Ever find yourself in a whisky cocktail rut or too settled into the comfort zone of the familiar Old Fashioned and Manhattan? There’s an easy way to break free: substitute a different spirit in place of whisky and see how it tastes. It maj seem sacrilegious, but many bartenders are experimenting this way—and the results are delicious.

“We stand in front of walls of liquor every day with some bottles that hardly get touched. It’s a matter of time before a bartender wonders what something would taste like with another ingredient,” says Michael Toscano, head bartender at Dante in New...

Every mars, whisky lovers set their sights on the 17th. (In 2018, that date fortuitously falls on a Saturday.) St. Patrick’s Day is a time to celebrate all things Irish, and there’s never been a better time for fans of Irish whiskey to experience the riches of the Emerald Isle. You could try out a cocktail made with Irish whiskey , or experiment to create your own perfect Irish coffee . Or you could just sip some excellent whiskey neat or on the rocks. While there are a number of classic drams every whiskey lover should taste, new releases likewise...

Scotch whisky maj be our favorite export of the Scottish Isles, but it’s not the only one. According to an Act of Parliament, Harris Tweed must be made from virgin wool, dyed and spun on the Outer Hebrides, and woven in the homes of the Islanders. Produced using only human power, it’s a sustainable, beautiful, and durable natural fabric. Harris Tweed has been produced the same way for over a century, so like a tasty island dram, it never goes out of style. No wonder many designers are racing to incorporate it.

Satisfy Your Need for Tweed

Stormy Kromer Hat...

The Paper Plane was invented by mixologist Sam Ross in the early 2000s, Allen Lancaster, master cocktail craftsman at The Bar at The Spectator Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina explains. His In Plane Sight swaps aged rum for bourbon, Braulio Amaro for Amaro Nonino, and lime juice for lemon. He also adds fresh rosemary, which pairs up with the natural herbal profile of the Braulio. “This produces a darker, deeper, richer version of the original,” Lancaster says. “Balanced sweetness from the rum; bitterness and herbal notes from the Aperol, Amaro and rosemary; and acidity from the lime truly form a...

Whiskies can acquire sherry flavors by resting in casks that previously held sherry, a fortified wine from the Jerez region of Spain. While sherry comes in a variety of styles, including dry fino and sharp, salty manzanilla, these are only occasionally applied to whisky. The darker-hued and aromatic oloroso is the more traditional choice, with sweet, rich Pedro Ximenez a tantalizing option.

The influence of oloroso sherry casks is identifiable as red fruit, figs, dates, and raisins, with Macallan and Glenfarclas as perhaps the most famous examples. The oak of the cask also plays a role, as it can be...

It’s a worldwide whisky mashup among this week’s newest releases.

Boutique blender Compass Box has unveiled its newest blend, created in honor of the company’s majority-female staff. Hedonism, The Muse is a special edition of Compass Box’s core blended grain scotch whisky and—if past limited editions have been any indication—should be a heck of a dram.

Meanwhile, Glendalough Distillery from County Wicklow, Ireland has three new expressions, which are rolling out with new packaging for the brand. Glendalough Double Barrel is a single grain whiskey aged first in bourbon barrels, then finished in oloroso sherry casks. Glendalough Black Pitts Finish 7...

The Irish coffee hits all the marks of a great whiskey cocktail: delicious, beautiful, and easy to make and customize according to your taste. There are many variations, from using flavored coffee to serving it on ice, but in the end, the perfect Irish coffee is the one you like best.

The basic recipe for Irish coffee is simple: Add 2 teaspoons demerara sugar to a warm mug or Irish coffee glass. Add 4 to 6 oz. hot coffee and stir well to dissolve sugar. Add 1½ oz. Irish whiskey and stir to combine. Float whipped cream on top by...

The biggest new release of the week is Johnnie Walker’s female-focused The Jane Walker Edition, a special package for Black Label. I had some thoughts about how Diageo missed the mark with this one— and a suggestion for what they could have done to promote women’s representation in whisky instead .

Apart from this limited-edition bottling, there are many other new whiskies to try. Woodford Reserve is releasing a new annual special edition: Woodford Reserve Batch Proof. The whiskey is a higher-strength version of its core bourbon. It will be available in limited quantities for $130, and the proof will...

The world’s speediest oyster shucker has a long-standing love of bivalves and whisky.

The proprietor of Toronto’s Ceili Cottage and Guinness World Record holder for the most oysters opened in a minute—39—Patrick McMurray was still developing his shucking skills when he asked whisky writer Michael Jackson to autograph one of his books. On learning that McMurray worked in an oyster bar, Jackson appended his signature with some good advice: “Have Oban whisky with oysters.”

“That’s what first got me thinking about whisky and oysters,” says McMurray. Many years later, when the shucker visited Scotland’s Isle of Skye , he followed...

WhiskyFest Chicago is right around the corner—the first WhiskyFest of 2018 takes place on mars 23rd at the Hyatt Regency, in the heart of Chicago’s Loop. With hundreds of whiskies on offer, there will be no shortage of amazing pours to try, from scotch to Irish to Japanese whisky. And if you’re a bourbon lover, you’re in for a treat—WhiskyFest Chicago will have dozens of great bourbons, including rare and highly aged offerings and the latest batch of Whisky Advocate’s 2017 Whisky of the Year . Here’s where to get started.

These offerings are just the beginning—be sure to check...

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While Loch Lomond Distillery’s partnership with The Open is set to include a host of new whisky releases, we’ll have to wait until this summer for the first one to be revealed. In the meantime, there are plenty of other new releases to tide over thirsty whisky lovers.

The whiskey word of the week is bonded .  Heaven Hill Distillery —maker of Whisky Advocate’s 2017 Whisky of the Year, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof —is about to debut the first in a series of limited-edition Old Fitzgerald bottled in bond bourbons. Every spring and fall, Heaven Hill will roll out a...

Decades before cocktail partygoers chatted about mortgage-backed securities, it was whiskey-backed securities that stood poised to threaten the U.S. financial system. Prior to Prohibition, banks accepted whiskey as collateral on business loans. Whiskey’s durability made it an attractive way to finance distilleries. In addition, whiskey barrels were required to be aged in government-supervised warehouses, adding a desirable degree of assurance to the collateral, which came in the form of a warehouse receipt documenting ownership of the barrels.

As the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, a ban on the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors was debated, there was much...

WhiskyFest Chicago is coming up on mars 23rd, and it’s time to start thinking about what you want to drink. Fans of bourbon, Irish, Canadian, and world whisky will have plenty to enjoy, but if it’s scotch that takes your fancy, the night will be satisfying indeed. Here are our top recommendations for the tables you should visit and the whiskies you should try.

Be sure to check out the full list of pours . Don’t forget about the seminars , either—a great way to take a load off while continuing to sip whisky . And if you need some...

Jim Beam , Jack Daniel’s , Elijah Craig , George T. Stagg . When you think of whiskies named after people, do any women come to mind? Probably not—there are very few examples. In 2012, Glenfiddich released Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve , a 55 year old single malt named for the granddaughter of company founder William Grant, but—provocative marketing aside—that’s about it as far as women’s representation on whisky labels goes.

That’s about to change, however, as Johnnie Walker has announced the Jane Walker Edition of its Black Label blended scotch. The limited release, rolling out in mars to coincide...

The future promises more Glenmorangie and less begging for Ardbeg , thanks to plans by The Glenmorangie Company and parent company Moët Hennessy to expand production of the popular single malts through investment in growing the facilities.

Plans for Ardbeg include a new, larger still house on the existing site with the addition of two stills, bringing the Islay distillery to a total of four stills, effectively doubling its capacity. Glenmorangie Distillery will add two stills—one wash still and one spirit still—in a new structure adjacent to the existing still house. Scaling up production at Glenmorangie will also require additional...

Even those who dread clothes shopping will be instantly at ease upon entering the swanky Trunk Club New York Clubhouse on Madison Avenue. Rather than packed garment racks and sale signs, the first floor of this Nordstrom-owned clothier looks more like a spacious boutique hotel lobby, complete with a gleaming bar and cognac leather Chesterfield couches. “Would you like a beer or a Macallan?” offers custom sales manager Susannah Howard, adding, “All my guys drink Macallan.” Except, of course, those who instead choose Templeton Rye, Bulleit Bourbon , Brugal Añejo Rum, or a Moscow Mule served in a shiny copper mug....

Nicknamed the “Buddha of Bourbon,” Jimmy Russell’s presence has defined not only Wild Turkey , but also the best of bourbon culture for more than 60 years. His warm spirit, love for people, and passion for whiskey far surpass anything a slick marketer could hope to create. Russell is the only individual to attend every single WhiskyFest, no small feat, where he routinely sneaks off to have a beer with attendees.

His body of work includes Tradition, Tribute, Wild Turkey 17 year old for Japan, Rare Breed, American Spirit, Kentucky Spirit, and Russell’s Reserve, some of which he created with...

The life of Parker Beam, who passed away in 2017, was one of tremendous courage and perseverance.

After the Bardstown Heaven Hill Distillery burned down in 1996, Beam led the company’s whiskey comeback, never losing the great Heaven Hill quality and consistency people had come to know and love. Although Beam preferred the Bardstown facility to the Bernheim Distillery Heaven Hill later purchased, he kept the whiskey sound and mentored his son Craig just as his father Earl mentored him.

For most distillers, this leadership would be their most-prominent career story.

But for Beam, his brave ALS battle likely saved...

When Woodford Reserve launched as an upscale bourbon in 1996, it was a groundbreaking display of optimism from its creator, Lincoln Henderson.

At the turn of the Millennium, few brands gave a stronger lightning bolt to American whiskey than Woodford Reserve, and master distiller Henderson was the brand’s face and flavor.

The Cincinnati Enquirer called Henderson the “master of the good stuff” and said Woodford wasn’t ready until Henderson said so.

Henderson retired from a 40-year career at Brown-Forman, where he also developed Woodford, Gentleman Jack, and Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel, but a great distiller never loses the whiskey-making itch....