Liquid Gold

Ciao! Bonjour! Hello! Yellow! Gold!

As you now already know, we are always in search for a perfect dram. It's like the gold rush, we are running from place to place, we are digging, sniffing, sipping, licking… only this time the gold is in liquid form.

A long journey awaits us this month. We'll start in Italy, move to Scotland and finish it in France. We know some excellent drams are waiting for us, but only Tasting Is Believing. Whoohoo! And that’s exciting!

When we started putting together this edition, the working title of the box was The Flavour Rollercoaster. The idea behind it was to show you the range of flavours you can experience sipping brown spirits. But then, while selecting the drinks, another layer revealed itself – small but interesting stories of the people behind the brands and products.

So, what do we cover in this Tasting Box? Two grape based spirits and one grain based spirit – all top of the range.

This will be a really nice but extravagant trip and the route we've chosen is also the most appropriate 'flavour-wise’.

SmartAss ‘Let’s-Cover-Some-Basics-Cuvée-Edition’ Corner

1) Grappa is grape-based pomace brandy of Italian origin. Fermentation and distillation must occur on the pomace (“the leftovers” of winemaking), no added water is allowed.

2) Cognac, named after the town of Cognac in France, is a variety of brandy (distilled wine). It is only produced in the wine-growing region surrounding this town. Cognac must be made from specified grapes, must be twice distilled in copper pot stills and aged at least two years in French oak barrels. Most cognacs are aged considerably longer than the minimum legal requirement.


5) Single malt Scotch Whisky is made in Scotland using a pot still distillation process at a single distillery, with malted barley as the only grain ingredient. It must be matured in oak casks in Scotland for at least three years (most single malts are matured longer).