Whisky Island - the secret soul of Islay
He’s been visiting for 40 years but Dave Broom is still transported by the mysterious alchemy of the sacred whisky isle
Sip advisor: The local’s guide to Austin’s coolest cocktail bars
Famous worldwide for its buzzy music scene, Austin, Texas, is no slouch when it comes to whiskey. Local resident and whisky writer Gabrielle Nicole Pharms picks her favourite hang-outs
Putting the dram into drama
As the curtain rises on Act II of The Macbeth Collection, Gordon Thomson talks to the team behind one of whisky’s most original and artistically ingenious series
The Last Sipper with Martha Dalton
On International Women’s Day, Martha Dalton, the CEO and co-founder of Never Say Die bourbon, shares her love of English single malts, Michael Sheen and the Sugababes
London’s best bars for drinking bourbon
Neat, on the rocks, or in a killer cocktail. From basement speakeasies to opulent lounges, Barley’s guide to 10 bars in the capital where the bourbon drinking is beyond compare
The Last Sipper with Kiefer Sutherland
The Canadian actor and guitar-mad musician tells Barley about his new whisky — and reveals what Picasso taught him about tasting notes and why he loves nothing more than drinking ‘Cutty Sark in dive bars’
The Deep Dive: Wake-up call for whisky?
Sales slumps. Teetotal Gen Z-ers. And a cataclysmic attempt at categorisation alongside chicken nuggets by food activists. In this exclusive investigation for Barley, Nick Morgan reveals the range of converging factors conspiring against a new golden age of whisky
Neon wonderland: Tokyo’s hidden whisky bars
It famously has nearly as many whisky bars as it does residents, we’ve found the best ones
The Last Sipper with Georgie Bell
The Heart Cut founder on the book she’s been inspired by, her favourite whisky bars in the world – and the Mexican taco joint that will knock your socks off
10 great whisky festivals from around the world to book for 2025
From Kentucky to Dublin, and Paris to Islay, there’s a host of great whisky shindigs happening this year. What are you waiting for? Here’s where to go and how to book
How the water of life poured back into Port Ellen
Nina Caplan travelled to Islay to witness the rebirth of one of the island’s most romantic and revered distilleries - and found a thriving culture where that distinctive whisky is flowing abundantly again
‘I’m part of the dodo race’
Take two Dundonians, one a poet, the other a Hollywood star…. Don Paterson and Brian Cox set the world to rights
I was a tartan teen tearaway
Tartan can’t make a comeback, says the fashion editor and influencer, because for her it never went away
Sky’s the limit – a year in the life of Port of Leith distillery
It’s a cloud-busting marvel of engineering and the UK’s first vertical distillery. As Port of Leith celebrates a year open to the public, ‘Diplomatic Division’ team member Anna Lou Larkin reveals the highs, woes and thrills
The Last Sipper with Jakub Niziolek
Nattily attired and generous with his expertise, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s Jakub Niziolek is a popular figure in the members’ room at the club’s London base. Barley popped along to ask him about his whisky passions
Sour mash, sweet music: Nashville city nights
Bourbon whiskey, glittering rhinestones, blistered hogs and cool Country music – Chris Moss goes on tour in Nashville and finds the stetson still mighty but a buzzy new culture riding in over the skyline
The Twelve Drams of Christmas
We’ve scoured the globe, we’ve sipped, scribbled and selected. Yes, it’s Barley’s annual festive dozen — 12 fantastic bottles for your Christmas cabinet, with something to suit every taste, style, region and pocket
Sip advisor: Scotland’s best independent whisky shops
From epicurean emporiums to quirky outposts, 10 places to pick up that next special bottle
From Kentucky to Hoxton
A dazzling new Bourbon bar in London is pure whiskey paradise, discovered Heather Storgaard, who zipped along to taste some historic pours from the fabled stable of Yellowstone
The Last Sipper with Joel Harrison
The spirits writer and presenter on the whisky that gets his tastebuds tingling, and his favourite Soho hangout
-
![Scenic landscape of a valley with a small white house, a flowing river, green grassy fields, and tall mountains in the background during sunrise or sunset.]()
In A Special Place: Glencoe
By Alastair Campbell
-
![A woman with long blonde hair smiling and squinting in front of a textured beige wall, wearing a black sweatshirt.]()
Video: Queens of cashmere
By Barley staff
-
![A collection of five men's dress socks with a tartan pattern, stacked in a pile, and a hip flask with a matching tartan fabric sleeve, on a white background.]()
Whisky cabinet must-haves
By Olly Smith
-
![A modern black building with large windows and vertical panels, with]()
5 distilleries opening soon
By Barley staff
-
![A bottle of Ardbeg Uigeadail scotch whisky standing in front of its green and gold box against a black background.]()
Islay whisky starter for six
By Dave Broom
-
![Empty bar with wooden counter, chairs, and sports memorabilia, illuminated by natural light through a window with shamrocks and food condiment bottles on the counter.]()
Three classic Detroit speakeasies
By Nina Caplan
-
![A bartender standing behind a bar with numerous bottles of whiskey and liquor on shelves, glasses hanging upside down above, and a clock on the wall.]()
Video: Japan's best dram?
By Tatsuya Minagawa
-
![Bottle of Glen Scotia Campbeltown Harbour single malt Scotch whisky beside its packaging box.]()
Four supermarket whiskies we rate
By Olly Smith
Get the best of Barley, distilled and delivered to your inbox
The Last Sipper
Hollywood legend Brian Cox invites Barley’s Tom Pattinson into his home to talk about the drams that changed his life - and what he really thinks about tasting notes…
Video produced by Emir Eralp