Rum! Gin! Whiskey! Espresso Martinis! Something For Everyone!
The Rockley pot still at Stade’s West Indies Rum Distillery — built in the 1780s, restored in the 2020s, it’s the oldest working pot still in the world. And it makes some pretty tasty rum, too. (Photo courtesy Maison Ferrand)
October has flown by and what have I been doing? Not updating this website, that’s for sure. But I did go on a fact-finding trip to Puerto Rico to learn more about Don Q rum (more on that to come!); I went with my daughter to NYC Comic Con; I hosted a Halloween party for Compass Box Whisky; and even did some writing, the results of which are linked to below!
I’d been meaning to write about the historic stills in “Pot Still Alley” at Stade’s West Indies Rum Distillery in Barbados for months now, and finally did the deed for the good folks at Forbes. The guy who owns the distillery, Alexandre Gabriel, is one of the more controversial names in rum nowadays, but his desire to preserve Bajan rum history by restoring and maintaining vintage, century-plus old stills (including the oldest operational pot still in the world) is praiseworthy indeed. I got to learn about the stills, and more importantly (for me at least), I got to taste the rum they’re producing. Read all about it! Link is -> HERE <-.
Speaking of rum… I also wrote about the last rum in Appleton Estate’s fantastic Hearts Collection series, which started in 2020. The newest, laid down in 1999, was originally bottled in 2020, but some of the batch was left behind to age for another five years. The results are… well, I’m not going to spoil it for you, but if you love rum, or even if you don’t, you should read my article (also at Forbes) and learn more about the Hearts Collection. Where’s the link, you ask? Right-> HERE <-.
“That’s all well and good, Sachs,” I hear you grumble, “but what I really want to know is, where can I get a good espresso martini in New York, Los Angeles or San Francisco?” Well, you’re in luck! It was no easy task to research and write up something like 75 different bars in those three cities for the fine humans at VinePair, but when duty calls (not to mention a paycheck)… I get the job done. The bars all got the nod because they serve espresso martinis made with Luxardo Espresso Liqueur, the sponsors of my content. I’m not sure whether -> THIS LINK <- only gives you the Manhattan bars. If that’s the case, I apologize to my Californian friends and hope you can find the other maps on your own.
I don’t think I’ve gone a month without writing about whiskey (or whisky) since the first Obama administration, if not before. Thank goodness, October isn’t going to break the streak. I wrote about Old Forester’s new Tribute Series, kicking off with a fancy-shmancy 12 year old bourbon housed in a super-cool retro-styled bottle. My interview, with Old Forester’s assistant master distiller and master taster, was fraught with snafus and I was unable to record my conversation with them. Fortunately, I took copious notes and frantically recreated the quotes as precisely as I could immediately after the call. I must have done an OK job because neither of them complained about being misquoted. For all the quotes, and the details on both the whiskey and the decanter, check it out at Food & Wine! Link is -> HERE <-.
And lastly… if you want to know where the best gins in the world are coming from, they’re all of Asian origin, at least according to the judges at the International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC). And if you want to know which Asian gins are bringing home the gold medals… well, you’ll just have to read my article at Food & Wine, won’t you! Link is -> HERE <-.