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1 The Balvenie

William Grant and Sons has two neighboring distilleries just outside of Dufftown in Speyside: the larger Glenfiddich and the smaller Balvenie.
The Balvenie is arguably the more delicate and unique of the two in terms of flavor, although Glenfiddich is much more popular.

Balvenie malt master David Stewart has worked in the industry for more than half a century and is still coming up with new creations.
One of his crowning achievements is DoubleWood 12, which launched in 1993.
The whisky is aged for 12 years in ex-bourbon barrels and hogsheads, finished for nine months in Oloroso sherry casks, and then transferred into large "tuns" to allow the liquid to mingle.

The whisky in the 14-year-old Caribbean Cask is finished in rum barrels, where it picks up molasses and fruit notes. In recent years, the distillery has come up with more new whiskies, some under the auspices of apprentice malt master Kelsey McKechnie.
These include Balvenie Stories, a series highlighting the effects of toasted oak, peat, fresh heather, and dark barley.

2 Laphroaig

Peaty scotch can be a very divisive issue for whisky drinkers. Some people love the earthy, smoky rush that envelops them from nose to finish, while others think it tastes like an acrid tire fire. There are different levels of peat, of course. Laphroaig, from the Islay region of Scotland known for its smoky scotch, falls around 45 ppm, which makes this a decidedly peat-forward whisky. The 10-year-old is a staple you can find at most bars and liquor stores, and it’s a solid choice, full of seaweed, vanilla, and grill smoke flavors. When it reaches a quarter century of maturation, Laphroaig still brings smoke to the party, but a host of other elements come into play that aren’t immediately evident in some of the younger expressions. The Ian Hunter Story is a newer series of whiskies highlighting the life and contributions of the former Laphroaig owner. Book 2, the most recent release, was aged for 30 years in former Oloroso sherry casks, and it is a delicious, if expensive, dram.

3 Bowmore

Bowmore is an Islay distillery owned by Beam Suntory, which also owns Laphroaig, but the whisky it produces is very different. The No. 1 Vaults are supposedly the oldest maturation warehouses in the world, or so goes the line from the distillery. Regardless, this is layered, textured whisky that stays with you for quite a while. The 15-year-old spends its last three years maturing in Oloroso sherry casks, while the liquid in the 18-year-old (a standout bottle) spends its life in both bourbon and sherry casks before being blended together. The peat is about half the ppm of Laphroaig, so while it’s still noticeable, the fruit, caramel, and spice flavors create a whisky potpourri that unravels as you drink. Bowmore is also known for its Black Bowmore series of ultra-expensive aged whiskies, the most recent of which is called DB5 1964. This 31-year-old whisky was created in collaboration with Aston Martin and limited to 25 bottles selling for $65,000 each. For something a bit more reasonable, check out the new permanent addition to the lineup, Bowmore 30. The first bottles of this annual whisky release were aged in sherry hogshead and bourbon barrels.

4 The Macallan

The Macallan’s whisky is almost entirely aged in sherry-seasoned casks sourced from Spain, giving it a creamy, fruity mouthfeel with a hint of dry spice and cocoa. There are several different ranges to try, from Sherry Oak to Double Cask to Triple Cask Matured. In the Double Cask lineup, the new 15- and 18-year-old age statements are matured in American and European oak, Oloroso sherry-seasoned casks—both exceptional whiskies that are spicy and fruity, with notes of chocolate and vanilla. The Macallan is also famous for its incredibly expensive, extra-aged whisky, some of which approaches three-quarters of a century of maturation. For example, the Macallan 72 Years Old in Lalique was introduced a couple of years ago. More recently, the sixth and final entry in its Edition series was released, a whisky inspired by the River Spey, which runs by the distillery. Check out the bottle’s label if you are interested in the breakdown of casks used to mature it, but this is a really interesting dram with a bit of minerality not normally associated with the Macallan. No coloring is added to any of the whisky.

5 Ardbeg

Another robust Islay whisky comes from Ardbeg, which at about 50 ppm is slightly peatier than Laphroaig. Ardbeg, the sister distillery to Glenmorangie, generally appeals to hardcore fans of the smoky stuff, and for many years was sort of a cult whisky. But there’s a lot of nuance underneath all of that salty, ripe, bold, burnt vanilla flavor. The whisky is predominantly aged in first- and second-fill bourbon barrels, with some liquid going into sherry butts and French oak as well. The 10-year-old anchors the range, with some hard-to-pronounce, Gaelic-named expressions to round it out. Each June, the distillery celebrates Ardbeg Day with a special release. This year's was Blaaack, a whisky finished in Pinot Noir casks from New Zealand. And on opposite ends of the age spectrum, the distillery has added two whiskies to its lineup: Wee Beastie, a vibrant and tasty five-year-old expression, and an Ardbeg 25 Years Old that arrives in January of 2021. Ardbeg does not add coloring to its whisky.

6 The GlenDronach

7 Bruichladdich

Bruichladdich is a study in creative contradictions. The Islay distillery produces some of the most heavily peated whisky available.
Literally—the Octomore range ventures into the hundreds of ppm, which is seriously, not-fucking-around smoky (the 08.3 release clocked in at 309.1 ppm!).
Then there’s the Classic Laddie, a light, unpeated whisky full of citrus and green fruit notes that could not be more different.

Recent expressions have focused on the concept of terroir in whisky, an idea that Bruichladdich is trying to convince the doubters really exists.
While some people think the cask plays the biggest part in flavor, overriding barley varieties and even peat source, Bruichladdich is intent on proving otherwise.
The most recent Octomore series (the 11th), includes some interesting experiments like the five-year-old 11.3, which was distilled from barley grown entirely by one farmer. Bruichladdich does not add coloring to its whisky.

8 Lagavulin

Another standout smoky whisky comes from Lagavulin. There are many different expressions to try from this venerated Islay distillery, in addition to the core eight-, 12- and 16-year old bottles. Last year, actor Nick Offerman, a partner and spokesman of sorts for the distillery, helped to pick the liquid that went into an 11 Year Old. The 2020 Lagavulin Distillers Edition recently hit shelves, which differs from the regular 16 Year Old in that it’s finished in PX sherry casks for a period of time.

9 BenRiach

10 Aberfeldy

Aberfeldy was mostly known for producing malt whisky that went into the Dewar’s blend until about 20 years ago, when a 12-year-old single malt expression was first released. It’s still a major component of Dewar’s, but the range of single malts bottled at the distillery truly shine on their own as well. There are 12-, 16-, and 21-year-old expressions of this “Golden Dram,” as it’s sometimes called, and all are richly honeyed, spicy, and laced with notes of vanilla and fruit. This past fall saw the release of two new wine cask-finished whiskies in the Exceptional Cask series, both of them remarkable.

11 Mortlach

Mortlach is another distillery pumping out delicious whisky that is kind of under-recognized by the general public. This might be due, in part, to the fact that the core range has been revamped a few times over the past six or seven years. Back in 2014, the distillery (nicknamed “the Beast of Dufftown”) had no age statement, 18-, and 25-year-old expressions. Then, a year or two ago, these were replaced with 12- (Wee Witchie), 16- (Distiller’s Dram), and 20-year-old (Cowie’s Blue Seal) whiskies made entirely from unpeated barley and matured in ex-bourbon and sherry casks. The distillery utilizes what it calls a 2.81 distillation process, meaning the whisky is not quite triple distilled… it’s a bit confusing, but there are many websites that will explain this process in intricate detail. The bottom line is that these single malts have big dried fruit and spice notes that come from a healthy dose of sherry cask aging, mingled with vanilla and citrus flavors from the American oak.

12 Highland Park

Highland Park is known for a few things that are unique within the scotch whisky industry—namely, its fixation on all things Viking and its remote Orkney location, making it Scotland’s northernmost distillery (it beats Scapa by about a mile). The whisky is generally moderately peaty and matured mostly in sherry-seasoned casks, with bourbon barrels used for a few expressions as well. The core range here in the U.S. consists of 10-, 12- and 18-year-old whiskies, all of which do a nice job balancing smoke with rich dried fruit flavors. A new and really flavorful addition to the family is the Cask Strength Batch No. 1, a no age statement, non-chill filtered whisky bottled at 63.3 percent ABV with big notes of smoke, vanilla, and honey on the palate. This release will vary from batch to batch, so it will be interesting to see what comes next. There are many other Norse-themed bottles from Highland Park to explore, with age statements ranging up to 50 years. Highland Park does not add coloring to its whisky.