Coming In Early 2021: Johnnie Walker Scotch In Paper Bottles
According to alcoholic beverage company Diageo, its Johnnie Walker scotch whisky will be sold in paper bottles early next year. The initiative aims to eliminate plastic waste and comes after years of scrutiny against companies that use plastic packaging. Beverage makers Diaego, PepsiCo, and Unilever have all set goals to reduce plastic use and enhance recycling by 2025 as part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals program. The new Johnnie Walker scotch whisky bottle, made in a partnership with venture management company Pilot Lite, will consist of wood pulp and will be fully recyclable, according to Diaego.
British Royal Family Now Sells Gin With The Queen’s Garden Botanicals
The Royal Collection Trust, founded by Queen Elizabeth II, has begun selling premium London dry gin made with botanicals from the queen’s Buckingham Palace garden. The regal gin is made from 12 botanicals, including lemon verbena, hawthorn berries, bay leaves, and mulberry leaves collected from the garden. “For the perfect thirst-quencher,” said the trust in a statement, “the recommended serving method is to pour a measure of the gin into an ice-filled short tumbler before topping up with tonic and garnishing with a slice of lemon.” The Buckingham Palace gin will be served at official palace events, and 23-ounce bottles currently retail for about $50 online. Get the full story at Fox Newshere, at VinePair here, and at Reuters here.
Eonophiles Pick 5 Easygoing, Affordable Summer Wines
“An easygoing wine should be a little bit light and a little bit fruity, and it should taste equally good with or without food,” says wine expert Lettie Teague. “And it should be reasonably priced.” After consulting with other eonophiles (wine lovers), Teague found 5 wines that fit the bill. Her most affordable pick is the 2019 Vinho Verde from Aveleda Fonte for just $7. “It’s for drinking just about anywhere, anytime,” says Teague. Then there’s the 2019 Pino Grigio from renowned Italian winemaker Erste + Neue. At $13, this fresh and somewhat minerally white from the Alto Adige region is a bargain. If you like a bit more acidity in a pale pink wine, Teague recommends the 2019 Mas de Cadenet Côtes de Provence Sainte Victoirie for $17. Or, if prefer melon aromas in a softer white, try the classic Albariño, 2018’s Burgáns Albariño Rias Baixas for just $12. Among reds, Beaujolais is probably the most agreeable summer wine, and the 2018 Pierre-Marie Chermette Poncié Fleurie, at only $24, provides a bit more edge along with the refreshing fruit.
Japanese Women Revitalize Sake Industry
Miho Imada of the Imada Shuzo Honten sake company in Hiroshima is the 3<sup>rd</sup> generation toji (brewmaster) and now the 5<sup>th</sup> generation owner to manage the 152-year old company. Before assuming her position as toji, the brewery always outsourced the position, usually to men. Imada initially sidestepped the sake industry, despite being raised in the family-owned brewery, but when she saw domestic sake production declining drastically, she came home from Tokyo at age 33 to study sake-making under the toji in 1994. She succeeded the toji in 2000, then she became managing director at the brewery when her father stepped down in 2018. Imada’s sake has since gained her numerous accolades, including nods at the 2016 Annual Japan Sake Awards, the UK’s 2017 International Wine Challenge, and the 2017 Kura Master in France.
Imada says that 30 years ago most guests at sake tasting events were male, but now there is a greater female presence. Monica Samuels imports Imada’s sake as director of Sake and Spirits at Vine Connections, and adds, “Sometimes I get the feeling that Miho wishes people were interested in more than just her being a woman in the business when they talk to her, but I think she doesn’t realize how much of a role model she is to women who are trying to chase after their career without feeling like they have to live up to society’s expectations.“
IPA Beer Lovers Take More Risks, Study Says
Researchers from the Penn State Sensory Evaluation Center recently studied 109 beer consumers, mostly in their 30s, about half women and half men, and published their findings in Science Daily. Study subjects took personality tests and then drank blind samples of Budweiser (a mild lager beer), Founder’s All-Day IPA Session Ale (a somewhat bitter ale), and Troeg’s Perpetual IPA (a very bitter ale). Researchers originally theorized that people who taste bitterness more intensely would have an aversion to bitterness and would be more likely to enjoy more mild-tasting beer. However, study results showed the opposite: those who have an acute taste for bitterness crave intense sensations and are more likely to choose bitter beers. “Traditionally, most researchers find that people who experience bitterness more intensely avoid bitter food or drink—so with heightened bitterness, they like it less, and therefore consume it less,” said researcher John Hayes, associate professor of food science at Penn State. “But here, we find that people who seek higher sensations and are more risk-taking, they like bitter beer such as India pale ales, if they also have greater bitter taste perception.” .
Why Use Plain Water In Cocktails When Coconut Water Tastes Better?
While coconut is often associated with rich and creamy cocktails like the Piña Colada, bartenders are more frequently using coconut water for a lighter, refreshing taste without the heavy texture. Dilution is often the key to a balanced cocktail and coconut water can stand in for plain water. “Coconut water is a great way to make the dilution in a cocktail more interesting without changing the texture of the drink,” says Lost Lake bartender Vince Bright. You can use coconut water instead of plain water to make coconut simple syrup, or it can be frozen into coconut ice cubes or added straight to high-proof rums and whiskeys as a diluting agent. It works particularly well with tropical fruits like mango and pineapple and sits nicely in nut-based cocktails as well. .
Iowa Permanently Legalizes To-Go Cocktails, Other States To Follow
Iowa has become the first state to convert its temporary law allowing to-go cocktails into a permanent one. Michigan has also extended restaurant and bar sales of cocktails to go through 2025. Legislators in New York, Texas, Florida, Ohio, Oklahoma, and the District of Columbia say they will likely introduce bills of a similar nature. Alcohol sales often account for about 30 percent of a restaurant’s revenue, and allowing takeout alcohol sales during pandemic lockdowns has been a boon for the struggling restaurant industry. More than 30 states currently allow to-go cocktails from bars and restaurants. Many lawmakers believe the legislation is legalizing permanently to help restaurants survive beyond the pandemic. “Making cocktails to-go permanent provides a much-needed source of stability and revenue for local bars, restaurants and distilleries as they begin to recover,” said Dale Szyndrowski, vice president of state government relations for the Distilled Spirit Council of the United States.
Moderate Drinking May Improve Brain Function, Study Says
A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that middle-aged and older adults who drank alcohol in moderation had higher levels of cognitive functioning than those who abstained. Between 1996 and 2008, researchers for the University of Michigan’s Health and Retirement Study tested 19,887 participants on their mental acuity multiple times. Each participant’s cognitive function was tested through vocabulary, word recall, and mental status. Overall, those who consumed one to two drinks a day performed better on all mental acuity tests. Moderate drinking was associated with a better vocabulary and better word recall compared to those who abstained from alcohol. Women made up 60% of the participants with an average age of 61, and 85% were white. About one third (35%) of participants said they drank alcohol, and among those, 85% drank low to moderate amounts.
Booze Map Shows Which States Drink The Most
U.S. consumers drink about 570 million gallons of liquor, 914 million gallons of wine, and over 6 billion gallons of beer each year. Wondering where your state falls on the booze map? An analysis of recent data from The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism shows that some consumers in some states drink more than others. New Hampshire tops the list for liquor consumption, likely because it has no booze tax. Delaware comes in second, followed by the District of Columbia, and Nevada, due it large part to Vegas casinos and tourism. Those in Vermont consume the least amount of liquor, less than a million gallons per year, quite a bit less than those in California, who consumer an annual 69.1 million gallons. The states consuming the least spirits also include West Virginia, Utah, and Ohio.
Blanton’s Iconic American Bourbon Was Created For The Japanese Market
When Blanton’s Single Barrel bourbon debuted in 1984, whiskey expert Fred Minnick said, “[It] was a domestic flop. In fact, the only thing positive about Blanton’s was its popularity in Japan.” That popularity among the Japanese was completely intentional. When Master Distiller Emeritus Elmer T. Lee originally described the soft caramel and vanilla flavor profile for the new Blanton’s Single Barrel bourbon, he didn’t even anticipate that the liquor would be sold to American drinkers. Blanton’s was aimed squarely at the Japanese palate and was specifically created for the Japan market by Lee and liquor executives Ferdie Falk and Bob Baranaskas.
