London Cocktail Week is now on, with bars across the city welcoming curious drinkers to try great cocktails and much more. Nestled in amongst the more traditional cocktail events, there are a few rather special whisky tastings – just the thing for the discerning drinkers looking for drams you can’t find anywhere else. What is London Cocktail Week? Now in its 14th year, London Cocktail Week is a celebration of the capital’s drinks scene. London has been at the forefront of cocktails since the term was invented, with famous bars and restaurants defining the spirit of innovation at the heart of t ..read more

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 of sweet spice, dried fruit and nuts, most suited to the season. In celebration of these whiskies, on Thursday 26 October Billy Abbott, our ambassador, will be hosting a tasting at our Great Portland Street shop exploring a selection of our exclusive sherry-cask-aged drams including our Lagavulin 1991 Cask of Distinction. ⁠ Why sherry casks? All whisky, with a very small number of exceptions, has to be aged ..read more

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 2023 – Spirited Xchange. What are the Diageo Special Releases? If you’re new to the Special Releases, it’s quite simple. This range of bottlings pops up once year to showcase different takes on whiskies from Diageo’s various Scottish distilleries. There are old favourites that appear regularly, rare expressions from distilleries that don’t get much love and surprising twists on ..read more

September is here and that means the return of Whisky Show. This year’s show sold out in record time with 5,000 guests gathering to celebrate the world of whisky. At the heart of our shows are our masterclasses and these bring together incredible drams with the leading lights in the industry. One of those leading lights is our own Billy Abbott, who earlier in the month will be hosting a tasting in our Covent Garden store on sake. A Beginner’s Guide to Sake 6 September 2023, The Whisky Exchange Covent Garden,  WC2E 9HH Hosted by Billy Abbott, this is a chance to really get to grips with t ..read more

We’re approaching the middle of summer, and along with the promise and failure of the weather to be nice, a yearly staple has landed – our latest trilogy of Chichibu bottlings: the Chichibu Taboo Series.We’ve been fans of Chichibu since whisky from the cult Japanese distillery first landed in the UK. Over the years we’ve built a close relationship with founder Ichiro Akuto and his team, and are very proud to have yearly exclusive releases of his whisky. The Chichibu London Edition 2022 landed recently (fashionably late, as usual), but along with it came a few more whiskies. A single cask relea ..read more

We have a busy summer schedule of events lined up for you this August, including two of our ever-popular barrel-top tastings. These are a more informal way to get to discover a whole range of spirits and get to meet some of the passionate people behind them. AGAVE BARREL-TOP TASTING 10 August 2023, The Whisky Exchange London Bridge, SE1 1LL Big, bold and funky, mezcal, along with Tequila, is fast becoming the latest drinks trend and we will be hosting an informal barrel-top tasting at our London Bridge store to celebrate both of these classics as well as some of Mexico’s other agave spirits ..read more

Summer has arrived and that means it is finally time to enjoy those drinks that have known the warmth of the sun. Spirits like rum and Tequila come into their own at this time of year and we’re hosting a collection of events to celebrate them. Rum Show 14-15 July 2023, Glaziers Hall, London SE1 9DD Our award-winning celebration of rum is back for another year. With more than 250 rums to try from 60 brands, Rum Show is you chance to discover one of the most complex, diverse and flavour-packed spirits in the world. We have a full schedule of masterclasses brought to you by the rum world’s leadi ..read more

This June we are delving into the world of indie bottlers with a duo of tastings featuring Watt Whisky and Adelphi. Offering a fresh take on familiar favourites, indie bottlers are not restricted by keeping rigidly to a distillery style and instead their releases can reveal fresh flavours in unexpected places. Watt Whisky Masterclass 8 June 2023, The Whisky Exchange Great Portland Street, W1W 7NT Based in Campbelltown, Watt Whisky has taken the whisky world by storm. Husband-and-wife duo Mark and Kate Watt have more than 40 years experience in the Scotch whisky industry between them, and ..read more

Our May tastings are taking a peated turn. In the hands of the right whisky makers, peat can unveil incredible layers of flavour that can be full on and heady but can also be surprisingly and delightfully subtle. Early in the month, Billy Abbott selects his favourite peated expressions from our exclusives, followed later in the month by Kilchoman European Tour’s stopping at our Covent Garden shop. Read on to find out more… Peaty Exclusives from The Whisky Exchange 4 May 2023, The Whisky Exchange Great Portland Street, W1W 7NT Hosted by The Whisky Exchange ambassador Billy Abbott, this tasting ..read more

Over the past two decades, The Whisky Exchange has been at the forefront of the whisky world. Not only have we stocked the finest whiskies from all over the globe and sourced great exclusive bottlings, we have also pushed the envelope whenever we can. We helped launch Japanese whisky in the UK and supported releases from distilleries like Karuizawa when no one else did. We’ve championed in-person tastings in our shops and at our award-winning shows and put education at the core of what we do. Now, we embark on a new adventure, creating a category of spirit unlike any other. Introducing The Gas ..read more