There’s a decided chill in the air and that can only mean one thing: It’s whisky season! True, we’re happy to sip whisky and whisky cocktails year-round, but fall especially cries out for their sweet, spicy, smoky notes.

Whisky’s rich flavour is the foundation of many of our classic cocktails and the impetus for many new drinks. It’s also inspired many of the stories in this issue of The Alchemist, from our Classics column on the Manhattan and its urban siblings to our Tasting Panel featuring bartenders from B.C. and Ontario discussing their favourite Scotch whiskies and the cocktails they’d make with them.

This issue also sees The Alchemist go national with coverage of Toronto’s exciting cocktail scene and introducing new writers like Christine Sismondo, writing about baijiu’s big moment, and Kate Dingwall, writing about sharing cocktails, to our list of talented contributors.

Meanwhile, in his Home Bar feature, Matt Benevoli teaches us how to barrel-age cocktails at home. In Still Life, Charlene Rooke reveals the new etiquette rules around distillery tasting rooms. At the Bar welcomes us to our new favourite watering holes. And Alexandra Gill takes us on a tour of the best bars in Montreal, from divey holes-in-the-wall to fancy high-end hotspots.

This issue, as has been tradition for the past three years, also kicks off Vancouver Cocktail Week presented by The Alchemist, scheduled for March 3 to 10, 2024. Tickets go on sale December 1, and trust me, you won’t want to miss the fun!

Plus we cover all the latest spirited news from here and around the world, share more than a dozen great recipes and offer a guide to distilleries.

Find The Alchemist in select distilleries and independent liquor stores across B.C and Ontario. Or make sure you never miss an issue, and subscribe right here.

—Joanne Sasvari, Editor