March 27 marks International Whisk(e)y Day, a day to celebrate this wonderful spirit, whether your chosen tipple hails from Scotland, Ireland, Japan or Aotearoa.
Here are three ways to engage with this king of spirits, right here at home.
New Zealand whisky flights at a central Auckland bar
At the Cordis hotel's Our Land is Alive bar, you'll find only New Zealand-made whiskies. In fact, you'll find only New Zealand-made drinks – the bar's ethos is showing off the best of local produce. This week they're hosting a one-off special event of whisky tastings, to celebrate Aotearoa's contribution to the world whisk(e)y market. On March 27, flights of Thomson whiskies will be offered from 12pm till closing, with four tastings for $15. cordishotels.com, 83 Symonds St, Grafton
A new Irish single grain whiskey
Teeling's 13-year-old Single Grain is the Irish distillery's second single grain release. The term single grain refers to the number of distilleries involved in the process of making the whisky, rather than the types of grains used (which here is 95 per cent corn and 5 per cent malted barley). This whiskey has initially matured for nine years in bourbon casks, then finished with four years in red Bordeaux casks.
$154.99, available now from eightpm.co.nz, Glengarry and other liquor outlets.
A whisky sour that's ready to go
The challenges of the past few years have brought a resurgence of interest in the home bar, and all the cocktail kit that comes with it. But sometimes, more ease is required. Batched's pre-mixed cocktails have recently expanded their range to include a classic whisky sour and the salted grapefruit margarita (alongside the gin sour and the espresso martini). The whisky sour lands just in time – this classic cocktail is one of America's original cocktails, a perfect balance of spirit, sugar and citrus, and dates back to the 1870s. Batched cocktails are all made in New Zealand from organic ingredients, and all you need to do is shake (with ice) and pour. $44.99, from batched.nz and liquor outlets across NZ.
