Browsing Yearly Archives for 2017

Whisky has historically been seen as an after-dinner or late-evening drink, but from a taste point of view, what is the most effective time of day to drink whisky? And when are your taste buds…

There are a confusing number of types of Scotch whisky. From single malts to vatted grains and blended whisky, people call whisky lots of different things. This month we’re focusing on blended whisky, so it’s…

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

John Glaser, founder and whiskymaker at Compass Box, makes his case for why blending is essential in the world of Scotch whisky. Everyone blends. This is not well known nor well understood, but in Scotland…

The past two decades have seen a return to popularity of what was once the best-loved alcoholic drink in England – gin. But what is gin and what do you do with it? There’s years…

Sergio Mendoza is the man behind Don Fulano Tequila. In an exclusive blog post for The Whisky Exchange, he shares his three big trends affecting the world of Tequila and mezcal, and also tells us…

Earth Day takes place on Saturday 22 April, with the purpose of raising awareness about current threats to the earth and its natural resources. Such a day is an opportune time to ask ourselves how…

Many people dream of starting their own whisky distillery, but the Wills family went ahead and did it, founding Kilchoman on Islay back in 2005. George Wills was our host for a tasting of the…

Nuts are the quintessential snack to eat with drinks, but they’re rarely talked about as a food pairing. From salted peanuts in a dive bar to hand-selected honey-roasted cashews in a gastropub to plain almonds with…

Let’s be honest: we’ve ended up in gin overload, haven’t we? On average, we get sent information on more than 50 new gins every month, and that’s in addition to the 450 gins we already…

When it comes to sparkling wine, there’s one name that stands head and shoulders above all of the rest: Champagne. But why does it earn such praise? I asked our resident Master of Wine, Dawn Davies,…

The Irish whiskey industry is in fine fettle. Many new distilleries are planned across the country, and there’s an exciting new project from the biggest name in the business: Irish Distillers. I visited Ireland to…

At The Whisky Exchange, we are always looking at what’s hot and what’s not. Last September we presented our ideas on upcoming drinks for 2017 at an exclusive event at our London shop, and we…

It’s agreed that whisky gets much of its flavour from the wood it’s aged in. Many different types are used, but what do they add? This was the subject of a recent shop tasting hosted by…

Cheese is an incredibly varied thing. From runny blues to rock-hard Pecorino, from smoky Oscypek to stinky Epoisses, the range of flavour is wide. Fortunately, whisky is up to the task of pairing with it. Here…

Cognac expert Michelle Brachet came to our London shop on a mission to convert people to the wonders of this classy spirit. After wowing guests with her choices, it appears she succeeded. And if you…

Many people believe that whisky is all about Scotch. Even though whiskies from other countries such as Japan, Taiwan and Ireland are pretty good, why bother when you have such an array of styles from…