What’s happening in wine and whiskey this week:

News of the Week

🍷 Old wineries are attempting to bring in younger drinkers.

💸 Want to spend a bit less? Some wine bars have budget in mind.

📋 It’s time for restaurants to simplify their pretentious wine lists. 

💣 Tamdhu’s new 21-year-old whisky is a sherry bomb for Macallan lovers.

🩷 It’s time to embrace the joys of pink Chardonnay.

New Bottle Releases

Pinhook Vertical Series 10 Year Old

This is the seventh entry in Pinhook’s Vertical Series, which tracks the progression of its bourbon as it gets older with each release (the first was four years old). The 10-year-old expression is a blend of 75 barrels bottled at cask strength of 115.9 proof. The whiskey was distilled at MGP in Indiana and then matured at Castle & Key in Kentucky, and this would be a fun one to compare with previous releases if you can find those bottles as well. 115.9 proof; SRP $100

2XO Oak Series: White Oak Rye

For many years Dixon Dedman was the man behind Kentucky Owl , but he left that brand around the time it was sold to Stoli Group (which went bankrupt last year). His latest endeavor is 2XO, which stands for “two times oak,” or whiskey that is double-barreled. This brand has focused on bourbon until the launch of this new White Oak Rye, which follows the same path of double maturation. Look for notes of mint, spice, vanilla, and maple. 92 proof; SRP $50

Aberfeldy 15 Year Old Bolgheri Red Wine Cask Finish

Aberfeldy is the core whisky used in the Dewar’s blend, but the distillery also has its own range of excellent single malt expressions. Master blender Stephanie Macleod created this new release, a 15-year-old single malt aged in refill casks before spending two years in Bolgheri red wine barrels from Tuscany. This is the latest in Aberfeldy’s wine-finishing series, and has notes of ripe berries, leather, vanilla, chocolate, and baking spice on the palate. 92 proof; SRP $85

Unicorn Pick of the Week

Indri Agneya

While it might not be familiar to everyone, Indian whisky is a category to be reckoned with. There are some fantastic single malts coming out of this country, many of them from bigger names like Paul John and Rampur (big being a relevant term here). But one lesser known producer (at least here in the U.S.) that is making waves is Indri, and it just launched  a lightly peated new single malt called Agneya.

Agneya means “belonging to fire,” but as mentioned before the smoke is relatively light on the palate (nowhere near as strong as a whisky from Islay, for example). The whisky was produced at the Picadilly distillery, which lays claim as being the largest independent producer of malt spirits in India. There are currently more than 40,000 barrels aging there—Agneya was aged in a combination of PX sherry and bourbon casks, pretty typical for a single malt from any country. The mashbill is 6-row malted barley that was kilned over peat smoke (the peat is imported from Scotland). No color is added to the whisky, and it’s non-chill filtered to preserve as much flavor as possible.

And that flavor is impressive. This whisky is clearly on the younger side (the youngest liquid is about five years old, according to the brand), but that doesn’t mean it lacks complexity. Look for notes of vanilla, pepper, citrus, baking spice, and honey, along with toasted oak and a subtle wave of peat smokey as you sip. “With Indri Agneya, we set out to push boundaries,” said Surrinder Kumar, master blender for Piccadily Agro Industries Limited, in a statement. “We wanted to explore the untapped space between the familiar and the unexpected. Agneya introduces a new conversation, a whisky that hints at smoke and spice, while still retaining the warmth and complexity that defines Indri’s house style.”

In that, Agneya has succeeded, making this yet another Indian whisky you keep an eye out for in this rapidly growing world of spirits. You can find a bottle now at retailers around the country (SRP $80).