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Table of Contents - What Is Cognac? - The Six Cognac Growing Areas - Cognac Grades Explained - The Major Cognac Houses - How Cognac Is Made - How to Taste Cognac - Serving Cognac - Cognac vs. Other Brandies - Cognac for Corporate Groups - Further Reading Cognac is one of those spirits that people feel like they should know more about than they do. It appears at the end of a fine dinner, sits on the bar menu with a serious price tag, and gets ordered by people who look like they know something you don't. Most people quietly sip it without really understanding what makes it special — or why one bottle costs twice as much as another. I've been teaching wine and spirits education for over a decade, and cognac comes up more often than you'd think — usually from someone who received a beautiful bottle as a gift and genuinely doesn't know where to start. This guide is for them. What Is Cognac? Cognac is a brandy — a spirit distilled from wine — produced exclusively in the Cogn...
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Table of Contents - What Makes Bourbon Whiskey Legally Bourbon? - How Bourbon Whiskey Is Made - How to Taste Bourbon Whiskey - Key Styles of Bourbon Whiskey - Bourbon Whiskey Food Pairings - How to Build a Bourbon Whiskey Tasting for Groups - Bourbon Bottles Worth Knowing - Further Reading Bourbon whiskey is one of the most misunderstood spirits on the shelf. People either think it's too serious — a connoisseur's game with intimidating vocabulary — or too simple, just something you mix with cola. The truth is more interesting than either of those stories. I came to bourbon sideways, through wine. When I started building spirits experiences for corporate groups, I assumed whiskey would be harder to teach than wine. I was wrong. Bourbon's story is more American, more accessible, and honestly more fun to tell in a room full of people who've never considered themselves whiskey drinkers. Here's everything you need to know about bourbon whiskey. What Makes Bourbon Whiskey...
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Table of Contents - What Makes Bourbon Whiskey Legally Bourbon? - How Bourbon Whiskey Is Made - How to Taste Bourbon Whiskey - Key Styles of Bourbon Whiskey - Bourbon Whiskey Food Pairings - How to Build a Bourbon Whiskey Tasting for Groups - Bourbon Bottles Worth Knowing - Further Reading Bourbon whiskey is one of the most misunderstood spirits on the shelf. People either think it's too serious — a connoisseur's game with intimidating vocabulary — or too simple, just something you mix with cola. The truth is more interesting than either of those stories. I came to bourbon sideways, through wine. When I started building spirits experiences for corporate groups, I assumed whiskey would be harder to teach than wine. I was wrong. Bourbon's story is more American, more accessible, and honestly more fun to tell in a room full of people who've never considered themselves whiskey drinkers. Here's everything you need to know about bourbon whiskey. What Makes Bourbon Whiskey...
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Table of Contents - What Makes a Great Company Retreat? - The Best Company Retreat Ideas by Goal - Company Retreat Ideas by Team Size - Planning the Retreat Logistics - The Biggest Company Retreat Mistakes - How to Debrief After a Retreat - Further Reading Planning a company retreat and staring at a blank document wondering what to actually do? You're not alone. I've helped produce corporate events for over 15 years, and the single most common mistake I see is treating the retreat like a logistics puzzle — where to stay, how to feed everyone — without ever answering the harder question: what do we want people to feel when they leave? The best company retreat ideas aren't the flashiest ones. They're the ones that give people a reason to talk to someone they've never talked to, laugh at something unexpected, or discover something new about themselves and their teammates. That's what creates lasting culture. That's what makes Monday feel different. Here's w...
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Table of Contents - What Makes a Great Company Retreat? - The Best Company Retreat Ideas by Goal - Company Retreat Ideas by Team Size - Planning the Retreat Logistics - The Biggest Company Retreat Mistakes - How to Debrief After a Retreat - Further Reading Planning a company retreat and staring at a blank document wondering what to actually do? You're not alone. I've helped produce corporate events for over 15 years, and the single most common mistake I see is treating the retreat like a logistics puzzle — where to stay, how to feed everyone — without ever answering the harder question: what do we want people to feel when they leave? The best company retreat ideas aren't the flashiest ones. They're the ones that give people a reason to talk to someone they've never talked to, laugh at something unexpected, or discover something new about themselves and their teammates. That's what creates lasting culture. That's what makes Monday feel different. Here's w...
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Table of Contents - What Is Sake? - How Sake Is Made - The Major Sake Styles - How Sake Compares to Wine and Beer - Serving Sake - Sake and Food Pairing - Tasting Sake for the First Time - Hosting a Sake Tasting for Groups - Further Reading Sake is one of the most underrated drinks on any menu. I say this having spent years introducing groups to wine and spirits — and sake is the one that surprises people most consistently. They expect something foreign and strange. What they get is a drink that's deeply food-friendly, surprisingly approachable once you understand the basics, and genuinely different from anything else in the glass. If you've only encountered sake warm at a sushi counter, you've seen maybe 10% of what it can be. Let me give you the other 90%. What Is Sake? Sake is a fermented beverage made from rice, water, koji mold, and yeast. It's often called "rice wine," but the comparison to wine is only partially accurate. Like wine, sake is fermented ra...
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Table of Contents - What Is Sake? - How Sake Is Made - The Major Sake Styles - How Sake Compares to Wine and Beer - Serving Sake - Sake and Food Pairing - Tasting Sake for the First Time - Hosting a Sake Tasting for Groups - Further Reading Sake is one of the most underrated drinks on any menu. I say this having spent years introducing groups to wine and spirits — and sake is the one that surprises people most consistently. They expect something foreign and strange. What they get is a drink that's deeply food-friendly, surprisingly approachable once you understand the basics, and genuinely different from anything else in the glass. If you've only encountered sake warm at a sushi counter, you've seen maybe 10% of what it can be. Let me give you the other 90%. What Is Sake? Sake is a fermented beverage made from rice, water, koji mold, and yeast. It's often called "rice wine," but the comparison to wine is only partially accurate. Like wine, sake is fermented ra...
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