Spend enough time in the whisky world, whether that be Facebook fan groups, Reddit rabbit holes, or listening to that one bloke in a bar who insists it simply must be neat on the rocks, and you learn one thing quickly: we whisky nerds have opinions. Some of us even start YouTube channels to ramble on about them. And along the way, certain distilleries have become the punching bags of the online whisky community.
So I want to take a proper look at five brands we seem to hate, unpack why they get criticised, and ask whether they deserve a second chance.
First up is Auchentoshan, one of the few distilleries that triple distils its spirit, a practice more commonly linked to Irish whiskey. The result is lighter, cleaner and more delicate, which for many enthusiasts is precisely the problem. We tend to champion the meaty, chewy, oily textures rather than the smooth and subtle. But I don’t think triple distillation is really the villain here.
The bigger issue is a core range too often bottled at 40 or 43%, chill-filtered and coloured, which leaves the word “thin” haunting nearly every review. The distillery can clearly produce great liquid. They just aren’t putting it on the shelf in a way that lures us in.
Then there is Dalmore, a genuine soft spot of mine. That silver stag head wants so badly to be a luxury symbol, but we don’t care about marketing when the liquid can’t speak for itself.
Heavy caramel colouring, forced premium packaging and premium pricing all point towards a slice of elitism. Dalmore can absolutely make excellent whisky; the Cigar Malt is one of the best sherry bombs I have tried. But their new PR direction, openly courting wealthy buyers rather than drinkers, feels tone deaf. As a council estate kid who fell in love with a drink that was never meant for me, this one stings. For now, the hate is justified.
Macallan is a trickier case. Nobody can argue with its historical reputation, and as brand builders, they have done more for whisky than they get credit for. But they lost the crowd they were built on to a collector and investor culture, with rising prices and vanishing age statements. The whisky isn’t bad; the value is. You can find better sherry-driven drams for far less. Yet given its role in bringing so many people to the whisky side, I don’t think the hate is entirely fair.
Bowmore should be one of the easiest distilleries to love, blessed with history, location and a unique spirit carrying that peculiar boiled Marmite and cabbage note I adore. Instead we get low ABVs, endless travel exclusives and steadily climbing prices without matching quality. The frustration comes precisely because we know how good it can be. That hate, sadly, still stands.
Finally, Jura, perhaps the biggest punching bag of all. I defended my bottle of Journey until I met a genuinely soapy dram that tasted like lemon Cif. But here we end on a positive note. Jura has culled its bloated portfolio into a clear three-tier range, simplified its tasting notes, and released a cracking 16 year old at 46.5%, non-chill-filtered and naturally coloured. The hate is becoming less and less deserved. This is a brand I feel genuinely hopeful for.
So there we have it. Some hate is richly earned, some is rose-tinted, and some brands are quietly finding their way back. Which distillery do you think gets an unfair kicking from us whisky nerds, and which one deserves every bit of it?
To hear my full discussion of the most hated Scotch whisky brands, and whether they deserve the hate, check out my YouTube video.
Read the full article at The 5 Whisky Brands We Nerds Love to Hate (And Whether They Deserve It)
