New things keep popping up in Finger Lakes wine country — restaurants, B&Bs, grape products, even wineries themselves. Now, a new bit of technology will help would-be visitors get more out of the region. A new Finger Lakes Wine Country app is an interactive, location-aware travel guide, with hundreds of listings for accommodations, restaurants, wineries, [...]
: Dowd's Spirits Notebook William M . Dowd reports and comments on distilled beverages globally a Dowd's Guides site 20120428 Connecticut House OKs Sunday sales bill HARTFORD Connecticut has moved closer to ending its ban on Sunday alcohol sales , among other actions involving the . industry House Bill 5021 was passed this week , allowing sales on Sunday and certain holidays . It also calls for increasing from two to three the number of liquor stores a retailer may own . The vote was 116-27. The bill now moves to the Senate where it must be approved my midnight May 9, the final day of the current legislative . session If approved , Sunday sales would immediately be allowed , with any other aspects of the bill going into effect on July 1. To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest . entry To Dowd's
COHOES — Harmony House Marketplace is planning a “book friendly wine tasting.” The event will offer free tastings of New York State wines selected by the staff to accompany a book reading during the 5 to 7 p.m. tasting this Friday. As always with the facility’s weekly New York wine tastings, customers will receive 25% [...]
ALBANY — At one time, “hops” were events kids attended to dance to the latest pop music. But long before that, the word “hops” had a very strong identification with a crop that grew in abundance in Upstate New York. They are the female flower of a Humulus lupulus, used primarily as a flavoring and [...]
Have you ever enjoyed one of Starbucks’ pink, or pinkish-hued, beverages? You may not have ordered one a second time if you knew the coloring was thanks to the presence of dried, crushed bugs. Cochineal extract, to be precise. After experiencing customer pressure spurred by the vegan/vegetarian website thisdishisvegetarian.com, the coffee chain yesterday announced it [...]
BALLSTON SPA — The Saratoga Brewfest is moving to a new venue. The Saturday, June 16, event, which has registered 40 breweries for the 3 to 7 p.m. schedule, this year will be held at the Saratoga County Fairgrounds. It previously had been held at the Ellms Family Farm. Attendees can expect to sample from [...]
ALBANY — The poster over there ➜ says it all. The May 17 event is an interesting recognition of the ever-expanding popularity of beers from small distillers, although Samuel Adams in particular threatens to grow out of that category with its own ever-expanding line. The event is just one of many the City Beer Hall [...]
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: . Dowd's Spirits Notebook William M . Dowd reports and comments on distilled beverages globally a Dowd's Guides site 20120410 U.S . Brazil pact should boost cachaça sales Scotch whisky has long been regarded as being made in only one place . . Scotland That is largely due to the vigilance of the Scotch Whisky Association SWA a feisty trade group that rigorously monitors the world spirits industry to be sure no one is trying to pass off their wares as true Scotch whisky without it being precisely . that The same cannot be said for many other types of spirits , unlike such things as bourbon and tequila , which have specific government-enacted regulations about their . creation I was chatting over cocktails the other day with Gavin Hewitt , chief executive of the SWA and a man who knows a
: Dowd's Spirits Notebook William M . Dowd reports and comments on distilled beverages globally a Dowd's Guides site 20120409 Knob Creek Rye a winner even before release The folks at Beam Inc , couldn't have scripted it any . better As the Clermont , KY , distiller was getting ready to release its new Knob Creek Rye to the market it wins Double Gold and top honors in the Best Rye Whiskey category in the well-regarded San Francisco World Spirits . Competition That wasn't the only honor the distiller took at that competition . Its super-premium Knob Creek Bourbon and Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve each took Double . Gold The Knob Creek line was created 20 years ago by Booker Noe , grandson of James Beam and sixth-generation master distiller , with a 100 proof bourbon . His son , Fred , now
: . Dowd's Spirits Notebook William M . Dowd reports and comments on distilled beverages globally a Dowd's Guides site 20120409 Italian wheat vodka expands U.S . market Vodka and Italy . Not two words that quickly come to mind in the same thought . That , however , may be slightly changed by a new marketing . effort The maker of Purus Vodka an organic wheat vodka imported from the Piedmont region of Italy , this month will double the number of U.S . states in which it is . available Currently , you can find it in Florida , Ohio , Arizona and Missouri . It now is being shipped to stores in Texas , Illinois , North Carolina and New . Mexico Purus , which made its market debut in 2011, is the flagship brand of an emerging portfolio of super-premium spirits brands owned by Pure Holdings LLC ,
: : Dowd's Spirits Notebook William M . Dowd reports and comments on distilled beverages globally a Dowd's Guides site 20120407 Analysis : Craft distilling going nowhere but up Anyone who has been paying attention knows the craft distillery movement in America is on the upswing . The question is , how far is up According to industry figures , there were 254 producing distilleries at the end of 2011, with more scheduled to come on line this year . A market analysis just released by Coppersea Distilling LLC , projects the industry will grow more than 300 over the next . decade Should current growth trends continue , the number of U.S . craft distillers will certainly grow to over 1,000, said Michael Kinstlick , CEO of Coppersea Distilling , located in West Park , Ulster County , NY . Craft
: : , Dowd's Spirits Notebook William M . Dowd reports and comments on distilled beverages globally a Dowd's Guides site 20120407 Legal update : VA , WV ease spirits laws Two states have modified their beverage alcohol laws to become more consumer . friendly In Virginia , Governor Bob McDonnell has signed legislation giving the state beverage control commission authority to expand Sunday alcohol sales into markets statewide , effective July 1. House Bill 896 passed the House on January 27 and the Senate on February 23. In neighboring West Virginia , Governor Earl Ray Tomblin has signed legislation allowing consumers to sample up to one total ounce of liquor at distilled spirits outlets during a scheduled event , effective June 8. The original House Bill 3174 was sponsored by State Rep .
: Dowd's Spirits Notebook William M . Dowd reports and comments on distilled beverages globally a Dowd's Guides site 20120406 Tuthilltown creates orchard' gin base GARDINER , NY The craft distiller Tuthilltown Spirits is launching a new gin with a definitely different . twist The average gin is distilled from some sort of grain then infused with a combination of botanicals . The Ulster County distiller the state's first licensed operation since Prohibition has , instead , created Half Moon Orchard Gin from a base of wheat and apples . It is believed to be the first New York distillery taking that . direction Half Moon , named for the ship captained by explorer Henry Hudson when he chanced upon the river that now bears his name , differs from the usual gin making approach by changing the
: : Dowd's Spirits Notebook William M . Dowd reports and comments on distilled beverages globally a Dowd's Guides site 20120405 Book review : 99 Pot Stills' 99 Pot Stills . Photos by Bill Owens Andrew Faulkner . American Distilling Institute White Mule . Press Anyone at all acquainted with the distilling process knows a still when s he sees one . But , what they see can differ often greatly from venue to . venue From gleaming bronze appliances with soaring graceful swan necks to rinky-dink apparatuses cobbled together in the backyard , a still is a still is a still . In other words , the operational theory remains the same no matter the design and style of the . still Bill Owens , founder and president of the American Distilling Institute , and Andrew Faulkner put their collection of
: Dowd's Spirits Notebook William M . Dowd reports and comments on distilled beverages globally a Dowd's Guides site 20120402 Belvedere in the stew over bad ad Belvedere Vodka's uber-offensive ad seen over there not only was a flop in the court of public opinion , it now is landing the company in court to defend against a . lawsuit What is widely known as the date rape ad uses an actress model's image which she claims Belvedere did not have permission to . use Alicyn Packard's original image appeared in a still photo from a comedy skit in which she appeared for Strickly Viral . Productions In a statement , Packard told KTLA television , To be affiliated with an ad that's so offensive to so many has just been horrible . Belvedere President Charles Gibb has publicly apologized for the ad ,
: Dowd's Spirits Notebook William M . Dowd reports and comments on distilled beverages globally a Dowd's Guides site 20120402 2 new specialty vodkas released A pair of vodka makers has added to their lines , something that has become a regular business activity for virtually all such distillers in the crowded market . category Blue Ice Vodka today announced the release of Blue Ice G Vodka , a multi-grain recipe that is the third item in its portfolio along with the original Blue Ice Vodka , made from potatoes , and Blue Ice Organic Wheat . Vodka The new iteration from owner 21st Century Spirits of California is packaged in the familiar raised-glass icicle bottle , but a red signature G for grains makes it stand out from its . siblings Suggested retail price is 15 for the 750ml . bottle