Iconic Spirits by Mark Spivak

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Balblair and Old Pulteney: Distinctive Single Malts

April 25, 2012

Tags: Balblair, Balblair 2000, Old Pulteney, Old Pulteney 12 Year-Old

The Balblair distillery was founded in 1790, north of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. It claims to be one of the oldest working distilleries in the country, although a second Balblair facility was built in 1895, closer to the Edderton Railway Station on the Inverness and Ross-shire Railway Line. The fortunes of both Balblairs oscillated over the years, but they used the same water source---pure, soft and untreated water that flows down from the Allt Dearg burn and forms the foundation of the whisky’s distinctive taste. (more…)

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Brugal Rum: Jewel of the Caribbean

April 18, 2012

Tags: Brugal rum, Brugal Blanco Espcial, Brugal Anejo, Brugal Extra Viejo

Mention rum, and most people will think of Bacardi. Small wonder: It’s the world’s largest rum brand, with distilleries around the world and annual sales approaching 20 million cases. In the Caribbean, though, rum is synonymous with Brugal, based in the Dominican Republic city of Puerto Plata.
Curiously, the histories of the Bacardi and Brugal families are intertwined. (more…)

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Spring 44: Artisan Spirits from Colorado

April 11, 2012

Tags: Spring 44 Vodka, Spring 44 Honey-flavored Vodka, Spring 44 Gin, craft spirits, Jeff Lindauer

When Jeff Lindauer was a boy, his father purchased land in the northern Colorado Rockies, completely surrounded by Roosevelt National Forest. One of the rituals on family camping trips was drinking from the spring at 9,044 feet; the pure, pristine water provided a direct connection to nature. As a successful adult, Lindauer built a home on his father’s property and continued to use the land for vacations and retreats. (more…)

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The Accidental Distiller: Brian Ellison of Death's Door Spirits

April 4, 2012

Tags: Death's Door Spirits, Death's Door Vodka, Death's Door Gin, Death's Door White Whisky, Brian Ellison

Normally, making booze and doing good works are two totally unrelated enterprises. For Brian Ellison, president of Death’s Door Spirits in Washington Island, Wisconsin, one was a natural outgrowth of the other.
“It began with trying to help the local farmers do something with their wheat,” he explains. “We thought of opening a bakery, but there was no money in it. Luckily, we got started in 2005, just as the craft distilling movement was taking off.” (more…)

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