Issue 193: The Furrow and the Flask - Earthbound Liquid Truths

Every bottle begins in the dirt. Before copper, before oak, before glass, there is soil — limestone, volcanic ash, clay, sand — shaping root systems and defining flavor long before a distiller or winemaker intervenes. The best producers understand this and build their process around it rather than over it. This issue celebrates that discipline: the decision to let the land lead.

From a Kentucky bourbon shaped by limestone water to an Etna wine born on volcanic slopes, today's eight selections share a common thread. Each reflects a producer who treats the raw material as the message and the process as the medium. Pour slowly, and taste the ground beneath.

This issue's aroma training focuses on the earth beneath the bottle — mineral, volcanic, and soil-driven notes that distinguish terroir-forward spirits and wines. Train your nose to detect these grounding aromas alongside the fruit and spice they support.

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Bourbon Corsair Triple Smoke Small Batch American Malt Whiskey

Born from a Nashville garage-distillery experiment, Corsair's Triple Smoke channels three distinct smoking traditions into a single malt whiskey that tastes like the land itself.

Cocktail — The Furrow — 2 oz Corsair Triple Smoke · 0.75 oz sweet vermouth · 0.25 oz Averna amaro · 2 dashes Angostura bitters · Stir over ice, strain into a coupe, garnish with a flamed orange peel

Pair with: A rustic open-faced tartine of smoked wild mushrooms, aged gruyère, and fresh thyme on sourdough mirrors the whiskey's earthy smoke and malty sweetness, while the nutty cheese amplifies the caramel undertones.

Awards: Gold Medal, San Francisco World Spirits Competition; Gold Medal, MicroLiquor Spirit Awards

Scotch Whisky Deanston 17 Year Old Pinot Noir Cask Finish

Distilled at Deanston, a converted cotton mill on the River Teith in Perthshire, this 17-year-old expression finishes in Burgundian Pinot Noir casks, adding a subtle red-fruit dimension to the distillery's characteristically malty spirit.

Pair with: The whisky's berry and cocoa notes echo the sweet-tart cherry reduction, while its malt backbone complements the rich, savory duck.

Irish Whiskey Dingle Single Malt Batch No. 5 Irish Whiskey

Produced at Dingle Distillery on Ireland's wild Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, this small-batch single malt draws character from both bourbon and sherry casks matured in the damp Atlantic air.

Cocktail — Kerry Gold Rush — 2 oz Dingle Single Malt · 0.75 oz honey syrup · 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice · Shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass over a large cube.

Pair with: The whiskey's cocoa and dried fruit notes amplify the torte's bittersweet richness, while a pinch of sea salt bridges the whiskey's coastal edge.

Tequila Olmeca Altos Añejo Tequila

In the red-earth highlands of Los Altos de Jalisco, where iron-rich volcanic soil tints the landscape in russet hues, Jesús Hernández oversees a process that deliberately honors the old ways. A two-ton tahona stone—a massive volcanic-rock wheel—crushes slow-roasted agave piñas rather than shredding them mechanically, extracting not just sugars but the fibrous, mineral essence of the plant itself. Hernández, who collaborated with legendary bartender Henry Besant and master distiller Jesús Hernández Rubio to create the Altos line, insists that the tahona isn't nostalgia—it's the only tool that captures what the soil actually gives the agave. The resulting añejo rests for eighteen months in ex-bourbon American oak, long enough to acquire depth without losing its connection to the field. It's a tequila that tastes like where it comes from, a liquid argument that terroir belongs to every price tier.

Cocktail — The Red Furrow — 2 oz Olmeca Altos Añejo · 0.5 oz raw piloncillo syrup · 2 dashes mole bitters · 1 dash Angostura bitters · Stir all ingredients with ice in a mixing glass for 30 seconds until well chilled and diluted. Strain over a single large ice cube in an old fashioned glass. Express an orange peel over the surface, run it along the rim, and drop it in. Finish with a small pinch of smoked salt atop the ice cube. · Garnish: Expressed orange peel and a pinch of flaky smoked salt on the rim · Glass: Old fashioned glass

Pair with: The earthy, chocolatey depth of a traditional Oaxacan mole negro—built from charred chiles, cacao, and warm spices—meets this añejo like an old friend. Braised short ribs provide unctuous richness that mirrors the tequila's caramel sweetness, while the mole's bitter-earthy complexity draws out the volcanic mineral character in the finish. Each sip resets the palate for the next bite, a conversation between two traditions that both know the value of patience and fire.

Awards: Double Gold — San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2023, Gold — International Wine & Spirit Competition 2022, 93 Points — Tasting Panel Magazine

Gin Terroir Gin

In a converted aircraft hangar on the edge of San Francisco Bay, Lance Winters built a gin that broke every convention. Rather than assembling a global pantry of exotic botanicals, he walked the coastal hills of Mount Tamalpais and the forests behind the distillery, gathering Douglas fir branches heavy with sap, wild California bay laurel, and sage that clung to sun-baked ridgelines. The result was a gin that tasted like a place rather than a recipe — a radical idea in the early 2010s that has since influenced an entire generation of terroir-driven spirits. Winters has described it as an attempt to 'distill the forests of the American West,' and the botanical bill reads like a trail map: each ingredient is wild, seasonal, and stubbornly local. In the context of this issue's theme — the furrow and the flask, earthbound liquid truths — Terroir Gin is perhaps the purest expression of the idea that what grows beneath our feet can be captured, honestly and without embellishment, in a glass.

Cocktail — The Ridgeline — Ingredients: 2 oz St. George Terroir Gin, ¾ oz fresh lemon juice, ½ oz wildflower honey syrup (2:1 honey to warm water), 2 dashes celery bitters, 1 sprig fresh rosemary. Instructions: Combine gin, lemon juice, honey syrup, and bitters in a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously for 12 seconds. Double-strain into a chilled coupe. Lightly bruise the rosemary sprig between your palms to release its oils and lay it across the rim as a garnish.

Pair with: Toast thick-cut sourdough and top with a sauté of mixed wild mushrooms — chanterelles, maitakes, and creminis — cooked in brown butter with thyme and a pinch of flaky salt. Finish with shaved Gruyère and a few drops of truffle oil. The earthy, fungal richness of the mushrooms mirrors the forest-floor character of the gin, while the nutty Gruyère echoes its resinous warmth. The sourdough's tang provides the same bright counterpoint that juniper offers in the glass.

Awards: Double Gold — San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2019, Gold — International Wine & Spirit Competition 2020, 94 Points — Wine Enthusiast

Rum Rhum J.M Blanc 100 Proof

Distilled at the foot of Mont Pelée on Martinique's volcanic northern coast, Rhum J.M is one of the island's few estate distilleries, growing its own sugarcane and distilling from fresh-pressed juice in a single-column copper still.

Cocktail — Ti' Punch Forte — 2 oz Rhum J.M Blanc 100 Proof · 0.5 oz fresh lime juice · 0.5 oz cane syrup · Build in a rocks glass, stir briefly, no ice.

Pair with: The rhum's grassy intensity and citrus brightness cut through the crispy, savory fritters, while its volcanic mineral character echoes the seasoning of Creole spices.

Red Wine Passopisciaro Franchetti Terre Siciliane IGT 2020

Created by the late Andrea Franchetti on the north face of Mount Etna, Passopisciaro's Franchetti bottling blends international varieties with the volcanic terroir of Sicily's most dramatic wine landscape.

Pair with: The wine's firm tannins and herbal complexity stand up to the richness of slow-braised lamb, while its volcanic mineral edge provides lift against the savory depth of the dish.

White Wine Domaine Josmeyer Riesling Grand Cru Hengst 2022

Farmed biodynamically by the Meyer family in Wintzenheim since 1854, Josmeyer's Grand Cru Hengst vineyard sits on deep marl-limestone soils that produce some of Alsace's most powerful and long-lived Rieslings.

Pair with: The Riesling's bright acidity and mineral backbone cut through the richness of Alsatian sauerkraut with smoked pork and sausages, while its subtle honeyed notes complement the dish's savory-sweet balance.

Train Your Nose: Today's Aroma Spotlight

This issue's aroma training focuses on the earth beneath the bottle — mineral, volcanic, and soil-driven notes that distinguish terroir-forward spirits and wines. Train your nose to detect these grounding aromas alongside the fruit and spice they support.

Each bottle below maps to aromas you can isolate with your kit before your next pour — then see if you catch them in the glass.

Today's Kit Reference

Explore the School of Wine and Spirits

Ready to identify these earthy, mineral-driven aromas in your own glass? The School of Wine and Spirits Aroma Kit trains your nose on the exact compounds behind the flavors in today's lineup. Our Aroma Masterclass Kits are designed to teach it to you, one aroma at a time.

Our books on Amazon go deeper into the science and history behind every sip — from America's Spirit, Scotland's Spirit, Ireland's Spirit, The Ultimate Northern Italian Wine Journey, The Tequila y Mezcal Revolution, Chablis, and Côte d'Or pocket guides.

Explore our Aroma Masterclass kits and books at schoolofwineandspirits.com

The best palates aren't born — they're trained, one aroma at a time.

Until tomorrow's pour — cheers.