Indholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2022 i Whisky Advocate

New Orleans is a city with many sobriquets. It’s the Birthplace of Jazz, as it fostered the genre and great jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong. It’s also known as the Big Easy, by virtue of its laidback lifestyle. And for geographical reasons it’s called Crescent City; as the city expanded beyond its French Quarter center it followed the curve of the Mississippi River, forming a crescent shape. While there’s no nickname connecting New Orleans directly to whisky, the ties to revelry are legendary, and date back as far as its founding. Even in the 1700s, New Orleans was well-known for its culture of drinking and dancing, and by the early 1800s, distillers to the north were shipping barrels of whiskey down the Mississippi straight to the city, further fueling the…

If you’ve visited Spain, Portugal, or even just a local Spanish tapas restaurant, you’ve likely had sangria, the punch-like drink traditionally made with red wine and chopped fruit, and often fruit juice, liqueur, or brandy. “Although classic sangrias don’t include whiskey, the strong aromatic notes of vanilla, oak, and caramel found in bourbon make it a perfect choice to mix with sangria,” says Alex Serena, bar manager at Telefèric Barcelona in Palo Alto, California. “Then adding some cinnamon, fresh apples, and lemons will make your drink really stand out.” Nick du Mortier, mixologist at Bar Pendry in Chicago, agrees that whiskey—bourbon in particular—pairs well with sangria. “It’s a perfect ABV booster that adds some oomph, blending in to elevate the flavor of the sangria without overpowering it,” he says. “When…

Camus Borderies XO Single Estate, 40%, $245 Borderies is Cognac’s smallest growing area, with just under 10,000 acres of planted vineyards. This cognac comes from a single vineyard owned by the Camus family. Its sweet fruity palate and short spicy finish will appeal to both bourbon and rye drinkers. Cognac Park Cigar Blend, 40%, $150 Intended to be an overtly cigar-friendly cognac, this is intense, with hints of saffron joined by notes of cranberry and soft vanilla. A long finish ensures that this cognac can certainly be enjoyed with a cigar. Courvoisier VS, 40%, $35 The grapes for this are sourced primarily from Fins Bois, though they’re balanced out by a small percentage of fruit from Petite Champagne. Aged between 3 and 7 years, this is fruity and delicate, yet…

One of the criticisms often voiced about the rum industry is that it’s all a bit “wild west.” This distillery’s rums might be sweetened with sugar undeclared anywhere on the label; that age statement could reference the youngest spirit in the blend, or the average of all the barrels used in the mix; and an “extra old” designation may signify nothing more than a few months in the barrel and a dose of caramel. Not so for the rhum agricole of Martinique, the French island in the Lesser Antilles. Unlike rum, which is generally distilled from fermented molasses, a by-product of the sugar industry, rhum agricole is made exclusively from pressed sugarcane juice. This yields a spirit that is less sweet and more floral than traditional rum, and boasts a…

A grizzled whiskey salesman once said, “Nobody buys ‘new’ whiskey.” Whiskey is different that way, at least it used to be. For most product categories in our modern consumer economy, “new and improved” ranks right up there with “free” and “sale” as marketing power words. In whiskey, those words have generally been verboten. Whiskey can’t be new because it is supposed to be old, the older the better in the minds of most consumers. Since it’s never supposed to change, it can’t very well be improved. Maker’s Mark faced this dilemma more squarely than most when it launched Maker’s Mark 46 in 2010. Bill Samuels Jr. often jokes that he hopes his epitaph will read, “He Didn’t Screw It Up.” Maker’s always maintained it makes every drop as close as…

In selecting the candidates for consideration in our Top 20 rankings, we take a variety of factors into account. Scores are paramount, of course, but are not the only consideration. Price, availability, and excitement—the so-called X-factor—are also key. We then set to work in a days-long series of blind tastings and discussions to determine the final selections. The end result is a broad range of winners, and we think it has plenty to offer for whisky lovers of all stripes. Ireland makes its strongest showing ever with five whiskies in our Top 20, in testament to the country’s reemergence as a force on the world stage. Scotland, despite a lingering drag from tariffs and supply chain issues, still managed four Top 20 winners. Tennessee, which won our Whisky of the…

Not to be confused with wheat whiskey, wheated bourbons maintain a majority corn mashbill complemented by a heavy dose of wheat as a secondary ingredient. Wheat can be added to create a four-grain mashbill, or it can replace rye as the second ingredient after corn, creating a softer, slightly sweeter flavor profile. While everyone knows the iconic Van Winkles and W.L. Weller, there are many other wheated bourbons to try in endless styles. As distillers become more familiar with what wheat has to offer in a bourbon, innovations in barrel finishes and charring provide whiskey fans plenty of opportunities to explore. 95 Larceny Barrel Proof (Batch B520) • 61% • $50 Creme brulee, chocolate, caramel, honey-roasted peanuts, cinnamon 94 Old Fitzgerald 15 year old Bottled in Bond 50% • $150…

Best Values Whiskies with solid scores, modest prices, and wide availability. ENGLISH 91 Cotswolds Signature, 46%, $60 Similar to Cotswolds Reserve, this standard strength bottling is aged in first-fill bourbon casks and STR red wine casks, and their influence is apparent on the nose: toffee, vanilla cream, banoffee pie, sliced red apple, apricot, dry spices, and dried fruits. Lighter textured than Cotswolds Reserve, there’s a satisfying balance of mandarin, red apple, pepper, vanilla, and cherry, with the red apple notes coming out on top.—JM RYE 89 Boondocks Bottled in Bond, 50%, $55 Bright citrus immediately jumps out on the nose—orange peel and clementine—along with dried mango, cinnamon butter, brown sugar, fresh basil, salted peanuts, and lemon icing. It’s woodsy, earthy, dry, and intense. The fruitiness carries over to the palate,…

Paul Currie, a former co-founder of Arran Distillery, also co-founded The Lakes Distillery in 2011, with distilling commencing in late 2014. Situated within the beautiful Lake District National Park in the northwest of England, the distillery was built inside a converted mid-19th century dairy barn. Dhavall Gandhi, The Lakes’ whiskymaker, demonstrates a preference for sherry cask maturation, developing light, fruity, and elegant whiskies. He takes an artistic approach to each meticulous composition in the blending lab, winning plaudits in England for his graceful expressions. The Whiskymaker’s Reserve series launched in 2019, and these two expressions, composed from stocks matured in oloroso, Pedro Ximénez, and red wine casks, mark The Lakes’ debut releases in the U.S. 93 The Lakes Whiskymaker’s Reserve No. 4, 52%, $95 A decadent drop of whisky with…

The following guide offers the 101 bars, taverns, pubs, speakeasies, restaurants, clubs, and more that offer well-curated whisky collections, focused on specific categories, unique themes, or offbeat tasting experiences. We tried our best to spread these picks throughout the country. This likewise isn’t simply a list of high-end whisky “dens”—dark and quiet, with oak and leather aplenty. (Though many of those bars are included because their whisky lists are indeed extraordinary.) Among the following there are barbecue joints, jazz clubs, taco shacks, hidden garages, barber shops, pinball dives, retro-modern hotel bars, and everything in between. Mainly, the following are just fun places to actually drink and enjoy great whisky.…

Today’s innovative distilleries use experimental finishes and skillful blending. “Finishing” began in Scotland in the early-1980s; distilleries began putting already aged scotch in sherry butts, thus imparting additional notes. Today, the practice is utilized in Ireland, Japan, and America, where practitioners play with char, “toasting,” and barrel staves. Blending likewise is au courant, with many adopting the Japanese practice of layering different casks to create a harmonious product. To shop these whiskies & download tasting tools visit whiskyadvocate.com/tools. ©2022 Beam Suntory Inc. Chicago, IL. Prices shown reflect the suggested retail price. Actual retail prices may vary.…

MEZCAL MISSING Dear Whisky Advocate, As an almost 80 year old scotch sipper, I read and enjoy my subscription. Getting the Fall 2022 edition gave me something to really appreciate because not only do I enjoy scotch, but also tequila. Being retired from a position with the New York City schools as an assistant principal and now living in West Chester, Pennsylvania, I needed to write in regard to the discussion on tequila. My wife and I had a timeshare in Puerto Vallarta way back in the 70s, where we had occasion to visit a local distillery. I can’t recall the name, and the site we visited might no longer be in business. But my interest in tequila drew me to mezcal, and I was disappointed to see only two…

As Irish Coffee fans know, combining your favorite whiskey and java brings out the best in both drinks. “Whiskey and coffee often show similar overtones of vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, and baking spices. Their warm flavors are perfectly complementary,” says Franco Bilbaeno, head bartender at Niku Steakhouse in San Francisco. And now is the ideal time of year to take advantage of the internal heat stoked by a warm drink. The recipes below take Irish Coffee (coffee, Irish whiskey, and a little sugar, topped with a layer of cream) to the next level yet are still easy to make at home. Warm a mug and get ready to wake up and smell the cocktails. Wish and the Thing Created by Richard Willis, beverage supervisor, King + Duke, Atlanta Combining Punt e…

Heat in whiskey is like spice in food—too much and you can't taste anything. But whiskey has found a place in hot sauce, where flavors can mellow and mingle together. Mike Bancroft, owner of Co-op Sauce in Chicago, has been aging hot sauces in Koval barrels for the past 12 years. “The fresh char and Koval whiskey flavor cut the heat as well as the sweetness of our pepper mashes,” he says. Add a dash of welcome heat to your next meal with one of these bottles. Co-Op Barrel Aged Hot Sauce $5.25/5 oz. Aged in Koval whiskey barrels. shop.koval-distillery.com Elijah Craig Barrel Aged Hot Sauce $15/12.7 oz. Aged between 9 and 12 months in Elijah Craig barrels. store.elijahcraig.com Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel Aged Pepper Sauce $12.5/5oz. Aged in Pappy Van Winkle…

Trois Rivières Cuvée de l’Ocean, 42%, $35 The Trois Rivieres estate is situated on the southern coast of Martinique, yet the cane for this expression is grown even further south on a peninsula in the island’s southeast. These extreme oceanside growing conditions contribute a touch of salinity to the rhum, which complements its broadly floral character. A good choice for lovers of maritime whiskies. La Favorite Coeur de Canne Blanc, 50%, $40 Matured far longer than most other Martinique white rhums, anywhere from 3 months to 1 year, this comes from one of the smallest distilleries on the island. One of the distillery’s two stills is reserved for Coeur de Canne and the result is a particularly grassy and floral rhum for those who enjoy the terroir element found in…

Conversations that change perceptions are rare, but following a recent exchange about Japanese whisky that felt like a one-on-one TED talk, I decided to widen the discussion to you, the Whisky Advocate reader. The speaker, Nicholas Pollachi, was arguing that Japan’s two most powerful whisky companies, Nikka and Suntory, have controlled the narrative around the foundation of the Japanese whisky industry to the detriment of alternative points of view. Pollachi is the Scottish-born co-owner of Shibui Whisky, which produces world blends and Japanese grain whiskies. What defines the principal whisky style of a nation? Most whisky origin stories are rooted in agriculture, showing a preference for native grains, yeast, and wood. In the U.S., we lean toward a culture of bourbon and Tennessee whiskey, but also pursue other styles. Pollachi…

Marvin R. Shanken has been the editor and publisher of Shanken’s Impact Wine and Spirits Newsletter since 1973, and in 1988 became the first journalist inducted into the Keepers of the Quaich. Shanken has decades of experience conducting blind tastings for both Wine Spectator and Cigar Aficionado, for which he is also editor and publisher. In 2010, Shanken acquired Malt Advocate magazine, which later became Whisky Advocate. He became editor and publisher in 2016. David Fleming is the executive editor of Whisky Advocate magazine. He joined M. Shanken Communications full time in 1987 and also covers the spirits industry as executive editor of Market Watch, Shanken’s Impact Newsletter, and Shanken News Daily. He has more than 25 years of professional whisky tasting experience. Jonny McCormick, contributing editor, resides in Scotland,…

Wheat may be a major staple in American agriculture, but it has maintained a low profile in the national whiskey space. While widely used as a secondary grain in wheated bourbons and rye whiskeys, wheat is not often showcased by domestic whiskey makers. But some distillers are taking the plunge, exploring wheat’s many varieties and signature flavors. A wheat whiskey must include at least 51% wheat in the mashbill, with maturation in charred new American oak barrels. A wheated whiskey, on the other hand, is one where wheat is the major secondary grain—behind corn in the case of wheated bourbons, for example. Well known “wheaters” include popular names like Van Winkle, W.L. Weller, Maker’s Mark, and Larceny. But actual wheat whiskeys are rare birds indeed. Historically, it was never a…

The Buying Guide provides ratings of whiskies from around the world with an emphasis on new releases available for purchase in the U.S. Complete tasting notes are provided for all whiskies scoring 84 points or more (on the Whisky Advocate 100-point scale). Lower-scoring whiskies are included at the discretion of the editors, and some may appear exclusively on whiskyadvocate.com. Ratings and prices Ratings are to provide a relative comparison of quality with reference to both directly competing products and whiskies in general. Price is not a consideration when arriving at ratings. Prices shown reflect the suggested retail price or a representative retail price. Actual retail prices may vary. Whiskies sold in the U.S. have prices marked in dollars; any whisky priced in other currency is not presently available in the…

We compiled this list by surveying people with years of personal experience in the whisky, spirits, bar, and cocktail industry along with journalists and other experts that are on the ground, continually seeking out the best places to sip a great whisky. This program stemmed from our own obsession with finding bucket list whisky bars and thus, this will be an ongoing project we hope to update from year to year. So if you think your favorite bar merits future inclusion, please let us know at whiskyadvocate.com/bars.…

In whiskies that are below 46% alcohol by volume, chemical compounds within the distillate (namely lipids and long-chain esters) can create a cloudiness called flocculation, or floe, when chilled. Some distillers choose to filter this haze out using a process known as chill-filtration, primarily so that when you add ice or water to your whisky it doesn't appear cloudy or hazy. 1 The temperature of the whisky is lowered to between 14° F and 39° F/-10° C and 4° C in a chilling tank (a temperature-controlled metal tank). 2 At these temperatures, the whisky is still a liquid, but the haze-producing compounds have clumped together. 3 While the whisky is chilled, the liquid is passed through a series of filters, with most distillers using filters made of paper or metal.…

If you’re a whisky lover looking to branch out, you might find a second home in cognac. The French spirit is made from white grapes, double-distilled in copper pot stills, and aged in oak casks for a minimum of 2 years (though many are aged longer). While these processes are somewhat similar to whisky, a host of other production techniques also define cognac—ultimately making it even more strictly regulated than whisky, though no less expressive. Like its French counterpart, champagne, cognac can be produced only within a de lineated geographical area. The Cognac region is located about 60 miles north of Bordeaux in southwest France, situated mainly around the towns of Cognac and nearby Jarnac. The region has six crus (specific growing areas), the highest-quality being Grande Champagne and Petite…

As adorable tiny versions of the real thing, miniatures are fun to collect, inexpensive, and don’t take up much space. They were popular in the 1980s until collectors moved on, but there are signs that miniatures are making a bit of a comeback. In the late 20th century, the few distilleries that were open to the public sold whisky miniatures as novelty keepsakes. Collectors formed whisky clubs to share and trade miniatures. But as whisky’s popularity increased and whisky auctions went global, the interest in collecting full-sized bottles grew. Only a few auction houses offered dedicated miniature sales because big bottles brought in larger profits. Auctioneers would pick out the small number of valuable miniatures from collections for individual sale and then bundle the rest in one sale, making it…

This is an old story—retailed to friends and relatives so often that the memory, to paraphrase the late and inimitable John Prine, is worn—but it’s news to you, and it’s about whiskey. And it’s also about the steadfast woman who shares this vale of tears with me, at least so far, and with whom regular readers will be familiar. It was the night we waked my uncle Paul or great uncle, actually, who had, as they say in Texas, stepped on a rainbow. Paul, ranked as the crabbiest man in the family with nobody even closing on the rail, was anything but woke, but we waked him anyway because you have to. He was good for a bunch of stories, mostly about his crabbiness, which we were telling as people…

92 Dry Fly Cask Strength 60% • $50 • 100% wheat Vanilla, pomegranate, cherry pie, chocolate 90 Bainbridge Battle Point Two Islands Islay Cask Finished 43% • $90 • 100% wheat Smoke, sea, grilled sausage, leather, caramel, walnut, chocolate 90 Bernheim Original 7 year old 45% • $30 • 51% wheat Graham cracker, citrus fruit, pecans, cake batter, caramel corn, drying cocoa powder 90 Parker’s Heritage Collection 11 year old • 61% • $140 • 51% wheat Cinnamon, brown sugar, bitter coffee, dark chocolate, orchard fruit, melted caramel 89 Lone Elm Single Barrel (No. 521) 61.4% • $70 • 90% wheat Brown sugar, chocolate peanut butter cup, peppery spice, pine needles, cooked berries 89 Middle West Spirits 46% • $40 • 95% wheat Raspberry, red apple skins, caramel, barrel char, coffee…

Chef Tyler Akin has been a force on the American culinary scene for well over a decade. He won over fans in Philadelphia for his work at both Stock and Res Ipsa, and now, as chef-partner at Le Cavalier in the historic Hotel DuPont in Wilmington, Delaware, he is reinterpreting the classics of French cooking for a new generation. This menu, he explains, “Explores French cuisine from south to north while looking across the pond to Scotland for some fresh takes on classic cocktails.” While French food and scotch might not be classic pairing partners, the flavors and textures embodied by both result in a seamless synergy. “Most rules are meant to be broken, and that is certainly the case with the old one that French food can only be…

Shinobu Distillery is in the coastal city of Niigata on the west cost of Japan. The Niigata prefecture is famed for its “Three White Treasures,” namely sake, rice, and snow. Shinobu translates as forbearance, which is considered an important trait in Japanese culture. The company is currently expanding its distillery capacity, and building a second distillery nearby. The Shinobu whiskies first launched in 2018, and the range is non-chill filtered and bottled without added color. Master blender Usami Ken blends malt whiskies aged in sherry and bourbon casks, but it’s his use of mizunara oak cask finishing across the range that is the allure for whisky lovers. 92 Shinobu Pure Malt 15 year old Mizunara Oak Finish, 43%, $195 Perfumed and exotic seasoned woods, butterscotch, sandalwood, manuka honey, pepper, gentle…