Freelance drinks writer, judge and consultant, Sarah Miller, met Dryad Gin founder, Becky Wright, to find out what it was that set her on the path to gin perfection. Speak to any number of small gin brand founders and you’re likely to hear a similar story about how their love of gin led to […]
Please sir, can I have Jaipur?
In 2025 Thornbridge Brewery, the Derbyshire-based awarding-winning brewery, will have been in business for 20 years. During the last two decades the brewery has produced a growing range of what can only be described as a stunning range of beers. The brewery was originally based at Thornbridge Hall (near Ashford-in-the-Water in the Peak District National […]
Seventy One Gin launches in NYC
At the end of November, Seventy One, the definitive luxury gin – conceived and meticulously composed by legendary photographer, Mert Alas – was launched at a private soirée at The Mercer, SoHo’s foremost luxury hotel. Everyone attending the strictly private event, included Friends of Seventy One – Alexander Skarsgård, Natasha Lyonne and sisters Amelia Gray […]
Magnum opus
Scotland’s only Scotch whisky cream liqueur brand, Magnum, is made with single malt Scotch whisky, which delivers a silky smooth indulgent experience. We were sent a full size ‘bottle’ of Magnum, which is in fact a stylish stainless steel flask, which is designed to be reusable and recyclable. It also keeps the liqueur chilled at […]
Hoppy Christmas
Earlier this year we reviewed Firebrand Brewing Company’s range of what we agreed were excellent beers; we were all impressed with their fine lagers and on-trend IPAs. So, when we were asked if we would like to sample Silent Night, the award-winning Cornish brewery’s newest beer, designed specifically to toast the festive season, it was […]
Ooh la la!
This will be one of our shortest reviews, because the headline exactly sums up our thoughts about this stunning liqueur from La Distillerie de Grandmont, based in the Haute-Vienne 15 miles north-east of Limoges. Le Chemin des Moines is smooth, complex and very satisfying, which we sampled neat and neat over ice, as is how […]
The new centre of whisky?
Corina Lovering from the Alexandrion Group provides an answer to the question: is Romania in the process of becoming the next major player in the production of world-class single malt whisky? It will come as no surprise to anyone that single malt whisky put Scotland on the map, a longstanding heritage that dates back to […]
Shaken and stirred
As we reported in September, Gina Duke is now at the helm at La Quinta, a family-run restaurant and nightclub in Benfleet, Essex, founded by her father Simon Duke and his brother, Rupert. Along with managing the venue, Gina recently launched G&I Spirits Group, which produces a range of drinks, including vodka, gin and three […]
Super smooth whisky
Having sampled the Highland Birchwater produced by Birkentree I struggled to find enough superlatives to describe the smoothness that their product adds to whisky. When I first poured the birchwater into my tumbler of whisky there was no discernible difference from adding regular water. At this stage I didn’t really expect to experience anything dramatically […]
A taste sensation
At Hand Crafted Drinks Magazine we write headlines that condense the essence of the story that we’re covering and in the case of the liqueurs we have sampled from Hogg Norton, the headline just about does their products justice. We recently had the privilege of meeting the owners of Hogg Norton, a Derbyshire-based producer of […]