Author: Camper English
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A New Clear Ice Ball Maker That Seems To Work Okay
There is a new clear ice ball maker on the market, so I gave it a test run.
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A Daylong Visit to Cognac Hine
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.
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The Complicated Aging Process for Cognac, as Seen at Cognac Hardy
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 in an "approachable" and "feminine" style.…
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A Visit to Merlet Cognac and Liqueurs in France
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.
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Distillery Visit: Bunnahabhain Single Malt Scotch Whisky on Islay
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.
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Distillery Visit: Deanston Single Malt Scotch Whisky
A visit to the Deanston single malt scotch whisky distillery in the Scottish Highlands.
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Dunder and Dragons: Making Rum at Lost Spirits Distillery
A pot still shaped like a dragon and a scientific reinvention of the ancient dunder pit process? Only at Lost Spirits Distillery in California.
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Peru, Bird Poop, and the Birth of the Agro-Industrial Complex
Peru is an exciting country for drink nerds like me, as it is the birthplace of the potato, pisco, and the cinchona tree that produces quinine for tonic water. I didn’t realize until recently that it was also the birthplace of the international guano industry, perhaps the world’s first exported industrial fertilizer.