Unbottled – Bonnet-Ponson Seconde Nature Millesime 2016
As we could not include this bottle of champagne in our natural wine tasting in March, I opened it as an aperitif at Easter. Suffice to say, the bottle did not disappoint.
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Spirited News 04/2026 – Nc’Nean Huntress
I attended another tasting event organised by Kirsch Whisky. This time, we tasted the latest edition of the Nc’Nean Huntress. In addition, we tried five other spirits, ranging from the Nc’Nean Botanical Spirit to the Cask Strength Bottling.
Unbottled – Weninger Blaufraenkisch Kalkofen
I do have a week spot for Blaufraenkisch. This Austrian red wine is deeply rooted in our family’s history. Naturally, when I get the chance to buy an aged bottle, I just cannot resist. In this case, this is a late release from Franz Weninger from the Kalkofen vineyard.
The Bell – Fortaleza Still Strength Tequila
It is not so easy to find a good high-quality tequila here in Germany. Luckily, I got my hands on a bottle of Fortaleza Still Strength Tequila. This also seemed like the perfect base spirit for a White Agavoni recipe I had written down a long time ago.
Unbottled – Wagner Stempel Sylvaner Reserve
Finally, I am continuing with my German wine region series. Today we visit Rhine Hesse and enjoy a Sylvaner from Wagner Stempel. Some say that Rhine Hesse makes the better Silvaners compared to Franconia. Well, we will see about that and I also have a cliché pairing with asparagus for you.
Spirited News 03/2026 – Laphroaig 12 Years
I have to face it, my first love when it comes to spirits were whiskies. There is just no hiding the fact. This is why, I will try to feature a bit more of them on the blog. A new bottling which I could not stay away from was the Laphroaig 12 Years.
Coal Black Mattie – Cascahuín Añejo
I thought of moving ‘Agave Month’ to May to give me a bit more wiggle room, after Dry January and ‘Tropical Month’. Nevertheless, I will post a few agave-based recipes now and then some more in May. As a start, I am featuring the Cascahuín Añejo Tequila.
Touch the Sky – Reisetbauer Wild Cherry
In this case, Reisetbauer did not get wild cherries for their eau de vie for six years. However, the wild cherry eau de vie is now back in very limited quantities! I am very lucky to have a bottle on hand.
St. Patrick’s Day 2026 – Fairlies
Bushmills is the oldest, licenced whiskey distillery in the world and this year they are doing a lot of events around St. Patrick’s Day. I thought I would give the 14-year-old bottling a go neat and in a cocktail. Basically, I came up with an Old-Fashioned variation with a bit of extra sherry.
Unbottled – Pascal Doquet Arpège
It has been a while since I reviewed my last bottle of champagne. In this case, I am presenting the Arpège Blanc the Blanc to you. This bottle comes from the pioneer of organic farming in the Champagne.