School of Wine & Spirits
All Reviews
1638 curated reviews
Kilbeggan Small Batch Rye Irish Whiskey
Kilbeggan
This is a rare bird — one of the few genuine Irish rye whiskeys on the market, distilled from a mash that includes Irish-grown rye grain. The result is leaner and more angular than typical Irish whiskey, prioritizing spine over smoothness. It won't win you over with lush sweetness, but its structural honesty is compelling.
Penelope Bourbon Four Grain Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Penelope Bourbon
Penelope's four-grain approach isn't a gimmick — it's a genuine attempt at complexity through grain diversity rather than age or proof. The result is a bourbon that drinks above its price point and rewards attention without demanding it. A solid daily pour with surprising depth.
Domaine du Vieux Lazaret Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge 2020
Domaine du Vieux Lazaret
Vieux Lazaret holds one of the largest single holdings in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and this 2020 vintage showcases the heat of that stellar year while maintaining the freshness that separates well-made Southern Rhône from the merely ripe. It's a wine that delivers the full sun-soaked identity of the appellation at a remarkably fair price.
Whitley Neill Parma Violet Gin
Whitley Neill
Flavoured gins walk a tightrope between novelty and craftsmanship, and Whitley Neill's Parma Violet manages to stay on the right side. The violet is unmistakable but never overwhelming, and the gin fundamentals — juniper, citrus, spice — remain intact. A good option for those who want floral expressiveness without losing the plot.
Savanna HERR Coeur de Chauffe
Savanna
A ferociously expressive grand arôme that rivals Jamaica's highest-ester rums while remaining defiantly Réunionnais. Not for the timid — this is a cocktail weapon and a study spirit for serious rum drinkers exploring how humidity, heat, and long fermentation shape a spirit's soul.
Volcán De Mi Tierra Añejo Cristalino
Volcán De Mi Tierra
Cristalino tequilas often sacrifice character for clarity, but Volcán manages to retain meaningful agave expression and oak complexity through its filtration process. The volcanic terroir of its Lowlands and Highlands agave blend shows in a distinctive mineral backbone. Not a replacement for a traditional añejo, but a compelling argument for the style.
Glenfiddich 12 Year Old Our Original Twelve
Glenfiddich
Glenfiddich 12 remains one of the most reliable entry points into single malt Scotch, not because it's simple, but because its complexity is delivered without friction. The Solera-style vatting in their signature Solera Vat No. 1 adds consistency across bottlings while maintaining that signature orchard-fruit character. A benchmark for the category.
Livio Felluga Friulano Colli Orientali del Friuli 2023
Livio Felluga
Livio Felluga's Friulano is a masterclass in restraint and regional identity. This is a grape that thrives in the specific heat-to-cool ratio of Friuli's hillsides — warm enough to ripen fully, cool enough to retain the acidity that gives the wine its verve. The 2023 vintage delivers textbook Friulano: almond, flowers, minerals, and nothing it doesn't need.
Lough Gill Athrú Trimara 14 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Lough Gill
Lough Gill's Athrú range draws its name from the Irish word for 'change,' and this 14-year expression demonstrates how patient cask rotation can build a whiskey of genuine complexity. The triple-maturation approach never feels forced — each cask influence arrives at the right moment, creating harmony rather than competition.
West Cork 16 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey
West Cork
Sixteen years of patience from a relatively young distillery yields a whiskey that punches well above its visibility. West Cork demonstrates that time and good cask selection can compete with the bigger names in Irish whiskey — this is understated maturity at an honest price.
Jefferson's Reserve Very Old Very Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Jefferson's
A composed, contemplative bourbon that embodies slow heat — approachable on entry but with depth that unfurls over minutes in the glass. A quiet benchmark of the blended-bourbon craft.
Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge 2020
Domaine de la Vieille Julienne
Vieille Julienne's organic farming and old-vine grenache produce a Châteauneuf with real depth and terroir expression. The 2020 vintage shows exceptional balance — power without weight, complexity without noise. One of the quieter great estates in the appellation.
Glenfarclas 15 Year Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Glenfarclas
Glenfarclas at fifteen years hits a sweet spot in their range — enough sherry influence to be expressive, enough restraint to remain elegant. A family-owned distillery that lets time and wood do the talking, bottled at a sensible strength.
Chairman's Reserve Spiced Rum
Chairman's Reserve
A craft-distilled spiced rum that respects the base spirit — an ideal sipper for cool evenings and a transformative cocktail component that outclasses its price bracket.
Domaine Huet Vouvray Le Clos du Bourg Sec 2023
Domaine Huet
Huet's biodynamic Chenin Blanc from Le Clos du Bourg is one of the great expressions of Vouvray terroir. The 2023 sec shows the concentration of old vines and the precision of careful winemaking. This is Loire Valley Chenin at its most expressive and age-worthy, even in its youth.
Fuenteseca Reserva Extra Añejo 8 Year
Fuenteseca
Fuenteseca's philosophy is patience made liquid. Eight years in oak is an eternity for tequila, yet the agave never fully surrenders. This is a spirit for those who appreciate the tension between barrel and plant — and the wisdom of knowing when each has given enough.
Capreolus Garden Tiger Gin
Capreolus
Capreolus is best known for their fruit eau de vie, and that distiller's discipline shows in their gin work. Every botanical is articulated rather than blurred. Garden Tiger is a gin that rewards the attentive palate — each sip reveals a new layer without ever feeling cluttered.
Capreolus Pear Eau de Vie Gin
Capreolus
Barney Wilczak's Capreolus Distillery is known for its obsessive approach to fruit spirits, and this gin applies that precision to a juniper-forward framework. The pear eau de vie base is the differentiator — it gives the gin a textural richness and aromatic complexity that grain-based spirits rarely achieve. An exceptional gin for contemplative sipping or a refined Martini.
Caroni 15 Year Old The Ritual Trinidad Rum
Caroni
Caroni is the closed distillery that haunts the rum world — its shuttered gates in 2002 ensured that every remaining bottle is finite. This 15-year-old expression captures the distillery's legendary heavy character: assertive, brooding, and utterly unique. It's not a rum for everyone, but for those who appreciate it, there is no substitute.
Domaine du Clos du Fief Juliénas Vieilles Vignes 2022
Domaine du Clos du Fief
Michel Tête's Clos du Fief has been a benchmark for serious Juliénas for decades, and this old-vine cuvée demonstrates why the cru deserves more attention. The concentration and structure here rival wines at three times the price. It's Beaujolais with backbone — a wine that opens a door to the region's potential for age-worthy, terroir-driven reds.
Barrell Craft Spirits Infinite Barrel Project Bourbon Whiskey
Barrell Craft Spirits
The Infinite Barrel Project takes its name from the solera-inspired process — each release carries DNA from every prior batch. The result is a bourbon of uncommon depth and consistency. At cask strength, it's a master class in how blending can transcend its source materials.
West Cork Barrel Proof 12 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey
West Cork
West Cork's barrel proof 12 Year Old is a serious statement from a distillery still fighting for recognition among Ireland's more storied names. The sherry cask influence is beautifully integrated, and the higher proof carries the flavors with conviction. This is a bottle that argues for Cork as more than a footnote in Irish whiskey.
Teaninich 10 Year Old Flora & Fauna
Teaninich
Teaninich is one of those distilleries that most whisky drinkers have consumed without knowing it — its spirit forms a backbone of several major blends. In its own right, this Flora & Fauna bottling is a refreshing, precise Highland malt. It rewards those who seek out the quiet corners of Scotch.
Domaine Guiberteau Saumur Blanc 2023
Domaine Guiberteau
Romain Guiberteau has quietly become one of the Loire's most respected vignerons, and his Saumur Blanc is a stunning demonstration of what Chenin Blanc can achieve on tuffeau limestone. This is a wine of purity and tension — no shortcuts, no distractions. It's Loire Chenin at its most essential, and it will only improve over the next five years.