With its bright red glow and booming bitterness there’s no mistaking Campari, and it can be off-putting at first. “Being Italian, I really like the bitter taste,” says Angelo Sparvoli, bartender at The American Bar at The Savoy in London. “In fact, we say ‘bitter is better.’”

Campari’s bitter quality delivers balance and complex flavors to a cocktail. “It’s very zesty, with pronounced orange on the nose and notes of citrus and vanilla,” Sparvoli adds. Whisky has the necessary backbone to hold up to the bitterness of Campari, which in turn provides a counterpoint to a whisky’s sweeter side.

That...

Just as spices transform the act of eating from functional to pleasurable, spice flavors can enliven whisky. Baking spices in particular evoke holiday scents wafting from the kitchen, and the sensations of fresh pastries served warm from the bakery. The impression of baking spices— we’re talking mainly about cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, clove, and allspice—adds warmth, color, and complexity to the aroma and flavor of whisky. At times they can be punchy and assertive, bursting with aromatic character, and at others masked in deep, woody earthiness. When searching for spice notes in whisky, watch for them to erupt on the...

After more than 160 years, the man who taught Jack Daniel how to make whiskey will be honored with a distillery bearing his name. On Sept. 14, the Nearest Green Distillery in Shelbyville, Tennessee opens its doors to the public for tours and education about its namesake and the heritage of the state. Uncle Nearest whiskey —named after Nathan “Nearest” Green, an enslaved man who distilled whiskey in the 1850s and taught a young Jack Daniel how to do so as well—launched in 2017, but has quickly risen to prominence as Green’s story has spread.

Building on that momentum is...

A comeback is an exciting thing—especially when it involves a beloved whiskey. In addition to the return of Smooth Ambler’s Old Scout 99 Proof Bourbon (more on that below and in this article ), Old Forester has brought back its 1910 Old Fine Whisky. Initially released in oktober 2018 , the bourbon was such a success that it sold out quickly—but Old Forester now has plans in place to ensure that won’t happen again. Similarly, Old Forester’s sister brand Woodford Reserve is rolling out more bottles of its straight malt whiskey which sold out shortly after launching in juni 2018...

WhiskyFest is all about enjoyment—drinking great whiskies, learning from the experts, even making new friends—and the 2019 WhiskyFest San Francisco is set to bring all of that and more. Attend one of the expert-led seminars , and spend some time enjoying experiences like the Bowmore Oyster Luge (trust us—it’s awesome) and the taste-focused Whisky 5, which helps you narrow in on different whisky flavors. And peruse the pour list ahead of time on our website or app .

Since there are more than 400 whiskies on offer, we recommend devising a loose strategy (here are some tips to help you...

Continuing our 20th anniversary celebrations, we’re selling a fabled bottle of whisky for its original 1999 price – a whisky selling for £7,500 in 2019 for just £99. There’s just one catch: we’ve only got one to sell at that price. Head to the bottom of this post to learn more about the ballot we’re running for the chance to buy the bottle, but read on to learn a bit more about the whisky itself – Ardbeg 1976 Manager’s Choice .

In the beginning…

Just as The Whisky Exchange made its first tentative steps online twenty years ago, Ardbeg distillery...

There are lots of technical terms bandied around when talking about casks. This list will demystify some of them.

Amburana – a South American hardwood, occasionally used for maturing cachaça and very occasionally for maturing whiskey. It imparts a distinctive tonka-bean flavour, combining vanilla, coconut and cherries.

American Oak – an oak native to America, Most commonly used to mature American whiskey when new, but reused to age and rest many other spirits around the world. Also known as Quercus Alba.

American Standard Barrel – a 200 litre cask.

Angel’s Share – the spirit that evaporates from cask while it...

The theme of  Whisky Show 2019 is The Journey of the Cask – a journey which begins prior to, then runs parallel to, the journey of whisky itself. To help you get excited about casks and, hopefully, about this year’s Whisky Show (not to mention provide a fun and engaging way to learn about wood, whisky, and the relationship between the two) we’ve put together this fun quiz to determine, more or less, what kind of cask you most resemble.

How big is a barrel? Or a hogshead, or a butt? Casks play a big part in the making of some of the most famous wines and spirits in the world, but navigating what they are can be confusing. With many different types and sizes in use, each with its own name, how can you tell your hogsheads from your puncheons?

CASK SIZES IN A NUTSHELL

Blood-tub

Starting with the smallest casks, blood-tubs are between 30 and 40 litres in size and are almost never used commercially. Mostly these are used for private casks, allowing for a small, more manageable...

A Jameson cooper is a happy cooper…

The concept of the wooden cask hasn’t changed much since it first came into being , but the practice of making it has gradually been refined over the past few millennia.

That’s not to say there wasn’t trial and error involved – things like the collapsible shipping cask and the Da Vinci-esque cask cleaning machine, both beautifully illustrated in Scientific American in the 1800s, have fallen by the wayside – but today making casks is a superb blend of art and science.

Coopers – professional cask-makers – will craft casks to a distillery’s...