Spirits Explained

Spirits Explained provides opportunities to gain knowledge and understanding of spirit drinks that, for many, remained cloaked in mystery.


In scarcely 50 years vodka and tequila have moved from their regional homelands to be enjoyed across the world, gin has returned to being a sophisticated choice, America has produced the world's best selling whisk(e)y, Irish, bourbon &, most recently Japanese whisk(e)ys have proved to be a match for scotch, liqueurs have moved from digestifs into cocktails and brandies have emerged from the balloon glass into the highball.


But, still, few know the origins of these drinks, their romantic and historical backgrounds and of those who created them, how they are made and why they differ in taste. Spirits Explained resolves these questions and much more. Whether connoisseurs or amateurs, Spirits Explained offers opportunities for all  to make informed choices and to gain more enjoyment from spirits.


Inspired by a lifetime's experience of working with spirits, in recent years with Taste and Flavour, providing informed and entertaining qualifications, masterclasses and tutored tastings, Mark Ridgwell is able to show where drinks have fitted into and sometimes even moulded social history, how spirits are defined and where raw materials generate distinctive character and regions or local practice create individuality.


With an anecdote or two, stories associated with a drink's origins or an in depth analysis of the spirit itself, Mark Ridgwell and Spirits Explained will entertain and inform, hopefully encouraging all either to gain a globally recognised, vocational qualification or just to learn more from the many books now published on individual spirit categories