Whisky Mates Blog

Did you know: The hole in the side of a whiskey barrel is called a bung hole. Beavis and Butthead would be proud.

With a composite rating percentile of 77.5%, this whisky ranks among the best bourbons on Whisky Mates. What’s more, at this writing it stands at $0.79 / pctl, so you get a lot of bounce for the ounce. This whiskey ranges between $60-80 on average, so it’s up there, but not totally out of range. […]

Due to the hot temps in Kentucky, during maturation more water evaporates than air. This means that ABV actually goes up during the aging process. The opposite is true of Scotch due to the temperate climate. So much so that old scotch barrels need to be monitored so that they don’t drop below the min […]

Vanilla is the most commonly found aroma/flavor on Whisky Mates, appearing in 60.6% of all whiskies in our catalogue. Vanilla appears most in Bourbon, at 74.3%, American Whiskey at 71.4%, Canadian Whisky at 70.6%, and Irish Whiskey at 70.3%. American Single Malts contain the least vanilla flavor, coming in at only 15.4% of whiskies; Japanese […]

Did you know: The French are the biggest consumers of Scotch whisky, importing 176 million bottles last year. India comes in second, importing 136 million bottles, while the USA ranks third with 126 million bottles in 2021. The USA alone imports around $972 million worth of Scotch whisky. This is all good news for the […]

Despite its roots in American history, Bourbon’s name is entirely French. The House of Bourbon was extremely powerful in Europe and placed several French kings from the 1500s to the 1800s. We should clarify, though, the Bourbon dynasty probably had little to do with bourbon’s creation. Instead, according to bourbon expert Michael Veach, it’s more […]

Today’s Flavor Spotlight: Smoke. The Laphroaig 10 and the Arbeg 10 are a tie for smokiest whiskies, both with a total intensity score of 7.5. For those of you who know and love Islay scotches, the results are no surprise; our composite tasting notes only confirm what you’ve already tasted (and are likely still tasting […]

Did you know: Single Barrel Bourbon all began with Blanton’s and Elmer T. Lee in 1984. Nearing retirement, Master Distiller Elmer T. Lee was tasked with creating a bourbon of exceptionally high quality. Keep in mind, in the mid-80s bourbon was very much out of favor, with consumers opting for lighter spirits like vodka and […]

The first record of distilled spirit in Scotland is found in an Exchequer Roll of 1494, where it is written “To Friar John Cor, by order of the King, to make aquavitae, VIII bolls of malt”. The king was James IV (1488-1513), the best loved of all the ill-fated House of Stuart. It has been […]

Guess what: the best spots in rickhouses (that produce the highest quality whiskey, that is) are called “honey holes”. The reference, maybe somewhat obviously, comes from beehives which are prized for their honey. So if you find yourself in a rickhouse, gravitate toward the honey hole; if you’re at a bee farm, probably best to […]