What’s happening in wine and whiskey this week:

This Week’s Unicorn Review Stories

🍷 Portugal is known for its distinctive, affordable wines—here are some of the best bottles to try now from the Alentejo region.

🥃 We spoke to the Louis XIII cellar master about how he creates this luxury cognac, and the future of high-end spirits in today’s softening global spirits market.

New Bottle Releases

TX Whiskey Vino de Naranja ($40)

This is the 15th release in Texas distillery TX Whiskey’s Experimental Series. It’s a blend of two whiskey components—five-year-old straight rye whiskey distilled at the Fort Worth facility, and bourbon that was finished in Vino de Naranja wine casks for three years. The final blend has notes of fruit, orange, vanilla, and caramel, and can be sipped neat or mixed into a cocktail.

Dos Maderas Origen Thailand ($83)

Dos Maderas is a brand that sources its rum from Guyana and Barbados and then ships it to Spain to age in sherry casks sourced from Jerez. This is the first release in the brand’s Origen series, a Thai rum that spent 12 years aging there before coming to Spain and being finished in 80-year-old sherry casks. The result is a sweet rum with notes of tropical fruit and spice. 

Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week

The Macallan Diamonds are Forever 55th Anniversary ($750)

If you’re familiar with the Macallan—and most whisky drinkers are—you know that the distillery usually releases several special edition bottlings every year. You also know that virtually all of the whisky distilled there is matured in sherry-seasoned oak, either European or American or a combination of the two. These are usually very good and collectors tend to snap them snap them up. But every now and then, the distillery will release a single malt that deviates from the norm and incorporates a different type of barrel into the maturation mix. Such is the case with the new James Bond tie-in, Diamonds are Forever 55th Anniversary.

What separates this 18-year-old whisky from other expressions is that, in a first for the distillery, the Macallan has used two special types of casks to mature the whisky—red wine and hybrid European/American oak made from staves of each type of wood (the other casks used are the usual sherry-seasoned oak). What this means is that, in addition to this whisky being a special, expensive limited release, it actually tastes pretty different from your usual Macallan.

There are no cask finishes here; instead, each component was fully matured in the different casks before being blended together. The red wine component has imbued the whisky with nice red berry and ripe fruit notes, which work well with the classic Macallan sherry-soaked raisin, spice, and fig flavors. Obviously, the whisky makers didn’t know how they would use these red wine casks when they filled them nearly two decades ago, but they serve their purpose very well in this expression.

And then there’s the James Bond part of this whisky. It was distilled in 2007 (get it? 007), and while Bond is best known for drinking martinis that are shaken (and not stirred), he certainly enjoyed his wine and whisky as well. Whether or not you’re a fan of this famous screen spy or not, give this new whisky a try—particularly if you are a well versed in the whisky world of the Macallan. Something like this doesn’t come around from this Speyside distillery that often, but it’s a welcome addition to the ever-growing portfolio when it does.

Unicorn Wine Pick of the Week

Super Red Wine Selections for Super Bowl Sunday

It’s Super Bowl Week! Inspired, if that is the word, by the Bad Bunny brouhaha, I’m going to recommend three wines from two countries—a filial pair from the U.S. of A., and one from a Spanish language country, otherwise known as Spain.

But first things first. Let us agree that Super Bowl wines need not be epic, complex, or contemplative. It just needs to be satisfying, delicious, and, to some extent, palate-cleansing, capable of washing down whatever chicken wing/Frito pie/sloppy joe/pizza puck you have in front of you for the Big Game.

California Zinfandel hits those notes. At its best, it's one of the most cheerful reds out there, with rustic red berry flavors and a jovial, sappy disposition. Check out a wine from the Petersons—father and son Joel Peterson and Morgan Twain-Peterson. Joel, you may recall, founded Ravenswood, one of the most iconic brands of the '80 and '90s. Peterson sold Ravenswood in 2001 and, about a decade later, founded Once & Future.

He also inspired his son Morgan to pursue his own old vine wine journey. With Chris Cottrell, Morgan founded Bedrock Wine Company and together they’ve devoted their production to heritage vineyards, an affinity he shares with his father.

Super Bowl Libations, American Edition

Bedrock’s 2023 Old Vine California Zin ($25) combines fruit from old vineyards in Sonoma County, Lodi, and Contra Costa County, and is luscious, red fruited and supple, with a whiff of leafy bramble and a hint of cinnamon to lend a bit of complexity.

Once & Future has several options but look for something from Sonoma, like the 2023 Dry Creek Valley Zin from Teldeschi Vineyard Frank’s Block ($55), an old vine repository farmed by the Teldeschi family for 75 years. Peterson’s Teldeschi bottling comes from the low-yielding Frank’s Block, with additions of Carignane and Alicante Bouschet, with bright flavors of sun-kissed berries, and a rustic, old fashioned grip.

Super Bowl Libations, Spanish Language Edition

Raul Perez is one of the leading lights of what’s been called the New Spain, injecting life into an ancient and often overlooked region (Bierzo), and in reviving the reputation for the light and vibrant Mencia variety. The 2022 Bierzo St. Jacques ($25) is Mencia dominant, but includes Bastardo, Garnacha Tintorara (Alicante Bouschet), and even white grapes for a spicy, crunchy, lips-macking red.  You do not have to speak Spanish to enjoy this wine, just as you do not have to speak Spanish to enjoy the Super Bowl Halftime Show.