Smoke and cherry, peat and fruit, smooth and complex—there is hardly anything you can’t find in a good Scotch and besides, the bottles look really cool too. I’m not one to become a fanboy of either single-malt or blended Scotch but I do heartily recommend the five on this list, which include both single-malt and blended.
Best Overall: The Macallan 15-Year Triple Cask.
Runner Up: Lagavulin 16-Year
Best on a Budget: The Glenlivet 12-Year
Best Blended: Johnnie Walker Green Label 15-Year
For the Hell of it: Bowmore 12-Year
In case you have to run, are in a hurry, or just want to jump on Drizly and give one of these fine selections a go, the above list is just for you. For the rest of you, allow me to elaborate just a little bit more.
1. The Macallan 15-Year Triple Cask (Best Overall)
I could have gone with the Macallan 25-year as it’s a truly exceptional, single-malt whisky. But, since most of us can’t sell a kidney on the black market to afford a bottle, I decided on the 15-year triple cask variety. Trust me, if you get your hands on this well-balanced whisky, you won’t miss the 25-year option.
Macallan is known for producing “sherry bombs” and the Macallan 15-year is no exception, however, this one manages to add a little spice, with hints of oak, grains, fresh bread, and a tiny bit of sweet orange to keep it all neatly held together. If you are a fan of apples, the finish can only be compared to that of baked apples.
This particular bottle is a triple cask because it spends its 15 years, evenly spread, aging in sherry-seasoned American oak, sherry-seasoned European oak, and oak barrels that once carried bourbon, which any whisky connoisseur knows can only come from Kentucky.
It’s difficult to go wrong with Macallan, regardless of age. They are one of the most popular distillers in Scotland and they have a dedicated fan base. It helps that Macallan has been around since the early half of the 19th century. Age doesn’t always mean everything, but with a triple cask bottle of 15-year, single-malt Scotch, it does.
2. Lagavulin 16-Year (Runner Up)
This 16-year single-malt has been around since the 90s, which says something about its staying power that three decades has not diminished its popularity. However, this is an altogether different kind of Scotch from the Macallan above. If you love the taste and smell of peat, you’re going to be very pleased with what Lagavulin has to offer. There is plenty of smoke as well, especially in the nose, with subtler hints of sweet spice, sherry, and a splash of vanilla.
While there are those out there who prefer to make mixed drinks with Scotch (you know, those fruity bastards who mix Redbull with vodka and extend their pinky fingers when they take a sip), the best way to drink a single-malt of this caliber is straight, in a tumbler, with just a sprinkle of water to force those flavors to the top.
The Lagavulin 16-year has a strong, spicy finish, and here is where you will find the subtle notes of vanilla. The peat and the smoke follow you throughout the entire experience, however, so everything else is essentially an add-on.
3. The Glenlivet 12-Year (Best on a Budget)
Photo by At $41.99 a bottle, the Glenlivet 12-year is an absolute steal, especially if you appreciate a truly smooth experience. A glass of this is nothing if not sweet, buttery cream. It’s a very balanced single-malt and although the cream is the predominant feature, it also covers your palate with toffee, candied nuts, and a hint of cookies—of the Christmas season variety.
If you prefer “smooth,” this is as close as it gets, unless you opt for a bottle of Glenlivet 14-year, which has its own delightful flavor for not much more in the way of cost. If you are a fan of smoke and peat, you won’t satisfy your taste buds here. The neat thing about Scotch is that each distillery is a product of its own region. These distilleries are not in favor of extending their reach very far from home.
That’s why you can get a single-malt, vanilla, and cream flavor like this, and a spicy, peat, and smoke flavor with another brand of Scotch. The sheer variety makes you want to try them all, which is perhaps the point. Glenlivet, like Macallan, has been around since 1824 and has had the better part of 2 centuries to perfect its formula. Despite its low price, the Glenlivet 12-year is the perfect representative of the Speyside region style.
It’s also the perfect introduction if this is your first time making a foray into Scotch. If the Glenlivet 12-year is merely the beginning, imagine what else they have to offer.
4. Johnnie Walker Green Label 15-Year (Best Scotch Blend)
Image by There are those who will endlessly argue the virtues of single-malt over blends, however, no matter what side of the aisle you fall on, Johnnie Walker Green Label needs to be on your list. Johnnie Walker is a well-known name in Scotland and for good reason. They take the best of the best single malts and create a stylized and impressive blend. Then they label these blends in colors, such as Green Label and Blue Label.
Johnnie Walker Green label sits right below the $248 Johnnie Walker Blue Label without reflecting a price even approaching that. Green Label is composed of 27 single-malts, all aged 15 years and the result is a very satisfying experience. The flavor is honey syrup with a slight burn and a decidedly nutty, barrel-char finish.
On the nose, you’ll catch a bit of everything—peach, honey, grains, cinnamon, floral notes, and light fruit. If you want to add a bit of Granny Smith Apple and bananas, drink it straight with just a splash of water to draw everything out. Scotch is nothing if not surprisingly subtle until you add that tiny splash of water.
The best part of Johnnie Walker Green is that it resides neatly in the “Goldilocks zone.” Everything above Green Label, in terms of premium blended Scotch, is far too pricey, while everything below it has inconsistencies. It’s the perfect blended Scotch and at the perfect price as well.
5. Bowmore 12-Year (For the hell of it)
Might as well round out my top 5 with an excellent, 12-year Bowmore, just for the hell of it. Speaking of 12 years, these Scotch whiskies really seem to pull it off with terrific consistency. Despite being overlooked all of the time, Bowmore was the first legal distillery on the island, existing there since 1779. That’s a hell of a long time for Scotch whisky to be so eclipsed by the other Islay of Eight.
Of the other Scotch whiskies on this list, the Bowmore 12-year is probably the darkest and the first notes are a reflection of that. On the nose, you will capture smoky bergamot with an undertone of hay and the smoke definitely follows the nose to the palate. Vanilla, orange, honey, and smoke dominate the flavoring but never so much that it’s too intense.
Like the Glenlivet 12-year, the Bowmore 12-year is the perfect introductory Scotch, and judging by the quality, you’re in for a treat for the rest of the journey.
Final Thoughts
Bourbon whisky and rye whisky have their fine points but there is nothing quite as unique as a good Scotch. If you’ve never ventured into the realm of single-malt and blended Scotch whiskies before, you’ll be delighted by what you find and, if you choose some from this list, you won’t be disappointed.