Sunshine, swimming, live music and heavenly drams shared with friends and strangers: a few days on Islay at the annual whisky festival is a tonic for the soul, finds Gordon Thomson

From top shelf treats to delicious and affordable blends, bourbons and single malts, Barley’s pick of the bottles guaranteed to keep your dram-loving dad sipping in style – all of them just a click away!

Wonderful things are happening with whisky in New Zealand. Gordon Thomson on why a remarkable new Kiwi spirit is just the latest in a long line of understated cultural jewels to have come out of the country

When you crave simple hospitality and excellent whisky served by people who know their stuff, Scotland’s classic bars are hard to beat. By Gordon Thomson

As the curtain rises on Act II of The Macbeth Collection, Gordon Thomson talks to the team behind one of whisky’s most original and artistically ingenious series

On International Women’s Day, Martha Dalton, the CEO and co-founder of Never Say Die bourbon, shares her love of English single malts, Michael Sheen and the Sugababes

Neat, on the rocks, or in a killer cocktail. From basement speakeasies to opulent lounges, Barley’s guide to 10 bars in the capital where the bourbon drinking is beyond compare

The Canadian actor and guitar-mad musician tells Barley about his new whisky — and reveals what Picasso taught him about tasting notes and why he loves nothing more than drinking ‘Cutty Sark in dive bars’

The Heart Cut founder on the book she’s been inspired by, her favourite whisky bars in the world – and the Mexican taco joint that will knock your socks off

From Kentucky to Dublin, and Paris to Islay, there’s a host of great whisky shindigs happening this year. What are you waiting for? Here’s where to go and how to book