Browsing Posts in: SPIRITS & LIQUEURS

‘It’s all about the ‘poof poof‘ of Cognac’ says Patrice Piveteau, and it’s a testament to both his storytelling and infectious enthusiasm that this immediately makes perfect sense. He is talking about the sensory fireworks…

Jared Brown, master distiller at Sipsmith Gin Distillery in London, explains why you should all be drinking sloe gin – and offers some tips on how to make it yourself. Sloe gin is to Britain…

Next week sees the return of London Cocktail Week, the world’s biggest cocktail festival with more than 300 partnering bars opening their doors and offering £6 cocktails to those with a Festival Pass. This year, the festival…

Here at The Whisky Exchange we like to choose special bottles – we have a wide range of exclusive whiskies and other spirits already, and we add more each month. One of the common questions…

We’ve got great weather forecasts here in London, so it feels like time to whip up some drinks with the most tropical of spirits: rum. Here are five of my favourite rum cocktails to keep…

Last week was London Beer City, a week-long celebration of beer in the capital. Purely for research reasons, I threw myself wholeheartedly into the festivities, stopping in at the London Craft Beer Festival for a…

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…

When it comes to pairing a meal with drinks, wine and beer are still winning. However, one corner of the culinary world has had a long connection with spirits: American barbecue. While the stereotypical image…

Our latest TWE shop tasting featured Irish whiskey producer Teeling, a distiller known for its skill in maturing and ‘finishing’ its whiskey in a variety of casks – some well known, some more obscure. What…

I’m sure you’ve all heard of the big four Cognac houses – Martell, Rémy Martin, Hennessy and Courvoisier – but what about the other 271? With so much diversity on offer, Cognac is the perfect…

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….

In the run up to Black Tot Day at the end of July, we’ve been scouring our shelves for great rums. With so many producers, the number of rums out there can be overwhelming. So,…

When it comes to drinks with history, rum has packed more into a shorter time than most. Despite only appearing in something approaching its current form in the 17th century, the past 400 years have…

When it comes to cocktails, gin is very much the spirit of choice at the moment. There’s a huge range of drinks and recipes out there, but here are three classics to get you started:…

Gin is such a fast-moving drinks category that new releases are appearing every day and old favourites sometimes get forgotten. In an attempt to make sure that you don’t miss out, here’s a list of some…

Joy Spence, master blender at Appleton Estate, was special guest at the latest Whisky Exchange tasting to share her favourite bottles and to spread the word about Jamaican rum. About Jamaican Rum The story of Jamaican…

Whisky has historically been seen as an after-dinner or late-evening drink, but from a taste point of view, what is the most effective time of day to drink whisky? And when are your taste buds…

The past two decades have seen a return to popularity of what was once the best-loved alcoholic drink in England – gin. But what is gin and what do you do with it? There’s years…