The Space Between Sips

Issue No. 86 — June 20, 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: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Brand: Woodford Reserve

Distillery: Woodford Reserve Distillery

Proof: 90.4 (45.2% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Dark amber with tawny edges

MSRP: $130–$160

Mash Bill: 72% corn, 18% rye, 10% malted barley

Barrel Type: New charred American oak

Nose: Rich butterscotch and dried stone fruit open the nose, followed by dark chocolate and a whisper of charred oak. A second pass reveals toasted pecans and a delicate floral note that hovers without asserting itself.

Palate: The entry is remarkably silky — caramel and vanilla coat the tongue before ceding to deeper notes of leather and tobacco. Midpalate, a flash of rye spice provides necessary tension against the sweetness, while oak tannins give structure without dryness.

Finish: Long and measured, trailing off with butterscotch, charred oak, and a faint echo of dark cocoa. The finish evolves rather than fades.

Bourbon Kit Aromas: Butterscotch, Charred Oak, Leather, Tobacco, Pecan

The Verdict: This is Woodford at its most considered. The Very Fine Rare release demonstrates what happens when barrel selection prioritizes complexity over proof — every layer earns its place. A bourbon for sipping slowly and thinking about what restraint actually tastes like.

Classification: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Brand: Glencadam

Distillery: Glencadam Distillery

Proof: 92 (46% ABV)

Age: 15 Year

Color: Polished gold with amber highlights

MSRP: $85–$110

Region: Eastern Highlands

Mash Bill: 100% malted barley

Distillation: Double distilled in copper pot stills

Maturation: Aged in American oak ex-bourbon barrels

Cask Type: Ex-bourbon American oak

Peat Level (PPM): Unpeated

Chill-Filtered: Non-chill filtered

Nose: Honeyed barley opens to reveal ripe peach and a dusting of almond. Behind it all sits a clean, almost ethereal quality — like fresh linen dried in the sun. A gentle floral character emerges with time in the glass.

Palate: Silky and medium-bodied, the malt arrives with buttery richness, then unfolds into honey-drizzled stone fruit and a whisper of vanilla. The mid-palate offers a surprising earthiness that grounds the sweetness, while clove spice adds gentle warmth.

Finish: Medium-long, clean, and precise. Almond and dried peach linger alongside a quiet woody note. Nothing overstays its welcome.

Whisky Kit Aromas: Honey, Peach, Almond, Buttery, Clove Spice

The Verdict: Glencadam is routinely overlooked, and that's a shame. This 15-year expression exemplifies the distillery's house style — refined, fruit-forward, and meticulously balanced. At non-chill-filtered 46%, every nuance of the spirit's character comes through. This is Highland whisky that doesn't need to shout.

Classification: Single Grain Irish Whiskey, Sherry Cask Finish

Brand: Hyde Whiskey

Distillery: Hyde Whisky Company (sourced grain, matured and finished in West Cork)

Proof: 92 proof (46% ABV)

Age: NAS (approximately 6 Years Old)

Color: Burnished gold with copper edges

MSRP: $55 USD

Mash Bill: Predominantly corn-based single grain mash with a small malted barley component (undisclosed exact proportions).

Distillation: Column distilled at a single Irish distillery, sourced as new-make by Hyde for proprietary maturation.

Maturation: Initial maturation in ex-bourbon American oak barrels, followed by a finishing period in first-fill oloroso sherry casks in West Cork.

Chill-Filtered: Non-chill filtered

Nose: Toasted brioche and milk chocolate lead, followed by candied orange peel, raisin, and a faint whisper of clove. There's a restraint here — the sherry sweetness never tips into opulence, held in check by a clean, cereal-driven backbone.

Palate: Silky entry of vanilla custard and demerara sugar, opening into oloroso-soaked sultanas, walnut skin, and a thread of dried fig. Mid-palate reveals dry oak tannin pulling against the sweetness — the tension that defines the dram.

Finish: Medium-length, drying gracefully into toasted almond, faint cocoa, and a final flicker of orange zest. The sweetness recedes before the wood does, leaving a quiet, contemplative close.

Whiskey Kit Aromas: Vanilla, Dried Fruit, Cocoa (Dark), Almond, Woody, Orange

The Verdict: A study in editorial restraint — a single grain that refuses to be either too sweet or too austere, holding both poles in delicate suspension. Excellent value for the cask program behind it.

Classification: Tequila Añejo

Brand: Siembra Valles

Distillery: Destiladora del Valle de Tequila (NOM 1414)

Proof: 80 (40% ABV)

Age: 2-Year

Color: Deep burnished gold

MSRP: $55–$70

Agave: 100% Blue Weber Agave

Cooking Method: Traditional tahona and roller mill, natural fermentation

NOM: NOM 1414

Additives Free: Yes

Nose: Cooked agave and butterscotch lead, balanced by a dry oak character that keeps things grounded. Baking spices — cinnamon and nutmeg — weave through dried tropical fruit. There's a pleasant earthy undertone that recalls wet clay after rain.

Palate: The entry is smooth and slightly buttery, with vanilla and caramel from the oak quickly yielding to the agave's vegetal heart. Midpalate delivers black pepper and a touch of leather, while a subtle coffee bitterness adds dimension. The wood influence is integrated, never dominant.

Finish: Long and warming, with cooked agave reasserting itself against fading oak spice. A mineral dryness on the very end pulls everything into focus.

Tequila Kit Aromas: Agave (Cooked), Butterscotch, Cinnamon, Oak, Pepper, Coffee

The Verdict: Siembra Valles operates in the shadow of flashier brands, but this añejo is a masterclass in balance. Two years in barrel have softened the spirit without burying its agave identity. The lack of additives means what you taste is authentic — wood and agave in honest conversation. A tequila for people who care about what's actually in the bottle.

Classification: Navy Strength Gin

Brand: New York Distilling Company

Distillery: New York Distilling Company

Proof: 114 (57% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Crystal clear

MSRP: $35–$45

Style: Navy Strength

Botanicals: Juniper, coriander, grapefruit peel, lemon peel, cassia bark, ginger, angelica root, wildflower honey

Base Spirit: Grain neutral spirit

Distillation: Pot distilled

Nose: Bold juniper — resinous and woody — arrives immediately, flanked by bright citrus peel and a dusty angelica root character. Behind the intensity sits a warm cassia bark note and the faintest suggestion of wildflower honey. Nothing hides at this proof.

Palate: The high proof carries a dense, oily mouthfeel that delivers juniper in layers: green, herbaceous, then woody. Lemon zest and grapefruit provide essential brightness, while ginger adds a prickly warmth at the edges. Coriander and a hint of nutmeg appear mid-palate, rounding out the structure.

Finish: Long and assertive, with juniper and black pepper holding the line. Citrus oils linger on the lips. Despite the strength, there's no burn — just concentrated flavor.

Gin Kit Aromas: Juniper (Woody/Resinous), Juniper (Green), Lemon, Grapefruit, Ginger, Cassia Bark

The Verdict: Perry's Tot demonstrates why navy strength gin exists: not for machismo, but for flavor density. At 57%, every botanical registers with crystalline clarity. This gin stands up to tonic, dominates a Negroni, and rewards anyone willing to engage with it on its own terms. The New York Distilling Company gets far less attention than it deserves.

Classification: Clairin (Haitian Rum)

Brand: Clairin

Distillery: Distillerie Chelo

Proof: 102.8 (51.4% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Water-white with faint silver shimmer

MSRP: $35–$48

Base Ingredients: Fresh sugarcane juice

Distillation: Pot distilled from fresh sugarcane juice

Nose: An explosion of overripe tropical fruit — mango, banana, and guava — mingles with a distinctive funky, almost agricultural note. Behind the fruit lies a vegetal grassiness and a subtle mineral quality that signals terroir. There's a faint petrol-like edge that adds intrigue.

Palate: Bold and unapologetically raw. The tropical fruit continues on the palate but is joined by a creamy coconut richness and a spike of white pepper spice. The agricole-like character — fresh-pressed sugarcane juice — gives the spirit a vivid, living quality. Citrus peel brightness cuts through the richness midway.

Finish: Surprisingly long for an unaged spirit. Banana and tropical fruit fade into a clean mineral dryness, with a last whisper of spice and sugarcane.

Rum Kit Aromas: Tropical Fruits, Banana, Agricole, Coconut, Citrus (Generic), Spice (Generic)

The Verdict: Clairin Communal Sajous is rum stripped to its essence — no barrel, no blending, no apology. It's a communal bottling from multiple batches of Michel Sajous's production, offering a broader snapshot of this specific terroir and method than a single-distillery release. If you think unaged spirits can't be complex, this will change your mind.

Classification: Morgon Cru Beaujolais AOC

Brand: Domaine Jean Foillard

ABV: 12.5%

Primary Varietal: Gamay Noir

Blend: 100% Gamay Noir

Vineyards: Côte du Py, Morgon

Maturation: Whole-cluster semi-carbonic maceration, indigenous yeast fermentation, minimal sulfur additions

Color: Deep garnet with violet-purple rim

MSRP: $35–$50

Nose: Dark cherry and crushed violets lead, with an underlying stony minerality that speaks directly to the volcanic schist of Côte du Py. Behind the fruit, subtle notes of fresh-cracked black pepper and a hint of game add complexity without heaviness.

Palate: Medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins. The cherry fruit is ripe but precise, framed by a gentle earthiness and floral lift. Midpalate, the wine shows a blackcurrant concentration and a saline minerality that drives length. There's a quiet mint-like freshness that keeps everything vibrant.

Finish: Long and mineral-driven, with cherry and violet slowly resolving into a clean, granitic persistence. Tannins are present but polished.

Wine Kit Aromas: Cherry, Violet, Blackcurrant, Gamey, Mint

The Verdict: Jean Foillard's Côte du Py is one of the great values in French wine. The 2022 vintage delivers concentration without weight, depth without extraction. Foillard's natural winemaking — whole-cluster fermentation, indigenous yeast, minimal sulfur — lets the volcanic terroir speak clearly. This is Gamay at its most serious and compelling.

Classification: Montlouis-sur-Loire AOC

Brand: Domaine François Chidaine

ABV: 12.5%

Primary Varietal: Chenin Blanc

Blend: 100% Chenin Blanc

Vineyards: Clos du Breuil, Montlouis-sur-Loire

Vinification: Hand-harvested, whole-cluster pressed, indigenous yeast fermentation, biodynamic practices

Color: Pale straw with green-gold reflections

MSRP: $28–$38

Nose: White flowers and ripe quince open to reveal green apple and a striking flinty minerality. A subtle honeyed quality lurks beneath, balanced by fresh-cut grass and the barest hint of chamomile. The aromatics are taut, suggesting energy held in check.

Palate: Dry and laser-focused on entry, with citrus and green apple acidity providing the spine. The mid-palate broadens into honeyed stone fruit and a waxy textural quality that adds weight without sweetness. A chalky, mineral thread runs throughout, giving the wine its essential tension.

Finish: Long and vibrating, with citrus peel and minerality persisting well after the swallow. The finish is almost saline, pulling you back for another sip.

Wine Kit Aromas: Apple (Green), Citrus (Generic), Honey, Green (Cut Grass), Floral (Rose)

The Verdict: Chidaine's Clos du Breuil is Chenin Blanc at its most electric. The 2023 vintage captures the variety's unique ability to be simultaneously generous and austere. Biodynamic farming and meticulous cellar work yield a wine of startling clarity — this is the space between sips made literal, a wine that's always arriving, never quite finished revealing itself.

Join the School of Wine and Spirits Community

Connect with fellow connoisseurs, share tasting notes, and go deeper into every pour.
Sign up at skool.com/schoolofwineandspirits

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.

schoolofwineandspirits.com  ·  Amazon Author Page