Issue 153 · August 26, 2026
The Cellar's Pulse
Theme: Rhythm Under Glass
Issue 153 explores the living heartbeat inside every bottle—the slow, rhythmic exchange between spirit and vessel, grape and time, that transforms raw material into something worth remembering.
Every bottle has a pulse. Not a heartbeat you can hear, but a cadence you can taste—the steady breathing of wood and liquid, the metronomic tick of oxidation, the slow exhale of volatile compounds finding their balance. This issue is about that internal rhythm, the one that separates something merely aged from something truly alive.
From a Kentucky bourbon whose cask interaction tells you everything about warehouse placement, to a Sicilian white wine whose minerality hums with volcanic frequency, today's eight selections share one thing: a palpable sense of motion within stillness. Pour slowly, and listen with your palate.
This issue's aroma theme centers on rhythm and repetition—the way certain scent compounds pulse between sweetness and spice, fruit and earth. Pay attention to how aromas like toffee, cedar, and citrus function not as static flavors but as recurring beats in each product's aromatic narrative.
Don’t see your special bottle? Request a review at reviews.schoolofwineandspirits.com/request-review — we’ll get to it. See every bottle we’ve reviewed to date at reviews.schoolofwineandspirits.com.
Bourbon Bardstown Bourbon Company Phifer Pavitt Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Born from a partnership between Bardstown Bourbon Company and Napa Valley's Phifer Pavitt estate, this whiskey merges Kentucky barrel craft with a wine-country sensibility for balance and restraint.
Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Brand: Bardstown Bourbon Company
Distillery: Bardstown Bourbon Company
Proof: 100 (50% ABV)
Age: NAS
Color: Rich amber with copper edges
MSRP: $125–$150
Mash Bill: Undisclosed (high-corn bourbon blend)
Barrel Type: New charred American oak
Nose: Opens with dark caramel and toasted pecan, layered beneath waves of charred oak and ripe cherry. A gentle undercurrent of vanilla and dried orange peel ties the aromatics together with seamless integration.
Palate: The entry is buttery and full, with brown spices and butterscotch coating the tongue before a mid-palate shift toward earthy leather and cocoa. Oak tannins provide structure without harshness, and a cherry sweetness pulses throughout.
Finish: Long and warming, with charred oak and caramel lingering alongside faint tobacco and a whisper of corn sweetness. The spice recedes slowly, leaving a clean, dry close.
Cocktail — The Pavitt Old Fashioned — 2 oz Bardstown Phifer Pavitt Bourbon · 0.25 oz demerara syrup · 3 dashes Angostura bitters · 1 dash orange bitters · Stir over a large ice cube, garnish with an expressed orange peel.
Pair with: The bourbon's cherry and leather notes mirror the smoke and fruit of duck breast served with a tart cherry compote and roasted root vegetables.
Awards: 92 points – Wine Enthusiast
Scotch Whisky Glenlossie 10 Year Old Flora & Fauna
Tucked beside its neighbor Mannochmore near Elgin, Glenlossie has run since 1876 yet remains virtually unknown—most of its spirit fuels Diageo's blends, making this official bottling a rare window into the distillery's own voice.
Classification: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Brand: Glenlossie
Distillery: Glenlossie Distillery
Proof: 86 (43% ABV)
Age: 10 Year
Color: Pale straw with gold highlights
MSRP: $55–$75
Region: Speyside
Mash Bill: 100% malted barley
Distillation: Double distilled in copper pot stills with purifiers
Maturation: Ex-bourbon American oak hogsheads
Cask Type: Ex-bourbon hogsheads
Peat Level (PPM): Unpeated
Chill-Filtered: Yes
Nose: Bright and grassy at first, with cut green herbs giving way to gentle honey and poached peach. A faint floral note, like dried rosewater, hides beneath a malty cereal sweetness.
Palate: Light-bodied but texturally creamy, with buttery shortbread meeting a gentle coconut sweetness. Mid-palate brings almond and a touch of vanilla, while a wisp of earthy undertone grounds the sweetness.
Finish: Medium length, with malt and honey fading cleanly. A final note of green grass and distant floral character lingers pleasantly.
Cocktail — Speyside Cobbler — 2 oz Glenlossie 10 · 0.5 oz honey syrup · 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice · 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters · Shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass with crushed ice, garnish with a peach slice.
Pair with: The whisky's honey and buttery notes complement the richness of glazed salmon, while its grassy character echoes the freshness of a dill and caper garnish.
Irish Whiskey Method and Madness Single Grain Irish Whiskey Finished in Virgin Spanish Oak
Born inside Midleton's Micro Distillery — a laboratory-style still house where the Master Distiller's apprentices are given license to experiment — this bottling channels the untamed spice of virgin quercus robur from northern Spain, a wood almost never used in Irish whiskey.
Classification: Single Grain Irish Whiskey
Brand: Method and Madness
Distillery: Midleton Distillery (Micro Distillery)
Proof: 92 proof (46% ABV)
Age: NAS
Color: Deep amber with copper glints
MSRP: $75 USD
Mash Bill: Unspecified
Distillation: Triple-distilled in column stills at Midleton Distillery
Maturation: Initially matured in ex-bourbon barrels, then finished in virgin Spanish oak (Quercus robur) casks
Chill-Filtered: No
Nose: Freshly sawn oak and toasted almond lead, layered with candied orange peel, honeyed vanilla, and a whisper of clove.
Palate: Bright and creamy on entry, moving through baked peach, buttered brioche, and warm caramel before Spanish oak spices — nutmeg, clove, and cracked black pepper — take the stage.
Finish: Medium-long and dry, with lingering vanilla oak, roasted hazelnut, and a subtle green herbaceous lift.
Cocktail — The Metronome — 2 oz Method and Madness Single Grain Virgin Spanish Oak, 0.5 oz Amontillado sherry, 0.25 oz honey syrup (2:1), 2 dashes orange bitters. Stir with ice for 30 seconds; strain into a chilled coupe. Express an orange peel over the surface and drop in.
Pair with: Seared duck breast with a honey-orange glaze and toasted almond couscous.
Awards: Silver, Irish Whiskey Masters (The Spirits Business); multiple category recognitions in the Irish Whiskey Awards for the Method and Madness experimental range.
Tequila Calle 23 Blanco Tequila
French-born biochemist Sophie Decobecq founded Calle 23 in the Jalisco highlands, bringing her scientific background to bear on traditional tequila production with an emphasis on terroir-driven agave expression.
Classification: Tequila 100% Agave — Blanco
Brand: Calle 23
Distillery: Destilería Calle 23
Proof: 80 (40% ABV)
Age: Unaged
Color: Crystal clear with silver reflections
MSRP: $30–$40
Agave: 100% Blue Weber (Highland)
Cooking Method: Slow-cooked in traditional brick ovens, tahona-crushed, natural fermentation
NOM: NOM 1545
Additives Free: Yes
Nose: Vibrant cooked agave dominates, supported by bright citrus—lime zest and a hint of grapefruit. Green herbs and fresh-cut grass carry underneath, with a subtle mineral earthiness at the base.
Palate: Clean and precise, with agave sweetness meeting white pepper and a light floral quality. The mid-palate introduces a bready yeast note and a flash of green apple before returning to citrus and mineral character.
Finish: Medium, with a peppery tingle and lingering cooked agave. The mineral earthiness persists, lending a sense of terroir and place.
Cocktail — Jalisco Paloma — 2 oz Calle 23 Blanco · 1 oz fresh grapefruit juice · 0.5 oz fresh lime juice · 0.5 oz agave syrup · 2 oz sparkling water · Build in a salt-rimmed Collins glass over ice, stir gently, garnish with grapefruit wedge.
Pair with: The tequila's citrus and mineral notes complement the bright acidity of a classic shrimp ceviche with serrano chile, red onion, and fresh cilantro.
Gin Anno Kent Dry Gin
Founded in 2011 by two former City bankers turned distillers, Anno was the first gin distillery in Kent, built around 25 botanicals — including hops, samphire, elderflower, and lavender — foraged and grown across the Garden of England.
Classification: London Dry Gin
Brand: Anno
Distillery: Anno Distillers
Proof: 86 proof (43% ABV)
Age: NAS
Color: Clear
MSRP: $45 - $55
Style: Contemporary English London Dry
Botanicals: Juniper, coriander, angelica, orris root, cassia, liquorice, lemon peel, sweet orange peel, chamomile, elderflower, rose hip, lavender, hops, samphire, sea buckthorn, mint, basil, lemon balm, and additional Kentish botanicals — 25 in total.
Base Spirit: Neutral grain spirit
Nose: Bright, garden-fresh aromatics leap first — lemon balm and elderflower over a firm juniper backbone, with a soft hum of chamomile and a whisper of samphire salinity.
Palate: Silky and layered: piney juniper anchors a mid-palate of hop flower, rose petal, and citrus zest, while coriander and cassia lend gentle warmth. A subtle green herbaceousness (mint, basil) keeps it lively.
Finish: Medium-long and clean, with lingering pepper, chamomile tea, and a saline mineral echo from the Kentish sea buckthorn.
Cocktail — The Kentish Cadence — 2 oz Anno Kent Dry Gin, 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice, 0.5 oz elderflower liqueur, 0.25 oz chamomile-honey syrup, 2 dashes celery bitters. Shake with ice, double strain into a chilled coupe, garnish with a lemon twist and a single chamomile flower.
Pair with: Fresh oysters with a cucumber-lemon mignonette, or a plate of chilled Dover sole with samphire and brown butter.
Awards: Double Gold, San Francisco World Spirits Competition; Gold, The Gin Guide Awards; Master, The Gin Masters (IWSC).
Rum Chalong Bay Sherry Cask Finish Rum
Founded in 2012 on Phuket's southern coast by a small team committed to single-origin Thai sugarcane and small-batch pot distillation, Chalong Bay ferments and distills fresh-pressed cane juice within hours of harvest — a rare feat outside the French Antilles.
Classification: Aged Thai cane-juice rum, sherry-cask finished
Brand: Chalong Bay
Distillery: Chalong Bay Distillery
Proof: 94 proof (47% ABV)
Age: NAS
Color: Pale straw gold
MSRP: $75 - $85
Base Ingredients: 100% fresh-pressed Thai sugarcane juice
Distillation: Small-batch copper pot still distillation, followed by aging and finishing in oloroso sherry casks
Nose: Fresh-cut sugarcane and green herbs lift first, followed by a wave of dried apricot, walnut skin, and a whisper of oloroso oxidative nuttiness. Underneath sits candied ginger and a faint saline minerality reminiscent of sea breeze.
Palate: Bright and lively — grassy cane sweetness meets sherry-driven raisin and toasted almond. Mid-palate turns waxy and floral with orange peel, honeycomb, and a gentle prickle of white pepper. The oxidative sherry influence adds savory depth without smothering the vibrant cane spirit.
Finish: Medium-long, dry, and clean. Lingering notes of hazelnut, cane fiber, and a subtle salinity. The finish hums like a bassline — steady, understated, and rhythmic.
Cocktail — Andaman Groove — 2 oz Chalong Bay Sherry Cask Finish Rum, 0.75 oz fresh lime juice, 0.5 oz honey syrup (2:1), 3 dashes orange bitters, 1 barspoon oloroso sherry. Shake with ice, strain into a chilled coupe, express an orange peel over the surface and drop it in.
Pair with: Grilled prawns with tamarind glaze, or aged Manchego drizzled with wildflower honey and toasted almonds.
Awards: Recognized at the Rum & Cachaça Masters and highlighted among leading Asian craft rum producers in international spirits press.
Red Wine Domaine de la Solitude Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge Réserve Secrète 2020
The Lancon family has tended vines at Domaine de la Solitude since 1604, making it one of Châteauneuf-du-Pape's oldest continuous estates, and this Réserve Secrète bottling draws from their finest old-vine Grenache and Mourvèdre parcels.
Classification: Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC
Brand: Domaine de la Solitude
ABV: 14.5%
Primary Varietal: Grenache
Blend: 70% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, 5% Cinsault
Vineyards: Old-vine plots across the Châteauneuf-du-Pape plateau, galets roulés soils
Maturation: Destemmed, fermented in concrete vats with indigenous yeasts
Color: Deep garnet with violet rim
MSRP: $140 - $170
Nose: Ripe dark cherry and blackcurrant lead, joined by crushed violet petals and garrigue herbs. Beneath the fruit sits a savory, earthy base note with hints of toasted oak and ground pepper.
Palate: Dense and layered, with blackcurrant and cherry fruit coating the palate in a broad, generous wave. Cedar and toasted spice emerge at mid-palate, while fine-grained tannins provide textural rhythm without austerity.
Finish: Long and spice-tinged, with cedar and dark berry persisting. A floral violet echo returns at the close, lending lift and elegance to the wine's substantial frame.
Pair with: The wine's cedar and garrigue character echo the rosemary and thyme crust on roasted lamb, while its blackcurrant fruit intensity complements the meat's natural richness.
Awards: 93 points – Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
White Wine Cantine Ferrandes Ferrandes Bianco Sicilia DOC 2023
The Ferrandes family farms organically on Sicily's sun-drenched volcanic soils near Vittoria, producing this Grillo-based white with minimal intervention and a focus on preserving the grape's vivid, mineral-charged character.
Classification: Sicilia DOC Bianco
Brand: Cantine Ferrandes
ABV: 12.5%
Primary Varietal: Grillo
Blend: 100% Grillo
Vineyards: Organic vineyards on volcanic soils near Vittoria, southeastern Sicily
Vinification: Gentle pressing, cold fermentation in stainless steel, brief sur lie aging
Color: Pale straw with green highlights
MSRP: $25–$35
Nose: Opens with bright citrus—lemon peel and white grapefruit—alongside fresh green apple and a subtle floral lift. A saline mineral note anchors the aromatics with a sense of volcanic origin.
Palate: Crisp and racy, with citrus and green apple at the core. A gentle honeyed roundness emerges at mid-palate, balanced by a streak of green herb freshness. The texture is light but carries surprising length.
Finish: Clean and refreshing, with citrus and mineral notes persisting. A final whisper of honey and melon rounds the close.
Pair with: The wine's citrus acidity and mineral backbone are a natural match for Mediterranean-style grilled sea bass with capers, olive oil, and charred lemon halves.
Train Your Nose: Today's Aroma Spotlight
This issue's aroma theme centers on rhythm and repetition—the way certain scent compounds pulse between sweetness and spice, fruit and earth. Pay attention to how aromas like toffee, cedar, and citrus function not as static flavors but as recurring beats in each product's aromatic narrative.
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
| Today's Product | Key Aromas | Train With |
|---|---|---|
| Bardstown Bourbon Company Phifer Pavitt Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Bourbon) | Caramel, Charred Oak, Pecan, Cherry, Leather | Bourbon Kit |
| Glenlossie 10 Year Old Flora & Fauna (Scotch Whisky) | Honey, Green (Cut Grass), Buttery, Peach, Almond | Whisky Kit |
| Method and Madness Single Grain Irish Whiskey Finished in Virgin Spanish Oak (Irish Whiskey) | Vanilla, Woody, Almond, Clove Spice, Orange, Honey | Whiskey Kit |
| Calle 23 Blanco Tequila (Tequila) | Agave (Cooked), Citrus (Lemon, Lime, Orange, Grapefruit), Grass, Pepper, Earth (Mineral, Soil Notes) | Tequila Kit |
| Anno Kent Dry Gin (Gin) | Juniper (Pine), Coriander, Lemon, Chamomile, Floral (Rose), Peppery | Gin Kit |
| Chalong Bay Sherry Cask Finish Rum (Rum) | Agricole, Dried Fruit, Nut (Almond/Coconut), Sherry, Orange, Cask Aged | Rum Kit |
| Domaine de la Solitude Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge Réserve Secrète 2020 (Red Wine) | Blackcurrant, Cherry, Violet, Cedar, Toasted | Wine Kit |
| Cantine Ferrandes Ferrandes Bianco Sicilia DOC 2023 (White Wine) | Citrus (Generic), Apple (Green), Honey, Green (Cut Grass), Melon | Wine Kit |
Explore the School of Wine and Spirits
Train your nose to detect the pulse beneath the pour with the School of Wine and Spirits Aroma Kit, featuring the exact reference aromas you've read about today. 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
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The best palates aren't born—they're calibrated, one aroma at a time.
Until tomorrow's pour — cheers.
The Still & The Vine is a daily publication of the School of Wine and Spirits.
Bardstown Bourbon Company Phifer Pavitt Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Bardstown Bourbon Company
This collaboration bottling shows Bardstown's blending acumen at full tilt—complex, layered, and rhythmically balanced. It rewards patience and careful attention. A bourbon that makes a case for structured elegance over brute force.
Glenlossie 10 Year Old Flora & Fauna
Glenlossie
Glenlossie is one of Speyside's overlooked gems—most of its output disappears into blends. This Flora & Fauna bottling reveals a distillery character that's delicate, rhythmically structured, and quietly compelling. A superb introductory Speyside for those tired of the obvious names.
Calle 23 Blanco Tequila
Calle 23
French biochemist Sophie Decobecq brings scientific rigor to traditional agave distillation, and this blanco is the proof. It's precise, clean, and deeply expressive of its raw material. An ideal sipping blanco that also elevates any cocktail it enters.
Domaine de la Solitude Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge Réserve Secrète 2020
Domaine de la Solitude
The Réserve Secrète cuvée represents the Lancon family's best barrel selections from this historic estate. The 2020 vintage delivered concentration and balance in equal measure, and this bottling captures Châteauneuf's warm-climate generosity without losing its garrigue-scented identity.
Cantine Ferrandes Ferrandes Bianco Sicilia DOC 2023
Cantine Ferrandes
This Sicilian white draws on the island's volcanic heritage to deliver a wine of crisp, mineral-driven character at a remarkably accessible price point. It's a reminder that great white wine doesn't require prestige appellations—just honest viticulture and respect for place.
Method and Madness Single Grain Irish Whiskey Finished in Virgin Spanish Oak
Method and Madness
A distinctive and forward-thinking single grain that leverages virgin Spanish oak to add texture and spice without overwhelming the whiskey's inherent softness — a compelling proof of concept from Midleton's experimental arm.
Chalong Bay Sherry Cask Finish Rum
Chalong Bay
A quietly virtuosic rum that proves terroir-driven cane spirit is thriving well beyond the Caribbean. The sherry finish is deft rather than dominant, letting Phuket's fresh cane character sing.
Anno Kent Dry Gin
Anno
A quietly complex English dry gin that rewards attention — expressive enough for sipping neat, structured enough to build a first-rate Martini or G&T.
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