There are thousands of whiskeys out there so it can be difficult to know where to start or what whiskey to try next. Of course, just trying different whiskeys is a good way to find the ones you really like but it can be quite an expensive way to go about things.
That’s why I put together this list of 12 great, well-known whiskeys. They’re a good place to start your whiskey journey or, if you’re already on your way, helpful pointers for new directions to explore.
1. The Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood
The Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood is a single malt Scotch that gets its character (and name) from being matured in barrels with two different types of wood – American Oak and Spanish Oak.
The ex-bourbon barrels in which the Balvenie 12 is first matured in for 12 years is made of American Oak, which gives the whisky a soft and delicate character. The ex-Oloroso sherry casks in which the whisky is matured in for an additional nine months is made of Spanish Oak, which gives the whiskey more depth and fullness of flavor.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Sweet fruit, sherry, honey and vanilla
Taste: Smooth, nutty sweetness, cinnamon, sherry
Where To Buy
Readers in the US can buy a bottle of The Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood at TIPXY.com here
. Readers in the UK and Europe can buy a bottle of The Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood at Amazon.co.uk here.
2. The Macallan Double Cask 18 Years Old
The Macallan Double Cask 18 Years Old is very expensive for what it is, but on the other hand it’s a great whisky. It’s also matured in two types of casks only this time for 18 years. The sherry seasoned American Oak casks give the whisky vanilla, citrus and butterscotch flavors and the sherry seasoned European Oak casks give the whisky subtle spice notes.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Dried fruit, ginger, toffee and orange with hints of clove and nutmeg
Taste: Raisin, sultana, caramel, vanilla, ginger, wood spice and citrus
Where To Buy
Readers in the US can buy a bottle of The Macallan Double Cask 18 Years Old at TIPXY.com here. Readers in the UK and Europe can buy a bottle of The Macallan Double Cask 18 Years Old at Amazon.co.uk here.
3. The GlenDronach Allardice
Named after the renowned founder of the GlenDronach distillery, James Allardice, this whisky is aged for 18 years in ex-Spanish Oloroso sherry casks. This is in contrast to many other single malts Scotches that are matured in ex-bourbon barrels only or ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, as this whisky is aged in ex-sherry casks only. This makes the GlenDronach Allardice a rich sherried single malt Scotch.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Fudge and Muscovado sugar. Fruit compote and glacier morello cherries
Taste: Stewed fruits, all-spice, sherry, toasted walnut bread and chocolate
Where To Buy
Readers in the US can buy a bottle of The GlenDronach Allardice at Saucey.com here. Readers in the UK and Europe can buy a bottle of The GlenDronach Allardice at MasterOfMalt.com here.
4. Aberlour A’Bunadh
A’bunadh means ‘the original’ in Gaelic and is another whisky made in homage to its distillery’s founder – in this case James Fleming. It’s made in batches, matured in sherry casks and bottled at cask strength, and although aficionados will rate and rank the various batches, they’re nevertheless consistently delicious.
A’Bunadh is non-chill filtered, which means that all the fatty acids, esters and proteins can undissolve, clump together and cloud your whisky if it’s left to sit for a long time or chilled to lower than room temperature. However, it also means you get to keep all the flavors.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Mixed spices, praline, spiced orange and Oloroso Sherry
Taste: Orange, black cherries, dried fruit, ginger, dark bitter chocolate, sherry and oak
Where To Buy
Readers in the US can buy a bottle of Aberlour A’Bunadh at TIPXY.com here. Readers in the UK and Europe can buy a bottle of Aberlour A’Bunadh at Amazon.co.uk here.
5. Bowmore 12 Year Old
Bowmore whiskies are peated but only mildly so compared to some other Islay whiskies. This makes them great for someone who wants to explore the world of peated whiskies but prefers to start with a gentle introduction and slowly work their way up from there, rather than tackling one of the big peat monsters immediately.
The Bowmore 12 is best for that because as well as being only lightly peated, it’s also pretty smooth and has some mild sweet flavors. And because it’s not too expensive.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Lemon, honey and light peaty smokiness
Taste: Fruit, Spice, dark chocolate and light peaty smokiness
Where To Buy
Readers in the US can buy a bottle of Bowmore 12 Year Old at TIPXY.com here. Readers in the UK and Europe can buy a bottle of Bowmore 12 Year Old at Amazon.co.uk here.
6. The Glenlivet 18 Year Old Batch Reserve
The Glenlivet 18 Year Old Batch Reserve is matured in first and second-fill American Oak and ex-sherry casks. More importantly however, is the fact that the 18 has won more awards than any other Glenlivet expression.
Being matured for so long gives the Glenlivet 18 a lot of depth and complexity, and makes it a very nice whisky that’s very smooth, incredibly sweet and super easy to drink.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Rich fruit, toffee
Taste: Ripe citrus, winter spice and bursts of sweet orange
Where To Buy
Readers in the US can buy a bottle of The Glenlivet 18 Year Old Batch Reserve at TIPXY.com here. Readers in the UK and Europe can buy a bottle of The Glenlivet 18 Year Old Batch Reserve at Amazon.co.uk here.
7. Johnnie Walker Green Label 15 Years
Johnnie Walker is not a distillery that makes its own whiskies but a brand that blends different types of whiskies, from different distilleries, from all over Scotland to make their own expressions. While most of their expressions are a blended whisky that contains both malt and grain whiskies, the Green Label 15 Years is a blended malt that contains single malts only – which is one of the reasons why it’s so good.
This expression includes single malts from Linkwood, Cragganmore, Talisker, and Caol Ila. It’s sweet, tasty and very smooth with a lot of well-balanced flavors. More importantly, despite being a 15 year old, 43%ABV, great whisky that’s very easy to drink, it’s relatively inexpensive for what it is.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Light garden fruits, married with florals
Taste: Rich wood notes with a smoky finish
Where To Buy
Readers in the US can buy a bottle of Johnnie Walker Green Label 15 Years at TIPXY.com here. Readers in the UK and Europe can buy a bottle of Johnnie Walker Green Label 15 Years at Amazon.co.uk here.
8. Chivas Regal 12 Year Old
Chivas Regal 12 Year Old is a blend of 40 plus malt and grain whiskies – mostly grain whiskies and mostly from the Speyside region of Scotland – that have been matured for at least 12 years.
Chivas Regal 12 is sweet, smooth, easy to drink and decent quality for the price. This makes it a very approachable whisky that appeals to a wider audience. It’s no wonder then that Chivas Regal is one of the bestselling blended Scotch whisky brands in the world.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Wild herbs, heather, honey and orchard fruits
Taste: Round and creamy with honey, vanilla, hazelnut and butterscotch
Where To Buy
Readers in the US can buy a bottle of Chivas Regal 12 Year Old at TIPXY.com here. Readers in the UK and Europe can buy a bottle of Chivas Regal 12 Year Old at Amazon.co.uk here.
9. Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof
Most Jack Daniel’s whiskeys are made from 80% corn, 8% rye and 12% malted barley, filtered through ten feet of sugar maple charcoal to remove unwanted flavors and contaminants, and aged for at least four years in new American white oak casks.
The Single Barrel expressions come from barrels that are matured in the uppermost part of the Jack Daniel’s warehouse, where increased changes in temperature cause the whiskey’s flavors to become more intense.
The Single Barrel Barrel Proof expression is both single barrel and barrel proof – meaning it’s bottled straight from the barrel at its full proof (between 62.5% – 70%ABV) and not diluted as it usually is. This makes it a very good whiskey at a pretty good price.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Vanilla, toasted oak, butterscotch
Taste: Vanilla, toasted oak, leather, smoke and butterscotch
Where To Buy
Readers in the US can buy a bottle of Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof at Saucey.com here. Readers in the UK and Europe can buy a bottle of Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof at Amazon.co.uk here.
10. Four Roses Single Barrel
Four Roses is known for having 10 recipes (using five different yeast strains and two mash bills) for their bourbons. Their other expressions are blends of several recipes or even all 10 but the single barrel, uses only one. Also, their other expressions are aged for at least five years, but the single barrel is aged for at least seven to nine years.
Which is why the Four Roses Single Barrel is a full bodied, complex, rich, fruity, spicy bourbon. It’s also smooth and delicious, and relatively cheap for what it is.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Dried spice, pear, cocoa, vanilla and maple syrup
Taste: Plum and cherries, robust, full bodied, mellow
Where To Buy
Readers in the US can buy a bottle of Four Roses Single Barrel at TIPXY.com here. Readers in the UK and Europe can buy a bottle of Four Roses Single Barrel at Amazon.co.uk here.
11. Knappogue Castle 12 Year Single Malt
Knappogue Castle 12 is an Irish single malt whiskey and the signature Knappogue Castle expression. It’s triple distilled one batch at a time in traditional, onion-shaped copper pot stills and aged in ex-bourbon oak casks for at least twelve years. The delicate distillation process, along with the moist and temperate climate, yields a drinkable and nuanced whiskey.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Rich and biscuity with notes of peppery spice
Taste: Mellow and well-balanced with a bright, elegant fruitiness and mild spice flavors
Where To Buy
Readers in the US can buy a bottle of Knappogue Castle 12 Year Single Malt at TIPXY.com here. Readers in the UK and Europe can buy a bottle of Knappogue Castle 12 Year Single Malt at MasterOfMalt.com here.
12. Jameson Bow Street 18 Years
Jameson Bow Street 18 Years is a blend of pot still (meaning malted and unmalted barley) and grain whiskeys that have been triple distilled for more smoothness and aged in oak casks for at least 18 years. The whiskey is finished at the original Jameson distillery in Bow Street, Dublin (hence the name) and bottled once a year at different cask strengths.
The Bow Street 18 is an excellent and refined whiskey. It has an intense nose, a thick and creamy mouthfeel and a palate that’s rich and deep. It’s full bodied, warm, sweet and smooth. The alcohol is well integrated, and the complex flavors are relatively well balanced. It’s delicious and drinkable and although not expensive for what it is, it is still expensive.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Rich wood-driven influence with deep toffee notes and spice
Taste: Toffee, oak, leather, vanilla and subtle sherry nuttiness
Where To Buy
Readers in the US can buy a bottle of Jameson Bow Street 18 Years at Saucey.com here. Readers in the UK and Europe can buy a bottle of Jameson Bow Street 18 Years at Amazon.co.uk here.
