Working for one of the biggest whisky retailers in the UK has its perks. The main one was being able to try and talk about so many different types of whisky from all over the world.
Some were massive hits, some were good, and some weren’t. But we’re here today to talk about the best of them all, in alphabetical order.
I do wonder what all of your lists would look like if you did the same.
A Is For Ardbeg 10 Year Old Cask Strength, 61.7%
Single Malt Scotch
This is a very recent addition to the list, and it is totally worth trying if you’re looking for an Ardbeg that represents a return to form. Potent, peaty, and packed with flavor, it reminds us why we fell in love with Ardbeg in the first place.
B Is For Benromach 15 Year Old, 43%
Single Malt Scotch
This is a bottle that I think represents the epitome of what a Single Malt Scotch should taste like. It is a little smoky, with great-quality wood influence from both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, and is made at a distillery that feels tucked away and quiet amid all the noise of Speyside. A true delight in the whisky world.
C Is For Compass Box Hedonism, 46%
Blended Grain Scotch Whisky
This was one of the first “cool” whiskies that I ever got excited about. It kicked open the door to whiskies beyond the usual malts, blends, and bourbons.
There was the original purple box, the design of the label, and the cakey, buttery vanilla aroma of that first pour. It was a truly great bottle of whisky that helped establish Compass Box as a brand determined to do things differently.
D Is For Dailuaine, All Of Them
Single Malt Scotch
Dailuaine was the first distillery I discovered that not many other people around me knew much about. It was a genuine discovery of something off the beaten track, allowing me to dive deep into this funky, waxy, and occasionally meaty style of Speyside single malt.
I’ll take any Dailuaine. They’re normally quite wonderful.
E Is For Edradour 10 Year Old, 43%
Single Malt Scotch
I held a bit of a grudge against this bottle for quite a while. Anyone who had been on a coach tour of Scotland seemed unable to stop asking about Edradour whenever they came into the shop. It drove me up the wall.
Eventually, I bought a bottle to see what all the fuss was about. They were right. It is quite an outstanding entry-level bottle of single malt.
F Is For Four Roses Single Barrel, 50%
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
I’ll never forget my first smell and taste of this bourbon. It smelled as though all the butter and toffee in the world had been melted together and left in a damp warehouse in Kentucky.
Classy, elegant, powerful, and nuanced all at the same time. An absolute staple.
G Is For Glen Garioch 12 Year Old, 48%
Single Malt Scotch
Another gem that many people don’t talk about, but which is loved by those who covet it. I am one of them.
It is a waxy, spicy style of Highland single malt from a distillery that has also produced peated spirit in the past. An exemplary whisky from a distillery that I hope continues releasing absolute gems.
H Is For Hakushu 18 Year Old, 43%
Japanese Single Malt Whisky
This is my desert-island Japanese whisky. Not only because it is good, but because its flavor profile would also suit that climate.
It is densely packed with refreshing fruits on the nose before turning slightly herbal, with fresh garden aromas emerging as the whisky moves across your tongue. It’s a real shame about the current price, but if I had the money to open one, I would.
I Is For Inchgower
Single Malt Scotch
In the same vein as Dailuaine, Inchgower is an underrated cog in the Johnnie Walker machine. Its distillate is always full of almonds and fresh flowers, with a wonderful texture.
Independent bottles of Inchgower aren’t the easiest to find among everything else on the market, but they’re nearly always stunning.
J Is For Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof, 64.5%
Tennessee Whiskey
This is the bottle that I bought online while sitting in a cab on the way home from a trip to Kentucky.
For the money, it is an undisputed kingpin of barrel-proof American whiskeys. It isn’t showy or covered with award stickers. It just sits in the corner, brooding away, knowing how flavorful and powerful it is.
K Is For Kilkerran Heavily Peated Batch No. 13, 58.6%
Single Malt Scotch
I’ve spoken about this one so much, and it is also a relatively new addition to the list. Campbeltown, heavily peated, young, cask strength, and matured mostly in ex-bourbon casks. Absolutely stunning.
It is one of the only whiskies I’ve tried that becomes just as interesting with the addition of water. There are buckets of smoked caramel, sea salt, and Campbeltown funkiness in every bottle.
L Is For Lagavulin 12 Year Old 2017 Special Release, 56.5%
Single Malt Scotch
Possibly, and I mean this, the best Islay single malt I’ve ever tried.
I enjoyed it so much that I’ve been trying to snap up bottles at auction, but it exceeds my means these days. It delivers present but layered peatiness alongside all the dripping joy of melted chocolate, custard, and caramel.
This was an utter delight to try.
M Is For Maker’s Mark TWS Private Select 001, 55.05%
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
There is some bias here, but this was the first whisky that I technically helped to “make.”
We created the stave selection in Glasgow with the wonderful Amanda Humphrey. It became the starting point for another four casks of stunning, custom-made liquid from Maker’s Mark, all produced for the company I worked for at the time, The Whisky Shop.
N Is For North Star Spirits 10 Year Old Campbeltown, 50.7%
Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
I bought this in 2025, and it quickly became one of my favorite bottles of all time.
It is a blend of Campbeltown single malts, including some unidentified 10-year-old stock alongside parcels of 25-year-old Glen Scotia and Springbank. It went firmly into tequila and mezcal territory, which is one of the reasons I loved it.
O Is For Octomore 5.1, 59.5%
Single Malt Scotch
We all remember our first Octomore, right? I think the first one is always the most special.
This was poured for me on a random Tuesday by a brand ambassador for Bruichladdich who just happened to have it casually sitting in his backpack. The spice, the smoke, the fizziness, and the sheer hit of flavor were extraordinary.
Just an outrageous bottle of single malt.
P Is For Port Ellen 44 Year Old Gemini Original Cask, 54.9%
Single Malt Scotch
This is a bottle with a story that reflects the modern whisky world, for both good and bad reasons.
When it came to taste, however, this thing simply knocked it out of the park. It did everything, and I mean everything. It was sweet, smoky, spicy, delicate, and powerful, with leather, oak, fresh fruit, dried fruit, milk chocolate, hazelnuts, and everything else in between.
It was a true honor to have tried it.
Q Doesn’t Exist For Me, So Let Me Talk About Jameson Irish Whiskey, 40%
Irish Blended Whiskey
I’m a sucker for a speed-rail pour, and quite frankly, the one I keep returning to at the moment is regular Jameson.
I know there are slightly more expensive bottles that deliver bigger flavors, but there is something about drinking Jameson that simply makes me feel comfortable. It is possibly the Irish whiskey that more people around the world have tried than any other.
R Is For Redbreast 15 Year Old, 46%
Irish Single Pot Still Whiskey
This is my favorite of the entire Redbreast range, and that is saying something because they are all very good.
The balance of the 15 Year Old is unmatched. You get the tropical fruit and butter of the 21 Year Old, but without the same price tag. It still has those wonderfully bready, malty, and peppery notes associated with classic single pot still whiskey.
It’s just great.
S Is For Sazerac 18 Year Old, 45%
Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
This is a rye that made me stop in my tracks. The smell of mint coming from the glass made me pause. I thought it had been flavored or adulterated in some way.
Nope. It was simply an amazing rye.
The spice is delicate and balanced throughout, accompanied by earthy tobacco, leather, and mint notes, all wrapped in the comforting influence of American oak. Wonderful.
T Is For Talisker 8 Year Old 2018 Release, 59.4%
Single Malt Scotch
This is the bottle I crave in miserable weather. When the rain is bouncing off the ground and soaking you from both above and below, this is what I need to take the chill out of my bones.
It delivers a red-chili, meaty, coastal attack of salt and high-ABV peated Scotch whisky. I wish Talisker would get back to doing this again. The year 2018 was a golden time for whisky, and it is something we could easily return to if everyone would just stop being stupid.
U Doesn’t Exist For Me, So Here’s Midleton 50 Year Old, 40%
Irish Single Pot Still Whiskey
If I had a spare £55,000 and wanted another bottle, I would probably buy it.
Hearing the current master blender talk about it at the distillery was a wonderful moment in my life. Trying it with him in the warehouse where it came from was beyond special.
White chocolate, lychee, leather, pepper, buttermilk, white peaches, and baked pears. The finish went on for what felt like hours. I don’t think I drank anything else for quite a while after finishing it.
V Doesn’t Exist For Me, So Here’s Macallan 18 Year Old 1994 Vintage, 43%
Single Malt Scotch
A little controversial, perhaps, but this was one of those bottles that completely got me.
There was the metallic purple packaging, followed by the aromas of cinnamon, vanilla, and sweet sherry. At the time, the taste was unlike anything I had tried before.
Nostalgia is a huge part of whisky, and I will hunt down another bottle of this to open. Will it taste as good as I remember? I’m unsure, but I’m hoping so.
W Is For William Larue Weller 2014 BTAC, 70.1%
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
I’ve gone on about this bottle so much that most of you are probably sick of hearing about it.
However, I bought this in the days when you could still find these bottles at RRP. I paid only £150 for it, and I still have some left. The depth and detail of its flavor have never faded.
Butterscotch-covered caramel corn, dry spices, leather, old oak, damp warehouses, and a spirit of Kentucky charm. Just an absolute stunner.
X Doesn’t Exist For Me, So Here’s Kavalan TWS Virgin Oak Single Cask, 59.4%
Taiwanese Single Malt Whisky
This is something else I had a hand in selecting.
At the time it was bottled, in 2019 if memory serves, it was one day short of being 13 years old. For a brief period, it was the oldest Kavalan in the world.
There was no bitterness at all, something I have still never encountered in another whisky. That cask type, in that heat, for that length of time should have been overwhelming. Instead, it was one of the sweetest and most tropical whiskies imaginable.
Stefanie Holt led a tasting on the night we launched it. It easily ranks as one of the best tastings we ever held in Manchester.
Y Is For Yamazaki 12 Year Old, 43%
Japanese Single Malt Whisky
I think it would be a mistake not to include this bottle. Yamazaki does one thing particularly well, and that is making great-tasting whisky.
My first sip of Yamazaki 12 Year Old was at a tasting event when Japanese whisky was still a new concept to me. It is a masterclass in subtlety and the skillful vatting of casks.
Orange blossom, peaches, sandalwood, and light spices. The only downside is its price these days.
Z Doesn’t Exist For Me, So Let Me Talk About W.L. Weller 12 Year Old, 45%
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Hear me out. When this can be found at RRP, it is one of the best things in the world.
It is a wheated bourbon with extra age, but it retains mellow cask influences despite all that time and heat. There is buttery sweet corn, layered vanilla, and plenty of spicy cinnamon sugar.
It is simply wonderful. Then the flipper crowd ruined it.
Final Thoughts
Thank you for coming to my whisky talk.
There are a lot of memories and special moments attached to the bottles above, and that is what this is all about. Every one of these whiskies made me excited when I tried it for the first time, and they are still exciting now.
The world is so full of whisky, new releases, and new events that the excitement can sometimes be difficult to muster. However, when I think about these bottles, the rooms where I tried them, the people who were there, and those first aromas and sips, it all comes back.
Read the full article at The A-Z Of The World’s Best Whiskies, From Someone Who’s Tasted Over 3,000
