What&rsquo;s happening in wine and whiskey this week:
<h3 dir="ltr">This Week&rsquo;s Unicorn Review Stories</h3>
🍷 Matthew J. Kaner <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/uruguay-wine-collecting">wrote about how Uruguay is becoming just as recognized</a> as its South American neighbors for its high-quality meat and fantastic wines.&nbsp;
🥃 Are you an Old Fitzgerald fan? Susannah Skiver Barton has <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/what-to-drink-next-old-fitzgerald">some other wheated bourbons to recommend</a> if you are interested in trying something that is a little easier to find.
<h3 dir="ltr">New Bottle Releases</h3>
Johnnie Walker Black Cask ($35)&nbsp;
This is the first new release from Johnnie Walker in about 15 years. It&rsquo;s a new blend that is geared towards bourbon drinkers, and to meet that specific flavor profile it&rsquo;s aged exclusively in ex-bourbon casks as opposed to the mix of casks that regular Johnnie Walker Black is matured in. That gives this blend stronger notes of vanilla, maple, and honey, and makes it a good choice to use in cocktails.
Compass Box Hedonism ($165)
This is the oldest version of this whisky to date, an expression that was originally released back in 2000. It&rsquo;s a blended grain whisky (the brand says it was the first of this style when it came out) that is now a limited annual release. Some of the components in the blend are a 30-year-old whisky from Strathclyde Distillery, and whiskies ranging from 20 to 24 years old that were distilled at Port Dundas and Cameronbridge. This latest version features actress Karen Gillan as the muse on the label, continuing the tradition of keeping women at the center of its visual identity.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week</h3>
Bernheim Original Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey 20th Anniversary Limited Edition ($85)
When&rsquo;s the last time you drank wheat whiskey? The odds are that it&rsquo;s been a while, and that&rsquo;s understandable&mdash;even though some major distilleries produce this category, it&rsquo;s just not nearly as popular as bourbon or rye. One legacy name that has had a wheat whiskey in its lineup for some time now&mdash;two decades, to be precise&mdash;is Heaven Hill, and to celebrate that anniversary it released this new 20th Anniversary Limited Edition.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/045cc555-5027-47cf-bdbb-2ab0d2ecce5d.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Bernheim 20th Anniversary"> 
Bernheim, which first launched in 2005, is made using Heaven Hill&rsquo;s wheat whiskey mashbill: 51% wheat, 37% corn, and 12% malted barley (remember, wheat whiskey must contain at least 51 percent wheat in the mashbill). That makes it a &ldquo;just legal&rdquo; wheat whiskey that still has a lot of sweetness to it due to the large amount of corn in the recipe, so it is something that still appeals to bourbon drinkers (the use of wheat also adds some sweetness, but it doesn't go overboard here). The core expression is a seven-year-old whiskey bottled at 90 proof, but this new 20th Anniversary edition is aged for ten years and bottled at a much higher 115 proof.
Those extra three years in the barrel and that stronger ABV really paid off. The 20th Anniversary expression is a really good whiskey, and one that you should try whether or not you are already a fan of the wheat whiskey category. The higher proof brings some heat to the palate, as you&rsquo;d expect, but there&rsquo;s a lot going on underneath that, with flavors like cherry, dark chocolate, vanilla, almond, oak, and sweet molasses that pop as you sip. Pour this whiskey over a large ice cube and let it dilute a little if you prefer to sip on something less strong&mdash;that brings out some new flavors. Or mix it up in a cocktail like an Old Fashioned&mdash;there's a complexity that will shine through whatever other ingredients you throw at this whiskey.
Some other Heaven Hill releases have come out in the past month that might get more attention, including the new Heritage Collection 22-year-old bourbon. But this is a bottle that will be easier to find (and cheaper when you do), and is definitely worth checking out.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Wine Pick of the Week</h3>
Big Salt 2024 Oregon White Blend ($25)
This week&rsquo;s wine is a personal favorite. It&rsquo;s one of my wife&rsquo;s wines of spring, and it&rsquo;s a wine I always have in the fridge as the temperatures rise. Big Salt is the love child of John and Ksenija Kostic House of the Oregon wine brand Ovum. I was introduced to the Houses through Ovum, one of those rare wineries in Oregon that for years politely declined to make red wine, least of all Pinot Noir.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/ea6647ff-4880-459a-a761-b15d829a7c58.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Big Salt">
Instead, Ovum was responsible for some of the most challenging, complex, and idiosyncratic white wines in the Pacific Northwest. John and Ksenija tracked down and resurrected older vineyards of Riesling and Gewurztraminer, many in Oregon&rsquo;s southern reaches, many planted in the &lsquo;60s and &lsquo;70s. Armed with unique fruit sources, they built a program of exceptional creativity, doing work in the cellar to make their wines as singular as four walls and the odd concrete egg would allow&mdash;Austrian casks, skin contact, late releases, long elevage. They were and remain some of the most challenging and thrilling wines on my tasting table each year.
Then came Big Salt. Established in 2016, Big Salt drew from a similar palette of aromatic varieties, usually Riesling with a healthy dose of Gewurztraminer and Early Muscat, many of which seemed to be hard sells on their own (later vintages included Pinot Blanc, sometimes a bit of Chardonnay). But Big Salt was irresistible&mdash;an unabashedly forward white wine with beautiful aromatics, juicy, mouthwatering fruit, and tangy acidity. It was an unpretentious, thoroughly delicious alternative, and it flew off the shelves. A Big Pink and Big Orange soon followed, and demand far exceeded supply.
Big Salt proved to be irresistible for Jackson Family Wines too, who have been making wine in Oregon for a little over a decade, and whose own creative teams had devoted plenty of research toward wines of a comparable immediacy and deliciousness. One could argue that their original signature success, K-J&rsquo;s Vintner&rsquo;s Reserve Chardonnay, is another version of the same thing, from another era. Big brand or small, the goal is the same&mdash;to give the people something in their glass for spring and summer bashes.
The Houses will continue to make Big Salt, but they now have the resources and fruit sources to increase production and broaden distribution, something they&rsquo;ve been wanting to do for many years. So grab Big Salt whenever you see it.

The Week in Wine and Whiskey: March 6

Like many bourbons, <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/b5fb34e4-e911-4684-bf11-96a1cdef4ebd/lot/93ca45eb-0688-473d-b8e1-b1a079808808" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Old Fitzgerald</a> has a long and rather winding history. Originally created in 1870, the brand found its post-Prohibition home at Stitzel-Weller, where it landed in the hands of none other than Pappy Van Winkle himself. It was Pappy who changed the recipe to feature wheat, rather than rye, as the secondary grain. By 1999, Old Fitzgerald was acquired by Heaven Hill, where it languished as a relatively low-end label and even disappeared for a few years.&nbsp;
Then in 2018, Heaven Hill relaunched the brand as a semiannual, bottled-in-bond release, with an age statement that varied from batch to batch. Packaged in an elegant, decanter-style bottle, the new <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/b5fb34e4-e911-4684-bf11-96a1cdef4ebd/lot/5310277e-882e-479b-9e64-6921d6a9e311" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Old Fitz</a> became very popular among bourbon drinkers eager for a well-aged wheater, but reluctant to spend big bucks on the likes of Van Winkle or <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/b5fb34e4-e911-4684-bf11-96a1cdef4ebd/lot/6e09032d-bb13-4bad-8029-07bc4c2675de" target="_blank" rel="noopener">William Larue Weller</a>. The oldest release so far, at 19 years old, was the Fall 2022 edition, though younger offerings&mdash;notably the 8-year-old from Spring 2021&mdash;meet all the same standards of quality and flavor.&nbsp;
Building on the success of the decanter series, Heaven Hill introduced a permanent expression in 2025. Old Fitzgerald 7 Year Old is bottled-in-bond like the other expressions, but it has a consistent age statement, it's packaged in a less ornate bottle, and it's priced to sell at $60. Like its elder siblings, the whiskey has a mashbill of 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley. As an everyday pour, it&rsquo;s hard to beat&mdash;warm and sweetly bready, with a lush texture and deep but balanced oak.&nbsp;
Across the lineup, Old Fitzgerald gets top marks for consistency, and the decanter lineup is chock-full of standouts. Even when it&rsquo;s constrained by the limitations of the bottled-in-bond designation, which dictates that all barrels must come from a single distilling season, finding exceptional whiskey is easy for Heaven Hill because it has so much to choose from. The company&rsquo;s Louisville distillery is capable of producing 400,000 barrels a year, and the recently opened Bardstown plant adds another 150,000 annual barrels to that capacity.
But there&rsquo;s much to explore beyond Old Fitz. As both wheaters and bonded bourbons have exploded in popularity, excellent options abound, many of them still well under the radar. Keep reading for five of our favorites.
<h3 dir="ltr">Wilderness Trail Wheated Bourbon</h3>
One of Kentucky&rsquo;s newer distilleries, Wilderness Trail, set itself apart from the get-go by using sweet mash, meaning its fermentations forego the traditional setback and always start with fresh yeast. The process creates a more consistent spirit, according to the distillery team, with a softer mouthfeel&mdash;especially with a mashbill of 64% corn, 24% wheat, and 12% malted barley that emphasizes herbaceous mint and coffee bean notes. After debuting at about four and half years old in 2018, this bourbon&mdash;always bottled-in-bond&mdash;has increased in age and varied in proof.&nbsp; 
<h3 dir="ltr">Bardstown Bourbon Company Bottled-in-Bond</h3>
Using the same 68-20-12 mashbill as Old Fitzgerald, the house wheater of Bardstown Bourbon Co. features Kentucky-grown corn and wheat. It&rsquo;s aged for six years, although it tastes older than that, with a brooding earthiness offset by roasted nuts and Concord grapes. The Bardstown lineup underwent a packaging redesign recently&mdash;this one has the black label that prominently announces its bottled-in-bond status.
<h3 dir="ltr">Holladay Soft Red Wheat</h3>
Another bonded 6-year-old, this bourbon comes from Missouri rather than Kentucky. It&rsquo;s made from a mashbill of 73% Missouri corn, 15% soft red winter wheat, and 12% malted barley. The specific type of wheat isn&rsquo;t just for kicks&mdash;its lower protein levels yield a softer (some might even say smoother) spirit that only gets more nuanced with time in the barrel. In this case, Holladay has crafted a bourbon with mature herbal notes juxtaposed with caramel sweetness and black pepper.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Rebel 10-Year-Old</h3>
Offered as a single barrel release, this bourbon isn&rsquo;t bottled-in-bond, but still comes in at 100 proof like its bonded peers. The brand is owned by Lux Row, which was acquired by MGP in 2021, but the whiskey itself was contract-distilled elsewhere in Kentucky. The familiar mashbill of 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley should give you a clue as to its origins&mdash;and its quality.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Larceny Barrel Proof</h3>
Call this the Old Fitz booster pack. It comes from the same distillery and is made using the same mashbill, but punches through with a more powerful proof&mdash;anywhere from 111 to 126, or sometimes even higher. It&rsquo;s aged 6 to 8 years, right in line with Old Fitzgerald&rsquo;s core whiskey, and released in batches three times a year. Check the label code, which begins with A, B, or C, to determine when it was bottled&mdash;the first number corresponds to the month, the second two to the year. LBP has many of Old Fitzgerald&rsquo;s familiar flavors, but overall is weightier, more viscous, and more muscular, the kind of whiskey that&rsquo;s both an arm wrestle and a bear hug.

What to Drink Next If You Love Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond

What&rsquo;s happening in wine and whiskey this week:
<h3 dir="ltr">This Week&rsquo;s Unicorn Review Stories</h3>
🍷 Vicki Denig <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/hautes-cotes-exciting-part-of-burgundy">wrote about why the Hautes-C&ocirc;tes sub-region of Burgundy</a> is a wine region to watch, and why interest in the area and its grapes has grown over the past decade.
🥃 Chasing down bottles of whiskey to collect can be a daunting task, but <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/modern-guide-collecting-whiskey">Ted Simmons wrote this handy guide</a> on how to navigate this world and the new school of collectible whiskeys to look out for.
<h3 dir="ltr">New Bottle Releases</h3>
Michter&rsquo;s 10 Year Bourbon ($195)
Michter&rsquo;s 10 Year Bourbon is back for 2026. Although it skipped a year in 2022, this whiskey has been an annual (and highly anticipated) release for some time now. The Michter&rsquo;s team always says that it is more focused on the liquid being ready when it&rsquo;s ready over meeting an age statement, and that seems to consistently be the case with each release.
Ardbeg 10 Cask Strength ($90)
Fans of this Islay distillery finally got what they&rsquo;ve been asking for&mdash;a cask-strength version of the core 10-year-old single malt. This whisky is made up of cask-strength single malt aged in ex-bourbon barrels, some of which was entered into casks undiluted as opposed to the slightly proofed down new make spirit that is usually used. It&rsquo;s bottled at 61.7 percent ABV, and is a really good addition to the lineup&mdash;but it&rsquo;s limited, so grab a bottle while you can.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week</h3>
Frank August CASE STUDY: 06 | LEGACY RESERVE | 6 BARREL BATCH ($125)
The title of this bourbon is lofty. Look at the stylization, all those capped words, the dividing lines, and the whole concept of a &ldquo;case study&rdquo; in terms of whiskey. The thing is, as has been so often the case when it comes to Frank August, it&rsquo;s also a really good bourbon that has been thoughtfully crafted and is arguably worth its elevated price tag. And here&rsquo;s why.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/c51ac40e-c90e-40a2-b565-bf1f638aeccc.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Frank August"> 
Frank August has only been around for a few years, but has impressed whiskey fans in its short life with some really excellent bourbon and rye releases, all of which come in very nicely designed bottles. The sources of the whiskeys are not revealed, but that doesn&rsquo;t really matter because the quality of these small-batch releases is top-notch. And that includes the new Case Study 6, part of an ongoing series that is meant to explore the art of blending. This release combines six-barrel batches of Kentucky bourbon aged for eight, nine, and ten years respectively, sourced from three of the &ldquo;state&rsquo;s most storied legacy distilleries.&rdquo; What are those? We don&rsquo;t know, but given the age of the whiskeys and the language used here, one can make some assumptions.
Wherever they were distilled and whatever the mashbills might be, the resulting blend is excellent. This is clearly a well-aged bourbon from nose to finish, with a depth of flavor and classic notes of vanilla, maple, creme brulee, butterscotch, and burnt orange peel on the palate. There are also layers of spice and some charred wood notes that keep it from becoming overly sweet, and at just over 109 proof there&rsquo;s a richness to the mouthfeel and some heat on the finish.
Based on its name, Legacy Reserve seems like it&rsquo;s focused on where the whiskey originated, or at least the deep history of bourbon distilling that defines the state of Kentucky. But for me this whiskey is all about where it ended up&mdash;in a superb blend from one of the top small non-distiller brands you can find in a very crowded field.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Wine Pick of the Week</h3>
Habit Wines 2024 Santa Ynez Valley Coquelicot Vineyard Cabernet Franc ($35)
Jeff Fischer doesn&rsquo;t really need a wine label. An actor with a background in voiceover work, Fischer has supplied the voice for a cartoon character named Jeff Fischer for more than 20 years on the Fox animated series American Dad. The cartoon Jeff Fischer bears a striking resemblance to the actual Jeff Fischer, but a younger, dimmer version who happens to smoke a lot of weed.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/ab815263-f647-4f39-be72-7508df356251.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Habit Wines">
Fischer has loved wine since he was a teenager, and spent years making it as an amateur before finding his happy place in Happy Canyon. That&rsquo;s located in the Santa Ynez Valley, a sub-region of Santa Barbara County that, in the right hands, can be the source of exuberant wines with a sunny disposition. Fischer founded Habit Wines in 2007 and splits his time between L.A. and an Airstream in Los Alamos for an enviable double life.
Habit Wines are habit-forming. Stripped of brawn or bombast, Fischer&rsquo;s wines stand out for their energy, their lithe structure, and their lively movement on the palate. Usually hovering around 13% ABV, the wines possess a current of acidity that feels like a mild and exhilarating electric charge. In their directness and immediacy, they seem to channel the spirit of the Loire Valley.
His 2024 Cabernet Franc is a textbook example. From the organically farmed Cocquelicot Vineyard, which sits between Happy Canyon and Ballard Canyon in the Santa Ynez Valley, the Habit Cab Franc smells of purple flowers and purple fruit in equal measure, with a hint of green herb that lends an edge. The flavors are, like the vineyard, sunny and warm, with a juicy, plummy core of fruit, like just picked plums warmed by the sun. At 12.7% ABV, there&rsquo;s plenty of acidity to elevate the finish. Chill a bit and serve on your next patio hang.

The Week in Wine and Whiskey: February 27

Collecting whiskey can be a tricky hobby, particularly when it comes to figuring out what bottles are worth hunting down and how much to pay for them. Some of the low-hanging fruit&mdash;think <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/4c434755-299a-4c7f-b6f3-e3f229495891/lot/fad1bfb2-3ddc-44f4-bcb7-33f525a44888" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blanton&rsquo;s</a>, <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/4c434755-299a-4c7f-b6f3-e3f229495891/lot/15d44878-40d2-4955-8175-f9a87c92f60a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pappy</a>, or the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection&mdash;are already on most people&rsquo;s radar. And that includes your local retailer, which is sure to be marking these bottles up way past their suggested retail prices. There is so much whiskey out there to choose from, so part of collecting is figuring out how to chart your own course and develop your own blueprint.
This takes time, of course, not to mention browsing experience, but it&rsquo;s not an impossible task. For me, it starts with ruling out the bottles that most collectors are chasing and determining early on what isn&rsquo;t right for me (or within my budget). For example, I remember seeing <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/4c434755-299a-4c7f-b6f3-e3f229495891/lot/8f6b4a1b-82d1-4003-baba-88b990292ff5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yamazaki</a> 12 on the shelf for $125 years ago&mdash;too rich for my blood then&mdash;and now it&rsquo;s up to $175 (and sometimes more). Bottles like this have achieved a near mythical status where they will forever be the objects of fascination for many collectors, so I've tried to direct my sights elsewhere.
And that&rsquo;s part of the fun. Collecting should be about finding great bottles at decent prices and, in some cases, getting to them before others do. Which is not to say that all of the bottles on this list will necessarily represent tremendous values or be sleeper finds. Instead, these groupings are meant to help you navigate the new landscape of modern-day whiskey collecting, guideposts to refine your search and bolster your collection. These include special editions from established or rising brands that are available at a relatively low price. And while they may increase in value over time, go ahead and open them on a special occasion (or even a random weeknight)&mdash;after all, whiskey is meant to be enjoyed.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">The New Ten-Year-Olds</h3>
Westland Garryana 10th Edition/Angel's Envy 10 Year Cask Strength Bourbon
<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/4c434755-299a-4c7f-b6f3-e3f229495891/lot/d435a00a-1b44-49db-b6e3-6c3c48cd41b3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michter&rsquo;s 10 Year</a> Rye and Bourbon have both become collectors&rsquo; favorites, particularly when the brand held stocks back and opted to let a couple of years lapse between releases. Age isn&rsquo;t everything in whiskey, of course, but there is a new class of 10-year-olds from unexpected brands and distilleries.
In October, Seattle-based American single malt producer Westland released the 10th edition of its Garryana whiskey, and for the first time it came with a 10-year age statement. Garryana is partially matured in Quercus garryana oak, a species native to the Pacific Northwest, and is meant to highlight the effects of this particular type of wood on the flavor of the whiskey.
<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/4c434755-299a-4c7f-b6f3-e3f229495891/lot/828c98e4-0acc-4304-b0ee-a78b9348d2c5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Angel&rsquo;s Envy</a>, meanwhile, has been releasing its limited-edition Cask Strength Bourbon since 2012. In October, the Bacardi-owned brand released a 10-year-old version of this whiskey, marking the first Angel&rsquo;s Envy release to carry an age statement.
Even if you can&rsquo;t nab these particular bottles, the standard editions of Westland Garryana and Angel&rsquo;s Envy Cask Strength are both worth seeking out. At auction, various Garryana releases have gone for between $80 and $110, while Cask Strength usually sells for upwards of $125.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Key takeaway: Take note as brands reach significant milestones. 
<h3 dir="ltr">What's Old Is New Again</h3>
Old Overholt Cask Strength/Old Grand-Dad 16 Year
Suntory Global Spirits and the Jim Beam whiskey team have taken these once-forgotten, historic brands and reframed them with an eye towards more collectible status. Old Overholt and Old Grand-Dad are classic bargain bottles, cost-effective whiskeys that you could stock by the handle&mdash;and both are perfect for cocktails and well pours.&nbsp;
Which makes this turn towards premiumization all the more enticing. In November of 2023, <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/54f059ae-825d-43d6-8290-0392a9aada35/lot/96278c3b-5f1c-4441-b831-338a12a270e2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Old Overholt</a> released a 10-year-old cask-strength rye, and has followed that up with 11 and 12-year expressions. These are part of Suntory&rsquo;s larger effort to revitalize the Old Overholt brand, including an investment in the West Overton Village and Museum which preserves Abraham Overholt&rsquo;s legacy and contributions to American whiskey.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/ab15c623-c3bc-4346-918e-0fbf7ff27e84/lot/f8fd126b-4f0f-45d0-b912-48bfd41dabfc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Old Grand-Dad</a>, meanwhile, released a 16-year-old bourbon in November 2024. A combination of quality and scarcity make this one a fun and high-impact addition to the brand. While vintage dusties of both of these labels often command very high prices at auctions, these new additions are much more attainable. Old Grand-Dad 16 can often be found for around $200, while Old Overholt Cask Strength is going for under $100 in most cases. &nbsp;
Key takeaway: Don&rsquo;t sleep on a brand pivot.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Wild Cards From Mainstream Favorites</h3>
Jack Single Single Barrel Special Release/Macallan Harmony Collection
These well-known brands might seem too normcore for seasoned collectors&mdash;or in the case of the Macallan, too expensive&mdash;to land on your radar. But that is quickly changing.&nbsp;
In recent years, Jack Daniel&rsquo;s has launched a range of new premium products, including a trio of age statements (the first for the distillery in about a century). Concurrently, Jack has been releasing its Single Barrel Special Releases, typically high-proof variants (sometimes even venturing into hazmat territory) like the cult-ish Coy Hill release which debuted in 2021. More recently, Jack moved its <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/4c434755-299a-4c7f-b6f3-e3f229495891/lot/30ee5f1b-3fe2-4f79-8a1a-08fa2b72c319" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Heritage Barrel</a> expression from a special release to part of its core single barrel lineup, proving that the special release collection is a good testing ground for innovation.
Meanwhile, over at Scottish distillery the Macallan, innovation is on display with the brand&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/4c434755-299a-4c7f-b6f3-e3f229495891/lot/f8cf223a-a62a-4f50-aa8a-1d3c147c6104" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Harmony Collection</a>, which also launched in 2021. The series focuses on evoking specific flavors like coffee, chocolate, and tea through careful cask selection and using different proportions of sherry-seasoned European and American oak. The Harmony Collection can usually be found for about $115 to $150 at auction, while Jack Daniel&rsquo;s single barrels vary based on the release.
Key takeaway: Popular brands can do more than just crowd please. 
<h3 dir="ltr">A Discontinued Series</h3>
Glenmorangie Private Edition/Wild Turkey Master's Keep
From 2009 to 2019, scotch whisky maker <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/4c434755-299a-4c7f-b6f3-e3f229495891/lot/c6e4e32b-6dd8-4182-8e12-f0c7ecbd7413" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Glenmorangie</a> released an annual Private Edition featuring different innovations cooked up by Dr. Bill Lumsden, director of distilling, whiskey creation, and whiskey stocks. These included special cask finishes, the use of different barley varietals, and even the application of wild yeast during the fermentation process. Glenmorangie has since pivoted to its Tale series&mdash; while fun and enjoyable, it doesn&rsquo;t quite hold the luster of the Private Editions, especially with their now throwback labels.
<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/4c434755-299a-4c7f-b6f3-e3f229495891/lot/76c66e24-3c7e-41dc-b154-7d88b2a03750" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wild Turkey&rsquo;s Master&rsquo;s Keep</a> collection ran from 2015 to 2025, and included some exceptional standouts like Voyage, Unforgotten, and the much celebrated 17-year-old Bottled in Bond. These are going for $300 to $500 at auction, but I think there&rsquo;s a larger principle here: no series lasts forever, so if you like what a distillery is putting out now, it&rsquo;s wise to purchase a bottle at the suggested retail price upon release whenever possible.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Glenmorangie&rsquo;s Private Editions can be found at a more reasonable cost, usually around $125 to $200. It can be hard to target a discontinued series once it's ended, but it&rsquo;s not impossible. And with so much variance between releases, it&rsquo;s always smart to do your research and understand which innovation best fits your palate. Sometimes less popular releases can be easier to find (and more affordable when you do).
Key takeaway: Nothing lasts forever, and rarity only increases with time.
<h3 dir="ltr">Worldly Collabs</h3>
Bardstown x Amrut/Starward x Lagavulin
Given the category&rsquo;s expense and rarity, these days for most people it doesn&rsquo;t make sense to chase Japanese whisky. So the next logical question is&mdash;what country will be next? In general, I like to collect whiskeys from India, Australia, or England&mdash;anywhere that isn&rsquo;t a major producing country. These world whiskeys are often rare without being extremely expensive.&nbsp;
If you aren&rsquo;t sure how to tap into the world whiskey market, a few collaborations between well-known producers have surfaced to help guide you. <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/4c434755-299a-4c7f-b6f3-e3f229495891/lot/8dce70e9-3c53-4362-8812-6294bc03628b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bardstown Bourbon Company</a> teamed up with Amrut Distilleries in 2024 to create a blend of bourbon and rye finished in Indian single malt whisky barrels. A year earlier, Islay powerhouse Lagavulin provided barrels to Australia&rsquo;s Starward distillery, which finished its red-wine-aged single malt in the peated casks for 18 months.&nbsp;
The Bardstown x Amrut collaboration goes for a minimum of $85 at auction, while the Starward and Lagavulin collab clocks in at around $100.
Key takeaway: Collaboration can unlock exploration, especially on a global stage.

A Modern Guide to Collecting Whiskey: The New Class of Bottles to Seek Out

What&rsquo;s happening in wine and whiskey this week:
<h3 dir="ltr">This Week&rsquo;s Unicorn Review Stories</h3>
🍷 Chicago sommelier Thomas Kakalios <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/thomas-kakalios-wine-list">spoke to Gina Pace</a> about his career in the wine world, and offered some of his top wine picks from the various restaurants he oversees.
🥃 LA might be better known for celeb sightings, palm trees, and great Mexican food, but it's also a thriving whiskey city with some top-notch bars that cater to all tastes. Andy Vasoyan <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/los-angeles-whiskey-city">listed some of the best spots to visit</a> to order a dram or two.
<h3 dir="ltr">New Bottle Releases</h3>
Woodford Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Finish ($65)
This new bourbon, part of Woodford&rsquo;s limited-edition Distillery Series, is the first Cabernet Sauvignon finish that the distillery has released (other wine cask finishes include Chardonnay and Pinot Noir). Bottled at the same 90.4 proof as classic Woodford bourbon, this is a really well done cask finish that is worth checking out.
Proper No. Twelve Black Reserve ($35)
Proper No. Twelve has its many fans, and just as many detractors. Thankfully, the brand is no longer associated with its celebrity founder, Conor McGregor, and it continues to release some new additions to its small lineup. The latest is called Black Reserve, a blended Irish whiskey that was aged for four years in heavily charred bourbon barrels to bring extra flavors of toasted oak and vanilla to the palate.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week</h3>
Uncharted ($40)
The Ingram Distillery has a gimmick, just like so many other whiskey brands, but apparently it&rsquo;s one that works well. The whiskey is all &ldquo;river aged,&rdquo; meaning that the liquid is matured in a floating rickhouse on the Mississippi River in Columbus, Kentucky, a nod to the way that barrels used to be transported to different parts of the country. The point is to increase interaction between wood and whiskey&mdash;in this case, the distillery says that the motion of the river keeps the liquid churning and thereby exposes more surface area to the barrel, and the humidity from the river keeps the casks moist and slows down the angel&rsquo;s share.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/00deb9bd-b74e-45fe-95ad-c076a96fc4c9.png?width=717&amp;height=403" alt="Uncharted Bourbon"> 
This is not an entirely new concept&mdash;Jefferson&rsquo;s has released its Ocean Aged at Sea whiskeys for years now, sending barrels on container ships across the ocean where they are exposed to different temperatures and humidity levels. There is some science to this, of course, but it's also a good story and marketing technique. And in the case of this new wheated bourbon, Uncharted, the result is actually a really good new whiskey.
Like all of Ingram&rsquo;s whiskey, Uncharted was distilled elsewhere in Kentucky (the brand does not operate its own distillery, but past releases have been produced at Green River in Owensboro). The mashbill for Uncharted is not revealed, but as mentioned before it is a wheated bourbon, meaning that wheat is used as the secondary flavoring grain (this could be instead of rye, or this could be in addition to a small amount of rye grain). It was aged for a minimum of four years in the river rickhouse.
Overall, Uncharted is a very solid and affordable wheated bourbon. It does not taste green or young at all (perhaps it&rsquo;s that river magic at work), and there are notes of vanilla, maple, honey, toasted oak, cinnamon, and caramel on the palate. Each bottle is made of 100 percent recycled glass, which is a nice environmental touch, and it comes in two sizes&mdash;standard 750 ml and 1 liter (which is just slightly more expensive at $45). If you&rsquo;re looking for an alternative to Maker&rsquo;s Mark, or you love wheaters but don&rsquo;t want to splurge on a bottle of Weller, give Uncharted a try&mdash;you won&rsquo;t be disappointed.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Wine Pick of the Week</h3>
Hermann J. Wiemer 2022 Seneca Lake HJW Bio Riesling ($45)
Having written about <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/chardonnay-wine-guide">Chardonnay</a> last week, I&rsquo;ve decided to change course. I&rsquo;d like to recommend one of my favorite Rieslings from&nbsp; the team at Hermann Wiemer in the Finger Lakes, New York. When it comes to Riesling, the FLX is ascendant, easily the most exciting source for the variety in this country (though Oregon and Washington can lay claim). In fact, it was just announced that this June the region will host its fourth <a href="https://flxcursion2026.com/">FLXcursion</a>, an international Riesling celebration that draws producers from all over the world.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/aa3c047f-bfc1-43f4-984e-f7f0e70089ca.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Hjw">
Meanwhile&mdash;Wiemer. If you don&rsquo;t know this brand (it was <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/new-york-finger-lakes-wine">covered</a> by Maiah Dunn),&nbsp;you should get acquainted. Wiemer founded his winery in the early &lsquo;70s and became one of the great early craftsmen of vinifera wines in the Finger Lakes, specializing in Riesling. In 2007, he passed the winery onto his assistant winemaker, Fred Merwarth and wife Maressa, along with Oskar Bynke. No winemaker in the FLX is more dedicated to exploring the terroirs of Seneca Lake.
This is especially true of the home vineyards, Josef, Magdalena, and HJW. This last was named for Hermann and planted by him originally in 1977 (it has been expanded to 33 acres in ensuing years). Merwarth has since converted the vineyard to biodynamics, a long and painstaking process in the Finger Lakes where frost, freezing, hail, and rainstorms, as well as various pest pressures, can present daunting challenges to any regenerative approach. And yet, in 2023 HJW was Demeter certified.
All well and good, but the proof is in the glass. Merwarth remains one of the most thoughtful and meticulous winemakers in the FLX&mdash;and indeed, in the country. Among other things, this bottling reflects the care that went into it after an erratic, at times difficult vintage. The wine has an elusive quality&mdash;one of my favorite traits in Merwarth&rsquo;s Rieslings&mdash;it&rsquo;s youthful, attractive, but also a touch diffident, with haunting aromas of honey and Cara Cara orange, golden clarity of flavor, and uncanny, haunting length. Delicious now, it seems to be leaning toward the future, and will age beautifully.

The Week in Wine and Whiskey: February 20

You might not necessarily think of Los Angeles as being a whiskey city. That&rsquo;s because its drinking identity has been shaped more by historical tiki institutions, velvet-roped hotel bars, and precision-focused mixology rooms like The Varnish that helped spur the cocktail revolution here. Whiskey never disappeared, but it often existed in the margins while agave and spritz culture claimed the spotlight.
Still, a thriving whiskey world has grown quietly across the city, including a downtown institution, a 75-seat Eastside bar with a deep bottle collection, a Playa Vista lobby bar pouring Japanese single malts, a Santa Monica cocktail haven, and a Beverly Hills spot with a $20,000 Macallan pour. Spread across neighborhoods rather than clustered in one location, these spots have weathered trend cycles by opening the good stuff and serving regulars who are curious to try something new. If you know where to look, LA reveals itself as a genuine whiskey city.
<h3 dir="ltr">Seven Grand (Downtown)</h3>
Seven Grand, which opened in 2007 in a vibrant corridor of DTLA, is arguably the city&rsquo;s most influential whiskey bar,&nbsp; a place where long-term collectors, service-industry lifers, and curious newcomers all drink from the same list. The bar&rsquo;s lively main area can hold upward of 150 people, with a glorious whiskey wall and a selection routinely floating in the hundreds, depending on what general manager Adam Kloos has opened (right now, rarities include <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/060bf156-236f-4858-92f7-adc19b8c749d/lot/ec24dded-4f72-4ab6-b802-7ce72f42b459">Nikka &lsquo;Miyagikiyo&rsquo; 2019</a> and <a href="https://www.bowmore.com/whiskies/timeless-29-years-old">Bowmore 29</a>).
&ldquo;When we first opened, it was really a bunch of whiskey nerds,&rdquo; Kloos says. &ldquo;They cast a wide net, and their interests were varied, so they never really honed in on being &lsquo;the best bourbon bar.&rsquo; They just wanted everything they could get their hands on.&rdquo;&nbsp;
For even more of a niche experience, wait until Bar Jackalope reopens to the public. The 50-person lounge in the back is currently undergoing renovation, but it still hosts whiskey tastings every other week from brands like <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/213cd6df-c228-4492-b4f3-de260132967b/lot/a0e2996b-b862-4afc-b8ff-50988e9a43ab">Balcones</a>, <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/a18a842e-e61d-4a43-9448-b49c3795cb3e/lot/df6d4341-d6de-4bb7-baff-d4784b078ae5">Hatozaki</a>, and <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/6c101ebf-fe15-45cd-9b05-5a36894300da/lot/beb1fbc0-ef60-4abc-9fdb-bd144d841894">Wild Turkey</a>. They even have two working highball machines, in case you&rsquo;re in the mood for something bubbly.
<h3 dir="ltr">Grain Whiskey Bar (Playa Vista)</h3>
On the other side of town, so close to the beach that there&rsquo;s actually sand in the parking lot, you&rsquo;ll find Grain. Top Chef winner Brooke Williamson opened the bar in 2014 as part of a food complex that includes a restaurant, cafe, and ice cream counter.
Bar Manager Liam Odien joined in 2019, right around the time a private collector picked through their list and made off with some choice bottles. Luckily, Odien has restocked the shelves with an emphasis on some lesser known names. &ldquo;Smaller, more regionally defined producers are important to me, and those are sort of what we focus on in terms of rarity,&rdquo; he says, referring to releases from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/242ddcf7-641d-498d-9476-a47e7f71da0e/lot/e7e55e49-1c5a-473c-95c8-6ceb22ebba60">Corbin Cash</a> distillery in Merced County, and grain-to-glass distillery&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/5907df9f-bcea-405f-a7eb-8778a4140f2c/lot/3c6a9d7e-40a3-4253-b025-8881f6fc92fa">Wright &amp; Brown</a> in Oakland.&nbsp;
That said, the bar also has some rarities like <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/8383c038-da4c-4b6c-bb4e-4fa00340f5cf/lot/f9cc736a-070c-4c24-b6c3-26bc1b00173b">Hibiki 21</a>, E.H. Taylor <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/947ecc59-c7ed-4e67-b2a0-26ac6c90d734/lot/e2c38e24-e8ed-45c9-9b4a-823303b0db23">Amaranth &ldquo;Grain of the Gods,&rdquo;</a> and their very own year-and-a-half-old infinity bottle seeded with around 60 whiskeys, including a big helping of different expressions of Pappy Van Winkle&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">The Chestnut Club (Santa Monica)</h3>
The Chestnut Club, which has been around since 2014, is smack dab in the middle of Santa Monica Boulevard&mdash;a half-hour walk will land you at the iconic Santa Monica Pier. It&rsquo;s known primarily as a polished cocktail room&mdash;date-friendly, stylish, and designed for long, comfortable evenings.
What&rsquo;s less obvious at first glance is that the bar keeps one of the most balanced whiskey lists on the Westside. Pours from around the world include single malts from Brenne (France) and Kavalan (Taiwan), while American classics like Blanton&rsquo;s and private barrel picks from Elijah Craig are also on rotation.
Unlike many of the other bars on this list, Chestnut Club is on the spacious side, so larger groups can often snag a booth or standing room. The extra breathing room also makes it one of the few Westside whiskey spots where you can linger over multiple pours without feeling rushed or crowded.
<h3 dir="ltr">Thirsty Crow (Silver Lake)</h3>
Back across town on the Eastside, the Thirsty Crow is one of Silver Lake&rsquo;s longest-running neighborhood institutions. Opened in 2010 and seating roughly 75 inside (plus a small sidewalk patio), it&rsquo;s a true dive&mdash;dim, intimate, and always ready with a beer-and-a-shot combo.
The crowd can get a little rowdy on weekends, so if you&rsquo;re in the mood for cocktails, expect a bit of jostling for tiramisu-infused rye, a barrel-aged Old Fashioned, or a Paper Plane made with Angel&rsquo;s Envy.
That said, bar staff have also curated a robust whiskey list of tried and true classics from across Scotland, Ireland, and Japan. And on the American side, BTAC labels like&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/8383c038-da4c-4b6c-bb4e-4fa00340f5cf/lot/0992dcba-e23a-45de-837b-d89bce8561fd">Thomas H. Handy</a>, <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/8383c038-da4c-4b6c-bb4e-4fa00340f5cf/lot/3d39e24c-1fa3-4907-8f9b-c0512cc05751">George T. Stagg</a>, and <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/8383c038-da4c-4b6c-bb4e-4fa00340f5cf/lot/91a17c37-e4fb-4dfb-bb36-6d5bb729de18">William Larue Weller</a> are all available at humane prices.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Something that's good doesn't mean that it should be limited to only those who can afford it,&rdquo; says bar manager Taylor Johnson. At roughly $70 a pour, &ldquo;you&rsquo;re not going to miss rent trying it.&rdquo; Amen to that.
<h3 dir="ltr">Wolf &amp; Crane (Little Tokyo)</h3>
Wolf &amp; Crane opened in 2014 in the heart of the city&rsquo;s historic Little Tokyo, a five minute walk away from the Japanese American National Museum and right next to the very entertaining Japanese Village Plaza.
It should come as no surprise, then, that it remains the city&rsquo;s most committed Japanese whisky bar, with an incredibly deep list including things like&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/7510514a-3749-42af-9a58-2a6add5e984f/lot/9546daa5-f0f9-4c4b-8946-ea5687d481de">Hibiki 30 Year Old</a>, <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/247cff20-89d4-4343-9bb4-4b90d09b40d2/lot/1ae58d21-6a28-4bcd-b8d8-c928096ce403">Yamazaki 25 Year Old Mizunara Cask</a>, Shinshu Mars <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/9b2247e4-53b5-4dd6-8e17-92650cbc31c6/lot/9576d4fa-9244-4f9a-90b5-147155a49b97">Komagatake 30 Year</a>, <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/242ddcf7-641d-498d-9476-a47e7f71da0e/lot/ff2a4ff9-6eee-4125-a5bf-367a058c9afd">Ichiro's Malt 15 Year</a>, Nikka 9 Decades, and many others.
&ldquo;Our whisky program philosophy is pretty simple: keep up to date on new Japanese releases, and keep only the best of the best,&rdquo; says GM Jason Valdez. With that in mind, the bar also makes an effort to keep prices at an affordable level. &ldquo;We want people to try these great whiskies, not have them collect dust on the wall,&rdquo; Valdez says.
The bar also offers pours of private barrel picks from Maker&rsquo;s Mark, Komagatake, and Weller, as well as cocktails ranging from classic (a Japanese Old Fashioned with Hibiki) to refreshing (Toki highballs).
<h3 dir="ltr">The Whisky Bar (Beverly Hills)</h3>
Part of Beverly Hills&rsquo; restaurant-and-hotel corridor, The Whisky Bar opened in 2011 as the Ten Pound Bar, named after the ten-pound Scottish note which had the Macallan distillery printed on it. True to its name, the bar was exclusively a Macallan institution, but after the host hotel changed hands during COVID, the lineup expanded.&nbsp;
That doesn&rsquo;t mean the bar has left its roots behind, however. There&rsquo;s a portrait of the Macallan estate on the wall, and their top shelf currently holds Macallan 62,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/95e1c766-316f-4dfa-8b09-97abfeec5b93/lot/ed966b4b-20c6-437a-baae-b75a56c2f2ae">65</a>, and 72&mdash;their &ldquo;prized possession,&rdquo; according to lead bartender Sean Sugrue. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s our most expensive offering right now, which has to be one of the most expensive in the country [at] $20,000 a pour,&rdquo; he says.
Worry not because there are other, more accessible whisky selections. But they all match the upscale vibe of the Maybourne Hotel, which is The Whisky Bar&rsquo;s home base. Low lighting, a cigar bar (guests only), and an outdoor patio overlooking a villa&mdash;it doesn&rsquo;t get more Beverly Hills than this.

Los Angeles Is a Fantastic Whiskey City—If You Know Where To Look

What&rsquo;s happening in wine and whiskey this week:
<h3 dir="ltr">This Week&rsquo;s Unicorn Review Stories</h3>
🍷 Despite its worldwide popularity, Chardonnay is still thought to be a mid wine by some. There's plenty to like about this white wine, however, so <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/chardonnay-wine-guide">we've put together a guide</a> to tell you more about it and some of the best bottles to look for.
🥃 Are you a rum-curious whiskey drinker? If you're interested in learning more about this sugarcane-based spirit, but haven't really explored the category yet, <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/rum-for-whiskey-drinkers">here are some excellent examples to try</a>.
<h3 dir="ltr">New Bottle Releases</h3>
Pinhook 10 Year Rye ($100)
Pinhook continues its Vertical Series with this new 10-year-old rye whiskey, the oldest to date. This series explores how a whiskey sourced from the same distillery and lot develops as it ages&mdash;in this case, this a blend of just 25 barrels bottled at 106 proof distilled from a mashbill of 95 percent rye and 5 percent malted barley at MGP. The first release was aged for four years, the final release will reach 16 years, with all maturation taking place at Castle &amp; Key in Kentucky.
Cazcanes No. 7 Rosa Anejo ($140)
This fantastic new limited-edition tequila from Cazcanes might be hard to get your hands on, but it&rsquo;s certainly worth looking out for. This is an anejo that is a blend of three barrels&mdash;two Napa Cabernet French oak casks (24 months), and one Four Roses ex-bourbon barrel (30 months). The combination of casks results in a superb sipping tequila that has notes of berry and spice, but never loses its intrinsic agave character.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week</h3>
Wyoming Whiskey Barrel Strength Bourbon Whiskey #6429 ($300)
I&rsquo;m always on the fence when it comes to Wyoming Whiskey. It&rsquo;s not that the distillery makes anything I think is actually bad. At the same time, nothing has jumped out at me as reaching that extra level of being a truly collectible bottle that you should put in the extra time and effort to seek out (not that that&rsquo;s required, by the way, whiskey can just be good without being a trophy to hunt for). That being said, the distillery&rsquo;s new barrel-strength, single barrel release is one that I would say is worth checking for.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/bdb12c9f-0859-4891-a0f5-1cfb9532c372.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Wyoming Whiskey"> 
Wyoming Whiskey was founded nearly 20 years ago in 2006 in&mdash;you guessed it&mdash;Wyoming (Kirby, to be exact). While the distillery received a major investment from Edrington in 2023, the Scottish company that owns the Macallan and Highland Park, it still works on a pretty small scale compared to those single malt operations. Ex-Maker&rsquo;s Mark master distiller Steve Nally oversaw production in the early years, and Nancy Faley has been in the role of master blender for many years, but Brendan Cook took over that role in 2024 while Sam Mead is now head distiller.
The core releases consist of a pair of bourbons, Small Batch and Double Cask, and one whiskey that doesn't qualify as bourbon or rye&mdash;Outryder is an American whiskey aged for five years and bottled at 100 proof. Wyoming Whiskey has released various single barrels over the years, and indeed counts a limited expression in its lineup, but this new bourbon goes above and beyond those bottles. Barrel Strength Bourbon Whiskey #6429, which was selected from the top couple of barrels in the distillery&rsquo;s rickhouses by Cook, was made from a mashbill of 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley, and aged for ten years before being bottled at 124 proof (62 percent ABV).
This is a rich and flavorful whiskey that has some heat and heft on the palate as you sip, with notes of butterscotch, graham cracker, vanilla pudding, dark chocolate, espresso, and ripe stone fruit. This is not a cheap bottle at $300, but its limited availability and deep flavor might just make it worth the expense&mdash;and this is a bourbon that you might start seeing collectors take a lot more notice of over the next year. I look forward to seeing, and tasting, whatever else Wyoming Whiskey has to offer.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Wine Pick of the Week</h3>
Billecart-Salmon NV Le Ros&eacute; ($90)
Not that anyone ever needs an excuse to drink Champagne, but if you are looking for one, Saint Valentine is giving you that &ldquo;come hither&rdquo; look. After all, what could be more delightful than enjoying a glass or two of the world&rsquo;s most graceful wine with someone you love? What could possibly be more romantic?
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/26799762-6c1e-4109-a1e4-922b540226c1.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Chamagne Billecarte">
Before I get all mushy on you I&rsquo;m going to focus on one of Champagne&rsquo;s more underappreciated virtues. Namely, it must be savored. It must be sipped. It requires attention. Gulping down a wine as high in acid as Champagne will only result in a peristaltic event neither you nor your date want to be around for. So take it slow. And slow intake gives you time to relish its flavors and tactility, grand in entry, lifted by effervescence, luxurious in its texture, mouthwatering and energizing in its finish. So while you&rsquo;re drinking in your partner&rsquo;s eyes, drink the wine with the same appreciation and the same enjoyment.
Many Champagnes merit this kind of attention, but if I have to pick one it&rsquo;s going to be Billecart-Salmon&rsquo;s iconic bottling, Le Ros&eacute;. Le Ros&eacute; is iconic for a reason. For decades, it&rsquo;s been a model of structure and grace in a sparkling ros&eacute;, especially during years when a ros&eacute; seemed rare and unusual, even in Champagne. Billecart became a standard-bearer for the category, a benchmark for a region that has since embraced it.
This is a multi-vintage cepage of 45 percent Chardonnay, 35 percent Pinot Noir, and 20 percent Pinot Meunier. The color is a delicate pink, somewhere between copper and salmon, that is remarkably luminous and warm. This is a wine that hits all the pleasure points&mdash;a m&eacute;lange of brioche and citrus, wild strawberries and hazelnut shavings, generous in its aromatics. In the mouth, the flavors are expansive yet firmly presented, with a texture that&rsquo;s creamy but structured, focused but not rich, persistent and graceful in its finish. It will look good on your Valentine&rsquo;s Day table, and you&rsquo;ll look good for having popped the cork.

The Week in Wine and Whiskey: February 13

Rum and whiskey come from different worlds&mdash;the former is rooted in sugarcane, the latter in grain. But both spirits are usually matured in barrels&mdash;whiskey virtually always is, and aged rum touches some type of wood&mdash;meaning they have more in common than you might initially think. Oak, climate, and time shape both spirits in ways that whiskey drinkers will recognize immediately, even if the raw materials and traditions are different. Some rums pick up the dried‑fruit depth of sherry casks, others lean into bourbon‑barrel notes of vanilla and spice, and a few carry just enough funk or smoke to feel familiar. The bottles here aren&rsquo;t meant to replace anyone&rsquo;s favorite scotch or bourbon; they&rsquo;re simply great entry points for whiskey drinkers who want to see how those same levers&mdash;barrel, proof, yeast strains, and maturation environment&mdash;play out in rum, and maybe discover a new favorite along the way.
<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Brugal&amp;state=ENDED&amp;sortBy=number_asc&amp;page=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brugal 1888 Doblemente A&ntilde;ejado</a> (Dominican Republic, 40% ABV, $45) Brugal 1888 Doblemente A&ntilde;ejado is a logical match for scotch drinkers who enjoy sherry‑influenced malts, but don&rsquo;t mind a touch more sweetness. It is double-aged in bourbon and sherry casks, which creates a flavor profile in which vanilla, toffee, and red‑fruit richness sit alongside a clear oak presence. The rum is undeniably sweet, yet the tannins and toasted‑spice notes keep it from feeling heavy&mdash;and make it a bit reminiscent of Speyside and Highland whiskies.
<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Mister+Fogg&amp;state=ENDED&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Planteray Mister Fogg Navy Rum Sail N&deg;2</a><a href="https://theliquorbarn.com/products/planteray-mister-fogg-navy-rum-sail-no-2-700ml?srsltid=AfmBOoqOASEIHH5A6QKNIyTZ115qhHJRDv61nEM_CKGORnhLWNXK21G1"> </a>(Caribbean &amp; France, 55.7% ABV, $38) Mister Fogg Sail N&deg;2 is a bold, high‑proof, Navy‑style rum that will resonate with bourbon drinkers who enjoy the intensity of barrel‑strength releases. Aged in ex‑bourbon barrels, matured at sea, and finished in Cognac casks in France, it delivers dense notes of molasses, dark chocolate, dried fruit, and warming spice. There&rsquo;s a noticeable fruity funk here&mdash;not unlike the ferment‑forward character you sometimes find in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wildernesstraildistillery.com/en-us/">Wilderness Trail</a>&rsquo;s whiskeys&mdash;adding dimension without overwhelming the sweetness. Big and warm, it&rsquo;s a natural pick for bourbon fans who like heat and depth.
<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Mount+Gay&amp;state=ENDED&amp;sortBy=number_asc&amp;page=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mount Gay Single Estate 25_04 </a>(Barbados, 55% ABV, $350) Mount Gay&rsquo;s Single Estate Series is designed to express terroir in rum, in the same way that whiskeys like <a href="https://www.bruichladdich.com/collections/bruichladdich">Bruichladdich</a> explore the impact of using barley only grown on Islay, or Maker&rsquo;s Mark's experiment with locally-grown wheat for their <a href="https://www.makersmark.com/en-us/whisky/star-hill-farm-whisky">Star Hill Farm Whiskey</a>. Each release is made from estate‑grown sugar cane, distilled on site, and shaped by the character of St. Lucy&rsquo;s (the Mount Gay estate) soils, climate, and a proprietary yeast strain. The 25_04 edition, distilled from the 2019 harvest and double pot distilled, matures five years in ex‑bourbon barrels and is bottled at 55% ABV. Its earthy funk edge, salty smokiness, red‑fruit notes, and intense oak make it an appealing crossover for peated‑scotch drinkers who appreciate layered structure and a sense of place.
<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Zacapa+Edici%C3%B3n+Negra&amp;state=ENDED&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_self">Zacapa Edici&oacute;n Negra</a> (Guatemala, 43% ABV, $70) Zacapa Edici&oacute;n Negra is a strong match for whiskey drinkers who enjoy the smoky‑sweet balance of <a href="https://ship.highwest.com/products/campfire">High West Campfire</a>. Aged in double‑charred American oak, it carries a darker, wood‑driven smokiness rather than peat, wrapped in Zacapa&rsquo;s signature sweetness. Notes of caramelized sugar, vanilla, and a subtle root‑beer&ndash;like spice sit alongside gentle smoke and dried fruit, creating a profile that feels both familiar and new. It&rsquo;s richer and sweeter than Campfire, but the interplay of smoke, oak, and warmth makes it a fit for drinkers who like their whiskey with a touch of char.
<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Dos+Maderas&amp;state=ENDED&amp;sortBy=number_asc">Dos Maderas Origen Thailand</a> (Thailand &amp; Spain, 47% ABC $83) Dos Maderas Origen Thailand is an easy match for whiskey drinkers who love the oloroso‑driven richness of <a href="https://www.redbreastwhiskey.com/en-us/whiskey-collections/redbreast-21-year-old-whiskey/">Redbreast 21</a>. After 12 years aging in bourbon casks in Thailand, followed by a rare finish in 80‑year‑old oloroso barrels in Spain, it shows a deep mix of cocoa, toasted coconut, roasted nuts, and dried fruit, with a subtle aged‑spirit note that almost reads as smoke. The sherry influence is refined rather than heavy, giving the rum a mature, oxidative depth that is like the warmth of long‑aged Irish pot still whiskey.
<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Ron+del+Barrilito&amp;state=ENDED&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ron del Barrilito Autobiograf&iacute;a Selection III</a> (Puerto Rico, 43.6% ABV, $1,500) Aged 31 years in a single oloroso sherry cask, Selection III offers the kind of depth whiskey drinkers associate with <a href="https://www.glendronachdistillery.com/product/the-glendronach-aged-21-years/">Glendronach 21</a> or the richest batches of <a href="https://www.aberlour.com/en-us/our-whisky/abunadh-scotch-whisky/">Aberlour A&rsquo;Bunadh</a>. The cask yielded just 186 bottles, with concentrated notes of dried fruit, roasted nuts, cocoa, and a refined oxidative warmth. Because the rum enters the barrel just above bottling proof, the cask&rsquo;s sherry character integrates slowly and evenly over decades, creating a profile that mirrors top sherried whiskies while still reflecting the long, tropical aging that defines Barrilito&rsquo;s style.

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