Flavored whisky is rarely taken seriously, but that’s starting to change as serious distillers eschew the sugar in favor of an all-natural approach. Open your mind, and take a walk on the flavored side, where real ingredients like chocolate, maple, and cherry add spice and profile worthy of consideration.

Alberta Rye Dark Batch —$30 The addition of about 1% sherry wine gives this blend of rye and bourbon whiskies a touch of prune and candied dates. Offers a pleasant richness and supple body quite unlike traditional Canadian ryes.  Whisky Advocate score: 87 points (Fall 2017)

Charbay R5 Hop Flavored Whiskey...

Once upon a time, air travel was a glamorous affair where well-dressed men and women kept their shoes on and idly sipped Manhattans before strolling straight to the gate for takeoff. Nowadays, travelers are lucky if they get to grab some overpriced mixed nuts or a can of Coke before being corralled to their cramped seats.

It doesn’t have to be that way, though. There are options for whisky lovers seeking a good drink and a little dignity before taking off. Next time you’re traveling through one of these airports, check in a little early and relax with a whisky...

Without barrels from the U.S., Scotch whisky as we know it could not exist. Nine out of ten casks used to mature whisky in Scotland today initially matured bourbon or Tennessee whiskey. By law, barrels can be used only once for bourbon, but they still have plenty of flavor to give. Thousands of empty used vessels are shipped to Scotland every year to impart delicious sweetness, scented vanilla, and golden honey flavors to whisky destined for the bourbon barrel. Yet, finding scotch aged in only bourbon requires a keen eye.

Try It: Bourbon Cask-Matured Scotches That Cost $100 or Less...

The scotch industry depends on bourbon to provide flavorful casks for maturing malt and grain whiskies. But among the many bourbon-cask matured scotches out there, which ones provide the best bang for your buck—and allow you to taste the influence of both types of whisky in one glass? Consult this list to find a great bottle that connects America and Scotland.

Glenmorangie Original —$54, 93 points One of the all-time greats, the complexity of this elegant whisky reveals itself with flavors of citrus, lilting florals, vanilla, and peach.

Kilchoman 100% Islay 7th Edition —$100, 89 points Get the full grain-to-glass...

‘It’s all about the ‘ poof poof ‘ of Cognac’ says Patrice Piveteau, and it’s a testament to both his storytelling and infectious enthusiasm that this immediately makes perfect sense. He is talking about the sensory fireworks present in any glass of good Cognac, one of the many qualities which make the French spirit so endlessly fascinating – and drinkable.

‘I drink no more than a sponge’ – Francois Rabelais

Frapin is one of the Cognac houses that is driving the spirit’s resurgence and appeal to new audiences, while remaining at heart a traditional brand. A small Cognac house with an...

If you want to host a masterclass on how whisky ages, why not get one of the most knowledgeable people on the planet to run it? That’s what happened at this year’s Whisky Exchange Whisky Show , where Suntory chief blender Shinji Fukuyo went to great lengths to explain this key part of the whisky-making process. As expected, there were plenty of words I didn’t understand (cyclotene, ferulic acid and trans-lactones, anyone?) but Shinji explained the science in practical terms for the mere mortals in the room.

First off, some thoughts on whisky maturation itself:

‘For me, if there is...

Sure, I’ve reviewed Old Pulteney 17 Years before, but that was an old bottling, almost seven years ago . An eternity if you keep in mind that Pulteney started releasing single malts less than 20 years ago.

The 17 Year Old predominantly features ex-bourbon maturation, with the addition of spirit that has been matured in Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez casks.

Throughout the years Old Pulteney 17 Years won numerous awards. There’s now a good reason for reviewing it again: the 21 Years is officially discontinued and the 17 Years will suffer the same fate early 2018 . That’s one good-value...

Glenmorangie 1989 Grand Vintage

Matured in Bond House No.1 and bottled at 43%, the new Glenmorangie 1989 is the latest Grand Vintage release from this distillery. Just over 6000 bottles will be available.

anCnoc Peatheart

anCnoc Peatheart is a new peated release (40 ppm ‘heavily peated’) in the growing smoky range from this distillery. It’s a NAS bottling at 46% and apparently it will come in numbered batches.

Wemyss Malts – Autumn 2017

There’s a new batch of single cask releases from Wemyss Malts, with prices between € 60 and € 390 more or less, all...

The autumn of 2010 was wet and windy. A late harvest saw Octomore farmer James Brown facing heavy losses from greylag geese and herds of wild red deer, resulting in a precious little yield. Malting the this Octomore grain produced results that were unprecedented, the readings came back at 309.1ppm.

That makes this Octomore 08.3 the peatiest Octomore ever, and the peatiest whisky ever at a staggering 309 ppm. The spirit was matured in 56% first-fill bourbon casks, the remaining in ex-Paulliac, Ventoux, Rhone and Burgundy wine casks.

It is part of the Octomore Eights Masterclass series. It contains 3...

Highland Park has released a new exclusive single cask edition for London Gatwick airport and World Duty Free . It marks the opening of Gatwick’s new North terminal WDF store.

This Highland Park 2005 single cask #1140 was matured for 12 years in a refill sherry butt. It was seasoned for two years with Oloroso before arriving at Highland Park, and it was used to mature another whisky before this one went in. They ‘repair’ refill casks (mixing staves) which means they can’t state whether it was European or American oak.

Highland Park 12 yo 2005 (66,4%, OB...

Remember the two Inchmurrin 2003 casks bottled by The WhiskyNerds early augusti? There was a bourbon-matured ‘Order’ and a sherry-matured ‘Law’ , both among the best value drams I’ve had this year.

A small part of both casks was kept aside and married together for two months to create a beautiful vatting of presidential allure: The Executive , influenced by two types of wood.

Inchmurrin 14 yo 2003 ‘Executive’ (54,6%, OB for The Whiskynerds 2017, sherry + bourbon vatting #17/171-1, 495 btl.)

Nose: you get the bourbonny oak first, but the sherry grows over time. In the...

That Boutique-y Whisky Company bottles single malts from a variety of renowned distilleries, but they also release their own blends and – in this case – blended malts. They are numbered #1, #2… each indicating a certain profile. The actual malts involved maj vary as new batches are released within these Blended Malt profiles.

While Blended Malt #1 is said to be teaspooned Balvenie, Blended Malt #2 should be a true blended malt with different single malts brought together by the TBWC team. We’re trying Batch #2 of Blended Malt #2 – in the meantime there has been a third batch...

Another cask from Batch 15 of the single casks: GlenDronach 1994 cask #3379 , a Pedro Ximénez puncheon.

GlenDonrach 22 yo 1994 (51,6%, OB 2017, PX puncheon #3379, 456 btl.)

Nose: rather winey in a way that reminds me a lot of some Brandy de Jerez (which uses ‘seasoned sherry casks’ similar to those used for whisky maturation). Jammy fruits (raspberry, strawberry, plums), slightly ethereal, I like that. Hints of rose pepper and cinnamon. Rum & raisins. Hints of rose petals and rosemary. Mouth: slightly alcoholic, with preserved fruits and Ginjinha cherries. Sweet and sour, majbe an oaky...

Ardbeg Twenty Something is a new 23 year-old Ardbeg that will be released exclusively to Ardbeg’s loyal fan base, the Ardbeg Committee, in gratitude for their enduring support of the Distillery.

Mickey Heads, Distillery Manager and Chairman of the Ardbeg Committee says: “This magnificent whisky was created within the retired iconic still which stands proud outside our Distillery today. It’s a glimpse back into Ardbeg’s turbulent past and reaffirms just why the Distillery couldn’t be allowed to be disappear.”

It was matured in ex-bourbon and ex-Oloroso sherry casks. Ardbeg Twenty Something is priced at RRP £ 430 (around € 485)...