One of the most discussed topics in the world of spirits is certainly the marketing dimension. Especially when it comes to the design of bottle labels or packaging, opinions differ widely. The number of people who appreciate information that is more transparent and prefer labels with an almost natural-scientific appearance seems to be growing steadily. Read More →

When you think of American whiskey, you will probably think primarily of Bourbon – and then of nothing else for a while. Most people will also know Tennessee Whiskey, which became internationally famous mainly because of Jack-Daniel’s and since 2013 it is also officially more than just a mere marketing term opposed to Bourbon. Finally, Canadian Whiskey, the re-emerging Rye Whiskeys and the like will follow. Why am I telling this? Well, today I have a very beautifully designed bottle in front of me that is – as rumor has it – something like a Tennessee-Bourbon hybrid. Read More →

Until the present day, I only had positive experiences with rum from the French bottler Compagnie des Indes. I already reviewed the Compagnie des Indes Caribbean 10 & Dominidad 15, as well as the Compagnie des Indes Jamaica 5 Years Old Navy Strength here on the blog and was convinced every single time. Of course, Compagnie des Indes rums are not all the same and behind every bottling there is a story and intention of its own, but “CdI” was definitely able to create trust in what they are doing among many rum lovers, including myself. Read More →

Today I am happy to have another Scotch Single Malt Whisky in front of me. Especially because it’s been quite a while since I reviewed the last one. My passion for spirits basically started with single malts, although it was a particular gin that was right at the beginning. Nevertheless: as a category, Scotch has been my personal aha experience. According to today’s bottle, you might not immediately know what kind of whisky the Port Askaig is when you’re only dealing with the matter occasionally. However, I hope I can change that in the following. Read More →

I had already announced it and today I would like to deliver: I am talking about a cocktail recipe suitable for the Huizache Origen Tequila. In fact, I do not need many words here, because in the end, the recipe of the drink speaks for itself and everyone who appreciates my taste inspiration for this drink will hopefully enjoy it. Read More →

Today there is once again a rum in the centre of my attention. However, this is a truly unusual bottling, which certainly does not meet the criteria one would expect from a “mainstream rum”. The bottle belongs to the portfolio of the renowned bottler Habitation Velier and it has aroused my interest right from the start. I am talking about the Habitation Velier Forsyths 151 Proof White from the Worthy Park Distillery in Jamaica. Read More →

The German tequila market has certainly been a quite lively one in recent years – gradually, a significantly increased awareness of quality characteristics and differences has developed among many consumers and accordingly has set the market in motion. Well-known manufacturers have expanded their product ranges, traditional brands that were previously unavailable in Germany have found their way to Europe and completely new ones have emerged. Read More →

Today I don’t want to spend much time talking; instead I’d like to introduce a drink that I liked very much (a little bit surprisingly) and which I can only recommend to everyone. It’s not really a drink of my own, it’s more of a modification of a modification. Read More →

The days when Japanese whisky was still considered an insider tip are long gone. Rather, “Japanese whisky” has risen to become its own premium brand, so to speak, and “made in Japan” has become a firm sales guarantee. Well, also the Chugoku Jozo distillery near Hiroshima benefits from this, having already expanded its product range in the 1990s to include whisky besides their traditional focus on Shochu. However, not everything here is as it seems. Read More →

Yes, today it is actually once again about vodka. This might surprise some readers of my blog because whenever I did vodka reviews here in the past – despite some quite positive surprises in the taste profiles – my overall impression remained rather subdued. Of course: there are qualitative differences, but these are mostly so subtle that only those who highly concentrate and pay attention to even the most volatile nuances will find them. And here, of course, the critical question is allowed: who does that in “everyday life”? Exactly: almost nobody. Read More →

A few months ago, I already wrote about “Burgen Drinks” in the course of my article about the Burgen Gin and the fruity “Smooth & Green” cocktail. It is a German spirits brand founded by the entrepreneur Kai Hofmann, which produces their spirits in the so-called Schlitzer Korn- und Edelobstbrennerei. Today I want to review another bottle from this series. Read More →

Gin and whisky are of course two very different animals. However, in the eyes of many whisky manufacturers, a real love affair seems to have developed when it comes to the classic juniper distillate. The reasons are certainly quite simple: Gin can be produced much faster than whisky and is a good guarantor of income – especially for young distilleries whose whiskies have to mature for some time before they can be sold under this name. Read More →

Whoever is doing some research about the production of rum will more or less immediately read about the Caribbean. Most likely, you will find a lot of information about the production of sugar cane, the historical roots of rum as a waste product, the distinction between molasses rum and rhum agricole made from sugar cane juice and so on. In recent times, the focus has increasingly been on special yeast strains, some of which have been used consistently for centuries to trigger the fermentation process of sugar cane juice or molasses. Another subject in many books about rum are various filtration techniques. Well, today it’s once again about Clairin from the island state of Haiti in addition to classic rum and rhum. Read More →

Almost exactly one and a half years ago I’ve written a few articles about the G. Rozelieures Whiskys from the distillery Grallet Dupic located in the French village of Rozelieures in Lorraine. To be honest, I was quite positively surprised by the quality of these smoky continental whiskies at that time, since they didn’t have that certain resemblance to fruit eau de vies a lot of continental whiskys bring with them (which you don’t really want that much in a single malt whisky). And that was not only the case due to their peated character. Read More →

It’s been quite a while since I specifically wrote about Absinthe in this blog. There is actually no special reason for this break, except maybe that Absinthe is more of a niche product and in cocktails it is rarely the main actor in a drink. Nevertheless, hardly anyone would dare not recognizing absinthe as what it is: one of the most traditional and elementary ingredients in any bar assortment. Read More →

If you are interested in cocktails and their history, it will not take long until you stumble upon stories about the American prohibition and other prohibition laws. However, hardly any other law has had such a significant influence on the spirits market and the way cocktails are mixed as the 18th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America had. The law was in force between 1920 and 1933. On many bar menus around the globe there are even categories like Pre-Prohibition, Prohibiton and Post-Prohibition era cocktails. Each with their own focus and distinguishing features. Read More →

Hardly any other ascent has been as meteoric as the rise of Japanese whisky in recent years. In 2014 it was the Yamazaki single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 that established the record of 97.5 out of 100 points in Jim Murray’s famous “Whisky Bible” and set off a veritable avalanche. The result was a significant rise in prices accompanied by an equally significant shortage of stocks (you don’t have to be an expert on economics to understand this relationship). The effects are still evident today. Read More →

Vodka has become an almost polarizing type of spirit. Before (and also during the very beginning) of nowadays cocktail renaissance, vodka was, so to speak, the “No. 1 mixing spirit” – which it still is in many establishments of the mass gastronomy or, for example, in large discotheques that emphasize sophistication and drinking culture a little less. However, in the meantime, something has happened to vodka: a development, which is attracting increasing attention. Read More →

The name Luca Gargano enjoys an incredible reputation in the world of rum and his word and expertise are not only in demand, but also for many it is a guarantee of quality and liquid joy. The mastermind and founder of the Italian bottler and importer Velier has played a decisive role in shaping the rum market with various single cask and vintage bottlings – especially in the upmarket and high-end segment. Therefore, it is no wonder there is even some advertising done with his name. Read More →

Arrack or Arrak (a uniform spelling does not really exist here unfortunately) is often named the oldest spirit of the world. To what extent this really corresponds to the truth is controversial. However, it is very well proven that it may be an aspirant for the title of the oldest spirit, considering the fact that already in the 2nd millennium B.C. Arrak was produced in India. Be that as it may, in the present Arrak is undoubtedly a beautiful enrichment of the range of spirits available. Read More →

First of all, I wish all readers a happy new year 2019! Moreover, I’m entering 2019 here on the blog in a Japanese way. Once again, I would like to deal with Japanese bottlings, which recently found their way to me and which are expanding the range of Japanese products available. These are several bottles bearing the name Île Four, which at first sounds little Japanese. Read More →

Independent bottlers enjoy a vast popularity among spirits lovers. Especially in the rum sector, many connoisseurs love the chance to get a rum into their glasses that – provided they trust the independent bottler and the product transparency – promises a more genuine (and unadulterated) experience than the official bottlings of some countries and brands would ever do. One of these quite popular bottlers comes from France: the Compagnie des Indes series. Read More →

It has been quite a while since I wrote about the Windspiel Gin from the German Eifel region. The special feature of the company behind this product, the Windspiel Manufaktur GmbH, is the potato base, which is also reflected in the taste profile and mildness of the distillate. And while the Windspiel Gin has always convinced me until the present day, I now want to take a closer look at a bottle that takes a slightly different path. Read More →

With more than a decade of unbroken enthusiasm for gin, the ancestor of the British juniper distillate is increasingly coming to the fore. And this is no other than the genever from the Netherlands. When English soldiers came into contact with this spirit during the Eighty Years’ War, the basis for the later development of gin on the island was laid. However, the whole story has been told so often that I don’t want to go through it again today. Read More →

The classic Martini Cocktail has never really had an easy time in Germany. Although it is also known as the “King of Cocktails” in the English-speaking world, where it is linked to countless anecdotes and where almost philosophical currents have developed around the question of how to prepare it the right way. In German-speaking countries, it still takes a backseat to what it should be. Read More →

Lately I have mentioned on varios occasions that South and Central American rums are often subject of debates. In my recent article about the Mexican Ron El Prohibido 15 I did criticize the practice of adding sugar or even so called “softeners” like glycerine to the rum (while not declaring it publicly). Against this background, external or independent bottlers are a very good way of approaching rum from these nations from a different angle. Read More →