Tuesday, September 22, 2015

SHINING WITH MOONSHINE, THE OTHER KIND OF CRAFT SPIRITS

I always thought Moonshine was illegal!

No, Moonshine is about fermenting grains like corn, rye, wheat, or barley and then distilling it to make a white whisky, that is an un-aged whisky. Eastern Europeans had vodka and western europeans had Moonshine.

Moonshine is often associated with the history in the hills of West Virginia and its southern neighbors, and rebellious hill Billies in the USA. The US has a long tradition of making whisky with different perspectives: Kentucky has bourbon, Tennessee has whiskey, and West Virginia has Moonshine.

HeraldMailMedia.com discuss Moonshine and presents Black Draft Distillery a recently opened West Virginia distillery embracing the local culture of craft spirits and Moonshine.

Black Draft Distillery Moonshine
Black Draft Distillery Moonshine

Friday, September 11, 2015

300 YEARS OF BUSINESS FOR COGNAC MARTELL THIS YEAR

Last June 2015, Cognac Hennessy had a huge private event on the docks of the town of Cognac to celebrate its 250th year anniversary. This event was named the most extravagant event to ever happen in Cognac.
This was a hard act to follow for Cognac Martell on September 2nd 2015 outbidding Hennessy with its 300th year celebration.
Martell 300th Anniversary
Martell 300th Anniversary
Martell often quotes being the oldest large cognac house established in 1715. If you look between the lines it is not the oldest but the oldest of the 4 large house of Cognac which dominate over 90% of the sales in volume.
The celebration took place at the Château de Chanteloup and was declared a local “tribute to Cognac and the people of Cognac”.
Only a selected few were invited to the event. What many people will remember from this event is that the invitation were personally delivered to the recipients. A little look back on how it was done back in 1715.
Invitees were made of winegrowers, distillers and partners who contribute to the production of Cognac Martell.
César Giron, Martell chairman and CEO, and Alexandre Ricard, Pernod Ricard chairman and CEO handed a number of special gifts produced specially for the event such as limited edition cognacs.
One must feel very small thinking about the 300 years that went by and the longevity of this business. It is remarkable to think that it all started with selling one bottle a long time ago, and that the founder was not specifically trying to be a cognac house but a trader of things to ship from France to England where he was originally from.
This is not the only event marking the anniversary. Martell had organized events earlier this year such as in Paris airport Charles de Gaulle or Versailles.