In addition to the news that Casa Cuervo is purchasing Pendleton Whisky , this week has brought several new releases.

BenRiach is rolling out a 21 year old single malt that aged in four different casks: bourbon, virgin oak, Pedro Ximénez sherry, and red wine. The whisky is initially available overseas, but will be coming to the U.S. in 2018. Stay tuned for pricing and availability details.

Two Irish whiskeys are making their debut online only. Knappogue Castle 12 year old Special Reserve is a higher-proof version of the standard single malt, available at ReserveBar.com . Meanwhile, DWD The Heritage Edition...

The total phenol parts per million (ppm) of the malted barley is one of the malting specifications required by the distiller. At a malting’s laboratory, samples of malt are analyzed for phenols, moisture, nitrogen content, and predicted spirit yield. Having malted barley peated to a higher ppm can contribute to a peatier-tasting whisky , but the ppm of the raw material is not a measurement of peat or smoke flavor in the bottle. Using the malt’s phenol ppm to predict final flavor (see below) is like trying to judge the value of a used car based on nothing but its...

“We make single malt in Seattle because we have the perfect climate for barley, peat, and oak trees,” says Matt Hofmann, master distiller and co-founder of Westland Distillery . When he set out to make a peated single Maltwhisky, however, he ran into trouble immediately. “Nobody in the U.S. knew how to make peated malt,” admits Hofmann. Peat was never used as a fuel in the Pacific Northwest like in Scotland: no need, there are plenty of forests. As a workaround, he imported heavily peated malt from Bairds Malts in Scotland.

In 2016, Hofmann partnered with Skagit Valley Malting...

Arturo Cole, bartender at...

Spiced demerara syrup and St. Elizabeth’s allspice liqueur add classic holiday flavors to a favorite warm cocktail in the Ultimate Hottie Toddy from Aaron Blakely, bartender at...

“This Fancy Bourbon Punch is kind of a hard thing to screw up, so feel free to experiment and have fun with it,” says Matt Wallace, mixologist and beverage director at Bar Tribute in Sherman Oaks, CA. He brews loose tea, but four or five tea bags will also work. Green tea will give the most neutral flavor; for more complexity, try pu-erh or Earl Grey. If you don’t have fresh nutmeg to garnish, don’t substitute powdered nutmeg, which can turn your punch into a paste. Instead, use citrus wheels.

The post Fancy Bourbon Punch appeared first on Whisky Advocate...

Bryan Schneider, bartender at...

When it comes to serving cocktails at holiday parties, you have two options: Spend the entire night shaking, stirring, juicing, and garnishing, and miss out on most of the fun—or make a bowl of punch, let guests serve themselves, and actually enjoy the night.

Easy choice, right?

“Whenever I host a party, everyone expects some cocktails. Pre-batching a large format cocktail means guests can serve themselves, and I can spend time hanging out, rather than preparing everyone’s drinks,” says Bryan Schneider, bartender at New York City’s Quality Eats .

Whisky is the ideal base spirit for this time of year,...

Holiday drinks don’t have to be heavy and spicy. Take this floral, honeyed Peche-y Keen. “Redolent with ripe stone fruit notes and bright herbaceousness, this citrusy highball reminiscent of summer will keep a crowd smiling during a gathering,” says Joaquín Simó, beverage director and partner at New York City’s...

Long known for its country music scene, Nashville has recently built a reputation as a food and beverage destination. And after a 2009 law reintroduced distilling for the first time since statewide Prohibition in 1910, a crop of craft distillers has sprung up, making all sorts of whiskey. While some distillers are breaking new ground, others are reviving recipes passed down through generations.

There are now enough local distilleries to support a Tennessee Whiskey Trail , established in 2017 by the Nashville-based Tennessee Distillers Guild. The trail features 30 distilleries across the state, ranging in size from boutique micro-distillers to...

A fresh crop of whiskies are rolling down the pike this week. Barrell Whiskey’ s second rye is hitting shelves. This batch combined rye from Indiana with malted rye from Poland. Like all Barrell products, it’s bottled at cask strength. The company is also releasing its 2018 New Year bourbon. This year’s iteration combines bourbons made at seven distilleries in five states, ranging in age from 5 to 14 years old.

The English Whisky Company rebranded its core line in the last year or so, and the new names and packaging are finally arriving in the U.S. Now known as...

88 points, 40% ABV, $13...

95 points, 64.1% ABV, $90...

Holidays are the time to get a little festive with your whisky. That might mean breaking out a rare bottle or dressing up an old favorite in a fancy glass, but for many whisky lovers—especially those who make it—a special holiday cocktail is the ideal way to celebrate. Often these recipes are family favorites, developed over years of gathering and enjoying whisky together.

We asked several whisky distillers and blenders to share their holiday drink traditions. From Scotland to Seattle, single malt to bourbon, here are some favorite festive cocktails from the people who make whisky.

Rachel Barrie of BenRiach...

Tullamore D.E.W. has made ribbon cutting obsolete. For the opening of their new distillery on oktober 19th 2017, a bottle of Tullamore D.E.W. was smashed against a grain column like the launching of a ship, eliciting cheers from the assembled guests. The grain distillery’s opening comes three years after Tullamore began production at its malt and pot still whiskey distillery, located adjacent to the new facility. After a $70m investment, Tullamore D.E.W. has been transformed: long blended from sourced whiskey, the brand’s production is now going grain to glass.

The Rebirth of Tullamore D.E.W.

Tullamore, Co. Offaly is a busy...

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Scotch distilleries roll out major new whiskies to great fanfare all the time. (In fact, we write about them every Friday in Whisky Weekend .) Whisky retirements get less attention, but they do happen. The reasons are numerous: shortages of aged stock, changes in branding or focus, or even the total overhaul of a distillery’s core line. But because of the way that whisky retail works, there’s usually a long lead time between when a product is announced as being discontinued and when it’s actually gone from store shelves.

The single malt whiskies on this list were all discontinued relatively...

On november 16, WhiskyFest New York celebrated two decades with two floors’ worth of scotch, bourbon, Irish whiskey, and more. The year’s most exciting whiskies were represented as well, with many of Whisky Advocate’s 2017 Top 20 available to taste. Among them was Whisky of the Year Elijah Craig Barrel Proof , which had just been announced that day , master distiller Denny Potter himself pouring it at the Heaven Hill table. For the thousands in attendance, WhiskyFest offered much to learn, taste, and come back for.

With whisky flowing, a tour of both floors provided a tour of the...

With just 24 shopping days left until Christmas (and only 11 until the first night of Hanukkah, which this year starts on december 12), there’s no end of great whiskies lining up on shelves, waiting to be taken home and enjoyed.

Johnnie Walker has a new, limited-edition Blue Label called Ghost and Rare, which includes whiskies from silent distilleries (though one, Brora, won’t be silent for much longer ). It costs $400 and comes in a gift-ready box.

Jameson is launching a new expression of Caskmates, its beer barrel-finished whiskey. Whereas Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition is finished in, duh, stout...

Crank the thermostat down a notch or two as the whiskies reviewed in the Winter 2017 issue are sure to keep you warm and cozy. Hitting newsstands on december 5th, the issue’s buying guide features a number of whiskies that soar well above the 90-point threshold. (The Winter issue also highlights the full Top 20 whiskies of 2017 .) Special releases from Four Roses , Diageo , and Buffalo Trace , along with award-winning Ardbeg and Glenmorangie , single cask Irish whiskey, and a rare Amrut , all register as excellent end of year gift choices—particularly for yourself.

Four Roses...