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc

Vineyards: 83 hectares on deep Garonne gravel, Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne

Maturation: Cold soak, temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel and concrete vats, malolactic in barrel

Color: Deep ruby-violet with inky core

MSRP: $40–$55

Nose: Concentrated blackcurrant and ripe cherry rise first, layered with cedar and a touch of violet. Toasted oak and a subtle mintiness fill in the edges.

Palate: Structured and firm with dense blackcurrant fruit, polished tannins, and a cedar-lined mid-palate. The 2018 vintage's warm season is evident in the fruit ripeness, yet freshness persists through a mint-tinged acidity.

Finish: Long and composed, with cedar, cherry, and a mineral undertow that builds with each sip.

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

The Verdict: Sociando-Mallet sits on a prime gravel ridge overlooking the Gironde estuary, and the exceptional 2018 growing season — warm, dry, ideal — produced one of the estate's most approachable young wines. Jean Gautreau famously refused to participate in the 1855 classification, and the quality here argues that labels matter less than land and weather. A Bordeaux that overdelivers dramatically for its price.

Classification: Alsace Grand Cru AOC

Brand: Domaine Zind-Humbrecht

ABV: 13%

Primary Varietal: Riesling

Blend: 100% Riesling

Vineyards: Rangen de Thann Grand Cru, volcanic soil, south-facing, 45-degree gradient

Vinification: Whole-cluster pressed, indigenous yeast fermentation, aged in old oak foudres, no malolactic fermentation

Color: Brilliant pale gold with green-tinged edges

MSRP: $65–$90

Nose: Intense smoky minerality and wet stone dominate, with citrus peel, green apple, and a floral rose note emerging behind. There is an almost saline quality that evokes the volcanic soils.

Palate: Powerful and dense, with bracing acidity and layers of citrus, green apple, and honey that unfold slowly. The midweight texture carries a toasted, almost waxy quality, and the vineyard's volcanic terroir drives a persistent mineral spine.

Finish: Extraordinarily long, with honey, citrus, and a smoky mineral resonance that lingers for a full minute.

Wine Kit Aromas: Citrus (Generic), Apple (Green), Honey, Floral (Rose), Toasted

The Verdict: Rangen de Thann is the southernmost and steepest grand cru in Alsace, its volcanic soils producing Rieslings of ferocious intensity. The 2021 vintage was cool and measured, yielding lower sugar levels that Olivier Humbrecht channeled into a wine of laser precision. This is Riesling stripped of all pretense — just rock, fruit, and the memory of a singular growing year.

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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.

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