More than a decade into <a href="https://lasjaraswines.com">Las Jaras</a>, winemaker Joel Burt and his cofounder, comedian, actor, and director Eric Wareheim, have settled into a clear shared sensibility. Founded in 2015, the winery began as Burt&rsquo;s escape from corporate winemaking and as a way for Wareheim&mdash;best known for Tim &amp; Eric, Master of None, and various food‑driven projects&mdash;to channel a long‑running obsession with wine (he even used to bring his own stemware to restaurants) into something lasting.
&ldquo;We started in 2015 and really tried to make wines that have the spirit of old California&mdash;lower alcohol, food‑friendly, sunshine, but really about balance,&rdquo; Burt said. &ldquo;We try to make it so it&rsquo;s not too much of a good thing.&rdquo;
That balance wasn&rsquo;t immediate. Early fruit sources were &ldquo;not great,&rdquo; as Burt puts it, and the first few vintages were exploratory. But by 2017 to 2018, the winery&rsquo;s sensibility had crystallized: fresh, elegant, and structurally restrained wines with a clear point of view. &ldquo;At first, maybe we were a bit rudderless,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Now all of our wines have a real cohesion. They taste like Las Jaras.&rdquo;
Part of that cohesion comes from the way the winery has grown. Las Jaras now functions less like a single label and more like a small ecosystem. There&rsquo;s the fine‑wine tier, where Burt channels his most technical, site‑driven work into Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. There&rsquo;s the more casual tier of &ldquo;vibe&rdquo; wines, blends built for freshness and drinkability like <a href="https://lasjaraswines.com/products/glou-glou">Glou Glou</a> and <a href="https://lasjaraswines.com/products/superbloom">Super Bloom</a>. And there&rsquo;s the canned <a href="https://lasjaraswines.com/collections/waves">Waves</a> line, which extends the same sensibility into a more portable format.
Burt&rsquo;s background provides some context for that consistency. He grew up in a farming family, worked his way through restaurant kitchens, studied winemaking at Fresno State, and learned early on to value balance over power. &ldquo;In restaurants, you&rsquo;re trying to create balance in food. Same thing in wine,&rdquo; he said. His palate was shaped by lower‑alcohol Zinfandel and Pinot Noir, and later by Loire Chenin Blanc which he studied obsessively before attempting his own. That analytical streak shows up everywhere: in his move away from carbonic maceration (&ldquo;a terroir eraser&rdquo;) and in his experiments with what he calls &ldquo;reverse saign&eacute;e,&rdquo; a technique that lightens red wines by increasing juice‑to‑skin ratio.
Wareheim approaches the project from the hospitality side. &ldquo;Certain pairings are a hug,&rdquo; he said, recalling the kind of familiar, comforting combinations that drew him to restaurants where hospitality is taken seriously. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s that familiarity that feels good.&rdquo; From there, the connection deepens into something more personal.&nbsp;&ldquo;When you love a winemaker and you look forward to that style, it&rsquo;s trust. Some wines are like works of art&hellip; it&rsquo;s nice to care for them like that.&rdquo;
That trust shows up in the Las Jaras&nbsp;<a href="https://lasjaraswines.com/pages/wine-club#/">wine club</a>, which Burt describes as &ldquo;crazy loyal&rdquo;&mdash;attrition is low; curiosity is high. And as the broader natural‑wine world has shifted away from instability and toward precision, Las Jaras has found new traction in restaurants, not just bottle shops.
Their recent Steakhouse Series collab with <a href="https://www.hyatt.com/thompson-hotels/en-US">Thompson Hotels, a trio of dinners meant </a>to celebrate Wareheim&rsquo;s book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Steak-House-People-Places-Recipes/dp/1984862294/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=184791588645&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.t8N6rptaqD4QcXsyjGJSqfGgPOqUc-1T9unPZjfHtZW6XPGPLDA0WmdqfFabgrOBoSFqcXpBaWHY9RJ636NVvIiQnr3qkIF2HGcmvBRt5p4.UM1WOX_NtzikN1Z-6iG1brAULzFVGxLi7upQt8xK8OA&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;hvadid=779707110392&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvexpln=0&amp;hvlocphy=9190755&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvocijid=3437733665531399140--&amp;hvqmt=e&amp;hvrand=3437733665531399140&amp;hvtargid=kwd-2436664010852&amp;hydadcr=22564_13821269_9209&amp;keywords=steakhouse+eric+wareheim&amp;mcid=388052d3b1d23d029766b18e28a8bd0b&amp;qid=1776676140&amp;sr=8-1">Steak House, </a>became a natural showcase for the winery&rsquo;s more structured wines. &ldquo;We made a Cabernet for the book that&rsquo;s so good,&rdquo; said Burt. &ldquo;People are shocked, because they&rsquo;re used to American Cabernet being big and oaky. Ours is elegant.&rdquo;
For Wareheim, the dinners were a chance to show that Las Jaras isn&rsquo;t just about the playful blends&mdash;it&rsquo;s a winery making everything from bright, chillable reds to serious, age‑worthy bottles. &ldquo;All the wine is really good, but now we have these fine wines Joel&rsquo;s made," he said. "And they&rsquo;re so incredible that it&rsquo;s fun to show people this other side of our company."
<h3 dir="ltr">Joel Burt&rsquo;s Las Jaras Wine Picks</h3>
2023 C&eacute;zanne Chenin Blanc (Mendocino County), $36
Burt&rsquo;s <a href="https://lasjaraswines.com/products/2023-cezanne-chenin-blanc">Chenin Blanc</a> is the clearest expression of his technical rigor. He tasted &ldquo;hundreds&rdquo; of Loire Chenins before attempting his own, and he&rsquo;s adamant about what he doesn&rsquo;t want: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want a wine that&rsquo;s soft, flabby, oxidized, or off‑dry,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m very adamant about no skin contact.&rdquo; The result is a tightly coiled, mineral‑driven white with the saline snap of Saumur and the precision of a winemaker who presses lightly, protects aromatics, and avoids phenolic heaviness. It&rsquo;s a wine built for oysters, goat cheese, and anything that needs a clean, architectural line of acidity.
2023 La Belle Promenade Chardonnay (Chehalem Mountains, Oregon), $58
From a 900‑foot vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains, <a href="https://lasjaraswines.com/products/labellepromenade-chardonnay">this Chardonnay</a> is pressed gently, fermented for a full year in tight‑grain Austrian oak, and then moved to stainless steel to firm up the structure. Burt adapted the approach from top Burgundy producers, and the result is a wine with clear definition and acidity&mdash;built to handle seafood, roast chicken, or anything that benefits from a clean, structured white. &ldquo;This is really it for me &hellip; exactly the Chardonnay I feel I should be making,&rdquo; he said.
2023 La Belle Promenade Pinot Noir (Chehalem Mountains, Oregon), $65
This Pinot Noir comes from two distinct blocks at La Belle Promenade. The first&mdash;the &ldquo;orchestra block&rdquo;&mdash;is a massal‑selection planting, meaning it&rsquo;s made up of many different Pinot Noir clones interplanted at random. Instead of a single commercial clone, the vines come from cuttings taken from the best plants in the vineyard, creating natural variation in ripeness and flavor. Burt picks this block on the early side because he doesn&rsquo;t like to add acid later in the winemaking process.
The second block is Pommard clone, and Burt ferments about 20% of it as whole clusters to bring a subtle spice note. In the cellar, he keeps extraction extremely light. When red wine ferments, the grape skins rise to the top and form a thick &ldquo;cap.&rdquo; Many winemakers punch that cap down to extract more color and tannin; Burt doesn&rsquo;t. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t even punch down &hellip; I just kind of get the cap wet,&rdquo; he said. That gentle approach produces softer, finer‑grained tannins and a more delicate structure. The finished wine is red‑fruited, lightly savory, and versatile at the table&mdash;easy with duck, mushrooms, or seared tuna.
2025 Slipper Sippers (Nouveau‑Style Red), $25
Born out of the 2020 fire year&mdash;when carbonic maceration was the only way to avoid extracting smoke taint&mdash;<a href="https://lasjaraswines.com/products/slipper-sippers?srsltid=AfmBOor8J1kkHI18KluPSQ_we1vKaMz8Uizv6MH6w9Xcqvro8WBLL7Yx">Slipper Sippers</a> has since become a cult favorite. Burt doesn&rsquo;t usually love full carbonic wines; he finds they can taste volatile or too similar to one another. But he kept refining the approach, and by 2025, he said he&rsquo;s &ldquo;fully nailed this wine &hellip; mega light, super juicy, bright acidity.&rdquo;
His solution is a hybrid technique he calls reverse saign&eacute;e. Instead of bleeding juice off the skins to concentrate a red wine, he does the opposite: he adds juice back to the ferment to raise the juice‑to‑skin ratio. That dilutes the carbonic signature and keeps the wine fresh. The result is bright, crunchy, and effortless&mdash;the bottle you chill, open, and finish without thinking.
2022 Steak House Cabernet Sauvignon (Blend&mdash;87% Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma&rsquo;s Dry Creek Valley, 13% Zinfandel from Mendocino), $36
Created to pair with Wareheim&rsquo;s Steak House book, <a href="https://lasjaraswines.com/products/steak-house-cabernet-sauvignon">this Cabernet</a> is a deliberate throwback. &ldquo;Old‑school Cabernet &hellip; soft and lush but still has acidity,&rdquo; Burt said. A touch of Zinfandel rounds the edges, and extended aging gives it the suppleness of a wine from another era. It&rsquo;s built for ribeye, lamb chops, or a classic wedge.
2022 Sweet Berry Wine (Blend&mdash;57% Zinfandel, 25% Petite Sirah, 18% Carignan; primarily Mendocino County), $42
<a href="https://lasjaraswines.com/products/2022-sweet-berry-wine">The wine</a> that started the partnership remains one of its most expressive. &ldquo;The most elegant one we&rsquo;ve ever made,&rdquo; Burt said. &ldquo;I kind of make all my reds to be shaped like a Pinot Noir even though they&rsquo;re made of different varieties.&rdquo; Here, Zinfandel, Carignan, and Petite Sirah come together in a dark, aromatic wine that finishes with surprising finesse. It&rsquo;s the bottle for barbecue braises, holiday dinners or drinking by a fire.

The Spirit of Old Calfornia—An Interview with Eric Wareheim and Joel Burt of Las Jaras Wines

What&rsquo;s happening in wine and whiskey this week:
<h3 dir="ltr">This Week&rsquo;s Unicorn Review Stories</h3>
🥃 Gina Pace picked some of the <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/best-tequila-for-whiskey-fans">best aged tequilas for whiskey drinkers</a>, from single estate expressions to anejos aged in wine barrels to a reposado matured in Japanese mizunara oak.
🍷 Alissa Bica Raines took a <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/new-zealand-central-otago-wine-region">deep dive into the world of New Zealand&rsquo;s Central Otago region</a>, exploring its world-renowned Pinot Noir and highlighting a range of white wines that are worth collecting.
<h3 dir="ltr">New Bottle Releases</h3>
TX Whiskey Texas Straight Rye Whiskey Full Proof ($40)
This is the 16th edition of TX Whiskey&rsquo;s Experimental Series, which highlights the Fort Worth distillery&rsquo;s use of different mashbills and maturation techniques. This rye whiskey was aged for seven years and bottled at 120 proof, an attempt to showcase how the specific climate in Texas affects a whiskey&rsquo;s flavor. Look for notes of toasted oak, cinnamon, molasses and caramel, along with a healthy dose of spice.
Jack Daniel&rsquo;s Halo MK1 Tennessee Whiskey ($600)
<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=jack+daniel%27s&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_aschttps://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Jack+Daniel%E2%80%99s&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc">Jack Daniel&rsquo;s</a> partnered with the Formula 1 McLaren Racing team back in 2022, and has released special edition bottles every year since. Those have basically been the same whiskey as you&rsquo;d find in a bottle of Old No. 7 with different label designs, although sometimes the proof has been bumped up. But the latest release is something totally different&mdash;Halo MK1 is a $600 bottle of whiskey aged in barrels made from staves that were seasoned for much longer than usual, and the liquid was bottled at an impressive 117.4 proof. Look for notes of caramel, chocolate, pipe tobacco, and baking spice.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week</h3>
Glenmorangie Harrison Ford Limited Edition ($100)
There are a lot of celeb-backed booze brands out there, and most of them fall into the tequila category. From George Clooney&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Casamigos&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Casamigos</a> to Kendall Jenner&rsquo;s 818 to The Rock&rsquo;s Teremana, there&rsquo;s a face and persona for everyone looking for an agave spirit. The whiskey world doesn&rsquo;t have quite as many examples, but there are a few of note. Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=brother%27s+bond+bourbon&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brother&rsquo;s Bond</a> is one of the best, and it&rsquo;s a brand that the two actors seem to be quite actively involved in. More recently, Willem Dafoe partnered with smoky scotch distillery <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Laphroaig&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Laphroaig</a>. Concurrently, Harrison Ford embarked upon an ad campaign with Highland distillery <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Glenmorangie&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Glenmorangie</a> called &ldquo;Once Upon a Time in Scotland,&rdquo; and the corresponding whisky has finally arrived. It&rsquo;s aptly called Glenmorangie Harrison Ford Limited Edition, and it&rsquo;s a classic example of a single malt that you might expect from this distillery, with or without Ford&rsquo;s name attached to it.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/aac13657-6d2d-4e4b-bc8f-45c25908089e.png?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Harrison Ford Limited Edition K V2"> 
Of course, the official line is that Ford &ldquo;co-created&rdquo; the whisky, and there might be some truth to that, but it&rsquo;s always good to take it with a grain of salt. The reality is more likely that director of whisky creation Dr. Bill Lumsden MBE and his team did most of the heavy lifting. He&rsquo;s often called the mad scientist or Willy Wonka of whisky, but we are not going to do that here because it&rsquo;s a total cliche. What we will say is that he&rsquo;s been responsible for some very unique and innovative whiskies from both Glenmorangie and its sister distillery <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Ardbeg&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ardbeg</a> over the years.
This new whisky might not fit that bill as far as going to the extremes of barley varietal or maturation experimentation, but it&rsquo;s still a very nice version of Glenmorangie&rsquo;s house style that has been given a cask finish. In other words, this is a non-age statement single malt that was initially aged in bourbon barrels and then given a secondary maturation in toasted Portuguese red wine casks. It&rsquo;s bright and zesty with notes of honey, maple, cherry, vanilla, spiced apple, orange marmalade, and dark chocolate on the palate, with a bit of heat slowly lingering beyond your final sip.
Like Laphroaig&rsquo;s collab with Willem Dafoe, Glenmorangie Harrison Ford Limited Edition stays true to the distillery&rsquo;s core character, but just gives it a little boost, a bit of a spin, a wee twist. This single malt is not the most interesting whisky Glenmorangie has ever released, but it&rsquo;s a very satisfying sipper that fans of the distillery&rsquo;s honeyed, citrusy, vanilla-infused character will certainly enjoy.

The Week in Wine and Whiskey: May 8

Few wine regions in the world are as visually arresting as New Zealand&rsquo;s Central Otago, the world&rsquo;s most southerly grape-growing region. Jagged mountains aptly-named The Remarkables rise above glacial lakes, vineyards cling to schist-covered slopes, and the air carries a crisp alpine clarity that feels almost cinematic&mdash;and I&rsquo;m not just saying that because The Lord of the Rings was filmed here.&nbsp;
Here, Pinot Noir is king, accounting for roughly 80 percent of the region&rsquo;s vineyard plantings. But I also encountered killer Chardonnay, electrifying Riesling, and a new-to-me grape called Osteiner, which suggests the story here may be bigger than Pinot alone.
Central Otago&rsquo;s climate&mdash;cool, dry, and southern&mdash;was once considered so extreme that skeptics doubted grapes could ripen successfully here. But these are also the attributes that set it apart. Martinborough&mdash;New Zealand&rsquo;s Pinot Noir region on the North Island&mdash;is flatter, coastal and maritime, with warm gravel terraces and long dry autumns that often yield sunny, juicy, generous wines. Central Otago, by contrast, is the country&rsquo;s only true continental climate, surrounded by mountains and glacial valleys with high altitude vineyards that create dense, structured wines.&nbsp;
This continental climate brings extreme diurnal temperature variation reaching 45 degrees during the growing season. This helps the grapes achieve full ripeness, while retaining bright, natural acidity, moderate alcohol levels, and fresh aromatics.&nbsp;
Another unique aspect of Central Otago is the atmosphere. The ozone layer over the South Island is literally thinner here, allowing more UV radiation to reach the ground. Coupled with high altitude, low pollution levels, and cloudless days, that&rsquo;s a lot of sun reaching the vines. To protect themselves, grapes produce more anthocyans (color compounds) and phenolics (aromatic compounds) which contribute tannin and structure.&nbsp;
To combat high tannins and richness, the top&nbsp; Central Otago producers have moved toward earlier picking and lower alcohols. These are site-driven wines, emphasizing restrained fruit, tension, acid, minerality, and florals&mdash;practically Burgundian in nature. Tasting Pinot Noirs from the regions of Wānaka, Gibbston, Cromwell, and Bannockburn feels like tasting down the C&ocirc;te de Nuits.
<h3 dir="ltr">A Gold Rush Beginning</h3>
The area was first settled around 1862, when gold was discovered and prospectors flooded the area in a wave not unlike California&rsquo;s Gold Rush. Among them were Jean D&eacute;sir&eacute; F&eacute;raud, a French miner who planted vines, and Romeo Bragato, one of New Zealand&rsquo;s first viticulturists, who declared the region suitable for grape growing.
After a century of false starts, the late 1970s brought three pioneers&mdash;Alan Brady, Ann Pinckney, and Rolfe Mills&mdash;who started making wine in the Alpine foothills north and east of Queenstown. Brady founded Gibbston Valley winery, one of the region&rsquo;s first commercial estates. Pinckney, a trained horticulturist, briefly made wine under her Taramea label.
But it was Rolfe Mills&rsquo; Rippon that truly catapulted Central Otago onto the global stage when its 1992 Pinot Noir won Best Red Wine at the New Zealand Wine Show.
<h3 dir="ltr">Rippon: The Estate That Put Central Otago on the Map</h3>
Family legend has it that Rolfe Mills first conceived the idea of planting grapes on the family&rsquo;s Wānaka Station farm after serving in Europe during World War II. The steep schist vineyards of Portugal&rsquo;s Douro Valley reminded him of home. In 1975, Rolfe and his wife Lois planted 30 different varieties of experimental vines. Over time they narrowed their selections to Pinot Noir, Riesling, Osteiner, Sauvignon Blanc, and Gew&uuml;rztraminer.
Located about 45 miles north of Queenstown, Wānaka feels a world apart from the more populous subregions of Cromwell and Bannockburn. Cooler and slightly wetter, Rippon&rsquo;s vineyards sit above Lake Wānaka, where the lake&rsquo;s thermal mass moderates temperature swings and helps protect against frost, and near the Southern Alps, which provides a rain shadow. Ruby Island, positioned offshore, further softens the vineyard&rsquo;s climate.
Most rainfall occurs in spring, followed by hot, dry summers and extended autumns, conditions that provide a long growing season once thought impossible this far south. Cool mornings and nights preserve the region&rsquo;s hallmark acidity. According to current winemaker Nick Mills, Rolfe&rsquo;s son, those conditions create wines defined by precision and articulation of tannin over rich, fleshy fruit.
Nick assumed winemaking responsibilities after his father&rsquo;s passing and converted the estate to biodynamic farming in 2002. Under his stewardship, Rippon produces two single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, Tinker&rsquo;s Field and Emma&rsquo;s Block.
Tinker&rsquo;s Field, planted between 1986 and 1989, contains the estate&rsquo;s oldest vines on sunny north-facing slopes protected by Ruby Island. Its coarse schist soils produce powerful, structured Pinot Noirs. Emma&rsquo;s Block, planted in 1991, lies closer to the lake on east-facing ancient clay reefs interlaced with schist gravels. The wines are softer and more delicate, combining red fruit with stony minerality.
While Rippon is best known for Pinot Noir, I was intrigued by its two and a half acres of Osteiner, a German cross of Riesling and Sylvaner. Today, it is nearly extinct in Germany, with only about ten acres still planted.&nbsp;
Rippon&rsquo;s version is vivid and electric, like a wilder cousin of Riesling: high-acid and mineral-driven, with lemon pith, honeysuckle, flinty wet stone, and a seashell-like salinity. It may never rival the popularity of the estate&rsquo;s Pinot Noir, but it&rsquo;s worth seeking out.
<h3 dir="ltr">A New Generation of Estates</h3>
Rippon&rsquo;s success helped spark a wave of vineyard development throughout Central Otago.
A key figure was Stewart Elms, who established Felton Road in 1991 in Bannockburn. He later sold the winery to British entrepreneur Nigel Greening, who expanded the estate while retaining the original team.
Under winemaker Blair Walter, Felton Road produced its first Pinot Noir in 1997. Today the wines&mdash;marked by dark cherry fruit, dried florals, and wild herbs&mdash;are among Central Otago&rsquo;s most acclaimed. Critic Bob Campbell deftly summed up the 2024 Bannockburn Pinot Noir with, &ldquo;This wine makes my heart beat faster.&rdquo;
Mine did too when I tasted Felton Road&rsquo;s 2023 Bannockburn Chardonnay with a parsnip tortellini in brown butter at Queenstown&rsquo;s Rodd &amp; Gunn restaurant. The wine started out sleek and restrained, before a pop of honey and lemon curd ran across the midpalate, finishing with delicate acacia wood spice&mdash;sensual and ethereal.
Actor Sam Neill, best known for Jurassic Park, also helped bring international attention to Central Otago through his winery Two Paddocks, founded in 1993. The name comes from Neill&rsquo;s idea that he and his neighbor, film director Roger Donaldson, would each plant a paddock of vines and make wine together.
The standout wine is the Last Chance Pinot Noir, produced only in select vintages from the Earnscleugh terraces in Alexandra. Elegant, sprightly, and aromatic, the wine offers red fruit, wild thyme, and crunchy wet leaf notes while clocking in at a refreshing 12.5 percent alcohol.
<h3 dir="ltr">Burn Cottage: Pinot Noir in an Amphitheater</h3>
Burn Cottage has come later to the party, an influential estate founded in 2002 by American wine importers Marquis and Dianne Sauvage, who bought property in Cromwell.
&ldquo;We chose the Burn Cottage site due to its unique location,&rdquo; Sauvage said. &ldquo;It had the look of the great vineyards of Europe&mdash;a gentle sloping amphitheater with perfect exposure.&rdquo;
Burn Cottage&rsquo;s vines curve around a sheltered hillside basin facing northeast, maximizing sun exposure and offering protection from strong winds. The soils&mdash;broken-down schist and granite from ancient riverbeds pushed upward by glacial activity&mdash;are well suited to Pinot Noir, limiting vigor and encouraging deep root systems.
Claire Mulholland took over for Lemon as lead winemaker in 2010. Mulholland harvests over a period of three weeks, using differing percentages of whole cluster fermentation, hand plunging, and maceration lengths based on each block&rsquo;s flavors. During the fermentation process, each lot is tasted twice a day to assess its progress.
The Pinots at Burn Cottage are graceful and pretty, with fine tannins supporting cherry, raspberry bramble, violet florals, and cool stony minerality. By contrast, their Sauvage Vineyard Pinot Noir tends to be richer and more textural, with deeper blackberry fruit and firmer tannins.&nbsp;
Burn Cottage is also known for its Riesling Gr&uuml;ner Veltliner blend. About one acre of Riesling and half an acre of Gr&uuml;ner Veltliner (extremely rare in Central Otago) share a hilltop in the Burn Cottage property. Originally intended to be bottled separately, early yields were so small that the team blended them, resulting in a vibrant, food-friendly wine combining crunchy lime and ginger spice from the Riesling with stone fruit and subtle herbal notes from the Gr&uuml;ner.
<h3 dir="ltr">A Region Coming Into Its Own</h3>
Central Otago has grown from just 11 producers in 1996 to more than 130 today, quietly becoming one of the world&rsquo;s most compelling Pinot Noir regions. The unique combination of altitude, coolness, and intense sunlight creates wines that are ripe without heaviness, aromatic but structured, and fresh despite sunny days.
With Burgundy prices climbing and climate change reshaping traditional wine regions, Central Otago&rsquo;s cool southern latitude may give it an even stronger foothold in the global market.
But if the region&rsquo;s future is built on Pinot Noir, its aromatic whites shouldn&rsquo;t be overlooked. The Rieslings, Gr&uuml;ner Veltliners, Osteiners, and Chenin Blancs I encountered prove that Central Otago&rsquo;s story may be broader and more exciting than anyone expected.

New Zealand's Central Otago Wine Region is a Pinot Noir Haven That Collectors Should Pay Attention To

What&rsquo;s happening in wine and whiskey this week:
<h3 dir="ltr">This Week&rsquo;s Unicorn Review Stories</h3>
🥃 Gina Pace picked some of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/best-bourbons-kentucky-derby">best bottles of bourbon to drink during the Kentucky Derby</a> this year, from official Derby-affiliated expressions to bourbons that encompass the spirit of the event.
<h3 dir="ltr">New Bottle Releases</h3>
Abraham Bowman Special Release #26 Rye Whiskey ($80)
This is the first rye whiskey that the <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=A.+Smith+Bowman&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A. Smith Bowman</a> distillery has released since 2010. Abraham Bowman Special Release #26 (110 proof) was entirely distilled and aged onsite at the Virginia distillery, which is not always the case&mdash;this is a sister distillery to <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Buffalo+Trace&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buffalo Trace</a>, and some of the whiskey is first distilled there or at another Sazerac distillery before being shipped to Bowman and redistilled. Look for notes of vanilla, apricot, black pepper, and spice on the palate.
Blue Run Blueprint Series ($70)
This new release takes the role of flagship bourbon for <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Blue+Run&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blue Run</a>, a brand owned by Molson Coors Beverage Company. It was blended by head of whiskey and innovation Shaylyn Gammon, combining two different mashbills&mdash;a wheated recipe and an experimental mashbill known as &ldquo;Founders' Mash&rdquo; (details are not revealed)&mdash;and bottled at 105 proof. This bourbon is meant to be sipped or used in a cocktail like an Old Fashioned, with notes of orchard fruit, vanilla, cinnamon, baking spice, and and toasted oak.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week</h3>
Cedar Ridge Pete &amp; Sherri Married &mdash; 2nd Anniversary ($100)
Do you give whiskey made in Iowa much thought? And no, I&rsquo;m not talking about Templeton Rye, which is actually making whiskey at its Iowa distillery after sourcing from MGP for many years (it still does that too, to be clear). But have you heard of Cedar Ridge Distillery? That name is a reason to pay attention to Iowa whiskey, because it&rsquo;s making some really good stuff, and the latest example is the third installment in the Pete &amp; Sherri Married series, which is part of its QuintEssential Special Release series. That&rsquo;s a lot of setup, so let&rsquo;s explain what this whiskey is all about.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/7402554b-da20-4539-96d8-71072fd22a0d.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Cedar Ridge"> 
Cedar Ridge makes different kinds of whiskey, but it excels in particular at making American single malt, which is what this new release is. The QuintEssential series focuses on this style, and for this release master blender Murphy Quint blended single malts aged from six to nine years together, and bottled it at cask strength of 116.8 proof (58.4% ABV), with no chill filtration and, of course, no color. The two main whiskeys in the blend are as follows: single malt made from two-row pale malted barley initially aged in ex-bourbon barrels from the distillery and then finished in Pedro Xim&eacute;nez and Oloroso sherry hogsheads; and peated malt whiskey initially matured in the distillery&rsquo;s bourbon barrels and then finished in amontillado sherry butts.
The result is a really complex and rich sipper, with notes of dried fruit, black pepper, creme brulee, ripe grapes and dried raisins, dark chocolate, and cinnamon. At nearly 117 proof, there&rsquo;s a flash of heat on the palate as you sip, ending with a lingering bit of warmth that lasts for a moment or so after the liquid is gone from your glass. If you like this whiskey, and I&rsquo;m pretty sure you will, there will be more to come, as the series continues to focus on different blends and cask finishes. In the meantime, give the rest of the Cedar Ridge lineup a try as well, and you may decide that Iowa whiskey is something you need to start paying more attention to.

The Week in Wine and Whiskey: May 1

What&rsquo;s happening in wine and whiskey this week:
<h3 dir="ltr">This Week&rsquo;s Unicorn Review Stories</h3>
🥃 Susannah Skiver Barton <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/julian-van-winkle-interview">interviewed Julian Van Winkle III</a> about <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Pappy+Van+Winkle&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pappy Van Winkle</a>, the infamous Jell-O shots, &ldquo;Poor Man&rsquo;s Pappy,&rdquo; and secondary market price inflation.
<h3 dir="ltr">New Bottle Releases</h3>
Star Hill Farm Whisky ($100)
<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Maker%E2%80%99s+Mark&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maker&rsquo;s Mark&rsquo;s</a> <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Star+Hill+Farm+Whisky&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Star Hill Farm Whisky</a> has returned for 2026. When it was first released last year, it was made from the distillery&rsquo;s first new mashbill in 70 years&mdash;actually, a blend of two mashbills: 100% malted wheat; and 70% wheat and 30% malted barley. The two were aged for seven to eight years, blended together, and bottled at 58.2% ABV, which is slightly higher than the first release. The whisky (Maker&rsquo;s spells it without the &ldquo;e&rdquo; like the Scots) is also Estate Whiskey certified and made from regeneratively grown grains. Look for notes of ripe fruit, dark chocolate, cherry syrup, maple, and vanilla on the palate.
Ardbeg Dolce ($110)
This single malt is <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Ardbeg&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ardbeg&rsquo;s</a> new Ardbeg Day release to celebrate the annual F&egrave;is &Igrave;le festival. Expect the typical intense smokiness that defines Ardbeg&rsquo;s whiskies, but there&rsquo;s a bit of sweetness in the mix as well due to the fact that this expression is a combination of whisky aged in bourbon barrels and whisky aged in Sicilian marsala dolce casks. Ardbeg Dolce is bottled at 47.8% and has notes of dark chocolate, soft smoke, salted nuts, and lemon rind on the palate.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week</h3>
New Riff Duet ($80)
<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=New+Riff&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Riff</a> is one of the very best new-school Kentucky distilleries, an independent operation that produces fantastic bottled-in-bond bourbon, rye, and American single malt whiskey. New Riff's latest release doesn&rsquo;t fall into any of those categories, however, but it&rsquo;s a superb new whiskey nonetheless that was made in collaboration with a local brewery called Rhinegeist.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/e9ccbf51-ccbb-4d4c-84ea-8d7f3c9fc1fd.png?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Nrd Duet Rhinegeist 4"> 
DUET American Whiskey was made from a mashbill of 57% malted barley, 37% raw barley, and 6% rye, so from the get-go this is not your usual whiskey (and notably one that doesn&rsquo;t meet the qualifications of an American single malt because of the mashbill). The &ldquo;majority&rdquo; of the whiskey was then aged in a combination of barrels&mdash;new American oak, Spanish Oloroso, and Pedro Ximenez sherry (unclear where the minority of the whiskey was aged)&mdash;before being blended together. That blend was then put into a foeder, a large oak vat typically used to ferment beer or wine, and then put back into used American oak barrels for a period of time. The final whiskey was aged for a minimum of six years and bottled at 111.2 proof.
And it&rsquo;s delicious, with notes of toasted nuts, dark and milk chocolate, ripe berries, dark roast espresso beans, orange candy, baked apple, and sherry spice on the palate. Once again, New Riff has come up with a really good, and really unique, whiskey that is truly worth hunting down. DUET American Whiskey is available now at New Riff&rsquo;s gift shop and select retailers in Ohio and Kentucky, and you can also find it being poured at The Aquifer Tasting Room at New Riff and at Rhinegeist&rsquo;s Tap Room.

The Week in Wine and Whiskey: April 24

What&rsquo;s happening in wine and whiskey this week:
<h3 dir="ltr">This Week&rsquo;s Unicorn Review Stories</h3>
🍷 Gamay Noir is an exciting red wine varietal, but one that&rsquo;s sometimes overlooked Vicki Denig <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/gamay-noir-red-wine">dove into the world of Gamay</a> to explain why it&rsquo;s worth seeking out.
🥃 Ted Simmons wrote about some recent spirits releases that are <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/world-cup-spirits-collaborations">tied to the upcoming World Cup</a>, and the potential value of the greater world of sports-spirits collabs moving forward.
<h3 dir="ltr">New Bottle Releases</h3>
Blue Note Special Reserve ($150)
This is the third release of this limited-edition whiskey from Memphis company B.R. Distilling. <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Blue+Note&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blue Note</a> Special Reserve is a blend of whiskey aged from five to 19 years that was aged in nine different casks: cognac, madeira, sherry, port, vino de Naranja, vanilla cognac, apricot brandy, cognac, and winter bock. The final blend was bottled at 119 proof, and official tasting notes describe notes of cedar, warming spice, dried apricot, allspice, peanut, and vanilla on the palate.
Gambit No. 6 ($70)
This is another whiskey that was finished in a large amount of casks&mdash;six, in this case. Gambit No. 6 is the second release from former <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Balcones&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Balcones</a> founder Chip Tate, who is now master distiller for innovation for Foley Family Wines &amp; Spirits. The whiskey started as six-year-old, low-rye Kentucky bourbon. 15 percent was finished for 19 months in Cabernet Sauvignon wine barrels. The remaining 85 percent was finished for three months in Chardonnay French oak, and that whiskey was then divided into oloroso sherry, Muscatel, apple brandy, and Tokaji barrels for 12 to 16 months more. The final blend has notes of cacao, sweet tobacco, and ripe fruit on the palate.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week</h3>
Talisker Magma 47-Year-Old ($5,250)
You may have seen this particular whisky gimmick before, as unlikely as it seems. A few years ago, <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Dewar%E2%80%99s&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dewar&rsquo;s</a> released Double Double Magma Stone, a 21-year-old blended scotch that was finished in French oak casks that were toasted with Icelandic magma rocks. Okay, so how exactly was that supposed to affect the whisky&rsquo;s flavor? The radiant heat from the rocks was meant to precisely control the way that the cask was toasted, which in turn would add some consistency to how the wood interacted with the whisky.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/4f57405e-eb7f-4d2f-a2bf-e266cc6a86cc.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Talisker Magma Bottle Serve">
Did it work? I remember that this was a good whisky, but I certainly can&rsquo;t say if that was because the cask was toasted with hardened lava or not. Still, Diageo&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Talisker&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Talisker</a> distillery seemed to have thought this was worth a try, because it just dropped a new 47-year-old single malt that was given a similar treatment. The whisky was initially matured in refill American hogsheads before being moved to American oak casks that were toasted with magma for four months. And not just any magma, but volcanic rocks from the Isle of Skye where the distillery is located, perhaps to give the whisky some rocky terroir, or maybe just to tie this gimmick together in a nice, neat bow.
Here&rsquo;s a little more about that process from the distillery press release: &ldquo;Replacing the traditional open-flame method, the rocks are heated before the barrels rotate around them, toasting the interior without direct contact with the staves. Steaming during the process keeps the cask hydrated and maintains a steady, controlled temperature. The absence of combustion brings out the taste of the fruit, developing notable depth and complexity.&rdquo; Again, I really can&rsquo;t say if any of that really had an effect upon the whisky or not, or rather what that effect actually was. But what I can say is that this is a very tasty ultra-aged single malt, with rich notes of old oak, soft smoke, sweet fruit, and rich and buttery vanilla. It&rsquo;s another good release from a distillery that consistently makes high-quality whisky, regardless of whether the cask was toasted with volcanic rock, moon rocks, or, someday, Martian rocks.
Talisker Magma 47-Year-Old is available in limited quantities, just 622 bottles total with 105 coming to the U.S., with a suggested retail price of $5,250.

The Week in Wine and Whiskey: April 17, 2026

Since the early 2000s, Gamay Noir has skyrocketed in popularity, and there are a few reasons why. First and foremost, Gamay, as it&rsquo;s known, is as easy to drink as it is to pronounce. Second, it&rsquo;s often produced using a very specific technique (carbonic maceration), which maintains a generous fruit profile and means the wines are enjoyed by a vast range of drinkers. Third, the grape has been embraced by those making low-intervention wine&mdash;that is, wines made without additions or manipulations.&nbsp;
I started drinking Gamay for two reasons. First, Pinot Noir from Burgundy was just getting to be too expensive, and these light-bodied but somewhat similar reds from nearby Beaujolais seemed like a solid replacement. Then I&nbsp; began working for the Paris Wine Company, an exporter with an epic Beaujolais portfolio; the more of these high-acid, fruit-forward wines I drank, the more I fell in love with them.
<h3 dir="ltr">Bright Over Bold</h3>
My trajectory with the grape is similar to that of many wine drinkers. When we first get into wine, we often gravitate towards the big, the bold, and the fruity&mdash;unsurprisingly, as our palates are wired to love all things ripe and sweet. However, as time goes on, our beloved bold wines can start to feel overpowering, and zesty, palate-cleansing acidity is what we crave. You know how kids tend to prefer sweets and candy at snacktime while adults favor salty potato chips? Kind of like that.&nbsp;
As wine drinkers gain experience, their palates generally begin to crave bright over bold. So Gamay becomes a great choice&mdash;though the grape hasn&rsquo;t always had it easy. The Beaujolais Nouveau fad of the 1980s did a number on the grape&rsquo;s reputation. Many wine drinkers, rightfully so, began to associate it with thin, characterless juice. Also, the simultaneous rise of Robert Parker&rsquo;s Wine Advocate&mdash;cue 100-point scores for ripe, overoaked, high-alcohol wines&mdash;was a PR nightmare for the variety.&nbsp;
But here&rsquo;s the truth: when produced thoughtfully, Gamay-based wines are simply magical. Their vibrant acidity makes them perfect for serving chilled and in their youth, yet serious examples can undeniably stand the test of time. Well-made Gamay shows such a distinct purity of fruit, like freshly squeezed juice mixed with sunshine; it&rsquo;s almost impossible not to become immediately captivated.
<h3>Global Gamay</h3>
As with any grape variety, place plays a major role in the flavor profile of wine, and Gamay is no exception. Gamay is grown worldwide&mdash;namely in France, the U.S. (Oregon, California), Switzerland, and Australia. However, the variety is especially synonymous with its Beaujolais, which thrives in the region&rsquo;s granite-based soils. Beyond the overarching Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages appellations, it&rsquo;s important to note that the region&rsquo;s best examples come from its 10 crus: St-Amour, Juli&eacute;nas, Ch&eacute;nas, Moulin-&agrave;-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, R&eacute;gni&eacute;, Brouilly, and C&ocirc;te de Brouilly. These areas have stricter quality regulations, along with higher-elevation vineyards and older vines, which often translates to better-quality juice in the bottle.&nbsp;
For those looking to get acquainted with the region, Domaine Jean Foillard Morgon ($34) is a great gateway. Foillard is best known as one of the key players in Beaujolais&rsquo; original &lsquo;Gang of Four,&rsquo; alongside Marcel Lapierre, Jean Guy Breton, and Jean-Paul Th&eacute;venet, who, during the 1980s, championed organic farming, natural winemaking, carbonic maceration, and little to no sulfur additions far before the practices were as fashionable as they are today.&nbsp;
Elisa Gu&eacute;rin, a producer I first got wind of via my work at Paris Wine Company, is another great example. Her ​​Moulin-&agrave;-Vent Les Thorins is a pure and precise example of how approachable-yet-serious Gamay from Beaujolais can be&mdash;it&rsquo;s juicy, bright, and all things strawberry and red candy, yet can perfectly hold its own against hearty foods on the table. Like Foillard, Guy Breton, vinifies his old vine bottling from the village of Morgon ($44) with semi-carbonic Gamay, though the concentration from the old vines in this cuv&eacute;e sends the fruit in a slightly riper, darker direction&mdash;black cherry and plum, though with a rustic, minerally finish.&nbsp;
Not all Gamay from Beaujolais uses carbonic maceration. On the contrary, a number of growers still prefer traditional fermentation, and these wines are likely better options for those who prefer a bit more body to their Gamay. Take Jean-Paul Brun at Domaine des Terres Dor&eacute;es for example. His Fleurie ($29) is vinified using destemmed fruit and traditional fermentation with native yeasts, then is matured in a combination of concrete tanks and used oak barrels. Deemed more &lsquo;Burgundian&rsquo; in style, the wine showcases a more structured side of Gamay, which certainly elevates its cellar-worthy potential.&nbsp;
Domestically, Oregon has become a source for thoughtful, delicious expressions of Gamay. Division Winemaking Co&rsquo;s 'Les Petits Fers' Gamay Noir ($28) is high-toned and crunchy, combining&nbsp; carbonic maceration and traditional fermentation in&nbsp; multiple formats&nbsp; (stainless steel, concrete, and neutral oak). The wine also showcases notes of violet, black tea, and pepper, which adds a layer of complexity&mdash;it&rsquo;s really a wine that punches far above its weight.&nbsp;
Brick House makes a Gamay Noir from Ribbon Ridge ($37), made from destemmed fruit and traditional, non-carbonic fermentation with wild yeasts. Fresh and savory, the wine&rsquo;s refined rusticity makes it a go-to option for those seeking something a bit juicier&mdash;think medium bodied and aromatic, but with notes of cinnamon, tea leaf, and star anise.&nbsp;
I&rsquo;ve seen many wine fads come and go, though Gamay&rsquo;s renaissance has stood firm&mdash;and rightfully so. Its innate juiciness, freshness, and crystalline fruit character are invigorating, like the way the sun feels on your skin during the earliest days of spring. I can&rsquo;t think of a time when I&rsquo;ve turned down a glass, especially if the weather is warm and the vibes are on point. If you&rsquo;re looking for something to spark joy, start here&mdash;I promise you can&rsquo;t go wrong.

A Guide to Gamay Noir—An Affordable and Complex Red Wine Worth Collecting

What&rsquo;s happening in wine and whiskey this week:
<h3 dir="ltr">This Week&rsquo;s Unicorn Review Stories</h3>
🍷 Jamal Rayyis wrote about the history of Chilean wine, <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/chilean-wine-guide">tracing its path from uniform supermarket shelf staple to the proliferation of interesting varieties</a> that exist today. He also offered some bottle recommendations for white, orange, and red wines from the region.
🥃 Maggie Kimberl <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/organic-whiskey-distilleries">tells the story of organic whiskey</a> by focusing on Journeyman, which operates a pair of craft distilleries in Michigan and Indiana where they produce some excellent&mdash;and 100 percent organic&mdash;whiskeys. There are also other brands making organic and regenerative whiskeys, including Maker&rsquo;s Mark which launched a partially regenerative wheat whiskey last year.
<h3 dir="ltr">New Bottle Releases</h3>
Hard Truth French Oak Finished Bourbon ($100)
Indiana distillery <a href="https://hardtruth.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hard Truth</a> is one of the best craft operations out there, a case that is proven once again with the release of this new French oak-finished bourbon. This whiskey is a blend of 23 barrels made from two different mashbills: one is 73 percent corn, 19 percent rye, eight percent malted barley; the other is 82 percent corn and 18 percent rye. The final blend was finished in French oak and bottled at 106.1 proof, revealing notes of toffee, candied fruit, and rye spice on the palate.
Bulleit Mesquite Smoked Malt ($50)
Popular whiskey brand <a href="https://www.bulleit.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bulleit</a>, which is owned by Diageo, launched this new experimental mashbill last month. It&rsquo;s made from 65 percent corn, five percent malted barley, and 30 percent mesquite-smoked malt&mdash;and, as you&rsquo;d expect, that last grain has really defined the character of the whiskey. Think savory barbecue notes intermingling with classic flavors of vanilla, maple, and honey, making this an interesting choice to use in a cocktail like an Old Fashioned to reveal smoky notes with no smoking required.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week</h3>
Chicken Cock Wheated Bourbon ($55)
When <a href="https://chickencockwhiskey.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chicken Cock</a> launched about a decade ago, most people had no idea what this new brand was and didn&rsquo;t necessarily pay much attention to it, aside from perhaps snickering at the name (it's okay, you can admit it). The brand traces its history back to 1850s Kentucky, and after moving to Canada for a time during Prohibition, it disappeared shortly after Repeal Day. Chicken Cock was revived in 2014 by Grain and Barrel Spirits, and since then there have been some hits and some misses&mdash;and some whiskeys that have been priced way too high, particularly in regards to cask finishes that you can find from other brands for much cheaper. This new bourbon, however, is both affordable and very tasty, which is why it&rsquo;s worth covering here.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/ab867d1f-b2fe-46ac-9035-cf86eada41e4.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Chicken Cock Wheated"> 
This is the first wheated bourbon for Chicken Cock, meaning wheat is used instead of rye as the secondary flavoring grain. Specifically, the mashbill is 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley, putting it just above brands like <a href="https://www.garrisonbros.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Garrison Brothers</a> and <a href="https://www.makersmark.com/en-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maker&rsquo;s Mark</a> in terms of wheat percentage. It was distilled at <a href="https://www.bardstownbourbon.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bardstown Bourbon Company</a>, aged for five years, and bottled at 94 proof (both a good age and strength for a whiskey at this price point). But most importantly, it&rsquo;s a really decent sipper that I have been returning to over and over again, despite having pretty low expectations when I first opened the bottle.
As a wheated bourbon, you should expect some sweetness on the palate, but this is never overpowering. Overall, Chicken Cock Wheated is just very classic in character, with notes of brown sugar, cherry, orange peel, maple, and vanilla that pop as you sip. That higher proof gives the whiskey a bit of heat, a welcome feature given the subtle sweetness to the palate, and one that makes it work quite well in a cocktail&mdash;try this whiskey in an Old Fashioned, and you will be pleased with the results.
Hopefully Chicken Cock continues to focus on simpler whiskeys like this one, with only the occasional dalliance into expensive cask-finished expressions. I am looking forward to seeing what the brand releases next, and plan on revisiting some past releases to see how they stand up.

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