This year’s Kentucky Derby takes place on Saturday, maj 6 ^th . It’s the 143 ^rd Run for the Roses, and—whether you pay any attention to horses the rest of the year or not—it’s the perfect reason to celebrate the arrival of warm weather with a Derby Day party.

How To Make The Perfect Mint Julep

Derby Day is one of just a handful of holidays throughout the year with an explicit whiskey connection—it’s not Derby Day without a Mint Julep. If you’re the big whiskey drinker in your group of friends, this is the perfect chance to introduce newcomers...

It’s a historical fact you probably didn’t learn in school: in addition to leading the Revolutionary Army to victory over the British and serving as our nation’s first president, George Washington was also a distiller who made rye whiskey. Ten years ago, his distillery at Mount Vernon reopened after extensive restoration, and today you can visit, see the historical distilling process in action, and get a taste of that rye whiskey.

Even better, George Washington’s Rye Whiskey has now been officially named the state spirit of Virginia, thanks to a bill signed on april 23 ^rd by Governor Terry McAuliffe....

Two high-proof bourbons—...

Created by Brian Tasch of...

Cocktails don’t get much more classic than the Mint Julep , that simple combination of sugar, mint, ice, and lots of bourbon. You maj not think it can be improved upon, but such a sturdy drink stands up to a little improvisation. Check out six of our favorite riffs on the Derby Day standby below, from a version that swaps brandy for bourbon—the way Juleps were originally made in the 1800s—to a variation that incorporates spice and ginger flavors.

Sparkling Cherry Julep

Your Julep will pop and fizz with the addition of Prosecco.

Near Eastern Julep

Basil takes the place of...

Edrington Group, the parent company of the Macallan and Highland Park, is buying the Glenrothes brand from British wine and spirits merchant Berry Bros. & Rudd. In actuality, this is a re-acquisition, since Berry Bros. originally acquired the Glenrothes brand from Edrington in 2010. In the meantime, Edrington retained ownership of the distillery and cooperage where the Glenrothes whisky is made, and Edrington’s master whisky maker, Gordon Motion, has been responsible for creating the Glenrothes’ expressions. Thus the sale brings the whole kit and caboodle—production process, site, and brand—back into a single company, and whisky lovers can expect continuity going...

Located in the woods of Western Massachusetts, Berkshire Mountain Distillers first made a name for itself with its acclaimed Greylock gin. But in the last few years, the company has begun to experiment with unique and innovative whiskey releases. The latest, Berkshire Bourbon Smoke and Peat, is a new twist on a barrel-finished bourbon. Smoke and Peat is made by finishing fully mature 4 year old Berkshire Bourbon (72% corn, 18% rye, 10% barley) in Islay single malt casks for 3 to 8 months. The whisky is an unusual crossover, a fusion of sweet, spicy bourbon and the flavors of...

Combine two favorite summer beverages in this cocktail from...

Add some bubbly pop to your Julep with this variation from...

In this recipe from...

John Glaser, founder and whiskymaker at Compass Box , makes his case for why blending is essential in the world of Scotch whisky.

John Glaser, Compass Box founder and whiskymaker

Everyone blends. This is not well known nor well understood, but in Scotland everyone blends – even single malt producers. Through blending, Scotland’s greatest whiskies are made, whether the whisky is classified as a single malt Scotch whisky, single grain Scotch whisky, or one of the three types of Scotch whisky blends (I’m not including single-cask bottlings, which represent a miniscule amount).

When a whisky drinker truly understands what blending...

Jerome Allaguillemette, assistant bar manager at Sexy Fish in London’s majfair, is a huge fan of Japanese whisky. He explains how he fell in love with these beautiful drams, and why they are just as good in a cocktail as they are enjoyed on their own.

I discovered Japanese whisky while working at the Red Bar at Bam-Bou, where Ladislav Piljar and Xavier Landais had gathered an amazing collection. Xavier and I took this collection to Sexy Fish, where we have grown the collection from 120 to more than 300 expressions.

Everything about Japanese whiskies is fascinating. From their history,...

Teeling Brabazon Bottling

Teeling Whiskey has released the first in a new series of limited edition Single Malts, entitled the Brabazon Bottling. It refers to a significant family that presided over the Brabazons, an area of Dublin with a tradition of brewing, distilling, tanning and trade. It also included the original Teeling distillery.

The Brabazon series revolves around the influence of fortified wines on Irish whiskey. First up is a sherry cask version , composed of a complementary range of vintages, sizes and styles of sherry cask matured whiskey.

It is limited to 12500 bottles, bottled at 49.5% and around...

Yesterday there was the 6th incarnation of Bruichladdich ’s live digital whisky tastings. You buy a sample pack (3x 20cl for around € 60 + shipping) and open them while watching a live tasting streamed directly from Islay. Around 900 kits have been made available, all of which were sold.

#LaddieMP6 featured three single cask Octomore whiskies . Head Distiller Adam Hannett introduced these variations. Sadly I wasn’t able to attend the actual tasting, but I could try the whiskies beforehand so here are my findings.

In case you’re interested, they’ve just announced #LaddieMP7

Octomore...