Monday, February 14, 2011 at 03:46PM Our own Aussie/NZ Buyer Jimmy C gets a special message from his wife via singing telegram on the K&L Redwood City sales floor. Happy V-Day to you all.
-David Driscoll
Monday, February 14, 2011 at 01:31PM 
Our third barrel is now upon us and I'm very happy to report that it tastes very different than the previous incarnations. The strength is a whopping 62.8% and the vanilla sweetness on the entry is just as big. These two potent forces balance each other out pefectly, in a yin-yang of whiskey harmony, and provide huge Bourbon flavor to those of love that rich, woody style. We've been blessed to receive some top notch samples from Four Roses and have nothing but positive things to say about our relationship with them so far. This third barrel should be another customer favorite, without a doubt. Looking forward to hearing your feedback.
-David Driscoll
Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 11:09AM 
I'm not as nearly as prolific a reader as I once was, but I still go through at least two books a month. There was a time when I was on the path to being a literature professor, although I only made it halfway through the program, taking my master's degree and choosing to drink instead. When I find a book that combines my favorite hobby of imbibing with the voracious vocabulary of an old Dennis Miller stand up, it's a rare treat. Since I received a Kindle for Valentine's Day (a device I thought I would most definitely abhor, yet instead am now endeared to), I've been going back to the classics because they are free to download. Moby Dick is a book that I just never got around to, and, man - is it full of alcohol related zingers! Here are two true winners:
Toper - a person who regularly drinks alcohol to excess
Obstreperous - loud and difficult to control
I'm only about fifteen pages in, but I'm really gearing up to unleash a few of these at work - especially on the folks who spend too long in the tasting bar. "Aye, hurry up ye obstreperous topers and get yerselves into the store. There are portentous deeds that must be attended to of the arrantest importance!" I'll be talking like that for the next week at least! The point is: read Moby Dick if you want to learn a few new words related to booze, boozing, and boozers.
-David Driscoll
Friday, February 11, 2011 at 02:17PM The man who brought us two of the best spirits from 2010, Nicolas Palazzi, sits down with me to discuss the differences between Cognac and Armagnac, catering to the American whiskey palate, and building relationships with rural French producers. This is required listening for anyone trying to get into French brandies! The podcast can be downloaded here from our server (right click for PC users or hold "option" for Mac people).
Previous podcast episodes can be downloaded here or from iTunes. You can also listen using the embedded Flash player below.
-David Driscoll
Friday, February 11, 2011 at 11:47AM 
A big thank you to all of you who attended our Cognac/Armagnac/Brandy seminar last night. Christine Cooney was a wonderful presenter and her products were delicious, as was the cheese and terrine plate from our lovely host Martin's West. I learned a great deal from Christine, who understands French spirits well and is fantastic at breaking them down in an easy-to-follow manner. I hope those of you who attended had as wonderful a time as I did and we hope to see you again in the future. We were at full capacity so that made it very special.
Here is what we sampled for those of you who were not able to attend:
-David Driscoll