The history of the Highland Queen dates back to 1893, when a company called MacDonald & Muir began producing blended whisky. Initially, malt whiskey from the Glenmorangie distillery was mainly used for blending. However, in 2008 the brand was acquired by Tullibardine Distillery and the main malt whisky component was changed…
Arsenitch is a vodka originally made by Latvian Jaunalko. The brand was acquired by Altia Finland in 2012. Altia shut down the production in Latvia and moved it to Altia Eesti premises Estonia. At the same time they started to use the rectified spirit produced in Koskenkorva, Finland. Arsenitch Sandthorn is…
Calvados is not a well-known alcohol in the Baltic states, a few bottles can be found in major stores and they are usually products from one, large manufacturer. Pere Preaux is one of the cheapest products in the Baltic market. It is sold in Latvia, where the Latvian branch of Altia…
In June 2018, Grant’s as the world’s third-largest Scotch whisky producer, decided to renew its entire product line. The traditional Grant’s Family Reserve went down in history and was replaced by Grant’s Triple Wood -serie. The product has the same whisky as before, but is matured in three different barrel types.…
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…