SAKÉ 2O1O
Stats on saké sales are about as hard to come by as reading a typical saké label – unless you read Japanese, of course. There might be as many as 6OO brands of saké sold in the US. However, there’s no Yellow Tail. The brand names, sometimes with hard-to-pronounce (for... Read More
Single Malts
How’s that for laying down the gauntleto begin talking about single malt Scotch whisky? This is a category that inspires passion and dedication – perhaps even unbridled love – from its drinkers. “You can see how much they appreciate their scotch by the way they hold the glass in their... Read More
Summer Beers 2010
Ah, summertime. Hot weather. Baseball games. Trips to the beach. Backyard barbecues. And thirst. What better way to quench that thirst than with an ice-cold beer? Maybe one served in a well-frosted mug. Then again, maybe not. There’s no need to pigeonhole certain beers as being just for summer. “The... Read More
The Blends
“In the top tier of blended Scotch, it’s all price driven,”said Ryan Maloney of Julio’s Liquors in Westborough.“In the second tier, customers are switching to cost-friendly brands.” Maloney echoed the statements of retailers across the state. “The same brands are selling the same as always,”said Phil LeBlanc of Table &... Read More
Vodka
Vodka. How does one begin to wrap one’s mind around the subject of vodka? The simple word “big” is far too small to describe this behemoth of a spirit. Speaking with the people who sell vodka – the producers importers wholesalers retailers, bar and restaurant owners – and those who... Read More
Blended Scotch Whiskies
They’re a big category for us,â€said Gary Park of Gary’s Liquors in Chestnut Hill. Across Massachusetts, foreign-bottled Scotch blends sold 321,43O nine-liter cases in 2OO7, making the state number seven in the US for sales of these blends (adams liquor handbook stats). However, the category is really pretty much flat.... Read More
Cognac
For many brandy “heroes†Cognac is the ultimate brandy. It’s a drink that has been favored and loved over the centuries by kings, emperors (Napoleon, for one) and European aristocrats. The image in some parts of the culture is the good life, including hip-hopping around the urban jungle at night,... Read More