Spirits
Spirits are fascinating drinks that have an alcohol content of at least 20% abv and are produced by the distillation of a fermented base product such as grain or sugar cane. Spirits are produced all over the world, but certain regions of the world tend to focus on certain spirits because of different harvests. A good example is South America and the Caribbean the home of sugar cane and therefore Rum.
Even though spirits have been distilled for centuries they were not commercially produced until the 1800’s. Over recent years two giants of the industry have been created. The first is Diageo the owner of such great brands such as Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker, Baileys, Captain Morgans and Gordons. The second is Pernod Ricard who sell Absolut, Jamesons, Malibu, Havana Club and Beefeater.
The biggest Spirits category is vodka followed by whiskey and the biggest consumers of Spirits are Americans.
Explore Spirits with The Purveyor
Bourbon
Bourbon is an American whiskey spelt with an extra e, whose provenance lies in Bourbon County, Kentucky. Bourbon must consist of at least 51% corn with the remainder being wheat and/or rye, and malted barley.
See all Bourbons
Cognac
Cognac, named after the tiny town of Cognac in France, is a brandy produced in the region surrounding the town.
See all Cognacs
Gin
Gin is actually the original flavoured vodka, but with juniper berries. Distilled Gin is made by redistilling white grain spirit which has been flavoured with the berries. Compound Gin is made by flavouring neutral grain spirit with juniper berries without redistilling…
See all Gins
Liqueurs
Liqueurs are a catch all for a very wide range of amazing brands. Some are sweet and some are bitter. A liqueur must have at least a 15% abv and will have flavour additions, creames or colourings. Many liqueurs were developed to compliment classic spirits categories such as Rum in cocktails. Others were created for medicinal reasons, or others as aperitifs to clean the mouth before a meal.
See all Liqueurss
Malt
Scotch whiskies are mainly distilled twice, with some are distilled a third time. International laws require anything bearing the label “Scotch” to be distilled in Scotland and matured for a minimum of three years in oak casks.
See all Malts
Rum
Rum is made wherever sugar cane thrives and as a result has been manufactured in many countries. It can be dated back to the 1400′s and is arguably the mother ingredient of the cocktail and one of the most versatile spirits.
See all Rums
Scotch
Whisky blends are as they say, blends of whisky. The whisky distiller will blend several malts some from the same distillery others from different ones.
See all Scotchs
Vodka
The origins of Vodka and, for that matter, its name have long been disputed, especially between the Russians and Poles…
See all Vodkas
Smirnoff Vanilla and Cola – simple
It seems as a country we are developing a taste for flavoured Vodka especially at home…
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Alcohol Prices On the Increase Despite Recession
Despite the heavy recession in the UK the global drinks giants are managing to return good growth internationally…
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Tomintoul 1976 Vintage the Zenith of The Range
For many of us the Speyside region of the Highlands of Scotland is a magical place because of it’s beauty, but if you look further you will find richer treasures such as the Tomintoul Distillery…
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Glencadam Single Malt an Exquisite Beauty
The Spirits industry is full of artisanal brands, and some of them were first crafted centuries ago. Glencadam Single Malt is one of them…
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Raspberry Edinburgh Gin
For those of you who adore the raspberry liqueur Chambord, then keep reading. Edinburgh Gin have launched a raspberry edition…
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