English Rules

The Whisky Game is an educational fun board game not only for whisky connoisseurs. Each player becomes one of the legendary whisky characters and travels across Scotland and Ireland to discover local distilleries and create their own collection of the best bottles. The way to victory, however, doesn't depend only on knowledge, but also on the chosen tactics, selected character and, of course, luck.

Notice: Playing this board game is certainly a social event, so it is nice to have a sip of delicious water of life with friends. However, The Whisky Game is definitely not a so-called drinking game. It does not require players to drink whisky at any stage of its tasks.

The following text has been revised to enhance its clarity and correct any errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Updated as of January 9th, 2023.

Choosing a character

Before the game begins, each player draws a character card from the deck. Each character has a special ability that accompanies the player throughout the game. If a player forgets to use their character's ability during their turn, they cannot apply it later on.

The character's special ability is indicated on the card. More detailed information can be found in the rules. The card also contains some brief information about the legendary character from the world of whisky.

Movement on the map

Players roll the dice to determine who will start. The highest roll begins, and then players rotate clockwise. The starting field is Edinburgh or Dublin (red fields - player can choose). Players roll the dice and move the map in any direction they want. If a six is rolled, the player rolls again. It is allowed for multiple players to stand on any field at the same time.

If a player goes to a specific field (distillery, lost distillery, harbor, airport, pub), he doesn't have to hit the field exactly, just roll the dice with a sufficient number to reach the goal. However, this rule does not apply to Special fields (players must always roll the exact amount to land on these fields).

The Resources field is specific - players receive tokens by both landing on the resource fields and passing through them (players draw one token from the token bag). There are 3 types of raw materials - barley, water and? Yes! Yeast, of course.

Fields

Ship transport

A player first has to reach the port field. The player then moves to the sea during their next turn. The figure moves again during the following turn. Once the player reaches the port, they play again immediately.

Air transport

In order to travel by plane, a player needs to possess a flight ticket which is available in the Special Cards deck. If a player has a flight ticket, they must take one turn to reach the airport field and give away their flight ticket (or keep it if it is a return ticket). The player moves to the destination airport during their next turn and plays immediately. The game board displays three airports: Glasgow, Dublin, and Aberdeen.

The Distillery field

When a player reaches a distillery field, they must select the question's difficulty level right away. If the player answers the question correctly, they get a Distillery/Bottle card depending on the difficulty:

• Easy = 1 point bottle
• Normal = 3 points bottle
• Hard = 5 points bottle

and can move again during their next turn. If the player does not answer the question correctly, they must try their luck at another distillery. It is not allowed to visit the same distillery consecutively, but a player can return to the previous one after visiting another.

Players can collect up to three bottles from each distillery, but once they have collected all three, no more bottles will be available at that distillery. Each player can only have one bottle from each distillery.

Resources field

On the map, you can find fields marked with a barrel icon. You don't need to hit these fields precisely. Every time you cross or land on a resource field, you will receive a raw material token. The game offers Barley, Water, and Yeast as resources.

The Lost Distillery field

Here, players have the option to acquire a Lost Distillery bottle card. To obtain it, they must trade 2x Barley, 2x Water, and 2x Yeast. The bottle contains a certain number of points, but the value of the card is kept secret from opponents.

The Pub field

Players have the option to exchange their resources at the pub, but the exchange is always in a 2:1 ratio in favor of the pub.

Special field

The map has special fields marked with the letter "S". Whenever a player lands on such a field, they need to draw a card from the Special Cards deck. These cards are not shown to the opponents. Players can use their special cards at any time during their turn, unless stated otherwise.

Cards

Character cards

• Alan Winchester – triple points for Glenlivet bottles
• Billy Leighton – double points for Midleton bottle
• Billy Walker – solving a question (throw 1 or 2): every time you visit a distillery and don't know the answer, you can pick the bottle if you throw 1 or 2
• David Stewart – see Billy Walker
• Gordon Motion – double points for Highland Park bottle
• Jim McEwan – change the question (throw an even number). You can change the question (of the same difficulty) only once per turn
• John Quinn – bonus move in Ireland (2x dice)
• Nick Savage – jump to Bladnoch distillery from Macallan
• Rachel Barrie – double points for GlenDronach bottle
• Richard Paterson – spill the whisky: choose an opponent and select one of their bottles to spill

+ EXTENDED game cards

• Friar John Cor – universal resources: each raw material can pay for another
• Jim Swan – bonus move in Scotland (2x dice)
• John Campbell – double points for Laphroaig bottle
• John Jameson – bonus move in Ireland (1x dice + 5)
• Stephanie Macleod – bonus move in Scotland (2x dice)

Special cards

• 50/50 cards – used as 50/50 hints (each question has 2 remaining possible answers). Can only be used once.
• Bottle cards (Arran, Ben Nevis 10, Flora&Fauna collection, Powers Pot Still, Teeling Pot Still, BenRiach) – extra points for the player
• Alwynne Gwilt / Becky Paskin / Dave Broom / Charles MacLean – assist players when visiting a distillery. Can only be used once.
• Birthday – the player must share a drink with friends (return one bottle to the deck)
• Faker – choose one of your opponent's bottles and declare it fake. Single-use only.
• Fèis Ìle – move immediately to any field on Islay
• Flight ticket – valid for one-way or return trips
• Hangover – dice rolls decreased by 2 until rolling a six
• Horse-drawn Carriage – adds 2 points to each roll. Discarded when leaving the country.
• Leaking Barrel – discard 5 resources
• Lost Distillery Enthusiast – reveal one opponent's Lost Distillery bottle. Single-use.
• Luck of the Irish – move 10 fields in your direction
• Prohibition – opponent must roll a six to cancel (3 tries per turn). Cannot enter distillery, lost distillery, or pub until lifted.
• Robbie MacPherson (Smuggler) – use when visiting a distillery. If correct, pick a bottle of same value from any distillery on the map.
• Spirit of Speyside – move immediately to any field in Speyside
• Truck – doubles each dice roll. Discarded when leaving the country.

+ EXTENDED Special cards

• Aeneas Coffey – double your resources at any time
• Angels – exchange opponent's 3 or 5-point bottle with a 1-point bottle of the same distillery
• Broken Cork – choose an opponent who must discard one bottle. Single-use.
• Bottle cards (Bunnahabhain 25, Craigellachie 31, Glenfarclas 105, Kilchoman 100% Islay, Royal Salute 21) – extra points
• Gordon & MacPhail – switch a 1-point bottle for a 3 or 5-point bottle from the same distillery
• Michael Jackson – see Alwynne Gwilt card info
• Nick Offerman – chosen opponent moves to Lagavulin and doesn't play for 2 rounds
• Shackleton's Whisky – get any available bottle from the Highlands region
• The Pattison's Crash – discard 2 bottles
• Warehouse Collapse – chosen opponent discards 6 random resources
• Whisky Show – skip 2 rounds due to the Whisky Show in London

Distillery/Bottle cards

Whenever a player wants to answer a question, it is read aloud by the opponent on their right hand so that the answering player cannot see the correct answer on the card.

The Lost Distillery cards

The value of the bottle from the lost distillery remains hidden from opponents until the end of the game.

Aim of the game

To win the game, a player has to collect at least one bottle from each of the 6 regions (Ireland, Lowlands & Campbeltown, Highlands, Islands, Islay, Speyside) and reach at least 25 points!

So, choose your tactic, draw your character and hit the road to the whisky adventure!

TIP: If age permits, we recommend playing the game with a glass of some good whisky. What whisky? The one you like.

„The passion. It's all about passion. People make this and they make that. But if it's not made with passion, then it's only a mere shadow of what it could be."