In February 2023, Woodford Reserve announced Elizabeth McCall as its third master distiller, taking over from Chris Morris who helped launch the bourbon back in 1996. The late 20th century was a particularly slow period for the American whiskey category and almost 30 years on, at the infancy of McCall’s reign, the sector is experiencing a similar climate. “I know the timing doesn’t look good,…

In September, Ian Burrell publicly announced the end of his involvement with Equiano Rum. The separation came as a surprise to many. This was the first brand that the man known across the international spirits sector as the ‘global rum ambassador’ had put his name to as a co-founder. And the rum itself, a blend of African and Caribbean liquids named after a former slave…

The northern Italian wine region of Franciacorta in the province of Brescia boasts some 3,634ha under vine (Franciacorta Consortium). The area earned DOC status in 1967 and later achieved DOCG (Controlled & Guaranteed Designation of Origin) status in 1995. To put that into context, Italy’s best-known sparkler, prosecco, includes around 28,100ha in the DOC area, which produced 616 million bottles in 2023 compared with Franciacorta’s…

In this year’s International Spirits Challenge, the Spirit of York Distillery was the only medal-winning aquavit producer that isn’t part of Norway’s Anora Group, the undisputed authority for this traditional Scandinavian spirit. Based in Toronto, Canada, Spirit of York is best known for its gin and vodka production, but in 2018 it launched a rye-based aquavit which uses a combination of its own botanicals and…

The 600sq km of Islay is responsible for the vast majority of the world’s peated whisky. Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Bowmore, Ardbeg all produce peated single malt, but the style was born out of necessity. Peat bogs are abundant while forestry is scarce, meaning that distilleries used peat to dry germinating barley, resulting in a smoky flavour. In more recent times, whisky makers around the world have…

In terms of production, key regulations for the brandies of Jerez include the use of a traditional solera ageing system in American oak casks that previously held sherry. For Penedès, producers use different grape varieties and ageing classifications, but the split identities go beyond regulatory standards. Javier Reynoso, business developer for the on-trade at Zamora Company, doesn’t work directly with a Spanish brandy anymore. However,…

For the past 20 years the rye whiskey market in the US has been undergoing a revival. What was once an almost forgotten category has become big business and, according to research by Accio, the US rye market is set to increase from $1.2bn in 2024 to $2.5bn by 2033. Michter’s, the reigning World’s Most Admired Whiskey, is one of the leading American rye producers…