Meukow’s story began in the mid-19th century when the Russian tsar wanted to ensure the availability of good quality cognac. Two of Meukow's brothers were sent to France and after several trips the brothers set up the company in the province of Cognac. However, the company did not remain in Russian…
Koch is an Estonian alcohol producer who has been featured on this blog several times. Their business idea is to produce various liqueurs and alcohols as cheaply as possible and sell them to the same owner, SuperAlko and CityAlko alcohol stores in Estonia and on the Estonian-Latvian border. There is no…
Hlibny Dar or Khlibnyi Dar (Хлібний Дар) (=bread gift) is a popular Ukrainian vodka. It is the best-selling vodka in Ukraine and the fifth largest in the world's sales statistics. In some countries, it is also sold under the name Harvest Day. Hlibny Dar is the flagship product of the Ukrainian…
Obdo is a small handicraft distillery in Riga, Latvia. Their flagship product, Obdo Gin, is made from 22 herbs but was a bit too unbalanced for my taste. Obdo Four, on the other hand, is made from only four ingredients. Juniper berry, quince growing in Latvia, lemon and orange peels. Rectified…
Akmenlauzis is a craft distillery in Riga, Latvia. The company produces the spirit from grain grown in eastern Latvia. In addition to clear distillate, they also make a variety of flavored spirits. One of them is “Smiltsērkšķis”, a grain distillate flavored with sea buckthorn. Whole sea buckthorn berries have been extracted…
Hardy's Cognac House is the creation of Anthony Hardy from England. It was founded in 1863 when Anthony, after a frequent visit to the cognac province, fell in love with the area and decided to move there himself. Hardy grew rapidly thanks to investing in strong exports. Thanks to its big…
Dow’s Winery dates back to 1798 and is one of the few producers of port wine with a purely Portuguese background. Through various mergers, Dow’s has grown into a big player and is world famous especially in vintage port wines. Dow’s Finest Reserve is a ruby-style port wine. Its production begins…
Various colored gins have been rumbling on the market for the past couple of years. Estonian Liviko is also following trends and has launched both pink and ruby gins in its Kingsmill series. Rectified spirit, softened water, juniper berries and various flavorings have been used in Pink Gin. The price of…
Amaretto is a traditional Italian sweet almond-flavored liqueur. Amaretto was developed in Saronno, according to legend, in 1525. Disaronno Originale was formerly known as Amaretto di Saronno. It began to be manufactured in early 1900 in Saronno, by a company called Illva Saronno. Disaronno is made from apricot kernel oil, caramelized…
The Ukrainian Perepelka (“quail”) vodka is produced by the National Vodka Company, which is part of the Bayadere Group, Ukraine's largest alcohol producer. The distillery had a complete renovation in 2005, modernizing the whole production line and purchasing new equipment from Italy and France. The distillery is located in the Cherkasy…