Alcademics

I visited a bunch of cognac houses in the fall of 2014, and spent nearly a whole day with Cognac Hine at their vineyards, winery, distillery, and blending house. Read more →

In 2014 I visited several cognac houses, and had the pleasure to spend several hours with Benedicte Hardy of Cognac Hardy in their aging and blending facilities. We got really nerdy with specifics on aging cognac. But first, some background. Hardy specializes in luxury cognacs, and in general is blended... Read more →

September 2008: Piles of pears to be made into eau de vie at St. George Spirits in Alameda, California. Read about it here. Read more →

A quick tour of the house of Deau Cognac in France. Read more →

The Merlet family has been distilling in France for 5 generations, but have only launched their own brand of cognac in recent years. They have a really interesting history that I learned on a visit to their chateau, vineyards, and distillery in 2014. Read more →

September 2010: This shot was taken at the Grupo Estevez bodega in the sherry region of Spain. Read more here. Read more →

For years I'd heard about the Islay Festival of Music and Malt aka Feis Ile, and last year I finally was able to attend courtesy of Bunnahabhain. (All pictures on this post of from Bunnahabhain's distillery day.) During Feis Ile, each of the distilleries on the island hosts a party... Read more →

They call Bunnahabhain "the welcoming taste of Islay" because unlike other Islay scotch whiskies, most Bunnahabhain is not smoky. Here are is how the whisky is made. Read more →