The Quiet After Lightning

Issue No. 106 — July 10, 2026

Your daily discovery of 8 exceptional wines and spirits

In This Issue

Bourbon Scotch Whisky Irish Whiskey Tequila Gin Rum Red Wine White Wine

Classification: Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys, Cask Strength

Brand: Stellum Spirits

Distillery: Sourced and blended by Stellum Spirits (Barrell Craft Spirits' sibling label)

Proof: 115.18 proof (57.59% ABV) — varies by batch

Age: NAS (component whiskeys reportedly 5–9 years)

Color: Deep amber with russet glints

MSRP: $60

Mash Bill: Blend of multiple bourbons; reportedly includes high-rye and high-corn mash bills from undisclosed Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee distilleries

Barrel Type: New charred oak

Nose: A gathering squall of dark cherry compote, charred oak, and clove, with secondary lifts of orange peel, brown sugar, and a wisp of pipe tobacco.

Palate: Dense and rolling — black cherry, baking spice, dark chocolate, and toasted pecan ride a current of caramelized sugar; high rye content sharpens the midpalate with cracked pepper and cinnamon stick.

Finish: Long, warming, and resinous, settling into leather, cocoa nib, and a final flicker of dried orange.

Bourbon Kit Aromas: Cherry, Charred Oak, Brown Spices, Cocoa (Dark), Tobacco, Orange

The Verdict: A bigger, broodier sibling to Stellum's standard bourbon — the 'Black' batches isolate the most assertive barrels from the blending stock, yielding a cask-strength pour that feels both wild and meticulously composed.

Classification: Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Brand: Talisker

Distillery: Talisker Distillery

Proof: 91.8 (45.8% ABV)

Age: NAS (Distilled 2013, Bottled 2023)

Color: Rich amber gold with reddish highlights

MSRP: $75–$95

Region: Islands (Isle of Skye)

Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley

Distillation: Double distilled in copper pot stills with worm tub condensers

Maturation: Aged in refill American oak, finished in Amoroso sherry casks

Cask Type: Refill American Oak / Amoroso Sherry Finish

Peat Level (PPM): 18-22 ppm

Chill-Filtered: No

Nose: Maritime peat and cracked black pepper open immediately, but the Amoroso sherry finish adds layers of dried fig and dark chocolate. Underneath there's a honeyed sweetness and a wisp of woodsmoke that keeps the nose turning.

Palate: The entry is smoky and briny, then the sherry cask influence widens the mid-palate with stewed stone fruit and clove spice. There's a malty backbone and a building pepperiness that anchors the sweetness without letting it dominate.

Finish: Long, with lingering smoke, dried fruit, and a saline minerality that calls you back to the coast.

Whisky Kit Aromas: Smoky, Peaty, Dried Fruit, Clove Spice, Honey

The Verdict: The Distillers Edition takes Talisker's coastal intensity and routes it through sherry cask maturation, creating a dialogue between smoke and sweetness that neither wins. It's a demonstration of how finishing can complement rather than mask a distillery's character.

Classification: Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Brand: Teeling

Distillery: Teeling Whiskey Distillery

Proof: 98 (49% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Deep gold with amber tints

MSRP: $80–$100

Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley

Distillation: Triple distilled in copper pot stills

Maturation: Aged in ex-bourbon casks, finished in ex-Muscat dessert wine casks

Chill-Filtered: No

Nose: Fragrant and floral — rosewater and ripe peach jump from the glass, followed by honey-drizzled almond pastry. There's an undercurrent of vanilla and dried apricot that rounds out the aromatic picture.

Palate: Silky and medium-to-full bodied. Honeycomb and stone fruit dominate the entry, with clove spice and a gentle woodiness building through the middle. The Muscat cask influence brings a grapey sweetness that stays measured.

Finish: Medium-long, with lingering peach, vanilla, and a dry woody note that prevents any cloying sweetness.

Whiskey Kit Aromas: Peach, Floral (Rosewater), Honey, Vanilla, Clove Spice

The Verdict: The Brabazon Series is Teeling's exploration of wine cask finishing, and this Muscat expression is the most harmonious yet. The dessert wine casks could easily overwhelm, but the distillery's spirit is robust enough to absorb the influence and come out more complex for it. A rewarding pour for anyone who thinks Irish whiskey can't do bold.

Classification: Curado (Infused Blanco Tequila)

Brand: Tequila Ocho

Distillery: Destilería La Alteña

Proof: 80 (40% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Pale straw with a faint green tint

MSRP: $55–$70

Agave: 100% Blue Weber Agave (highland), infused with Espadín agave

Cooking Method: Brick oven slow-cook, tahona crush, open-air fermentation, copper pot distillation

NOM: 1474

Additives Free: Yes

Nose: Roasted agave and green vegetal notes mingle with a distinct minerality. There's fresh lime zest and a subtle herbal quality — almost like bruised thyme. The espadín infusion adds a smoky floral character that sits behind the cooked agave.

Palate: Medium-bodied and surprisingly dry. Cooked agave drives the palate, supported by white pepper and a mineral earthiness. Mid-palate introduces a gentle smokiness from the espadín, with citrus brightness cutting through. The finish of the palate carries an herbaceous quality.

Finish: Clean and dry, with lingering mineral notes, a whisper of smoke, and residual lime zest.

Tequila Kit Aromas: Agave (Cooked), Earth (Mineral, Soil Notes), Citrus (Lemon, Lime, Orange, Grapefruit), Smoke, Herbal (Mint, Thyme, Eucalyptus)

The Verdict: This is a fascinating bridge between the worlds of tequila and mezcal, executed with Ocho's trademark terroir focus. The espadín infusion doesn't turn this into a mezcal impersonation — it adds a smoky dimension while the highland agave character remains firmly in the driver's seat. A conversation starter with substance behind it.

Classification: Compound Gin, Navy Strength

Brand: Ableforth's

Distillery: Master of Malt

Proof: 114 (57% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Pale straw with a slight haze

MSRP: $45 - $60

Style: Compound Navy Strength Gin

Botanicals: Juniper, Coriander, Orange Peel, Cinnamon, Clove, Cardamom

Base Spirit: Grain spirit

Distillation: Cold compound infusion of botanicals into grain spirit

Nose: An immediate wave of resinous juniper and warm cassia bark, followed by candied orange peel and a dried floral note. The high proof amplifies everything without distortion — coriander seed and cardamom weave through the background.

Palate: Oily and full-bodied, with juniper pine leading into baking spice and coriander warmth. The mid-palate opens to bitter orange and a gentle peppery heat. Despite the proof, there's a rounded quality that keeps the botanicals in conversation rather than competition.

Finish: Long, with lingering juniper resin, cassia warmth, and a citrus echo that slowly fades.

Gin Kit Aromas: Juniper (Pine), Cassia Bark, Orange, Coriander, Peppery

The Verdict: The compound method — cold-infusing botanicals rather than vapor-distilling them — gives this gin a texture and depth that column-distilled gins rarely achieve. At navy strength, the botanical payload is amplified but not exaggerated. It punches above its price point with confidence.

Classification: Pure Single Jamaican Rum

Brand: Hampden Estate

Distillery: Hampden Estate Distillery

Proof: 118 (59% ABV)

Age: 6 Year (Distilled 2016)

Color: Deep gold with amber edges

MSRP: $85–$110

Base Ingredients: Molasses

Distillation: Pot still distillation, HLCF ester mark (~200-300 g/hL AA)

Nose: Explosive tropical fruit — overripe banana, pineapple, and guava — with a funky ester backbone. Behind the fruit, there's dark chocolate, cured leather, and a whiff of burnt rubber that signals classic Hampden character. Oak and vanilla provide structure.

Palate: Full and oily. Tropical fruit esters dominate the entry, then molasses and dark toffee build through the mid-palate. Roasted coffee bean and tobacco leaf add gravity, while the oak tannins provide a framework that keeps the funk from running wild.

Finish: Exceptionally long, with lingering banana, leather, and a slow fade of oak spice and molasses.

Rum Kit Aromas: Tropical Fruits, Banana, Leather, Toffee, Oak, Molasses

The Verdict: HLCF is Hampden's medium-ester mark, and at seven years it hits a sweet spot where the distillery's funk is fully developed but the cask has had enough time to integrate. This is Jamaican rum at its most unapologetically expressive — not for the faint of heart, but essential for anyone who wants to understand what pot-still rum can achieve.

Classification: AOC Côtes du Roussillon Villages

Brand: Clos des Fées

ABV: 14.0%

Primary Varietal: Grenache

Blend: Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Mourvèdre

Vineyards: Vieilles Vignes parcels across Vingrau, schist and limestone soils

Maturation: Hand-harvested, partial whole-cluster fermentation, indigenous yeasts

Color: Inky garnet with violet rim

MSRP: $28–$38

Nose: Dark cherry and crushed blackberry lead, followed by dried garrigue herbs — thyme, lavender, and a hint of wild rosemary. There's a mineral underpinning of slate and warm cedar that grounds the fruit.

Palate: Dense but not heavy. Ripe berry fruit and violet florals carry the entry, transitioning into a toasted, almost charred herb note through the mid-palate. Fine-grained tannins provide structure, and a streak of green pepper adds freshness to the dark fruit core.

Finish: Medium-long, with lingering cherry, cedar, and a dry mineral close.

Wine Kit Aromas: Cherry, Violet, Cedar, Berry (Generic), Green Peppers, Toasted

The Verdict: Hervé Bizeul's old-vine Grenache, Syrah, and Carignan blend from the wind-blasted Roussillon vineyards delivers intensity refined by terroir. The Tramontane wind hammers these vines, concentrating everything, and the result is a wine of genuine power that drinks with the poise of something twice the price.

Classification: IGP Île de Beauté

Brand: Domaine Comte Abbatucci

ABV: 13.5 %

Primary Varietal: Vermentinu (Vermentino)

Blend: 100% Vermentinu

Vineyards: Estate parcels on granitic soils, Ajaccio, Corsica

Vinification: Hand-harvested, indigenous yeast fermentation, biodynamic farming

Color: Pale gold with greenish glints

MSRP: $35–$50

Nose: Wild herbs — maquis scrubland — and citrus blossom open immediately. There's ripe white peach, a whiff of beeswax, and an almost saline minerality underneath. A faint almond note appears as the wine opens.

Palate: Textured and medium-bodied with a slight waxy quality. Citrus and green apple drive the palate, joined by a honeyed mid-section and a persistent mineral thread. The maquis herbal character returns, giving the wine an almost gin-like botanical complexity.

Finish: Clean and persistent, with citrus zest, crushed stone, and a lingering herbal bitterness that keeps the wine taut.

Wine Kit Aromas: Citrus (Generic), Apple (Green), Honey, Nut (Almond/Coconut), Green (Cut Grass)

The Verdict: Jean-Charles Abbatucci is one of Corsica's most uncompromising biodynamic producers, and this Vermentinu shows why the grape and the island are inseparable. The granite soils and Mediterranean winds forge a white wine of rare mineral intensity, while the indigenous yeast fermentation preserves every nuance of place. It drinks like a postcard from a wild coast.

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Robert R. Mohr, CPA, CGMA, WSET Level 3, WSG Certified Spirits Specialist — author of America's Spirit, Scotland's Spirit, Ireland's Spirit, The Ultimate Northern Italian Wine Journey, The Tequila y Mezcal Revolution, The Definitive Pocket Guide to Chablis, The Definitive Pocket Guide to the Côte d'Or, and Strategic Tuning. Published author of the Aroma Academy Tequila/Mezcal and Distiller's training kits.

The Still & The Vine is a daily publication of the School of Wine and Spirits.

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