Through the 18th and 19th Century Irish whiskey went from strength to strength, but at the beginning of the 20th century, legislation enacted across the sea in the United States practically brought the whiskey industry in Ireland to its knees.  The United States was the biggest international market for Irish whiskey, and that country's enactment of prohibition forced the steals to stop and the distilleries that housed them often to close their doors.  One such distillery was JJ McConnell's,...

Nearly 43 years ago, a mass immigration of Cubans travelled from Mariel Harbor near Havana to the United States, known as the Mariel Boatlift.  The exodus, which happened over several months, saw more than 125,000 Cubans make the journey across the Florida Straits.  One of those people was a six-year-old girl, Janet Diaz-Bonilla, who travelled with her parents towards a new life. But it was a journey that would impact not only Janet's life, but also, the fabric of her adopted...

You may not think that liquids can tell stories, but when you look at Laure like Sorel, which has basically traveled from West Africa through the Caribbean, into Harlem, and then across the river to Red Hook, you can bet that there are some stories to tell.  There are stories of commerce both through the slave and spice trade.  There are stories of tradition as displaced peoples kept the original sorrow liquid alive, and there are stories of migration as many went to New York seeking a...

While you might think the use of hemp and cannabis for medical use is fairly new, it has a long history that goes back centuries.  In the 1800s in the United States, although they weren't called that at that stage, physicians started to prescribe hemp-derived concoctions for all sorts of maladies and afflictions, and elixirs could be readily purchased in general stores.  But then came the 20th century with its inclination to basically prohibit everything. And hemp and cannabis products...

When you think of agave spirits, your mind naturally goes to places like Lesko and its surrounding areas in Mexico.  But what if, instead, it went a little further north of the border? That is what mean mule distilling wants your mind to do when you think of the agave spirits that they are producing in Kansas City, Missouri, located slap bang in the Heart of America.  Mean Mule was born of generations of distilling tradition, but this time all above board and legal and with a whole new...

While you might have heard of the Spirit Pisco, there's a fair chance that you don't really know a lot.  Sure, you might know that Pisco is basically a young brandy. You might even know that it's mainly produced in Peru or Chile.  But you probably didn't know that there are eight approved grape varietals that range in taste from pepper and smoke to almond and roasted walnut.  You also probably didn't know that there are five different Pisco growing regions with 42 valleys and over 500...

We're all used to whiskey being made from barley, corn, rye, and even wheat. But what about rice?  Rice is the world's third most abundant cereal crop, and yet historically, you would be hard-pressed to find a whiskey distiller that used it as the base of their spirits outside of Japan.  But recently, that has all changed. Distillers like Louisiana-based JT Meleck are amongst a small number of US producers who are crafting a contemporary image of what rice whiskey can offer.  And the...

Whether you grew up with one or only read about them in books, secret gardens have always promised a world of possibilities. And there is one such secret garden at the foot of the Pentland Hills on the outskirts of Edinburgh that fulfils some of that promise by not only providing a refuge for nature but also a location to distil gin. Rooted in nature, Secret Garden Distillery was conceived as a place where nature would not only allow the brand to create liquids, seed to sip, but also inspire...

As happens when any particular spirit booms, the US saw a barrage of sourced whiskey come onto the market when the interest in Bourbon began to peak. But one brand, Old Elk, decided to turn sourcing on its head.  They went, as a lot of sourced Bourbon brands had before them, to the massive Lawrenceberg, Indiana distillery, MGP but rather than just accept a little bit of tweaking on the liquid, they engaged Master Distiller Greg Metze to create a whole new mash bill.  That collaboration would...

Many of us have heard stories about property or businesses that our not-too-distant ancestors owned, and if you have, you probably thought, ‘what a shame that got closed down or sold', but what if you could resurrect the past and re-establish what had been lost?  This is exactly what the descendants of P&H Egan, an old Irish Whiskey brand from Tullamore, in county Offaly, decided to do.  Known to produce some of the finest Irish whiskey in the world for over 100 years, Egan’s (which...

As the summer in the Northern hemisphere progresses, most of us will at some stage, indulge in an aperitivo hour or even afternoon with friends and family.  The perfect time to unwind, the aperitivo moments are ideal for socialising as they are light, refreshing, and come with a low ABV.  And to make the moments more special, the Cucielo brand denoted with its brilliant blue migrating cuckoo has just introduced a new expression, a dry Vermouth di Torino that embodies all the flavour and...

When you think of New Zealand, you probably think of extensive green hills and forests full of lush vegetation. But Mark Simmonds, one of the three founders of Broken Shed would also like you to think about the purity that can be achieved in a distilled Vodka.  Launching in 2009, Broken Shed has brought the future to Vodka drinkers around the globe and shown that with a little New Zealand ingenuity an amazing liquid can be created from only three ingredients (two of which are water).  We...

When creating a distilled spirit, it is usual to start either with an established spirit type or with flavour, but when Seth O’Malley and Brad Whiting created Wilderton they approached it from a very different standpoint.  Starting instead with a layering of botanicals, that could not be easy identified as any particular flavour, the friends wanted to create a liquid that would function as a spirit without trying to be an already existing one. The result is their two expressions, Lustre and...

In recent years, many vodka distilleries have relied on the marketing buzzwords such as clean, crisp, and pure, but there are few that can back up these claims as fully as Reyka vodka.  Distilled on the west coast of Iceland in the shadows of the majestic Mt. Hafnarfjall. The distillery is part of a land like no other, a land of Vikings, volcanoes and crystal glacier waters.  To find out more, we talked to US brand ambassador Trevor Schneider, about stills, geothermal power and flavour in...

While a lot of us did drink perhaps a little more than we should have during the pandemic, the real winner from our time of isolation was the non alcoholic drinks industry.  Already picking up steam before COVID, the sale of non alcoholic beverages has skyrocketed over the last 18 months.  One relatively new brand to the market but one that has definitely been making an impact is Everleaf, a complex and captivating range of non alcoholic aperitifs based in the UK.  To find out more about...

In the world of cocktails, it's usually the spirits and the liqueurs that tend to get all the love.  But as anyone who has made drinks knows, it's the syrups and mixes that are often the true stars of the show. But taking the flavour profile of your drinks up to the next level with a flavoured syrup is often more difficult than that sounds.  Going through the rigamarole of having to find the ingredients and ensure consistency means that it's simply easier to turn to a pre-made syrup.  One...

The US craft distillation movement has come a long way in recent years, especially for gin. No longer seen as the lesser of the white spirits, US gin is contributing not only to the conversation but also to the glass.  Unlike many other spirits... I'll start that again. Unlike many other spirits, gin is in the unique position to be able to capture the true sense of place through the use of local botanicals. It is a liquid that can express the essential character and spirit of a particular...

For many, the process of creating an outstanding whisky is akin to a religious experience. And that could easily be the analogy you use when describing the processes put in place by Waterford Distillery in Ireland.  Although Single Malts are best known from the Scottish side of the industry, Ireland has been producing outstanding examples for centuries.  Laying down their first liquid in 2015, Waterford may be a newcomer to the field but they believe the unwavering level of craftsmanship they...

For many of us, the idea of distilling gin is a mix of alchemy and mysticism. But for Dr Anne Brock, the head distiller at Bombay Sapphire, it is pure science and sensory memory.  As the latest custodian for the brand, Brock has spent the last four years leading a team of 16 distillers at the brand's Laverstoke Mill Distillery but maintaining the core expression, while adding in innovation, isn't always easy.  We talked to Brock about creativity, agility, and adding a little personality to...

When you think of Wyoming, you probably think of towering mountain peaks, wild rivers, and wide-open plains. It is a land of National Parks, of prairies and of cowboys. It is big sky country. But near the centre of the state, near a little town called Kirby, this land is also gaining a reputation for bourbon. And while this liquid will seem familiar, it is not your typical Kentucky bourbon, but instead of liquid that reflects its environment.  It is a whiskey that's true to the land from...

It would be quite easy to say that Alexandre Gabriel has a unique sense about spirits. Not only did he take Maison Ferrand, a dormant Cognac house and turn it around, but he's also created some of the most iconic brands in a variety of spirit categories.  One of the most notable is Citadelle Gin.  Created in the mid-'90s, Citadelle was a front runner in the craft gin movement and set an example that raised the bar for the category, an example that many have tried to follow.  Although...

In the history of cocktails, we've spent more time trying to mask the taste of spirits than we have actually celebrating them. But recently the intricate marriage of unexpected flavours has not only become fundamental to cocktail making, but also to the distillation of the various spirits we put in these drinks. Add to that, the number of techniques that bartenders have borrowed from the kitchen. And it's surprising that we've not seen more chefs, not only behind the bar but also beside the...

Out of all the spirits categories, you wouldn't think that whiskey would be one that would need to be classified as misunderstood.  Yet, childhood friends, JD and Chris found that their favourite spirit was indeed much maligned by their friends who didn't find the spirit very approachable.  So the pair started Misunderstood in an attempt to try and bring their friends around with the perfect blend of complexity and drinkability. Starting the brand with no more experience in the industry than...

When most people think of Japanese spirits, they often think of sake, but it is in fact shochu that is the national spirit of Japan.  Outselling sake in Japan for the past decade, shochu is a clean, crisp white spirit that is rich in flavour that has been distilled and drunk in Japan since the 16th century.  Iichiko, has been Japan’s best-selling shochu producer for the past 30 years or so, which makes sense as the word literally means “it is good”.  Although shochu is unique among spirits in...

With a journey that starts in the sugar fields of Venezuela, the various expressions of Diplomatico Rum are infused with a rich heritage, so as to achieve a blend, that is a perfect balance of flavours and aromas.  But the story of this rum is as much about family as it is about the liquids themselves. And it's not just about the families that produce it, but also the sense of family that is forged when the cocktails this rum can create a shared amongst your own family and friends. To find...