The best whisky in the world is... not from Scotland?!

When a publication is called Jim Murray's Whisky Bible, you can assume a) some seriously dogmatic stuff lies within, and b) Jim Murray probably knows a lot about whisky. And you'd be right on both counts. But it should come as a surprise to the whisky status quo to learn that, this year, Mr. Murray -- one of the world's foremost experts on the stuff -- has awarded the title of world's best whisky to... something other than a Scotch?!

Yup. The esteemed Mr. Murray and his team of whisky brains exhaustively tasted over 4,500 whiskies to determine that Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 is the best on Earth. This marks the first time a Japanese whisky has taken top honors, and the first time in the review's 12-year history that not a single whisky ranked in the top five was produced in Scotland. Sorry, William Wallace.

The Yamazaki was given a 97.5 out of 100 in the Bible, with the title of best European whisky going to the English Whisky Company's Chapter 14 Not Peated. C'mon, whisky experts -- give peat a chance!

Adam Lapetina is a Food/Drink staff writer, and an Islay will do for him nine times out of ten. Read his musings at @adamlapetina.