Blog

Most mid-size operators do not have the resources to dedicate a full-time person to social media. So they hire an agency. And then something predictable happens — the agency starts posting whatever they think sounds good, and suddenly your brand …

I have the same problem most of you do. I know I should be posting consistently on Instagram, X, and LinkedIn but I don’t have time to think about social media every single day. I have a business to run.

What I actually want is to sit down on a …

For most wine professionals, China still registers as a consumption story — a vast market of imported Bordeaux and Australian Shiraz. But a fundamental shift has been underway for over a decade, and the results are now impossible to ignore. At the …

For decades, the global wine trade’s understanding of Portugal began and ended at the Douro Valley: Port wine, a handful of increasingly respected dry Douro reds, and perhaps a vague awareness that something fizzy existed farther north. That …

Long before the Greeks codified the cult of Dionysus, the Thracians were already deep in devotion to their own god of wine — Zagreus, later syncretized with Dionysus himself. Archaeological evidence from the eastern Balkans points to organized …

Brazil is the world’s fifth-largest grape producer and the third-largest wine producer in the Southern Hemisphere, yet it remains one of the most underestimated origins on the global wine map.¹ For the better part of a century, the …

With 28,000 registered winegrowers, a living orange wine tradition, and three distinct regions spanning Alpine foothills to the Adriatic, Slovenia is the most exciting frontier in European wine. Here is why the trade needs to pay attention.

Tucked …

After years of battling for beer space in the US the two parent companies of Anheuser-Busch and Miller Brewing have struck an agreement to merge the two.

How things can change in four weeks or even four days! On September 16, InBev approached the …

I regularly have the conversation about bringing a new product to the Las Vegas market and can I help them. The best advice I could give anyone for years was to skip Las Vegas and Nevada and go straight to Colorado. That may not be the advice I give …

In an era of craft everything, how do small startup brands find traction in a marketplace dominated by big brands with enormous advertising budgets? A common problem in the restaurant industry is alcohol buyers know what they want but no idea who …

Ardbeg Kelpie Committee Exclusive (97.3 pts)

Kelpie is this year’s limited release from Ardbeg. In 2004 Ardbeg began producing limited distiller’s editions. The Committee Exclusives are only for the Ardbeg Committee club members, but …

Dr. Bill Lumsden has been on quite a run. Named Master Distiller of the year for 2016 by the International Whisky Competition on the strength of the magnificent Glenmorangie Signet (97 points) and he repeated again in 2017 by winning whisky of the …

The 8th annual International Whisky Competition was held in Las Vegas on May 3, 4, 5. All whisky are sampled double blind so the participants don’t know anything about the whisky in the glasses except what they see, taste and smell in the …

I actually appeared on an episode of Brew Dogs, and got a chance to meet the founders. A really good time all around, and I like that they really push the boundaries having topped their own world record for alcohol content several times, but it has …

As a teacher of Wines, Spirits and all things food and beverage for almost 2 decades I was questioned a lot. Whenever questioned on a topic, I always made it a habit to go reconfirm my information. When out earlier this week, a gentleman at the bar …

Recently I was in San Francisco taking my Certified Sommelier exam. I never really thought that this was something that I would pursue. This article is going to be a discussion of why I believe any and all certifications can be vital to ones future. …

If you have never seen any of the Fog and Smog films, you are welcome. These guys were introduced to me by Ryan Pastorek who is the same gentleman that introduced me to The Daily Pint, to which I am eternally grateful. Fog and Smog lampoon, via music …

Another first for PowerfulThirst.com. Our very first media credentials for an out of state event, WhiskyFest 2015 San Francisco. WhiskyFest is one of my favorite events of the year. They get great speakers and attendees like the Eddie and Jimmy …

So for my first weekend here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest city of Portland, Oregon, I decided to take in a little local flavor. As I am establishing contacts and people to interview I decided to play regular tourist. I started out my day …

I am going on my first visit of distilleries in Tennessee and Kentucky. I will be stopping and sharing drams at some of the country’s most important and historic distilleries. Tune in for next week’s posts.