With record-breaking sales and bogus schemes both making headlines in recent weeks, Joel Harrison lays out the current landscape of cask whisky investment for Scotch fans who have had their curiosity piqued

With the warmer weather, many imbibers will be reverting to something chilled fresh from the fridge, but Joel Harrison says it’s just as good a time to explore the depths of your spirits cabinet when pondering your summer drink selection

For years, single malt was the preserve of Scottish and Irish distilleries. Then Japan got in on the act. Now, distillers from as far afield as Scandinavia and Australia are joining the party, by way of France, India and Taiwan. Joel Harrison reports on a very un-Scottish insurrection

For lovers of Scotch, it’s always a joy to visit the Highlands and islands – and, as a recent trip and happy return to Scotland confirms for Joel Harrison, the country has more to offer tourists with an interest in whisky than ever before

Joel Harrison explains why, when it comes to vermouth, one bottle simply isn’t enough – the true cocktail connoisseur will need a selection in their collection, and everyone else should keep a bottle on ice for the summer months ahead

Joel Harrison makes the case for blended Scotch whisky, a style often overlooked in favour of single malt but that can offer an artfully balanced ‘tapestry of taste’ to its drinkers

From single malt whiskey made in historic distilleries outdating those of Scotland to gin using botanicals sourced from Ireland’s verdant countryside, Joel Harrison toasts to a wealth of Irish spirits

Joel Harrison takes a look at the world of independently bottled spirits, which can’t reveal the distillery from which they came on the bottle – but can provide some joyous hints to their origin once in the glass

Burns Night might typically find you reaching for a dram of Scotch whisky. But Joel Harrison says Scottish rum is coming up as a worthy contender for your toasts

Joel Harrison reflects on what lies ahead in the world of spirits and cocktails for 2022 – from a continuing rise in at-home mixology to a new breed of bespoke whisky bottlings

Christmas, and particularly Christmas Day, can be fraught with drinking disasters. Joel Harrison provides a guide to cocktails for the big day, and offers advice on how to keep thirsty guests feeling merry

From expert guides to food-and-wine pairing to whisky manuals, cocktail compendiums and memoirs from famous foodie faces, we review the best new books for Christmas, all ideal for gifting the food-and-drink lover in your life

Shopping for the dram fan in your life? Joel Harrison selects the best Christmas gifts to buy whisky lovers of all levels – from hip flasks and glassware to limited-edition Scotch bottlings

Joel Harrison takes his drinks cupboard seriously. Here he offers some innovative tips for organising and pepping up your spirit shelves to coincide with the shift in seasons

Food and wine matching is familiar territory, but Joel Harrison argues that just as much joy can be found in pairing your dinner with the likes of Cognac, Tequila, pisco and whisky

A wave of new single malt Scotch releases has seen record-breaking ageing, with 40+ years in cask an increasingly regular benchmark. Joel Harrison introduces some of the whisky world's newest OAPs

The venerable London merchant is a stalwart of the wine world, but its range of spirits is the real hero, says Joel Harrison

Sandy beaches and far-off adventures might be on the horizon. But for Joel Harrison, the return of international travel also signals excitement in the form of airport duty-free and sky-high G&Ts

Joel Harrison and Colin Hampden-White taste independent single malt whisky bottlings alongside distillery releases to see how the ‘bootleg’ versions stack up against the originals

From guidebooks covering vibrant wine regions to memoirs by prominent figures in food – and even recipe books with a bit more about them. We review the best summer reads for food and drink lovers to dive into

When it comes to refreshing summer and autumn drinks, white spirits rule. But, argues Joel Harrison, dark spirits can be just as good for mixing up a refreshing cocktail in warmer weather

Gathering a collection of rare and wonderful whisky is far less mystifying than wine buying, says Joel Harrison. Here he explains why and shares his insights on how to collect whisky from scratch

How much does a distillery’s copper pot still have to do with a spirit’s final flavour? Joel Harrison takes a look at exactly why the alcohol-making apparatus are so essential

The whisky slump of the 1980s led to some of Scotland’s most revered distilleries being shut down. Now, several are being revived, while spirits from others are also being brought back to life. So what's driving the boom?

The emergence of quality canned cocktails is transforming our outdoor drinking, says Joel Harrison, with some of the UK’s finest mixology talent now on board

After a year of at-home "mixology", the return of the cocktail bar can’t come quickly enough for Joel Harrison

The majority of distilled drinks are tightly bound by strict regulations, but they would benefit from loosening up and letting more creativity in, argues Joel Harrison

By finally looking to the future as well as embracing their past, Scotland’s distilleries – and the whisky scene as a whole – is on the cusp of a golden age, says Joel Harrison

From his base in rural Wiltshire, Cognac enthusiast David Baker has built up a peerless library of historical bottlings of the spirit. Joel Harrison peers inside the quiet, discreet world of Hermitage Cognac

Despite the surge in popularity of low-and-no alcohol drinks, Joel Harrison is not exactly in high spirits at the prospect of trying them

Known as ‘The Nose’, Richard Paterson is widely acknowledged as the most experienced master blender in Scotch whisky. Now he is assembling a new team of blenders to continue his legacy

Joel Harrison jumps into his DeLorean and heads back to a decade celebrated for memorable movies – and malts

You might think that, with everything else going on, Christmas isn’t the time to spend hours perfecting cocktails to serve up to thirsty guests. The good news is, you don’t have to…

Joel Harrison takes a look at how the grain became fashionable again, and picks out six of the best rye whiskies

Last month, Diageo took the wraps off its £20,000, eight-bottle collection. Now historic Islay distillery Bowmore has trumped it with an astonishing single release

The image of Cognac is being transformed, from the most traditional of spirits to mixologists' favourite. On World Cognac Day, Joel Harrison shelves his balloon glass and suggests three Cognac cocktails

Scottish distilleries may be closed to visitors, but a raft of new releases will provide cheer to whisky lovers in the second half of the year

Scotch isn’t on the rocks yet, with a flurry of rare releases offering solace to fans bereft of the usual May festivals

Joel Harrison charts the rise and rise of Islay, a remote island off the west coast of Scotland where distilleries were closing down just 40 years ago

A cocktail should, all things being equal, be blended by a top mixologist behind your favourite bar in your favourite city. All things aren’t equal right now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still indulge. So welcome to the new normal, as our spirits consultant Joel Harrison bring you his best recipes to shake at home

The casks have been selected by Fine+Rares’s head of spirits David Walters in collaboration with WhistlePig’s master blender Peter Lynch

A select group of whisky lovers was presented with some of the rarest bottles of Scotch in the Justerini & Brooks portfolio last week. Joel Harrison reports