Gineration X - Keeping The Gin Boom Alive

* This article was written by Matt Chambers of Whisky For Everyone and originally appeared on the Huffington Post UK on 14/12/17.

The last couple of years have seen the re-birth of gin, a spirit that many considered long dead. It has shaken off its historical ‘mother’s ruin’ image to capture the imagination of consumers like almost no other spirit category has before.

Shops and bars are awash with different gin brands and new products seem to pop up every week. Gin palaces, often dens of iniquity in the past, are re-opening. Gin is cool again and consumers are lapping it up.

But what has driven this boom and how long can it be sustained?

Minimum Alcohol Pricing - Why?

* This article originally appeared on the Huffington Post on 16/11/17.

Scotland is poised to become the first country in the world to charge a minimum price per unit of alcohol. The unanimous ruling by the UK Supreme Court to back the Scottish Government proposal quashes a legal challenge by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), allowing authorities to proceed with legislation that was initially approved five years ago.

So what does this mean for those buying alcohol in Scotland? And will it spread to the rest of the UK?

Why Not Make Your Own Cocktails At Home?

* This article originally appeared on the Huffington Post on 24/10/17.

Over the last few years the whisky industry has been making a concerted effort to attract more consumers. One such way has been the idea of mixing your whisky or drinking it in a cocktail, particularly at home. Adding a mixer to a whisky is nothing new – one thinks of whisky and coke as easily as one thinks of gin and tonic or vodka and lemonade, for example – and is easy. But does anyone really make cocktails at home? Can they really be bothered?

How Did You Get In To Whisky?

* This article originally appeared on the Huffington Post UK on 19/4/17.

What turned you on to whisky? Was there one experience or a particular whisky you tried that got you hooked? What made the biggest first impression on you? How did you get in to whisky? These are questions that I get asked on a regular basis.

Getting started in the whisky world can be a daunting experience. I found it that way to begin with. There are lots of things that you hear or read that could be true, but you just do not know. These include numerous well-known stereotypes and opinions – Should I add water to my whisky? How about ice? Is single malt better than blended whisky? And so on.

Rum & Cigars - A Match Made In Heaven

* This article originally appeared on the Huffington Post UK on 6/4/17.

Rum and cigars have long gone hand in hand. The combination is largely associated with the Caribbean and one island in particular is synonymous with it. That island is Cuba. Some of the best rum on the planet is made there and it is home to many of the world’s best known and biggest selling cigar brands.