Think Rum will return in two weeks, on November 8. The event, which was on hiatus owing to the pandemic, will include a tasting zone with rums from around the world, as well as three masterclasses and a panel discussion on the potential for rum. Think Rum ambassador Peter Holland said the rum category is “as exciting as it is diverse in its offering”,…

“It’s a naïve domestic Burgundy without any breeding, but I think you’ll be amused by its presumption.”  The devastating caption to James Thurber’s satirical 1937 cartoon of a host presenting a wine to his dinner guests has never been bettered as a lampoon of winespeak. It is a reminder that people have been critiquing, or at least scoffing at, tasting notes for as long as wine worth writing…

Rum education day Think Rum is returning next month, after a hiatus during the pandemic. The one-day event will take place at The Trampery, Old Street, on November 8. The programme includes a panel discussion about the growing potential for the category, featuring Waitrose spirits buyer John Vine, Whisky Exchange head buyer Dawn Davies, Think Rum ambassador Peter Holland, Muck and Dunder owner Michelle Field…

Rum has been the ‘next big thing’ for as long as we can remember at Drinks Retailing. So, we caught up with Think Rum ambassador and all-round rum expert Peter Holland to find out if rum’s time is finally here. What are the wider trends in the rum category? And where’s the excitement coming from?  From a geeky point of view, we are bringing…

Wine has been on the back foot compared to beer when it comes to low- and no-alcohol. And the IWSR Vinexposium Report 2021 suggests that while non-alcoholic beer is set to grow ahead of its low-abv counterpart, the opposite is expected to be true for wine. To get into the detail, we spoke to drinks expert Christine Parkinson, co-founder of mindful consultancy Brimful Drinks…

The Co-op is ambitious in its desire to be a business at the forefront of sustainable retailing, and this has inspired the drinks team to look at a number of planet-friendly initiatives. Sonya Hooks speaks with the Co-op’s head of drinks, Simon Cairns, to find out more: The Co-op announced recently that it aims to sell fully carbon-neutral own-brands by 2025, as part of…

Distill Ventures was born out of a realisation that emerging spirits and drinks producers were being held back by numerous barriers, including limited access to resources. Sonya Hook catches up with chief executive and co-founder Frank Lampen to find out more: At the start of this century England was blissfully unaware that in the years to come it would face Covid-19, Brexit, and a…