Visiting the Art of Drinks 2026

A wonderful day of whisky, spirits, sparkling wines and familiar faces in Amsterdam

For years the Art of Drinks (AoD) has been a fixture on my calendar. From the year it started it has become one of the Netherlands' biggest drinks festival held in Amsterdam. The Art of Drinks was originally established by Mr Cocktail himself Albert van Beeck Calkoen and Luuk Olde Monnikhof from De Monnik Dranken, the Dutch drinks importer and distributor based in Oldenzaal.

The first edition took place at the Gashouder and Transformatorhuis in Amsterdam's Westergas complex, featuring more than 70 brands all the way back in 2021. Unlike so many other festival that cater almost exclusively to whisky brands, the Art of Drinks prefers to focus their attention on the broader drinks industry together.

This year, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend once again, and I brought two of my favourite friends with me, Gandor and Nils. Gandor knows his way around the spirits industry, while for Nils, the festival was a refreshing change of scenery. I was so pleased that I could take them around the event and introduce them to some of my favourite people and brands.

A special thank you to De Monnik Dranken for inviting me once again this year!

What was on the menu?

There is no way I could possibly do justice to all the 110-plus brands represented at the event, but I can certainly give you a sample of what we encountered, what we liked, what we loved and what we might need to love a little more!

After collecting our wristbands, we were ready to explore. And what better way to start the day than with a little whisky?

A peaty start with Douglas Laing

Our first stop was the Douglas Laing stand, where we ran into Valentijn, Cara Laing and, of course, Dougal. Between the three of them, they represent the perfect blend of personalities behind the Douglas Laing brand.

I had the opportunity to try a seven-year-old Old Particular Ardmore single malt Scotch whisky, distilled in 2018 and bottled in 2026. This particular expression had received a Jamaican rum cask finish and, according to the label, had aged for seven glorious years. At 48.4% ABV, it was a wonderfully delicious whisky and a fantastic way to start the day. It offered some lovely sweet peat, plenty of tropical fruits and that typical rum influence coming through beautifully.

It was also great to see Gandor enjoying our first whisky of the day. One of the joys of visiting a festival with friends is sharing the experience, comparing impressions and seeing what catches everyone's attention. And we were only just getting started!

Edinburgh Gin, Glencadam and Tomintoul

Next, we made our way to one of my absolute favourite stands: Edinburgh Gin.

Phil, as always, entertained us with wonderful stories and great drinks. This time, I tried their Christmas Gin, which was, of course, delicious. We enjoyed it in a cocktail, and it was a lovely little change of pace after our first whisky.

From there, we wandered over to Glencadam and Tomintoul, where Gabby treated us to some lovely whiskies and even better stories. One of the things I particularly enjoy about these festivals is catching up with the people behind the brands. Over the years, familiar faces become friends, and there is always something new to talk about, discover or taste.

By this point, we had already run into so many people that it would be impossible to mention them all. And with several tastings behind us, it was time for a little lunch!

A taste of Rotterdam with Cley Distillery

After lunch and a little more wandering around, we ended up at Cley Distillery, the Rotterdam-based distillery producing Dutch whisky. We were offered two different expressions to try, including their original whisky, which turned out to be a great success.

I always enjoy seeing what Dutch distilleries are doing. There is so much more to the whisky world than Scotland, and it's wonderful to see local producers making their mark.

Glen Scotia, Loch Lomond and a very special 31-year-old

Our next stop took us to Glen Scotia and Loch Lomond, where Alan Reid, as always, took us under his wing and walked us through some of the best that Glen Scotia has to offer. I was particularly keen to try the latest release in the Icons of Campbeltown series, a 12-year-old single malt Scotch whisky. This fourth release featured an unpeated expression with a Vin Santo wine cask finish.

It was absolutely delicious.

The packaging featured a griffin this time, continuing the series' wonderful focus on the legendary creatures associated with Scotland's nature, heritage and folklore. I love how these releases combine great whisky with beautiful storytelling. But Alan wasn't finished with us just yet.

He took us on a little adventure towards the VIP section, where we had the honour of trying something truly special: a 31-year-old Loch Lomond from the Waypoint Series, finished in tawny port casks.

First of all, the packaging was magnificent. Designed in the shape of a column still, it was a beautiful tribute to Loch Lomond's unique distilling heritage.

Tony, who was manning the stand this year, then took us on a wonderful journey through the whisky, explaining how it was made, what made it special and what there was to discover in the glass.

It was one of those moments when you appreciate just how much history, craftsmanship and passion can go into a single dram.

While exploring the VIP section, I also spotted a rather stunning single cask Glengoyne. Unfortunately, there wasn't much time to linger, because Alan had something else he really wanted us to try.

And that brought us to New York.

Jaywalk Rye: a little taste of Brooklyn

Our next adventure was with Jaywalk Rye Whiskey, a New York rye whiskey inspired by the spirit of Brooklyn. There were three expressions available for us to try: the Small Batch, the Bonded and the Heirloom.

Each brought something different to the table, but for me, the Bonded was definitely the winner of the three.I couldn't help imagining how wonderful it would taste in a beautifully made Manhattan cocktail. That wonderful rye character just seems made for it. It's always fun to discover something a little different, particularly at a festival where Scotch whisky can so easily dominate my attention.

A surprise visit to Titanic Distillers

As we continued wandering around the festival, my friend Tim called us over. Apparently, there was something special we absolutely needed to try. Who were we to argue?

We were invited to taste Titanic Distillers Irish Whiskey, where we were introduced to two of their premium Irish whiskies: the 0008 and the 0005. The 0008 is an eight-year-old single malt Irish whiskey, while the 0005 is a five-year-old pot still Irish whiskey. Although the 0008 had a few more years behind it, I personally preferred the 0005. It offered considerably more flavour and had a character that I found particularly interesting and distinctive.

It was a lovely reminder that older doesn't necessarily mean better. Sometimes, the whisky that surprises you the most is the one you end up enjoying the most.

The Glenturret: always a pleasure

Eventually, we managed to make our way over to The Glenturret, a distillery that has become a firm favourite of mine over the years. I already have quite a few Glenturret whiskies at home, so I was particularly keen to try something new.

Last year, I had the wonderful opportunity to taste one of their special Jaguar E-Type collaboration releases. This year, I was offered something equally exciting: the 20-year-old Glenturret 2026 release.

With only 1,700 bottles released, this was already a special dram, but there was an additional treat: the sample was poured from bottle number one!

The Glenturret is one of those distilleries that rarely disappoints me. If someone wants to pour me a Glenturret, I am certainly not going to complain!

Elixir d'Anvers: herbs, espresso and a little too much energy

After all those wonderful whiskies, it was time for something completely different.

We made our way over to Elixir d'Anvers, where Thalys introduced us to several of their beautiful herbal liqueurs.

I have always found traditional herbal spirits fascinating. They carry so much history, and their recipes often represent generations of craftsmanship and tradition. Thalys walked us through several expressions before introducing me to something that really caught my attention: Elixir d'Anvers Espresso.

Now, I should probably mention that I don't drink much caffeine these days.

So, naturally, after trying the espresso liqueur, I was practically bouncing around the festival!

As if that wasn't enough, Thalys also treated me to a wonderful Espresso Martini made with the very same liqueur. It was absolutely delicious, and I had a fantastic time chatting with him and discovering these different drinks.Whether the caffeine was entirely responsible for my renewed enthusiasm at that point in the evening remains open to debate.

One final sparkling detour to Luxembourg

By this point, we had pretty much reached the end of our festival adventure.

We made one final round to say goodbye to some of the wonderful people we had encountered throughout the day, but apparently, we weren't quite ready to leave.

There was still time for one last stop.

And what better way to finish than with a little sparkling detour to Luxembourg?

Bernard-Massard has long been one of my favourite sparkling wine producers, and I was delighted to find their stand once again. As one of Luxembourg's leading producers of sparkling wine, Bernard-Massard specialises in wines made using the traditional method.

Several years ago, I had the pleasure of spending a wonderful afternoon at their cellars in Luxembourg, and I have been rather fond of their wines ever since. In fact, I recognised several of the labels on display, having enjoyed quite a few of their bottles at home over the years. This time, however, there was one particular expression that stood out.

My personal winner of the evening was the Bernard-Massard Millésime 2021 Brut, Crémant de Luxembourg. It was a wonderful way to finish a day filled with excellent drinks, great conversations and some truly memorable tastings.

Until next year!

And with that, our Art of Drinks adventure finally came to an end.

Well, almost.

After a full day of tasting our way through whisky, gin, liqueurs and sparkling wines, the three of us finished the evening at a lovely Italian restaurant, enjoying some well-deserved pizzas.

Looking back, what made this year's Art of Drinks so enjoyable wasn't just the impressive selection of brands or the wonderful drinks we tasted. It was the people.

The familiar faces, the unexpected encounters, the passionate brand ambassadors and, of course, the pleasure of sharing a little piece of my world with Gandor and Nils.

So, once again, a huge thank you to De Monnik Dranken for the invitation, to everyone who took the time to share their stories and pour us something special, and to all the wonderful people I had the pleasure of seeing again.

I already can't wait for next year.