Following on from our Rum Punch cocktail earlier this month, Lauren Eads takes a deep dive into the history of Punch, from 17th century India to its renaissance in 21st…
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Master of Malt Blog
Author: Lauren Eads
Lauren Eads is a freelance writer and guest contributor to the Master of Malt blog. She has worked as managing editor of The Drinks Business and holds a Level 4 Diploma from the WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust).
Do you consider yourself a spirits enthusiast? An aficionado even? Then Armagnac should be on your radar. The region offers distinctive wonderful long-aged spirits at often ridiculously low prices. If…
With Jameson, Haig and Grant’s all releasing flavoured ‘whisky’, sorry spirit drinks, in the last couple of years, Lauren Eads takes a closer look at this often maligned category. Back…
Do you need formal qualifications like WSET to learn about and appreciate spirits like whisky or Cognac? Lauren Eads talks to various industry professionals to find out whether studying spirits…
The explosion in values for rare whiskies such as Brora, Macallan and Karuizawa in the last few years has seen an commensurate increase in the number of counterfeits coming onto…
The English whisky scene has progressed at breathtaking speed since the first release of the modern era in 2010. There are now 33 producers with big ambitions, and a group…
Nick Ravenhall joined Edinburgh’s Holyrood distillery as managing director last year and pulled it back from the brink with a mixture of practical plans and innovative thinking. But will it…
Distilleries are more than just factories for making alcohol. Increasingly, producers are seeing them as architectural statements and tourist attractions, as Lauren Eads. From Macallan in Scotland to Pernod Ricard…
Continuing our International Women’s Day coverage, Lauren Eads talks to Allison Parc, the force behind Brenne, a whisky made in the Cognac region of France. When Allison Parc set about…
From Scotland to Stevenage, there’s a gang of intrepid British distillers making rum from scratch. Lauren Eads takes a closer look at the thriving UK rum scene. Great Britain is…
Finishing off our dryish January coverage, Lauren Eads takes a look at an often-overlooked member of the drinks family which offers maximum flavour but with around half the alcohol of…
Lauren Eads joins us again to talk all about sustainability in spirits, how packaging can make a difference, and where compromises might need to be made. Right now, sustainability is…
If you think bourbon is a static category, then think again. From cask finishes to heirloom grains, this formerly conservative whiskey is now a hotbed of experimentation. Lauren Eads takes…
Think mezcal is a poor man’s Tequila? Think again. Yes, they are both made from agave in Mexico. But that’s where the similarities end. At its heart, mezcal is simply…
Good quality casks are vital to every single bottle of whisky, making the role of the cooper, the person expertly in their care and creation, absolutely essential. Distillers tend to…
Venice is home to some pretty amazing cocktails like the Bellini and the Spritz, but have you tried the Sgroppino, a refreshing blend of lemon sorbet, vodka and Prosecco? The…
This week’s cocktail was invented at one of the world’s great hotels, Raffles Hotel in Singapore. Well, probably, the Singapore Sling has a convoluted and fascinating history as Lauren Eads…
Last month the American Bar at the Savoy in London welcomed its first ever real actual American head bartender, Shannon Tebay, formerly of Death & Co. in New York. We took…
It’s not hard to see why the words ‘trailblazer’, ‘vanguard’ and ‘pioneer’ frequently follow entrepreneur Karen Hoskin, the woman behind Montanya Rum. The values she has instilled at her Colorado…
This week’s drink has a glamorous history. Born in Peru in the 1920s (or maybe Chile, there is some debate), it was drunk by film stars, writers and presidents alike….