The High Road

Some bottles are born at elevation — distilled in the thin air of highland plateaus, fermented from grapes clinging to slopes so steep the harvest is done by hand, or aged in rickhouses where temperature swings push bourbon deep into the wood and drag it back again. Others are elevated by sheer ambition: a Dominican rum double-aged through two hemispheres of oak, a Scottish gin foraged from the Cairngorms, a Veronese white wine that single-handedly rescued an entire appellation from obscurity. Today we pour eight that prove altitude — literal and figurative — leaves a mark on everything it touches.

What links a bottled-in-bond bourbon from the rolling Kentucky hills, one of Scotland's highest single malts, and a Malbec grown at over 6,500 feet in Argentina's Calchaqui Valley? Aspiration. Every producer in today's lineup chose the harder, higher path — and the result is eight bottles that reward the climb.

Today's Selections

BOURBON SCOTCH WHISKY IRISH WHISKEY TEQUILA GIN RUM RED WINE WHITE WINE

BOURBON Henry McKenna 10 Year Old Single Barrel

Born in the limestone-rich hills of Nelson County, Kentucky, Henry McKenna 10 Year Old carries the name of an Irish immigrant who brought his pot-still craft to the American frontier in the 1850s. Today the brand lives at Heaven Hill's Bernheim Distillery in Louisville — a bottled-in-bond single barrel that earned global recognition when it was named Best in Show Whiskey at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. — where Henry McKenna 10 is the quiet overachiever of American whiskey — a bottled-in-bond single barrel that costs less than most 8-year-olds and outperforms many that cost three times as much. The decade of aging gives it a depth and composure that younger bourbons simply cannot match, while the single-barrel format means every bottle has its own character. At 100 proof it stands up to ice or a splash of water without losing its center. This is bourbon elevated by patience and by law — the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 guaranteeing a standard of integrity that no marketing budget can buy.

Cocktail — The High Road Old Fashioned: 2 oz Henry McKenna 10, 1 barspoon demerara syrup, 2 dashes Angostura bitters, 1 dash orange bitters. Stir over a large ice cube, express an orange peel.

Pair with: Smoked brisket with a brown-sugar bark, or a wedge of aged Comte.

Awards: Best in Show Whiskey, 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition; Gold, International Whisky Competition 2020.

SCOTCH WHISKY Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old

Perched at over 1,000 feet in the Central Highlands, Dalwhinnie is one of Scotland's highest distilleries — second only to Braeval in the Braes of Glenlivet. Founded in 1897 at the junction of old cattle-droving routes, its name derives from the Gaelic 'Dail Chuinnidh' — the meeting place. The cold mountain air extends maturation, producing a spirit of uncommon delicacy. — where Dalwhinnie 15 is the whisky world's best argument that altitude matters. At one of Scotland's highest distilleries, cold air slows evaporation and extends the conversation between spirit and wood, yielding a malt of extraordinary gentleness. This is not a whisky that demands your attention — it earns it, one honeyed sip at a time. Part of Diageo's Classic Malts series, Dalwhinnie 15 has served as many drinkers' gateway to single malt, and it remains one of the most elegant entry points in the Highland canon.

Cocktail — Highland Honey: 2 oz Dalwhinnie 15, 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice, 0.5 oz heather honey syrup, 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters. Shake with ice and strain into a coupe.

Pair with: Smoked salmon on oatcakes with a drizzle of heather honey, or a ripe pear and Stilton.

Awards: Gold Medal, International Wine and Spirit Competition; Double Gold, San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

IRISH WHISKEY Waterford Single Farm Origin: Ballymorgan 1.1

Waterford Distillery in County Waterford is not interested in blending away individuality. Their Single Farm Origin series traces each bottling to a single farm's barley harvest, treating Irish whiskey the way Burgundy treats Pinot Noir — as an expression of place. Ballymorgan 1.1 uses barley grown on a single farm in County Waterford, malted, distilled, and matured to reveal what that specific terroir contributes to the glass. — where Waterford is doing something no other Irish distillery has attempted at this scale: proving that barley grown on different farms, in different soils, produces measurably different whiskey. Ballymorgan 1.1 is their thesis statement — a whiskey that tastes like a place, not just a process. Whether the terroir argument convinces you on the first sip or the fifth, the whiskey itself is undeniably compelling: fresh, complex, and elevated by a philosophical commitment to transparency that the Irish whiskey category desperately needed.

Cocktail — The Terroir Sour: 2 oz Waterford Ballymorgan, 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice, 0.5 oz honey syrup, 1 egg white. Dry shake, then shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass.

Pair with: Fresh soda bread with Irish butter, or a salad of watercress and goat cheese.

Awards: Gold, Irish Whiskey Awards; 93 points, Whisky Advocate.

TEQUILA Don Fulano Anejo

Don Fulano is produced in the highlands of Jalisco — the Los Altos region at over 6,500 feet above sea level, where larger, sweeter agave plants develop in the red iron-rich volcanic soil. Master distiller Enrique Fonseca, a fourth-generation agave grower and one of the most respected figures in tequila, purchased the historic La Tequilena distillery in 1990 and has since dedicated himself to producing tequila that honors both highland terroir and traditional methods. — where Don Fulano Anejo is highland tequila at its most refined — the product of altitude, iron-rich volcanic soil, and a master distiller whose family has been growing agave in Los Altos for over a century. Enrique Fonseca's approach is patient and traditional: brick ovens instead of autoclaves, natural fermentation, and copper pot distillation. The result is an anejo that never lets the oak overpower the agave — a balance that many anejos struggle to achieve. At its price point, Don Fulano competes with tequilas costing twice as much, making it one of the great values in the category.

Cocktail — The Alta Fashioned: 2 oz Don Fulano Anejo, 0.5 oz agave nectar, 2 dashes mole bitters. Stir over a large ice cube, garnish with an orange peel and a cinnamon stick.

Pair with: Mole negro with chicken, or aged Manchego with quince paste.

Awards: Double Gold, San Francisco World Spirits Competition; 95 points, Tasting Panel Magazine.

GIN Caorunn Small Batch Scottish Gin

Caorunn (pronounced 'ka-roon') is Gaelic for rowan berry, one of five Celtic botanicals foraged from the hills surrounding Balmenach Distillery in Speyside, Scotland. The gin is vapor-infused through a unique copper Berry Chamber built in the 1920s and originally designed for extracting essential oils for perfume — a horizontal perforated vessel through which the spirit passes as vapor, gently extracting flavor from the botanicals without the harshness of direct steeping. — where Caorunn is what happens when gin grows up in the Scottish Highlands instead of London. The five Celtic botanicals — foraged, not imported — give it a character that no English gin can replicate, while the copper Berry Chamber infusion produces a spirit of remarkable smoothness. It is juniper-forward enough to satisfy purists, distinctive enough to intrigue adventurers, and priced accessibly enough to become a daily pour. The Highland terroir is not an affectation here; you taste the landscape.

Cocktail — The Highland G and T: 2 oz Caorunn, 4 oz Fever-Tree Indian Tonic, garnish with a red apple slice and a sprig of fresh thyme. Build in a balloon glass over ice.

Pair with: Smoked trout pate on rye crackers, or a fresh green salad with goat cheese and walnuts.

Awards: Gold, International Wine and Spirit Competition; Silver Outstanding, International Spirits Challenge.

RUM Brugal 1888

Andres Brugal y Montaner left Sitges, Spain, for Cuba in 1868, where he learned the art of rum-making. In 1888 he founded Brugal and Co., and by 1897 the family had relocated permanently to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. Five generations of Brugal master distillers later, Brugal 1888 stands as their prestige expression — double-aged first in ex-bourbon American oak barrels and then finished in first-fill Spanish sherry casks from Jerez. — where Brugal 1888 is the rum that converts whisky drinkers. The double-aging process — bourbon barrels first, then Spanish sherry casks — gives it a dryness and complexity that sets it apart from the sweeter Dominican rums the island is known for. Five generations of Brugal master distillers have refined a house style that favors elegance over sweetness, and 1888 is its purest expression. The chocolate and coffee richness from the sherry casks never overwhelms the vanilla-and-oak foundation laid by the bourbon barrels. This is Dominican rum elevated to a sipping spirit that stands alongside the best aged whiskies.

Cocktail — The 1888 Espresso: 1.5 oz Brugal 1888, 1 oz fresh espresso (cooled), 0.5 oz coffee liqueur, 0.25 oz demerara syrup. Shake hard with ice and double-strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with three coffee beans.

Pair with: Dark chocolate truffles dusted with espresso powder, or a rich Dominican cigar.

Awards: Platinum, SIP Awards; Gold, International Spirits Challenge.

RED WINE Bodega Colome Estate Malbec 2021

Bodega Colome sits in the Calchaqui Valley of Salta, Argentina — a region where vineyards climb to extraordinary altitudes. The estate's vineyards range from approximately 6,500 feet to over 10,000 feet above sea level, making Colome home to some of the highest vineyards in the world. Founded in 1831, it is also the oldest continuously producing winery in Argentina. Swiss entrepreneur Donald Hess acquired the estate in 2001, investing in restoration while preserving the pre-phylloxera vines that have survived here for nearly two centuries. — where Bodega Colome is the proof that altitude is not a gimmick — it is a winemaking tool as powerful as any barrel or blend. At 6,500 feet and above, the intense UV radiation thickens grape skins, concentrating color and phenolics, while the dramatic day-to-night temperature swings preserve the acidity that keeps high-altitude Malbec fresh rather than jammy. The 2021 Estate is their calling card: deeply concentrated, violet-scented, and structured enough to age, yet priced like a weeknight wine. Argentina has no shortage of Malbec, but very few bottles carry this much altitude in the glass.

Cocktail — Malbec Sangria: 1 bottle Colome Estate Malbec, 2 oz brandy, 1 oz orange liqueur, sliced oranges, blackberries, and a cinnamon stick. Chill for 4 hours. Serve over ice with a splash of sparkling water.

Pair with: Grilled Argentine-style short ribs with chimichurri, or aged Gouda.

Awards: 91 points, Wine Spectator; 90 points, James Suckling.

WHITE WINE Pieropan Soave Classico 2022

The Pieropan family has been making wine in the volcanic hills of Soave since 1880, and more than any other producer, it was Leonildo 'Nino' Pieropan who elevated Soave from a cheap commodity to one of Italy's most respected white wines. The estate's vineyards sit on volcanic basalt and tufa in the original Classico zone, planted predominantly to Garganega — the native grape that defines Soave at its best. — where Before Pieropan, Soave was a punchline — anonymous, mass-produced white wine sold by the liter. Nino Pieropan proved that Garganega grown on volcanic soil in the Classico zone could produce whites of real character and complexity. The 2022 is textbook Pieropan: citrus-bright, mineral-threaded, and possessed of that distinctive bitter-almond finish that only old-vine Garganega on basalt delivers. At under twenty dollars, it may be the best argument in Italian wine that elevation — of a grape, a region, an entire category — starts with one family's refusal to accept the status quo.

Cocktail — The Soave Spritz: 3 oz Pieropan Soave Classico, 2 oz Aperol, 1 oz sparkling water, served over ice in a wine glass with a slice of green apple.

Pair with: Risotto with fresh peas and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, or grilled branzino with lemon and capers.

Awards: Tre Bicchieri, Gambero Rosso (multiple vintages); 91 points, Wine Spectator.

Train Your Nose: Today's Aroma Spotlight

Elevation: Sensing the Higher Path

Today's training session isolates the aromas that define altitude and ambition — from the honeyed delicacy of highland Scotch to the intense blackcurrant concentration that only extreme-elevation vineyards can produce.

Pour Dalwhinnie 15 and Henry McKenna 10 side by side. Both are products of patient maturation, yet they express it differently: Dalwhinnie offers heather-honey sweetness shaped by mountain air at over 1,000 feet, while Henry McKenna delivers a bolder caramel-and-cherry backbone from Kentucky's continental climate. Nose each glass and identify where the sweetness peaks — the Scotch favors the tip of the tongue (honey, peach), while the bourbon builds warmth toward the back (brown spices, oak). Both are elevated by time; each in its own geography.

Now compare the Bodega Colome Estate Malbec with the Pieropan Soave Classico. One is a high-altitude red from over 6,500 feet in Salta, Argentina — the other a white from the Veneto's volcanic hills. Swirl the Malbec and search for the intense blackcurrant and violet concentration that extreme UV exposure produces. Then nose the Soave for its citrus peel and almond subtlety — the signature of old-vine Garganega on volcanic soil. Both wines carry their terroir like a fingerprint, but altitude amplifies in the red what volcanic minerality refines in the white.

Today's Kit Reference

Explore the School of Wine and Spirits

Today's eight selections prove that the best producers are architects first. 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

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.