Suck It, Scotland: World's Best Whiskey Is From Japan

Each time a new edition of the World Whisky Bible comes out, you can expect to see a Scottish distillery at the top—but the 2015 version is full of firsts. A Japanese whiskey has stolen the No. 1 rank for the first time, while no Scottish whisky even made it into the top five, the Independent reports, noting that "to add insult to injury," Europe's best whiskey hailed from ... well, England.

Japan's Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 shows "near incredible genius," says expert Jim Murray, adding that it's "a single malt which no Scotch can at the moment get anywhere near." Murray, who sampled some 1,000 whiskies, says this should be a "wake-up call" for Scotland. The US, meanwhile, boasts the runner-up position, the Whisky Exchange reports: William Larue Weller Bourbon, from Kentucky, took the No. 2 spot. (More Scotland stories.)