“Single malt” sounds as though it ought to mean one barrel, one batch, or perhaps one particularly distinguished grain. It means none of those
Continue ReadingVodka Explained: Raw Materials, Neutral Spirits, and Flavor
If vodka is associated with neutrality, why do labels spend so much time talking about grain, potato and the number of distillations? The question
Continue ReadingCognac Explained: Grapes, Double Distillation, and VS, VSOP, and XO
A bottle marked XO can contain spirit older than ten years. A bottle marked VSOP can contain spirit older than four. The letters aren’t misleadi
Continue ReadingHow Spirits Get Their Flavor: Oak Ageing, Blending, Sweetening, and Botanicals
A newly distilled spirit can be colourless and already full of aroma. Years later, another spirit may be amber, vanilla-scented and quite differen
Continue ReadingPot Stills vs. Column Stills: How Distillation Works
A copper pot still looks rather like a large kettle with architectural ambitions. A column still can look like part of a refinery. It’s tempting
Continue ReadingHow Spirits Are Made: Raw Materials, Sugar Conversion, and Fermentation
A grape can offer yeast a meal almost straight from the press. A grain of barley makes yeast wait. Both can become the starting point for a spirit
Continue ReadingHow to Understand and Describe Spirits: A WSET Level 1 Beginner’s Guide
Put a clear vodka beside an amber whisky and a fragrant gin. They share an essential piece of machinery: somewhere in their story, a still concent
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