Innehållsförteckning för Summer 2024 från Whisky Advocate

Peat, that decomposed plant material that when dried and set afire in the kiln, lends smoky, ashy, medicinal, and other alluring flavors to malted barley, is first and foremost associated with Scotland. Even non-scotch whisky makers often get their peated malt from Scottish malting houses. But some distillers outside Scotland have tapped into peat closer to home and are often using different techniques to create their smoky whiskies. In the process, they’ve discovered that not all peat is the same. Scottish expat Graeme Macaloney founded Vancouver Island-based Macaloney’s Island Distillery and began distilling there in 2016. When confronted with a deficit of nearby maltsters capable of peat-smoking barley, Macaloney took matters into his own hands. With the help of a family member, he built a smoker that can smoke two…

I have a burning question. Do whisky makers have the hots for fire? Whisky is made from water, yeast, and grain, a common enough refrain, but making whisky also takes copper, oak, and fire. When we taste whisky, we rejoice in aromas of smoke, charred oak, those explosions of flavors, the fire in the mouth at barrel proof, and the glow as we swallow it down. Hot new releases come branded with references to casks charred until the oak surface cracks open in the heat to resemble alligator hide. Think Highland Park Fire, Balvenie The Sweet Toast of American Oak, Johnnie Walker A Song of Fire, Michter’s US*1 Toasted Barrel finishes, Fireball, and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire. Is it getting hot in here, or what? I have indelible images burned into…

Two decades ago, a bourbon priced at $50 would barley be considered sellable. Now those whiskeys are the hardest ones to find on the shelf at retail. Our archival reviews show that a 20-year-old Van Winkle had a suggested retail price of $90 in 2005. Now it’s priced at $200 but selling for over $3,000. Indeed, many quality bourbons have moved to the top of the pricing spectrum and even become—dare we say it—luxury items. Among other American whiskeys, the rise of rye and the wide range of craft whiskeys is now complemented by the emergence of American single malt as a style. We’ve been able to include a number of those malts on this list, which will be particularly instructive because the style is so new to most drinkers.…

Given the scarcity of the supply of Japanese whisky, the category has lately been seen as fairly unapproachable, divided between the smaller high-end whiskies and price-friendly labels like Toki or Nikka Days that, while quality whiskies, are essentially meant for mixing in Highballs, and are placeholders for the longer-aged whiskies that are still not mature enough to hit the market. But the Japanese entries on our list, while admittedly few, do show that there are quality selections out there at relatively reasonable prices. There are others that fall just below our 93-point/$100 and under threshold, such as Fuji and Hibiki Japanese Harmony. Once inventory levels in Japan return to normal, we should be seeing plenty more. 94 Nikka From The Barrel Blend, 51.4%, $65 Butterscotch, orange peel, poached pears, coffee,…

American whiskey historically was a bit like the Wild West, guided not by rules and regulations but by a lawlessness that encouraged questionable practices that occasionally resulted in deadly consequences. These included adding color, flavor, and chemicals—ranging from tobacco and turpentine to iodine and kerosene—all the while calling the product “whiskey,” though you’d be hard pressed to recognize it as such today. At the same time, distribution was far different than today—though distillers sold barreled whiskey directly to retailers, they also sold to rectifiers, who were both blenders and distributors. While there were a handful of good rectifiers, among them William Weller and Isaac Wolfe Bernheim, both of whom believed in the art of blending, many unscrupulous operators ultimately gave the word “rectifier” a bad name. They were responsible for…

97 Jack Daniel’s Bonded Tennessee whiskey, $30 Dried herbs, cherry, banana, brown sugar, and well-integrated oak, accented by peppery spice 95 George Dickel 11-year-old (Distilled in Fall 2008) Tennessee whiskey, $40 Cocoa powder, Raisinets, roasted walnuts, maple syrup, mint, and chewy oak 93 Old Overholt rye, $25 Christmas spice cake, cinnamon, apple, toasted grain, berry fruit, and allspice 93 Old Fitzgerald 8-year-old (Fall 2023 Release) bourbon, $110 Pine sap, maplewood, crushed dried leaves, spearmint, vanilla ice cream, and warming toffee 92 Still Austin Blue Corn bourbon, $80 Cherry tart, chocolate-covered Bing cherry, unsweetened espresso, chocolate mousse, and red berries 92 Heaven Hill 7-year-old bourbon, $40 Honey-roasted peanuts, caramel, chocolate, corn muffins, licorice, and cinnamon, with an earthy undertone 91 Old Dominick 5-year-old (Fall 2017 Vintage) bourbon, $80 Cherries, pomegranate, milk…

This summer, for the 10th time in its history, Royal Troon golf club on Scotland’s windswept west coast will host the British Open, formally known as the Open Championship. The surrounding area is one that can be described as a golfer’s dream: Prestwick Golf Club, where the Open Championship was first contested in 1860, is just five miles up the road, and a half-dozen other prominent courses lie within a 45-minute radius. Less well-known is the fact that this region is also a great corner of Scotland for whisky lovers to explore. There are so many fun whisky experiences nearby this part of Scotland’s western shore that you could construct a multi-day whisky itinerary from Troon. Your main base of operations should be the Marine Troon Hotel, where Curtis McConnell,…

Rum, with its base of fermented sugarcane—in the form of molasses, sugarcane juice, or cane syrup, depending on the style—and roots in the Caribbean, is often associated with sweet tropical drinks enjoyed on vacation. And for good reason: Mai Tais are delicious! But there’s a wide world of barrel-aged rums out there that have quite a bit more in common with whisky; they are meant to be sipped and savored just as you would a coveted bourbon or scotch. “Much like scotch, rum is aged in secondfill bourbon and American whiskey barrels—approximately 99% of rums have been aged that way since the 1940s, after it became a requirement for bourbon to be aged in new charred [oak] barrels,” notes Alexandre Gabriel, owner of and master blender for Maison Ferrand and…

WHEAT 94 Bernheim Original Barrel Proof (Batch A224), 62.6%, $65 Lots of vanilla on the nose, with some wood spice but mainly sweet vanilla. The palate is powerful, but holds its high proof very well—nothing at all jagged or harsh about it—with flavors of baked apple, orange peel, musty aged oak, chocolate fudge, and vanilla. It truly excels with water, further unlocking all those flavors. Thick and rich overall, with complexity and a notably soft, gentle profile.—DF ISLAY SINGLE MALT SCOTCH 93 Bruichladdich 8-year-old Islay Barley (2014 Vintage), 50%, $85 This unpeated single malt is elegant, refined, and, often, quite pretty, with a nose full of lemon and lime zest, floral potpourri, slate, and well-worn oak. Peaches and pears, dying wood embers, and a salty ocean breeze bring depth to…

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…

Although modern practices from greenhouse farming to fast-freight shipping and advanced techniques for food preservation mean that we are now able to indulge in just about any kind of food at any time of year, there remain certain dishes and ingredients that have an unquestionable seasonality. Rich stew in the depth of winter, for example, watermelon in summer, and pumpkin-spiced everything in autumn; all may be consumed year-round, but are just better when enjoyed in season. And so it is with the sugary treats so specifically suited for the hottest days of summer—Popsicles, Fudgsicles, and Creamsicles. Because they are often seen as being purely for kids, these frozen treats may not be on many adult shopping lists. But given the right circumstances, they can be every bit as satisfying as…

Macaloney’s Siol Dugal Canadian Single Malt, 46%, $82 Bonfire smoke, cigar, dried apricot, white chocolate, pine, hazelnut, salt, and cloves Mackmyra Intelligens AI:02 Swedish Single Malt, 46.1%, $70 Green pear, butterscotch, jalapeño, vanilla fudge, smoke, juniper, and oak spice Maine Craft Distilling Fifty Stone American Single Malt, 45%, $45 Campfire, salt air, caramel, applesauce, vanilla, iodine, crème brûlée, lemon zest, and hazelnut Stauning Smoke Danish Single Malt, 47%, $100 Dense smoke, ashy soot, smoked fish, toffee, blackberry, and cinnamon spice (90 points) Westland Solum American Single Malt (2nd Edition), 50%, $150 Smoke, peat, sweet lemon, vanilla, pepper spice, honey, orange peel, and red berries (92 points)…

Legendary Italian whisky maker Silvano Samaroli was born in Libya in 1939, while his father was serving in the Italian armed forces. He lived in Rome as an adult, and entered the spirits business at age 29, working as an importer, distributor, and merchant. By the end of the 1970s, Samaroli began selling his own bottlings, setting out on a 40-year career that would see his whiskies became some of the most coveted releases of all time. Samaroli personally chose his own casks and created his own labels—including the signature logo of the Samaroli name framed by two curling ears of barley, which is still immediately recognizable to auction mavens today. Although he passed away in 2017 at the age of 77, the Samaroli company continues to bottle single malt…

Happy in your work? Probably not, at least on the evidence I encounter, although whining about it will likely get you nowhere—and little sympathy on your way there. Long before I got into the controlled-substance journalism game, I did time in (putatively) higher education administration. At one point I was a college registrar, for my sins, and I was wont from time to time to sit in my boss’s office and snivel about my fate. Hubert, the boss, in his turn was accustomed to saying, “Sounds like a personal problem—go see the chaplain.” Hubert was an ex-monk, which is another story altogether, but if he was less than ecstatic as a dean of students, it beat getting up at 4:00 a.m. to chant vigils. (Go look it up and be…

Canada, long perceived as the land of big, high-volume brands that don’t offer much oomph for the true whisky lover, surprises here with seven entries: one from Crown Royal and another (Lot No. 40) from Hiram Walker. While there is still not much groundswell of a whisky renaissance in the North Country, small players like Shelter Point and Macaloney’s are doing very interesting things with single malt, contributing quality across the board. 94 Lot No. 40, 43%, $30 Sour rye, wet slate, fruits, sweet spices, white pepper, licorice, dates, and vanilla 94 Masterson’s 10-year-old straight rye, 45%, $95 Caramel, honeysuckle, burnt firewood, rye spices, and oak tannins 93 Caribou Crossing Single Barrel, 40%, $55 Vanilla, crème brûlée, toasted marshmallow, tangerine, and peaches and cream 93 Crown Royal Noble Collection Barley Edition, 45%,…

The Bottled in Bond Act was introduced by John G. Carlisle, a Kentucky native and Secretary of the Treasury under president Grover Cleveland. It gave distillers a tax incentive to keep their whiskey pure—bottling whiskeys in bond ensured that distilleries could hold off on paying excise tax until the whiskey was at least 4 years old, as opposed to paying them up front for unbonded new make. Central to the Bottled in Bond Act are these rules: ❖ The whiskey must be produced at the same distillery by the same distiller within the same distilling season [of which there are two, Spring and Fall, taking place from January 1-June 30 and July 1-December 31 respectively] ❖ It must be aged for at least 4 years in wood containers, in a…

New launches nowadays seem to be dominated by upscale tequilas, but there are also aged rums and artisanal gins that are worth a look. New flavors abound, and there is lots of collaboration with whisky makers, creating expressions that will likely suit the whisky lover’s palate. Brugal Maestro Reserva, $200 RUM This Dominican rum was aged in American oak sherry casks. Once the rum is drained, it is set aside while the cask is toasted. After toasting, the rum is returned to the cask. The process, which is called “dark aromatic toasting,” is meant to make the rum sweeter without added sugars. Available in California, Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Texas. The Kohinoor Reserve Indian Dark, $50 RUM Rampur Distillery, known for its Indian single malts, has entered the…

Scotland SPEYSIDE SINGLE MALT 95 Longmorn 22-year-old (2024 Release), 54.5%, $440 One of two rare releases this year from the Speyside distllery that’s mainly a suppllier for blends. This one is a reward for patience: After 22 years in oak, it takes its time rising from the glass, with a nose that’s reticent at first. The wait is worth it and, after a moment or two it unfolds with candied hazelnuts and chocolate-covered almonds supported by pear tart, limoncello, and a chorus of orchard fruit. The palate is fruity and bright, with the fruit flavors resting atop oak and the proof providing excellent viscosity.—SE 94 Longmorn 18-year-old (2024 Release), 57.6%, $280 The youngerof this year’s two aged Longmorn releases. Vanilla on the nose, with citrus, ripe melon, aged oak, and…

What distilleries have a working pagoda roof? Scotch whisky distilleries with operational floor maltings: Balvenie, Bowmore, Highland Park, Laphroaig, Springbank, Ardnamurchan, Benriach, Dunphail, Glen Garioch, and Kilchoman keep the practice alive. Do other distilleries have pagoda roofs, even if they no longer do floor malting? Yes, these structures can be seen across Scotland at around 40 other distilleries. Some of the finest examples are located at Ardbeg, Cardhu, Dalwhinnie, Knockdhu, Strathisla, and Speyburn. Do architects still add purely decorative pagoda roofs to new scotch whisky distilleries? Yes, especially distilleries built with visitors in mind, even with no plan to dry malt on-site. Examples include Ardnahoe, Arran, Falkirk, and Torabhaig. Are they built at distilleries outside of Scotland? While peated malts are closely associated with scotch, distillers around the world have built this…

Driving down the road, you pass Rob Cameron’s work every day. The 39-year-old is a design manager for a major Detroit automotive manufacturer, overseeing a team of five designers and a sculpting group to develop future automobiles. While his impressive designs may be parked in your very own driveway, you’ll definitely be interested in displaying his stunning side hustle in your bar. At the height of the pandemic, while on paternity leave for the birth of his second daughter, Cameron needed a creative outlet more than ever. Hunkered down in his home office in the idle hours after the kids were bedded down resulted in extra pours from his collection of 200-plus bottles of whisky. Eying a bottle of Mayor Pingree’s Black Label 13-year-old bourbon, he sketched it out one…

Depending on which indicators you use, 2023 may have been the worst year for beverage alcohol sales in 30 years. Updating the regulatory framework, which has seen little change in nine decades, could help the industry grow and adapt more quickly to dynamic market conditions, but many industry stakeholders oppose innovations designed to improve market access for small producers. Since Granholm v. Heald was decided almost 20 years ago, the number of states allowing direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales of wine has grown to 47, but only 11 afford the same privilege to distillers, according to the Distilled Spirits Council (DISCUS). Who wants easy DTC? Consumers, of course, but also producers. Here is the official position of DISCUS: “A modern spirits marketplace will allow residents of any state to buy the products…

The Irish and Scots also have bonded whiskies, though they’re quite different from ours. In Scotland, whiskies must age in bonded warehouses prior to being bottled; while they can stay under bond after they’re bottled, they are free of that designation once the duty is paid, making the term “bonded” exclusively related to taxation. In Ireland, bonded whiskeys are simply those from independent bottlers. Whiskey bonders buy whiskey directly from distilleries, then barrel and bottle it under their own label. Bonded Irish whiskey can blend single malt, single grain, and/or single pot still whiskeys together, giving bonders more freedom than their distiller counterparts.…

As the weather heats up, you may find yourself craving something a bit more refreshing than your usual Manhattan. And while there’s certainly nothing wrong with a good ol’ Whisky Soda, summer is the perfect time to head to the farmers market and stock up on some cocktail-friendly produce to up your summer whisky cocktail game. There’s an abundance of fresh fruits, from stone fruits to melons, but don’t forget all the other great produce at the peak of freshness in the summer months—herbs like basil, mint, and thyme, vegetables like cucumbers and beets, and spicy chile peppers; even corn can be a great addition to your whisky cocktail. “I enjoy making summertime whisky cocktails because it’s an opportunity to think outside the box,” says Maddie Kaye, retail and spirits…