In 2012, I had the opportunity to travel to Japan for the first and only time so far. Even back then, it was clear to me that the impressions I would gather on this trip would last as vivid memories for the rest of my life. Japan is a multi-facetted and fascinating country that also offers a level of cultural sophistication that is second to none. This is especially true when talking about the old imperial city of Kyoto, which is the breathtaking historical heart of the country with its temples, Buddhist schools, Shinto shrines, gardens and surrounding nature. Read More →

Whenever I’m moderating a gin tasting, I am faced with the difficult question of the right choice of gins. In the end, it all depends very much on what you want to achieve with the tasting: Should it be about the widest possible range of different gin styles and tastes? Should the focus perhaps be more on the subtleties of different London dry gins? Are you restricting yourself to the label “Dry Gin” and taking a middle course? Making the right decision is not always easy. Read More →

Today we are talking about something “forbidden”: The El Ron Prohibido. Of course, it is no longer forbidden, but it looks back on a story that explains the strange name. Originally, this molasses distillate was produced in Mexico and from there it was shipped via the Cuban capital Havana to Spain. Because the rum was so successful that Spanish spirits producers were affected, the Spanish king banned the rum without further ado. At least that’s what the marketing story tells us. Read More →

Ireland and whiskey obviously belong together. Although Ireland has one of the highest alcohol taxes in Europe, there’s hardly anything so closely associated with the island in the west of England, apart from Guinness, butter, the color green and the four-leafed clover. But the history of Irish whiskey is a very changeable one and among many whiskey connoisseurs the reputation of the Irish “water of life” is not as good as you might think. Read More →

Cuban rum enjoys an excellent reputation. Not only in the USA, where in particular the Havana Club brand sums up the limited availability of rum from the socialist Caribbean island. Among the Spanish-speaking rum nations, Cuba is regarded as an exemplary, solid and classic producing country. Reliable and strict rum legislation therefore guarantees quality and explicitly prevents the addition of any artificial flavourings. And even if the addition of sugar is not explicitly excluded, it is not the rule. Read More →

Among the many new releases in the bar segment, it is sometimes really not easy to keep track of things. Although I regularly read print magazines and other blogs, browse through forums and groups in the social networks, have conversations in bars and at trade fairs and so on ad nauseam, I also occasionally happen to make one or two discoveries. When and how I first came upon the product series to be reviewed here today, I unfortunately forgot. But I do remember that it really stood out. Read More →

Today I have a tough row to hoe – in several respects. Because today I’m writing about a product that belongs to a category which I have not dealt with here until now, which is still relatively unknown in Europe and, on top of that, represents a real challenge to me. And the topic “Baijiu” is gigantic (while my first contact with Baijiu was gigantically bad). Read More →

And today we are once again talking about a Tequila. A Sierra Tequila, to be precise. Anyone getting a shock now while nervously starting to look around for traces of salt and lemon can calm down and have a look on my article about the Sierra Milenario Fumado Tequila, which I published two weeks ago. In contrast to the slightly smoky Fumado, which reminds more than just a little bit of a Mezcal, today we are dealing with a mature quality. Read More →

People think in stereotypes. This is perhaps a somewhat sweeping way to put it (and therefore may even seem like a self-fulfilling prophecy), but a certain tendency towards pigeonholing certainly cannot be completely denied. And of course this does not stop when it comes to spirits. Read More →

Just this morning I once again came across another written swan song on gin in the social networks. The fact that this kind of predictions still lead to discussions at all, surprises me a lot to be honest. Such prognoses seem to have become an undying echo, which is permanently there since years. Like a background noise that doesn’t stand out any more. (provided test product)* Read More →

It has been a little more than two weeks since I wrote about the Veritas White Blended Rum from Habitation Velier. In the course of this article, I dealt with the common but more or less hidden practice of maturing white rums and finally was able to convince myself of the “truth” of the Veritas rum. In addition, anyone who has read the article will know that I was really enthusiastic about this rum. Now, my expectations are very high again, because the bottle I have in front of me today also comes from the Hampden Distillery. Read More →

Even though there are many different changes, which the bar world has undergone during the last few years, one of them is certainly the rise of the Mexican spirits Tequila and Mezcal. Admittedly, the reality in Germany and most other European countries is far from being the same as in the USA and it is also far behind the ever-present prophecies predicting both spirits a shining bright future, but at least the name Mezcal has become known to more and more people. Read More →

The international spirits market has changed a lot during the last decades. Of course, people also have enjoyed drinking spirits in the past and thus have generated a solid demand for it, but it is the premium segment in particular that is changing into an increasingly important part of the market. There are premium spirits springing up like mushrooms in every nook and cranny and the enthusiasm of the people seems to be unbroken. Last but not least, this blog is also an example of the described development. And when I think of spirits that are sprouting from the ground, I almost automatically think of gin. Read More →

La Escondida: the hidden or the concealed – that’s a name for a spirit that makes you curious to know more! In addition, the very appealing label of this bottle does its part: there is a mermaid whose face is strongly reminiscent of the aesthetics of Día de Muertos: with one hand in her hip, she holds a copita full of Mezcal in the outstretched other. Read More →

Rum is considered by many to be the most global of all spirits. And this is certainly not a pie in the sky, but the result of lacking or hardly existing regulations on a supranational level. Of course, many states have their own legislation on rum production and there are also supranational regulations such as the European Union’s classification framework. However, there is no real regional limitation, while sugar cane is growing not only in the Caribbean. Read More →

Anyone who enters the world of quality spirits will inevitably be exposed to some basic information very soon. For example, the difference between matured and unmatured spirits (often simply described as white and brown spirits). Of course, this is especially true for the types of spirits that are widely available in both qualities: matured and unmatured. And among these distillates, rum is by far the largest and best known. In this context, it might surprise some people that the term “unmatured” is not correct in most cases. Read More →

New Orleans probably plays the most important and most prominent role in the history of American cocktail culture (and thus also of global cocktail culture). Sazerac, Vieux Carré, the original form of Milk Punches, Brandy Crusta, Boulevardier and many others were created in New Orleans for the first time or are at least suspected to come from this capital of the South. No wonder then, it sometimes seems to have become a real seal of quality if a drink originated in New Orleans. Read More →

Well, today is the day and I dare to review a bottle of gin again. This may sound a bit irritating now, because I really appreciate a good gin, but of course, it has not been possible to ignore the fact of the sheer endless mass of new appearing juniper distillates we have to deal with since a lot of years. One of these gins is the V-Sinne (German for “five senses”) gin from the Black Forest. Read More →

The arbitrary nature of time – what a name for a cocktail! “I mean, have you ever really thought about it?” that’s what Maksym Pazuniak asks in his absolutely fantastic recipe booklet “beta cocktails.” which he published together with Kirk Estopinal. Well, and because the title of this cocktail is such a fit occasion, today I will do something that I would normally not: take up the question (tongue-in-cheek). Read More →

The name Havana Club very likely triggers some predictable associations in most people: for many it is even the epitome of rum, ubiquitous in supermarket shelves, bars and discos. Most of these people will probably also think of some of the most famous rum cocktails: the Cuba Libre, the notorious rum and coke or also the Daiquiri. Nevertheless, most will not necessarily think of premium rum of so-called “sipping quality”. Read More →

Bourbon whiskey is probably more in the spotlight now than it has ever been. However, this is less due to the fact that the spirit miraculously gained a fan base twice as big as the current one (although sales figures are developing well and more and more people are actually also interested in high-quality bourbon in Europe), but above all due to the smouldering trade and customs conflict between the USA and the European Union. Fortunately, however, this has not yet led to significantly higher consumer prices. Read More →

Gedankenexperiments are often used to illustrate certain principles. This is not only the case with science or basic philosophical research, but of course also in everyday life. They are also often used to express certain personal feelings – you know the question what the one item would be to take with you to the lonely island? Well, today I would also like to state something similar: “If I had to decide immediately for a rum style and should no longer drink any other rum, I would definitely choose Rhum Agricole”. Read More →

Well, today I don’t really have much to say or to tell. I just have a cocktail, which I would like to present here (ok, that might sound a bit like business as usual after all). A few days ago I received guests and knew that they were not really experienced when it comes to spirits or cocktails in general. Nevertheless, I was asked for an “exotic” cocktail. Read More →

Today it’ll be classic! Moreover, when I say this, I think of a certain reputation that Scotch Single Malt whisky has among spirit lovers as well as my personal biography concerning Scotch. In fact, Scotch Single Malt was my personal starter that made me enter the world of high-quality spirits and to this day, I have not lost my enthusiasm for that kind of whisky. Read More →

Celtic rites, green hills and dense forests, rugged coasts, bagpipes, druids and witch magic… Guess what country I am talking about here… exactly: Spain!
Anyone who now thinks I am crazy has definitely not yet been to a special part of Spain that is surprisingly largely unknown to the majority of Spain tourists coming from abroad: Galicia. Read More →

It is not always easy being a friend of handcrafted and quality spirits. There is simply a gigantic supply of different bottles out there and so the decision for the right drink at the right moment can be overwhelming: What do I want exactly in this moment? What matches the ambience? What about the season or the weather? Would I prefer something light and floral or better something strong? Even Smoky? Sometimes life can be very tough. Read More →