The 7 Best Whisky Museums
Some museums have permanent whisky expositions, or are even fully dedicated to whisky. And not just in Scotland, but all over the world. These are our favourite whisky museums with exhibitions that are not limited to just one or only a few whisky brands. Irish Whiskey Museum, Dublin The Irish Whiskey Museum offers an interactive, ultra-modern whiskey tour in the Irish capital. Admission rates start at €15, but this includes a three-course Irish whiskey tasting. Dufftown Whisky Museum, Dufftown While most Scottish distilleries have their own visitor centres and in-house museums, the village of Dufftown also has… Read More
Whisky Rumours, October edition
In the United States, all alcoholic beverage manufacturers must submit the labels of their products to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) for approval. These labels are published on the TTB website under the Freedom of Information Act, which means that they’re available to see before the whiskies are released. Although it’s definitely not a guarantee that the submitted labels will actually end up on whisky bottles, or that these bottles will be released in any other country than the US, it is very interesting to look at. We all love rumours, right? These are some… Read More
The Most Exclusive Whiskies in the World
So you think you have some exclusive whiskies in your cabinet? Take a look at these ridiculously expensive and super exclusive whiskies and you’ll probably want to reconsider that opinion. The most expensive whisky In January 2014, a six-litre bottle of Macallan M was sold at a Hong Kong auction for $628,205. While this is officially the most expensive bottle of whisky ever, it isn’t the most expensive whisky. That title goes to another Macallan bottling, Macallan 1946. At $460,000, this 44 year old single malt in a Lalique decanter is more expensive per cl. than any other. … Read More
Whisky rumours – September edition
In the United States, all alcoholic beverage manufacturers must submit the labels of their products to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) for approval. These labels are published on the TTB website under the Freedom of Information Act, which means that they’re available to see before the whiskies are released. Although it’s definitely not a guarantee that the submitted labels will actually end up on whisky bottles, or that these bottles will be released in any other country than the US, it is very interesting to look at. We all love rumours, right? These… Read More
Whisky rumours – July edition
In the United States, all alcoholic beverage manufacturers must submit the labels of their products to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) for approval. These labels are published on the TTB website under the Freedom of Information Act, which means that they’re available to see before the whiskies are released. Although it’s definitely not a guarantee that the submitted labels will actually end up on whisky bottles, or that these bottles will be released in any other country than the US, it is very interesting to look at. We all love rumours, right? These… Read More
Whisky Brand Names Explained
Whisky brand names like Bunnahabhain, Tamnavulin or Glenmorangie may look like difficult and meaningless letter combinations, but in fact most whisky names are (derived from) Gaelic and refer to the distillery location or characteristics. By learning only a few basic Gaelic words, you’ll be able to translate most whisky brand names quite easily. And then you’ll see that Bunnahabhain actually means ‘river mouth’. (click for a larger version) … Read More
New: Scottish Whisky Distillery Map
Have you ever wondered where all Scottish distilleries are located, or which distilleries still are independent? With our new Scottish Distillery Map, it’s very easy to find out. You can filter by owner, owner country, size, age and even by prominent flavours. Read More
Age Stated Whiskies that have been (or will be) replaced by NAS versions
It seems to be the trend to replace Age Stated Whiskies, like The Glenlivet 12 Years Old, by NAS (No Age Statement) expressions. In The Glenlivet’s example, it will be a new ‘Founder’s Reserve’. Moving away from whiskies with an age statement offers distilleries more freedom in deciding how long to let a whisky age. If they deem the quality of their Scotch high enough at 10 or 11 years, it can be bottled without having to alter the name and label. The Macallan, for example, has replaced the majority of their aged range by NAS whiskies. While many… Read More
The Most Typical Islay Whisky is… Not From Islay
With the addition of our new regional flavour profiles, like this Islay profile, we got very curious to find out which whiskies have the most similarity to these regional profiles. So we did some math. The most interesting find is that the whisky that shows the most similarities with the average Islay profile, actually isn’t an Islay whisky! It’s an Islander: Talisker 10 Year Old. Its smoky, peaty character matches the average Islay flavour profile slightly better than Ardbeg 10 Year Old, a real Islay whisky. Most similar whisky The whisky that represents its region the best… Read More
Flavoured whiskies
We personally enjoy our whisky without any added flavours. But when you either still are getting acquainted with whisky, or when you’ve already tasted just about everything, you might want to try a whiskey with a twist. And with the wide range of flavored whiskies you can currently choose from, you’re definitely not the only one. Most of these flavored whiskies are produced in the United States. The reason for this is quite simple: Scottish regulation do not allow any additional flavors to be added to whisky. If anything else than E150 (caramel coloring) is added, it is not allowed… Read More
