Blue Label is the pinnacle of Johnnie Walker’s line of Scotch. Only one per 10,000 Scotch barrels produced by spirits company Diageo makes the cut for this blend—and the group makes 11 million casks per year. After carefully tasting Blue Label over a few weeks and talking to the world’s top whisky experts, including Johnnie Walker’s master blender, … Read more
In early June, bourbon enthusiast Fred Minnick shared an intriguing tribute on Instagram: He was blown away by Smokeye Hill Barrel Proof, an exciting whiskey from a new distillery. My wife and I met Minnick on a recent trip to Kentucky and were impressed by his expertise. But as someone with a collection that exceeds … Read more
Scotch gets complicated quickly. Its home, Scotland, comprises over 140 whisky distilleries, all of which use just three ingredients—malted barley, water, and yeast—to make thousands of versions of one product that can cost anywhere from $20 to $2.7 million for a single bottle. Even more bewildering, those distilleries release hundreds of new bottlings every year. Some remain part … Read more
Tequila, the signature spirit of Jalisco, Mexico, is on everyone’s lips—literally. It’s set to become the top spirits category in the U.S. before the end of the year, according to the 2023 Growth Brands Awards. “Tequila is one of the fastest-growing spirits globally, and experts expect this growth to continue into the next decade,” says … Read more