100 pages long, and printed on lovely matt stock, in a slightly quirky size that ensures it won’t quite fit snugly into your bookcase, the magazine is our first dip of many into the history and culture of alcohol.

A whistlestop tour through the sordid history of gin; a reflection on a penchant for taxidermy and other high jinx chez Brewdog; a profile of Belfast’s finest gin palace; a trip round the Sipsmith distillery; an interrogation of the Puppini Sisters’ drinking habits; the story of Zorokovich vodka; tips on foraging for free booze; a look at the love-hate relationship between women and beer; a guide to some of the more unusual grape varieties heading your way… all this and more, much more, you’ll find in the first issue.

It’s just a starter. We’re just getting warmed up. But if you like the magazine, please do drop us a line to say so, either on Facebook or Twitter. If you don’t like it, well, you can tell us that too (but in as nice a way as possible).

The magazine is available from selected stockists, and can also be ordered from us directly. If you’d rather miss out on the luxurious tactility and amazing smell of a freshly printed copy of Hot Rum Cow, or avoid the international postage, then you’re in luck, as it’s also available as an iPad app at half the cover price £2.50/$3.99.

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