The best value for money Scotch whiskies
Consumers are truly spoilt for choice when it comes to the multifarious Scotch whisky category – so which drams offer the best value?
This is our roundup of the top 10 best value for money Scotch whiskies of 2016The Spirits Business held its annual Scotch Whisky Masters last month, where an experienced panel of judges recognised the best bottlings in the business.
Looking across multiple categories, from single grain to blended malts and regional single malts, a wide range of Scotch whiskies were awarded the top accolades of Master and Gold medals for their quality.
The individual scores of each entrant have not been revealed, however these are 10 of the highest rated medalists in the competition, in no particular order.
While some expressions are not standard priced, our judges have given each Scotch whisky listed here the seal of approval for offering excellent quality within their respective price categories.
Click through to the following pages to view the top 10 best value for money Scotch whiskies of 2016.
Girvan 52 Year Old – Batch 1 (That Boutique-y Whisky Company)
Price: £247.95
Part of That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s inaugural age-statement range – which was motivated by Compass Box’s recent Scotch Whisky Transparency Campaign – single grain whisky Girvan 52 Year Old – Batch 1 was one of the first Master medallists of the blind tasting competition, and for some judges, the best expression of the day. Part of a release of just 114 bottles, the expression was said to be “refined but eccentric”, and “a lot fresher and brighter than you’d expect for its age”.
Craigellachie 23 Year Old
Price: £360
Part of John Dewar & Sons’ “Last of the Great Malts” series – and the oldest in the range of Craigellachie single malts – this 23-year-old expression is a detour from the robust, meaty drams usually associated with the distillery; instead offering notes of apple pie on the nose, and heather and honey on the palate.
Monkey Shoulder
Price: around £25
A mix of three different single malts – Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Kininvie – this William Grant & Sons-owned brand was deemed “exceptional” and “very expressive on the palate” by our esteemed judging panel. Monkey Shoulder was launched more than 10 years ago with the intention of “demystifying malt whisky”, and continues to draw new consumers into the category with its playful, accessible personality.
Bunnahabhain Toiteach
Price: £60
Described as “playful with a peaty palate”, this whisky certainly lives up to its name – Toiteach (pronounced toch-chach) is Gaelic for ‘smoky’. Usually producing gentler, fruitier Islay whisky; Toiteach is Bunnahabhain’s first heavily peated single malt, and it certainly didn’t disappoint our tasting panel, attracting a Master medal.
The Lost Distillery Company Classic Selection ‘Lossit’
Price: £38
This no-age-statement blended malt is intended to be a modern interpretation of the style of whisky once created at the lost Lossit Distillery on Islay which closed in 1867. A “fresh and vibrant” offering, this expression was commended for its “sweet, clean” palate and notes of peat, almonds, pears and pepper.
The Glenlivet Nadurra Oloroso
Price: around £45
Launched in April 2014, Oloroso was the first permanent brand extension in The Glenlivet’s Nadurra range, and also the brand’s “first whisky in living memory” exclusively matured in Sherry casks. At our Scotch Whisky Masters this no-age-statement Speyside whisky was described as “light, delicate, and classy” with “vanilla and soft floral notes” along with honeysuckle, green apple and honey.
Royal Brackla 12 Year Old
Price: around £41
Last September, John Dewar & Sons launched a new range of single malt bottlings from the Royal Brackla distillery as part of Bacardi’s “Last of the Great Malt” series – one of which was “deliciously malty and complex” Master medallist, Royal Brackla 12 Year Old. Established in 1812, Royal Brackla, based in the Cawdor Estate, became the first Scotch to receive a royal warrant.
House of Hazelwood 18 Year Old
Price: £50
The House of Hazelwood range was first unveiled at the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference in Cannes last year, and was created in homage to the vibrant life of William Grant’s granddaughter, Janet Sheed Roberts. The brand is named in recognition of her lifetime residence at Hazelwood House, which lies close to the Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown, Scotland. House of Hazelwood 18 Year Old is inspired by “the elegance of Paris in the 1920s” and is the “purest” expression of Kininvie and Girvan spirits in the range, married in tuns of Portuguese oak.
Label 5 18 Year Old
Price: around £85
Our panel were impressed by the “very complex, long” Label 5 18 Year Old, which was launched back in 2013 as a response to consumers’ “thirst for premium spirits”. Matured in oakwood casks, judges found the expression “intriguing and nicely textured” with notes of fruit, wood and smoke. The Label 5 brand recently launched a global ‘Whisky Confidential’ campaign to encourage consumers to try whisky cocktails.
Ardbeg Dark Cove
Price: £95
Dark Cove was developed as the 2016 release for Ardbeg distillery’s annual Ardbeg Day, which this year was held on the night of 28 May as part of the Islay Festival of Malt and Music. Made from liquid matured in Sherry casks, married together with “hallmark” ex-Bourbon cask Ardbeg, Dark Cove recalls how early distillers would smuggle whisky from Ardbeg Cove into black-painted ships. The release is no-age-statement, non-chill-filtered, and limited edition.
