By Jeffery Lindenmuth

Blade and Bow 24 year old, a very rare single barrel straight bourbon whiskey from the Stitzel-Weller distillery, most famous as the original producer of the Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve line of whiskeys, will be sold at Christie’s Auction House on december 9.

Unlike Blade and Bow 22 year old, which is a blend of whiskeys from several distilleries, the 24 year old comes only from  Stitzel-Weller and was barreled on november 22, 1991. This whiskey is notable not only as one of the final whiskeys produced at Stitzel-Weller, which closed in 1992, but also for...

By Susannah Skiver Barton

After a successful run last year, Maker’s Mark is bringing back its treat truck to six cities across the country, aiming to support programs that fight hunger and poverty. The truck offers holiday goodies in exchange for a donation to Share Our Strength , a non-profit group that aims to end child hunger in America. The partnership with Maker’s Mark will support access to programs that teach culinary education and shopping on a budget, among other services.

The truck’s menu includes spiced cider and a range of treats from Butter & Scotch bakery , such as...

By Susannah Skiver Barton

  The Singleton of Glendullan 12 Year Old, 15 Year Old, and 18 Year Old

Style: Single malt Scotch whisky ABV: 40% Price: $35 (12 year old), $50 (15 year old), $80 (18 year old) Release: november Availability: Widely available

Need to know: The Singleton is an established brand in many markets, but the 12 year old hasn’t been seen in the U.S. market for several years. This is the first time the 15 year old and 18 year old have been released outside of travel retail. All three expressions are joining the Classic Malts portfolio,...

By Susannah Skiver Barton

Westland Master Distiller Matt Hofmann

News broke this morning that international drinks conglomerate Rémy Cointreau has signed an agreement to acquire Seattle’s Westland distillery for an undisclosed sum. The deal will likely close by the end of the year. Paris-based Rémy Cointreau is best known for its namesake cognac and liqueur brands, but whisky lovers will remember its purchase of Islay’s Bruichladdich distillery in 2012. And particularly clever observers will note the similarities between Westland and Bruichladdich. Both producers tout the importance of terroir in whisky, using different varieties of barley and unusual types of oak casks...

By Susannah Skiver Barton

A class-action lawsuit was quietly filed on november 18 ^th alleging that Buffalo Trace Distillery , Old Charter Distillery Co. and parent company Sazerac Co. have deliberately misrepresented Old Charter 8 as an 8 year old bourbon. The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York by Nicholas Parker on behalf of himself and others who have purchased Old Charter 8. It alleges seven counts of deceptive acts or practices, false advertising, unjust enrichment, breach of warranty, fraud, and negligent misrepresentation and seeks compensatory, statutory, and punitive damages, as...

By Susannah Skiver Barton

With the holidays right around the corner, you maj be looking for gift ideas for the the whisky lover in your life—or majbe you’re making your own wish list. In addition to potable presents, why not consider some thoughtfully designed whisky gear, brought to you by two bourbon brands?

I.W. Harper has paired up with hat maker Goorin Bros. to release The Harper, a limited-edition felt fedora with a whiskey-colored hat band that features the brand’s “bowing man” icon on the interior. “We wanted to create a hat that not only deserved attention but possessed an ability to bring...

The winter 2016 issue of  Whisky Advocate magazine hits newsstands in early december. Here is your sneak peek at some of the best of the new releases as reviewed in the  Whisky Advocate Buying Guide. For our Editor’s Choice, Value Pick and more great whiskies,  subscribe now ! 

#10 –  Sazerac Rye 18 year old (Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2016), 45%, $90

This Sazerac 18 year old is a distinctly separate whiskey, after several years of the same whiskey that had been stored in stainless steel tanks to prevent further aging. It doesn’t have as much of the rye zing...

Old Potrero Hotaling’s 16 Year Old Single Malt Rye Whiskey

Release: november 2016 Price: $165 Proof: 100 Availability: 200 bottles Style: Single malt rye

Need to know:  This very limited release comes from a single-barrel, a once-used charred fine-grain American oak barrel, that was filled with 100 percent rye whiskey. The name Hotaling’s commemorates the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire in which the A.P. Hotaling and Co.’s whiskey warehouse miraculously survived.

Whisky Advocate says:  Anchor has been at the forefront of craft whiskey since 1994. If you’re unable to access, or afford, this special release, look for the flagship...

Balvenie Tun 1509 Batch 3

Release: oktober 2016 Price: $350 Proof: 104.4 Availability: 2,100 bottles (8,850 worldwide) Style: Single malt scotch

Need to know:  The third edition in the series from Balvenie malt master David Stewart includes 31 casks: 12 sherry butts distilled between 1989 and 1992, 11 American oak hogsheads distilled in 1989 and eight refill American Oak butts distilled in 1992 and 1993.

Whisky Advocate says:  The inaugural release of Tun 1509, which refers to the large vessel in which the casks are married, scored 91 points in the Whisky Advocate Buying Guide. In addition to a unique...

Mosswood Nocino Barrel Aged American Whiskey

Release: oktober 2016 Price: $50 Proof: 92 Availability: 359 bottles Style: American whiskey

Need to know: A nine year old whiskey receives about six months of finishing in barrels that held nocino liqueur.

Whisky Advocate says: Owners Jake and Therese Chevedden make the nocino that infuses the barrels for this inventive whiskey using green-harvest walnuts from an English Walnut tree in their backyard in Oakland, Calif.

The Dubliner

Release: oktober 2016 Price: $28 Proof: 80 Availability: Widely available Style: Irish whiskey

Need to know: This blended Irish whiskey is aged entirely in American bourbon...

A single bottle of Yamazaki 50 year old set the new world record for the most expensive standard-sized bottle of whisky sold at auction. The record-breaking hammer price of $109,585/£84,520/HK$850,000 was set at Poly Auction, Hong Kong this month during their Prestige Collections sale (with buyer’s premiums added: HK$1,003,000).

The first release of Yamazaki 50 year old became the most expensive Japanese whisky on the market on its release in 2005, priced at ¥1,000,000, equivalent to approximately $9,500, or just 8.6% of its new record auction price. This Japanese single Maltwhisky was distilled in the 1950s and fully matured...

In an exclusive report, Shanken News Daily informed us after the market close yesterday that Constellation Brands emerged victorious in a heated auction for craft whiskey darling High West Distillery , of Park City, Utah, beating out other large spirit company suitors. These included both Pernod Ricard and LVMH Moët. According to Constellation, High West is already generating $25 million in annual whiskey sales and the deal closed with a purchase price of roughly $160 million.

High West currently distills and matures some of their own whiskey, but it was their innovative sourced whiskeys, particularly blends of mature whiskeys from...

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you know that I offered my initial thoughts on each whiskey upon my first taste of them. Since then, I’ve tasted each one a few more times, including tasting each one side by side with its 2015 counterpart, and I have some additional thoughts to offer. Here is my general impression of each whiskey, and the overall Collection, after going through this exercise. You can use it as a guide when determining which whiskey you might want to track down and purchase. (A formal review, with detailed tasting notes and ratings, will appear in...

Yes, it’s that time again—the Diageo Special Releases for 2016 have been announced. Cue the normal outrage on social media about the pricing, so I thought I’d get that out the way.

Yes, these whiskies are expensive—some of them very expensive, indeed. But they are rare and of exceptional quality, and to be fair all Diageo have done is thwarted the rapid profit-taking by speculators by pricing them according to the market. If it means the whiskies take a little longer to sell, then we can hope that they end up being consumed and not squirreled away in an ‘investment’ portfolio. So,...

Labor Day maj be the unofficial close of summer, but with sunny skies here in the northeast we’re celebrating with a few luxury whisky wearables, crafted from the barrels that once housed some delicious spirits.

Glenmorangie has collaborated with British eyewear company Finlay & Co., manufacturers of wooden sunglasses, to create some stylish shades from American white oak casks that previously housed Glenmorangie whisky. The exclusive sunglasses are individually numbered and stamped with their Glenmorangie pedigree ($450). There’s no whiff of whisky remaining; the supple texture and fresh sanded aroma of the unfinished wood is more reminiscent of high school...

Benromach Hermitage 2007

Release: september 2016 Price: £40 Proof: 90 Availability: 3,300 bottles Style: Single malt scotch

Need to know: Initially matured in bourbon barrels for 6 years, the spirit was transferred to oak casks that once nurtured wine from the Hermitage wine region of France, and finished for a further 31 months.

Whisky Advocate says: Since being brought back to life by independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail in 1998, Benromach has applied creativity to classic Speyside malts, with previous releases of Benromach Wood Finish expressions including an Hermitage 2005, Château Cissac 2006, and Sassicaia 2007.  The Hermitage Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée,...

Once again, I find myself in an enviable position — seated before a flight of tiny cups that any whiskey lover would cherish. In fact, these are not just 16 delicious whiskies, but also liquid chronicles of 16 memorable days at the Old Forester distillery. Here sits the day in 2002 when a thunderstorm soaked the barrels before filling, helping to slow the initial angel’s share evaporation from within; the incident in 2005 when a different malted barley supplier had to be called to fill in; the day a errant squirrel knocked out the power.

The annual release of Old...

Yes, today, augusti 25, is National Whisky Sour Day . However, anyone receiving their fall issue of Whisky Advocate knows I don’t need an excuse to drink this classic cocktail. A well-made Whisky Sour is tough to beat any day of the year.

The number of bartenders who shared their innovative takes on the Whisky Sour with me for the current issue far exceeded the space available on the printed page, so here is a stunning recipe from Joseph Michalek, bar manager at Giovanni’s and Alchemy in Rockford, Illinois that deserves a moment in the spotlight. Michalek’s  Bitter Scotsman...

A well-known face to many from his appearances at whisky festivals and online, Richard Paterson began his whisky career as an office boy. Now celebrating 50 years in the industry he has been Whyte and Mackay’s master blender for much of that time. He travels the world constantly on behalf of his brands which include not just the Whyte and Mackay range of fine blends, but also Isle of Jura and Dalmore. I caught up with him after a trip to the Far East and just before he left for London to launch the new Dalmore expression, Quintessence, finished in...

Whisky Advocate’s  Fall 2016 issue will be hitting the newsstand in early september. Here’s a reveal of the ten highest-rated whiskies in the issue’s Buying Guide. We start with #10 and conclude with #1.

#10 – Four Roses 2016 Limited Edition Single Barrel Elliott’s Select, 58.4%, $125

There’s a certain complexity here that you just come to expect in limited edition Four Roses. This one doesn’t disappoint. Rose petals, honeysuckle, caramel, roasted pine nuts, cotton candy, dark coffee, and vanilla. The creamy mouthfeel delightfully brings in warm cinnamon roll, chocolate truffle, and honey taffy, balanced by herbs and subtle earthiness that...