July 2011 - destillation

What makes liquor king the one stop shop for all party needs

Liquor King is your one stop shop to take care of all your liquor shopping needs. Liquor King is a part of Lion Liquor Retail Limited. This company is owned and managed by Lion Nathan and has 40 stores in New Zealand. Liquor King is a venture from this company which gives the buyer the convenience to shop at his convenience in his time and space.
The USP of Liquor King is that they have a wide selection of wines, beers and spirits. They do not have the typical highbrow approach to liquor selling. No matter what your budget, you can be sure that you will get the right recommendation of alcohol from the Liquor King team to make sure that you make the right choice.
Shopping for liquor online is the easiest thing to do. It makes life a little simpler when you have one thing less to shop for especially when you have to plan a thousand other things. You can use the time that you save shopping for liquor in a store attending to something else that is in need of your attention.
Shopping at Liquor King also gives you the assurance that your order has been placed right. Moments after placing your order you will get a system generated email. They have a well placed security system which makes online transactions completely safe. They have a state of the art encryption system that makes all payment process watertight.
Liquor King has a very organized deliver system. Since your delivery will be processed from the liquor store closest to your location you can be assured of lower delivery costs. This effort is also helpful when the buyer wants his liquor delivered on the day of the event and wants the liquor to be the right temperature. Deliveries are made on the same day as the order has been placed. They place a great deal of emphasis on their delivery process so that they keep both the purchaser and the law happy.
Lion King makes deliveries only for people who have reached legal drinking age. A valid age proof needs to be provided if the person receiving the goods looks younger than twenty five years. They also make sure that the alcohol delivery is not left unattended as that is against the law in New Zealand.
The delivery costs are determined according to the distance from the store to the delivery address. Liquor King also makes sure that they have a good return policy. You can exchange your order or avail of their 20%return policy if you have over ordered or are not happy with the purchase. All you need to make sure is that the product that you have shopped for is returned back in its original format.
Apart from ordering for the regular beer, wine and other spirits you can take a look at the other items that you can purchase from Liquor King to make your party a success. From snack nibbles to ice to other non alcoholic beverages, you can get almost anything including bar trays, ice bins, jugs and carafes for hire at Liquor King that will take care of all your part needs.

How does a cognac become a vsop cognac

VSOP cognac can be branded as one of the world’s most dignified spirits. There is something about swirling a cognac in a glass, gently warming it with the heat generated from your hands and then luxuriating in the warmth and full bodied richness of the spirit. While cognac is essentially a type of brandy it is exclusive to the region of Cognac in France. Not all brandies can be called a cognac as the process of making a fine VSOP cognac is guided strictly by the French law.

According to the Appellation d’origine controlee, which is the certification given by the French government to specific ‘French geographical indications’ such as for wine cheese and butters, for a brandy to bear the name Cognac it has to be distilled to meet specific legal requirements. The grape varietal used for such cognac production has to be the Ugni Blanch. Also the brandy has to go through a double distillation process using copper pot stills. Then comes the process of aging the wine. The wine has to be aged in classic French oak barrels for a minimum period of two years and then left to mature. These barrels must come from the region of Troncais or Limousin.

A number of cognacs are aged for a much longer period of time than the specified requirement. This is because cognacs are aged much in the same way as whisky and the longer it ages the better the product. The quality of the cognac is graded by the BNIC (Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac). The main grades of cognac are VS, VSOP, XO and Napoleon. These grades are given according to the storage specification, aging and blending of the cognac.

A VSOP cognac or Very Special Old Pale cognac is a grade of cognac where the brandy has been aged for a minimum period of four years in a cask. However the average age of the cask is much older. The need for an aged cognac arose in 1817 in the British Royal House. The house was interested in a ‘cognac pale’ which was primarily a blend that was not sweetened artificially by adding either caramel or sugar. It was then found that as the cognac interacted with the wood of the oak barrel and the air inside it the cognac achieved it full bodied warm and slightly sweet flavor.

A VSOP cognac is also made from the two of the finest crus of the region. The main six growth areas or crus are Grand Champagne, Petit Champagne, Fins Bois, Bois Ordinaires, Bons Bois and Borderies. A fine VSOP cognac will have the crus taken from the Grand Champagne and the Petit champagne region with at least a 50% concentration from the Grand Champagne region. Once the cognac passes through these strict processes it is fit to be labeled and graded. While it is commonly believed that the longer a cognac has been aged the better it will taste, ultimately it is the taster whose palette will define what taste he actually likes. Tasting and liking a fine VSOP cognac is thus a very subjective and a very personal experience.

Sip on delicious alcohols distilled in copper moonshine stills

If you truly want to enjoy the true character of strong alcoholic beverages while also sharing them with your loved ones then you can truly sip on delicious alcohols distilled in copper moonshine stills. Copper stills have been used to distill various forms of potent alcohols since ages and you too can easily produce your own alcohol or spirit right at home with a traditional moonshine kit.

Copper has been the preferred material for moonshine stills since the introduction of most alcohols to the palates of avid drinkers and with good reason. Copper has the highest conductivity of heat amongst all metals including stainless steel that has 4 times less conductivity than this malleable material. Copper pot stills have been traditionally distilling various types of alcohols and spirits for master distillers all around the globe and each moonshine still also exudes a wonderful and traditional look to any home, pub, or bar that can get any enthusiast salivating for its distilled contents.

If you are an eager home enthusiast that wants to try your hand at distilling heady alcohols and spirits such as vodka, whiskey, rum, or brandy, amongst other beverages then you can surely do so by distilling your precious alcohol in copper moonshine stills. There are select companies that still manufacture functional and eye-catching copper stills that will not only attract you with their ageless looks but also allow you to safely produce your chosen alcohol provided you follow all required instructions while fermenting and distilling your chosen liquor. In addition to checking in actual brick and mortar stores, you should also browse over the internet to feast your eyes on copper stills that will simply take your breath away even as it delivers high strength alcohols and spirits at a consistent level.

Visiting online stores that sell copper moonshine stills in various shapes, sizes, and capacities will help you to compare their features as well as prices even as you drool over these artistic works of functional art. You can easily place your order with a few easy clicks of your mouse, make an online payment, and receive your carefully packed still right at your own doorstep. Each still will be normally delivered in kit form and you can easily assemble your still with the instructions provided by the company. Your moonshine still will now not only be able to deliver strong and smooth alcoholic beverages at will but will surely turn into the center of attraction of your home once you throw a party and invite your close friends over for drinks created out of that very still.

You should, however, make sure that the moonshine still that you order is available with a comprehensive warranty as well as a money-back guarantee. The company or dealer selling you the still should also be able to deliver spares at a future date so that your production is never affected by lack of parts. It would certainly be an added advantage if the online store also offers various other products made out of copper such as funnels so that your copper theme can be completed to provide that ageless look to your home or garage.

Copper is the most suitable material for boiling and re-condensing alcohol vapors and you too can install an artistic and functional still in your home to produce exceptionally good liquor in your own home provided you also use the best possible yeast to ferment your mixture. You should certainly go online to browse through a wide range of copper moonshine stills so as to compare looks, features, and prices before you make an informed purchase.

what is vintage cognac and what are its features

Vintage cognac unlike popular belief is not a French creation but is in fact British. The French have been fiercely protective of their cognac and have laws that govern cognac making strictly. Stringent rules must be followed when choosing the grapes, distilling, aging and blending the brandy to give it the name of a cognac. In fact according to the French laws if a brandy is made using all the governing principles of a cognac but is made anywhere else other than in the native towns of Jarnac and Cognac then it cannot be termed as a cognac.
Vintage cognac is a relatively newer and a rather unexplored trend. Until 1989 the production of vintage cognac was not allowed by the French law. It is for this reason that this cognac was not available in the market for purchase until the nineties. So what is vintage cognac? Vintage cognac is essentially a blend of cognacs that have been distilled from the eau de vie of a single year.
It is not very difficult to identify a vintage cognac. While a cognac that has been matured in the cognac houses of France will not have a date mentioned on the bottle, a vintage cognac will.

A bottle of genuine vintage cognac has a date mentioned on the bottle which tells the date on which this cognac blend was bottled and the vintage of cognac it comes from. This becomes important as it is indicative of the length of time for which the cognac has matured. The significance of these dates lie in the fact that once bottled a cognac stops maturing and doesn’t become better in the bottle irrespective of the years it has been bottled.
There are primarily two types of vintage cognacs. These types are the Jarnac matured vintage cognac and early landed vintage cognac. The primary difference between the two vintages is the method used in aging these cognacs. The storage conditions, climates and the barrels used to age and mature the cognacs renders its unique taste. The cognacs from Jarnac are matured in drier cellars. It is because of this that the brandies produced from this region are darker because of the high oxidization rate and high water evaporation. It is because of these reasons that the alcohol content of the cognacs from this region is more. In order to lower the alcoholic strength of the cognac from the Jarnac region a little bit of water is added to the cask.
In contrast to the cognac from Jarnac, early landed vintage cognac is aged in England. The place where most of this early landed cognac is aged is Bristol. This early landed vintage cognac is made from the brandy that is sent to Bristol in a cask a year or two after the vintage distillation. Once the brandy reaches its destination in England it is left to age in the English cellars which are very damp. There is no requirement of adding additional water to the casks of these cognacs since a damp cellar makes sure that water evaporation is much slower. The content of alcohol thus tends to fall naturally because of the humid conditions of the cellar.

Liquor Drink

A liquor drink is something the majority enjoys. Each one has their own reasons for having a liquor drink. Some; because they enjoy a drink a day; may be. Some drink to forget their blues, some just to unwind themselves after a day’s hard work, some out of depression and some out of extraordinary joy i.e. for celebrations etc. and some very occasionally.

Majority enjoys a proper Alcohol drink while some something they fell good to have like wine and or beer, cocktails etc. Here is a liquor list of some of the popular drinks. In case you have missed out on some of these popular mixes and brands, it is our pleasure to introduce you to some real good stuff – which are a “must try”.

Rum
Vodka
Tequila
Gin
Whiskey
Minute Maid Frozen Limeade concentrate
Cazadores Reposado Tequila
Don Julio 1942 Anejo Tequila
Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia Anejo Tequila

Each liquor drink is made with different raw materials and different ingredients like, grains, fruit juice, herbs, vegetables etc. Each one develops its own color, flavor and texture and its own potency and character. Based on all their individuality each liquor drink is consumed in a different style and manner and each one of them have different reactions on different consumers.

Here we can do some interesting reading on how to consume your favorite drink of the day.

Make up your mind whether you want to consume it strong and hard – on the rocks or instead you would enjoy a cocktail, which is a little lighter and softer on your system and tongue. It only makes sense for a person who is trying liquor for the first time, to play safe with luck and have a cocktail or something like a Screwdriver, Cosmopolitan or a Bay Breeze. Usually a White Russian goes down faster and easily compared to straight Vodka. If you desire your drink to be of less potency, it’s nice to add some ice as it will dilute the drink. Ice or no ice it’s still straight liquor.

Choose a place of your choice to enjoy your favorite flavor. If you are looking for a rowdy, dark and trendy place, a night club or a bar is a good idea. A party will offer you a festive and a more conducive atmosphere. Its clever to be with some experienced liquor friends around if you are a liquor novice. This will help you choose the correct combinations of liquor mixes and ensure that the liquor does not have a very intoxicating effect on you.

Keep a watch on your intake of liquor. An average-sized man can easily consume a drink or three. A first time trial should be a drink at a time and that too not on an empty or a half starved stomach. If you have consumed a liquor drink for the first time – do make it a point to go home by cab.

If you wish to have more than one liquor drink do not be over ambitious and try more than one base liquor mix in one night. If you have a Screwdriver or a White Russian with Vodka, no problem. If you have the second drink with Martini, you have asked for trouble. So enjoy your liquor drink and also play safe, wise and decent.

What makes richard hennessy cognac a drink coveted amongst cognac connoisseurs

The Richard Hennessy Cognac stands at the top end of the fine Hennessy range. This cognac is named after Richard Hennessy who was the founder of Hennessy distilleries. The Hennessy distillery was established in 1765 by this Irishman and since then has gone on to produce some of the finest cognac selections. The Richard Hennessy Cognac was created by Richard Hennessy himself and thus the foundation of a great cognac house was laid.

The Richard Hennessy cognac is the color of a rich mahogany vibrant in its appearance. It has a complex yet rich palate and achieves a balance between the depth of the wine and the sweet notes of vanilla, raisins, honey and dried flowers. The finish of the drink leaves to the taster the semi sweet flavor of cherries and a deliberating long after taste. This balanced and complex drink releases its bouquet of aromas slowly in the tasters mouth in a succession revealing an extraordinary fine texture and aroma.

Some of the best eau de vie collected from the most coveted vine growing regions goes into the making of the fine Richard Hennessey cognac. This eau de vie is aged for nearly a hundred years to make the excellent cognac in the Hennessy cellar. Each of the eau de vies that go into the making of the Richard Hennessy cognac are selected carefully each for its characteristic properties. Some of the eau de vie used to make this cognac also date back to the early 19th century and are also extremely rare.

The eau de vie used in making a Richard Hennessy cognac is a blend of the Grand Siècle. The Grand Siècle is the epitome of blending complementing wines from the best growths from the Laurent Perriers and the best vintage years. Twelve prestigious wine growing villages supply the grapes that go into the making of the Grand Siècle. It was the era of Louis XIV that came to be known as the Grand Siècle as this era laid the foundation of France’s artistic heritage under the kings patronage. The eau de vie that makes Richard Hennessy cognac are selected carefully by the Hennessy house’s master blenders to present the regal drink. Seven generations of master blenders from the same family blend the Richard Hennessy cognac.

The Richard Hennessy cognac needs to be savored and not drunk. To truly savor its exceptional taste a crystal tulip taster glass or a smaller snifter should be used. These glasses allow the aromas of the cognac to be released gradually. Ideally when you want to appreciate a Richard Hennessy cognac you should first cradle the glass in your palm and swirl the drink so that it begins to release its fine aromas. Once that is done you need to inhale deeply and take a sip to enjoy the full bodied drink.

It is indeed a privilege to taste the Richard Hennessy cognac. A price has been put on this cognac perhaps for commerce alone as one cannot put a price on a spirit that has been aged over generations finally revealing its mature full bodied nature to the taster alone.