If you spend a lot of time at wine shops like I do, you’ve undoubtedly come across terms like ‘unfiltered’ and ‘unfined’ on some wine labels, but what do they mean. And most importantly are they any different from regular wines? Unlike other spirits, wine is a living thing and is always changing even in … More The Unfiltered Truth
Glass on the left is a non-chill filtered whisky at ambient temperature and the one on the right is the same whisky with an ice cube added to it. So why do some whiskys go cloudy while others don’t? The presence of natural fatty acids, esters and proteins in whisky cause it to go cloudy … More The Whisky Haze
The Scottish have their sun-kissed Whisky, the Mexicans their fiery tequila, and we Goans have the mysterious Feni! They say Feni is an acquired taste but I beg to differ, in all likelihood you are just not drinking the right stuff (especially if it tasted like fuel or paint thinner). I do find Feni to … More Feni – Goa de Susegado
The English language can be confusing especially with pronunciations. (my name gets butchered almost every time! *cringing*) Add a Scottish accent and all those tongue twisting names of whiskies and you’re destined to a fair bit of embarrassment. Many of the names of Scotland’s distilleries and whiskies are not in English, but rather Scotland’s native … More Whisky Babble
A well-aged bourbon will be slightly tangy with hints of dried fruit and spice whereas Highland single malt Scotch whiskies are full bodied and usually fruitier with vanilla and toffee notes. But where do all this flavours come from? Are distillers actually blending raisins, apples or vanilla into the whisky? Whisky consists of just three … More Drunk Chemistry – The Taste of Whisky
As it turns out, the intricacies of alcohol can be intimidating — from brewing methods, understanding the complexities of each blend to nomenclature and even labels. Often science and chemistry can create some strange beliefs that all too often turn out to be fables we assumed to be true. It’s high time we debunk some … More Mythbusters – The boozy edition
The lure of alcohol is in its power make us lose all inhibition. But you know you shouldn’t, and sometimes you just can’t help it. One drink turns to many more and after that long night of alcohol fuelled partying, we tend to wake up to the dreaded hangover. Its effects are very well documented, … More Hope for the Hungover?
Gin comes from the French name for the juniper berry, Genièvre, altered by the Dutch to Genever and shortened by the English to Gin. It is believed to have originated in the 17th century and is credited to professor Franciscus Sylvius of the University of Leiden in Holland, who extracted juniper-berry oil by distilling the … More Shaken or Stirred..!
Oktoberfest is the world’s largest beer festival which attracts a crowd of over a million people very year to Munich, Germany. For all of you who can’t afford that trip to Germany but still want to enjoy some great beers, this German festival is often celebrated by microbreweries in cities like Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and … More The Desi Oktoberfest Beer Guide
Brands with a strong marketing game are often perceived to be ‘premium’ or superior to consumers and every so often demand a higher price. But when it comes to whiskies, is a big brand whisky actually better than a lesser known whisky? Or are we blinded by brands and labels while buying drinks. So, I decided … More Do we judge by the Label?
Alcohol Analyzed 