Category: science
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Ramping up Aromatics in Cognac: How Camus Does it
When I was in China helping judge the Camus cognac Shanghai Shake, I had the opportunity to interview president Cyril Camus. Recently the language on Camus' core line changed to invoke "intensely aromatic" language on the branding. Cyril says that this has rolled out in the US and some other markets, with more to come.…
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Sour Mashing as Industrial Waste Recycling
I never realized that the sour mash process is partly industrial waste recycling.
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Deeply Nerdy Stuff About Jack Daniel’s Production – Charcoal, Souring, Fermentation
I learned a lot about Jack Daniel’s from a microbiologist: enzymes, charcoal, pH, fermentation times, rye stickiness!
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A Belvedere Distillery Visit and Vodka Terroir in the Single Estate Series
I visited Poland with Belvedere Vodka to see how the vodka is made and to learn about the then-forthcoming Single Estate Rye series of vodkas, in which the same rye was grown in two different parts of Poland and separate, unfiltered vodkas were made from each. We got super deep into the science of terroir.
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Almost All the Cocktail and Spirits Books Published in 2017 for Reading or Gifting
Behold! Here is my round-up of all the cocktails and spirits books (plus a few others) that were released in 2017. This year, beyond the annual deluge of whisky books, there are books aping the bartender lifestyle (Drink Like a Bartender, Straight Up), more narrative books (I Hear She’s a Real Bitch, By the Smoke…
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Sensors in the Whiskey Warehouse Sending Data in Real-Time
In my latest story for SevenFifty Daily, I wrote about new temperature and humidity sensors installed in warehouses at Buffalo Trace, and what those could mean for studying aging of spirits and adjusting future blends.
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Using Isolated Acids in Cocktails: A Report and Recipes
In my latest article for CooksScience.com, I wrote about bartenders using isolated acids like citric, malic, tartaric, and succinic to amplify flavors and acidity in cocktails.