[1] Shanken's roster of lifestyle publications includes Wine Spectator, Cigar Aficionado and Whisky Advocate.

Shanken started his career in real estate and investment banking, then moved into publishing in 1973, purchasing Impact, a small wine and spirits industry newsletter, before expanding to other trade publications including Market Watch, Shanken News Daily and Impact Newsletter.

[6] For Cigar Aficionado, Shanken has interviewed leaders, artists and celebrities—many of whom are famously elusive—such as Fidel Castro (1994), Francis Ford Coppola (2003), General Tommy Franks (2003), Arnon Milchan (2008), Michael Jordan (2005, 2017), Robert De Niro (2015), Alex Rodriguez (2018), Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (2020), Mark Wahlberg (2023) , Arnold Schwarzenegger (2023) and Bret Baier (2024).

Shanken revealed to GQ details behind his two Cigar Aficionado cover story interviews with Jordan, who rarely talks to the press.

Shanken was one of the first magazine publishers to host reader-focused events, with the launches of the New York Wine Experience in 1981, WhiskyFest in 1998 and the Big Smoke in 1993.

[12] The annual Impact Marketing Seminar for wine and spirits industry leaders from around the world began in 1977 and has featured renowned speakers such as Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Henry Kissinger, Dick Cheney, Rudy Giuliani, Michael Milken, Ron DeSantis, Michael Strahan, Bret Baier, Abba Eban, Madeleine Albright, John R. Bolton, Newt Gingrich, Tommy Franks, Helmut Schmidt and Walter Cronkite.

[17] In 2020, the Foundation contributed $250,000 to World Central Kitchen, the charitable organization led by chef Jose Andres.

[18] In addition, the Foundation donated $3 million to Sonoma State University's Wine Spectator Learning Center, which opened its doors in 2018.

With a global mission to transform the lives of people with autism and those who care for them through lifetime services and collaborative partnerships, the Foundation built and runs a school for 300 boys and girls on an expansive 26-acre campus in Jupiter, Florida.

[21] In 2024, Shanken spoke to Golfweek about the foundation, his involvement and the story behind the founding of the annual Els for Autism Pro-Am.