TOP 10 WHISKIES UNDER £50

Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky 
Bottled by: Ian Macleod Distillers 70cl / 40%

A mystery Islay single malt whisky from the fine folk up at Ian Macleod Distillers.  Macleod's Islay Single Malt hails from an unrevealed Islay distillery and has been selected by Malt Master John Glass and bottled at an easy-drinking 40%.

We're curious types here, so we had a quick dig around, but there's no info we can find as to who actually made this. At this bargain price for an Islay single malt whisky it's not really important, particularly as Ian Macleod only release good stuff.

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Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Bottled by: Signatory Vintage 70cl / 57.1% / 100 Proof

A small batch mystery Secret Speyside single malt whisky 2010 13-year-old, bottled in early 2024 without colouring or chill filtration by Signatory Vintage for their smash hit 100-Proof Editions.

This 13-year-old Secret Speyside 2010 single malt was bottled at 57.1% (100 Proof) from a small batch of first fill Oloroso sherry hogsheads and ex-bourbon hogsheads. We really have no idea what distillery this is from but at this price it seems like a bargain either way...

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Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery Bottling 70cl / 46%

*Comes with free Benriach branded Spey glass whilst stocks last*

Benriach distillery has a long and successful history of making smoky Speyside whisky, as anyone who has tasted the extraordinary peaters from the mid-to-late 1970s can attest.

Nowadays in the careful hands and supremely talented nose of Master Blender Rachel Barrie, the renaissance of Benriach instigated by Billy Walker in 2004 continues apace. Given the prevailing trends, peated whisky was always going to continue to be a big part of that revival, and the relaunched Benriach Smoky Ten 10-year-old is the standard-bearer in that regard.

In common with its sister bottling The Original Ten, Benriach Smoky Ten has been matured in three types of wood, with rum casks replacing their sherry counterparts for the Smoky edition. A further difference is that the Smoky Ten has been bottled at a higher strength - 46% - to emphasise the contrasting but intermingled smoke and  fruit in the spirit and the balancing sweetness from the casks.

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Tasting notes

Colour: Bright gold.

Nose: Ripe orchard fruit syrup, smoked honey glaze and oak spice.

Taste: Smoked applewood, honey maple and spiced pear finishing with lingering fruit and smoked oak.

RACHEL BARRIE MASTER BLENDER
"Three cask maturation in bourbon, Jamaican rum and toasted virgin oak casks bring out intense smoked applewood flavour with honeyed sugar maple, all woven together with rich layers of smoke."

Island Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery Bottling 70cl / 43%

An entry-level no-age-statement Arran single malt whisky, Arran Barrel Reserve first appeared in 2019 and is aged entirely in ex-bourbon casks and bottled at 43% in the distillery's eye-catching hefty bottles.

Arran make a great spirit: clean and well-structured, it's well suited to bourbon maturation and sufficiently characterful when bottled young to make a great aperitif whisky. A great intro to the distillery.

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Tasting Notes

Nose: Delicate apples and pears.

Palate: Beautifully balanced citrus fruit and light vanilla sweetness with a burst of apple and delicate marine notes.

Finish: Sweetness, Spice, Charred Oak, Citrus, Vanilla.

Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery Bottling 70cl / 46%

Launched in late summer 2021, Ben Nevis Coire Leis has been named after one of the two natural mountain lochs where the distillery sources its water.

The first new Ben Nevis core range whisky for quite a while, Ben Nevis Coire Leis is a no-age-statement single malt bottled at 46% after ageing in first fill bourbon and 'exclusive oak' casks. We're not sure exactly what the latter are - virgin oak maybe? But either way, this is a fruit-forward Ben Nevis with plenty of sweetness and we're sure it's going to be a big hit.

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Tasting Notes

Nose: A rich and warming character with toffee and honeyed vanilla, a lightly woody aroma finishing with barley sugar sweetness.

Palate: Initial notes of fresh pears and apricots followed by a malty sweetness and leading to a smooth, creamy and woody finish.

Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 
Bottled by: Gordon & MacPhail 70cl / 43%

A 10-year-old Miltonduff whisky bottled at 43% by Gordon & MacPhail for their Discovery Range, which was created in 2018 to give an introduction to their portfolio. The range is coded by flavour/cask type - Bourbon, Sherry, and Smoky - with this Miltonduff 10-year-old's purple packaging indicating sherry cask maturation.

The other great thing about the Discovery range is the whiskies' extremely reasonable prices, ensuring accessibility for new whisky fans and making the whole range a bargain for both newcomers and experienced drammers looking for affordable high quality everyday whiskies.

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Tasting Notes

Official Tasting Notes
Nose: Dry sherry aromas mingle with stewed raisin and roasted hazelnut with a fresh citrus edge.
Palate: Creamy milk chocolate and orange zest flavours lead to spiced stewed fruits.
Finish: Fruity with lingering citrus.

Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 
Distillery Bottling 70cl / 46.8%

Released towards the end of 2022, this batch of Ardnamurchan's AD comes in the distillery's updated packaging. In keeping with their green credentials, Ardnamurchan have discontinued their recycled cardboard presentation boxes altogether, and now use a slightly different bottle mould which is made with a greater percentage of recycled glass and a chunkier, embossed base.

As to the whisky inside, our QR scanner's on the fritz but we'd wager that this release sticks to the winning AD formula, which is a 50/50 ration of unpeated and peated Ardnamurchan spirit matured in 65% ex-bourbon and 35% ex-sherry casks. 

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Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Bottled by: Signatory Vintage 70cl / 48.2%

A 2011 Inchgower 12-year-old bottled in 2023 without colouring or chill filtration by Signatory Vintage for their Small Batch Edition series.

This 12-year-old Inchgower 2011 came from a small batch of Oloroso sherry casks and was bottled at a palate-friendly 48.2%. The natural dark gold colour promises plenty of delicious sherried Speyside treats and this Small Batch Edition range from Signatory is very keenly priced, so this looks like a little gem for the bargain hunters out there.

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Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery Bottling 70cl / 46.3%

A bottle of Deanston Virgin Oak whisky, bottled at 46.3% without colouring or chill filtration. Virgin oak, of course, is when the cask is new and has never been used for maturing any other wine or spirits - this Deanston is aged first in ex-bourbon casks before being finished in the virgin oak casks.

The resurgent Deanston distillery have been releasing Virgin Oak-matured whiskies since 2010 and it's clear that they know what they're doing - virgin oak can be tricky as it has a big impact on the spirit very quickly, but Deanston always seem to get it right.

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Tasting Notes

Official Tasting Notes

Nose: Heady virgin oak, bursting with lemon zest and sweet barley sugar, with delicious notes of apple and nutmeg.

Palate: A delightful sweetness, evoking memories of candied fruits and vanilla toffee, balanced with heather honey.

Finish: A satisfying light spice, with a rewarding burst of honeyed malt and sweet oakiness.

Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery Bottling 70cl / 46%

Glen Scotia Double Cask is a delightful introduction to the often unfairly-overlooked 'other' Campbeltown distillery, with pleasing notes of sweetness and spices.

Bottled at a palate-friendly 46%, the whisky for Glen Scotia Double Cask started life in American oak before a finishing period in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks to add complexity and depth. At this price you really can't go wrong.

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Tasting Notes

Official Tasting Notes

Nose: Very sweet. Initially, it is all creme caramel, caramelised fruit sugars, wood sugar, toffee and fudge before some apple and peach come through. In time, a charred note of bourbon with a pleasing dusty dryness. Has some power.

Palate: Sweet start and quite fat. Though the alcohol gives a little tongue-tingling buzz, the result is a good mid-palate weight. The dry distillery character is still there, but there is now depth to counter. Water slightly dismantles the different elements but adds some dried mint.

Finish: Deep and dark, with gentle spice.