That grand stag's head metal decal on every bottle means these are not just Scotches to drink, but to put front and centre in your drinks cabinet. But if you really pushed us to give you our personal answer, we'd make The Dalmore the first stop on your tour. The best way to find out which bottle is really worth your investment is to plan a holiday around visiting distilleries and sample, sample, sample. In the end, one man's golden nectar might not do it for another.
Some are released as special limited editions, others come with seriously high price tags. What is the best high-end Scotch?Īlmost every distillery offers its own premium bottle, usually a Scotch that has been brooding quietly in casks in a dusty corner for several decades. From the instantly recognisable Black and Red Labels (found on every bar back around the world) to the keenly priced but nonetheless great value Blue Label (an excellent gift for a loved one or, well, yourself), not to mention the Green, Gold and Double Black, Johnnie Walker offers something for all tastes and budgets. It might not be for those who only drink single malts, and it isn't the oldest Scotch blender out there, but for the breadth and standard of its range we rate Johnnie Walker as the brand to beat. For a Scotch whose smoothness you can appreciate, try Speyside's Aberlour 14 Year Old. But at £4,500 a pop, we suspect you might not actually be buying it to drink (for shame, investors!). If money is no object, we would direct you to Port Ellen's 39 Year Old.
SCOTCH WHISKEY FULL
Nevertheless, the smoothness that some Scotches exhibit – usually a result of the type of cask used in the ageing process and for how long – make it all the easier to detect the full depth of flavour of these occasionally inaccessible liquids. But if you're reading this, chances are you powered through and learned to endure, nay enjoy, that scratchy, back-of-the-throat burn. What is the smoothest Scotch?ĭo you remember your first ever sip of whisky? We'd wager you thought at the time it might also be your last. For the smokiest Smokey Old Fashioned, look to Laphroaig's famous ten-year-old. Although it's typically a bourbon-based cocktail, the smoky profile of some Scotches is a great foil for the sweetness of sugar and the bitters. Lastly, we wouldn't be GQ if we didn't mention the Old Fashioned. Many Scotches make for a great whisky sour, too: experimenting with different bottles and the ratio of Scotch to lemon juice is almost as fun as drinking it. Made with sweet vermouth and bitters, it's been described by comedian James Acaster as what he imagines whisky should taste like (his words, not ours don't us, purists). We couldn't list our favourite Scotch cocktails without starting with the Rob Roy, named after the famous Scottish folk hero. What are the best Scotch whisky cocktails? Of course, many single malt Scotch whiskies are treasured entries in the pantheon, but more than 90 per cent of Scotches are blended malts, combined by the masters from a curated selection of single malts. The legal definition of Scotch includes a requirement that it undergoes a maturation period of at least three years. Single malt Scotch is usually double distilled in a pot still, the shape of which contributes to the end flavour, hence distilleries are highly protective of their stills. Nevertheless, malt whisky distillation is a disarmingly straightforward formula, using only barley, pure Scottish water and yeast. With more than 130 distilleries in Scotland, variation in the production process is key to Scotch's appeal and there's a near-limitless pool of options for drinkers to find what suits them best.
And, lastly, the Islands, which includes Arran, Jura, Tobermory, Talisker, Skye and more. Campbeltown and Islay are neighbours separated by the Jura Sound in the southwest. Speyside, as you'd expect, surrounds the River Spey in the northeast. The Highlands and Lowlands are divided by a line that runs from the Clyde estuary to the River Tay. There are six distinct Scotch-making regions in Scotland, each with their own character and traditions. That's a level of refinement we can only aspire to. Only one in 10,000 of Johnnie Walker's casks is considered worthy of its Blue Label series.
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