School of Wine & Spirits
All Reviews
1638 curated reviews
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.
Neisson Le Galion Rhum Agricole Blanc
Neisson
A precise, terroir-forward blanc that rewards slow sipping and elevates any cocktail it touches — proof that appetite for authenticity shapes the finest agricole.
Wyoming Whiskey National Parks No. 2 Small Batch Bourbon
Wyoming Whiskey
Wyoming Whiskey has quietly improved with every release, and this National Parks bottling shows a distillery hitting its stride. The higher proof carries the corn-forward sweetness without letting it become cloying. An honest, well-made bourbon that rewards a second pour.
Domaine Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie Excelsior 2023
Domaine Luneau-Papin
Pierre-Marie Luneau is one of Muscadet's most meticulous vignerons, and Excelsior demonstrates why this often-overlooked appellation deserves serious attention. The combination of old-vine Melon de Bourgogne and granitic soils produces a wine of surprising depth at a price that makes daily drinking a pleasure rather than a luxury.
Kyrö Dark Gin
Kyrö
Kyrö's Dark Gin bridges the gap between gin and whiskey without losing its identity as either. The rye spirit base brings a grain-forward character that most gins lack, and the time in American white oak barrels adds just enough warmth. It's a gin for whiskey drinkers and a whiskey for gin drinkers.
Wolfburn Aurora Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Wolfburn
Wolfburn is mainland Scotland's most northerly distillery, and Aurora showcases a spirit that prioritizes clarity over complexity. The combination of first-fill bourbon barrels and Caithness water produces something genuinely refreshing. This is a whisky for people who value precision.
Kilbeggan 21 Year Old Limited Release Irish Whiskey Cask Strength
Kilbeggan
This cask strength release from Kilbeggan's oldest stocks proves that Irish whiskey can play the long game as well as any Scotch. The extra proof amplifies the complexity without masking the spirit's essential softness. It's a rare opportunity to taste Irish whiskey at this age with this much integrity.
Cascahuin Tahona Extra Añejo 5 Year
Cascahuín
Cascahuín's tahona production method gives this extra añejo a textural density that roller-milled tequilas struggle to match. Five years in oak has added enormous complexity without stripping the agave identity. This is a sipping tequila that earns its place alongside fine aged spirits of any category.
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Télégramme Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2021
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe
Télégramme is the second wine of Vieux Télégraphe, made from younger vines and declassified lots — but calling it a 'second wine' undersells it. This is Châteauneuf-du-Pape with energy and immediacy, designed for drinking rather than cellaring. It captures the terroir of La Crau's galets roulés in a more approachable frame.
Tequila Ocho Extra Añejo 2020
Tequila Ocho
Where many extra añejos let the barrel overwhelm the spirit, Ocho's 2020 vintage maintains a clear dialogue between agave and oak. The terroir-driven approach — single ranch, single vintage — gives this bottle a specificity that mass-produced competitors can't match. The finish alone justifies the price.
Few Standard Issue Gin
FEW Spirits
A serious, characterful navy-strength gin from one of America's most thoughtful craft distilleries. Its assertive juniper spine and remarkable persistence on the finish make it a perfect vehicle for the theme — few gins linger like this one.
Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie Gras Moutons Vieilles Vignes 2023
Domaine de la Pépière
Muscadet is among the most undervalued white wines in the world, and Pépière's Vieilles Vignes bottlings prove why that reputation needs revising. This is not simple seafood wine — it's a serious expression of terroir with a finish that rivals bottles at three times the price. The mineral persistence is remarkable.
Craigellachie 17 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Craigellachie
Craigellachie's house style — muscular, unapologetic — finds its sweet spot at 17 years. The extended maturation rounds the distillery's signature meatiness without erasing it, and the finish rewards anyone willing to sit with it. This is Speyside whisky that refuses to play nice, and it's better for it.
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2024
Old Forester
This annual release justifies its cult following with a finish that simply refuses to quit. The 12-year maturation delivers oak complexity without bitterness, and the higher proof ensures every flavor reaches the back palate intact. A bourbon built for contemplation.
Domaine René Rostaing Côte-Rôtie Côte Blonde 2020
Domaine René Rostaing
Rostaing's Côte Blonde parcel produces wines of ethereal finesse, and 2020 delivered a vintage that balances power with elegance. The finish is the star — a seamless tapering of fruit, flower, and mineral that defines what great Côte-Rôtie can achieve. Drink now or cellar with confidence for two decades.
Neisson 12 Year Old Rhum Agricole Vieux
Neisson
One of the most articulate expressions of aged Martinique agricole made today — a rum where every decade in cask has been earned, not imposed.
Kilbeggan 8 Year Old Single Grain Irish Whiskey
Kilbeggan
Single grain whiskeys are too often dismissed as blending fodder. Kilbeggan's 8-year expression makes the case for grain as a standalone spirit — light-bodied and approachable, but with a finish that lingers far beyond what the price point promises. A quiet overachiever.
Starlight Distillery Carl T. Huber's Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey
Starlight
Starlight's single barrel program punches above its price point, delivering a bourbon that balances orchard fruit sweetness with genuine barrel depth. The Indiana limestone water and careful char-level selection create something that reads as more mature than its age statement suggests. A compelling pick for anyone exploring beyond Kentucky.
Jean-Paul Brun Terres Dorées Morgon Côte du Py 2022
Jean-Paul Brun Terres Dorées
Jean-Paul Brun is a quiet rebel in Beaujolais — he ferments with Burgundian methods (no carbonic maceration) and lets the granite-rich terroir of Côte du Py speak without intervention. The result is a Morgon with more structure and mineral focus than most, a wine that functions equally well at a summer cookout or alongside serious charcuterie. The 2022 vintage concentrates the fruit without sacrificing the freshness that makes Gamay so compelling.
Scapa Glansa Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Scapa
Scapa's unpeated spirit gains just enough smoky complexity from its peated cask finish to stand apart from the distillery's Skiren expression without losing its essential honeyed, coastal personality. It's a study in restraint — the peat whispers rather than shouts, letting the Orkney mineral character carry the conversation. An approachable but layered introduction to the islands.
Volcán De Mi Tierra Reposado Tequila
Volcán De Mi Tierra
Volcán's reposado balances volcanic terroir expression with judicious barrel aging. The six months in American and European oak smooth the spirit without burying its agave soul. Mineral undertones distinguish it from reposados that lean on caramel and vanilla alone. The LVMH backing ensures availability, but this drinks like something more artisanal than its corporate parentage might suggest.
Savanna HERR 10 Year Old Single Cask
Savanna
A rum that literally tastes of Réunion's terroir: born on the flanks of Piton de la Fournaise, this high-ester HERR marque is one of the most singular expressions in world rum — mineral, molten, and unforgettable.
Hinch Double Wood Irish Whiskey
Hinch
A quietly confident blend that punches above its price point. The virgin American oak component gives it a distinctive char-forward personality rare in accessible Irish whiskey, while the underlying grain keeps things bright and pure — exactly the mineral-meets-flame duality this issue celebrates.
Whitley Neill Raspberry Gin
Whitley Neill
Flavored gins often sacrifice their gin identity for fruit appeal, but Whitley Neill's Raspberry manages a genuine balance. The juniper backbone remains intact and the raspberry reads as fresh rather than syrupy. At its price point, it's a versatile gin that works in a spritz as easily as a G&T, and the botanical complexity underneath the fruit rewards closer attention.