Beyond Scotland: Hot Climate Whiskies to Know

My piece for Eater on the hot climate whiskies to try: 

Wine aficionados have long debated hot climate versus cold climate wines. And this same dispute is emerging in the whisky world as distilleries from warmer zones like Australia, India, Taiwan and South Africa continue to rack up awards, challenging the old guard of the whisky world. Most of these new producers are mirroring Scotland, with a focus on malted barley as a primary grain. But bottles made in warmer weather take on specific terroir that yields unique flavors. Hot climate whiskies, often aged in previously used oak—as is true for scotch—display richer oaky notes (caramel, vanilla, spicy), but are not as flavor-forward as bourbons, which rest in new oak.