From Scotch and bourbon to Irish and rye, we've got an affordable bottle for your holiday soirée. Plus:

• Meet Brian Cook: The WellSaid CEO who swears by office culture, Clayton Christensen books and Brian Eno’s deck of cards.
• From Hoops HQ: We sat down with Marquette coach Shaka Smart.

5 Whiskies Under $50 to Bring to Your Holiday Gathering

The holidays, as you are likely aware, can be costly. One place you can save, while in no way skimping on quality, is your choice of whisk(e)y for a holiday party. We’ve chosen five bottles, all under (or, depending on where you’re shopping, around) $50, that we would be proud to bring to any gathering at any time of year. From Scotch and bourbon to Irish and rye…whatever your preference, we’ve got you covered.

To Run a Cutting-Edge AI Company, Brian Cook Goes Racing on Weekends

This is How I Work, a series where founders, CEOs and leaders share the essentials that help them do what they do, from their morning routines to productivity tools. 

The beginning of Brian Cook’s career as an entrepreneur will sound familiar: 80-hour work weeks, no time off on the weekend, productivity taking precedence over personal relationships. That’s the playbook that’s been pitched to business upstarts for the last few decades, and in some respects it’s worked beautifully for Cook. At 58 years old, he’s founded and sold a number of companies, including workflow software firm Nintex and employee directory app Hyperfish.

These days, he’s now shepherding a new firm from its explosive startup phase into its foundational phase, and we bet you can guess the tech they’re working on.

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