What&rsquo;s happening in wine and whiskey this week:
<h3 dir="ltr">This Week&rsquo;s Unicorn Review Stories</h3>
🍷 Jamal Rayyis wrote about the history of Chilean wine, <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/chilean-wine-guide">tracing its path from uniform supermarket shelf staple to the proliferation of interesting varieties</a> that exist today. He also offered some bottle recommendations for white, orange, and red wines from the region.
🥃 Maggie Kimberl <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/organic-whiskey-distilleries">tells the story of organic whiskey</a> by focusing on Journeyman, which operates a pair of craft distilleries in Michigan and Indiana where they produce some excellent&mdash;and 100 percent organic&mdash;whiskeys. There are also other brands making organic and regenerative whiskeys, including Maker&rsquo;s Mark which launched a partially regenerative wheat whiskey last year.
<h3 dir="ltr">New Bottle Releases</h3>
Hard Truth French Oak Finished Bourbon ($100)
Indiana distillery <a href="https://hardtruth.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hard Truth</a> is one of the best craft operations out there, a case that is proven once again with the release of this new French oak-finished bourbon. This whiskey is a blend of 23 barrels made from two different mashbills: one is 73 percent corn, 19 percent rye, eight percent malted barley; the other is 82 percent corn and 18 percent rye. The final blend was finished in French oak and bottled at 106.1 proof, revealing notes of toffee, candied fruit, and rye spice on the palate.
Bulleit Mesquite Smoked Malt ($50)
Popular whiskey brand <a href="https://www.bulleit.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bulleit</a>, which is owned by Diageo, launched this new experimental mashbill last month. It&rsquo;s made from 65 percent corn, five percent malted barley, and 30 percent mesquite-smoked malt&mdash;and, as you&rsquo;d expect, that last grain has really defined the character of the whiskey. Think savory barbecue notes intermingling with classic flavors of vanilla, maple, and honey, making this an interesting choice to use in a cocktail like an Old Fashioned to reveal smoky notes with no smoking required.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week</h3>
Chicken Cock Wheated Bourbon ($55)
When <a href="https://chickencockwhiskey.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chicken Cock</a> launched about a decade ago, most people had no idea what this new brand was and didn&rsquo;t necessarily pay much attention to it, aside from perhaps snickering at the name (it's okay, you can admit it). The brand traces its history back to 1850s Kentucky, and after moving to Canada for a time during Prohibition, it disappeared shortly after Repeal Day. Chicken Cock was revived in 2014 by Grain and Barrel Spirits, and since then there have been some hits and some misses&mdash;and some whiskeys that have been priced way too high, particularly in regards to cask finishes that you can find from other brands for much cheaper. This new bourbon, however, is both affordable and very tasty, which is why it&rsquo;s worth covering here.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/ab867d1f-b2fe-46ac-9035-cf86eada41e4.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Chicken Cock Wheated"> 
This is the first wheated bourbon for Chicken Cock, meaning wheat is used instead of rye as the secondary flavoring grain. Specifically, the mashbill is 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley, putting it just above brands like <a href="https://www.garrisonbros.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Garrison Brothers</a> and <a href="https://www.makersmark.com/en-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maker&rsquo;s Mark</a> in terms of wheat percentage. It was distilled at <a href="https://www.bardstownbourbon.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bardstown Bourbon Company</a>, aged for five years, and bottled at 94 proof (both a good age and strength for a whiskey at this price point). But most importantly, it&rsquo;s a really decent sipper that I have been returning to over and over again, despite having pretty low expectations when I first opened the bottle.
As a wheated bourbon, you should expect some sweetness on the palate, but this is never overpowering. Overall, Chicken Cock Wheated is just very classic in character, with notes of brown sugar, cherry, orange peel, maple, and vanilla that pop as you sip. That higher proof gives the whiskey a bit of heat, a welcome feature given the subtle sweetness to the palate, and one that makes it work quite well in a cocktail&mdash;try this whiskey in an Old Fashioned, and you will be pleased with the results.
Hopefully Chicken Cock continues to focus on simpler whiskeys like this one, with only the occasional dalliance into expensive cask-finished expressions. I am looking forward to seeing what the brand releases next, and plan on revisiting some past releases to see how they stand up.

The Week in Wine and Whiskey: April 10

In the 1980s, American interest in wine saw a sharp upturn. This was largely due to the exciting wines coming out of California and France, two regions long associated with fine wine. But one country seemed to emerge out of nowhere: Chile.
Set in a pristine, isolated corner of the world, blessed with a climate and topography that nearly mirrored California, helped along by low labor costs, and largely spared of pests, Chilean wines seemed to be everything American consumers loved about California wine&mdash;but for a fraction of the price.
<h3 dir="ltr">The History of Chilean Wine</h3>
Chile&rsquo;s wine industry, in fact, took about 400 years to emerge, starting in the mid-16th century with vines brought to the country by Spanish missionaries. Early wines were mostly simple, made from the grapes Listan Prieto (known as Pa&iacute;s in Chile, and Mission in the U.S.) and Moscatel de Alejandria (Muscat of Alexandria). These wines were suitable for the Eucharist mass, but could also slake a more secular thirst.
Different varieties were introduced by other settlers over subsequent generations, but in the mid-19th century Chilean mining barons imported vines from the most esteemed regions of France. These included Cabernet Sauvignon, Cot (Malbec), Merlot, Carm&eacute;n&egrave;re (which was confused with Merlot for over a century), Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay. The mining barons also hired French enologists and viticulturalists to realize their aspirations to make world-class wines.&nbsp;
The bottlings that stirred global interest in the 1980s came largely from heirs of those ambitious producers. Stylistically, they offered the fruit-forward deliciousness of California wines with the restraint associated with French wine. And they were a great value, rarely priced at more than $10 per bottle. At that low mark, the game for most producers was all about volume: grow lots of fruit, crush, ferment, and age, then sell lots of wine. Soon outside investors made their way in, notably Kendall-Jackson and Robert Mondavi from California, the Rothschilds (Lafite and Baron, separately) of Bordeaux, Miguel Torres from Spain, and others. All expected to make a profit and, hopefully along the way, a world-class wine from Chile&rsquo;s exemplary grapes.
<h3 dir="ltr">Varied Topography Yields a Fascinating Variety&nbsp;</h3>
Nearly 3000 miles long and, on average, 100 miles wide, Chile is bracketed by the frigid Pacific to the west, the Andes to the east, the arid Atacama desert in the north, and in the south the stormy Tierra del Fuego, the gateway to Antarctica. The country offered multiple climatic possibilities for winemakers to ply their trade.
In the &lsquo;80s, the focus was on the Central Valley (Valle Central) with its Mediterranean-like climate, warm and dry summers, and mild, moderately wet winters. The valley stretches over 300 miles north to south, with the Andes to the east and coastal mountains separating it from the Pacific. Chile&rsquo;s capital, Santiago, which bears some resemblance to Los Angeles, sits in its northern third, and urban expansion has placed important vineyards within its municipal limits. Most of the well-made, value wines came from the Central Valley, usually identified by the large sub-regions Aconcagua, Maipo, Cachapoal, Colchagua, Curic&oacute;, and Maule.
Vineyards closest to the Andes, regardless of latitude, can climb up to 2000 feet or more above sea level. Days are warm; nights and mornings are cool. Those at lower elevations on the plains experience warmer temperatures, conditions for fruit ripening that bring Chilean peaches, plums, and cherries to North America during the winter. Vineyards closer to the Pacific are cooler overall and promote slower ripening that is especially suitable for varieties like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
<h3 dir="ltr">The Future of Chilean Wine</h3>
Despite the diversity and potential of Chilean wine, there was also a uniformity to it, sort of an &ldquo;international&rdquo; profile that marketing managers thought would appeal to wine drinkers in the U.S., UK, Europe, and East Asia. When I traveled to Chile for the first time in 2004, I visited yet another grower who spoke of producing a half million cases over the next five years. I asked one of Chile&rsquo;s most prominent wine writers, Patricia Tapia, where the small producers were. &ldquo;Hard to find,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Most people are thinking big.&rdquo;
As it turned out, Chilean wine was on the verge of tremendous change. International interest had in turn stimulated young Chilean winemakers to learn more about what was happening elsewhere. Many of them discovered that characterful wines from lesser-known varieties made by small producers were appreciated by open-minded consumers. In fact, Chile&rsquo;s long heritage of winemaking included varieties planted by colonists and immigrants over generations, in regions not normally considered part of the map of fine-winemaking. Of special interest were antiquarian vine Pa&iacute;s (some vineyards were 200 years of age or older) and Cinsault from Itata, as well as Carignan, especially from Maule. For the latter, an association was formed called Vignadores de Carignan (VIGNO) to valorize a grape that was often maligned as rustic.
Winemakers were also rethinking how to approach classic grapes like Cabernet, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Carm&eacute;n&egrave;re. The latter is a Bordeaux-origin grape thought to have disappeared in France over a century ago that was discovered in Chile in 1994 masquerading as Merlot. Wines became fresher and more delicate, with less over-the-top ripe fruit and oak flavors, a bit lighter in body and alcohol, and greater acidity. Plantings in cooler regions closer to the Pacific or higher in elevation facilitated that trend, allowing for a greater diversity of wines in Chile than ever before.
To explore this diversity, here are a few regions to look for.
Maipo Chile&rsquo;s most famous wine region and home to most of the country&rsquo;s legacy wineries, Maipo surrounds Santiago, with most of the region&rsquo;s 30,000 acres south of the capital. The climate is Mediterranean, but its climate zones differ according to proximity to the Andes and the ocean, elevation, and topography. Cabernet Sauvignon dominates, with its top wines among the best in the world. Areas near the coast are increasingly known for crisp, aromatic whites.
Colchagua South of Maipo (with Cachapoal in between), Colchagua shares a similar climate to Maipo, with perhaps more diverse soil types and greater oceanic influence in parts. Cabernet Sauvignon reigns, but the region&rsquo;s Carm&eacute;n&egrave;re and Syrah are also noteworthy.
Maule The Central Valley&rsquo;s southernmost region is also its largest, with over 90,000 acres under vine. Its climate follows the same pattern as other regions, but varied topography and microclimates allow for more idiosyncratic wines. While classic varieties do well here, Maule&rsquo;s greatest strength might be in less-appreciated grapes like Carignan, which has its own association: VIGNO.
Itata South of the Central Valley, Itata is home to some of the oldest viticulture in Chile, dating back to the 16th century. For decades, it was regarded as a source for grapes to bulk up wines made in other regions. But starting two decades ago, the region became seen as a place of unexploited potential. Noteworthy are its old vines&mdash;mostly Pa&iacute;s and Moscatel&mdash;planted over two centuries ago, as well as Cinsault and Chasselas. Winemakers have flocked here to make distinctive, light-bodied, vibrant wines that were totally different from the Chilean norm. Pipe&ntilde;o, a historically rustic style of wine, made with foot-trodden grapes and meant for early consumption, is especially valued.
Here are some Chilean wines to try now.
<h3 dir="ltr">Whites</h3>
NV Carmen DO Florill&oacute;n #6 Apalta ($25)&nbsp;
An historic winery in Chile, Carmen proves it&rsquo;s absolutely capable working on the cutting edge. Florill&oacute;n started as an unexpected experiment&mdash;fully fermented Semillon wine with a veil of flor, the downy yeast that is responsible for many of the distinctive wines of Spain&rsquo;s sherry region. The result is a savory, saline white with apple, peach, and mushroom flavors, accented by lemon zest and mouthwatering minerality. One of Chile&rsquo;s most thrilling wines.
2024 Casa Silva &lsquo;Lago Ranco&rsquo; Riesling Patagonia ($20)
Casa Silva makes a lot of the straightforward varietal wines, but it also pushes boundaries, sometimes quite literally. This wine is made in Patagonia, a region that until this millennium was thought too cool for fine wine production. This Riesling proves what&rsquo;s possible&mdash; bone dry yet full of citrus blossom, peach notes, and fresh acidity that might carry it for years.&nbsp;
2024 Laberinto &lsquo;Cenizas&rsquo; 2024 Sauvignon Blanc Maule ($24)
Rafael Tirado, who has made wine at many of Chile&rsquo;s most well-known wineries, planted his own vines in a special corner of Maule, with volcanic ash-soils (cenizas) over a bedrock of granite. The lemony, white guava flavors speak of cooler climate Sauvignon Blanc, with fine mineral components speak unmistakably about place. Sancerre fans will love this.
2024 Roberto Henr&iacute;quez &lsquo;Super Estrella&rsquo; Torontel Itata ($24)
Made from the aromatic Torontel grape, this presents subtle notes of wildflower honey and bee pollen, with a grip akin to biting into a gingery apple. Really awakens the palate.
<h3 dir="ltr">Orange/Skin Contact&nbsp;</h3>
2024 Vin&iacute;cola Atacalco &lsquo;C&aacute;rabe de Casablanca&rsquo; Pinot Gris ($23)
Pinot Gris is usually used for white wine, despite its pink skin. Master winemaker Ricardo Baettig macerates this on the skins for three months, bringing out the pink and adding some tannin. The result is a savory, spicy wine with yellow fruit flavors: apple, peach, and raspberry. Delicious.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Red</h3>
2023 Ana Maria Cumsille Lomas Coloradas Cari&ntilde;ena Itata ($30)
For over two decades, Ana Maria Cumsille has been behind some of Chile&rsquo;s most important wines from prestigious wine regions. But she puts her own name on wines from humble Itata, drawn to its heritage and the potential that comes from its old vines. At 45 years, these vines aren&rsquo;t ancient, but they evoke the earth&rsquo;s wisdom in the form of brambly red fruit, a granitic minerality, and fresh acidity. Search for anything she does, especially her marvelous Aguila Pa&iacute;s that reveals the grape&rsquo;s potential elegance while maintaining its earthy roots.
2024 Clos des Fous Subsollum Pinot Noir Aconcagua ($22)
Not an indulgent Pinot Noir, this lithe wine is about tart cherry and green tea notes with a terrific cool, mouthwatering balance.&nbsp;
2021 De Martino Vigno Carignan Maule ($55)
Two decades ago, De Martino followed the path of least resistance, making solid if boring wines to satisfy the market. Their trajectory dramatically changed with the arrival of Marcelo Retamal, who valorized previously ill-considered grape varieties. Among these was generally disregarded Carignan planted seven decades ago. The result is a velvet-textured wine with a sumptuous purity of red cherry and spice flavors. De Martino&rsquo;s Tinajas Cinsault is more demure, but it offers juicy mixed berry flavors in a light bodied wine.
2021 Edici&oacute;n M.R. Vino de Mesa Valle del Maipo&nbsp; ($29)
Proof that any particular grape variety is a blank canvas, this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon defies expectations by being light bodied, full of tart red berry and fine, peppery spice without any of the green pepper flavors that typify less-ripe, low-alcohol (11.8% abv) Cab. A real eye-opener.
2023 Gilmore Mariposa Pa&iacute;s ($16)
As others approach Pa&iacute;s with serious intention, Gilmore delivers on its simple charms: red berry, light body, and vibrant acidity. Chill and pour with whatever you&rsquo;re eating.
2024 J. Bouchon &lsquo;Pa&iacute;s Viejo&rsquo; Maule Valley ($16)
They say you can&rsquo;t teach an old dog new tricks, but Pais is a storied wine that can develop and change with time. This old vine Pa&iacute;s starts off simple and rustic, more led by stems than by fruit, but with air, the fruit gathers up its mettle, showing off flavors of wild red, brambly berries that seem to emerge from an outcropping of granite.&nbsp;
2022 Roberto Henr&iacute;quez &lsquo;Pa&iacute;s Franco&rsquo; Bio-Bio Valley ($26)
Pa&iacute;s, the variety that launched the wine industries in the Americas, often appears as a no more than charming quaffer. This one is thrilling, with a perfume of exotic spices and wild herbs, in a pool of ripe red cherries and pomegranate.&nbsp;

The Chilean Wines Worth Collecting: A Guide to The Rich Wine History of This South American Country

What&rsquo;s happening in wine and whiskey this week:
<h3 dir="ltr">This Week&rsquo;s Unicorn Review Stories</h3>
🍷 Sylvester &ldquo;Sly&rdquo; Inda&rsquo;s journey has taken him from Kenya to New York City, where he has flourished in the wine world. After stints at Keens Steakhouse and Gramercy Tavern, he&rsquo;s now the wine director at Ci Siamo, Danny Meyer&rsquo;s Italian outpost.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/hidden-gems-sylvester-inda">Vicki Denig spoke to him</a> to find out more about his story and got some bottle recs.
🥃 Booker&rsquo;s is one of the best known barrel-proof bourbons, but there are many other bottles to consider. Susannah Skiver Barton wrote about why Booker&rsquo;s is so important to this category, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/what-to-drink-next-bookers">recommended five other bottles to try now</a>.
<h3 dir="ltr">New Bottle Releases</h3>
Shelby Co. Whiskey ($45)
This is the official bourbon of the Netflix show Peaky Blinders, which might seem odd considering that show takes place in Birmingham, England. Still, the connection, such as it is, is that this is a Kentucky straight bourbon finished with Irish whiskey barrel staves (an homage to the show's Shelby family&rsquo;s Irish roots). It was distilled at Green River, which is part of Lofted Spirits along with Bardstown Bourbon Company, and bottled at 90 proof.
Frey Ranch Farm Strength Uncut Rye ($80)
Frey Ranch is a farm-to-bottle craft distillery in Nevada that is making some excellent bourbon, rye, and other types of whiskey. This new release is a six-year-old, cask-strength rye whiskey made from 100 percent Canadian winter rye grown onsite at the ranch and bottled at 124.52 proof. It arrives on April 17 at the distillery&rsquo;s tasting room and via the website.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week</h3>
The Dalmore Select Editions Collection - 2007 and 2010 ($550, $250)
The Dalmore is a Highland distillery that lives comfortably in the &ldquo;luxury scotch&rdquo; world, although of course there are some more affordable options to try as well. But those upper-tier whiskies are where this distillery really shines, a series limited-edition single malts that have spent many decades aging in various cask types, including an array of sherry butts and port pipes. The latest release sits in the more obtainable range of luxe whisky, however&mdash;a pair of vintage releases that are aged for 15 and 18 years, both of which are quite good.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/dff81542-5a54-44bd-9971-8c9562a9a124.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="The Dalmore Select Edition 2007&amp;2010 Lifestyle Horizontal">
These whiskies are part of the Dalmore&rsquo;s Select Editions Collection, one-time releases that are bottled with natural color and no chill filtration, two notable features that separate them from other Dalmore whiskies. According to the brand, these are selected by the whisky makers from specific casks during a week in November, an annual event that yields some very special and particular whiskies.
The first whisky is a 2007 vintage aged for 18 years and bottled at 93.4 proof. It was aged in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels and then finished in both Ap&oacute;stoles and Amoroso sherry casks (the exact length of finish was not disclosed). This is classic Dalmore but with some extra heft. There are big notes of raisin, juicy grapes, toasted almonds, vanilla custard, caramel, and some cinnamon and black pepper on the palate. The second whisky is a 2010 vintage aged for 15 years and bottled at a higher 98.2 proof. This was also initially aged in ex-bourbon barrels before being finished in Matusalem and Amoroso sherry casks. This was my favorite of the two&mdash;the higher proof and younger age statement just make it sing. Look for notes of cacao, roasted espresso beans, candied ginger, lemon cake, and dried figs.
The 2007 is priced at $550 and the 2010 at $250, so these are expensive but not unaffordable bottles. If your tax return just came through and you&rsquo;re looking for some money to blow on really tasty single malts, consider giving either one of these a try&mdash;you won&rsquo;t be disappointed.

The Week in Wine and Whiskey: April 3

Sylvester &lsquo;Sly&rsquo; Inda&rsquo;s wine career has come a long way since his Barefoot Moscato days. Born in Nairobi, Kenya, Inda and his family moved to the Bronx when he was just eight years old. His parents had a relatively conservative attitude towards alcohol, which was a big reason why he didn&rsquo;t first taste wine until he was studying pre-law at college (insert said liter-sized bottle of Barefoot Moscato here). Upon graduating, Inda quickly realized he needed a job, and that law school was likely out due to the outrageous cost. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s when I walked into Keens Steakhouse to interview as a server, but the wine director and owner saw something greater in me,&rdquo; he recalled.&nbsp;
Enter John McClements, the wine director who took Inda under his wing as a cellar assistant&mdash;and who would inevitably change his career trajectory. &ldquo;I believe their plan was to mentor me to eventually become either a wine director or someone in the industry who represented unbiased and unpretentious values in the world of wine,&rdquo; Inda said. His simple curiosity about wine quickly morphed into a full-fledged passion under McClements&rsquo; leadership. &ldquo;Realizing that wine is a part of our history as humans&mdash;through empires, religion and cultures&mdash;really sent me down the rabbit hole,&rdquo; he explained.&nbsp;
Inda&rsquo;s hard work as a cellar rat eventually paid off, and he was offered the role of assistant wine director at Keens, a position he held until the COVID-19 pandemic. While restaurants remained closed, Inda stayed busy with retail stints at Verve Wine in New York and Coolvines in New Jersey, though his passion for service remained. Post-pandemic, he immediately jumped back into &ldquo;more challenging floor roles,&rdquo; namely at Daniel Boulud&rsquo;s Le Pavillon and Danny Meyer&rsquo;s Gramercy Tavern, where he would ultimately become the head sommelier.&nbsp;
In November 2025, Inda was offered the prestigious wine director role at Ci Siamo, the Italian-focused outpost of Meyer&rsquo;s Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG). While Gramercy Tavern has an expansive wine list representing regions around the world, according to Inda 90 percent of Ci Siamo&rsquo;s selections hail from Italy. &ldquo;The list is classic in its approach, representing traditional wines from Piedmont and Tuscany,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but it also promotes smaller, lesser-known regions like Lazio, Abruzzo, and Liguria.&rdquo;
The restaurant also focuses on native Italian grape varieties, like Pelaverga in Piedmont, Teroldego in Trentino-Alto Adige, Verdicchio in Le Marche, and everything in between. But Inda said that Ci Siamo&rsquo;s list is still accessible and should not be intimidating. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re especially proud of our value-driven wines&rdquo;, he said, noting that 40 percent of the list is priced under $100 and a whopping 70 percent can be purchased for less than $200.
While Chef Hillary Sterling&rsquo;s seasonal pastas and wood-fired dishes are unsurprisingly the main driver of the wine selection, Inda believes that staff input also plays an important role. &ldquo;When it comes to picking a wine for the list, everyone on the team tastes and votes, almost like a wine jury,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Your team has to be just as excited about the wines as you are, so that the excitement can trickle down to the rest of the staff and, ultimately, to the guests.&rdquo;
Below are few of Inda&rsquo;s current favorites.
<h3 dir="ltr">2014 Cascina Baricchi &lsquo;Ca Va Sans Dire&rsquo; Vino Bianco Piemonte ($145)</h3>
One of the many whites that I am excited about is this Timorasso from Cascina Baricchi, which is crafted from vines planted in the 1950s on clay and limestone soils. People may know of Cascina Barrichi and their legendary Barbaresco (fruit that the legendary Bruno Giacosa used to purchase frequently), but this Timorasso is built for age&mdash;this one has more than 10 years on it! On the palate, the wine is vibrant and complex, with a rich nutty and salty texture, reminiscent of aged White Burgundy.
<h3 dir="ltr">1994 Colli di Catone &lsquo;Lazio Colle Gaio&rsquo; Vino Bianco ($295 on Ci Siamo list)</h3>
This white wine from Lazio, which is made from the Malvazia del Lazio variety, is also built to last. Now with 32 years of age on it, this wine is drinking beautifully, especially with the Guanciale and black pepper of our rigatoni. It&rsquo;s full-bodied yet vibrant, with notes of hazelnuts, baked peaches, tangerines, oranges, and a hint of petrol. It&rsquo;s got that touch of honey that comes with age, and is perfect for fans of back-vintage Alsatian Riesling. It&rsquo;s a true rarity and a treat, as I&rsquo;m sure not many bottles are left in the world.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">2023 Cantine Barbera 'Ammano #11&rsquo; Zibibbo Sicily&nbsp; ($42)</h3>
Orange wine is a category that&rsquo;s very misunderstood. Fruit for this wine is grown on the southwest coast of Menfi, and is the representation of the Sicilian coast in a glass. From winemaker Marilena Barbera, only 218 bottles of this special wine were produced in 2023. Robust and fresh, the wine shows flavors of apricots, tangerines, beeswax, and pineapple. It&rsquo;s a very humble and pure project from a modest producer with high-quality results.
<h3 dir="ltr">2024 Fratelli Alessandria 'Speziale' Verduno Pelaverga ($72)</h3>
On the Ci Siamo list, we have plenty of Barolo, Barbaresco, and Brunello. But what often stands out are other grapes of these famed regions that are made so well for immediate drinking. One of these bottles may be the best Pelaverga ever made: Fratelli Allesandria&rsquo;s Speziale Pelaverga from Verduno. Fruit for this wine hails just a few hills over from La Morra. On the palate, the wine is light, juicy, and bright, yet still very complex. Notes of bing cherry, watermelon, and papaya make it easy to drink, coupled with vibrant acidity and soft tannins. The wine was first made in 1973 for family consumption, and is sold in very small commercial quantities today.
<h3 dir="ltr">2020 Il Bio Selvatico Toscano Rosso ($60)</h3>
[Given that we have] an Italian wine list, we have to give some love to Sangiovese. The grape is often deemed the &ldquo;wild cowboy&rdquo; variety of Italian wines, mainly because it can be untamed, assertive, rustic in nature, and unapologetic in style. This expression is produced from just five hectares of land farmed using a holistic approach. Vinified with 100% whole clusters by way of good ole&rsquo; foot stomping, the resulting wine is one of the purest expressions of Sangiovese that I have ever tasted. Notes of earth, smoke, leather, flint, and sage dominate, making the wine powerful yet light on its feet. It unapologetically embodies the cowboy grape we call Sangiovese.

The Hidden Gems on My Wine List: Ci Siamo’s Sylvester Inda

What&rsquo;s happening in wine and whiskey this week:
<h3 dir="ltr">This Week&rsquo;s Unicorn Review Stories</h3>
🍷 Sarah Clarke's wine journey started out by visiting some of the best restaurants in France, and ultimately led her to LA stalwart Republique. <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/hidden-gems-wine-list-sarah-clark">She discussed her career and picked some of her favorite bottles at the restaurant</a>.
🥃 Cognac might be the best known style of brandy, but this grape-based spirit can be found in many countries around the world that <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/brandy-global-spirit-wine-whiskey">make expressions appealing to both wine and whiskey drinkers</a>.
<h3 dir="ltr">New Bottle Releases</h3>
Daniel Weller Spelt Wheat ($550)
The latest edition of Buffalo Trace&rsquo;s Daniel Weller series, which is built around using different wheat varietals, is the new Spelt Wheat expression. Like most other whiskeys in the Weller lineup, this is a wheated bourbon. Buffalo Trace is famously tight-lipped about its mashbills, but what the distillery does reveal is that this bourbon was made using spelt wheat, an ancient grain normally used for baking and beer.
Peg Leg Porker &ldquo;Spirit of America&rdquo; Limited Edition Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon ($60)
This Nashville whiskey brand was founded by pitmaster Carey Bringle. The latest edition is a bottled-in-bond bourbon released to honor America&rsquo;s 250th anniversary (one of many that you&rsquo;ll see over the coming year). Details are a bit scarce about what's actually in the bottle, but given that it&rsquo;s bottled-in-bond we know that it was made at one distillery, it&rsquo;s at least four years old, and it&rsquo;s bottled at 100 proof.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week</h3>
Remus Master Distiller Experimental Series No. 2 ($70)
Is this the year that wheat whiskey finally gets the recognition it deserves? That&rsquo;s kind of a loaded question, because it assumes that you actually think wheat whiskey deserves recognition&mdash;and I would say that it does, given that there are some truly excellent options out there to try in this often under-recognized category. One of the latest comes from MGP under its Ross &amp; Squibb line, which just added a wheat whiskey for the very first time to its Remus Bourbon brand.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/7f44a86c-9474-4953-9744-45bffb67e634.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Remus 2026 Experimental Image 2"> 
The whiskey in question is the second release in the Remus Master Distiller Experimental Series, which is spearheaded by master distiller Ian Stirsman. The first expression arrived last year in the form of a nine-year-old bourbon aged in Seguin Moreau barrels. That company mostly makes French oak casks for aging wine and cognac, but in this case they made American oak barrels that were seasoned for 24 months, toasted, and lightly charred. As mentiond before, this new release is a wheat whiskey, the first to be bottled under the Remus brand.
This isn&rsquo;t your standard 51 percent wheat whiskey (or thereabouts), however; instead it&rsquo;s modeled after MGP&rsquo;s rye recipe with 95 percent wheat in the mashbill. It was distilled in 2017, bottled at a high 113 proof, and finished in a combination of casks&mdash;tawny port, white port, ruby port, and Oloroso sherry. The result is a really flavorful and complex whiskey that is really unlike anything else you have probably tried from MGP or Remus. There are rich fruit notes that veer to the sweeter side of the flavor spectrum but step back from the precipice, along with flavors of roasted almond, dark chocolate, and vanilla custard. Overall, this is a much more interesting release than the first, and really lives up to the "experimental" part in the series&rsquo; name. This might not be your go-to Tuesday night pour, but it&rsquo;s certainly an interesting creation that is worth trying.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Wine Pick of the Week</h3>
Dispatch From the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2026 in&nbsp;Ciro, Calabria, Italy
I had the privilege of judging wines for the ros&eacute; portion of Concours Mondiale de Bruxelles this year on the southern end of Italy, surrounded by Mediterranean waters during weather that makes a warm place feel cold. We&rsquo;re in Calabria, a wine region with a 3,000-year history, where vines stretch from wind-carved hilltops to within yards of the sea. Much of it is given to ros&eacute; wine, which makes this an ideal place to explore.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/7454b76c-bb72-4ea4-a295-fb002b61869f.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Wine Comp">
The Concours Mondiale is one of the oldest and largest wine competitions in Europe. You&rsquo;ve probably come across the little medallion sticker on imported bottles in wine shops&mdash;aside from critics, it&rsquo;s one of the more time-tested ways that wineries market their wares.
Just the ros&eacute; portion alone in 2026 encompasses more than 1,200 wines from 32 countries. (Judging for whites, reds, sparkling, and sticky wines each have their own weekend later in the year.) The judges, too, are an international lot. I&rsquo;m one of just three Americans; the rest come from Britain and the E.U., as you&rsquo;d expect, but also Africa, China, and even South Korea are represented. My tasting table included judges from Italy, France, Spain, and Hungary. It seemed like we shouldn&rsquo;t agree on anything.
That&rsquo;s not exactly true; quality finds its adherents, no matter where it comes from and no matter who&rsquo;s judging. We tasted wines from eight countries this morning; the next two days will bring more sources. While I can&rsquo;t tell you who won (at least not now&mdash;I&rsquo;m not supposed to scoop the competition), I can tell you that one of our favorites was a rosado from Baja Mexico, which surprised the hell out of all of us.
We&rsquo;re looking to find wines that fulfill the charm offensive that ros&eacute; is known for&mdash;its yum factor, for sure, but also its facility with food, a thing that was proven at our luncheon an hour after tastings concluded. When I can reveal&nbsp; more of the results, I will. In the meantime, I urge you to stock up on spring pink wines from any number of Mediterranean locales, whether that&rsquo;s Provence, Greece, Spain, or even Calabria, Italy.

The Week in Wine and Whiskey: March 27

Rare are the homebars of the 21st century that are equipped with a brandy warmer. The sideways snifter propped above a flickering tea candle feels more like a vestige from some old Alfred Hitchcock picture, slowly warming the spirit to release volatile aromatics. Overall, brandy is often thought of as a stodgy spirit these days, with just a few select strongholds keeping its legacy alive. But, as grape-based spirits struggle to gain traction with new consumers, it is the perfect moment for the category to reinvent itself.
Brandy&rsquo;s plight has been particularly acute in recent years. According to data from IWSR, the global leader for beverage alcohol data and insights, the compound annual growth rate for brandy in the US from 2022 to 2024 was -7 percent, worse than any other spirit category during the same period. Just this January, <a href="https://www.lvmh.com/en/publications/solid-performance-in-a-disrupted-global-economic-and-geopolitical-environment">LVMH reported</a> that cognac sales in the U.S. and China in particular were weighing down the company&rsquo;s declining revenue. While the traditional centers of brandy production lag, now is the time for new regions to court international consumers with intriguing grape spirits that satisfy both wine and whiskey lovers equally.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Brandy for the Wine Lovers</h3>
Brandy follows in the footsteps of wine, and, like wine, brandy relies on both varietal and environmental factors to determine its expression of flavor. Some of the most exciting brandies out there are speaking the oenophile&rsquo;s language of terroir, drawing on unique selection of varietals, high altitude growing, and windswept vineyards to create distinct spirits.&nbsp;
It should come as no surprise that some of the most ancient wine producing regions of the world craft legacy brandies. Georgia, which has produced wine for around 8,000 years, has enjoyed a recent resurgence in the international popularity of its wine. Brandy may follow suit.The country&rsquo;s oldest brandy house, which once sold to the Russian Czar and was later run by the Soviet Union, was only reprivatized and reintroduced to the world in the last two decades. Through all of this, <a href="https://www.sarajishvili.com/home">Sarajishvili</a> has been making brandy aged in oak since 1884.&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s most exciting about Sarajishvili&rsquo;s brandies, beyond its oak-mellowed, balanced-but-sharp VSOP, is that the house relies heavily on some of the beloved native grape varietals of Georgia. Local grapes like Chinuri, Goruli Mtsvane, Tsitska, and Tsolikouri offer distillers advantageous high acidity, a common trait in any good brandy grape. As the wine world warms up to vintages and indigenous varietals from the Caucasus region, esteemed brandy houses like Sarajishvili should become better known.&nbsp;
We then turn to South Africa&rsquo;s domination of Chenin Blanc. Here, too, we find a brandy connection. While Chenin Blanc, locally called Steen, grows well on the windy vineyards of the Cape, it was historically used as an input of the local brandy industry. Along with Colombard, South African winegrowers favored Chenin Blanc as a suitable base for the country&rsquo;s once booming brandy industry. Some of South Africa&rsquo;s signature wines owe their existence to brandy.
Narina Cloete, head winemaker at <a href="https://www.blaauwklippen.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorag4N1j4gOcYfjlH23HESjGKQ7qVxtnEqrpDmiohMyagdRQCwH">Blaauwklippen</a>, explained: &ldquo;Brandy is a big part of the South African wine and spirits history. As Blaauwklippen is the oldest wine farm in Stellenbosch, it is a must for somebody that values great brandy, history, and tradition.&rdquo; She pointed to two varietals, Colombard and Chenin Blanc, as being essential.&ldquo;They are the workhorses of South Africa&rsquo;s white grape varieties and make excellent base wines for our brandies,&rdquo; she said. While the vineyard is known for their red wines, Blaauwklippen also pot distills the iconic white grapes and ages the eau-de-vie for 10 years.&nbsp;
Further off the beaten path is a rising star in the category&mdash;Singani, Bolivia&rsquo;s unique, high-altitude brandy made from Muscat of Alexandria grapes. Unlike the oak-aged expressions of Georgia and South Africa, Bolivians tend to drink their Singani as a clear spirit, often in a chuflay, a highball made with ginger ale and citrus. This common usage bolsters the relevance of brandy as a cocktail spirit.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We are lucky that Singani is as versatile as it is, simply by nature,&rdquo; said <a href="https://singani63.com/">Singani 63</a> CEO Richard Scully, &ldquo;Many bars and restaurants showcase their creativity by pushing Singani to new limits. We see this in the excitement of early adopters&mdash;they share their enthusiasm, encouraging new experimentation, and the creativity continues. Singani&rsquo;s distinctiveness makes it stand out like a new color in a box of crayons, offering an original experience to cocktail culture.&rdquo;&nbsp;
The most distinct part of Singani production? The grapes must grow in vineyards at least 5,250 feet above sea level. The spirit is light, bright, sharp&mdash;just like the dizzying altitudes of the Andes.
In Eastern Europe, the Balkans are also home to a deep distilling tradition. But the most intriguing offerings from this region ultimately push the oenological envelope&mdash;they are made from plums instead of grapes. While you might be hard pressed to find a Serbian wine at your local shop, imported rakija offers a different essence of fruit. Serbian brandies, in particular, treat plums just as winemakers treat grapes. Brands like <a href="https://starasokolova.com/?lang=en">Stara Sokolova</a> distill spirits only from the trnovača variety, while <a href="https://yebiga.com/">Yebiga</a> opts for the čačanska rodna fruit. If you&rsquo;ve memorized all your grape varietals, it might be time to sip some Balkan brandies and brush up on your plums.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Brandy for the Whiskey Lovers</h3>
If talk of varietals and terroir is not enticing enough, brandy has the dual-appeal of being an aged spirit. From time-honored cognacs matured in French oak to newer brands relying on used bourbon barrels, brandy is a spirit that can be very appealing to whiskey lovers.&nbsp;
Take, for example, Asbach Uralt, a German brandy that has a variety of aged expressions at different price points. The legacy distillery on the right bank of the Rhine looks to cognac as a model and exclusively uses Limousin oak from south-central France to age its spirits.&nbsp;
In America, Louisville distillery <a href="https://copperandkings.com/">Copper &amp; Kings</a> is vying to reclaim brandy&rsquo;s story as a heritage American spirit by relying on bourbon barrels for maturation. &ldquo;If I told you that for every three bottles of bourbon sold in America, there is one bottle of brandy sold, it would be hard to believe,&rdquo; said Rob Bourdon, owner and CEO of Copper &amp; Kings American Brandy Company.
His distillery buys Muscat, Chenin Blanc, and Colombard grapes from California, but the rest of the process, from fermentation to distillation and aging, is rooted in Kentucky&rsquo;s bourbon tradition. From custom fabricated copper pot stills to aging in ex-bourbon barrels, Copper &amp; Kings keeps pace with their corn-fed counterparts, although there are differences.&ldquo;We have a cellar downstairs and we control our aging environment,&rdquo; said Bourdon. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t have that rough and tough aging environment that bourbon goes through; brandy is a softer spirit.&rdquo;&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s not that there is no brandy-making tradition in the U.S.&mdash;on the contrary, Bourdon wants to reclaim that history. &ldquo;We have this rich American heritage with brandy, and if you asked someone on the street, they wouldn&rsquo;t know that,&rdquo; he said. But when we look at the domestic brands that dominate the category, they are selling at lower price points and gathering dust on the bottom shelf. The largest brands, like Gallo&rsquo;s E. &amp; J., Sazerac&rsquo;s Paul Masson, Heaven Hill&rsquo;s Christian Brothers, and Korbel, all hail from the vineyards of California.&nbsp;
It makes sense that America&rsquo;s brandy heartland would be where over 80 percent of its grapes are grown, but these brands aren&rsquo;t necessarily trying to capture the attention of new consumers. Instead, excitement is drawn to brands like Copper &amp; Kings that are adding a new small-batch, craft spirit twist to the category.&nbsp;
In farflung countries, distillers are approaching the brandy category with a newfound vigor (even if they follow a centuries-old tradition.) &ldquo;Drinkers around the world are self educating like never before and seeking fun, new and authentic experiences,&rdquo; said Singani 63&rsquo;s Scully, &ldquo;The category of grape spirits is vast and exciting.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Even as brandy struggles at the macro level, there is a silver lining coming from regions that have not always been part of the discussion. Cognac may feel a bit dated and stuffy to some, but Georgian brandy has the apricot zing of a newfound treasure, South African brandy breathes with the southeasterly winds of the Atlantic, and Kentucky is adding some Southern char and sweetness to California grapes. If you look around, it&rsquo;s easy to see that the current doldrums in the brandy industry could be setting the stage for some exciting new waves to come.&nbsp;

Why Brandy Has Become a Global Spirit That Appeals to Both Wine and Whiskey Drinkers

There aren&rsquo;t many sommeliers in California who can claim that they learned formative professional lessons at dining tables in Paris and Lyons. But that&rsquo;s where Sarah Clarke, wine director at Republique in Los Angeles, got her introduction to fine wine.
Her father was an executive for a French pharma company, so she traveled there often in her late teens and early twenties. That meant visiting gastronomic icons like Brasserie Lipp, Le Coupole, and others. And that&rsquo;s also where she had her first &ldquo;meaningful&rdquo; sip of Champagne. &ldquo;At the time, La Coupole was serving a flute of Champagne with a little strawberry wedge on the side,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;It just looked so elegant and ladylike, and I loved how it made me feel. Pretty soon I started loving what was actually in the glass.&rdquo;
After attending the Culinary institute in Hyde Park, NY, she ended up in Los Angeles, where she did stints at some of the finest restaurants with the city&rsquo;s top chefs. Those included Joachim Splichal at the Patina Group, Jos&eacute; Andr&eacute;s at the Bazaar and Saam, Mark Peel at Campanile, Nancy Silverton in the Mozzaplex, Antico Nuovo, and Chef Walter Manzke at Republique, where she&rsquo;s been since 2021.
Through it all, she&rsquo;s navigated a restaurant downturn, a myriad of dietary fads, a scandal or two, a pandemic, and the peripatetic twists and turns of every beverage whim Angelenos can throw at her.
Republique is the place to do it. It is the closest thing the city has to an omnibus eating experience in Los Angeles right now. This is a place to pop in for a casual coffee and baked good, a delicious casual lunch, or a fine dining experience that rivals any in Southern California. Eating here can be as mellow as a bite at the bar or as complex as a prix fixe extravaganza complete with intricate wine pairings. Clarke&rsquo;s list, now at about 1,800 SKUs, can keep up.
That&rsquo;s partly because Chef Walter Manzke had opened two other restaurants just out of the pandemic and neither could be sustained, so Clarke took on extra wine inventory from both. But the real reason is that Republique is a wine destination, a place for people in search of game-changing wine experiences, from basic to almost unattainable. Also, said Clarke, she&rsquo;s striving to keep with Manzke&rsquo;s intricate, wildly creative menu stride for stride.
&ldquo;We fleshed out certain categories that are essential for pairing,&rdquo; said Clarke, &ldquo;that maybe aren&rsquo;t something people buy every day, like Rieslings and Champagne. But we&rsquo;re pretty fortunate, you know, we sell a lot of those too. Chef Walter still does lots of tasting menus; I can use all of it for pairing.&rdquo;
Clarke comes to Republique after several seminal wine program directors preceded her in the position, many of whom are stars in the wine firmament here, like Taylor Parsons, Maria Garcia, and Sam Rethmeier. All three of these had a love for French and German wine that was unparalleled. Italian was represented as well, but Clarke, with her tenures at Antico Nuovo and especially the Mozzaplex, was given free rein to flesh out selections from the Boot.
She&rsquo;s slowly winning over her boss, a dyed-in-the-wool Francophile. &ldquo;He gets to try lots of incredible Burgundy all the time,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;When I ask him, &lsquo;Do you want to try some great white Burgundy, Chef?&rsquo; He's like, &lsquo;Is that even a question?&rsquo; I'm like, &lsquo;Good point.&rsquo;&rdquo;
But she&rsquo;s found that he loves Barolo and Barbaresco, and he&rsquo;s warming to Brunello. &ldquo;I haven't quite taken him on the whole tour through Friuli or Campagna, but we&rsquo;re getting there,&rdquo; she said. She also snuck a couple of Sicilian wines into his glass. &ldquo;A nice minerally Italian white wine can be really useful when the menu items involve squid or octopus or things like that.&rdquo;
Below are a few of the rarities and additions Sarah Clarke has brought to the Republique wine program. &ldquo;Nearly everything I&rsquo;ve brought on is from a smaller house,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;where the sense of soul is more palpable. It's not just everything is perfect and fancy, but you get a grasp of what the winery is, what the winemaker&rsquo;s intentions, and their commitment.&rdquo;
<h3 dir="ltr">2021 Brezza Barolo Castellero, from the MGA of Barolo ($160)</h3>
Right now we&rsquo;re pouring the&nbsp; 2021 Brezza Castellero Barolo by the glass. I love Enzo Brezza. I've stayed at his place many times, and have had many meals with him. He's such a sweet man.
He makes a number of single vineyard Barolos. There&rsquo;s one called Sarmassa, and it&rsquo;s probably a better wine, more long lived anyway. But I love the finesse and the beauty of Castelero. It's so enticing, it&rsquo;s everything you want in a Barolo. It's got scents of rose and tar and everything that you expect, but in this one there's almost a little bit of purple flower, like lavender and things like that that just make it so pretty. There's definitely tannin, but it's not like huge, grippy Monforte tannin, or a young Cannubi. And, you know, good Nebbiolo always has that beautiful sultry aroma. I think partly that&rsquo;s why they go so well with truffles. I love that wine to pieces.
<h3 dir="ltr">2020 Franzen Bremmer Calmont Riesling, Mosel, Germany ($150)</h3>
I don't know how unusual you're going to consider this, but I think it's very interesting. The 2020 Franzen Bremmer Calmont comes from the steepest vineyard&hellip; in Europe, for sure, maybe anywhere. They actually have to rappel down the hill to get to the grapes. Every year there are accidents during harvest, people falling.
I got it initially just because I thought that sounded so extreme, and so I was like, &ldquo;I want the wine from the steepest hillside in all of Europe.&rdquo; Plus, it&rsquo;s Riesling from the Mosel. Why not? But when I got to tasting it, it has a really beautiful richness, not just minerality that you expect. That one&rsquo;s extremely unique, and kind of a special wine to me.
<h3 dir="ltr">2020 Borgo del Tiglio Friulano Ronco delle Chiesa Friuli ($210)</h3>
I love Friulano. I think it's a really special grape. I love how it has that beautiful upfront floral quality, and then the little bit of bitterness on the finish. It works so well with food, especially if you're eating something rich. This wine is so versatile, from a fourth generation family who isolated this singular, more aromatic version of the Friulano grape. It&rsquo;s like a skeleton key for so many dishes.
Most people have never heard of Friulano, but they love this pairing. I absolutely love being there the moment you see the light switch on, the joy on someone else's face, when the wine clicks. That's my favorite thing.

The Hidden Gems on My Wine List: Republique's Sarah Clarke

What&rsquo;s happening in wine and whiskey this week:
<h3 dir="ltr">This Week&rsquo;s Unicorn Review Stories</h3>
🍷 Is Arizona on your radar as a notable wine region? If not, Asonta Benetti makes the case for <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/arizona-wine-destination">why you should consider wine from this southwestern state</a>.
🥃 Three decades into his career, Jefferson&rsquo;s Bourbon founder Trey Zoeller is still experimenting, <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/trey-zoeller-jeffersons-bourbon">and has a lot to say about American whiskey</a>.
<h3 dir="ltr">New Bottle Releases</h3>
New Riff Silver Grove Bourbon and Rye ($60)
At six years old, these are the oldest expressions in New Riff&rsquo;s Silver Grove lineup to date. The bourbon is bottled at 116.4 proof and made from a mashbill of 65% corn, 30% rye and 5% malted barley; the rye is bottled at bottled at 115 proof and made from a mashbill of 95% rye and 5% malted rye. Proceeds from the sales of these whiskeys goes to benefit the Silver Grove Community Foundation.
Kavalan L&Aacute;N Single Malt Whisky ($80)
Taiwanese distillery Kavalan makes some truly fantastic single malt. This new release is a blend of whiskies aged in port, bourbon, and STR wine casks (shaved, toasted, recharred), bottled at 43 percent ABV. That has given it notes of sweet fruit, jasmine, orange, and cinnamon, making this another notable world whisky in this rapidly growing category.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week</h3>
Oban 15 Year Old Port Cask Finish
Last year, one of the best single malt scotch whiskies came from Oban, the small coastal distillery owned by Diageo that is often outshined by its much better known counterparts like Lagavulin and Talisker. That whisky was the 15 Year Old Cask Strength Sherry Cask Finish, a 55.3 percent ABV single malt that stood out in a crowded field of many new releases. This year, Oban has returned with another new cask-finished expression, and it&rsquo;s also one worth seeking out: Oban 15 Port Cask Finish.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/fc9f2f0a-20e9-478b-9f35-8533be46ee5a.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Oban 15 Hero Image">
As you can tell by the name, this whisky is different from last year's release because it is finished in port instead of sherry casks&mdash;specifically, it spent 15 years in American oak hogsheads and then was given a secondary maturation in American oak ruby port casks from Portugal, and bottled at 52.1 percent ABV. This is the second in this series of 15-year-old whiskies, so presumably there will be more coming down the line.
The whisky at hand is perhaps not quite on the level of last year's sherry cask finish, but if you consider it as a standalone release it&rsquo;s certainly in the conversation about noteworthy new scotch whiskies to try. The exact amount of time it spent finishing in port casks is not revealed, but it's likely less than a year based on the information provided. That has imbued it with rich and syrupy fruit notes, as well as vanilla, maple, black pepper, honey, and baking spice flavors. And the higher proof than normal goes a long way here, leaving some lingering heat on your tongue as it fades.
Oban often talks about the maritime influence on its whisky that comes from the distillery's proximity to the sea, and you may or may not pick that up here (I found the port influence to obscure that for the most part). Regardless, the distillery is a key member of the Diageo portfolio that has put another excellent new whisky into the world, and it's one that is well worth seeking out.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Wine Pick of the Week</h3>
Cadre 2024 San Luis Obispo Coast Band of Stones Gruner Veltliner ($30)
There have been a number of stabs at growing and making Gruner Veltliner in the U.S. since the late &lsquo;80s, when Austria pulled off its minor putsch on the American market. Talk about anything but Chardonnay. Gruner was fresh and verdant, full of energy and somehow weightless in lighter, federspiel bottlings, more weighty and full-bodied in smaragd styles. It didn&rsquo;t taste like oak, it didn&rsquo;t taste like fruit salad, it was its own racy self.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/b8939904-0304-4593-90a5-b6a0072e5307.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Gruner">
Not surprisingly American winegrowers set down some gruner vines, and did what they could to capture that bolt of green lightning, with plantings in the Finger Lakes, Oregon, and parts of coastal California. Most seemed a little wan, too pale or too one-dimensional to approximate Austrian versions.
In the mid-2000s, John Niven took a portion of his family&rsquo;s pioneering vineyard Paragon in the Central Coast&rsquo;s Edna Valley and planted cool climate whites, including Albarino, Gruner, and Sauvignon Blanc, to found Cadre. The vines are nearing 20 years of age, and the wines are really showing some character, none more than the 2024 Cadre Gruner Band of Stones.
This comes mostly from older vines at Paragon, a relentlessly cool site not five miles from the Pacific. It&rsquo;s aged in steel, and malo is suppressed. Its scent is spot on&mdash;green pea shoots and salted citrus, a hint of ground pepper, and a&nbsp; tropical fruit base, like papaya. Made at a federspiel level of richness, this wine is structured to be bright and racy, less fat, more sun. The acidity and saline tang reminds you of its coastal character and proximity to the sea. Grab a bottle and head to the beach.

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