Ross MacPherson

English Spirits growth in English rum

It’s been a long time coming thanks to Covid and local opposition, but English Spirit’s new distillery in Cornwall is about to open.  This isn’t just a case of increasing quantity, but in taking English rum to places it has never gone before. Like a kid let loose with a Christmas chemistry set, master distiller…

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Making a Mark | Bimber Distillery

What’s it like being the hottest ticket in town? Just ask London’s Bimber Distillery. They laid their first casks down on the 26th May 2016 and went on to release their inaugural single malt whisky three years later in September of 2019. The limited release of 1,000 hand numbered bottles sold out in 3 hours, and…

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Getting mellow with CBD

From the big players such as Diageo to the small independents, spirit manufacturers are seeing low-to-no alcoholic spirits as being here for the long haul. But there is a major problem with all of them – it’s not like drinking the real thing. People have been enjoying purposely fermented drinks for at least 9,000 years….

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Old Mother Hunt Rum | Doing rum their way

Matt Hunt was a pilot for Flybe; being a commercial pilot was all that he ever wanted to be. For wife Rebecca, along with caring for two small children, Matt’s varying hours made it impossible for her to find work. But she knew how much Matt loved to fly, what pinning on those gold wings…

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At the Crossip of drink

Pity those who toil in producing a low-to-no alcohol spirit. Shunned by guilds, ignored by pub buyers and placed higgledy-piggledy by supermarket shelf stackers, there’s no wonder consumers are confused by what low-to-no is all about. Part of the problem, however, has been that the makers of low-to-no seem to have forgotten in their quest…

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Thoughts of a modern whisky baron

Jake Sharpe is not who you’re expecting when you meet the Whisky Baron. To be fair, that’s not what he calls himself, it’s the name of his whisky bottling company. But when you look at The Whisky Baron’s label, back at Sharpe, then back at the bottle and it is hard not to think there…

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It’s not all clear in selecting your bottle

Once the only thing that mattered was the liquid inside the bottle – not the bottle itself. While some of the big players had distinct bottles, nothing stood out unless you consider that tall, now dust-covered bottle of Galliano on the back of the pub shelf, once used for making 1970s classic Harvey Wallbangers. But…

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Fraud hitting home

While you would think that the real money in crime is found in illegal drugs, criminals make more money through fraudulent food. And, part of food fraud involves spirits, wine and even beer. When most of us think of illegal spirits, what springs to mind are stories we see in the tabloids, such as a…

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Stunning bottle reflects gin inside

There is more to the story of the UK’s newest gin distillery than the glass bottle the gin comes in. When Nick Malaczynki created Shivering Mountain Distillery in the Peak District, he had numerous goals in mind. He wanted to distill a gin which was smooth enough to drink straight or on the rocks. He…

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Understanding your cask

It’s a debate that’s probably been going on since 350 BCE when a Celt invented the wooden barrel: Just how much flavour comes from the cask? With conservative estimates putting the magic that goes inside the wooden staves at 70 percent – or higher – not understanding casks is something you cannot afford to do…

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