Scotch whisky remains Scotland’s most famous export and one of the world’s best-known alcoholic beverages. Its history dates back to the 15th century, but it was the 1980s that brought a revolution in the way whisky was produced and marketed.
Until then, nearly all the Scotch whiskies sold were blends – a combination of grain and barley whiskies from different distilleries. However, Scotland’s biggest secret was single malts. These whiskies are made from 100 per cent malted barley and come from a host of often long-neglected distilleries, which began to take their turn in the spotlight.
Single malts began to make huge inroads with a new generation of drinkers who admired the flavours, ranging from light, floral and citrussy to rich, dark and fruity. There are now more than 150 distilleries in Scotland, and 43 bottles of Scotch whisky are said to be exported every second to markets all over the globe.
With so much whisky on offer, it can be hard to work out which is best. The market is saturated with snobbishness and fancy marketing, which can be intimidating if you’re new to the drink. Even if you’re an aficionado, you don’t want to spend a decent sum on an overhyped whisky that wasn’t worth the money. That’s why I’ve rounded up the best whisky to buy right now.
How we tested
Each Scotch whisky sampled was taste-tested blind, to ensure I wasn’t swayed by eye-catching packaging or existing knowledge of a distillery’s credentials. We wanted to score each whisky on taste alone and tried each Scotch with a little ice or a dash of water before whittling down the options to our favourite drams.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
John Clarke is an experienced journalist who has been writing about wine and spirits for The Independent since 2015. He’s put his palate to good use while reviewing dozens of tipples for IndyBest, from the best rums and sherries to top-rated armagnacs. He’s keen to make people aware of the enormous choice available within each category, but will only recommend the bottles he believes are worthy of a spot in your drinks cabinet.
The best Scotch whiskies for 2025 are:
- Best overall – Glenglassaugh Sandend single malt: £53.95, Royalmilewhiskies.com
- Best budget buy – Amazon blended Scotch whisky special reserve: £18.49, Amazon.co.uk
- Best Islay malt – Bruichladdich the classic laddie Islay single malt: £41.99, Laithwaites.co.uk
- Best Western Isles malt – The Hearach Isle of Harris single malt: £65.50, Harrisdistillery.com
Glenglassaugh Sandend single malt
Best: Overall
Volume: 70cl
ABV: 50.5%
Why we love it
- Comes with a glass
- Tastiest I tested
Take note
- Fruitiness may not suit everyone
Built in the mid-1870s, the Glenglassaugh Highland distillery looks out over Sandend Bay, after which this single malt has been named. Matured in ex-bourbon, sherry and manzanilla casks, it has a beautiful golden colour and a taste to match.
The sherry casks bring tropical and aromatic fruit notes, with bucketloads of pineapple and citrus making this bottle stand out from the smokiness of Benriach or the freshly baked flavours of Glendronach. The distillery’s coastal surroundings add a very welcome snap of sea salt, and this bottle also comes with a splendid glass – what more could you want?
Buy now £59.80, Royalmilewhiskies.com
Amazon blended Scotch whisky special reserve
Best: Budget buy
Volume: 1l
ABV: 40%
Why we love it
- Great price
- Surprisingly tasty
Take note
- Lacks the complexity of a single malt
Made with a blend of single malt and grain whiskies matured in American oak casks for three years, here’s an inexpensive way to enjoy a glass of Scotch, either neat, with ice or water, or as part of a host of cocktails.
At this price, you may not expect or get the subtle qualities of a single malt, but what you do have is a surprisingly great-tasting Scotch whisky with lots of smooth caramel and fruit-driven notes.
Buy now £18.49, Amazon.co.uk
Tamnavulin Speyside single malt
Best: Cask-finished malt
Volume: 70cl
ABV: 40%
Why we love it
- (Relatively) low price
- Good for beginners
Take note
- Lacks smokiness
It’s said maturation determines at least two-thirds of a whisky’s character, which is why the barrels used play such an important part in a malt’s look and flavour.
This Speyside malt is matured at first in American ex-bourbon barrels but finished in German pinot noir red wine casks. That supplies the whisky with a distinctive rosewood hue and a taste that marries elegant fruit notes – think spiced orange and ripe peaches – with underlying vanilla and caramel flavours.
Buy now £32.00, Amazon.co.uk
Benriach the smoky 12-year-old single malt
Best: Peated malt
Volume: 70cl
ABV: 46%
Why we love it
- Incredibly smoky
Take note
- Smoky taste won't work for everyone
This malt is matured for at least 12 years in bourbon barrels, sherry casks and marsala wine casks. During mashing (the process that takes all the soluble sugars from the barley), four batches of mineral water are used, instead of the typical three.
The malted barley is then dried over Highland peat fires, which infuse the whisky with rich and smoky notes. The happy outcome is a malt with expressive caramel and dried fruit flavours over-laden (but not dominated) by an aromatic and almost creamy smokiness. It may not be for everyone (try the Glasgow 1770 single malt, for a subtly different and unpeated taste), but for those who appreciate it, there’s little better.
Buy now £47.52, Thespiritsembassy.com
Glasgow 1770 single malt the original
Best: For sipping
Volume: 70cl
ABV: 46%
Why we love it
- Clean and drinkable
Take note
- Not as complex as other whiskies
This flagship malt takes its name from the date the original Glasgow Distillery Company was founded. That company closed in 1902, but whiskymakers Liam Hughes and Mike Hayward were determined to bring Scotch back to the city. After finding suitable premises on the city’s outskirts, Glasgow 1770 was eventually launched in June 2018.
Made using unpeated barley, it’s matured in ex-bourbon casks to begin with and finished in virgin American white oak. In contrast to the smoky Benriach or the salty Heirarch, the 1770 is clean and bright, with a hint of sweet biscuit and honey on the nose, and deeper flavours of red fruit and caramel on the tongue.
Buy now £45.00, Glasgowdistillery.com
The Hearach Isle of Harris single malt
Best: Western Isles malt
Volume: 70cl
ABV: 46%
Why we love it
- Tastes like nothing else
Take note
- May be too modern for seasoned drinkers
A single sip of this hugely distinctive malt tells you it’s something special. The distillery here was only established in 2015 and while ex-bourbon barrels and former oloroso and fino sherry casks provide a slightly spicy backdrop, it’s the strong taste of the sea, with salty overtones that takes the spotlight.
Here’s a whisky that, like the Tamnavulin Speyside single malt (also included in this round-up), is made for sipping. Now the island can be considered the home of two great products – Harris Tweed and this excellent whisky.
Buy now £65.50, Harrisdistillery.com
Glendronach ode to the valley single malt
Best: Highland malt
Volume: 70cl
ABV: 46.2%
Why we love it
- Complex flavour
Take note
- Sweetness won't suit everyone
This is a special release from the Glendronach distillery, which was founded in 1826 by James Allardice – the man who was among the first to use old sherry casks for maturing malt whisky. There’s a double helping of Iberian influence in this single malt, as it’s also matured in ruby port casks from the Douro Valley in Portugal.
As you’d expect, there’s lots of fruitiness here, with stewed apples and ripe plum notes complemented by hints of butterscotch and freshly baked fruit loaf. It’s a really satisfying drink that stands apart from single malts such as the more traditional Glenglassaugh or Bruichladdich, also sampled here.
Buy now £57.95, Royalmilewhiskies.com
Compass Box hedonism
Best: Blended grain whisky
Volume: 70cl
ABV: 46%
Why we love it
- Satisfying drink
Take note
- Lacks peatiness
Hedonism is a Scottish blended grain whisky that has been released annually in limited quantities since the year 2000. The 2025 offering of 9,912 bottles features a single grain whisky (from the Fife-based Cameronbridge distillery) matured in marsala casks.
It may lack the peatiness found in other malts in this selection, but that’s more than made up for by the compelling notes of caramel and vanilla, with hints of apple crumble and custard and a long, satisfying finish.
Buy now £74.95, Whisky-online.com
Bruichladdich the classic laddie Islay single malt
Best: Islay malt
Volume: 70cl
ABV: 50%
Why we love it
- Light and sweet
- Telltale flavour of Scottish barley
Take note
- Not for purists
A first glance, this signature bottling from the distillery team that proudly labels themselves as “pioneers, provocateurs and change makers” is enough to tell you the classic laddie is not your usual single malt. It may look like a trendy water bottle but inside is a whisky that’s unpeated and colouring-free, and it firmly puts the spotlight on home-grown Scottish barley.
The result is a whisky that is light and crisp. There’s no real saltiness here – unlike, say, the saline notes found in the Heirarch Isle of Harris single malt (also included in this round-up) – just orchard flavours on the nose and a vanilla sweetness. Plus, there’s that added tang connoisseurs claim can only come from Scottish barley.
Buy now £41.99, Laithwaites.co.uk
Monkey Shoulder blended malt
Best: Blended malt
Volume: 70cl
ABV: 40%
Why we love it
- Great price
Take note
- Not as complex as a single malt
Blended in small batches from three of Speyside’s best distilleries – Glenfiddich, Balvenie, and Kininvie – this award-winning whisky is excellent enough to enjoy neat. The rich nutty and dried fruit notes, along with the mellow maltiness, differentiate it from malt and grain blends such as Cutty Sark (see below).
For the full taste experience, however, be adventurous and enjoy a bit of home mixology with a Scotch and apple juice combination or a classic whisky and coke mix.
Buy now £28.00, Laithwaites.co.uk
Cutty Sark blended Scotch whisky
Best: Blended Scotch
Volume: 70cl
ABV: 40%
Why we love it
- Perfect for mixing
- Great price
Take note
- Lacks character compared to a single malt
When it comes to famous names, Cutty Sark has been up there with the best since 1923. Master blender Stephen Woodcock keeps Cutty Sark on an even keel by blending single malt and grain whiskies to create a whisky that’s perfect for mixing.
Yes, you can enjoy it neat with ice or a splash of water, but its vanilla smoothness and lighter notes – different to the more driven and defined flavours of a single malt such Bruichladdich – are probably best enjoyed mixed with amaretto in a Godfather cocktail or simply enjoyed with a ginger ale.
Buy now £23.95, Masterofmalt.com
Scottish single malt whisky FAQs
The origins of Scotch whisky
Scotch whisky can be traced back to 15th-century tax records, with Friar John Cor having used malted barley to produce around 1,500 bottles of potent spirit. The increasing popularity of scotch whisky soon attracted the attention of the Scottish Parliament, looking to profit from the industry, and in 1644 taxes on scotch were introduced, sparking a huge increase in illicit whisky distilling. Smuggling became standard practice and, by the 1820s, as many as 14,000 illicit stills were confiscated each year.
It wasn’t until 1823 that the Excise Act was passed, which sanctioned the distilling of whisky in return for a £10 licence fee and set payment per gallon of spirit, that whisky production became more affordable. Since then, scotch whisky has become popular all over the world.
How do regional differences contribute to taste?
In addition to whisky production styles, regional differences also contribute to differences in taste, as does the use of peat to smoke the malt. The Highlands is Scotland’s largest whisky-producing region, with sweet and rich single malt whiskies common in the north; lighter, fruity whiskies in the south and east; and full-bodied peaty whiskies from the Western Highlands, with the coast having a significant influence.
Elsewhere, Speyside is known for its sweet single malt whisky with little to no peat presence; Lowlands whiskies are generally light and gentle without peatiness; Campbeltown whisky is known for its dryness; Islay is celebrated for its bold, peaty single malts; and the Islands are known to produce varying styles defined by geographical location.
The verdict: Scotch whiskies
What makes the best Scotch whisky will, to some extent, come down to personal taste. Those who enjoy smoky flavours may want to reach for the Benriach 12-year-old single malt, while anyone who favours salty overtones may prefer the Hearach Isle of Harris single malt. However, for us, the Glenglassaugh Sandend single malt takes the top spot, thanks to the tropical and aromatic fruit notes that make it stand out from the crowd.
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