This is the fifth bottling in the Exceptional Cask series from the Barbados-based Foursquare rum distillery. It is a blend of pot still and column still distillation, which has been aged for 10 years in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-Madeira wine casks.

Foursquare Criterion (56%, OB ‘Exceptional Cask Selection’ 2017, 2000 btl.)

Nose: classic nose with a medium fruitiness of roasted pineapple, baked apples and overripe bananas. A bright hint of lemon. Well balanced leathery touches and oak spices (nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon). Of course this has the exotic rummy notes but it will definitely be appreciated by...

Ah, the fine dumpy Bowmore 12 Year Old and Bowmore De Luxe . Discovering these 1970s bottlings were such a revelation for those of us who grew up with Bowmore released in the 1990s: the newer 12yo and then Dawn, Dusk, Claret… all of which kept me from trying Bowmore for years.

A lot of different versions exist. Originals, versions bottled for Italy (especially Soffiantino) and France, with a cork or a plastic head, labels that said ‘Over 12 Years’ first and then ‘Aged 12 Years’, and obviously different ABV statements (70°, 40% vol., then 43% vol. or 43° GL…)....

Another recent Archives release: Glentauchers 1996 , exactly what you need in summertime. Well, in theory, it’s rather cloudy over here…

Glentauchers 20 yo 1996 (53,9%, Archives 2017, barrel #7324, 211 btl.)

Nose: very bright and summery. Tinned pineapple, Haribo sweets, white grapes, cherry candy. Grapefruit green tea. Some expected vanilla and gentle spices like ginger and aniseed. Whiffs of wood varnish too. Becomes more floral with water. Mouth: sweet start, fruity, with orange sweets, apples,  lemon cubes, hints of banana cake. Gets slightly more tangy after a while, with added ginger and pepper, as well as some...

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Congrats are in order: Whisky Advocate writer and reviewer Fred Minnick has been honored for his book “Bourbon: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of an American Whiskey.” The book was named Best New Spirits Book at the 11 ^th Annual Spirited Awards at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans on Saturday, juli 22 ^nd .

Minnick has authored several other titles including “Whiskey Women: The Untold Story of How Women Saved Bourbon, Scotch, and Irish Whiskey” and “Bourbon Curious: A Simple Tasting Guide for the Savvy Drinker.” The winning book covers the history of bourbon, from its earliest roots...

Whisky doesn’t mix well with many things, specifically driving or operating heavy machinery. However, when it comes to more leisurely summer pursuits like mowing the lawn, surfing, or camping, whisky makes a surprisingly suitable stand-in for the more typical cold beer. So as you head out for summer adventure, always remember to pack your sunscreen—and your whisky.

Here are the best whiskies for summer’s outdoor activities.

For backyard grilling: 

Balcones Brimstone—$74, 84 points Much as Scotland’s whiskies often include peat, American craft distillers have embraced smoke as a native ingredient, with whiskeys boasting mesquite (Whiskey Del Bac) and applewood smoke...

Whiskey and sherry go well together in the barrel and in the glass. This rye-based cobbler from Gallow Green at the McKittrick Hotel adds fresh berries to make a truly a refreshing summer cocktail....

This will list all the bourbons made in the state of New York....

The Noes are one of Bourbon Country’s most legendary families: Booker Noe—grandson of Jim Beam—was a leader in creation of small batch whiskeys, including Jim Beam’ s current Small Batch Collection ( Knob Creek , Basil Hayden’s , Baker’s , and, of course, Booker’s ). His son, Fred Noe, serves as Beam’s current master distiller. Now Fred’s son, Freddie, is trying his hand at making whiskey with Little Book, a new blended whiskey that will be released annually.

Over in Scotland, Glen Moray  is celebrating its 120th anniversary—and the fact that there have been only five master distillers during that time...

I’m sure you’ve all heard of the big four Cognac houses – Martell , Rémy Martin , Hennessy and Courvoisier – but what about the other 271? With so much diversity on offer, Cognac is the perfect spirit to explore. Here are five must-try Cognacs to start your journey.

PAUL GIRAUD TRES RARE COGNAC

Paul Giraud only releases its Cognacs as single-vintage bottlings (not blends), which means that you’ll get variation from year to year, which is actually a good thing! The house relies on traditional techniques such as hand-picking its grapes, and doesn’t use chemicals or pesticides. If you’re...

Britain is positively awash with whisky. While most distilleries are located north of the border, and Wales’s Penderyn has been making waves for years, England is now rapidly filling up with whisky makers.

Back in the 19th century, there were a few whisky distillers across England – enough that Alfred Barnard’s seminal work on the country’s producers of the time is called ‘ The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom ‘ rather than just Scotland – but they had all closed by the early 1900s.

The past decade has seen a resurgence in English whisky making, with The English Whisky...

Highland Park The Dark 17

The next release in Highland Park’s rebranded core range could be the Highland Park Dark 17 Year Old . It looks like a limited edition though, with 28.000 bottles available, bottled at 52.9% ABV. Perhaps a travel retail exclusive?

Early autumn we can expect a new Highland Park Dragon Legend followed by Highland Park Magnus for North America, both of which are currently still marrying until they’re ready to be bottled. More information will be available by september.

Highland Park Shiel

In the meantime, Highland Park Shiel is coming up, exclusively available to...

Ailsa Bay distillery is located on the same site as Girvan, in the Lowlands. It is a technologically advanced distillery with 16 stills, founded in 2007 by William Grant & Sons , mostly to reinforce its Maltwhisky production for blends like Grant’s and to allow for experimentation.

This specific expression (the first official release) was made with peated barley (“heavily peated”, they say: 21 ppm) during one of the two weeks each year that the distillery does peated runs. It was matured in four types of casks : refill American oak, first fill Bourbon, new oak and Baby Bourbon...

The Whisky Agency bottled three very similar  Bunnahabhain 1968 casks in their Liquid Sun series in 2011, those were the days! We’re trying the 42yo version bottled at 47.8%.

Bunnahabhain 42 yo 1968 (47,8%, Liquid Sun 2011, refill sherry cask, 257 btl.)

Nose: fruity, but in a rather delicate way. Banana, nectarine, oranges. Hints of honeydew. Also a good dose of minty oak and subtle resins, making this a little less exhuberant. Soft leathery notes and vanilla. Mouth: sweet malt, with lots of pears, berries and tangerines before it goes towards spicy notes (pepper, aniseed) and mocha. Some...

This will have to be a quick review, as typing the name Bunnahabhain Stiùireadair has taken up most of my time already. Isn’t being able to recall or pronounce it a consideration when chosing a ‘charming’ Gaelic name? It’s pronounced Stu-Radhur by the way.

In any case Stiùireadair is the latest release from this Islay distillery. It was matured in first-fill and second-fill sherry casks and bottled at 46.3%. I’ve heard it was launched to take away some pressure from the 12 Year Old, supposedly because stocks are running low.

Bunnahabhain Stiùireadair (46,3%, OB 2017)

Nose: medium sherried,...

Two more single grain releases from the northern distillery of Invergordon , both distilled in 1973 and recently bottled by German indies. The first is part of the recent batch by Maltbarn, the other one was bottled for The Whisky Fair in Limburg in april.

Invergordon 44 yo 1973 (48,5%, Maltbarn 2017, bourbon cask, 135 btl.)

Nose: one of the round, mild expressions, full of vanilla sweetness, creamy coconut and almond milk. A bit of rummy notes (banana, pineapple), popcorn and white chocolate. Plenty of buttered / honeyed notes. Light oak prickle (pepper, ginger). Mouth: same luscious sweetness,...