The Tension in the Glass

Issue No. 89 — June 23, 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: Four Roses

Distillery: Four Roses Distillery

Proof: 104 (52% ABV)

Age: NAS (6-7 Year blend)

Color: Burnished copper with amber edges

MSRP: $55–$65

Mash Bill: Blend of six recipes (varying corn, rye, and malted barley proportions with two yeast strains)

Barrel Type: New charred American oak

Nose: Ripe cherry and caramel open immediately, followed by a wave of baking spices—clove, allspice, and cinnamon bark. Beneath that sits a quiet vanilla note anchored by toasted oak.

Palate: Medium-full body with a layered delivery. Brown sugar and dark fruit meet a peppery rye kick mid-palate, while a creamy butterscotch texture softens the proof. The oak influence is present but never domineering.

Finish: Long and warming with lingering cherry, cocoa, and a dry oak tannin that pulls everything into focus.

Bourbon Kit Aromas: Cherry, Brown Spices, Butterscotch, Vanilla, Oak

The Verdict: Four Roses Small Batch Select is the distillery's answer to those who want the complexity of their single barrel program with more consistency batch to batch. The six-recipe blend creates internal tension—fruity versus spicy, sweet versus dry—that resolves beautifully. A daily drinker with special-occasion depth.

Classification: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Brand: Benromach

Distillery: Benromach Distillery

Proof: 86 (43% ABV)

Age: 15 Year

Color: Dark gold with antique bronze highlights

MSRP: $75–$95

Region: Speyside

Mash Bill: 100% malted barley (lightly peated)

Distillation: Double distilled in traditional copper pot stills

Maturation: Aged in a combination of first-fill sherry and bourbon casks for 15 years

Cask Type: First-fill sherry hogsheads and bourbon barrels

Peat Level (PPM): 12 - 15 ppm

Chill-Filtered: No

Nose: Sherry-soaked dried fruit—figs and raisins—alongside a subtle wisp of smoke that reveals the distillery's lightly peated malt. Orange marmalade and dark honey add sweetness without cloying.

Palate: Rich and layered. Cocoa and toasted almonds share space with a gentle peat smoke that weaves through the sherry cask sweetness. There's a buttery quality to the mouthfeel that carries clove spice and baked stone fruit.

Finish: Medium-long with lingering cocoa, dried fruit, and a final curl of smoke that keeps the sweetness honest.

Whisky Kit Aromas: Dried Fruit, Smoky, Cocoa (Dark), Honey, Clove Spice

The Verdict: Benromach's 15 Year is a masterclass in internal tension: sherry richness versus subtle peat, sweetness versus earthiness. It never leans too far in either direction. This is Speyside with a backbone, a malt that rewards attention without demanding it.

Classification: Blended Irish Whiskey

Brand: Jameson

Distillery: Midleton Distillery

Proof: 110 (55% ABV)

Age: 18 Year

Color: Deep burnished gold with reddish amber at the edges

MSRP: $250–$300

Mash Bill: Blend of single pot still and grain whiskey

Distillation: Triple distilled in copper pot stills (pot still component) and column stills (grain component)

Maturation: Aged minimum 18 years in a combination of American oak bourbon barrels and European oak sherry casks, with a final resting period at the Bow Street Distillery in Dublin

Chill-Filtered: No

Nose: Toasted oak and dried apricot lead, followed by honey-drizzled almonds and a faint whiff of old leather. A floral rosewater note emerges with time, adding an unexpected elegance to the richness.

Palate: Full-bodied and commanding at cask strength. Layers of toffee, dark chocolate, and clove spice unfold across the tongue. The pot still component delivers a waxy, honeyed texture while the grain whiskey contributes a surprisingly delicate vanilla thread.

Finish: Exceptionally long, with waves of dried fruit, toasted wood, and lingering spice that slowly fade to a warm, dry oak.

Whiskey Kit Aromas: Honey, Dried Fruit, Clove Spice, Vanilla, Woody

The Verdict: This is Jameson stripped of all pretense and turned up to full volume. The cask strength bottling reveals a tension between the silky grain and muscular pot still components that standard proof obscures. It's unapologetically rich but never heavy, proving that Irish whiskey can play in the big leagues of aged spirits.

Classification: 100% Agave Blanco Tequila

Brand: Fuenteseca

Distillery: NOM 1146 (Tequilera Corralejo)

Proof: 86 (43% ABV)

Age: NAS (unaged)

Color: Crystal clear with faint silver legs

MSRP: $55–$70

Agave: 100% Blue Weber Agave (estate-grown, highlands)

Cooking Method: Slow-roasted in stone ovens, tahona-crushed, naturally fermented with wild yeast, double distilled in copper pot stills

NOM: 1146

Additives Free: Yes

Nose: Intensely mineral and herbal. Wet clay and volcanic soil underpin bright citrus—lime zest and white grapefruit. Cooked agave arrives warm and sweet, balanced by a green herbal note like fresh thyme.

Palate: Lean and precise, with remarkable tension between the cooked agave sweetness and a dry mineral spine. White pepper crackles across the mid-palate while tropical fruit—mango and green pear—provides fleeting brightness. The texture is oily without heaviness.

Finish: Medium-long with a clean mineral fade, residual pepper, and a ghost of cooked agave that lingers.

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

The Verdict: Fuenteseca's vintage blancos are exercises in terroir expression, and the 2019 Cosecha is a study in mineral-fruit tension. It drinks more like a serious mezcal than a commercial tequila, rewarding patient sipping. For those who believe blanco tequila can be a contemplative spirit, this is your proof.

Classification: Small Batch Premium Gin

Brand: Daffy's

Distillery: Strathleven Distillery

Proof: 86.2 (43.1% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Crystal clear

MSRP: $45 - $50

Style: Contemporary London Dry

Botanicals: Lebanese mint, juniper, coriander, angelica root, cassia bark, citrus peels, and other undisclosed botanicals

Base Spirit: Grain neutral spirit

Distillation: Double distilled in small copper pot stills with separate botanical distillation

Nose: Bright juniper pine opens with immediate citrus lift—fresh lemon and grapefruit pith. Beneath, a quiet floral note of crushed violet and a dry, earthy angelica root provide depth without weight.

Palate: Clean and taut. The juniper is assertive but never aggressive, held in check by a silky coriander warmth and a burst of citrus that keeps the palate lifted. A subtle peppery spice builds mid-palate, adding structure to the otherwise ethereal spirit.

Finish: Crisp and dry with lingering juniper, a whisper of violet, and clean lemon zest.

Gin Kit Aromas: Juniper (Pine), Lemon, Grapefruit, Violet, Angelica

The Verdict: Daffy's is the rare gin that achieves intensity without volume. Every botanical is clearly articulated yet none dominates. The tension between the pine-forward juniper and the delicate floral-citrus backdrop makes this an excellent Martini gin that also holds its own in longer serves.

Classification: Jamaican Pot Still Rum

Brand: Plantation

Distillery: Clarendon & Long Pond Distilleries

Proof: 86 (43% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: Pale straw gold

MSRP: $25–$32

Base Ingredients: Molasses

Distillation: Double retort pot still distillation at Clarendon and Long Pond

Nose: Intense tropical fruit—overripe banana and pineapple—explodes from the glass. Behind it, funky pot still esters mingle with a light caramel sweetness and a hint of citrus peel. It smells alive.

Palate: Medium-bodied with a taut, dry backbone that checks the fruit-forward exuberance. Banana and tropical fruits return but are grounded by oak tannin and a savory, almost olive-like funk. The dryness in the name is real—this isn't a sweet rum despite the fruity aromatics.

Finish: Medium with dry oak, lingering banana, and a clean mineral quality that invites another sip.

Rum Kit Aromas: Banana, Tropical Fruits, Caramel, Oak, Citrus (Generic)

The Verdict: Xaymaca is a case study in productive tension: all the high-ester Jamaican funk and tropical fruit you'd expect, held in check by genuine dryness and structural oak. It's the rum equivalent of a dry Riesling—aromatic sweetness contradicted by a bone-dry palate. Essential for Tiki cocktails but genuinely enjoyable neat.

Classification: Pauillac AOC Red Wine

Brand: Château Pibran

Distillery: Château Pibran

ABV: 14%

Primary Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon

Blend: 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot

Vineyards: 17 hectares on deep gravel terraces in Pauillac AOC

Maturation: Traditional Bordeaux fermentation in temperature-controlled concrete and stainless steel tanks with extended maceration

Color: Deep garnet-purple with violet rim

MSRP: $35–$50

Nose: Ripe blackcurrant and crushed violet dominate, supported by cedar pencil shavings and a suggestion of mint. A subtle toasted note from oak aging emerges with air.

Palate: Medium-full with firm but polished tannins. Black cherry and blackcurrant fruit is dense but lifted by surprising freshness. Cedar and graphite give structure while a gentle vanilla thread from barrel aging provides just enough sweetness to balance the mineral core.

Finish: Long and structured with blackcurrant, cedar, and a fine-grained tannic grip that promises continued evolution in bottle.

Wine Kit Aromas: Blackcurrant, Violet, Cedar, Cherry, Toasted

The Verdict: Château Pibran punches well above its price in the 2019 vintage. Owned by AXA Millésimes (who also own Pichon Baron), it benefits from the same meticulous attention and top-tier terroir. The tension between ripe fruit generosity and classic Pauillac austerity makes it both immediately enjoyable and cellaring-worthy.

Classification: Mâcon-Milly-Lamartine AOC White Wine

Brand: Héritiers du Comte Lafon

Distillery: Domaine des Héritiers du Comte Lafon

ABV: 13%

Primary Varietal: Chardonnay

Blend: 100% Chardonnay

Vineyards: Biodynamically farmed parcels in Milly-Lamartine on limestone and clay soils

Vinification: Whole-cluster pressed, fermented with indigenous yeast, aged on fine lees in a combination of stainless steel and neutral oak

Color: Pale gold with green-tinged highlights

MSRP: $35 - $40

Nose: White peach, green apple, and citrus blossom open cleanly, followed by a subtle honeyed quality and a chalky mineral note that signals serious terroir beneath the fruit.

Palate: Taut and vibrant with excellent concentration for its appellation. Crisp green apple and citrus drive the palate while a round, almost creamy mid-palate texture creates tension with the bright acidity. Faint notes of toasted almond appear on the back palate.

Finish: Medium with clean mineral persistence, lingering citrus, and a saline freshness that demands another sip.

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

The Verdict: When Dominique Lafon—the man behind some of Burgundy's most coveted Meursaults—turned his attention to the Mâconnais in 1999, the results were predictably excellent. This entry-level white delivers a compelling push-pull between ripe fruit generosity and limestone-driven tension. It's Burgundy Chardonnay at its most honest and accessible.

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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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