Hand Crafted Drinks Magazine

29/11/2024

The deadline for the early bird entries to the London Spirits, Beer and Wine competitions is 30 November 2024.

The competitions organisers pride themselves on having award-winning buyers, bartenders, master sommeliers, masters of wine and some of the most influential people working in the drinks industry to judge the annual events.

As media partners to this event we have seen just how much this competition benefits the winners, having produced a series of independent case studies to help promote the competitions.

If you’re thinking of entering click on the following links to find out more and to enter your products:

London Spirits Competition: https://londonspiritscompetition.com/
London Beer Competition: https://londonbeercompetition.com/
London Wine Competition: https://londonwinecompetition.com/

06/11/2024

Ten bottles of Sir David Hempleman-Adams Explorers Grand Slam Gin, inspired and signed by the legendary British adventurer, are going under the auction hammer towards the end of November to help raise funds for Prostate Cancer UK.

Click the link to read the full story.

Ten bottles of Sir David Hempleman-Adams Explorers Grand Slam Gin, inspired and signed by the legendary British adventurer, are going under the auction hammer towards the end of November to help raise funds for Prostate Cancer UK. [caption id=

31/10/2024

What's not to like about the Budget? A whole penny off the price of pint of beer!

The problem is there will soon be nowhere to buy a pint as business rates are set to skyrocket and the planned National Insurance increases will fuel unemployment.

Before the Budget the country was already losing around 80 pubs a month, a figure that will only increase.

23/10/2024

SIBA has launched a new campaign to help consumers to check if the beer they are buying is actually from an independent brewery.

The Society of Independent Brewers & Associates (SIBA) has recently launched their Indie Beer campaign to help consumers to identify independent breweries and producers. As explained on The Morning Advertiser's website, 75% of consumers don't realise that international brewing conglomerates are mark...

23/08/2024

Thornbridge’s ‘The Union’ will be available in bottles for the first time.

Earlier this year Thornbridge Brewery took the decision to save a historic piece of British brewing equipment – a part of the Burton Union, which they took to Bakewell and is now being used for brewing.

The flagship brew created on this kit is called ‘The Union’ and is a classic British IPA, brewed with the British-grown hops, Goldings and Northdown, which give some gentle berry flavours and rounded, cedar-like hop aromas to balance the maltiness of the brew.

In September this beer will be available in bottles for the first time, launching as part of the Thornbridge Beer Club, it will be bottle conditioned and slightly stronger than its cask counterpart.

Thornbridge Brewery is based at Riverside Works in Bakewell, and has been operating since 2005. The brewery has picked up over 350 domestic and international awards, including over 100 for their flagship IPA, Jaipur.

Thornbridge now have a dedicated section on their website for The Union with all the latest happenings with the Union System https://thornbridgebrewery.co.uk/pages/union

03/07/2024

The award-winning Ramsbury Distillery recently launched Ramsbury Lemon Balm Gin, made using fresh lemon balm grown on their estate in Wiltshire.

The press release that was sent out with news of the gin described the Lemon Balm Gin as: “a vibrant and vivacious spirit” and having been sent a bottle to sample we can confirm that is another fine spirit from Ramsbury.

Over the years the interest in flavoured gins has ebbed and flowed; some distilleries produced outstanding products and some were more on a par with alcopops – overly sweet and not very pleasant.

This gin, however, gives you that injection of lemon zestiness, which you would expect, but it’s not intrusive and adds a refreshing depth to an already confident base spirit.

When we sample spirits we never add mixers because we want to get unimpeded profile to emerge. Sampling the Lemon Balm Gin was no different; we served it over ice and neat, and from the first sip we were impressed.

Although promoted as a gin that’s ready for the summer – whenever the summer finally arrives – this is one that we would enjoy all year round, especially as a sipping gin.

The distillery recommends serving this new gin as a Lemon Balm G&T, using 50ml of the lemon balm gin, 150ml of a quality tonic water and garnish it with lemon. For an extra shot of lemon we would recommend Fever Tree’s Lemon Tonic Water.

For those hot, lazy days we would also use an oversize glass and adding plenty of ice for a long, refreshing drink.

To create this lemon masterpiece, the distillers harvest lemon balm leaves directly from their distillery garden and steep them overnight in the still with 12 other botanicals used to produce their award-winning London Dry Gin.

The gin is then distilled in the traditional way keeping only the heart of the distillation which is hand cut by the distillers to produce a bright and fresh citrus forward gin.

As with an increasing number of producers, Ramsbury Distillery remains committed to sustainability; they use use of recycled glass and growing the ingredients on the estate using an advanced reed irrigation system.

This limited release is part of Ramsbury’s ongoing experimentation with produce grown on their estate, showcasing innovation and their commitment to local, sustainable ingredients.

The Lemon Balm Gin is a delightful citrus experience for the senses and one that we thoroughly enjoyed.

For more information visit their website: https://ramsbury.com

14/05/2024

Fresh to market is Toxin, a new range of social media-driven drinks aimed at students and the young adult market.

The new brand is a joint venture between instagram and TikTok influencer, Rufus Rice, and The East Coast Cocktail Company.

The new RTD range comprises three flavours that are available in 250ml cans, simply labelled as: Yellow, Pink and Green.

Toxin Green is based on a Matcha Mojito (8% ABV); a refreshing mix of rum, mint and Matcha green tea. Toxin Pink is the classic Cosmo drink, with a mix of smooth vodka, raspberries and cranberries (10% ABV) and Toxin Yellow, is inspired by a Lime Margarita cocktail, with a twist of Brazilian lime, tequila and a dash of salt (10% ABV).

Toxin founder Rufus Rice explains why he thought the time was right to enter what is a growing market segment: “We know that young adults look for vibrant drinks that are not only instagram-worthy, but taste great, but we noticed there is a distinct lack of ‘double’ or higher ABV options on the market, and from there the idea for Toxin was born.

“We want to be more than just another drinks brand on social media, we want to be seen as an integral part of quintessential student life, an accessible drink that fits a stylish lifestyle.”

To support the launch, Toxin is being heavily promoted across social media to over 1.5 million followers, with Rufus Rice driving engagement across his large following on Instagram and TikTok.

We were sent samples of all the Toxin flavours, which impressed everyone in the office. The simple, uncluttered labelling provides all the essential information in a large, bold font, including the name of the variety, the flavour profile and their ABV.

The headline spirits very much came to fore and were mixed with well-chosen ingredients, which produced refreshing long drinks, especially when served in a tall glass over ice.

The RTD range has been launched into the student and young adult market, which has an increasing number of people who are either eschewing alcohol or reducing their intake, so we feel that the clear labelling is very responsible.

Equally, with more and more distilleries producing low and no alcohol spirits we feel that Toxin has the opportunity to produce a range of less toxic drinks, which we anticipate would be well received by their target audience.

Whether or not Toxin does enter the low and no alcohol market, this brand is definitely going places.

For more information visit: www.toxindrinks.com

21/03/2024

At the recent SIBA Awards, Thornbridge Brewery was recognised in four main categories, including being named as Brewery Business of the Year.

In the Commercial Achievement category the brewery was a finalist; their online shop was highly commended and the company was also named as the winner of the Best Collaboration award.

The collaboration between Thornbridge and Budvar, which led to the creation of Czech Mates – a 4.8% Czech-style lager – resulted in the Best Collaboration award.

The new lager was Budvar’s first co-production in their 128-year history.

Thornbridge Brewery’s co-founder, Simon Webster, was delighted with the awards: “To be recognised as Brewery Business of the Year is something we’re all so proud of at the brewery, it’s a testament to the hard work of the whole team.”

Since launching in 2005, the brewery has picked up over 350 domestic and international awards, including over 100 for Jaipur, their flagship IPA.

15/02/2024

We were recently sent a bottle of Caorunn Gin to sample and we were impressed.

Caorunn Gin is hand-crafted at a malt whisky distillery, made with 11 botanicals, five of which are foraged locally.

The company only distils in small batches, which has been at the heart of the company’s philosophy since they starting producing gin in 2009, at Balmenach Distillery in the Speyside region of the Scottish Highlands.

Their brand name, Caorunn {which we were told is pronounced ‘ka-roon’}, was inspired by the Gaelic word for ‘Rowan Berry’ – one of five unique Celtic botanicals that are at the heart of their gin, including dandelion, heather, Coul blush apple and bog myrtle.

We have sampled many gins, but in the case of Caorunn I would gladly order a case of this unique, ultra-smooth London dry gin. Whilst this gin would be equally at home with a quality mixer, ice and a garnish, or in gin-based cocktails, we would choose this as a a serious challenger to whisky as a nightcap, without the addition of anything except a cube or two or ice.

For more information: www.caorunngin.com

20/12/2023

The early bird offer to enter the London Spirits, Wine and Beer Competitions closes at 11:59pm tonight. To take advantage of the offers follow the various links to their three dedicated websites:

London Spirits Competition: https://londonspiritscompetition.com
London Wine Competition: https://londonwinecompetition.com
London Beer Competition: https://londonbeercompetition.com

The competitions judge the drinks on three criteria, including quality of the drink, its packaging and value for money.

Good luck to everyone that enters.