The floor was buzzing and the whisky was flowing at WhiskyFest New York , which took place at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square on december 4, 2018. Thousands of attendees—newcomers and returning fans alike—enjoyed over 475 different whiskies, poured by master distillers, blenders, and other experts.

Each WhiskyFest is full of highlights, and this year was no different. The Bowmore booth included an oyster luge where guests could sip scotch from an oyster shell, while Blackened American whiskey offered the chance to taste the effect of Metallica’s music on barrel maturation. Attendees sampled whiskies from Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Japan,...

Whisky is always a good reason to get people together, and a cocktail party makes it even more fun. “Whisky is great for a cocktail party because it’s so versatile,” says Pamela Wiznitzer, mixologist at Henry at the Life Hotel . Everyone from connoisseurs to brown spirit newbies can enjoy trying new flavors and learning about whisky—and you don’t need to be a pro bartender to pull it off.

As the host, you get to decide what theme—if any—you want for the night (perhaps one style of whisky or one region) and what tempting libations to serve. That also means...

There’s ongoing and seemingly endless debate about the perfect amount of aging for whisky. Part of the reason for that is the fact that whiskies vary, and what’s “perfect” for, say, a particular bourbon isn’t necessarily right for a single malt Highland scotch or a blended Canadian whisky. Different aging conditions and barreling techniques mean bourbon and rye naturally mature more quickly than scotch or Irish whiskey, while whiskies from other parts of the world—Japan, Canada, India —enjoy their own unique maturation environments.

And yet there’s something special about decade-old whisky from almost everywhere. Ten year old bourbon presents as...

Have you been following along with the Top 20 countdown ? Whiskies 5-10 have all been revealed, and we’ll unveil the the rest of the list next week. Join us for the countdown, and don’t forget to enter the sweepstakes to win the top three whiskies!

With the holiday shopping season officially underway, now’s the time to start thinking about what whisky you want to give—or receive. (For whisky-related gifts that aren’t actually bottles, though, check out our gift guide .)

Several distillers are offering their whiskies in special holiday packaging, including Hibiki— which we wrote about previously — J....

In case you missed it, the biggest news of the week is the announcement of Whisky of the Year , along with the reveal of the full Top 20 whiskies of 2018. Get on over to the list to read up on why these are the most exciting bottles of the year.

Meanwhile, there are tons of new whiskies to look forward to, some of which are hitting shelves right now. First up, Basil Hayden’s has released its first age-statement bourbon, a 10 year old. The whiskey will be for sale in limited amounts for $60, and will return in...

A new whisky record was set on november 29th at Christie’s auction house in London, when a single bottle of The Macallan Michael Dillon 1926 60 year old sold for a cool £1 million ($1.28 million). This special one-off bottle, hand-painted by artist Michael Dillon, depicts the Easter Elchies House at the Macallan estate. The whisky inside was drawn from the same vintage as other bottles that broke auction records earlier this year . With buyer’s premiums included, the price for the Michael Dillon bottle was £1.2 million ($1.5 million), a value that exceeds the previous record of £848,750 ($1.1...

Holiday gifting-giving can be a stressful experience, especially if you’re buying for a whisky drinker with persnickety tastes. Whisky Advocate’s  Buying Guide can provide excellent recommendations for the right bourbon, scotch, or other whisky in a variety of price ranges, as can our many whisky lists .

But while a bottle is always a welcome gift (particularly if it’s so well-decorated you don’t need to wrap it, like Hibiki Japanese Harmony’s special anniversary edition ), you maj want to extend beyond the obvious and bestow something more special. Whisky Advocate is here to help with this list of suggestions that...

With gift-giving season upon us, there’s no better time for new whisky. First up, Maker’s Mark has a very special Private Edition coming out in december—a custom bourbon created by the competitors on Bravo’s Top Chef . Just a few hundred bottles are available for $80 each, going on sale after the second episode of season 16 airs on december 13.

Islay distillery Bowmore has unveiled a single malt distilled in 1965 and aged a whopping 52 years. There are just 232 bottles available, but at a cost of $30,000, the list of eligible purchasers isn’t going to be too...

WhiskyFest New York takes place december 4th, and with over 475 pours on offer, the only difficult part of the event is choosing what to taste. Many attendees structure their choices around a single style, like scotch or bourbon, while others choose to focus on what’s new. If you aren’t sure where to start, read up on our strategies for making the most of your evening —or simply let this list be your guide.

And don’t forget that when you’re ready to take a break from the floor, there are a dozen seminars packed full of whisky education and rare...

A historic and well-known scotch label has changed hands. Cutty Sark blended whisky —formerly part of the Edrington Group portfolio—has been acquired by French company La Martiniquaise-Bardinet , which also owns Glen Moray Distillery in Scotland’s Speyside region. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Edrington has agreed to continue providing blending, bottling, and other services for Cutty Sark during a transition period.

Cutty Sark was invented in 1923 by wine and spirits company Berry Bros. & Rudd  and named after a famous clipper ship that was the fastest in the world during its 19 ^th -century heyday....

december has arrived, and with it a new pair of whiskies exclusively available at The Whisky Exchange. Bottled for us by Gordon & MacPhail as part of the Connoisseurs Choice range, we’re proud to introduce our  Glenlivet 2003 and  Glenturret 2004 .

Gordon & MacPhail

Founded in 1895, Gordon & MacPhail started as grocer in Elgin in the heart of Speyside – the shop is still open at 58-60 South Street. John Urquhart joined the business shortly after and worked with James Gordon as a buyer, including purchasing whisky from the local distilleries. However, both James Gordon and John Alexander...

Imagine you were asked to take one of the world’s most famous blended whiskies and create a limited edition that paid homage to one of the world’s most revered lost distilleries. Where would you start? How would you do it justice? And how many times would you wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat?

It all sounds impossibly daunting, unless, in a masterpiece of nominative determinism, your name is Beveridge, Jim Beveridge, and you’ve spent almost 40 years immersed in the world of whisky making. Here, Johnnie Walker’s talented master blender tells us about how...

Black Friday is upon us again. When we decided to join in with the festivities of the day a few years back, we decided we’d make things simple: offer a single great whisky at a great price, and try to bring some joy to the world of internet shopping.

Rather than adding another special offer to our already-long list , we’ve bottled a whisky just for the occasion – a great tasting dram that’s incredibly good value and makes Black Friday worth waiting for.

Last year we did our first special Whisky Exchange exclusive Black Friday bottling and it sold...

Belgian whisky club Crann selected this Highland Park 1992 as their club bottling in 2018.

Remarkably it was already bottled back in 2005 . Quick research shows that some bottles were taken out in september 2005 at the same strength for Mac Malt in Germany and the biggest part at 46% ABV in the High Spirits’ Collection. Strangely enough, these bottlings claim it was a sherry butt , and this label mentions a bourbon cask . Who is trying to fool us?

Highland Park 13 yo 1992 (62,9%, Brachadair for Crann 2005, cask #20355, 83 btl.)

Nose: quite...

The latest series from Liquid Treasures has a Snakes theme. Among their bottlings we find this Blended Malt 2001. One of these malt bases that include Glenrothes, Tamdhu and a few others, perhaps?

Blended Malt 17 yo 2001 (46,3%, Liquid Treasures ‘Snakes’ 2018, sherry butt, 396 btl.)

Nose: butterscotch and raisins, cinnamon cake, a little praline. Also oranges and a little tobacco. Brioche, hints of pepper and just a hint of roasted chestnut. Very light balsamic touches. Nice sherry style. Mouth: solid whisky, definitely. Oranges and raisins again, with a light marzipan sweetness, figs and roasted nuts. Cinnamon,...