November 2024 Newsletter

After an unforgettable family adventure in Indonesia and Malaysia over the summer, autumn kicked off with a bang. I embarked on a research trip to eastern Sicily, followed by a visit to the beautiful New Forest, participated in the World Whisky Awards judging in Norwich, and capped it all off with a short October half-term trip to Romania.

I’ve been keeping busy with my writing and have continued my editorial work on the American Distilling Institute’s monthly European newsletter. If you haven’t signed up yet, I highly recommend you doing so (here). It’s free and packed with news from the spirits industry, updates on new launches, and some of the best features from Distiller Magazine.

Alongside this, I’ve also started an exciting new consulting project that I’m truly excited about, and whose results are set to come to life this summer. In the meantime, I’m looking for individuals, cooperatives, or companies involved in collecting and selling wild-harvested herbs and fruits. If you have any recommendations or contacts, please do let me know, I’d greatly appreciate your help!

As you can imagine, it’s just impossible to cover everything I’ve published during such a long hiatus, but here are a few highlights of the work I’ve particularly enjoyed.

On the beer front, First Key Consulting published my three-part series on beer’s pivotal contribution to the development of humankind, which explores anything from art to science. Meanwhile, CAMRA’s Beer Magazine featured my piece on cask ale beyond Britain. Did you know there’s a chap who organises an annual cask ale festival in Argentina?

Canvas8 shared my analysis of how the cost-of-living crisis is impacting British beer drinkers and Good Beer Hunting featured my video on the newly launched Ascapart Brewery in Southampton, as well as my B-roll on Lille, France.

There’s been plenty of wine content as well. In the latest issue of Full Pour, I explored the challenges winemakers face in renowned wine regions where quality and price points vary significantly.

Club Oenologique published my technical explainer on the often-misunderstood and unfairly maligned Martinotti method, while Wine Enthusiast featured my piece on why an increasing number of European winemakers are stepping outside geographical indications (GIs).

Speaking of GIs, over at Glug, I discussed how some winemakers in Lazio are adopting the "Supertuscan" model, and – a pretty fun one – what it's like to judge a wine competition.

Then, for Canvas8, I covered the rapid growth of enotourism, alternatives to Champagne, and the rise of lighter wine styles among American consumers.

As far as news stories are concerned, I reported for Harpers on – brace yourself – France becoming the first EU member state to permit the de-alcoholisation of GI wines. And for Decanter, I wrote about the first vines for wine production being planted in... Burkina Faso!

On to spirits and drinks: Distiller Magazine featured my piece on spirits tourism (print only for now, but will soon be available online), Full Pour ran my explainer on how colour influences our perception of drinks, and SevenFifty Daily published my in-depth analysis of how barrel entry proof impacts the final profile of a whisky. I also wrote several pieces for Whisky Magazine, including one on how craft distilleries worldwide are embracing a spirit of collaboration. Another was a profile – accompanied by my own photography – of Cooper King, a fascinating small distillery in York with a great backstory.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be working on topics ranging from nerdy rum to the best beer spots in Brussels, as well as continuing my regular analysis of the European spirits market. If you know anyone who could share insights on anything from consumer trends to regulations, please send them my way, I’d love to hear from them. And as always, of course, I’ll keep searching for new and exciting developments in the wine, beer, and spirits world.