Finding a great bottle of Scotch whisky between $100 and $125 is no great task. There’s a lot of it out there. And, in reality, scotch at this price point isn’t all that rare. Yet even in the comparatively high-priced Scotch market, paying up to $125 feels like a lot for any bottle.
Certainly, it’s still a far cry from the prime 20-year-old single malts, rare releases, and unicorns, when we’re looking at scotch by price. Scotch is simply more expensive than, say, bourbon, for a long list of reasons, but mostly because it has to come from further away, costs more to make, and only a (relatively) small portion of it actually makes it to the U.S.
For this list of 10 Scotch whiskies, I pulled from my own tasting notes, then ranked these bottles according to which ones I think you should buy or try. We’re talking about some pretty stellar bottles all the way through here, so that ranking is very close, especially in the top five. I also tried to include a good mix of peated and unpeated malts to give you a chance to find something that speaks to your palate.
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10. Dewar’s Double Double 27
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $120 (half bottle)
The Whisky:
Master blender Stephanie Macleod created another masterpiece through this “Double Double” four-step aging process. Step one: aging single malt and single grain whiskies for 27 long years. The malts are then blended, the grains are blended, and they both rest again. Next, all of that is blended together in a vat and rested. Finally, the juice is finished in ex-Palo Cortado sherry casks.
Tasting Notes:
You can really tell this has an Aberfeldy backbone with a floral honeyed nose that imbues summer breezes full of fragrant flowers. That floral honey leads to an almost lemon-honey vibe with hints of cinnamon and cedar next to light pear tobacco and dry grass. The end turns into pure silk as the florals, honey, pear, and spice slowly massage your tongue as it fades away.
Bottom Line:
This is a velvety sip of blended whisky. It feels like a world-class single malt that just so happens to be a blend, which is a pretty good magic trick. Still, this is a half-bottle, and that kind of sticks in my craw, hence it ranking last on this list.
9. Glenmorangie 18
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $125
The Whisky:
Glenmorangie has a wide range of whiskies to choose from. The juice in this bottle is aged for 15 years in ex-bourbon casks. Then a portion of those casks is re-barreled into sherry casks for three years. That whisky is then batched back with the rest of the bourbon barrels to create this release.
Tasting Notes:
Honey dominates the nose with mixed nut and dried fruits, kind of like a homemade trail mix without the M&Ms. The taste holds onto those rich honey notes and adds in a late-fall sense of wet, falling leaves with a soft nuttiness and almost savory fruitiness (not quite a squash but not as sweet as a fig either). A very, very small whisper of cherry or applewood smoke arrives to usher in a slow finish of salted caramel, more of that bespoke trail mix, and a final note of sherried malt.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those sippers that’s almost too easy. My main gripe with this is that the ABVs are a little low for any “wow” factor. That said, this is an easy-sipper with real depth, especially if you’re looking for a great cocktail base or a fruity/sweet sipper on the rocks.
8. Auchentoshan Three Wood
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $100
The Whisky:
Auchentoshan is a great example of a Lowland malt that harkens back to the old days of varied oak aging. In this case, the triple-distilled whisky is aged in ex-bourbon oak for around 12 years and then is finished in Olorosso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a fruitiness on the nose that speaks to blue and blackberries with slight tartness next to orange oils and a hint of prune. The taste has a toffee-covered-in-almond vibe, next to more of that dark fruit with an almost maple syrup spiked with woody cinnamon sticks vibe (hello, bourbon barrel). The end is surprisingly light, a little woody, and full of plenty of those berries as it slowly fades out.
Bottom Line:
If you’re looking for something that’s sweet, fruity, and just a tad woody, this is the play. Again, this might feel a little thinner thanks to those low ABVs, but there is real depth at play that’s very accessible for the same reason.
7. Compass Box Hedonism
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $106
The Whisky:
Compass Box is one of the best blenderies operating today. The London-based shingle created their Hedonism expression as a bit of an outlier. The juice is 100 percent grain whisky from North British Distillery and Cameronbridge Distillery, with a focus on first-fill bourbon barrels and re-charred American oak. Those barrels are married into this masterful blend. It’s then proofed down to a very accessible 86 proof and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a clear sense of bourbon vanilla and caramel that draws you in (especially if you’re a bourbon drinker). The taste holds onto those notes while adding in soft orchard fruits and a buttery, rich toffee silkiness and sweetness. The end smooths out the vanilla into a pudding, with a mild spiciness next to a final note of salted caramels covered in toasted coconut surfacing on the slow finish.
Bottom Line:
This is very much the bourbon drinker’s scotch. Pour this over some rocks and you’ll be in good hands with this blend of grain whiskies.
6. Glenfiddich 18
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $125
The Whisky:
Glenfiddich tends to wow, even in their entry point expressions. Their 18-year-old is aged in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks for 18 long years. The whisky is then married and brought all the way down to 80 proof with Speyside water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a real journey just on the nose from the apple orchard to a stewing pot with tart apples and spices to a buttery-crusted apple pie with spices, nuts, and vanilla. That fruit holds on as cedar arrives with notes of salted caramel wax paper wrappers, mild malts, and sweet dates with a hint of nuttiness. In the end, it all combines towards a hybrid sticky toffee pudding/Christmas cake vibe of dried fruits, spices, malts, and cedar as it slowly fades away.
Bottom Line:
This does not feel like it’s only 80 proof. The whisky is well layered with real depth and that shines through in every sip. I dig this on the rocks (or in a cocktail) but it works perfectly well as a neat pour with a drop or two of water to let it bloom in the glass.
5. Aberfeldy 16
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $119
The Whisky:
Aberfeldy is at the heart of Dewar’s blend. The juice here is a classic Highland whisky aged in American oak and finished in sherry casks. That whisky is then cut down to proof with water from Pitilie Burn, a bubbling stream with gold deposits next to the distillery.
Tasting Notes:
Aberfeldy is renowned for its honeyed nature and this shines through on the nose with hints of clove-studded oranges and a touch of that sherried wood. The palate holds onto the wet sherry wood while going full holiday cake with spices, nuts, dried and candied fruits, and a sweet maltiness. The end reveals a mild note of bitter dark chocolate next to the honey and spices as it fades fairly quickly.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those bottles that are just good. It’s fruity, spicy, nutty, and comforting. It’s also not overly challenging. You’ll let out a sigh when you take a sip and you’ll feel the relaxation spread throughout your body. Sometimes that’s enough.
4. Aberlour 16
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $109
The Whisky:
This small Speyside distillery has been producing quality whisky for over 200 years. This expression is aged 16 years in both ex-bourbon and ex-Olorosso sherry casks. It’s then married and proofed with soft Speyside water from the Highlands and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a matrix of dried dark fruits next to powdery dark spices with hints of walnuts and dried florals that draw you in on the nose. The taste delivers on those notes while adding a deep plummy jam cut with clove and slightly sweet wood. The end really holds onto that jammy fruit and spice as it slowly fades across your senses, leaving a velvet texture in your mouth.
Bottom Line:
This is another bottle that has a shockingly low ABV for all the depth involved. That jammy, spiced fruit is so well layered into the malty whisky that it’s hard not to fall in love with, especially if you’re looking for a great sweet Scotch whisky. This also works as an amazing Manhattan or old fashioned base.
3. Loch Lomond 18
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $104
The Whisky:
Loch Lomond is renowned for making both malt and grain whiskies, both peated and unpeated, and winning tons of awards for it. This expression was the creation of Loch Lomond’s Master Cooper, Tommy Wallace, who hand selected the barrels to be vatted and proofed with Highland water.
Tasting Notes:
The oak comes through on the nose but is tied to applewood that’s been dipped in fresh and floral honey to the point that it feels like a honeycomb rolled in heather petals. The palate delivers on that while adding in an almost savory gooseberry next to grapefruit oils and an old cedar box full of berry-laced tobacco. That berry tobacco note leads to a nutty flourish near the end that then gives way to a hint of Band-Aid and clove as the peat just sneaks in on the finish.
The Bottom Line:
This is a lovely whisky with wonderful nuance. It also feels like a great bridge between the sweeter and fruitier unpeated whiskies and the lightly-peated ones. Nothing overpowers here, it’s all in balance. Just make sure to add a little water to open this one up on the nose and palate.
2. Highland Park 15 Year Viking Heart
ABV: 44%
Average Price: $110
The Whisky:
Highland Park’s Master Whisky Maker Gordon Motion hand picked sherry seasoned American oak barrels of single malt to create this new expression. The whisky is then decanted/bottled in a throwback ceramic bottle from Wade Ceramics, which has been making bottles like this since the early 1800s.
Tasting Notes:
Even though this is a peated whisky, the nose is all about bright notes of orange and lemon oils with a deep vanilla sauce vibe, a touch of dried heather, and old sticks of cider-soaked cinnamon. The palate lets the smoke sneak in via grilled pineapple that turns towards smoked plums, soft and moist Christmas cake with plenty of dried fruits, and a sense of cinnamon-flecked tobacco leaves that have just been singed around the edges. The peat sneaks in late via an almost sea salt element that lets the orange oils, vanilla, and cinnamon tobacco all mellow towards a silky finish.
The Bottom Line:
This is a pretty flawless whisky from the Orkney Islands. Pour it over a rock or with a drop of water and really dig into the nose and flavor profile. It runs deep and delicious.
1. Laphroaig Càirdeas 2021 Pedro Ximénez Casks
ABV: 58.9%
Average Price: $120
The Whisky:
Laphroaig is always innovating its line. This year’s Càirdeas is a triple-matured, cask-strength whisky. The whisky first mellowed in ex-bourbon casks before being moved to quarter casks and, finally, finished in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. That whisky was then bottled as is.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a lot going on with this nose from a starting point of fresh Band-Aids to rich marzipan with plenty of rose water to apples stewed in holiday spices with hazelnut and caramel to a light touch of bourbon vanilla and maybe a hint of cherry tobacco. The palate takes that Band-Aid and turns it toward a sharp but very fatty smoked bacon vibe while a medley of smoked apples, salted licorice, and eggnog spices mingle beneath that bacon. The mid palate leans into a very dry cedar as notes of nori, fennel, and sharper brown spices, almost Red Hots, warm the back end of the finish.
Bottom Line:
Sherry and peat go hand-in-hand to make great whisky. This special release from last year is a stellar whisky with bold peat tempered by stewed fruits and spices. This whisky is bold, sure, but it’s so inviting and subtle that it’s hard not to love, even if for the merely peat curious. Find this one and give it a shot. It just might convert you to peated whiskies for the rest of your life.
Source: https://uproxx.com/life/best-scotch-whisky-under-125-ranked/