Billy Abbott

If you'd like to try some tasty sherry-cask whiskies and hear me waffle on obsessively about them, we've got a tasting coming up at The Whisky Exchange that you might be interested in...

Exclusive Sherry Casks – October Tastings at The Whisky Exchange – The Whisky Exchange Whisky Blog There is an increasingly noticeable nip in the air and the leaves are taking on the deep copper tones of a sherry-cask-aged whisky. Apt then that this is a style of whisky, with their notes...

It's October, so time for my annual, probably too-long dive into the latest collection of Diageo Special Releases.

Diageo Special Releases 2023 – Spirited Xchange – The Whisky Exchange Whisky Blog While the weather seems to have forgotten that it’s autumn, Diageo has not, and the latest instalment of the company’s much anticipated annual drop of tasty things has arrived. Please welcome the Diageo Special Releases...

A fantastic trip last week to Mull, Islay, Iona and Jura aboard the S/V Flying Dutchman as the whisky guy for New Scientist Discovery’s Science of Whisky Cruise – eight days of islands, sea and whisky.

I was considering retiring afterwards, as I’m not sure I can land a better gig, but they’ve asked me back next year, so I suppose I’ll have to keep working for a little while longer…

https://www.newscientist.com/tours/whisky-cruise-scotland/

If you're about in London on Saturday 4 August (tomorrow as I type), come and say hello at The Whisky Exchange – I'll be there signing books and talking rubbish from 1-5pm. Maybe earlier if I find good lunch faster...

Very pleased to continue as the Circle of Wine Writers webmaster. The group continues to grow and we have grand plans for more online activity.

Delighted to feature Circle of Wine Writers Committee Member Billy Abbott who does a wonderful job as the Circle’s Webmaster. Billy is a drinks writer, educator and self-confessed all round geek, with a particular interest in Whisky, Asian Spirits and Beer. He left the world of IT in 2011, and is now Ambassador and Training Manager for the Whisky Exchange, and a WSET Educator. His book ‘The Philosophy of Whisky’ was shortlisted for the Fortnum & Mason Debut Book Award in 2022, and Billy himself was shortlisted for IWSC Communicator of the Year in 2020, 2021 and 2023.

Busy day yesterday judging Scotch whisky for The Spirits Business – my 12th year, if I'm counting correctly – with some of my Circle of Wine Writers colleagues.

One day I might even write about wine...

What a pleasure to share this photo of very talented Circle of Wine Writers Chairperson Winnie Bowman, Committee member Billy Abbott and members Tobias Gorn and Caroline Roddis judging Scotch together at series. Our members really do get everywhere.

I don't post many things from my day job, but this one is too good to miss – a video all about the creation of The Macbeth Collection by Livingstone and Elixir Distillers.

I've heard tiny tidbits over the past year or so, and it's excellent to finally see the full range of (very tasty) whiskies in all their glory – well, the first act of nine bottlings, at least: there are four more to go.

Whisky by Oliver Chilton, words by Dave Broom and packaging by Lexi Burgess and his gang (check out Burgess Studio if you want to see the other silly whisky projects they've worked on). Top work, all.

The Macbeth Collection Introducing The Macbeth Collection from Livingstone, the culmination of a multi-year collaboration between designer Lexi Burgess, whisky writer Dave Broom an...

Happy new year!

In this article about how to cook with wine better, the excellent J. Kenji López-Alt has explained the wonders of water/alcohol mixture distillation and azeotropes in a much simpler way than I ever had. And also explained how to make my sauces better.

Do I Really Need To Reduce Wine Separately? | Ask The Food Lab "I was just watching an America's Test Kitchen episode in which they said to reduce a wine/port/red wine vinegar mixture till syrupy, then add chicken stock. I couldn't help wondering why that's any better than adding the chicken stock initially and reducing the whole thing. Water loss is water loss...

It's officially December, so I feel slightly less icky in saying that it's almost Christmas and my book makes an excellent gift for anyone vaguely interested in whisky. It works especially well as a stocking stuffer, secret Santa present or brightly coloured distraction for small children.

It's available from all good bookshops, distilleries and booze purveyors around the world. Also, from me directly if you would like me to write something in the front.

The Philosophy of Whisky - The Philosophy of Whisky A copy of The Philosophy of Whisky by Billy Abbott, supplied either signed or in its rare, pristine, unsigned state. If you’d like a signed copy, let me know in the order details who it should be signed to and anything particular about the dedication you’d like. If you don’t say anything, I’...

I’m helping out at The Whisky Exchange’s festival barrel-top tasting at Glaziers Hall in London (near London Bridge) on Thursday 1 December – that's tomorrow as of posting. I’ll be there with a stack of exclusive whiskies and other treats, as well as some copies of my book and hopefully a flat space to sign them on.

https://tickets.thewhiskyexchange.com/london/buy/g-50/select

It’s on 1 December 2022 from 7-9pm, and your £20 ticket gets you a £5 discount in any of our London shops until Christmas Eve.

Excellent charity auction now live! It's got lots of lovely lots from booze to books and experiences, including a tasting with me. So far I'm much cheaper than m'colleague Dawn Davies, so a few bids would be much appreciated...

Rare Spirits & Luxury Experiences on Auction to raise money for Equal Measures UK Looking for the perfect Christmas present ? The Cream of the Crop Auction is raising money for valuable causes such as Equal Measures UK.

On Friday and Saturday this week, I’ll be at the other end of the country to normal for the second Kendal Whisky Festival.

The first year was great and year two is even bigger and better. I’ll be there wandering the halls, signing books by the shop and running a charity masterclass – details of the latter will be revealed during the weekend.

It’s on Friday 2 and Saturday 3 December 2022, and promises to be one of the year’s top festivals, yet again.

Tickets - Kendal Whisky Festival 2021 Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

LIVE FESTIVAL PREVIEW: Tonight we will be joined by Billy Abbott, Whisky Exchange Ambassador, and Tim Foster from as we preview some of the drams and events at this year’s festival. Join us live on our page at 8pm.

Dom Roskrow, whisky writer and friend of mine, recently passed away. There are lots of tributes to him online, but the one I want to share is a fundraiser for Mind created by his son Louie.

Dom was bipolar and spoke honestly and publicly about his struggles with the disorder. Mind were his charity of choice to help raise awareness of mental health issues and help people dealing with them, and I’d urge you to ping them a few quid.

Dominic Roskrow for Mind UK, organized by Louie Roskrow My dad was an amazing man who spent the majority of his time caring for others. One of th… Louie Roskrow needs your support for Dominic Roskrow for Mind UK

Today marks the beginning of my 14th year of officially thinking of myself as a booze writer. Here's to at least a few more...

Obligatory Introduction – Spirited Matters Hello. My name is Billy and I like booze. Inspired by a stint as a barman for the inaugural Blaggers' Banquet I thought I'd follow the example of my

What I was up to last weekend – attending Maltstock for the 11th time. My favourite whisky festival, thoroughly recommended if you like the idea of sharing whisky with friends (old and new alike) for a weekend in The Netherlands.

With a decent fry up from the Scottish Restaurant Hielander crew...

Whisky Exchange tasting

Are you coming to Whisky Show? If not, you should, and when you are there you should come to this excellent tasting. I will be doing my best David Mitchell impression while Richard Paterson, Gregg Glass, James Saxon, Alex Bruce, Sam Simmons, and Phil and Simon Thompson lie at an audience about things. And on top of all that there will be excellent whisky to drink and all the proceeds go to charity. See y'all there.

ON SALE NOW // The Unbelievable Truth About Whisky Masterclass // Whisky Show 2022

Welcome to The Unbelievable Truth about Whisky – the charity game show in which the best minds in the industry try and lie their way to victory. Can you spot the truths hidden among the lies and test your whisky knowledge?

With the blessing of The Unbelievable Truth co-creator Jon Naismith, we will be hosting a whisky-themed show, tasting out way through five whiskies. With each dram, our star-studded panel will try to lead us astray, with a story packed with falsehoods as well as a handful of facts.

The Whisky Exchange’s Billy Abbott will be the arbiter of truth, joined by seven of the whisky world’s greatest tellers of tall tales – Richard Paterson and Gregg Glass, James Saxon, Phil and Simon Thompson, Alex Bruce and Sam Simmons. Expect an hour of great stories, with all the proceeds going to charity.

• Richard Paterson and Gregg Glass, Whyte & Mackay/Whisky Works – Team Works (new release)
• James Saxon, Compass Box – Flaming Heart 2022 (new release)
• Alex Bruce, Adelphi – The Sändebud (Ardnamurchan x High Coast)
• Sam Simmons, Atom Brands – The # # # Blend: Batch 1 (30 years old)
• Phil and Simon Thomson, Dornoch Distillery – Cask Sample (unreleased)

Book your tickets to this Whisky Show 2022 exclusive masterclass through https://bit.ly/3OTv00X

This is quite an important thing – will be interesting to see if there are any objections…

The TTB will publish its proposed definition for American Single Malt whiskies tomorrow in the Federal Register, opening a 60-day public comment period. Here's a brief (updated) outline of the proposal, and we have more details in the news section at the WhiskyCast web site.

If you're in or around Birmingham on Saturday 2 July 2022, then come and play at the Grain & Glass, JQ Independent Whisky Market. I'll be about signing books and hosting a tasting, and there'll be a load of whisky to drink and other things to eat all afternoon.

The Independent Whisky Market - The Philosophy of Whisky Join me at The Independent Whisky Market in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter on 2 July 2022 for an afternoon of great whisky and more.

If you’re looking for some slightly mad whisky, this is the tasting for you.

Whisky Tasting / Meet The Distiller with Kyrö Distillery Company Join us for a very special evening with Miika Lipiäinen, one of the five co-founders and CEO of the Kyrö Distillery Company from Finland.

If you're at Fèis Ìle this year, pop by The Celtic House in Bowmore on Wednesday 1 June for a chat with me and the excellent Rachel McCormack about the wonders of writing about whisky. We will also have some whisky and chocolate if our beautiful faces aren't enough to drag you in...

Entry is free and we kick off at 11am.

Islay Festival – Fèis Ìle - The Philosophy of Whisky Very excitingly, I will be up on Islay during this year’s Fèis Ìle, the festival of malt and music. Not only will I be up there drinking whisky and eating my bodyweight in tablet, but I’ll also be joining my friend Rachel McCormack for a book event at Bowmore’s The Celtic House. The Islay Fe...

Very excitingly, The Philosophy of Whisky has been shortlisted for Best Debut Drink Book at the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink awards.

Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards 2022 - The Philosophy of Whisky The Philosophy of Whisky has been shortlisted for the Best Debut Drink Book at the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards 2022.

The Kindle edition of The Philosophy of Whisky is now available worldwide! Also, for those of you waiting on a physical copy, the 'more international than previously' release is on 1 May 2022, and preorders are up in the US, Canada, Japan and elsewhere.

Kindle edition and International Release - The Philosophy of Whisky The Kindle edition of The Philosophy of Whisky has dropped and the US/Canada/Japan/others release is not far away...

About in the west country this Saturday, 2 April? Come to The Whisky Lounge's Bristol Festival! I'll be there selling and signing books, and running a pair of free, almost sold out masterclasses. Find out more over on The Philosophy of Whisky website:

The Whisky Lounge Bristol - The Philosophy of Whisky After a couple of years of virtual shows, the lovely folks of The Whisky Lounge are heading south in real life again, and kicking of their 'we've passed the Watford Gap' tour in Bristol on Saturday 2nd April 2022.

Last chance to grab a tasting pack for our excellent upcoming virtual charity tasting on 28 March. We're turning tasting packs off at 5pm on 22 March – get yours while you still can:
https://www.designmynight.com/london/whats-on/online-event/online-charity-whisky-tasting-supporting-ukrainian-refugees

Update: ...and they're all booked up.

Looking to learn more about sake? Japan House London is hosting three days of talks, tastings and virtual brewery tours on 18-20 March 2022, all free of charge – learn more and register on the link below:

Japanese Sake Breweries: Virtual Visits to Japan & Sampling Sessions In this series of events at Japan Houser London held in collaboration with Japan’s National Tax Agency (NTA), guests can experience sake tourism through a display of different seasonal varieties of sake, virtual brewery visits and special sake tastings.

Help us support people fleeing the violence in Ukraine!

The excellent Felipe Schrieberg has grabbed me to help him host an online charity whisky tasting on 28 March 2022 in aid of
Polish Humanitarian Action/Pajacyk - Polska Akcja Humanitarna, who are working with the refugees coming into Poland from Ukraine – there are lots of them and they need help.

Link for whisky tasting packs (UK only – sorry!) and to donate to watch along is below. We’ll be tasting whisky from Compass Box, The Glenturret Whisky, The Lakes Distillery, Jura Whisky, Glen Scotia and Royal Brackla, with tasting packs put together by the excellent The Dram Team.

https://www.designmynight.com/london/whats-on/online-event/online-charity-whisky-tasting-supporting-ukrainian-refugees

Please spread the word and, if you can, join us for an evening of tasty fun with excellent drams, all for a very good cause

Great tasting last week at BrewDog Ealing – a top crew and some good chat. The beer and whisky was okay, I suppose :)