Bourbon production has been on the rise over the recent years – distillers release new expressions every year.

San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2022 has judged hundreds of bourbons from all over the States and selected the finalists. 

The Straight Bourbon category is led by 15 Stars, 14 YO, Timeless Reserve, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 51.5% ABV, Clyde May’s Special Reserve Bourbon, 55% ABV, and 1792, Full Proof Straight Bourbon, 62.5% ABV. All three expressions are bottled at 750 ml.

Penelope, Private Select Bourbon, 57.5% ABV is the finalist in Small Batch Bourbon – Up to 5 years, and Laws Whiskey, Bonded Four Grain Bourbon, 50% ABV and Ezra Brooks, Old Ezra, 7 YO Bourbon will probably win the Small Batch Bourbon – 6 to 10 Years category.

The final winners will be announced on 24 June, 2022.

Founded in 2000, San Francisco World Spirits Competition is the longest running and largest contest of its kind. Winning it means a lot in the world of alcoholic beverages, since a medal gives nation-wide and international recognition and opens new doors in the sector for the producer.

It was 1987 when the Renaissance Festival was first introduced to the world. A cultural event that initially celebrated the renaissance and venetian epocj and praised the old Rethymond city. 

As you’re entering town this time of year, you see the flags all over the old city. People dressed extravagantly, they’re singing and dancing.

We aim at establishing it in people’s consciousness as actions revolving round a robust axis from which stems the creation of cultural actions in the present time. In this way it revitalizes and invigorates the ways in which we LIVE, EXPERIENCE and not just represent the different cultural traditions. – the Renaissance Festival’s ideology

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Rethymno

The city built by the venetians and had a long and sometimes tragic story. Yet, it remained important economically and strategically, and, after all, reclaimed its independence.

Today it’s open to tourists who come here for ancient town tours and boat trips.

Every summer for the last 20 years, there are events organised by the Rethymno: Shakespeare, Moliere, Goldoni staged plays, orchestral concerts and more. Hundreds of artists come here to play music of their own creation. 

The true treasures to hunt are local architectural monuments: churches and mosques – archeological museum, monastery of Arkadi and old harbour that now serves as a dining and resting venue. Cretan cuisine won’t disappoint, as while dining, you might also enjoy a picturesque view! 

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More places in Rethymno to visit

Open-air Erfoli Theatre 

‍It’s an open-air summer theatre near Rethymno bay, on the north side of Crete. Initially, the local Castro fortress was, evidently, for military needs. Yet, ironically, it serves a greater purpose now. Passing by, you may notice a Muslim medieval mosque, an Orthodox church, warehouses, barracks and a powder magazine.

Fortress of Rethymnon

It’s a well-preserved fortress with barracks, storehouses, a church and a hospital. Go through the main gates and see the local museum.The views from the fortress are amazing: on the one hand, old Rethymno lies in the palm of your hand, and on the other — the endless Cretan Sea.

The overlook here is astonishing too, as the old city can be seen here in all its beauty, and the Createn Sea as well. 

‍Sultan Ibrahim Mosque

There is also a Sultan Ibrahim Mosque (17 century), a Church and the Museum of St. Aikaterini.

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What else to see in Crete?

Iraklion 

Knossos palace

Legend has it that this is the exact place where the Minotaur had been living here. A terrible half-man, half-bull creature who has been devouring seven girls and seven boys every nine years. 

It was King Minos, the ruler of Crete, who created a maze in order to hide Pasiphaë’s terrible half-man, half-bull, terrible child. 

GetExperience have tours in Crete, too! This one for authentical city lovers and those who love local street markets. A Cretaquarium and Archaeological museum and more –as a cherry on top. 

At the Folklore Night there are traditional dances (sirtaki) and cuisine there for you to watch and to taste. 

And this tour introduces the best sites of Crete.

World Refill Day is a global public campaign promoting plastic pollution awareness and encouraging people to reuse containers, packaging, and other goods made of plastic instead of putting them into trash. It is held on 16th June with the support of international ecological organizations.

Plastic Pollution Threat

Bad news: less than 10% of the plastic we use has ever been recycled. It is generally quite hard to find new ways of waste management, and the situation is getting catastrophic. Due to negligent disposal, single-use materials leak into the environment and cause various ecological issues, affecting us humans as part of biosphere as well:

• Plastic gets into oceans and forests, defiling the environment;
• Consuming this material either kills animals or affects their health;
• Plants are affected as well;
• Plastic enters our food chain, causing health issues in humans.

Our consumerist culture encourages, though unintentionally, that type of polluting behavior, and at this point we cannot recycle our way out of the trouble. Unfortunately, there are cases where there are not many alternatives to single-use bags, bottles, and other containers. There are ways to curb the produce more, however.

Solutions of World Refill Day

With plastic dependency out of control and single-use materials invading the market, the situation calls for World Refill Day. It was created to promote, encourage and normalize refilling and reusing containers of all types to slow down production of virgin plastics. World Refill Day on 16th July is a chance to be outspoken about plastic reuse, raise public awareness, and promote living with less waste. The initiative is supported by the European nongovernmental organizations coalition and is spread on social media under #wechoosereuse hashtag.

By reducing the use of virgin plastics in the first place, we address pollution issues before they become a problem. On this day of commitment for reuse, we as individual citizens, as well as public organizations and legal entities, are invited to commit to sustainable consumption and production models. Even new ecological laws would not be enough to break the disposal paradigm; a shift in public perception and the implementation of reusable containers is required to facilitate this change. Refilling increases the lifespan of a container, thus preventing production of new ones and anticipating disposal management. 

Another possible solution promoted by World Refill Day is refill shops, which require their customers to come with their own reusable containers and fill them with the product at the store. And usually for a lower price, because in this case there are almost no packaging expenses. Refill stores have some issues, however, like accessibility of both location and product brand. It is an ambitious and challenging project with a lot of potential.

How to get involved?

This World Refill Day, you can join millions of people around the world and take action against pollution.

What you can do:

• Commit to refilling instead of buying single-use packages. You can do that through different little actions: carry a reusable water bottle or cup, go to a store with your own bag, grab a lunch on the go – or be creative and think up your own ways;
• Inspire change. Join discussions on social media and tell your story of reuse and refill; call out the biggest polluters and brands and encourage them to act on the plastic issue;
• Find out more about ecology. Study what your local environment is like, or learn new things during your vacation – for example, in this Eco Synergy Systems tour;
• Download the free Refill app to find places to eat, drink, and shop with less waste.

– Small individual actions add up. Even if it doesn’t feel like a lot to you, choosing to reuse saves the environment from hundreds of pieces of plastic that would otherwise find their way there, sends a message that cutting down on single-use materials is important, and sparks a greater change. Together, we can keep our environment, oceans, and communities for the future, – said Andrey Zaruev, the leading ESG corporate standards expert.