¥ Of Wines & Spirits ¥

[jamesbond]

OF WINES & SPIRITS


Hi there! I just want to share and start a thread about WINES & SPIRITS found all over the world.... i say why not create one when it's a good one... right? So join me please and let's start drinking!

[jamesbond]

Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch Whisky owned by Diageo that originated in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland.

The most widely distributed brand of blended Scotch whisky in the world, it is sold in almost every country, with annual sales of over 130 million bottles.


Originally known as Walker's Kilmarnock Whisky, the Johnnie Walker brand is a legacy left by John "Johnnie" Walker after he started to sell whisky in his grocer's shop in Ayrshire, Scotland. The brand became popular, but after Walker's death in 1857 it was his son Alexander Walker and grandson Alexander Walker II who were largely responsible for establishing the whisky as a popular brand. Under John Walker, whisky sales represented eight percent of the firm's income; by the time Alexander was ready to pass on the company to his own sons, that figure had increased to between 90 and 95 percent.

Prior to 1860, it was illegal to sell blended whisky.[where? During that time John Walker sold a number of whiskies—notably his own Walker's Kilmarnock. In 1865, John's son Alexander produced their first blend, Walker's Old Highland.

Alexander Walker introduced the iconic square bottle in 1870. This meant more bottles fitting the same space and resulted in fewer broken bottles. The other identifying characteristic of the Johnnie Walker bottle is the label, which is applied at an angle of 24 degrees and allows text to be made larger and more visible.

From 1906 to 1909, John's grandsons George and Alexander II expanded the line and introduced the colour names. In 1908, when James Stevenson was the Managing Director, there was a re-branding of sorts. The whisky was renamed from Walker's Kilmarnock Whiskies to Johnnie Walker Whisky. In addition, the slogan, "Born 1820—Still going Strong!" was created, along with the Striding Man logo, a figure used in their advertisements to this day, created by illustrator Tom Browne, in honour of the founder, and given the same name.

Johnnie Walker White was dropped during World War I. In 1932, Alexander II added Johnnie Walker Swing to the line, the name originating from the unusual shape of the bottle, which allowed it to rock back and forth.

The company joined Distillers Company in 1925. Distillers was acquired by Guinness in 1986, and Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan to form Diageo in 1997.

Johnnie Walker is no longer blended in Kilmarnock, and has not been for many years. The bonded warehouses and company offices (now local authority) can still be seen in Strand Street and John Finnie Street.

On 1 July 2009, Bryan Donaghey, Diageo Managing Director for Global Supply Scotland, announced that Diageo intended to cease production at the plant in Kilmarnock. Under a restructuring programme across Scotland, production would be moved from the brand's original home to Diageo plants in Leven, Fife, and Shieldhall, Glasgow.

News of the planned closure had widespread media attention and condemnation. Following the decision, a public campaign was waged to try to persuade Diageo to reverse this decision. However on 9 September 2009 Diageo stated that they intended to press ahead with the move away from Kilmarnock and that the matter was "closed".

The Johnnie Walker plant, the largest employer in the town of Kilmarnock, closed its doors in March 2012.


Red Label: an 80 proof (40% ABV) blend of 35 grain and malt whiskies. It is intended for making mixed drinks.[8] According to William Manchester this was the favourite Scotch of Winston Churchill, who mixed it with soda.[9] Red Label has been reported to be former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's drink of choice.




Black Label: an 80 proof (40% ABV) blend of about 40 whiskies, each aged at least 12 years.
Double Black Label: A new addition, the whisky was created taking Black Label as a blueprint and adding heavily peated malts and some aged in deeply charred oak casks.


Green Label: An 86 proof (43% ABV) whisky, it is no longer internationally available, but remains in limited production for the Taiwanese market. Elsewhere, as of mid 2014 it can still occasionally be found in retail channels. This variety is a blended malt, meaning it is made just from single-malts with no grain whisky added. Green Label uses predominantly four malts "drawn from the four corners of Scotland"—the intent of the blend is to deliver depth, substance, and intensity. Each of the malts (Talisker, Linkwood, Cragganmore, and Caol Ila) was selected by the blender for balance, with each malt whisky matured for a minimum of 15 years.


Gold Label: an 80 proof (40% ABV) blend of over 15 single malts. It was derived from Alexander Walker II's blending notes for a whisky to commemorate Johnnie Walker's centenary. His original efforts were thwarted by a shortage of these malts following World War I. Gold Label is commonly bottled at 15 or 18 years, or without an age statement as Gold Label Reserve. Gold Label has been replaced, without an age statement, as "Golden Label Reserve" as of 2013.[15]
Platinum Label: an 80 proof (40% ABV) private blend—aged 18 years to replace the original Gold Label in the Asian market, and sold alongside Gold Label Reserve. It is also available in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Poland, South Africa and Israel.





Blue Label: Johnnie Walker's premium 80–86 proof (40–43% ABV[16][17]) blend with no age statement. Johnnie Walker Blue Label, also known as Max Walker, is blended to recreate the character and taste of some of the earliest whisky blends created in the 19th century.[18] Bottles are numbered serially and sold in a silk-lined box accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. It is one of the most expensive blended Scotches on the market, with prices in the range of US $200–$300.



Johnnie Walker Swing: supplied in a distinctive bottle whose irregular bottom allows it to rock back and forth. It was Alexander II’s last blend: it features a high proportion of Speyside malts, complemented by malts from the northern Highlands and Islay, and is "almost as sweet as a bourbon".[19]
Red & Cola: a premix of Red Label and cola, sold in cans and bottles similar to beer.
Johnnie Walker blends, by years of production, and from least expensive to most expensive.

[jamesbond]

Riunite is a brand of Italian wine imported and sold in a variety of flavors in the United States by Banfi Vintners[1] of Old Brookville, New York, also known as VB Imports (and formerly as Villa Banfi). The brand is known for advertisements of the 1970s and 80s depicting a broad array of social situations and using the tagline "Riunite on ice, that's nice."

[jamesbond]

Martini is a brand of Italian vermouth, named after the Martini & Rossi Distilleria Nazionale di Spirito di Vino, in Turin.

Three Distilleria individuals, Alessandro Martini, Luigi Rossi and Teofilo Sola, changed the company name to Martini, Sola & Cia in 1863 and it was in 1879 that the Sola family sold its interests to the remaining partners who renamed the company Martini & Rossi, as it stands today.

[jamesbond]

Jas Hennessy & Co., or more simply Hennessy, is a cognac house with headquarters in Cognac, France. Today, the company of Jas Hennessy & Co. sells about 50 million bottles a year worldwide, or more than 40 percent of the world’s Cognac, making it the world's largest Cognac producer. It is owned by Moët Hennessy, which is co-owned by LVMH (66%) and Diageo (34%).

The Hennessy cognac distillery was founded by Irishman Richard Hennessy in 1765.[verification needed][1] During the 1970s, Kilian Hennessy, a fifth generation direct descendent of Hennessy, became the CEO of Hennessy, succeeding his first cousin Maurice-Richard.[verification needed Kilian Hennessy spearheaded the company's 1971 merger with Moët et Chandon, which created Moët Hennessy.

Moët Hennessy merged with Louis Vuitton in 1987, creating one of the world's largest luxury brand conglomerates, Moët-Hennessy • Louis Vuitton or LVMH. In 1988, a management crisis led to the group's takeover by Bernard Arnault, owner of the haute couture house Christian Dior, with the support of Guinness. Kilian Hennessy remained on the company's advisory board until his death in 2010 at the age of 103.


NOTE: Rated 7 stars by the thread starter

[jamesbond]

Bollinger (French pronunciation: ​[bɔ.lɛ̃.ʒe]) is a Champagne house, a producer of sparkling wines from the Champagne region of France. They produce several labels of Champagne under the Bollinger name, including the vintage Vieille Vignes Françaises, Grand Année and R.D. as well as the non-vintage Special Cuvée. Founded in 1829 in Aÿ by Hennequin de Villermont, Paul Renaudin and Jacques Bollinger the house continues to be run by members of the Bollinger family. In Britain Bollinger Champagnes are affectionately known as "Bolly".















NOTE: Rated 7 stars by the thread starter

[jamesbond]

Stella Artois /ˈstɛlə ɑrˈtwɑː/, informally called Stella, is a pilsner beer of between 4.8 and 5.2% ABV. It has been brewed in Leuven, Belgium, since 1926, although it is brewed in other locations as well. A lower alcohol content (4% ABV) version is also sold in the UK, Republic of Ireland, Canada and New Zealand.[1] Stella Artois is one of the prominent brands of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest brewer.

[jamesbond]

The Carlsberg Group (/ˈkɑrlzbərɡ/; Danish: [kʰɑːˀlsb̥æɐ̯ˀ]) is a Danish brewing company founded in 1847 by J. C. Jacobsen with headquarters located in Copenhagen, Denmark. The company's flagship brand is Carlsberg Beer (named after Jacobsen's son Carl) but it also brews Tuborg, Kronenbourg, Somersby cider, Russia's best selling beer Baltika, Belgian Grimbergen abbey beers as well more than 500 local beers.

After merging with the brewery assets of Norwegian conglomerate Orkla ASA in January 2001, Carlsberg became the fifth largest brewery group in the world. It is the leading beer seller in Russia with about 40 percent market share. In 2009 Carlsberg ranked fourth and employed around 45,000 people.












NOTE: Rated 3 stars by the thread starter... best enjoyed when it's iced cold....

[jamesbond]

Budweiser /bʌdˈwaɪzər/ is a pale lager produced by Anheuser–Busch InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Adolphus Busch from St. Louis, MO it has grown to become one of the highest selling beers in the United States, and is available in over 80 markets worldwide—though, due to a trademark dispute, cannot necessarily do so under the Budweiser name. It is made with up to 30% rice in addition to hops and barley malt. Budweiser is produced in various breweries located around the world. It is a filtered beer available in draught and packaged forms.






NOTE: Rated 3 stars by the thread starter....

[jamesbond]

Rémy Martin (French pronunciation: ​[ʁemi maʁtɛ̃]) is a French firm that primarily produces and sells cognac (a brandy from the Cognac region of France). The brand specialises in Cognac Fine Champagne, which was originally produced by French winemaker, Rémy Martin.














NOTE: Rated 6 stars by the thread starter...

[jamesbond]

Asia Brewery, Inc. is a Philippines-based diversified beverage company owned by LT Group, Inc. (PSE: LTG), a publicly listed holding company of Lucio Tan, Sr.. The company is one of only two breweries currently operating in the Philippines. It also produces non-alcoholic beverages.

NOTE: The thread starter rated Beer na Beer 2 stars while giving 3 stars to Colt 45, the latter found to be strong for the rater hahaha....

[jamesbond]

Heineken Lager Beer (Dutch: Heineken Pilsener), or simply Heineken (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɦɛinəkən]), is a pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken International. It's current head is Dolf van den Brink.
















NOTE: Rated 5 stars by the thread starter.... innovative beer kegs for longer enjoyment...

[jamesbond]

SAN MIGUEL’S NEWEST BEER: SAN MIG ZERO




NOTE : No apparent reviews yet... but according to my gf, it's more lighter in taste than the San Mig Lights...

[jamesbond]

Jim Beam is brand of bourbon whiskey produced in Clermont, Kentucky by Beam Suntory. It was one of the best selling brands of bourbon in the world in 2008.[1] Since 1795 (interrupted by Prohibition), seven generations of the Beam family have been involved in whiskey production for the company that produces the brand, which was given the name "Jim Beam" in 1933 in honor of James B. Beam, who rebuilt the business after Prohibition ended. The Jim Beam Bourbon brand is now owned and produced by Beam Suntory, which is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings of Osaka, Japan.
















NOTE: Rated 4 stars by the thread starter....

[bohica]

I tried San Miguel Zero the other day.  Tastes like shit.



Still the best for me.