The Singleton: setting the pace for a new generation of Scotch drinkers
Diageo’s The Singleton might not shout the loudest but it is quietly playing a crucial role in the Scotch whisky category’s future direction.
Walk through the heart of Speyside and you’ll find Dufftown, a place whisky lovers call ‘the capital of malt’. Seven working distilleries are dotted throughout its streets, each adding to a hum of copper stills and sweet, cereal-tinged air. Nestled here is one of the biggest of them all – The Singleton of Dufftown – a name that, until recently, rarely shouted the loudest, but now finds itself shaping the narrative of what Scotch whisky can, and should be in today’s world.
The timing couldn’t be better. Market data indicates a significant increase in whisky consumption among younger adults: a 2022 YouGov poll revealed whisky drinking among 18 to 25-year-olds had risen by 25% in just a year. Meanwhile, research has shown nearly half of all whisky drinkers are now between 24 and 44, according to Distill Ventures’ 2020 The New World of New World Whisky report. This demographic shift highlights Scotch whisky’s growing relevance among Millennial and Gen Z audiences, who are discovering the spirit through social media, and lifestyle-led experiences rather than the more traditional routes of heritage and ritual. This creates a gateway for new consumers to explore the category in more depth.
Scotch whisky is a valuable internationally traded spirit, exported to 174 countries. In 2024 alone, the industry shipped 1.4 billion bottles – the equivalent of 44 every second. Yet the numbers tell a more nuanced story: while overall export value dipped by 3.7% to £5.4 billion (US$.6.7bn), volumes actually grew by 3.9%. More Scotch is being enjoyed, but at a lower average price. For some producers, this has been a wake-up call. For The Singleton, it has been an award-winning opportunity.
A brand built on accessibility
The Singleton has always stood apart in the way it frames its whisky. The brand has focused on texture and flavour, creating approachable, smooth, fruit-driven drams that welcome new drinkers without alienating the connoisseur.
The Singleton Glen Ord 12 Years Old embodies this ethos perfectly and recently won a Gold medal in the Scotch whisky segment of The Global Spirits Masters Competitions. The whisky was praised by the judges for its balance and distinction, with “milk chocolate and raisin on the nose, with a palate showing coffee, dark chocolate and red fruits”. A benchmark malt for the brand, it is becoming an entry point into single malt Scotch for a new generation of drinkers – especially in Asia, where Glen Ord enjoys a particularly strong following.
What The Singleton does so well is balance heritage with innovation. Its core expressions provide consistency and a clear ladder of discovery. Yet the brand has also proven adept at keeping things fresh.
Take The Singleton Warm Reunion 16 Years Old, a recent release that exemplifies the brand’s storytelling power. The independent judges at The Scotch Whisky Masters awarded the expression a top Master medal and commented on its “rich and fruity nose of raisins, caramelised apple, buttery pastry and a floral lift. The palate is round with dried currants, baking spices and tarte tatin, finishing dry yet moreish.”
Distilleries as destinations
If Scotch whisky is to thrive, it must capture imaginations as much as palates. Th Singleton has leaned into this truth by turning its distilleries into destinations. Distillery visitor centres have, in fact, overtaken castles and galleries as must-see stops in Scotland, generating £85 million (US$111.7m) in spend in 2022 and pushing per-head visitor spend up by nearly 9% (Scotch Whisky Association).
With 123 distilleries now open to the public, the category has become a cultural pilgrimage in its own right, attracting 1.7m visits in a single year (up by 8% in the decade since 2015). That appetite for immersive brand experiences feeds directly back into Scotch whisky’s wider economic clout: contributing more than £5.3bn (US$6.96bn) in GVA (gross value added) to the UK economy, three-quarters of it rooted in Scotland, and sustaining more than 41,000 jobs.
At Glen Ord, also owned by Diageo, the distillery has built a flagship visitor experience that pairs immersive storytelling with hands-on discovery, from cask-strength tastings to food-pairing menus that showcase whisky’s versatility.
Sustainability in focus
At a time when consumers and buyers are scrutinising every brand’s footprint, The Singleton has doubled down on its work on water stewardship, energy efficiency, and wood sourcing. Diageo’s Glendullan is setting the pace on Scotch sustainability with its anaerobic digestion plant, developed with Clearfleau.
By converting pot ale and spent lees into biogas, the site has cut fossil fuel use by 25% and trimmed 1,000 tonnes of CO2 annually. A pipeline linking Mortlach and Dufftown consolidates waste streams, removing more than 15 daily truck journeys, while nutrient-rich by-products go back to local farms as fertiliser. With wastewater treatment reducing COD (chemical oxygen demand) by 95% before returning to the River Fiddich, Glendullan’s efforts align with Diageo’s ‘Spirit of Progress’ goals for water and carbon efficiency.
Glendullan proves sustainability credentials also create award-winning liquids. The brand’s 15-year-old was described as “a solid whisky with an inviting and fairly classic aroma, with caramel sweetness coming through on the palate”. Meanwhile, the 18-year-old was found to be “a classic example done well. Light sweet spice on the nose and dark chocolate on the palate, leading to a long finish.” Both whiskies came away with Gold medals at The Scotch Whisky Masters 2025.
The global picture
Of course, no brand operates in a vacuum. The wider Scotch category is under pressure. The US, still the single biggest export market for Scotch by value, softened slightly in 2024, down by 0.7% to £971m (US$1.2bn), with looming tariff uncertainty. France and China both saw double-digit declines, the latter falling by more than 30%.
But elsewhere, momentum is building. India surged by 13.8% to £248m (US$312m), with Turkey, Poland, and other emerging markets showing strong appetites. The Singleton has been well placed to capitalise on this demand. Its approachable style translates well in markets where Scotch is still building its consumer base and tastes, while its prestige age statements and limited bottlings hold their own in established whisky cultures. In short, it’s a brand with strong international appeal.
What The Singleton demonstrates most clearly is that Scotch whisky’s growth story isn’t over; it’s simply evolving. For distributors, The Singleton offers stability. For retailers, it offers a range that sells through. For bartenders, it offers versatility behind the stick. And for consumers, it offers whisky that invites discovery rather than intimidation.
In a category often dominated by louder names, The Singleton has built its reputation more quietly, but always with sustainability in mind. And in Dufftown, where the air still carries the sweet scent of malt, The Singleton is proving that sometimes the quietest distilleries are making the biggest impact.
Related news
US tariffs cost Scotch whisky £20m a month
