Whisky Advocate Winter 2022

The whisky world is an amazingly exciting place these days, having undergone a rebirth that no one could have imagined. Releases that once sat on the shelf unwanted—yes, even Pappy Van Winkle 23 year old in some places—became the most sought-after items on the planet. Forgotten old brands suddenly found themselves scrambling to meet demand. Master distillers were stunned to discover that they suddenly had rock-star status. Whisky lovers flocked to distilleries, visiting in unheard-of numbers. And for the most part, the whiskies have still just kept getting better and better. I don’t want to rain on this great parade, but increasingly those new releases are a whirlwind of small limited editions—ultra-aged one-offs, seasonal items, distillery-only bottles, and creative new batches. These whiskies are here today and, quite literally, gone tomorrow.…

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 references to…

This dazzling fall season thus far has included WhiskyFest events in San Francisco and New York City, and crowds of avid fans flocked to both to taste hard-to-find drams, new releases, and some familiar favorites as well. WhiskyFest San Francisco was held October 28th, and New York followed on November 3rd. At the Marriott Marquis in San Francisco, VIP ticket holders had an opportunity to taste rare pours including a 30 year old single grain whisky from Fuji Whisky, Benromach Heritage 40 year old, and St. George Spirits 40th Anniversary single malt. Buffalo Trace had a tidal wave of people at its booth. “Right when we started it was a mad dash of humanity—a wall of humans came straight for the Antique Collection,” says Buffalo Trace brand manager Tyler Himes. “After…

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 exuberance.…

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 Mes vermouth with coffee-infused…

The aromas and flavors of premium cigars are always a joy to discover in whisky. Nothing beats the feeling when a dram sparks the pleasurable associations of rolling a dark cigar under your nose in a cigar lounge. Whisky lovers who have toured cigar factories in Cuba, Nicaragua, or the Dominican Republic can appreciate the aromas of the piles of tobacco leaves. The leaves are cured, fermented, and aged to produce the different grades of tobacco that the torcedores blend, pack, and roll into handmade cigars. If you have a seriously good humidor filled with cigars, then nosing certain whiskies may trigger the familiar fragrance of the Spanish cedar interior, since most cigar boxes are made of cedar, or at least include a cedar insert. A well-chosen whisky can make a…