World Whisky Day 2027 is on Saturday

About World Whisky Day

World Whisky Day was started by Blair Bowman, then a 21-year-old Hispanic Studies student at the University of Aberdeen. The university reported in February 2012 that about 7,000 people had already signed up through the day's website ahead of the first edition, with plans reaching countries as varied as India, the United States, South Africa, Kyrgyzstan and Liechtenstein. Bowman told the university the idea was to share and appreciate whisky with friends, not to binge drink.

The first World Whisky Day was held on March 27, 2012. From 2013 it moved to the third Saturday in May. By then, the University of Aberdeen reported, the event had drawn more than 200 whisky events in over 30 countries, and Bowman said distilleries saw it as a chance to come together under an independent umbrella. The day's official site still describes it as an annual global day of whisky held on the third Saturday in May, open to any style and any way of drinking it, with the only rule being to drink responsibly. It is separate from International Whisky Day, first held in 2009 on March 27, the birthday of the English beer and whisky writer Michael Jackson.

Whisky is spelled without an e in Scotland, Canada and Japan, and usually with one, whiskey, in Ireland and the United States; the day covers both. It is only for adults of legal drinking age, which is 18 in the UK and 21 in the US. If you take part, pace yourself, drink water alongside, never drink and drive, and make sure alcohol-free options are on hand for guests.

Sources: World Whisky Day: What is World Whisky Day?, University of Aberdeen: Scottish student creates first World Whisky Day (February 17, 2012), University of Aberdeen: World Whisky Day founder continues to toast success (May 8, 2013), The Irish Post: It's International Whiskey Day (March 27, 2021). How we check dates.

How to mark World Whisky Day

• Attend a guided tasting at a distillery, whisky bar or specialist shop, where staff can explain how grain, casks and age shape flavor.
• Compare small pours of two styles side by side, such as a Scotch single malt and a bourbon, with water to add a few drops and to drink between sips.
• Read about how whisky is made, from malting and mashing to distilling and aging in oak casks.
• Cook with whisky-region flavors without the alcohol, such as Scottish oatcakes and smoked salmon, or bake a dessert where the alcohol cooks off.
• If you host, arrange designated drivers or rides home, and offer good alcohol-free drinks.

World Whisky Day dates