What&rsquo;s happening in wine and whiskey this week:
<h3 dir="ltr">This Week&rsquo;s Unicorn Review Stories</h3>
🍷 When it comes to wine, New Zealand might be best known for its Sauvignon Blanc. But there's a lot more going on, <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/new-zealand-wine">particularly on the North Island</a>.
🥃 The Isle of Skye is a rugged island off the coast of Scotland that is home to some fantastic whisky distilleries. <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/isle-of-skye-whisky-distilleries">Here's a guide</a> to how to navigate visiting them all, including one on the neighboring Isle of Raasay.
<h3 dir="ltr">New Bottle Releases</h3>
New Riff Balboa Rye ($60)
If you&rsquo;re going to get one rye whiskey for your home bar, consider this excellent bottle from Kentucky distillery New Riff. It&rsquo;s made from a mashbill of 95 percent heirloom Balboa rye and five percent malted rye. That makes for a tasty and complex bottled-in-bond, 100-proof whiskey with big notes of spice and fruit that is perfect for sipping or mixing.
High West Cask Strength Bourbon ($70)
This is a new release from Utah&rsquo;s High West, a blend of bourbons bottled at cask strength of 117 proof. The blend consists of several straight bourbons distilled in Kentucky and Indiana aged between six and 20 years. Each has a unique mashbill, including one that is made from 60% corn and 40% malted barley and one that is made from 60% corn and 40% rye.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week</h3>
Lock Stock &amp; Barrel 25 ($1,000)
How much would you be willing to pay for a Canadian rye whisky aged for a full quarter century? Lock Stock &amp; Barrel, a brand owned by Cooper Spirits Co., is hoping that you won&rsquo;t blink at spending a thousand bucks, and potentially more than that on the secondary market. The thing is, it just might be worth it.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/cfebc8d1-0f6a-41b5-9d79-2ef51b6e6e01.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Lock Stock Rye"> 
The whisky was distilled at Alberta Distillers in Calgary, where so much Canadian rye bottled by other brands is (we&rsquo;re looking at you, WhistlePig). There&rsquo;s a good reason for that&mdash;the distillery makes really good rye, and the climate in Alberta means that it can be aged for a long time without getting really overly oaky as it would down south here in America. This is the oldest age statement to date from LSB, and indeed it seems to be the oldest rye whiskey (actually, whisky) on the market at the moment. It was fermented with koji, according to the brand, and distilled from a mashbill of 100 percent rye in 1999 on copper pot stills before being aged in barrels for a quarter century. It was bottled without chill filtration at 111 proof.
And it&rsquo;s a really good rye, with deep notes of dark berry, caramel, vanilla custard, black pepper, baking spice, and cherry syrup. The higher proof provides some heat, and helps to bring all the flavors together as you sip. At that high price, this is clearly intended to be a sipper&hellip; but if you feel like breaking some rules, go ahead and make a Manhattan with it&mdash;after all, you bought it, you should enjoy it any way you want (and this is a really good way, I can vouch for it).
There are just 250 bottles available, but this seems to be a bit of a sleeper whisky. If you find one in the wild and have a grand burning a hole in your pocket, go ahead and buy it. 
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Wine Pick of the Week</h3>
For this week&rsquo;s selections, we&rsquo;re going to go Old School Chardonnay. Thomas Fogarty Winery and Talley Vineyards have both been around for quite a while&mdash;Fogarty started his winery in 1981, Talley Vineyards was founded by Don Talley in 1982. Both are family wineries well into their second generation, with legacies that have stayed modern while outlasting modish trends. Both are devoted to cool climate Chardonnay, and both still make wines that reward cellar time.
Dr. Fogarty founded his winery after a career as a surgeon and medical technician, perfecting a catheter that became a universal tool in vascular surgery. The Fogarty brand has been a stalwart of Santa Cruz family wineries, now run by the second generation. Fogarty&rsquo;s son, Thomas Jr., had the good sense to promote his talented winemaker, Nathan Kandler, to general manager, and he has deftly stewarded this brand&rsquo;s traditional approaches into the present day. Few Santa Cruz wineries cast a wider net than Fogarty&mdash;Kandler draws from vineyards up and down this coastal range to make a suite of singular vineyard designate reds and whites.
Thomas Fogarty 2023 Santa Cruz Mountain Langley Hill Vineyard Chardonnay ($85)
Kandler&rsquo;s Chardonnays get ever more refined and meticulous&mdash;this wine fits the bill, from a 5.25 acre vineyard high above the San Francisco Bay at 2,000 foot elevation. Lifted and bright, it has a lemon blossom scent that deepens to lemon curd and golden apple with air. The flavors seem rich at the outset only to firm up as it travels along the palate, with notes of beeswax, honeyed citrus, and a penetrating acidity to counterbalance any impression of weight.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/4019ce74-fb86-4876-92a8-b458db7f444b.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Fogerty Charonnay">
Talley Vineyards 2022 Oliver&rsquo;s Vineyard Edna Valley Chardonnay ($60)
Oliver&rsquo;s Vineyard was the Talleys first grape planting in the Edna Valley, a cool site planted in 1991 (it&rsquo;s named for the family&rsquo;s patriarch who founded their farm in 1948). Modestly weighty and satisfying, this Chardonnay leads with scents of caramelly lees and lemon curd, and an interesting herbal note frames a sweetcorn sweetness. The flavors are generous, with a caramelly note from oak. And the fruit is all rich citrus, broad but with a linear frame and the acidity Edna Valley is known for, which will contribute to the wine&rsquo;s longevity.

The Week in Wine and Whiskey: January 23

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Scotland&rsquo;s Isle of Skye is known for its jagged Cuillin mountains, dramatic sea cliffs, and winding single‑track roads, but it&rsquo;s also home to a growing whisky story. For nearly two centuries, Talisker stood alone as the island&rsquo;s distilling icon. In recent years, though, some new distilleries have joined the scene. Two of the most prominent are Torabhaig, which brings youthful energy and ambition to whisky making, while just a short ferry ride away the Isle of Raasay Distillery, has helped revive its namesake island with jobs, tourism, and a striking architectural presence. Together, the three make for a journey that&rsquo;s as much about landscape and community as it is about what&rsquo;s in the glass.
It&rsquo;s worth noting that Skye and Raasay are extremely popular destinations. Hotels, restaurants, and distillery tours book up quickly in high season, and hours are greatly reduced in the off season. This isn&rsquo;t a trip to plan at the last minute&mdash;advance reservations make the difference between a seamless journey and a scramble.
On a recent family trip to Skye, what struck me most was how each stop felt distinct. Torabhaig&rsquo;s restored property spoke of tradition meeting modern ambition. Talisker, with its redesigned visitor experience and restaurant collaboration, leaned into its rugged reputation while offering a polished welcome. And Raasay, with its panoramic stillhouse views and creative cocktail bar, felt like a glimpse of the future&mdash;a distillery shaping not just whisky but the life of the island itself.
<h2 dir="ltr"><a href="https://torabhaig.com">Torabhaig Distillery</a>&nbsp;</h2>
Arriving at Torabhaig felt like stepping into a story still being written. Housed in a restored 19th‑century farm on Skye&rsquo;s Sleat peninsula, the distillery is only the second legal whisky maker on the island, yet it already feels rooted in place. Rain was falling the afternoon I visited with my parents, and we ducked into the caf&eacute; for tea after our tour&mdash;a cozy pause that underscored how intimate the site feels compared to Scotland&rsquo;s marquee distilleries.
The tour itself revealed how Torabhaig blends tradition with ambition: wooden washbacks, copper stills, and a team trained from scratch, all working toward a house style they call &ldquo;well‑tempered peat.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s a phrase that captures the balance here&mdash;smoke and brine shaped by Skye&rsquo;s rugged coast, but refined enough to feel elegant rather than overpowering.
Notable releases:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Allt Gleann&mdash;bright, smoky, and briny, showing the youthful energy of the distillery&rsquo;s early years.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Cnoc Na M&ograve;ine&mdash;the first Torabhaig release to use sherry casks, adding layers of orange peel, cedar, and gentle spice to the peat.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Sound of Sleat&mdash;the fourth and most recent release in the Legacy Series, with maritime salinity, citrus brightness, and a bonfire smokiness.
</li>
</ul>
<h2 dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/talisker">Talisker Distillery</a>&nbsp;</h2>
Getting to Talisker can test the nerves of anyone not used to Skye&rsquo;s narrow roads. At points the drive is single‑track, with no shoulders, and patience is required when meeting oncoming cars. We learned quickly that planning ahead is essential&mdash;there are very few car rental agencies on the island, and ours didn&rsquo;t have the car ready at the reserved time, leaving us scrambling to make our morning tour. Still, seeing Talisker was worth every bit of the effort.
Talisker sits on the shores of Loch Harport in Carbost, framed by the Cuillin Hills. Founded in 1830, it&rsquo;s the island&rsquo;s oldest working distillery,and its whiskies are inseparable from the maritime landscape&mdash;peaty, peppery, and briny. The visitor experience was redesigned in 2022 earning recognition as a Five Star Attraction by <a href="https://www.visitscotland.com">VisitScotland</a> and drawing praise for its storytelling and <a href="https://www.scottishdesignawards.com/2023/experiential-design/talisker-distillery/">design</a>. After the tour, we lingered at the <a href="https://talisker.threechimneys.co.uk">Three Chimneys at Talisker</a> restaurant, a collaboration that brings whisky into the kitchen. Dishes here lean on Skye&rsquo;s land and sea&mdash;fresh seafood, local meats, and cheeses&mdash;with whisky woven into sauces and pairings. The window-filled space and patio looks dramatically onto the loch.
Notable releases:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Talisker 10 Year Old&mdash;the classic house style, with peppery smoke and maritime salinity that defines the distillery.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Talisker Storm&mdash;a bolder, more tempestuous dram, amplifying the brine and smoke for a wilder edge.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Talisker Molten Seas (Special Releases 2025)&mdash;finished in American oak toasted by volcanic rock, it channels Skye&rsquo;s fire and water with sweet smoke, salt‑sprayed spice, and a peppery finish that lingers like embers.
</li>
</ul>
<h2 dir="ltr"><a href="https://raasaydistillery.com">Isle of Raasay Hebridean Distillers&nbsp;</a></h2>
The ferry to Raasay is short, but it sets the tone&mdash;a quiet, scenic ride that feels like part of the adventure. We drove straight from Talisker to the terminal, and by the time we stepped off the boat, the mood had shifted. The island is compact and striking, with winding roads, dramatic coastline, and a sense of calm that invites you to slow down. From the stillhouse, the view is extraordinary&mdash;copper stills gleaming in the foreground, with the sea and mountains framed through wide windows. It&rsquo;s one of the most visually memorable distillery settings I&rsquo;ve ever visited.
Raasay Distillery opened in 2017 and has become a kind of revival engine for the island. It now employs around 40 people&mdash;some locals, others drawn from as far as Korea&mdash;and has helped reverse population decline by offering long‑term careers in whisky and hospitality. The building itself is a reimagined 19th‑century Victorian hotel, now home to the distillery, visitor center, and boutique accommodations. There&rsquo;s also a cocktail bar that overlooks the water, where the drinks lean creative and seasonal, often incorporating Raasay&rsquo;s own gin and whisky.
Notable releases:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
The Draam&mdash;lightly peated and layered with dark fruit, this flagship single malt blends six cask types for a dram that&rsquo;s elegant and smoky.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
D&ugrave;n Cana (Sherry Quarter Cask)&mdash;matured in rye and sherry casks, it&rsquo;s rich with raisings, vanilla, and sea salt, finishing with a touch of wood smoke.
</li>
</ul>

A Guide to the Whisky Distilleries of Scotland's Isle of Skye

What&rsquo;s happening in wine and whiskey this week:
<h3 dir="ltr">This Week&rsquo;s Unicorn Review Stories</h3>
🍷 New York&rsquo;s Finger Lakes wine region is one to watch. <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/new-york-finger-lakes-wine">Find out more about the region and some of its best producers</a>.
🥃 Woodford Reserve master distiller Elizabeth McCall is focused on maintaining tradition and encouraging innovation. We spoke to her to find out <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/woodford-reserve-elizabeth-mccall">more about her vision for the distillery</a>.
<h3 dir="ltr">New Bottle Releases</h3>
Penelope Beaufain Four Grain Bourbon ($45)
MGP-owned Penelope Bourbon just released this new four-grain expression in collaboration with home furnishing brand Serena &amp; Lily. While Penelope uses a four-grain mashbill for other expressions, this 84-proof release is said to have been custom blended by master blender and cofounder Danny Polise. It comes in a bottle with a floral motif from a home on Beaufain Street in Charleston, the hometown of Serena &amp; Lily.
Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked ($200)
Double Double Oaked is a version of Woodford&rsquo;s classic Double Oaked that spends an additional year in a secondary set of new charred oak barrels&mdash;hence, the name. This whiskey was formerly part of the Distillery Series, but made its debut as a limited-edition core portfolio offering last year. It&rsquo;s now back for 2026, but act fast because supplies are limited.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Rye A126
Last September, Heaven Hill&rsquo;s Elijah Craig whiskey brand introduced its first batch of Barrel Proof Rye, building on the tradition of its Barrel Proof Bourbon. That whiskey was fantastic, a 108-proof rye aged for more than 12 years. The second batch, and the first of 2026, is also great&mdash;it&rsquo;s aged for just under 12 years and bottled at just a hair over 120 proof. That means it&rsquo;s packed with flavor but does not overpower your palate as you sip.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week</h3>
Russell&rsquo;s Reserve Single Rickhouse 2025 &ndash; Camp Nelson E
This whiskey came out in the fall, but it&rsquo;s worth covering even after we&rsquo;ve entered the new year because it&rsquo;s just that good. Russell&rsquo;s Reserve is the smaller batch label produced at the Wild Turkey Distillery, and it&rsquo;s arguably one of the best bargains in the bourbon world&mdash;it has one of the few truly high quality 10-year-old bourbons you can find for about 40 bucks in its portfolio.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/a2d9c96d-f4e6-482a-a787-301c47727315.png?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Rr Single Rickhouse">
The Single Rickhouse series was created to explore the concept of terroir in whiskey based on maturation location, something we recently covered in this&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/whiskey-warehouse-terroir">piece</a> about how different distilleries tackle the concept. Camp Nelson E is the fifth Single Rickhouse release, and according to the brand this whiskey was aged in an entirely different maturation environment than previous releases, all of which come from Wild Turkey&rsquo;s Camp Nelson warehouse campus. Camp Nelson E was built in 1946, and it&rsquo;s said to be located closer to the river than others on the site with more consistent shade throughout the year.
Master distiller Eddie Russell selected barrels from the fifth floor of this seven-story rickhouse for this release, high enough for things get hot but not as extreme as the very top level. The whiskey was bottled at 128 proof, which gives it the honor of being the highest proof Russell&rsquo;s Reserve expression to date. That&rsquo;s pretty strong, but the flavor and complexity still shine through despite the elevated ABV. There are rich notes of oak, vanilla, custard, maple, and cherry syrup on the palate, along with a healthy dollop of spice and some hot mulled cider on the finish.
If you have a chance to try this in a side-by-side tasting with the previous Single Rickhouse releases, do so&mdash;it will either make you a believer in the concept of warehouse terroir, or perhaps lead you to conclude that it&rsquo;s all nonsense. Whatever the case, you won&rsquo;t be disappointed with the quality of this fantastic bourbon.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Wine Pick of the Week</h3>
These two wines, also part of my project devoted to cool-climate, far-west vineyard sources from California fruit, couldn&rsquo;t be more different. But they share an ocean view roughly 80 miles from each other, and the Pacific definitely contributes to their character.
Sandhi Sta. Rita Hills Romance Chardonnay ($90)
Sashi Moorman makes this wine, drawn from a recent addition (2015) to the Domaine de la C&ocirc;te suite of vineyards (it&rsquo;s one of the westernmost Chardonnay vineyards in the south Central Coast). It&rsquo;s found just outside of Lompoc, in the western Sta. Rita Hills, where those vines are exposed to relentless ocean breezes, creating conditions for fruit purity and flavor intensity, and the salt air doubtless provides its own unique mineral fingerprint, as does the extended lees contact. Crisp and toasty at once, this leads with a toasty suite of golden fruit flavors, apple, and pear. The palate is pleasingly warm with a generous middle that belies the coolness of the place where it&rsquo;s grown, but ends with a finish marked by mouthwatering tension.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/323b082d-30fb-4569-88aa-6d85b6a881c6.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Romance">
Saxum 2022 SLO Coast Cayucos Ridge Vineyard Syrah ($200)
Collectors of Saxum, take note&mdash;Justin Smith has a new project. This vineyard is called Cayucos Ridge, and as the crow flies it&rsquo;s not terribly far from Saxum&rsquo;s original estate in the Willow Creek district of Paso Robles, and only four miles from the ocean. While Paso feels several miles from the Pacific, at Cayucos Ridge the sea feels close enough to touch. It&rsquo;s early days for these young vines, but the 2022 feels quite complete with a spectacular spiciness not often found in Smith&rsquo;s Paso bottlings. There&rsquo;s a scent of currants, wild herbs, potpourri, and a hint of woodsmoke. The flavors are dark-berried and intense with a concentration and tannic payload that speaks to the wind at this one-of-a-kind place.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/9e60f45c-dc67-4a88-8018-4588ff0bf2d0.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Cayucos">

The Week in Wine and Whiskey: January 16

Woodford Reserve sits in a pocket of the American whiskey world shared by just a few other brands. On one hand, it&rsquo;s the beginner-friendly, widely accessible bourbon that anchors bar carts and back bars across the country. On the other hand, it appeals to collectors with special-edition Derby bottles selling for hundreds (and sometimes thousands) at auction, a Master&rsquo;s Collection that experiments with mashbill and cask finishes, and distillery-only releases that inspire serious fan loyalty.
When Elizabeth McCall took over as master distiller in 2023, she knew she had to strike a balance by maintaining the flavor foundation her predecessor Chris Morris established, while also shaping the brand&rsquo;s ultra-limited innovations. We spoke to McCall about how Woodford was once considered a risky prospect, why certain barrels call to her, the brand&rsquo;s surprising auction darlings, and what it takes to protect the core profile while still being open to bottling more unconventional liquid.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Unicorn Review: Let&rsquo;s start way back. Woodford launched in the 1990s, which was a very different bourbon environment. How do you see that era now?
McCall: Is it that different? Because in the &lsquo;90s when [Woodford] started, it was actually in a very tough spot. People thought bourbon whiskey might go extinct or just be this teeny-tiny little category. Back then, Owsley Brown II, who was CEO of Brown-Forman, made the decision to open a bourbon distillery when everything would&rsquo;ve said [not to do that]. It was purely a passion-driven project for him, and it really was about bourbon heritage. It wasn&rsquo;t even about a brand.
We went into it knowing it was a huge financial investment and that it probably wouldn&rsquo;t make money for the first&hellip; some people said 25 years. That&rsquo;s kind of the magic of Woodford. It surprised everybody. It went from this tiny brand to one that is globally recognized and nearing two million cases, which is astonishing. But that&rsquo;s proof of excellent liquid and a great package.
<h3 dir="ltr">Striking a Balance</h3>
Woodford gets described as both approachable and premium. How do you define that balance?
We&rsquo;ve always had an approachable price point, even though it was considered aggressive when we introduced it. Having a bourbon at $25 or above was crazy in the early &lsquo;90s. We&rsquo;ve held an approachable price, but maintained superb quality. If someone trusts the core&mdash;because the core is approachable and consistent&mdash;then they feel safe moving up to the $60 offering or the $150 offering.&nbsp;
Double Double Oaked went national this year after years of being a distillery exclusive. What was the response?
It&rsquo;s been really well-received. People are still asking about it. I keep telling people, if you didn&rsquo;t get it this year, we&rsquo;re going to release it again nationally next year. It should be in some global markets by 2027.
It was distillery-only for a decade, right?
Yes, from 2015 until 2025. And it kind of started as an accident. We overproduced some Double Oaked. Once a barrel leaves the age-spec window&mdash;six to 12 months&mdash;it changes. By the time it's been 18 months, it&rsquo;s very different. You could always blend that into a batch and sell it as regular Double Oaked, and it would taste great. But instead, we held the barrels longer to see how the extra age changed the flavor profile.
It was an accident in that we had an opportunity that we capitalized on. We had no expectation it would do as well as it did. We always hope things will do well, but the fact that we brought it back year after year was because people were asking for it.
Where do distillery-only releases sit for the brand?
They can have different roles. Double Double was this fun, low-risk, high-reward experiment that turned into something scalable. Other times, we have weird one-offs where the volume is so small there is no scalability.
But the original intention of the Distillery Series was to thank people for coming to visit. People would come to the distillery and say, "I can buy this anywhere. What am I getting here that I can&rsquo;t get somewhere else?&rdquo; That was the purpose.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s also an opportunity to learn about a release. How does it play? Do people like it? Do we scale it up?
What indicators tell you a barrel has &ldquo;collector potential&rdquo;?
It&rsquo;s really tasting it and seeing that it's a special liquid. With Chocolate Whisper Redux, for example, I kept tasting that liquid for years. I was telling the brand team, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know where we want to release this, but it&rsquo;s special.&rdquo; I wanted to release it at a high proof, which meant package testing and all of that. But it comes from me tasting something and thinking this is really good, save it for something special.
<h3 dir="ltr">The Big Picture</h3>
Speaking of the brand team, Woodford is part of the Brown-Forman company. There&rsquo;s quite a large apparatus there. Can you speak to how that affects decision-making?
It's been interesting, especially in the context of the evolution of Woodford Reserve. We started out this conversation talking about the mid-&rsquo;90s, and up until maybe 2020 Chris Morris got to do whatever he wanted&mdash;and nobody cared! And I say that with all the respect in the world; it was such a small brand. Then, all of a sudden, it really started to be something where it was having a big impact on business.&nbsp;
I feel like Chris set us up for success. Entering my era, it&rsquo;s a brand where there's more planning going into releases, with more thoughts and more eyes on it.&nbsp;
What I love is the freedom to be creative and make fun things. I'm still prototyping, but now it's under a greater microscope. I still get to play, but people are going to review.
Do you have a favorite release from Chris&rsquo;s era?
Chris will tell you his favorite was the Chardonnay finish. People loved Four Wood. My own heart pulls to the Pinot Noir finish. I was in London and they had bottles everywhere at an event, and I have literally a drop left in my bottle at home.&nbsp;
It says a lot about our palates&mdash;we love fruitiness in bourbon. If Chris isn&rsquo;t drinking bourbon, he&rsquo;s drinking Chardonnay. I love a good red wine.
What&rsquo;s your mandate now that you&rsquo;re leading the brand?
My primary function is to maintain quality, to make sure the flavor of the core doesn&rsquo;t change. That&rsquo;s what has built this brand, that&rsquo;s the foundation.
In terms of innovation, I&rsquo;m not only looking at Master&rsquo;s Collection and Distillery Series, but also exploring ways to celebrate small releases that haven&rsquo;t had a home. As silly as it sounds, sometimes I say that if I don&rsquo;t have the right vessel, I can&rsquo;t share it. It seems dumb, but packaging matters more than people realize.&nbsp;
We're in the process of designing another package right now, so that if I find a few barrels in the warehouse&mdash;maybe I only have 10 of those barrels&mdash;we have a bottle that celebrates how rare and special that liquid is. It can then go out to a larger crowd, instead of being put in the 375-ml bottle, or being in the Distillery Series and being limited only to Kentucky.&nbsp;
Sometimes, I want to share something with more people.
<h3 dir="ltr">The Collector Crowd</h3>
How do you see collectors and whiskey nerds? Where do they live in your mind?
It&rsquo;s nice to be acknowledged by that crowd, because it&rsquo;s tough to really get their attention. When they pay attention, it creates a halo effect. They create chatter. And then people who don&rsquo;t care suddenly feel like they should care. I don&rsquo;t make things to appease them, but the buzz matters.&nbsp;
Chocolate Whisper Redux at 139.4 proof is a good example. I knew there would be people freaking out about the higher proof, but that was not the intention behind it. I did it because I thought it tasted really good at that proof point. I hope they didn&rsquo;t miss appreciating the beautiful liquid.
Derby bottles have done well at auction. Why do you think that is?
It&rsquo;s probably because of the bottle art! I wasn&rsquo;t expecting you to say that, I was thinking it would be a Master&rsquo;s Collection or something. I think it has something to do with the collectibility of the bottle art, instead of the size. The one-liter bottles have bigger artwork.&nbsp;
I&rsquo;m assuming it&rsquo;s the artist, and it was probably some really old bottles that you can&rsquo;t find.&nbsp;
We started doing that partnership in 1999, and it was a great opportunity for us to be the official bourbon at Churchill Downs. We worked with an artist to do something unique, and it was a very small release at the time. I don't think anybody knew what it was going to turn into, and people didn&rsquo;t think to collect them back then. Now they want the full run.&nbsp;
I get asked all the time, &ldquo;Do you know where I can find the first one I&rsquo;m missing?&rdquo; It&rsquo;s usually the early ones. People are fans!
<h3 dir="ltr">Espresso Martini Inspiration</h3>
What are some of your own favorites? What stands out from your tenure?
I really loved Chocolate Malted Rye. From a grain recipe perspective, I just think it's so interesting to see how that flavor of grain played. The nose on it was amazing, and then the flavor kind of had this dryness to it that came from the rye. It was malted to such a degree that it gave these cacao nib notes.
I do want to explore some rye things next. That'll be my next endeavor. With rye I&rsquo;m looking at some old grain recipes from ledgers we had from 1915&ndash;1916, plus Kentucky-grown rye with the Kentucky Rye Project.
Also, I have a prototype sitting on my desk right now that I&rsquo;m working on, inspired by espresso martinis. It&rsquo;s not a flavored whiskey, it&rsquo;s a Kentucky straight bourbon, and that&rsquo;s all I&rsquo;ll say!&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">State of the Whiskey World</h3>
How is Woodford dealing with the slowing whiskey market?
It&rsquo;s interesting, because there is all that going on out there in the world, and I feel like with Woodford, we&rsquo;re one of the top premium spirits in the world, so we're going full steam ahead. It&rsquo;s not like we&rsquo;re untouched&mdash;we&rsquo;re slowing production, but we&rsquo;re filling it in with innovation.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s been a silver lining to the climate, and the premium-plus category is still growing nicely. People aren&rsquo;t consuming as much, but they&rsquo;re being more cognizant of what they are consuming. We&rsquo;re making sure that we present some whiskeys that are beautiful and well-deserving of that category.
On the topic of prices, how do you mentally hold together releasing both $35 core bottles and $15,000 Baccarat bottles?
I never want loyal Woodford drinkers to feel taken advantage of. Some high-price things&mdash;like the $15,000 Derby 150 Baccarat&mdash;are PR plays. They create the halo.&nbsp;
But at the $150 range, liquid quality has to justify the price. With Double Double Oaked at $199&mdash;limited, long time in barrel, exquisite liquid. If it doesn&rsquo;t taste good, who cares? If it tastes good, you should want to pay that much.
Anything collectors should know?
I don&rsquo;t like waiting in line, and people will wait in the cold for bottles. Kudos to them. But I&rsquo;m proud we make rare, premium liquid without forcing people to stand in the rain. You shouldn&rsquo;t have to get sick to get good whiskey.

Woodford Reserve's Elizabeth McCall on Balancing Tradition and Innovation

What&rsquo;s happening in wine and whiskey this week:
<h3 dir="ltr">This Week&rsquo;s Unicorn Review Stories</h3>
🍷 The Jura is a region of France that is home to some fantastic wines, including its signature Vin Jaune ("yellow wine"). <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/jura-wine-sous-voile">Find out more about the region and how its wines are built to age</a>.
🥃 Terroir is a well-known concept in wine, but how about spirits? These whiskey distilleries are <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/whiskey-warehouse-terroir">intent on proving that maturation location has an impact on flavor</a>.
<h3 dir="ltr">New Bottle Releases</h3>
Cathead Tintype #3 &lsquo;Kenny Brown&rsquo; (SRP $135)
This is the latest edition of this Mississippi distillery&rsquo;s Old Soul Bourbon series. It&rsquo;s an 11-year-old whiskey bottled at cask strength of 103.5 proof, made from a high-rye mashbill (60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley) that was named after blues musician Kenny Brown. This is the oldest release in the series to date.
Great Jones 10 Year Distillery Reserve Bourbon (SRP $200)
This is the oldest whiskey to date from this New York City distillery. Great Jones is owned by Proximo Spirits, and while it does distill whiskey onsite, what you&rsquo;ll find in the bottle is made upstate at Black Dirt (also owned by Proximo). This whiskey was made from New York State-grown grains, aged for a decade upstate, and bottled at 105 proof.
Crown Royal Marquis (SRP $40)
Crown Royal is one of the biggest names in Canadian whisky. This new release gives the original core portfolio blend a finish in rum casks, adding extra notes of brown sugar, vanilla, and tropical fruit to the palate. And, of course, it comes in Crown Royal's signature velvet bag.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week</h3>
Jacob&rsquo;s Pardon &ldquo;Cask Collective&rdquo; 16-Year-Old Oloroso Sherry Cask-Finished Whiskey (SRP $125)
The debut release of Jacob&rsquo;s Pardon&rsquo;s Cask Collective series has a bit of a Spanish tinge to it. This brand was founded by Palm Bay International president Marc D. Taub and his son Jake, and counts author and spirits expert F. Paul Pacult as its master blender.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/abc4ef3e-ba2e-4a60-b60c-fac67d62f03d.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Jacob's Pardon">
This new release is not a bourbon, but an American whiskey&mdash;specifically a light whiskey distilled at MGP in Indiana&mdash;made from a mashbill of 99 percent corn and one percent malted barley. It was aged for 16 years in used barrels, and then finished in 50-year-old Oloroso sherry casks that were sourced from Span's Bodegas Williams &amp; Humbert (also part of Palm Bay International). Just 48 barrels were selected for this release, which was bottled at 96.5 proof.
For those who are unfamiliar with light whiskey, it was a style that was codified in 1968, a time when whiskey had largely fallen out of favor. It&rsquo;s distilled at a much higher proof than bourbon, and aged in used or un-charred barrels (remember, bourbon must be aged in new charred oak). It was originally meant to be a milder, lighter version of whiskey that might appeal to vodka drinkers, and while it fell out of favor for a long time, it has had a bit of a resurgence&mdash;although it&rsquo;s still a very small category in the greater whiskey landscape.
The Jacob&rsquo;s Pardon lineup consists entirely of light whiskey, some of it which is bottled at very high proof. That's not the case here, and the whiskey is better off for it. There are sweet notes of vanilla, maple, and caramel on the palate, and the sherry finish (the exact amount of time is not disclosed) has imbued it with notes of fruit, spice, and honey, without completely overpowering the character of the liquid. If you&rsquo;re a bourbon drinker looking to expand your horizons, give this a try and see what you think.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Wine Pick of the Week</h3>
Lady of the Sunshine 2024 SLO Coast Bassi Vineyard Albarino ($40) Scar of the Sea 2023 SLO Coast Bassi Vineyard Syrah ($50)
I&rsquo;ve been researching a story devoted to exploring the western vineyard sources in California, which means I&rsquo;ve had the ocean&rsquo;s influence smack in my face all fall. I can tell you it&rsquo;s unrelenting, an incursion machine, coming at the coast and inland valleys with peripatetic currents of fog and wind. As anyone who&rsquo;s visited the California coast in the summer knows, the beach can be a cold place to visit, and there are vineyards ten miles from the shore that are colder than vineyards two miles from it. That would describe Bassi Vineyard, less than two miles as the crow flies from Avila Beach in California&rsquo;s Central Coast.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/1c079521-6016-4daf-84f2-6b83ca8e39ba.jpg?width=1024&amp;height=576" alt="Wines Jan 9">
As of 2024, Bassi is owned by Mikey and Gina Giugni, who produce wines for their his-and-her labels, Scar of the Sea and Lady of the Sunshine. Even though the ocean is close, the vineyard is protected by a ridge to its south, which keeps the sea&rsquo;s daily atmospheric ambush at bay. On a recent visit in November, I watched a fog bank form toward the top of the ridge. It gathered in size, but never advanced, making Bassi an exceptionally dramatic and visual microclimate. As a result, you have a vineyard that&rsquo;s very cool, but not so cool that you can&rsquo;t attain ripeness.
Bassi is farmed biodynamically, to six varieties. All of them are textural marvels; they share a tension that can only come from fruit sources that are literally on the edge of where grapes can ripen. The Lady of the Sunshine 2024 SLO Coast Bassi Vineyard Albari&ntilde;o is bright and bracing, giving off scents of lime, herb-oil and salty air. Its limey, lees-tinged flavors are marked by a flinty, energetic, mouthwatering texture, made for oysters.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The Scar of the Sea 2024 SLO Coast Bassi Vineyard Syrah, meanwhile, is for anyone who loves savory Syrahs. Aromatically, it&rsquo;s all smoke and crushed peppercorns with a hint of purple flowers. The flavors remain savory, with smoky, black pepper accents forming a kind of lattice around a core of blackberry fruit. Like his wife&rsquo;s Albarino, the texture is arresting, bright, and full of rippling tension.

The Week in Wine and Whiskey: January 9

Can whiskey express a sense of terroir? For collectors and seasoned drinkers, the question has grown increasingly relevant as producers around the world look beyond mashbills and age statements to highlight this concept by focusing on grain varietals and single estate expressions. On the flip side, some distillers argue that the process of distillation itself negates any sense of terroir that might come from the specific type of grain used, and maturation has the greatest impact upon flavor considering how long most whiskeys are aged inside a cask.
As a certified Advanced Sommelier with a long background in wine, I&rsquo;m especially drawn to whiskeys that claim distinctions rooted not in recipe, but in where and how they were matured. And given that some producers point to individual warehouses as the source of these distinctions, my curiosity turned into investigation. To test whether these nuances truly register in the glass, I examined three brands&mdash;Hardin&rsquo;s Creek, Old Forester, and Russell&rsquo;s Reserve&mdash;to see if warehouse influence could be tasted, and not merely used as a marketing device.
<h3 dir="ltr">Hardin&rsquo;s Creek</h3>
Hardin&rsquo;s Creek, a limited-edition label produced at the James B. Beam Distilling Co. (the home of Jim Beam Bourbon), offers perhaps the most explicit case study. It was developed by eighth-generation master distiller Freddie Noe, the son of seventh-generation master distiller Fred Noe and grandson of the late, legendary Booker Noe. The brand draws from Beam&rsquo;s historical footprint in Clermont, Kentucky, where the family has been distilling in some form or another since 1795, though the modern James B. Beam Distilling Company was formally established post-Prohibition in the early 1930s.
The Hardin&rsquo;s Creek Warehouse Series is unique in its use of one-, five-, and nine-story maturation warehouses, each positioned at different elevations with varying exposure to wind, humidity, and nearby water sources. With the one- and five-story warehouses slated for replacement due to modern efficiency and safety standards, the team recognized a narrowing window to study their effects on the whiskey. To isolate the differences in each warehouse, all three expressions were created using whiskey made from the same mashbill, water source, and proprietary yeast strain, all aged in level four charred oak barrels for 11 years and bottled at 110 proof.
The resulting releases&mdash;Mushroom, Beaver, and Owl&mdash;offer a side-by-side look at how warehouse architecture and environment shape flavor. &ldquo;For us, there's a lot of similarities, but we're really dialing in on what a warehouse can do,&rdquo; said Jim Beam global brand ambassador Tim Heuisler.
Mushroom originates from the windowless, one-story Warehouse R, where barrels sit close to the earth in a dark, cool environment. Named for the fungi that thrive under similar conditions, the whiskey in this warehouse matures slowly and gently. The resulting flavor profile feels cool and earthy rather than fruity, with subdued oak spice and a notably tactile mouthfeel that is dense, grippy, and chalky.
The lack of windows limits airflow, a factor Heuisler believes plays a greater role than temperature in how the barrels &ldquo;eat, sleep, and breathe,&rdquo; as he puts it. This is because the rest of the warehouses on campus all have open windows, typically increasing the rate of maturation. So while you&rsquo;re not going to get eighth floor rising heat here, it still gets notably hot in the summer. &ldquo;No warehouse [regardless of height or size] is fun to work in in July,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;
Beaver is drawn from the five-story Warehouse W, with barrels pulled from multiple floors. Slightly taller, bigger, and more ventilated, it&rsquo;s situated closer to the river and experiences higher humidity and different wind and sunlight patterns. These conditions increase evaporation and subtly alter flavor concentration. In the glass, Beaver feels sunnier with ripe orange citrus flavors at the forefront and a more lifted, juicy mouthfeel than Mushroom&rsquo;s denser texture. It also has a faint saline edge that may reflect the humidity and proximity to water.
&ldquo;Doing something in a cool or damp place versus a very hot or dry place is the same reason we're going to see very different styles of maturation from our friends over in Scotland or in the mountains of Japan,&rdquo; Heuisler pointed out, referring to parent company Suntory Global Spirits other distilleries. &ldquo;I don't think either one is better or worse, but they do provide very different finished products.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Lastly, Owl was matured in the nine-story Warehouse G, a rarity in today&rsquo;s bourbon world as few warehouses are built this tall anymore. The Hardin&rsquo;s Creek team likens it to an owl perched above the forest canopy, exposed to yet another unique microclimate. While barrels from higher floors are often associated with aggressive oak extraction because of higher temperatures, Owl proves unexpectedly elegant. Honeyed peach, apricot, and cola notes dominate, with a lighter, more ethereal structure than its counterparts, underscoring that height alone does not dictate heaviness.
<h3 dir="ltr">Old Forester</h3>
While Hardin&rsquo;s Creek relies on the differences of its warehouses to create unique whiskey expressions, Old Forester takes a different approach with its warehouse series, concentrating on floor selections along with varying proof and aging. Spanning everything from its entry-level 86-proof to rarities like Birthday Bourbon and President&rsquo;s Choice (what master taster and brand ambassador Melissa Rift jokingly calls &ldquo;corn dog to caviar&rdquo;), the brand&rsquo;s identity is rooted in precision.
That philosophy begins with Old Forester&rsquo;s maturation environment. Unlike Hardin&rsquo;s Creek, Old Forester&rsquo;s warehouses sit shoulder-to-shoulder at Brown-Forman&rsquo;s Shively distillery on the outskirts of Louisville. They are made of brick, eight stories tall, and heat-cycled&mdash;an intervention that minimizes seasonal variations by generating steam in colder months to gradually raise temperatures, ensuring that the interaction between whiskey and wood remains active. The result is a more stable maturation environment and fewer dramatic differences between the warehouses themselves.
This controlled approach is exactly why Rift is cautious about framing Old Forester&rsquo;s releases as expressions of single-warehouse personality. &ldquo;That's not to say that these single warehouse expressions don't have their own personalities,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;But I think the warehouse alone as an isolated variable doesn't tell the whole story.&rdquo; Instead, she views warehouse, floor, age, and proof as being interconnected. &ldquo;It's less about showcasing the overall personality of Warehouse H and more about telling the story of the bottom two floors,&rdquo; she explained. The brand&rsquo;s 117 Series functions as an innovation sandbox to explore these narrow cross-sections (as well as other factors), rather than as a declaration that one warehouse inherently tastes different from another.
Within the series, three single-warehouse releases&mdash;K, H, and I&mdash;illustrate how floor placement and maturation can shape flavor even within a highly standardized system. Warehouse K, the first release from 2021, pulls barrels from every floor and has emerged as the spiciest of the group, bottled at a high 110 proof. Warehouse H, sourced exclusively from the bottom two floors and bottled at 98 proof, leans fruit-forward, highlighting tropical and orchard notes attributed to Old Forester&rsquo;s proprietary yeast strain. Warehouse I, drawn from the top floors and aged 11 years&mdash;significantly longer than the others which are aged four to six&mdash;delivers a more oak-driven profile of baking spice, honey, and pear at a restrained 95 proof.
Rather than disproving the influence of place, Old Forester&rsquo;s approach reframes it. Here, terroir is not about dramatic environmental swings between warehouses, but about carefully isolating how heat, height, time, and proof interact within a tightly controlled urban aging ecosystem.
<h3 dir="ltr">Russell&rsquo;s Reserve</h3>
Russell&rsquo;s Reserve, the premium small batch bourbon and rye line from the Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, occupies a middle ground between the experimental rigor of Hardin&rsquo;s Creek and the controlled consistency of Old Forester. Its warehouse philosophy acknowledges variability without attempting to neutralize it.
All of Russell&rsquo;s Reserve Camp Nelson rickhouses stand seven stories tall, but uniformity ends there. Some sit higher on the property, others closer to the Kentucky River; some are shaded, while others absorb direct sunlight throughout the day. According to master distiller Eddie Russell, wind patterns coming off the river shift throughout the year, subtly altering temperature, humidity, and airflow inside each building. Unlike Old Forester, Russell&rsquo;s Reserve does not use heat cycling. But like Old Forester, they embrace deliberate floor selection to frame each release.
The Single Rickhouse series&mdash;beginning with Camp Nelson C in 2022 and followed by F, B, and E&mdash;was designed to be a snapshot of how location and microclimate influence maturation. Russell openly believes each rickhouse possesses its own form of terroir, shaped both by its surroundings and where a barrel rests inside the structure. &ldquo;Where a barrel sits&mdash;temperature, humidity, airflow&mdash;all of that plays a major role in how the whiskey matures and picks up flavor,&rdquo; he explained, noting a particular fondness for the center cut where he tends to find his favorite barrels.&nbsp;
Floor selection plays a central role in differentiating the releases&mdash;floors three and four for Camp Nelson C; four and five for F; five for E; and six for B. Each is bottled at barrel strength, with no attempt to standardize proof across the series. The only variable, Russell emphasizes, is environment. Camp Nelson B&rsquo;s hilltop position results in greater sun exposure, while Camp Nelson E&rsquo;s proximity to the river creates a cooler, more temperate microclimate&mdash;especially interesting because E clocks in with the highest proof of the bunch.&nbsp;
In the glass, the flavor distinctions are unmistakable. Camp Nelson C (112.4 proof) is the prettiest and most delicate, offering apricot fruit, subtle baking spice, and a rounded, honeyed texture. Camp Nelson F (117.6 proof) deepens into sweeter caramel, molasses, and candied orange flavors, finishing with a flash of cinnamon red-hot heat. Camp Nelson E, drawn from the fifth floor and bottled at a formidable 128 proof, is the most intense&mdash;oak-forward and bracing, with a force that snaps the senses to attention like an ice bath after a cozy nap. Camp Nelson B, sourced from the sixth floor, lands somewhere between power and poise, delivering musky florals alongside balanced oak spice and sweetness.
So, what did I conclude after this exploratory journey? I have to admit that I still don&rsquo;t have a single, universal framework for defining terroir in spirits. When flavor differences are driven by clear production choices&mdash;secondary maturation, mashbill variation, or level of barrel char&mdash;the causes are relatively easy to trace. But when whiskeys share the same mashbill, the same barrels, the same proof, and even comparable aging, yet still taste materially different, the explanation becomes less concrete.
There might not be a tidy scientific model for terroir in spirits. It's likely that no one is going to be focusing on north-facing whiskey warehouses the way they do north-facing vineyards any time soon. I guess I have to agree with Heuisler, who told me that ultimately it&rsquo;s up to nature. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s all very romantic,&rdquo; he said with a laugh. &ldquo;We control the science; the warehouses control the art.&rdquo;

Think Terroir is Just For Wine? These Distilleries are Trying to Prove That Whiskey is Part of the Conversation

What&rsquo;s happening in wine and whiskey this week:
<h3 dir="ltr">This Week&rsquo;s Unicorn Review Stories</h3>
🍷 Champagne gets all the glory, but Prosecco is the best-selling sparkling wine in the world. Here are some <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/prosecco-italian-wine">recommended bottles to drink now</a>.
🥃 Instead of a &ldquo;best of&rdquo; list, we put together a list of some of the most <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/most-interesting-spirits-2025">interesting and unique spirits released in 2025</a>, from tequila to rum to whiskey.
<h3 dir="ltr">New Bottle Releases</h3>
New Riff Red Turkey Wheat Bourbon
New Riff re-released its Red Turkey Wheat Bourbon this fall, the first time in about four years. This is a wheated bourbon made with heirloom red turkey wheat varietal in the mashbill&mdash;the full breakdown is 70 percent corn, 25 percent red turkey wheat, and 5 percent malted barley. It was aged for a minimum of five years and is bottled in bond. 100 proof; SRP $60
The Glenlivet Eternal Collection, Second Edition, 56 Year Old
This ultra-aged single malt scotch from the Glenlivet came out in November in a run of just 60 bottles. After aging for more than five decades in a bourbon barrel, the whisky was put into a specially produced cask for a secondary finish that was seasoned with a blend of sherries&mdash;Oloroso, Pedro Ximenez, and Palo Cortado&mdash;and bottled in a specially designed decanter. 85.4 proof; SRP $61,500
Hatozaki Small Batch 15 Year Old Mizunara Cask Finish
This is the oldest age statement to date from this Japanese whisky brand, part of its Omakase collection. It&rsquo;s a blend of whiskies that were initially aged for 12 years in new charred oak, and then finished for a final three years in mizunara casks assembled from trees harvested from the Hokkaido region of Japan. 92 proof; SRP $66
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week</h3>
Cazcanes No. 7 Extra Anejo (80 proof; SRP $200)
This week we&rsquo;re going to take a look at a tequila instead of a whiskey, and what a tequila this is. Cazcanes has been making waves over the past year, as more people are becoming familiar with this excellent brand. It recently made news when it was announced that former WhistlePig CEO, Jeff Kozak, was joining the brand as president, a move which very well may help accelerate its growth.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/de87c38f-6f58-4dde-9c3d-1781bcb4d4ac.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Cazcanes"> 
Cazcanes is produced at NOM 1614, where brands like Tres Agave and Matthew McConaughey&rsquo;s Tequila Pantalones are also made. It&rsquo;s an additive-free brand, even though it can&rsquo;t really advertise as such anymore due to the regulations set forth by the CRT, and it is made using more traditional methods including slow cooking the agave in an autoclave (not exactly a stone oven, but still), fermentation with a proprietary yeast strain, and distilled in small pot stills.
There are a range of unaged expressions available, including Still Strength and High Proof versions of the blanco. These are great sipping tequilas, but the aged expressions are some of the best out there. The new Extra Anejo is fantastic, and it's a great option for whiskey drinkers looking to get into agave spirits. The minimum age to be called extra anejo is three years, but this tequila spent a bit longer than that in barrels previously used to age whiskey from distilleries like Jack Daniel&rsquo;s, Jim Beam, and Four Roses. A little of the tequila in the blend was finished with French oak staves as well.
The result is superb. The agave character is not lost after this extensive aging, but it&rsquo;s augmented by notes of oak, chocolate, vanilla custard, maple, honey, and some black pepper spice. If you&rsquo;re looking for a rich and complex tequila to sip, or perhaps use in an Old Fashioned, definitely consider this bottle.&nbsp; 
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Wine Pick of the Week</h3>
2024 Troon Applegate Valley Druid&rsquo;s Red Blend ($30)
For the New Year, I sought to come up with a wine that would act as a companion, a wine I would want around all year long, that would be happy-making through good times and rough patches. Usually three categories fit this bill for me: Cru-Beaujolais, with its serious charm; Chianti Classico, because of its versatility and rustic pleasure; and C&ocirc;tes du Rh&ocirc;ne, for its accessible, satisfying breadth and succulence.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/84843dce-1691-46d5-ba73-5cf2071cbf4f.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Druids Red">
Then I tasted one wine toward the end of the year that seemed to embody all these things. It&rsquo;s a Rh&ocirc;ne-inspired blend from Troon Vineyards called Druid&rsquo;s Red.
Troon is in the Applegate Valley in Southern Oregon, a place that&rsquo;s warmer than the Willamette Valley by and large, but cooler than most California appellations, with the heat units to ripen most Rh&ocirc;ne varieties without difficulty. This blend of Syrah (25%), Cinsault (21%), Mourvedre (20%), Carignane (19%), and Grenache (15%) fits the bill.
Troon has been under the ownership of Dr. Bryan and Denise White since 2017, and they had the good fortune to hire Napa veteran Craig Camp to manage the property (Nate Wall makes the wine). Camp has systematically transformed the viticulture at the Troon Estate to Demeter-certified biodynamic and, in 2022, became Gold Label certified Regenerative Organic. The team&rsquo;s commitment to the practices have completely transformed the property and the wines.
As this is a blend, it&rsquo;s made for maximum flavor and impact. In addition to multiple varieties, the team uses multiple picks, fermenting lots, and vessels&mdash;both concrete and neutral barrels have given this wine an effortless balance in 2024. Charming in its dark fruit character (I detect maybe a bit of carbonic juiciness from the whole cluster lots) it leads with aromas of lavender, clove, sage, and dark berry fruit, with a Syrah-based smokiness that haunts the wine. The flavors are forward and generous, with plenty of acidity, the tannins fine and light. This is a wine I&rsquo;ll want to have at my side all year long.

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The Week in Wine and Whiskey: January 23

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A Guide to the Whisky Distilleries of Scotland's Isle of Skye

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A Guide to the Whisky Distilleries of Scotland's Isle of Skye

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Woodford Reserve's Elizabeth McCall on Balancing Tradition and Innovation

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The Week in Wine and Whiskey: January 9

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Think Terroir is Just For Wine? These Distilleries are Trying to Prove That Whiskey is Part of the Conversation

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The Week in Wine and Whiskey: January 2

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A Guide to the Whisky Distilleries of Scotland's Isle of Skye

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A Guide to the Whisky Distilleries of Scotland's Isle of Skye

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Think Terroir is Just For Wine? These Distilleries are Trying to Prove That Whiskey is Part of the Conversation

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