Ararat is the legendary Armenian brandy, but there are also several other brandy distilleries in the country. Ararat Valley (Great Valley) has also given its name to this distillery, which was founded by Tigran Arzakantsyanom in 1998. Brandy is made from local grape varieties Voskehat and Garandmak, both of which are…
The Dutch company Lucas Bols is one of the oldest distilleries. Today, it mainly focuses on producing liqueurs, which Bols has quite a comprehensive selection. There are more than 40 different types of liqueurs in production, and the company also produces genever, vodka, gin and other alcohols. In addition to its…
Liquorice, and especially liquorice enriched with ammonium chloride, is a very Finnish phenomenon. Salted liquorice is also produced and sold in other countries, at least in Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands, but its consumption is highest in Finland. Everyone in Finland is familiar with various kinds of salted liquorice caramels, and…
Maison Gautier was founded in 1755. For ten generations, it remained in the Gautier family until 1995 when the production was bought by Marie Brizard, which later was bought by the Belvedere Group. Gautier XO is a blend of distillates made from grapes grown in different regions of the Cognac area.…
Lucas Bols is one of Europe's largest liqueur manufacturers. In the Baltic countries, Bols together with DeKuyper are the most common imported liqueur brands. Bols's range of liqueurs is quite comprehensive and several of their liqueurs have been reviewed in this blog as well. The cardamom-flavored liqueur is a special batch…
The cognac brand founded by the Russian Meukow brothers has come a long way during its 170-year history. The cognac house has sometimes been owned by a Scottish, a German, as well as a French gentleman. Today, Meukow's operations are run by the french family company Compagnie de Guyenne. The classic…
Metaxa is one of the most famous Greek alcohols. Metaxa was developed by the Greek silk merchant Spyros Metaxa at the end of the 19th century. Because of his work, Spyros traveled a lot and encountered different alcohols and wines. He thought that too many distillates were too strong and he…
The Monnet cognac house founded by has remained a rather unknown cognac brand despite its long age (established in 1897). The company has changed owners several times and is currently owned by the Guerrand-Hermès family. In addition to the traditional age-classes, Monnet has published special batches, which include Sunshine Selection. VS…
Lithuanian alcohol company Stumbras has at least two different vodka brands; own Stumbras and Lithuanian Vodka. With this brand, the company releases various flavored vodkas. Quince is a fruit that grows widely in the Baltics and is called the "Lithuanian lemon" because of its sour and bitter taste. Flavored vodka is…
Moe is Estonia's largest alcohol producer, due to the fact that the company itself also produces the rectified spirit used in the products. Liviko and other producers with larger quantities mainly use imported rectified spirit. Moe produces a large selection of different vodkas, flavored vodkas and schnapps. Handsa is a traditional…