Whisky Advocate

For many years, going back as far as the 1970s, Japanese drinks giant Suntory had a large neon billboard in Times Square, high above the crowds at the north end. In later years the sign advertised Suntory’s Hibiki label, released in 1989 to commemorate the company’s 90th anniversary. The whisky and its billboard aimed to show the world that Japan could create an iconic whisky worthy of the global stage. Jaded New Yorkers barely noticed. The rest of the country wasn’t moved either. On most export markets, it was a similar story. In Japan itself, meanwhile, whisky was largely a mass market affair, with brands like Hi Nikka, Suntory White, Super Nikka, and others doing huge volumes as office workers downed their Highballs in the izakayas (pubs) after a long, hard…

“America’s Finest City” is a nickname San Diego earned in large part for its famously good weather and beaches. But for whiskey lovers, its downtown, especially the Gaslamp neighborhood, is a hotbed of standout bars. The city is also famous for its locally beloved happy hours, so ingrained that virtually every watering hole joins in the fun. Establishments have specials from late afternoon and/or early evening on weekdays and in some cases weekends. San Diego’s airport is less than 10 minutes, without traffic, from downtown where parking is scarce. Readily available rideshare services are your best bet. Make Aero Club Bar the first stop on your way to the Gaslamp or last stop before you depart; there are over 1,000 whiskies to choose from (see page 31). Day One The Horton Grand Hotel opened…

The sky’s the limit when it comes to creating riffs on the Paper Plane cocktail. Created around 2008 by bartender and owner of Attaboy and Diamond Reef Sam Ross, this complex-tasting cocktail is surprisingly easy to make: Shake equal parts bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and lemon juice together and strain into a coupe. “The simplicity in preparation doesn’t sacrifice the sophistication of the drink, showcasing how elegant flavors can be achieved with a minimalistic approach,” says Stephanie De Luna, bar supervisor at JohnMartin’s Irish Pub & Restaurant in Coral Gables, Florida. To make it your own, you don’t need to add infusions or special syrups (though you can, if you wish). Instead, simply think about flavors—sweet, bitter, savory, and sour—and play around. Changing any one ingredient will produce a different harmonious…

Single pot still is the quintessential expression of Irish whiskey, known for its rich array of textures ranging from creamy to oily, and typically accompanied by a delightful array of spicy notes. It’s made in copper pot stills—by rule at a single distillery from a mash of both unmalted and malted barley, with small proportions of oats, rye, or wheat (known as adjunct grains) permitted. Until recently, there wasn’t a lot of single pot still available, so this style remains unfamiliar to many whiskey lovers. But that has been changing lately, with more volume coming to market. The most familiar names include Redbreast, Powers, Green Spot, and Method and Madness, but there are many others, such as Teeling, The Busker, Writers’ Tears, Kilbeggan, and Drumshanbo. While spice is single pot still’s signature,…

As a child, my favorite dessert, made by my mother, was apple crisp—or at least I thought it was apple crisp. Thanks to that font of information called the internet, years later I discovered that my mother’s dessert was not a crisp, but a crumble. It was definitely neither a cobbler nor a betty. Apple crisp, arguably the most autumnal of desserts after pumpkin pie, is defined by the addition of oats to the topping. So my mother’s version, which was topped with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, was a crumble, while the similar cobbler sports a biscuity rather than a crumbly topping. The related betty likewise eschews oats, sometimes substitutes breadcrumbs, and is often layered. One thing I am certain about the crisp/crumble of my youth is that neither of my…

It’s certainly exciting to visit a bar displaying hundreds of whisky bottles on its shelves, and such venues can be found in many—if not most—American cities. But what about those with a thousand, or several thousand whiskies on the menu? They’re more like your favorite allocated dram: Harder to come by, but oh so rewarding when you get to experience them. With their encyclopedic menus of 1,000-plus whiskies, these 10 bars from around the country should definitely be on your bucket list. Aero Club Bar San Diego, California This spot originally opened in 1947 as a place where owner and pilot Marianne Profit could enjoy a drink with her fellow pilots, and was later purchased by Bill Lutzius, who turned the space into a whisky bar. The establishment is currently owned by…