What’s happening in wine and whiskey this week:

This Week’s Unicorn Review Stories

🍷 We put together a gift guide for the wine drinkers in your life, ranging from gadgets to glasses to books to some magnum bottles to bring to a holiday dinner.

🥃 Whiskey drinkers, we got you covered as well—check out our gift guide for every type of whiskey fan, from newbies to seasoned collectors, those looking to splurge and those on a budget, and fans of whiskey categories from around the world.

New Bottle Releases

Angel’s Envy 10 Cask Strength

Louisville distillery Angel’s Envy released its first ever age-statement, cask-strength bourbon this fall. The cask-strength expression is always a popular release, and this year was truly something special. The whiskey was distilled in 2014 and 2015 and aged in new charred oak barrels before getting a three-year finish in port casks. 122.6 proof; SRP $250

Jack Daniel’s Distillery Series #16

The latest in Jack Daniel’s distillery-exclusive series was conceived of by barrel maturation manager and master taster Byron Copeland. This is a rye whiskey made from a mashbill of 70% rye, 18% corn, and 12% malted barley that was initially aged in new charred oak and then finished for a full three years in barrels previously used to age table syrup. That might sound like an overly sweet whiskey, but the rye spice complements the effects of the secondary maturation, resulting in something unique and very tasty. 111.4 proof; SRP $45 

Tennessee Collective

Twelve distilleries that are part of the Tennessee Whiskey Trail came together for this special release, each contributing a barrel that were ultimately blended together at Sugarlands Distilling Co. Participating distilleries include Jack Daniel’s, Leiper’s Fork, and Ole Smoky. Not all of the whiskey was legally defined Tennessee whiskey, however, so this release is categorized as American whiskey. 119.6 proof; SRP $80

Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week

Stranahan’s Snowflake

Every year, Denver distillery Stranahan’s releases its Snowflake expression, a special whiskey that changes with every iteration but always has one consistent component. The base of this whiskey is American single malt made at the Colorado distillery, which has been around for over 20 years. Devoted fans line up a few days before the release (which was last weekend), camping out in the parking lot and having a sort of tailgating party the night before that usually lasts till the early hours of the morning. Then the doors open and people can finally snag a bottle or two, and Snowflake usually sells out within a few hours. 

This year’s release, Batch 28, is called Windom Peak, and it was put together by head blender Justin Aden (it’s his third time at the helm). Aden started with a base of Stranahan’s American single malt aged between six and nine years that was finished in a variety of casks resulting in a blend of whiskey aged between eight and 13 years—extra añejo tequila, peach brandy, applejack, white port, orange wine, and in a first for Stranahan’s, rhum agricole (meaning rum made in a few specific countries from sugarcane juice instead of molasses). The majority of the blend was finished in the tequila casks, which came from one of parent company Proximo’s family of brands (Cuervo, 1800, etc.), and it was bottled at 94 proof.

The new Snowflake is a really fantastic American single malt, although some might argue that the amount of cask finishes employed overpowers the original character of the whiskey. There’s a case to be made there, but the fact is that this whiskey is just really delicious, with a nice balance of fruit, spice, and sweet notes. Layers of flavor unfold as you sip—despite the large amount of tequila cask-finished whiskey in the mix, this is not some earthy agave bomb. The palate is delicate and complex, and the core vanilla, oak, and dark chocolate notes are augmented rather than obscured.

So will you be able to try this year’s Snowflake for yourself? If you didn’t make the event, your best bet is to find a bottle a bottle on the secondary market or at auction. And even though you might have to pay a bit more than the SRP of $120, you won’t be disappointed.