World Whisky Day returns on Saturday May 20 but really, it’s only right that we devote the whole month to our favourite spirit. Throughout May, Melbourne’s best whisky spots and cocktail bars are paying their respects to whisky by combining tradition and invention in equal measure. Here are our picks for the month.

Jackalope and Fable

Whether you’re escaping to Mornington wine country at the lavish Jackalope or sipping among the clouds at 13th-floor cocktail bar Fable, Glenfiddich has lined up something pretty special. Head along to either venue to catch the results of the whisky brand’s collaboration with artist and fashion designer Jordan Gogos of Iordanes Spyridon Gogos. Both Fable and Jackalope will have their own twist on Glenfiddich’s Green Apple Spritz, garnished with Gogos’s distinctive Trojan Horse design. You’ll also get a QR code so you can learn to make the refreshing drink yourself.

Eau De Vie

Eau De Vie is one of those special bars that does everything and does it well, from its vast whisky selection and world-class cocktail program to the Spanish-influenced kitchen. For this World Whisky Day collab, Eau De Vie is linking up with the Balvenie for a pairing that is yet another detour: single malt whisky and doughnuts. Beverage manager Kayla Reid has been onboarded to create the Gloaming Hunt, made from Balvenie 12 DoubleWood, macadamia and wattleseed liquer, Becherovka, mango verjus, absinthe and burnt thyme. The doughnuts have been selected by the bartenders, coming from their favourite spots around Melbourne, and will change over the month.

Whisky and Alement

Melbourne is spoiled for whisky bars but it’s the combination of in-house expertise and a titanic selection of malts that puts Whisky and Alement in a category of its own. While the house whisky list is an eye-watering compendium of hundreds of rare and classic single malts, Whisky and Alement has gone a more approachable and contemporary route this World Whisky Day. For the month, the team is offering up the Orchard Spritz, an easy going Glenfiddich-based cocktail that should suit whisky drinkers of every level of experience.

Beneath Driver Lane

The magic of Beneath Driver Lane begins long before you even walk through the door. Detour off Little Bourke Street to find the lane that gives the cocktail bar its name before descending into the vault of the former Money Order Office. Once inside the low-lit space, you’ll find technical cocktails and an extensive selection of single malt whiskies. Grab yourself a dram in the private whisky-tasting cellar or toast World Whisky Day with the bar’s one-off cocktail, which highlights the newly released Glenfiddich 14 Bourbon Barrel Reserve.

Caretaker’s Cottage

The tiny cottage with the big reputation, Caretaker's Cottage is an idiosyncratic spot for some of Melbourne’s best cocktails. Fresh from being named the 60th best cocktail bar in the world, Caretaker’s Cottage is doubling down this World Whisky Day with an extravagant ode to Scotch whisky – taking a 25-year-old Balvenie single malt as its base, to mark the occasion.

Watch: How To Make Eau De Vie's Malthouse Maiden Whisky Sour
Fig and maple syrup, egg white, a few drops of citrus and a red wine float might be the eye-catching components of this twist on a whisky sour. But at it's heart lies a big single malt with honeyed, sherry-inspired notes. Kayla Reid from Melbourne’s Eau De Vie shows us how to make it at home – and a tip on getting the timing just right.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Glenfiddich.