While pumpkin spice continues to encroach on the fall flavor spectrum, it hasn’t quite yet supplanted apple as the default seasonal fruit. Regardless of preference—McIntosh, Granny Smith, Fuji, or something else altogether—there’s an apple for every taste. And similarly, there is an abundance of apple-forward whiskies to suit a variety of palates.

Don’t get us wrong: these aren’t apple-flavored whiskies, but they do express apple flavors , whether fresh, cooked, or dried. And they’ll pair perfectly with apple-related activities, like picking in an orchard and baking fresh pies. It is officially fall, so dive into the season’s sweetest pastime and...

This is a great week for scotch lovers. A whole boatload of new single malts—and a couple new blends—are rolling out to store shelves. First, Macallan has two new releases to track down: Fine Oak 18 year old—which was released overseas before coming to the U.S.—joins the existing Fine Oak range of age statement whiskies. Macallan Classic Cut, on the other hand, is an NAS whisky bottled at cask strength. It’s around for a limited time only and has a recommended price of $89.

Macallan’s parent company, Edrington Group , also owns Highland Park , and the Orkney distillery has...

At this year’s Whisky Exchange Whisky Show , Buffalo Trace master blender Drew majville led a masterclass – The Art of Whiskey – in which he looked back at the long history of the distillery and poured the highly prized Antique Collection. This is what he told us…

Drew majville, Buffalo Trace’s master blender

‘ I’ve been at Buffalo Trace for 13 years , and boy, have we come a long way!’

‘There’s been distilling at Buffalo Trace since the 1770s, and it’s operated through fires, wars and Prohibition. When we started, the distillery was technically part of Virginia; Kentucky...

This is the Irish Malt 1989 from the recent Butterflies series , bottled by the Righi, Sandrin & Drewitz trio.

Irish Malt 28 yo 1989 (49,3%, Antique Lions of Spirits ‘Butterflies’ 2017, bourbon cask, 209 btl.)

Nose: warm fruit cake, alongside this tropical fruitiness (guave, maracuya, bananas, white grapefruit). A hint of green tea. Light vanilla. Subtle minerals in the background, a whiff of wet plaster. Mouth: more fruity notes, sweet and tropical at first (mango, passion fruits) but evolving more towards grapefruit, kiwi and lime. Slightly more zesty now, grapefruit skin which mingles nicely with the mineral...

In Pour This, Pair That, Whisky Advocate asks professional chefs to share a recipe designed for a specific type of whisky. Learn why these food and whisky combinations work—and try them yourself at home!

Sherried scotch tastes great on its own, and is also a versatile option for food pairings. With a wide array of characteristics—from fruity to nutty and creamy to oily—sherried whisky can play brilliantly with a number of different foods at the table. And because it’s often robust and complex, it pairs especially well with rich, fatty dishes, like these Foie Gras Gougères by chef Michael Santoro...

Jared Brown, master distiller at Sipsmith Gin Distillery in London, explains why you should all be drinking sloe gin – and offers some tips on how to make it yourself.

Sloe gin is to Britain what limoncello is to Italy. Everyone makes it at home, and everyone takes pride in their family recipes. Visit a British household over the holidays and the meal will likely finish with glasses of sloe gin. But surprisingly, this cherished sip does not have a long history in the UK.

The Enclosures during the mid-Victorian period was a time when new taxes forced wealthy landowners...

Highland Park Magnus is the latest expression from Highland Park , exclusive to USA and Canada . It is a non-age statement offering, composed with a high proportion of sherry seasoned American oak casks, along with refill (ex-bourbon) casks.

I find it slightly confusing that they’ve named an entire series Magnus, with Saint Magnus and Earl Magnus expressions, and now another Magnus . Of course Magnus Eunson is the first distiller they can trace the distillery back to, but it will become hard to set them apart if they continue like this.

Highland Park Magnus (40%, OB 2017)...

The BenRiach 20 Years is the oldest expression in the flagship range (the 25 Years and 35 Years are seen as premium expressions). I’ve always had a sweet spot for this whisky, let’s try a recent batch.

Previous bottlings had a white label with blue illustrations . The new version (introduced this year?) is dark blue with gold lettering, but most shops are still selling the old one.

BenRiach 20 yo (43%, OB +/- 2017)

Nose: light and elegant. Full of aromatic fruits, pineapple, tangerines, apricot, as well as juicy apples and plums. It also has a nice...

The core range of anCnoc whiskies is reaching our shores in a few weeks. AnCnoc (pronounced AH-nock) is the brand name for the whisky distilled in Knockdhu distillery from the Highlands region, The distillery is owned by Inverhouse Distillers who also control Old Pulteney, Balblair  and two more far less familiar distilleries.

Since Old Pulteney stopped producing the Old Pulteney 21 (now replaced by a far more expensive 25 year old whisky), the anCnoc 24 seems like a good candidate to replace the OP 21 as the matured and affordable whisky of choice in this region.

The anCnoc 24, released...

How about a Macallan review to close the weekend? Let’s have a look at Macallan Edition No.2, the second release in an annual limited edition in which Macallan partner with somebody to create this edition. In this case of the Macallan Edition No.2, it’s a collaboration between Macallan master blender Bob Dalgarno and the Spanish chefs Joan, Josep and Jordi Roca, co-founders of El Celler de Can Roca, which was twice named best restaurant in the world.

It’s a NAS whisky (no real surprise from Macallan of the last few years), with seven different oak cask types (European and American...

As we pack away our swimsuits and sandals and pull out the sweaters and boots, it’s also time to shelve the light, sessionable cocktails and put deeper flavors front and center. Not only does whisky warm you from inside out, but there is also a whisky to complement pretty much every fall flavor, from apples to squash, resulting in a bounty of delicious cocktails.

Whether you’re gathered around a bonfire, navigating a corn maze, or raking the leaves (yet again), keep these recipes in rotation all fall long.

Try These Whisky Cocktails Made With Autumn Ingredients

The Pandorica Opens: Combine...

Definition

Whisky (or whiskey) is a distilled spirit made from fermented grain and typically matured in wooden containers for some period of time.

Where It Comes From

Whisky can be made anywhere in the world. Certain countries—like Scotland, Ireland, the United States, and Canada—have regulations that govern its production. Get the details in our Instant Expert guides.

How It’s Made

To get a full understanding of the whisky-making process, see “ How Whisky Is Made .”

Whisky vs. Whiskey

The “e” or lack thereof in the word’s spelling is purely orthographical. Whisky is whiskey is whisky. Certain countries favor one...