Travel · August 11, 2026
What to Check Before Visiting a Whisky Distillery
Confirm bookings, tasting options and transport ahead of time and a distillery visit goes a lot more smoothly than showing up on a whim.
WHISKY JOURNAL
Whisky blog
Tasting notes, distillery stories and practical whisky ideas in reviewed English editions.
Distillery · August 11, 2026
Why Distillery Size Changes What Ends Up in Your Glass
A small operation running one or two pot stills and a large distillery running column stills around the clock approach the same category of whisky very differently.
Whisky stories · August 11, 2026
How Long Does an Opened Bottle of Whisky Actually Last?
An unopened bottle is one thing, but the moment you break the seal, air exposure begins. Here are practical principles for keeping aroma and flavour intact.
Tasting notes · August 11, 2026
A Practical Starting Point for Pairing Whisky With Food
Rather than memorising a fixed list, two simple principles do most of the work — match similar weight, or deliberately pair for contrast.
Column · August 11, 2026
Does the Glass Really Change How Whisky Smells and Tastes?
Why the tulip-shaped nosing glass became the standard, and what the bowl shape and narrowing rim actually do for how aroma reaches your nose.
Distillery · August 11, 2026
Pot Still vs. Column Still: How the Equipment Shapes the Spirit
The batch-run copper pot still and the continuously running column still are built differently, and that difference decides how heavy or how clean the spirit turns out.
Whisky stories · August 11, 2026
Scotch, Irish, Bourbon: More Than Different Names
What separates the three isn't taste — it's a specific set of legal requirements covering origin, distillation, and the cask each one has to mature in.
Whisky stories · August 10, 2026
What to Check Before Buying an Independent Bottling
Even on an unfamiliar label, reading the distillery, vintage, cask, strength and bottle count in order lowers the risk of an unfamiliar purchase.
Column · August 9, 2026
Why an Older Whisky Isn't Always the Better One
An age statement is time information, not a quality score. Here's how the spirit, the cask, the bottling decision, and your own palate change the result.
Column · August 8, 2026
Cask Finish vs. Double Cask: What Actually Tells Them Apart
Two similarly named terms, split apart by the order of maturation and the role each cask played, plus the questions worth asking of a product description.
Tasting notes · August 7, 2026
A Practical Way to Keep Whisky Tasting Notes That Actually Last
Instead of chasing poetic descriptors, log the same conditions, the same three stages, and comparable words to track how a dram changes.
Whisky stories · August 6, 2026
The Order Beginners Should Actually Read a Whisky Label
Before the flashy name, check the category, strength, age statement and cask details in the order that actually matters when choosing a bottle.