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Highland Park's reputation precedes it — Orkney's finest, distilling since 1798, the 12 often held up as a benchmark for balanced, lightly-peated, sherried Scotch. In the glass: gentle heather smoke, honey and dried fruit, smooth and easy-drinking, with a medium finish of oak and lingering smoke. Reputations are made to be tested, though — does it earn its billing?
Aberlour might just be my Achilles' heel — I know the whisky isn't the most complex, yet something keeps pulling me back. This time it's one of the older, dearer expressions in the range. The nose promises brandy-soaked Christmas-pudding raisins, but the palate is lighter than you'd hope: pepper, oak and a medium, spice-led finish. A beautiful bottle — but does the dram deliver?
Glenfiddich may well be the most famous name in single malt Scotch. Only The Glenlivet comes close on output, but Glenfiddich pairs its vast production with marketing and presentation that's often a cut above — whether that's to your taste or not. Just look at the stunning artwork on the presentation box for this 15 Year Old and you'll see what I mean.
I was gifted this vivid orange bottle and went digging online, only to find Loch Lomond 10 oddly missing from the specialist retailers — yet on every supermarket shelf. Curious. Happily the liquid's good: crisp orchard fruit and citrus, creamy toffee and sweet malt, with a smooth, honeyed finish. The £40 ticket looks steep until the supermarkets discount it — so is it a bargain?
Possibly the strangest bottle I've met so far — 'Singleton' is a Diageo brand spanning three different distilleries. This is the widely-available Dufftown version. Confusing branding aside, is there a good dram underneath? Expect polished wood and toasted hazelnuts giving way to citrus, a nutty core and a zesty, medium finish. Pleasant enough — but at its £37 RRP, is it really worth your money?
Aberlour is where my whisky love affair began — I'll happily admit to being a fanboy. So how does the pricier 14 measure up to the distillery that started it all? It's all silky sweetness — orange peel, raisins and cherries — with a gentle clove spice and a long, satisfying finish. Lovely stuff — but at 40%, does it justify the step up from the everyday 12?
Glen Moray built its name on genuinely good-value whisky, and this no-age-statement release — around £30, if you can find it — is no different. The twist this time is an 'unusual' cask story. Inside, elegant vanilla and caramel meet a distinctive new-oak edge and a real kick of ginger and peppercorn spice that lingers longer than you'd expect. Gimmick, or genuinely interesting?
Glenlivet is a cornerstone of Scotch — Scotland's oldest legal distillery and a global beacon for the category. The 12 is everywhere, which is exactly why it's worth asking: is the world's default Speyside actually any good? Delicate orchard fruits, vanilla and honey make for an easy, accessible pour — but is 'easy' enough when a whisky is this widely revered? My answer might surprise you.
There's something enchanting about Fettercairn's 12 year old that has captivated me for as long as I can remember — I'm drawn to it like Gollum to his treasure, albeit more wholesomely! And the distillery's unusual emblem, an elegant unicorn emblazoned on the bottle, only adds to the allure: said to represent purity and strength, which bodes well for the whisky.
A little trepidation, a lot of nostalgia: Auchentoshan American Oak was the affordable, ever-available bottle of my early whisky days. Returning to this triple-distilled Lowlander years on, I found a gentle, easy-going dram — soft vanilla and toffee, creamy cereal, a whisper of coconut and citrus — but not a lot to set the pulse racing. A reliable beginner's pour, or has my palate simply moved on?
The Balvenie 12 DoubleWood takes its name from the now-common process of 'wood finishing' — a technique pioneered by one of Balvenie's former Malt Masters in the 1980s and refined by the distillery over decades. They're far from the only ones using it these days, but as you'll find out below, they may well be doing it better than most.
Nestled along the River Dee in the Highlands, Royal Lochnagar is the smallest distillery by volume in Diageo's vast portfolio. Just a stone's throw from Balmoral Castle, the Royal Family's Scottish residence, it has a heritage dating back to the 1840s — its proximity to Balmoral made it the favoured whisky of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, earning its regal moniker.
The Cragganmore distillery is part of the huge Diageo group. It is a widely believed that most of the whisky they produce is used in some of Diageo’s blended whiskies, Johnnie Walker Black Label, Old Parr and White Horse to name a few, for the export market. However they do have some single malt expressions sold under the Cragganmore name, including this 12 year aged one.
Macallan is renowned for its commitment to craftsmanship, quality and the luxury market, has created a whisky delivering a tasting experience that reflects the brand’s commitment to its values. While Macallan whiskies are often hailed as icons in the Scottish whisky industry, I find myself grappling with a sense of conflict. For me whisky is raw, sturdy and accessible, qualities that seem somewhat absent in this particular dram.
What better way to kick off this journey of rediscovery than with my everyday favourite? Since it replaced the 10 year old in 2020, Aberlour 12 has firmly established itself as one of the quintessential Speyside whiskies, and it holds a special place in my heart. Readily available and typically £30–40, it's an irresistible choice for connoisseurs and newcomers alike.
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