Gautret's history dates back to 1847, when Jules Gautret started cognac production in the castle owned by his parents. The distillery remained in the hands of the Gautret family for over 100 years, until 1959, when it was bought by the Coopérative des Viticulteurs Charentais (Unicognac AS). Unicognac is a cooperative…
Maison Giffard is a French liqueur distillery. The company was founded by the pharmacist Emile Giffard in 1885. Emile developed various elixirs to improve digestion in his own pharmacy and launched a clear, transparent mint liqueur as his first product. He offered the liquor to the neighboring hotel and it became…
Driven by the great popularity of Campari and Aperol, several other manufacturers have also started producing red-colored, slightly bitter aperitifs. Manufacturers can be found both in Italy, the home of the drink style, and also in several other European countries. Antica Distilleria Quaglia was founded at the end of the 19th…
Estonian flagship vodka Viru Valge has also a series of flavored vodkas and already a few of them have been covered in this blog. Now it's the turn of plum vodka, which was released in the summer of 2023. As far as I know, Liviko is currently the only Estonian producer…
Wurzelpeter is one of many German herbal liqueurs. It began to be manufactured in 1935 in the Berlin Mitte district. After the 2nd World War, the company that produced the liqueur was nationalized, and over the years, it was grown as the East German equivalent of the famous West German product…
Located on the Isle of Jura, on the west coast of Scotland, the island's only distillery is operated by Whyte&Mackay, which is part of the Philippine Alliance Global Group. The history of the distillery dates back to 1810, but its operations have been on a hold several times over the years.…
Põhjaka manor is located in central Estonia. Põhjaka's restaurant was selected one of the best restaurants in Estonia, but it was closed in 2023. Põhjaka's manor also housed a small distillery, where various flavored spirits, liqueurs and schnapps were made. London Dry type Gin is, as its name suggests, "measured 57…
Viru Valge is the flagship product of Estonian Liviko Distillery and one of the oldest alcohol brands still in production. Nowadays the raw material for Viru Valge comes from Latvia, where Liviko delivers grain grown in Estonia. So, in terms of its raw material, it could be said that it is…
Aquavit (Akvavit, Akevitt) is a traditional spirit in Scandinavian countries. It is also popular in northern Germany. Aquavit is usually made from grain or potatoes, flavored with various spices. Caraway, dill and anise are the most typical spices, but every manufacturer has their own spices and spice combinations. Aquavit has been …
In Latvia, moonshine is called by different names, depending on the location. In the north and west it is called Kandza, and in the east, in the province of Latgale, Šmakovka (Shmakovka). Šmakovka is such a traditional drink that there is even a museum dedicated to it in the city of…