The Wanderers

Every bottle in tonight's lineup carries a passport. An Iranian-born psychologist trades a career in the mind for one in the mash tun, founding a Louisville distillery that finishes its bourbon in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks sourced from southern Spain. A Speyside distillery surrenders its spirit entirely to oloroso sherry butts hand-selected in Jerez. An American whiskey giant crosses the Atlantic to build its first distillery on the grounds of an Irish castle. In Jalisco, a fifth-generation tequila family invents an entirely new category by filtering aged tequila to crystal clarity—the visible mark of time erased, its complexity preserved. These are not accidents of geography. They are deliberate acts of movement.

The second half of tonight's journey carries us further still. In Kyoto, an international trio builds Japan's first dedicated gin distillery, distilling each botanical category separately before blending them in harmony with Fushimi's legendary groundwater. In Martinique, French AOC discipline governs rum made from fresh sugarcane juice, producing a spirit that belongs as much to Bordeaux's philosophy as it does to the Caribbean's soil. An English railway engineer plants French vines in the shadow of the Andes in 1895, and a century later, an Austrian crystal dynasty transforms his estate into one of Argentina's finest. And in New Zealand, a Croatian immigrant family carries their winemaking traditions from the Dalmatian coast to the outskirts of Auckland, crafting Chardonnays that rival Burgundy itself. Tonight's wanderers prove that great traditions are portable—and they often improve with the journey.

Today's Selections

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

BOURBON Rabbit Hole Dareringer

Born in Louisville, Kentucky’s vibrant NuLu neighborhood, Rabbit Hole Dareringer is the vision of Kaveh Zamanian—a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst who came to America from Iran as a child and spent two decades studying the human mind before turning his obsessive curiosity toward bourbon. Named after his daughter Dareringer, this expression begins as a wheated straight bourbon aged in char #4 barrels, then migrates to Pedro Ximénez sherry casks sourced through a special partnership with Casknolia in Jerez, Spain. The result is a transatlantic conversation between Kentucky corn and Andalusian dried fruit. — where Rabbit Hole Dareringer is the flavor of migration itself. Kaveh Zamanian's journey from Tehran to Louisville mirrors the bourbon's own passage from Kentucky oak to Spanish sherry casks—each environment leaving its signature on the final product. The wheated mash bill provides a soft, approachable canvas, and the PX sherry finishing paints it with dried fruit complexity that you simply cannot achieve in standard American oak alone. At 93 proof and non-chill filtered, it delivers its full story without compromise. This is a bourbon that has been somewhere—and it brought something remarkable back.

Cocktail — The Emigrant Old Fashioned: 2 oz Rabbit Hole Dareringer, 0.25 oz Pedro Ximénez sherry, 2 dashes Angostura bitters, 1 dash orange bitters. Stir over a large ice cube, express an orange peel over the surface, and garnish with a brandied cherry. The sherry amplifies the cask-finish notes into something truly Andalusian.

Pair with: A Spanish-inspired board of aged Manchego, marcona almonds, and dried Mission figs—each element mirroring the PX sherry cask's contribution of nuttiness, dried fruit, and caramelized sweetness.

Awards: Double Gold, San Francisco World Spirits Competition; 92 points, Wine Enthusiast

SCOTCH WHISKY Aberlour A'Bunadh

From the heart of Speyside, where the Lour Burn meets the River Spey, Aberlour A’Bunadh is a single malt that owes as much to Jerez as it does to the Scottish Highlands. The name means ‘the original’ in Gaelic—a tribute to founder James Fleming, who established the distillery in 1879. But the soul of this whisky migrated from Spain: every drop matures exclusively in first-fill oloroso sherry butts, hand-selected in Andalusia and shipped north to be filled with new-make spirit. Released in limited batches at full cask strength, A’Bunadh is bottled without chill filtration or color adjustment. — where A'Bunadh is Aberlour's love letter to the sherry butts of Jerez. While many Speyside malts use sherry casks as a seasoning, A'Bunadh surrenders completely—every minute of maturation happens inside first-fill oloroso wood. The result is a whisky where Scotland and Spain are inseparable, where you cannot tell where the malt ends and the sherry begins. At cask strength, it rewards a few drops of water, which unlock hidden layers of orange blossom and praline. First released in 1997 as a tribute to the distillery's 19th-century production methods, A'Bunadh remains one of the finest examples of how migration—in this case, the migration of oak from Andalusia to Speyside—can create something greater than either origin alone.

Cocktail — The Jerez Connection: 2 oz Aberlour A'Bunadh (diluted to ~46% with water), 0.5 oz Pedro Ximénez sherry, 0.25 oz honey syrup, 2 dashes orange bitters. Stir over ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a flamed orange peel. The sherry-on-sherry approach deepens the dried fruit character into something genuinely decadent.

Pair with: Dark chocolate truffles dusted with sea salt and a wedge of aged Stilton—the chocolate amplifies the cocoa notes while the blue cheese's tang cuts through the richness of the cask-strength spirit.

Awards: Gold, International Spirits Challenge; 93 points, Whisky Advocate

IRISH WHISKEY Slane Irish Whiskey

Distilled on the historic grounds of Slane Castle in County Meath, Ireland, Slane Irish Whiskey represents one of the most fascinating migrations in modern whiskey: the journey of American cooperage expertise across the Atlantic. Brown-Forman—the Louisville-based company behind Jack Daniel’s and Woodford Reserve—built its first distillery outside the United States here in 2017, bringing its deep knowledge of barrel science to the Irish whiskey tradition. The result is a triple-casked blend that uses virgin American oak from Brown-Forman’s own cooperage alongside seasoned bourbon barrels and oloroso sherry casks from Spain. — where Slane is the story of what happens when a 150-year-old American whiskey company migrates its cooperage expertise to Ireland. Brown-Forman's mastery of barrel selection—honed across decades of Jack Daniel's and Woodford Reserve production—gives Slane a wood-management sophistication rare in its price range. The virgin oak from their own cooperage lends toasted vanilla and chocolate notes, the seasoned bourbon barrels contribute caramel depth, and the oloroso sherry casks add a raisin-spice finish. At around $28, it's arguably the most interesting migration story in Irish whiskey's entry tier. The castle on the label isn't just branding—it's where the whiskey is actually made, and where American craft crossed the Atlantic to meet Irish tradition.

Cocktail — The Atlantic Crossing: 2 oz Slane Irish Whiskey, 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice, 0.5 oz honey syrup, 0.25 oz Licor 43. Shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice, and garnish with a lemon wheel. The Licor 43's vanilla-citrus profile bridges the Irish and Spanish cask influences.

Pair with: Brown butter banana bread with toasted walnuts—the banana and toasted nut notes in both the whiskey and the bread create a seamless echo.

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

TEQUILA Maestro Dobel Diamante

From the volcanic lowlands of Jalisco, Mexico, Maestro Dobel Diamante is the bottle that launched an entirely new category. In 2008, Juan Domingo Beckmann—the eleventh generation of Mexico’s most storied tequila dynasty and heir to the Jose Cuervo legacy—introduced the world’s first cristalino tequila: a blend of extra-añejo, añejo, and reposado expressions aged in Balkan white oak, then double-filtered to remove color while preserving the complexity that time built. The idea migrated the concept of barrel aging into uncharted territory—what happens when you keep the journey’s wisdom but erase its most visible evidence? — where Maestro Dobel Diamante didn't just create a tequila—it created a category. Before 2008, the idea of filtering an aged tequila back to clarity would have seemed contradictory. Why age a spirit only to remove the color? Because color is not complexity. Diamante proves that the molecular compounds developed during barrel aging—the vanillins, the caramels, the toasted wood sugars—survive filtration even when the tannins that carry color do not. The result is a tequila that drinks like an añejo but looks like a blanco: an act of conceptual migration that has since spawned dozens of cristalino imitators. As the Beckmann family's eleventh-generation innovation, it carries the weight of Mexico's most important tequila lineage—and the audacity to rethink what barrel aging means.

Cocktail — The Invisible Añejo Margarita: 2 oz Maestro Dobel Diamante, 1 oz fresh lime juice, 0.75 oz agave nectar, 0.25 oz Grand Marnier. Shake with ice, strain into a salt-rimmed coupe. The cristalino's clarity makes this look like a classic blanco margarita, but the aged complexity on the palate tells a different story entirely.

Pair with: Grilled white shrimp with a mango-habanero salsa and warm corn tortillas—the sweetness of the shrimp and mango highlights the caramel and citrus notes, while the habanero's heat meets the oak warmth.

Awards: Platinum, SIP Awards; Gold Medal, San Francisco World Spirits Competition

GIN Ki No Bi Kyoto Dry Gin

From the historic Fushimi district of Kyoto—famous for its pristine sake-brewing groundwater—Ki No Bi is the creation of an international trio who channeled their passion for spirits into Japan’s first dedicated gin distillery. David Croll and Noriko Kakuda Croll, who had spent decades importing Scottish single malts to Japan, joined forces with Marcin Miller, former editor of Whisky Magazine, to build The Kyoto Distillery in 2014. The name Ki No Bi translates to ‘the beauty of the seasons,’ and each bottle reflects a deliberate marriage of London dry gin tradition with Japanese botanical heritage. — where Ki No Bi is what happens when the London dry gin tradition migrates to Kyoto and is rebuilt from the ground up with Japanese materials and philosophy. The six-category distillation process—where each botanical group is distilled separately before blending—mirrors the Japanese culinary principle of respecting each ingredient's individual character. The result is a gin where juniper coexists with yuzu and bamboo without either tradition dominating. Founded by three spirits-industry expatriates who had already bridged Scotland and Japan through whisky importing, Ki No Bi represents a migration story within a migration story: British gin-making knowledge, filtered through Japanese sensibility, using Fushimi's legendary water. At 45.7% ABV, it has the strength to stand up in cocktails while remaining elegant enough to sip with just a cube of ice.

Cocktail — The Kyoto G&T: 2 oz Ki No Bi, 4 oz premium tonic water (Fever-Tree Japanese Yuzu Tonic if available), fresh yuzu peel or a thin grapefruit wheel, a shiso leaf. Build in a tall glass over ice. The Japanese tonic amplifies the yuzu and green tea notes into something unmistakably Kyoto.

Pair with: Lightly seared yellowtail sashimi with yuzu ponzu, pickled ginger, and shiso—each element on the plate has a direct counterpart in the gin's botanical bill.

Awards: Gold, International Spirits Challenge; World's Best Gin Design, World Gin Awards

RUM Clément VSOP Rhum Agricole

From Habitation Clément in Le Franois, Martinique, this rhum agricole embodies one of the most profound migrations in spirits: the transplanting of French winemaking discipline to Caribbean rum production. Founded in the late 19th century by Homère Clément—a physician and mayor of Le Franois—the estate operates under Martinique’s AOC regulations, the same appellation d’origine contrlée framework that governs Champagne and Bordeaux. Where most rums start with molasses, rhum agricole begins with freshly pressed sugarcane juice, distilled in a Creole column still and aged under tropical heat that accelerates maturation dramatically. — where Clément VSOP is the most eloquent argument for rhum agricole's place among the world's great aged spirits. The migration of French AOC discipline to Caribbean rum production created something that exists nowhere else: a spirit governed by the same regulatory rigor as Burgundy, made from fresh sugarcane juice rather than molasses, and aged in a combination of French Limousin oak and re-charred bourbon casks. The tropical heat of Martinique means four years of aging here equals roughly twelve in Scotland or Kentucky—the angel's share is punishing but the concentration is extraordinary. At $45, this is one of the great values in aged spirits, offering a complexity and terroir expression that many rums three times its price cannot match. Homère Clément's vision of applying French viticultural discipline to Caribbean sugarcane has migrated beautifully across a century and a half.

Cocktail — The Martinique Ti' Punch: 2 oz Clément VSOP, 0.5 oz cane syrup (sirop de canne), 1 lime disc (cut a coin-sized disc from the side of a lime, not a wedge). Muddle the lime disc in the cane syrup, add the rhum, stir briefly—no ice. Sip slowly. This is Martinique's national cocktail, and it reveals the agricole's grassy, complex character without dilution.

Pair with: Grilled pineapple with a light dusting of espelette pepper and a drizzle of dark cane syrup—the tropical fruit and spice mirror the rhum's agricole character while the char from the grill echoes the cask influence.

Awards: Gold, Rum XP; 91 points, Wine Enthusiast

RED WINE Bodega Norton Reserva Malbec 2021

From Luján de Cuyo and Valle de Uco in Mendoza, Argentina, this Reserva Malbec is the culmination of a triple migration. The grape itself traveled from southwestern France’s Cahors region to Argentina in the mid-19th century. The winery was founded in 1895 by Sir Edmund James Palmer Norton, an English railway engineer who came to oversee the trans-Andean railway and stayed to plant French vines in the Andean foothills. And in 1989, Austrian businessman Gernot Langes-Swarovski—of the crystal dynasty—acquired the estate and invested in transforming it into one of Argentina’s premier producers. English vision, French grapes, Austrian investment, Argentine terroir. — where Bodega Norton Reserva Malbec is the taste of a grape that found its true home six thousand miles from where it started. In Cahors, Malbec produces dark, tannic, austere wines often called 'the black wine.' In Mendoza's high-altitude vineyards—where the Andes' intense sunlight and cool nights create ideal ripening conditions—the same grape becomes generous, perfumed, and approachable. The 2021 vintage draws from 30–50 year old vines split between Luján de Cuyo and Valle de Uco, delivering a wine with both concentration and freshness. At around $18, this is one of the great migration stories you can drink on any weeknight—proof that an English engineer's 19th-century gamble, amplified by Austrian investment and Argentine sun, created something France alone never could.

Cocktail — The Andean Sangria: 1 bottle Bodega Norton Reserva Malbec, 2 oz brandy, 1 oz orange liqueur, 1 cup mixed dark berries (blackberries, black cherries), 1 sliced orange, 2 tbsp raw sugar. Combine in a pitcher, refrigerate for 4 hours, serve over ice with a splash of sparkling water. The dark berry garnish echoes the wine's own fruit profile.

Pair with: Argentine-style grilled skirt steak (entraña) with chimichurri—the charred meat's savory depth meets the wine's blackcurrant fruit, while the chimichurri's herbaceous brightness lifts the pairing.

Awards: 90 points, Decanter; 90 points, James Suckling

WHITE WINE Kumeu River Maté's Vineyard Chardonnay 2021

From the Kumeu sub-region of Auckland, New Zealand, this single-vineyard Chardonnay carries the name of Mate Brajkovich—the Croatian immigrant who, with his wife Melba, transformed a small Auckland plot into one of the Southern Hemisphere’s most celebrated wineries. Mate’s parents, Mick and Katé, emigrated from the Dalmatian coastal village of ivo\uc0\u263 e in 1937, bringing their Mediterranean winemaking traditions to New Zealand’s shores. The vineyard that bears Mate’s name was planted with the Mendoza clone of Chardonnay—itself a migrant from Burgundy—and is now tended by the third generation of Brajkovichs, including Michael Brajkovich MW, one of New Zealand’s most respected winemakers. — where Kumeu River Maté's Vineyard is the definitive proof that great Chardonnay can migrate from Burgundy to the Southern Hemisphere without losing its soul. The Brajkovich family's Croatian-to-New Zealand journey parallels the grape's own: the Mendoza clone of Chardonnay traveled from Burgundy to South America before cuttings arrived in New Zealand, where the Brajkovichs planted it in Auckland's clay soils. Michael Brajkovich MW applies Burgundian techniques—whole-cluster pressing, barrel fermentation, full malolactic—but the fruit speaks unmistakably of Kumeu: riper stone fruit, broader citrus, and a salted-nut character that is uniquely this place. The 2021 vintage benefited from a long, cool, dry season that allowed slow grape maturation and exceptional aromatic development. At around $80, it stands alongside Premier Cru Burgundy in quality while offering something Burgundy cannot: the flavor of three continents converging in a single glass.

Cocktail — The Dalmatian Spritz: 3 oz Kumeu River Maté's Vineyard Chardonnay, 1 oz elderflower liqueur (St-Germain), 2 oz sparkling water, expressed lemon peel. Build in a wine glass over ice. A lighter treatment that preserves the wine's complexity while adding a floral lift—best enjoyed when you want to celebrate without overwhelming the Chardonnay's nuance.

Pair with: Pan-seared halibut with brown butter, capers, and lemon—the buttery richness of both the fish and the wine create harmony, while the capers' brininess meets the wine's salted-nut character.

Awards: 96 points, Bob Campbell MW; 95 points, Wine Orbit

Train Your Nose: Today's Aroma Spotlight

Tracing the Journey in Every Glass

Migration transforms more than geography—it transforms flavor. When a bourbon finishes in Spanish sherry casks, it picks up dried fruit and dark chocolate that would never develop in a standard American oak barrel. When Malbec crosses the Atlantic from Cahors to Mendoza, the same grape produces a radically different wine—riper, bolder, more generous. Tonight's training exercises ask you to taste the journey itself: to identify where one tradition ends and another begins in the glass.

Pour the Rabbit Hole Dareringer alongside a classic unfinished wheated bourbon (such as Maker's Mark or Larceny). Nose them side by side. The unfinished bourbon will lean toward caramel, vanilla, and wheat sweetness. The Dareringer adds a layer of dried dark fruit—raisins, fig, and a faint nuttiness—that comes directly from the Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. This is the flavor of migration: the same mash bill, transformed by a six-month stay in Spanish oak. Use your Bourbon Aroma Kit to isolate Raisins and Cherry, then go back to the glass and see how clearly the sherry influence stands apart from the base spirit.

Open the Bodega Norton Reserva Malbec alongside a French Malbec from Cahors (such as Chteau Lagrézère or Clos Triguedina). The Cahors will be more tannic, austere, and earthy—closer to the grape's Old World origins. The Norton Reserva, from Mendoza's high-altitude vineyards, delivers riper blackcurrant, softer tannins, and a violet perfume that the Argentine sun coaxes out of the same variety. Use your Wine Aroma Kit to isolate Blackcurrant and Violet, then compare how the same aromas express differently at different intensities across the two wines. You are tasting the effect of latitude, altitude, and a century of adaptation.

Today's Kit Reference

Explore the School of Wine and Spirits

Tonight's wanderers traveled from Iran to Louisville, from Jerez to Speyside, from Dalmatia to Auckland—and in every case, the journey made the bottle more interesting. If you want to trace those journeys in your own glass, the School of Wine and Spirits Aroma Masterclass Kits give you the reference aromas to identify exactly where one tradition ends and another begins. Pair them with our tasting guides for the deepest understanding of what makes each bottle extraordinary.

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.