Joel Harrison will travel for whiskey. And he thinks you should, too. In a career spanning nearly two decades, the British native has become an award-winning author on the drink and has visited well over 250 producers across every corner of the globe. Now he’s making it easier than ever to follow in his footsteps with the release of The World Whisky Tour: A curated guide to unforgettable distilleries and their whiskies.
The new book keys in on 52 of his favorite places to visit – notable whiskey-making operations that not only craft great liquid, but also provide unique experiences for visitors. Despite my longstanding disagreement with Harrison on how our mutually beloved beverage should be spelled (or spelt), I can hardly argue with him on the locations he has chosen to showcase. They are broken down region by region, taking readers on a “spirited" journey, which begins in the heart of Kentucky Bourbon Country, before moving across the pond to the traditional players of Ireland and Scotland.
The adventure then hops around to highlight the newer kids on the block in places like Denmark, India and Australia, ultimately concluding in Japan. And it’s in this final stop where Harrison actually finds his happiest of happy places.
“Scotland will always be my ‘hometown’ when it comes distilleries, but if you asked me for one to visit above all others, it would be Hakushu [in the Yamanashi Prefecture of Japan],” he tells Forbes. “Hakushu is like going to another world. Two hours on a train north of Tokyo, up into the mountains, I describe it in the book as part Tolkein’s Middle-earth, part Game of Thrones’ Eyrie. It is also the only place in the world I’ve had a single estate highball, with the water for the ice, the soda water and the whisky all coming from the one place.”
And that whisky is best, according to Harrison, when it’s The Hakashu 12 Year Old. The slightly smoky single malt, dense with notes of honeyed orchard fruit and forest floor is the author’s pick for best “everyday” dram on earth. Meaning, you can find it on the shelves of your local liquor shop relatively easy. Stateside it will currently set you back around $190 a bottle.
“If I were assembling a ‘starter cabinet’ of whiskies from the book, this would be where I’d start,” he says. “Then I’d promptly add Bowmore 15 [Scotch], Bushmills 16 [Irish Whiskey], and Eagle Rare 10 [Bourbon]. And probably a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label for some blended Scotch representation.”
If you’re looking to broaden your home bar beyond that, each distillery profile in the book includes a respective bottling recommendation. These are labels you can spot on shelves while at the distillery and enjoy at home – one a week across an entire year. “The point of these recommendations is that you can go to your local bar and try them,” he says. “They were all supposed to be accessible. Save for the Port Ellen [laughs].”
Living relatively close to that legendary malt-maker, which recently reopened after a 40 year mothballing, you might suspect he’d place it at the top of his list for visitor’s centers. But after reserving the top spot for Hakashu, his next choice isn’t Port Ellen – or any Scotch distillery for that matter. It’s a Kentucky establishment that actually pioneered the concept of visitor programs back in 1968.
“Maker’s Mark is just such a lovely campus, with a really relaxing feel to it,” he says of the Bourbon distillery in Loretto. “It leans into art and creativity, and of course the whisky is just so smooth and drinkable. Living in the UK, I’m lucky to have over 100 distillers on my doorstep in Scotland, and dotted across Wales and England. Of course, Ireland is not far away and that is always a glorious visit. But Kentucky is now a direct flight from London, so there’s excuses not to visit."
Perhaps it’s that the grass is always bluer on the other side of the pond. Or maybe Harrison just respects the fact that Maker’s is one of the rare American producers who spells whisky without an ‘e.’ At any rate, his latest tome is a compelling read and makes a great gift for the whisk(e)y lovers in your life this holiday season.
