Still Standing

Today's selections honor the quiet power of resilience — eight bottles from producers who refused to yield when the world insisted they should. From the last distillery standing in a once-thriving Scottish whisky capital to an estate that survived a volcanic eruption, from the first new Irish distillery in a generation to a French vigneron who bet his reputation on biodynamic farming when everyone said he was mad, these are stories of endurance etched into liquid.

Resilience is not simply survival. It is the stubborn insistence on doing things right when shortcuts beckon. It is Jimmy Russell's six decades at the same still, the Camarena family's brick ovens in an age of industrial diffusers, Masataka Taketsuru's journey across the world to bring whisky home. Pour any of today's eight and you are tasting the accumulated patience of people who played the longest game — and won.

BOURBON Russell's Reserve 10 Year Old

Lawrenceburg, Kentucky — where Jimmy Russell has been making bourbon at Wild Turkey for over six decades, the longest-tenured master distiller in the world. Russell's Reserve 10 Year Old is the quiet embodiment of that resilience. While flashier bottles chase trends, this bourbon simply delivers decade-aged depth at a price that respects the drinker. The extra years in the barrel smooth out Wild Turkey's characteristic boldness into something elegant and assured. This is bourbon that has nothing to prove and everything to offer.

Cocktail — The Endurance Old Fashioned: Muddle one sugar cube with two dashes Angostura bitters and a splash of water. Add 2 oz Russell's Reserve 10 Year Old, fill with a single large ice cube, stir gently for 30 seconds, and garnish with a wide orange peel expressed over the glass.

Pair with: Slow-smoked beef brisket with a brown sugar and black pepper bark — the caramel sweetness of the bourbon mirrors the bark's crust while the oak tannins cut through the richness.

Awards: Gold Medal — San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2023; 91 Points — Wine Enthusiast

SCOTCH WHISKY Springbank 10 Year Old

Campbeltown, Scotland — where Springbank is one of just three surviving distilleries in what was once Scotland's whisky capital, home to over thirty distilleries. While nearly every other producer closed or moved on, the Mitchell family kept the doors open, kept malting their own barley, kept doing everything by hand. This 10 Year Old carries that resilience in every sip. The partial triple distillation creates a complexity you simply cannot find elsewhere, and the non-chill-filtered, natural-color approach lets the whisky speak for itself. In a world of corporate consolidation, Springbank endures as living proof that independence has a flavor.

Cocktail — The Campbeltown Revival: Combine 2 oz Springbank 10, 0.75 oz honey syrup (1:1), and 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Shake briskly, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist and a small sprig of fresh thyme.

Pair with: Pan-seared Scottish salmon with a whisky cream sauce and caramelized leeks — the smoky, briny character of Springbank echoes the fish while the cream bridges the malt sweetness.

Awards: 95 Points — Whisky Advocate; Gold — International Wine & Spirit Competition 2023

IRISH WHISKEY Dingle Single Malt

Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland — where Dingle Distillery opened in 2012 as Ireland's first new distillery in a generation, a bold act of faith in a country whose whiskey industry had nearly vanished entirely. From over 200 distilleries in the 1800s, Ireland was down to just three by the 1970s. Dingle's founders chose to revive not just production, but the artisanal spirit of Irish whiskey-making. This single malt, finished across bourbon, sherry, and port casks, is proof that the resurrection is real. Every bottle from their small copper pot stills carries the determination of a new beginning.

Cocktail — The Kerry Sunrise: In a rocks glass, combine 2 oz Dingle Single Malt, 0.5 oz fresh orange juice, and 0.25 oz honey syrup. Add ice, stir gently, and float 0.25 oz port wine on top. Garnish with an orange wheel.

Pair with: Roasted duck breast with a cherry and port reduction — the whiskey's port cask influence harmonizes with the sauce while the honeyed malt complements the duck's richness.

Awards: Gold Medal — Irish Whiskey Awards 2023; 92 Points — Jim Murray's Whisky Bible

TEQUILA Pasote Reposado

Arandas, Los Altos de Jalisco, Mexico — where Felipe Camarena, the fourth-generation master distiller behind Pasote, represents a family that has weathered every storm tequila's volatile history could throw at them. While industrial producers turned to diffusers and additives, the Camarenas held fast to brick ovens, tahona crushing, and wild yeast fermentation. Pasote means 'the audacity' in local slang, and there is something audacious about insisting on doing things the hard way when shortcuts abound. This reposado proves the old methods aren't just tradition — they're the path to excellence.

Cocktail — The Audacity Paloma: In a salt-rimmed Collins glass with ice, combine 2 oz Pasote Reposado, 1 oz fresh grapefruit juice, 0.5 oz fresh lime juice, and 0.25 oz agave nectar. Top with Topo Chico mineral water and garnish with a grapefruit wedge.

Pair with: Carnitas tacos with pickled red onion and fresh cilantro — the agave sweetness complements the pork's caramelized edges while the citrus brightness cuts through the richness.

Awards: Double Gold — San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2023; 93 Points — Tasting Panel Magazine

GIN Nikka Coffey Gin

Miyagi Prefecture, Japan — where the story of Nikka begins with Masataka Taketsuru, who sailed from Japan to Scotland in 1918 to learn whisky-making, returning home to found what would become Japan's most respected distillery. That journey across the world, driven by obsession and vision, echoes through every product Nikka makes. The Coffey Gin uses the same continuous stills Taketsuru championed for whisky, now turned to a completely different spirit. Japanese citrus — yuzu, kabosu, shequasar — replaces the typical Western botanicals, creating something that honors tradition while reinventing it entirely. Resilience here means adaptation without forgetting where you came from.

Cocktail — The Taketsuru G&T: Fill a large balloon glass with ice and add 2 oz Nikka Coffey Gin. Top with 4 oz premium tonic water (Fever-Tree Japanese Yuzu works beautifully). Gently stir twice and garnish with a thin slice of yuzu or grapefruit and a small sprig of shiso leaf.

Pair with: Hamachi crudo with yuzu ponzu and microgreens — the gin's citrus and pepper notes mirror the ponzu while the silky spirit texture matches the fish's buttery richness.

Awards: Gold — World Gin Awards 2023; 95 Points — Wine Enthusiast

RUM Rhum J.M VSOP

Macouba, Martinique, French West Indies — where Distillerie J.M sits on the slopes of Mount Pelée, the same volcano whose 1902 eruption destroyed the city of Saint-Pierre and killed 30,000 people, devastating Martinique's rum industry overnight. J.M survived only because its remote northern location spared it from the worst. In the century since, the distillery has not just endured but become the standard-bearer for rhum agricole, pressing fresh sugarcane daily and drawing water from volcanic springs. This VSOP, aged at least four years in the tropical heat, carries the terroir of a landscape shaped by destruction and renewal.

Cocktail — The Pelée Ti' Punch: In a rocks glass, place one barspoon of cane syrup. Add the zest disk of one lime (cut from the side, no pith), press it into the syrup with a muddler. Add 2 oz Rhum J.M VSOP. No ice — serve neat, as tradition demands in Martinique.

Pair with: Jerk-spiced grilled pineapple with coconut rice — the rum's tropical fruit character harmonizes with the pineapple while the agricole grassiness and spice complement the jerk seasoning.

Awards: Gold — Rum & Cachaa Masters 2023; 93 Points — The Tasting Panel

RED WINE Marchesi di Barolo Barolo DOCG 2019

Barolo, Piedmont, Italy — where the Marchesi di Barolo estate is where Barolo wine was born. In the 1840s, Marchesa Giulia Falletti commissioned the first dry Nebbiolo wines from these vineyards, transforming what had been a sweet, unreliable wine into the 'King of Wines' we know today. Nearly two centuries later, the estate endures — having survived wars, phylloxera, economic collapse, and the modernist-traditionalist debates that tore through Piedmont. This 2019 is traditional in the truest sense: aged in large Slavonian oak, patient and structured, rewarding those willing to wait. Like the region itself, it asks for resilience from the drinker, too.

Cocktail — The Piedmont Spritz: In a large wine glass with ice, combine 3 oz Marchesi di Barolo Barolo, 1.5 oz Cocchi di Torino vermouth, and 2 oz sparkling water. Stir gently and garnish with an orange slice and a sprig of fresh rosemary.

Pair with: Braised short ribs with porcini mushrooms and creamy polenta — the wine's tannic structure and cherry-tar profile were born for slow-cooked meat, and the earthy mushrooms echo the truffle notes.

Awards: 93 Points — James Suckling; 92 Points — Wine Spectator

WHITE WINE Zind-Humbrecht Gewürztraminer Turckheim 2021

Turckheim, Alsace, France — where Olivier Zind-Humbrecht was the first Frenchman to earn the Master of Wine title, but his true revolution happened in the vineyard, not the classroom. In the 1990s, he converted the entire domaine to biodynamic farming — a radical act in Alsace at the time, when his neighbors thought he'd lost his mind. Three decades later, Zind-Humbrecht's vines are among the healthiest in France, and the wines speak with a clarity and intensity that conventional farming rarely achieves. This Gewürztraminer from Turckheim's granite soils is the entry point to a portfolio built on conviction. The resilience here is intellectual — the courage to follow science and intuition when the establishment says you're wrong.

Cocktail — The Alsace Apéritif: In a wine glass with a single large ice cube, combine 4 oz Zind-Humbrecht Gewürztraminer and 1 oz St-Germain elderflower liqueur. Stir gently and garnish with a thin slice of fresh ginger and an edible rose petal.

Pair with: Thai green curry with jasmine rice — the wine's aromatic intensity and slight sweetness are a classic match for spicy, fragrant cuisine, with the rose and lychee notes complementing the lemongrass and galangal.

Awards: 93 Points — Wine Advocate; 92 Points — Decanter

Train Your Nose: Today's Aroma Spotlight

Persistent Notes — Aromas That Endure

Today's training focuses on resilience in aroma — the foundational notes that endure through aging, oxidation, and transformation. Just as our featured producers persisted through adversity, certain aroma compounds persist through the barrel, the bottle, and the glass. Learning to identify these anchoring scents will deepen your understanding of how time and patience shape a spirit or wine.

Exercise 1 — Anchor vs. Fleeting: Pour a small measure of Russell's Reserve 10 Year Old and the Springbank 10 side by side. Nose each immediately, then wait five minutes and nose again. Notice which aromas persist (vanilla, oak, malt) and which fade (lighter fruit notes, floral top notes). The persistent aromas are your 'anchor notes' — the backbone that defines a spirit's identity over time. In your aroma kit, compare the Vanilla and Oak vials and notice how they maintain their character even after extended exposure to air.

Exercise 2 — Tropical Persistence: Compare the Rhum J.M VSOP with the Zind-Humbrecht Gewürztraminer. Both show tropical fruit character, but from entirely different sources — sugarcane fermentation in the rum, varietal character in the wine. Nose the Tropical Fruits vial from your rum kit alongside the Pineapple vial from your wine kit. Notice how the rum's tropical notes carry an earthy, grassy undertone (the agricole signature) while the wine's tropical notes are lifted by floral aromatics. Same family of aromas, completely different expressions — a lesson in how resilient producers shape raw materials into distinct identities.

Today's Kit Reference

Explore the School of Wine and Spirits

Today's eight selections prove that the best things in life are worth fighting for. Our books on Amazon take you deeper into those places — from the limestone hollows of Kentucky in America's Spirit, the misty distilleries of Scotland's Spirit and Ireland's Spirit, the volcanic highlands of The Tequila y Mezcal Revolution, the ancient vineyards of The Ultimate Northern Italian Wine Journey, and the fossilized seabeds of Burgundy in our Chablis and Cte d'Or pocket guides.

Explore our Aroma Masterclass kits and books at schoolofwineandspirits.com

Explore our Aroma Masterclass kits and books at schoolofwineandspirits.com

Our kits make the perfect gift for the curious drinker in your life — because once you learn to identify aromas, you never taste the same way again.

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Until tomorrow's pour — cheers.