Issue 056: The Tongue of the Land - Terroir Speaks Plainly

Issue No. 56 — May 21, 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: Wilderness Trail

Distillery: Wilderness Trail Distillery

Proof: 112.0 (56.0% ABV)

Age: 6 Year

Color: Rich copper with burnt orange edges

MSRP: $60–$70

Mash Bill: 64% corn, 24% wheat, 12% malted barley (Sweet Mash)

Barrel Type: New charred American white oak, #4 char

Wheated: Yes

Nose: An immediate rush of caramel corn and toasted pecan gives way to dried cherry and a whiff of saddle leather. Underneath, there's a pleasant earthiness — damp limestone and grain dust — that roots the sweetness in something substantial.

Palate: Full-bodied and viscous at cask strength, the entry is buttery with waves of brown spice and charred oak. Mid-palate delivers maple syrup and rye spice that crackle against each other before a dark cocoa note steadies the finish.

Finish: Long and warming, with lingering charred oak, tobacco leaf, and a dry mineral quality that recalls the limestone shelf beneath the distillery.

Bourbon Kit Aromas: Caramel, Charred Oak, Pecan, Brown Spices, Leather, Corn

The Verdict: Wilderness Trail's cask strength expression rewards patience and a splash of water. The sweet-savory tension is expertly managed, and the earthy backbone distinguishes it from flashier barrel-proof bourbons. A distillery that's earned its reputation the hard way.

Classification: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Brand: Fettercairn

Distillery: Fettercairn Distillery

Proof: 80.0 (40.0% ABV)

Age: 12 Year

Color: Pale gold with straw highlights

MSRP: $55–$70

Region: Eastern Highlands

Mash Bill: 100% malted barley

Distillation: Double distilled in copper pot stills with unique external water cooling

Maturation: Aged in a combination of first-fill and refill American oak ex-bourbon casks

Cask Type: Ex-bourbon American oak

Peat Level (PPM): Unpeated

Chill-Filtered: Yes

Nose: Tropical fruit — notably peach and green banana — leads, followed by a gentle honey sweetness and a light floral rosewater note. A grassy, almost mineral quality lingers beneath, hinting at the distillery's unique cooling water system.

Palate: Creamy and medium-bodied, with buttery malt at the core. Peach and vanilla weave together, while a subtle earthy character and faint cocoa develop in the mid-palate. There's an unexpected savory edge that keeps you reaching for the glass.

Finish: Medium-length, clean, and slightly nutty, with hazelnut and fading honey.

Whisky Kit Aromas: Peach, Honey, Buttery, Malt, Cocoa (Dark), Nut (Hazelnut)

The Verdict: Fettercairn's distinctive copper cooling system — water cascading down the outside of the stills — creates a notably clean, fruit-forward spirit that stands apart from Highland conventions. At 12 years, this is an ideal entry point to one of Scotland's most underrated distilleries.

Classification: Single Farm Origin Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Brand: Waterford

Distillery: Waterford Distillery

Proof: 100.0 (50.0% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Light gold with green-tinged reflections

MSRP: $75–$90

Mash Bill: 100% Irish-grown malted barley (Ballykilcavan farm)

Distillation: Double distilled

Maturation: Combination of first-fill American oak and French oak casks

Chill-Filtered: No

Nose: Bright green cut grass and honeyed malt open the nose, followed by orchard fruit and a gently floral rosewater character. A touch of vanilla from American oak sits comfortably alongside a mineral, almost chalky note that speaks directly to its terroir.

Palate: Texturally rich for its youth, with buttery barley flavors layered over peach stone and almond. There's a pleasant earthiness at the midpoint, accented by a woody spice and clove warmth that frames the fruit without smothering it.

Finish: Medium-long, with lingering honey, clove spice, and a clean cereal dryness that invites the next sip.

Whiskey Kit Aromas: Green (Cut Grass), Honey, Buttery, Peach, Clove Spice, Earthy

The Verdict: Waterford's radical transparency — tracking each whiskey back to a single barley farm — is more than marketing. The Ballykilcavan farm's Laois limestone soils produce a distinctly mineral, structured malt that rewards careful nosing. This is terroir you can taste.

Classification: Blanco Tequila (100% Agave)

Brand: Arette

Distillery: Tequila El Llano (NOM 1109)

Proof: 80.0 (40.0% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Crystal clear with faint silver legs

MSRP: $30–$40

Agave: 100% Blue Weber Agave (lowland Tequila Valley)

Cooking Method: Slow-cooked in traditional brick hornos, roller mill extraction, double distilled in copper pot stills

NOM: NOM 1109

Additives Free: Yes

Nose: Bright cooked agave and citrus zest — predominantly lime and grapefruit — greet you immediately. Beneath the brightness sits a subtle mineral earthiness and fresh-cut grass that signals the volcanic soils of the lowlands.

Palate: Silky and rounded for a blanco, with sweet roasted agave at the core. White pepper and a whisper of herbal complexity (dried thyme) build tension against tropical fruit — pear and pineapple — before a clean mineral finish asserts itself.

Finish: Medium, with lingering agave sweetness, a peppery tingle, and a faintly mineral, chalky dryness.

Tequila Kit Aromas: Agave (Cooked), Citrus (Lemon, Lime, Orange, Grapefruit), Earth (Mineral, Soil Notes), Pepper, Grass, Fruit (Apple, Pear, Pineapple, Mango)

The Verdict: The Arette Artesanal Suave line represents the distillery's old-school approach at an approachable price. The Suave Blanco balances fruit, spice, and earth with an effortless poise that puts many bottles twice its price to shame. A terroir-driven tequila for daily enjoyment.

Classification: Finnish Rye Gin

Brand: Kyrö

Distillery: Kyrö Distillery Company

Proof: 92.6 (46.3% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Clear with bright silver reflections

MSRP: $35–$45

Style: New Nordic Gin

Botanicals: Juniper, meadowsweet, birch leaf, sea buckthorn, cranberry, lemon peel, coriander, angelica root, chamomile, ginger

Base Spirit: Finnish whole-grain rye

Distillation: Pot distilled, botanicals vapor-infused and macerated

Nose: Crisp juniper — both green and herbaceous — arrives first, chased by meadowsweet and a bright lemon citrus note. A subtle grainy warmth from the rye base spirit gives the nose an unexpected depth, and dried chamomile flowers appear on the second pass.

Palate: The rye base delivers a peppery, almost creamy mouthfeel that sets Napue apart from neutral-grain gins. Juniper stays assertive throughout, flanked by coriander and a honeyed floral quality. The mid-palate shifts toward ginger root and birch-like herbal notes.

Finish: Medium-long and warming, with lingering juniper, meadowsweet, and a gentle peppery spice that fades gracefully.

Gin Kit Aromas: Juniper (Green), Juniper (Herbaceous/Waxy), Meadowsweet, Lemon, Peppery, Chamomile

The Verdict: Napue won the world's best gin for a gin and tonic at the International Wine and Spirit Competition and it's easy to understand why. The rye base provides a structure most London Drys can't match, and the Nordic botanicals — birch leaf, meadowsweet, cranberry — root this gin firmly in the Finnish landscape.

Classification: Rhum Agricole AOC Martinique

Brand: Rhum J.M

Distillery: Distillerie J.M

Proof: 90.0 (45.0% ABV)

Age: 6 Year Minimum

Color: Deep mahogany with amber edges

MSRP: $70–$90

Base Ingredients: Fresh-pressed sugarcane juice (vesou)

Distillation: Single column distillation of fresh sugarcane juice per AOC Martinique regulations

Nose: Intense dried tropical fruits — overripe banana and dried mango — intertwine with dark chocolate and a distinct agricole grassiness. Toasted oak and a suggestion of coffee develop with air, underlined by a leathery richness.

Palate: Full and layered, with muscovado sugar and dark toffee yielding to roasted cocoa and baking spice. The agricole character persists as a grassy, almost herbal thread that keeps the sweetness honest. Mid-palate, tobacco leaf and oak tannin provide structure.

Finish: Long and complex, fading through coffee, leather, and a final flicker of dried tropical fruit.

Rum Kit Aromas: Agricole, Chocolate, Toffee, Tobacco, Dried Fruit, Oak

The Verdict: Rhum J.M's XO showcases what happens when terroir-driven cane juice meets serious wood management. The volcanic slopes of Mount Pelée provide mineral-rich water and altitude-grown cane that translate into a rum of uncommon depth. This is a sipping rum that belongs in a conversation with fine cognac.

Classification: Côtes du Rhône AOC Rouge

Brand: Domaine de la Janasse

ABV: 14.5%

Primary Varietal: Grenache

Blend: 60% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, 5% Cinsault

Vineyards: Multiple parcels across the Côtes du Rhône appellation, mostly clay-limestone soils with galets roulés

Maturation: Destemmed, fermented in concrete vats with indigenous yeasts, moderate extraction

Color: Vivid ruby-purple with garnet rim

MSRP: $16–$22

Nose: Ripe dark cherry and blackcurrant burst from the glass, with a backdrop of violet, dried garrigue herbs, and a subtle toasted quality. There's a pleasant earthiness — warm stone and iron — that connects the fruit to the Southern Rhône landscape.

Palate: Juicy and medium-bodied, with generous berry fruit and cherry preserves at the core. Fine-grained tannins and a whisper of green pepper add structure, while the mid-palate reveals a hint of cedar and warm spice. The balance between ripeness and freshness is remarkably well managed.

Finish: Medium, with lingering cherry, violet, and a clean mineral fade.

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

The Verdict: Christophe Sabon treats his Côtes du Rhône with the same seriousness as his Châteauneuf cuvées, and it shows. At this price point, the wine delivers Rhône typicity — garrigue, dark fruit, sun-warmed earth — without cutting corners. An everyday bottle that consistently overdelivers.

Classification: Alsace Grand Cru AOC

Brand: Domaine Josmeyer

ABV: 13.5%

Primary Varietal: Riesling

Blend: 100% Riesling

Vineyards: Grand Cru Brand, south-southeast facing granite slopes in Turckheim, Alsace

Vinification: Whole-cluster pressed, spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, extended lees maturation in old oak foudres

Color: Pale straw with bright green-gold reflections

MSRP: $45–$60

Nose: Precise citrus — lime zest and white grapefruit — leads into crushed stone minerality and a delicate floral rose note. With air, green apple and a faint honeyed quality emerge, but the nose remains taut and focused, speaking firmly of granite soils.

Palate: Dry and laser-focused, with racy acidity framing flavors of green apple, gooseberry, and citrus pith. The mid-palate reveals a chalky, mineral backbone that gives the wine its vertical tension. A gentle woody spice note from extended lees contact adds complexity without weight.

Finish: Long and mineral-driven, with lingering citrus, a saline edge, and a slowly fading floral persistence.

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

The Verdict: The Brand Grand Cru's granite terroir produces some of Alsace's most transparent Rieslings, and Josmeyer — farmed biodynamically since 2000 — lets that transparency shine. This is Riesling as geological survey: precise, layered, and utterly site-specific. A bottle worth cellaring for a decade or drinking now with focus.

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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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