Browsing Posts by Author: Rocky

Last month, I finally got the chance to visit the Cognac region in France. My destination? Hine. Although I’d seen pictures of this tiny part of south-west France before, nothing prepared me for the beauty of Jarnac, the…

One of the lesser-known spirit categories is eau-de-vie. Most people will have tried one, and often without realising as various countries’ national drinks are classified as eau-de-vie, such as raki from Turkey and European slivovitz….

Blending whisky is a skilled job. From combining hundreds of casks to make batches of large-scale blends such as Johnnie Walker to marrying a pair of casks for one-off single malt releases such as our…

Whether it’s the raging debate about no-age-statement releases, or questions about how old a whisky I’m pouring at a festival around the world is, age is currently a hot topic. Something I’m often asked is…

It’s agreed that whisky gets much of its flavour from the wood it’s aged in. Many different types are used, but what do they add? This was the subject of a recent shop tasting hosted by…

St Patrick’s Day is the day when Ireland celebrates its patron saint, both a religious and cultural festival. As it approaches, how should you mark the occasion and more importantly, what should you drink? There’s…

Iceland has become the place to visit in the past few years. With miles of mountains, lagoons, glaciers and geothermal springs and a high chance of seeing the Northern Lights, it’s become well known as…

Regular blog readers may remember I wrote about Kavalan in May, when master blender Ian Chang hosted a TWE tasting. Inspired by this, I took a trip to Taiwan to see the distillery for myself….

Speyside distillery Glenrothes bucks the trend by releasing its whiskies by vintage rather than with an age statement. Since 2010 it has been under the sole ownership of wine merchant (and independent bottler) Berry Brothers & Rudd. We welcomed…

Indian whisky is big. Eight of the top 10 best-selling whisky brands in 2015 were made in India, with only Johnnie Walker and Jack Daniel’s preventing a whitewash. Want to know more? Here’s our handy…

If there’s three things we’re big fans of at TWE (apart from alliteration), it’s summer, sport and special offers. Thankfully in 2016 we can combine all three – here’s my selection for the podium, based…

For many, Jameson is their first experience of Irish whiskey. The classic Original is the bestselling whiskey from the country (try it with ginger ale). But this week, the brand announced it is launching The Whiskey Makers series,…

When Jim Murray named Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013 his 2015 World Whisky of the Year, no-one could have foreseen the unprecedented demand Japanese whisky would experience over the following years. It’s been almost a year since Nikka’s announcement…

We’ve been big fans of Kavalan since it first made an appearance on our shores in 2011, so much so that we spent a year to be the first to stock its whiskies in the UK, and it has been…

A new month means our latest trio of offers, and with the weather beginning to warm up, there’s a summery feel to our choices for May. Malt of the Month The Malt of the Month…

Our latest prize draw is big in more ways than one! We’re offering one customer the chance to win a huge 15-litre bottle of Champagne. Simply buy a 75cl bottle of Moët & Chandon Brut…

Spirit production in Britain has come a long way in the past decade. Previously just a bastion of whisky and gin, today you’ll find aperitifs, cider brandy and even marc made on the island. Founded in…

It’s time for April’s drinks of the month! We have the usual malt and spirit offers, and new for this month: sparkling wine. The Malt of the Month is Royal Brackla 16 Year Old. Launched…