Caffeine, like chocolate, often receives bad publicity. Whilst in some instances, and in excess, these can have negative effects on our body, they can also be quite beneficial. I am not disputing that some people are more sensitive to the negative effects of either caffeine or chocolate. For example, excess caffeine can create anxiety, …
Driving along the spectacular Antrim coast you can just tell that this is good whiskey-making country. Soft pasture land, small rivers, natural harbours and a people who know that good things take time. It’s a land where legend and fact become easily blurred, where folk tales take on the mantle of truth. Who knows …
Brewing a great cup of coffee depends on a number of things such as the quality of the coffee bean, the quality of the water being used, the type of brewing being done, and the grind of the coffee. Now quality of bean and water is something you can easily take care. Just use …
Most distilleries are stubborn individuals. Christine Ila is an exception though. “If we seriously wanted to change Mortlach could we do it?” she asks. “No, you’d get a corrupted spirit. We always have to keep within the parameters of what the distillery character is.” It’s a polite way of responding to criticisms that the …
Beer brewing in Europe continues to be a serious traditional business. For thousands of years, Europe has been a leader in brewing this popular beverage. Many countries have perfected distinctive beers; some are like mythological ambrosia. Maintaining the quality of centuries-old recipes, many brewers realize that their strength lies in maintaining tradition over promoting …
Breweries in America are growing at an exponential rate. Beer brewing is becoming big business with a resurgence of traditional types of ales and lagers combining with more exotic offerings. With a colorful history, beer carries on its controversial way to regain the traditional role it’s always played as an everyday beverage, while taking …
The 4 stages of addiction come in to play mainly when you try to change an eating habit or anything that is self medicated. Food is the most common addiction for the majority of us – bread, drinks, desserts, alcohol. Other addictions are fast fatty foods, this is a high addiction. People usually consume …
Regional categorisation is a vexed issue in whisky: it may be a handy way of grouping distilleries together geographically, but it can be a tricky business identifying a stylistic continuity between all the whiskies in Perthshire or Speyside. But if you can’t claim that there is a “Speyside style,” or isolate certain qualities which …
There was a time you could spot a distillery by the smoke belching from its chimney. Now, most chimneys have been demolished as distilleries have switched from coal to steam. Hughes recalls as a child watching Glen Garioch’s chimneys being demolished brick-by-brick by a Glaswegian steeple jack. “He came up the road, bouncing off …
The word “Gourmet” is used to refer to the fancier grade, cut, or quality of many of the foods and beverages we consume. Gourmet foods and drinks have long been associated as the regular fare for the rich and famous who can afford the higher pricing that often accompanies many of these finer food …