It takes quite a bit of effort to get to the Orkney Islands—why not make the most of your time there with a some truly memorable activities? From whizzing across the water on a two-minute airplane ride to the taking in awe-inspiring magnificence of an ancient sea stack, there’s a wealth of experiences to be enjoyed.

Dive In

For those adventurous folks who want to explore the waters of Scapa Flow up close and personal, Scapa Scuba offers diver training and guided dives from its base in the former lifeboat shed at Stromness. Scapa Flow is renowned as one of...

The Orkney Islands have only two distilleries, both located on the “mainland” (it’s still an island). Both are well worth a visit.

Highland Park

All tours should be booked in advance. Visit the website for tour hours and details. A variety of tours is offered, with costs ranging from $9.40 to $1,253. Pricing is indicative of the number of whiskies made available for sampling, the experiences, and the souvenirs that are included. The ultimate experience includes a day working at the distillery, turning the malt, stoking the kiln, visiting Hobbister Moor and other landmarks, before dinner and a tutored tasting....

Heading to the Orkney Islands? These are our recommendations for the best shopping, dining, drinking, and lodging.

SHOP

Buy a bottle of Highland Park new make spirit at the distillery to experience this dram ‘unplugged,’ ($26 for a 350ml bottle). For the flight home, Highland Park offers a Carry-on Cocktail Kit ($10) containing everything (except the whisky) needed to make two smoky Old-Fashioned cocktails at 30,000 feet.

Opt for an elusive 21 year old Cask Strength Edition bottle of Scapa , exclusive to Chivas’ visitor centers ($175 for a 500ml bottle).

Go to Orkney Brewery ’s visitor center at Quoyloo,...

Independent bottler Douglas Laing & Co. has announced plans to build a new distillery in Glasglow, Scotland. The £10.7 million (around $14 million) project will enable the company to produce its own single Maltwhisky for the first time in its nearly 70-year history. Douglas Laing’s current brands include single cask bottlings from a number of Scottish distilleries, as well as blended malts like Timorous Beastie, Rock Oyster, Scallywag, and Big Peat, and the Clan Denny blend. The new distillery will lead to the creation of entirely new brands, which will help the company expand its domestic and export sales....

A couple months after its launch at Fèis Ìle , Laphroaig Cairdeas 2017 is available stateside. The cask strength version of Laphroaig’s Quarter Cask expression will retail at a recommended price of $80. There’s more maritime scotch to be had, as Douglas Laing & Co. (which recently announced plans to open its own distillery in Glasgow ) is releasing a sherry cask version of its Rock Oyster blended malt. Meanwhile, Hirsch has launched an 8 year old bourbon with a high-rye mashbill, and there’s a new single grain Irish whiskey from the Egan’s brand. Plus Hamilton Distillers in Arizona is...

The race by big wine and spirits companies to acquire small whiskey brands continues. 3 Badge Beverage Corporation has sold the Masterson’s rye and Bib & Tucker bourbon brands to Deutsch Family Wine & Sprits for an undisclosed price. Deutsch also owns Redemption Whiskey —which it bought from founders Dave Schmier and Michael Kanbar in 2015—and a number of wine brands, including Yellow Tail and Josh Cellars. 3 Badge Beverage retains its other spirits brands, which include Uncle Val’s Botanical gin and Kirk & Sweeney rum.

Like Redemption, which comes from MGP Distillery in Indiana, both Masterson’s and Bib &...

We’re passionate about whisky education around here—see Whisky 101 , for example. And WhiskyFest , our national event series, is equal parts enjoyment and education. That’s why each WhiskyFest event includes a range of seminars on trending whisky-related topics. Sure, you can walk the floor the whole time, trying whiskies and getting more than your money’s worth of incredible drams. But if you’re attending WhiskyFest, sitting in on an evening seminar is an opportunity you won’t want to miss.

5 Reasons to Attend a WhiskyFest Seminar

1. They’re free!

Access to all seminars is included in the cost of your...

This classic tiki recipe has been adapted by Chicago’s...

Originally created at Trader Vic’s in Oakland, California, in the 1950s, this classic tiki recipe—which uses bourbon or rye instead of rum—has been slightly modified by...

How do you drink whisky on a tropical island? Try a tiki cocktail. An Americanized hybrid of ancient Māori mythology and the motifs of the Polynesian islands, the tiki movement kicked off in 1933 with the opening of Don the Beachcomber in Hollywood. Back then, tiki culture was all about tropical flavor profiles built atop rum bases, and cocktails like the Mai Tai and the Zombie ruled menus across the country. A friendly rivalry between Don the Beachcomber and his Oakland-based rival Trader Vic, who opened Hinky Dink’s (later Trader Vic’s) in 1937, helped birth a flourishing trend—though later in...

Even when a whisky is already fully mature and perfectly delicious, some distillers decide to give it extra time in a different barrel. The practice is called finishing, also sometimes known as secondary maturation. While it’s commonly done today in Scotland, Ireland, the U.S., and elsewhere, it first began in 1983 when Balvenie master distiller David Stewart put some fully-aged whisky into sherry butts for around a year. The result was Balvenie Classic, now known as DoubleWood. Starting in the 1998 at Glenmorangie, Dr. Bill Lumsden used his love of wine to become one of the biggest innovators in finishing:...

Did you know there are palm trees on some Scottish islands? Take the tropical vibe all the way with this tiki cocktail, created at...

New York City bar...

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Congrats are in order: Whisky Advocate writer and reviewer Fred Minnick has been honored for his book “Bourbon: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of an American Whiskey.” The book was named Best New Spirits Book at the 11 ^th Annual Spirited Awards at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans on Saturday, juli 22 ^nd .

Minnick has authored several other titles including “Whiskey Women: The Untold Story of How Women Saved Bourbon, Scotch, and Irish Whiskey” and “Bourbon Curious: A Simple Tasting Guide for the Savvy Drinker.” The winning book covers the history of bourbon, from its earliest roots...

Whisky doesn’t mix well with many things, specifically driving or operating heavy machinery. However, when it comes to more leisurely summer pursuits like mowing the lawn, surfing, or camping, whisky makes a surprisingly suitable stand-in for the more typical cold beer. So as you head out for summer adventure, always remember to pack your sunscreen—and your whisky.

Here are the best whiskies for summer’s outdoor activities.

For backyard grilling: 

Balcones Brimstone—$74, 84 points Much as Scotland’s whiskies often include peat, American craft distillers have embraced smoke as a native ingredient, with whiskeys boasting mesquite (Whiskey Del Bac) and applewood smoke...

Whiskey and sherry go well together in the barrel and in the glass. This rye-based cobbler from Gallow Green at the McKittrick Hotel adds fresh berries to make a truly a refreshing summer cocktail....

This will list all the bourbons made in the state of New York....

The Noes are one of Bourbon Country’s most legendary families: Booker Noe—grandson of Jim Beam—was a leader in creation of small batch whiskeys, including Jim Beam’ s current Small Batch Collection ( Knob Creek , Basil Hayden’s , Baker’s , and, of course, Booker’s ). His son, Fred Noe, serves as Beam’s current master distiller. Now Fred’s son, Freddie, is trying his hand at making whiskey with Little Book, a new blended whiskey that will be released annually.

Over in Scotland, Glen Moray  is celebrating its 120th anniversary—and the fact that there have been only five master distillers during that time...