FROM THE BARLIST JOURNAL
Partnership
The story of Cognac begins with a practical problem. The white wines of the Charente region travelled through river ports and Atlantic trade routes, but they were not naturally suited to long commercial journeys. They were often light, acidic, and fragile. Distillation changed their future. By concentrating wine into eau-de-vie, merchants and producers found a […]
August 2, 2026
Appellations
Irish Whiskey belongs to an island where grain, law, migration, taxation, decline, and revival all shaped the meaning of the name. Its history is not only the story of old distilleries or familiar labels. It is the story of how cereal spirit made in Ireland became legally tied to a place, a method, and a […]
July 26, 2026
Partnership
Kagoshima does not look like a place designed for easy farming. Much of its land is shaped by volcanic ash, quick drainage, and soils that challenged rice cultivation for generations. Farmers had to work with a landscape that did not always reward the crops expected elsewhere in Japan. Sweet potatoes changed that relationship. They suited […]
July 19, 2026
Appellations
Okinawa has always looked outward. Its islands sit between Japan, China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia, in waters that carried merchants, ceramics, court gifts, foodways, and technical knowledge long before modern borders gave everything fixed names. Awamori belongs to that older world. The spirit now protected under the name Ryukyu did not emerge from a quiet […]
July 12, 2026
Partnership
Blue agave shaped western Mexico before Tequila became a protected name. The plant was part of food, fibre, fermentation, field culture, and regional identity long before international markets began to recognise the spirit. Around the town of it, agave cultivation became tied to volcanic land, labour, haciendas, distillation, and trade. The modern category grew from […]
July 5, 2026
