Browsing Posts in: Other Tasting Notes

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…

I’ve had a fascination with aquavit for a long time. Admittedly, I’m a fan of caraway-flavoured spirits in general, as explored in my kummel post. Last month I took a trip to Norway to visit…

For March’s Champagne of the Month, we’ve chosen an iconic pink Champagne: Laurent-Perrier Rosé. One of the first non-vintage rosé Champagnes when it was launched in 1968, it has become instantly recognisable around the world….

Something different for February’s Spirit of the Month – a liqueur. We’ve chosen a classic Italian almond-flavoured example: Salizá Amaretto Veneziano from Bepi Tosolini. Amaretto is an almond-flavoured liqueur which is predominantly made in Italy….

Continuing our brandy-focused week, we’re moving on to arguably the best-known example: Cognac. Where better to start than with the very first house, Augier? Founded in 1643 by wine merchant Philippe Augier, they were both buyers and…

As the weather turns colder, my after-dinner drinks change from light, summery whiskies to brandy. One of my favourites is Delamain, known for its elegant yet complex Cognacs. We recently welcomed MD Charles Braastad to TWE…

At this time of year, there’s one spirit on our minds here at TWE – rum. With Independence Day of Jamaica next Thursday, it gives us a chance to highlight our comprehensive range, starting with…

Gin has seen a remarkable rise over the past few years, with new brands appearing almost every week. One of the first was No.3 Gin, introduced by historic wine and spirit merchant (and independent bottler)…

Every country has its national spirit. Some are better known: the Caribbean has rum, England has gin, and Poland and Russia have vodka; others are lesser known: Unicum in Hungary and soju in Korea. China’s is baijiu. The world’s…

Ask a room full of people what the world’s best-selling spirit brand is and you’ll no doubt end up with a variety of answers: Smirnoff, Bacardi, Johnnie Walker, Jack Daniel’s. In fact, it’s none of…

There are many drinks that attribute their creation to a historic moment, but one trumps them all (especially as it’s actually true) – The King’s Ginger. In 1903, newly crowned King Edward VII had taken…

Some brands are synonymous with their categories – Hoover (vacuum cleaner), Bic (biros), Disaronno (amaretto). And in the world of cherry brandy, the daddy of them all is Cherry Heering. Officially called Heering Original Cherry…

The rise in flavoured whisky liqueurs over the past few years has been nothing short of astronomical, with cinnamon very much at the forefront. But the category is nothing new – the original was created back in…

Two things we like at TWE are an intriguing product, and a play on words. So imagine our delight when a new apéritif arrived from Cornwall: Tarquin’s Cornish Pastis. Claiming to be the UK’s first pastis,…

Chances are you’ve heard of Chartreuse, even if you’ve never tasted it. A staple of many of my generation’s parents’ and grandparents’ drinks cabinets, it’s been referenced in films from Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes to Quentin…

For something a bit different, we explored grappa for the first time at our latest Vinopolis tasting, ably guided by expert Nick Hopewell-Smith. It’s fair to say grappa has a bad reputation. At the tasting, we unanimously agreed this…

Despite the growth of using brown spirits in mixed drinks, Cognac has not benefited to the same degree. The same can be said of liqueurs, with Grand Marnier and Domaine du Canton the only two Cognac-based examples that…

Every now and then, a new product arrives at TWE that really excites us – unique, with a great back story, or simply an interesting concept. So, when we heard about the release of a…