School of Wine & Spirits
All Reviews
2043 curated reviews
Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie Le Clos 2022
Domaine de la Pépière
The binding agent in this Muscadet is lees contact—the extended aging on spent yeast cells that welds acidity to texture, giving the wine body without weight. Marc Ollivier's meticulous organic viticulture and patience in the cellar produce a wine that punches well above its price point. Essential for seafood.
Shortcross Rye & Malt Irish Whiskey
Shortcross
A quietly confident bottling that proves rye belongs in the Irish conversation. Estate-grown grain, careful distillation, and no gimmicks — just craft holding shape.
Balblair 15 Year Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Balblair
Balblair is one of the Highlands' most underrated distilleries, and this 15-year-old shows why patience rewards. The combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry maturation creates a layered dram that tastes older than its years. It's a textbook example of how Highland terroir — coastal air, spring water, unhurried warehousing — writes itself into whisky.
Don Fulano Añejo Imperial 3 Year Tequila
Don Fulano
Don Fulano's añejo demonstrates what three years in small French Limousin and ex-bourbon casks can achieve with highland agave. The oak never overwhelms the spirit's agave heart, and the mineral backbone gives this añejo a seriousness that many competitors lack. A tequila that rewards contemplation.
Tinkerman's Sweet Spice Gin
Tinkerman's
Tinkerman's Sweet Spice offers an approachable but botanically serious gin that bridges classic London Dry architecture with New World warmth. The spice-forward profile never overshadows the juniper foundation, making it versatile enough for a Martini yet distinctive enough to sip on its own. A quietly accomplished American gin.
Foradori Fontanasanta Manzoni Bianco 2022
Foradori
A stunning expression of Manzoni Bianco (Riesling × Pinot Blanc) that reads like a mountain field distilled into a glass — cerebral, mineral, and quietly profound.
Castle & Key Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Castle & Key
Castle & Key's restoration of the old E.H. Taylor property is paying dividends. This bourbon channels the limestone-filtered water and deep Kentucky tradition of its storied grounds into a young but remarkably poised whiskey. It's proof that provenance isn't just a marketing word — it's a flavor.
Benanti Etna Rosso DOC Serra della Contessa 2021
Benanti
Benanti was the first modern producer to champion Etna's volcanic vineyards, and the 2021 Serra della Contessa validates decades of commitment. This is Nerello Mascalese at its most site-specific — a wine that could come from no other place on earth. The combination of elevation, volcanic soil, and old vines delivers a red of uncommon transparency and tension.
Rhum Neisson Le Rhum Pour Ella
Neisson
One of Martinique's purest expressions of terroir — a family distillery bottling that reads like a field of cane translated straight into the glass. Essential for anyone wanting to understand what 'agricole' really means.
Micil Earl's Island Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey
Micil
A genuinely distinctive pot still whiskey that captures the wild, windswept character of Galway. Micil's use of local peat and heritage grains produces something no other Irish distillery is currently making — modest in age but rich in place.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.