The Undertow of Place

Issue No. 124 — July 28, 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: Burnished copper with mahogany edges

MSRP: $60–$75

Mash Bill: 70% Red Winter Wheat, 16% Corn, 14% Malted Barley (approximate wheated bill)

Barrel Type: New American Oak with custom toasted stave finishing

Wheated: Yes

Nose: Toasted oak and caramel lead, followed by a wave of dried cherry and vanilla custard. A faint thread of wheat sweetness emerges with time, supported by baking spice.

Palate: Rich and layered with butterscotch, charred wood, and dark fruit. The mouthfeel is viscous without being heavy, carrying notes of leather, brown sugar, and a dusting of cocoa powder into the mid-palate.

Finish: Long and warming, with oak tannins balanced by caramel sweetness. Cherry and wheat linger on the exhale.

Bourbon Kit Aromas: Caramel, Charred Oak, Cherry, Wheat, Butterscotch

The Verdict: This limited release demonstrates the distillery's skill with custom stave finishing, coaxing complexity from their signature wheated mash bill. It's confident bourbon that rewards patience. A strong argument for what Loretto limestone and local grain can become.

Classification: Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Brand: Bunnahabhain

Distillery: Bunnahabhain Distillery

Proof: 92.6 (46.3% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Rich amber with warm gold highlights

MSRP: $40–$55

Region: Islay

Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley

Distillation: Double distilled in traditional copper pot stills

Maturation: Predominantly first and second-fill sherry casks

Cask Type: Sherry casks (Oloroso and PX)

Peat Level (PPM): Unpeated (1-2 ppm)

Chill-Filtered: Non-chill filtered

Nose: Dried fruit and sherry nuttiness open the nose, followed by sea salt and a faint maritime breeze. Notes of honey and dark chocolate develop slowly, with a whisper of smoke well in the background.

Palate: Sherry-forward with dried fig, toasted hazelnut, and salted caramel. The texture is creamy and slightly waxy, with clove spice and a mineral quality that speaks directly to its coastal origin.

Finish: Medium-long with lingering dried fruit, a gentle tannic grip from the sherry cask influence, and a final saline note.

Whisky Kit Aromas: Dried Fruit, Nut (Hazelnut), Honey, Clove Spice, Cocoa (Dark)

The Verdict: Bunnahabhain is Islay's quiet contrarian — unpeated by default, letting its coastal position do the talking. Stiùireadair (Gaelic for 'helmsman') showcases the distillery's house style: sherried richness tempered by sea air. A masterclass in understated Islay character.

Classification: Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Brand: Waterford

Distillery: Waterford Distillery

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Pale gold with a slight green tint

MSRP: $75–$95

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

Distillation: Double distilled in copper pot stills

Maturation: Predominantly first-fill American oak bourbon casks with a portion of French oak

Chill-Filtered: Non-chill filtered, no artificial coloring

Nose: Fresh-cut barley and green apple lead, with a floral honeyed quality reminiscent of wildflower meadows. Light touches of vanilla and a gentle earthy minerality ground the experience.

Palate: Creamy malt with orchard fruit and a pronounced terroir-driven mineral quality. Green grass, honey, and peach flesh make up the mid-palate, with gentle vanilla from the oak. There's a lively tension between sweetness and earthiness that keeps you engaged.

Finish: Medium length with lingering barley sweetness, a clean cereal note, and a mineral tang on the very end.

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

The Verdict: Waterford's obsessive focus on single-farm barley provenance makes each edition a terroir experiment. The Ballykilcavan 3.1 draws from a 14th-generation farm in County Laois, and the result is whiskey that tastes genuinely of a specific place. It challenges the idea that terroir belongs only to wine.

Classification: Tequila Blanco (100% Agave)

Brand: Cascahuín

Distillery: Destilería Cascahuín (Rosales family)

Proof: 96 proof (48% ABV)

Age: NAS (Unaged)

Color: Crystal clear, water-bright

MSRP: $55

Agave: 100% Blue Weber Agave (Agave tequilana), mature Valles-region plants

Cooking Method: Agaves cooked in masonry (mampostería) ovens; roller mill extraction; open-air fermentation with wild/native yeasts including bagasse; double-distilled in small stainless steel pot stills with copper coils; bottled unaged at 48% ABV without reduction to standard proof.

NOM: NOM 1123

Additives Free: Yes

Nose: A vivid burst of cooked agave fiber leads, layered with wet river stone, crushed black pepper, and bright lime zest. Underneath, subtle notes of green olive brine, damp earth, and a whisper of eucalyptus signal the untamed volcanic soil of El Arenal.

Palate: Full-bodied and oily, with an assertive rush of roasted agave, white pepper, and grapefruit pith. Mid-palate reveals mineral salinity, fresh-cut grass, and a touch of anise, all buoyed by the higher proof without ever burning. There's a raw, almost saline vegetality that speaks directly of the soil.

Finish: Long and structured, drying with lingering pepper, citrus oil, and a chalky mineral echo. The extra ABV gives it grip and clarity that lower-proof blancos simply can't match.

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

The Verdict: One of the most transparent expressions of lowland terroir on the market — Cascahuín Plata 48 strips away every softening influence and lets the agave, the soil, and the still speak plainly. Essential for any serious blanco flight.

Classification: Cask-Aged Islay Dry Gin

Brand: The Botanist

Distillery: Bruichladdich Distillery

Proof: 92 (46% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Soft pale straw with golden edges

MSRP: $55–$70

Style: Cask-Aged Islay Dry Gin

Botanicals: Juniper, chamomile, meadowsweet, wild thyme, orris root, coriander, lemon balm, mugwort, elder, gorse, creeping thistle, white clover, sweet cicely, hawthorn, spearmint, apple mint, water mint, wood sage, tansy, bog myrtle, heather, birch

Base Spirit: Neutral grain spirit

Distillation: Slow distillation in a unique Lomond pot still ('Ugly Betty') with 22 hand-foraged Islay botanicals

Nose: Herbal juniper and meadowsweet give way to chamomile and a subtle vanilla oakiness from cask resting. Floral notes of wild thyme and a hint of lemon zest add brightness against the soft woody backdrop.

Palate: Creamy texture with a gentle peppery warmth. The 22 hand-foraged Islay botanicals shine through — juniper remains prominent but shares space with orris root, coriander, and an almost waxy, resinous quality. Faint vanilla from the wood rests beneath without dominating.

Finish: Long and gently warming, with juniper, meadowsweet, and a final whisper of vanilla-tinged wood.

Gin Kit Aromas: Juniper (Herbaceous/Waxy), Meadowsweet, Vanilla, Chamomile, Orris Root

The Verdict: Taking the already place-driven Botanist and resting it in ex-Bruichladdich casks brings a new dimension. The wood doesn't overpower — it deepens. This is a gin that insists on its Islay identity at every turn, from wild botanicals foraged on the island to the whisky casks that finish the job.

Classification: Exceptional Cask Selection Single Blended Rum

Brand: Foursquare

Distillery: Foursquare Distillery

Proof: 124 (62% ABV)

Age: 14 Year

Color: Deep mahogany with auburn highlights

MSRP: $90–$130

Base Ingredients: Barbados molasses

Distillation: Blend of pot still and column still distillates

Nose: Rich toffee and dark chocolate immediately assert themselves, followed by dried stone fruit and well-worn leather. Beneath that, toasted oak and espresso notes emerge with time, alongside a hint of orange peel.

Palate: Full-bodied and intensely concentrated. Layers of molasses, roasted coffee, and bittersweet chocolate coat the palate, with dried fig and tobacco leaf building at the center. Despite the proof, the texture is remarkably polished — dense but not hot. A rum that demands to be sipped slowly.

Finish: Exceptionally long with lingering dark chocolate, charred oak, tobacco, and a final note of caramelized orange.

Rum Kit Aromas: Toffee, Chocolate, Leather, Oak, Coffee, Orange

The Verdict: Richard Seale's Exceptional Cask series continues to set the benchmark for aged Barbadian rum. Sovereignty at 14 years balances power and refinement in a way that few spirits at this proof achieve. The Barbadian climate's intensity of maturation is the quiet force — what takes scotch 25 years happens here in half the time.

Classification: Douro DOC Red Wine

Brand: Niepoort

ABV: 13.5%

Primary Varietal: Touriga Nacional

Blend: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, field blend old vines

Vineyards: Old-vine terraced vineyards in Cima Corgo and Douro Superior on schist soils

Maturation: Partial whole-bunch fermentation, gentle extraction, aged in large used French oak

Color: Deep ruby with violet rim

MSRP: $55–$75

Nose: Dark cherry and violet lead, with crushed slate minerality and a subtle herbal quality. Beneath the fruit sits a thread of cedar and graphite, with a faint floral lift that adds elegance.

Palate: Medium to full-bodied with fine-grained tannins. Blackcurrant and cherry are interwoven with cedar and a stony mineral quality that speaks directly to the Douro's schist terraces. There's a savory undertone — almost gamey — that adds complexity without heaviness.

Finish: Long and structured, with cherry, cedar, and a violet-scented minerality that lingers beautifully.

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

The Verdict: Dirk Niepoort has spent decades proving the Douro can produce world-class table wine, not just port. Charme is his flagship argument — a blend of old-vine indigenous grapes that captures the Douro's schist-and-altitude terroir with precision. This 2020 is taut, layered, and built for years of evolution.

Classification: Tenerife DO White Wine

Brand: Envínate

ABV: 12.5%

Primary Varietal: Listán Blanco

Blend: Listán Blanco with small portions of other indigenous varieties

Vineyards: Ungrafted pre-phylloxera vines at 600-1000m elevation on volcanic soils, north slope of Tenerife

Vinification: Hand-harvested, whole-cluster pressed, spontaneous fermentation, aged on fine lees in used French oak and concrete

Color: Pale straw with greenish-gold reflections

MSRP: $25–$35

Nose: Lemon zest and crushed basalt lead, with green apple and a saline, almost oceanic quality. Faint notes of white flowers and fresh herbs emerge with airing.

Palate: Taut and mineral-driven with electric acidity. Citrus pith and green apple are framed by a pronounced volcanic mineral character — chalky, almost smoky — that gives the wine a texture more associated with fine Chablis. The mid-palate offers subtle honeyed weight without sacrificing tension.

Finish: Clean and persistent, with lingering lemon, mineral tang, and a faintly herbal exhale.

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

The Verdict: Envínate is a collective of four young winemakers obsessed with forgotten terroirs of Spain, and their Tenerife project may be the most thrilling. Benje Blanco channels the volcanic soils of the island's north slope — pre-phylloxera Listán Blanco vines rooted in black lava ash at altitude. The result is unlike any other white wine on your shelf.

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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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