The flavor of iris in wine of Primorje

When you have an idea that, in your first flush of inspiration, you think deserves to get beyond the breakfast table, you run straight into the modern dilemma. Is it a Tweet? Is it one for Facebook or Instagram? Should you just try it out on your nearest and dearest, or is there a book in it? A slim volume, or does it need several tomes to expound its profundity? My trade being what it is, and royalties being as modest as they are these days, I’ve rather given up on books. Writing new ones, that ...

With climate change becoming an increasingly serious topic for the spirits industry to tackle, so too comes a greater level of awareness amongst consumers that brands should be doing more in relation to the environmental footprints they leave behind globally. Every element, from the cultivation of raw materials, to the composition and distribution of finished glass bottles is now under tighter scrutiny. This year’s Earth Day, a celebration of climate awareness, held on 22 April (founded back in ...

Whisky is emphatically a product of place. The flavours in the glass conjure images of the spirit’s origin, from an Islay malt’s distinctive peat smoke to the exotic perfume of a Japanese blend. Traditionally, however, that local accent is lost when spirit is filled into cask. The vast majority of Scotch malts and blends, for example, are matured in oak sourced from thousands of miles away, and previously used to age bourbon or Sherry. Some whiskies might venture into more exotic territory. Thin ...