What is the best scotch?

Answer 1

Glenfiddich, Glenmorangie, Glenlivet

If you want something with a more distinctive peatier taste, try something from Islay such as Lagavulin or Laphroig; for a more medicinal seaweedy taste try Talisker or Highland Park.

Answer 2

The four biggest Scotch-producing regions are the Lowlands, the Highlands, Speyside, and the island of Islay. The distilleries within each region produce a similar style of whiskey, but between regions, the styles vary drastically. The criteria for the Scotches I've chosen to recommend for the novice drinker were based on several factors, including approachability, stylistic representation, price, and quality. While these whiskies may not be the absolute best in my personal opinion, they are the absolute best Scotches for beginners in my opinion.

Lowland - Auchentoshan Single Malt 12 Years - Typical of Lowland Scotches, Auchentoshan is light bodied, delicate, slightly sweet, slightly citrusy, and has little to no peat flavor. If there is a Scotch to try before all others, this is the one. If you don't like this, move on to a new type of alcoholic beverage.

Highland - Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban (Port Cask Extra Matured) - Highland Scotches in general are like Lowland Scotches on steroids. They are slightly maltier, peatier, heavier, and stronger than Lowland Scotches, but are still light enough to be good introductory Scotches. The Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban is my favorite after-dinner drink, period. Besides having the characteristic style of Highland Scotches, it additionally has a slightly-sweet, raisiny-grapey finish that, to me at least, almost qualifies this Scotch as a dessert. Unfortunately, the price of this bottle has gone up quite a bit recently. I've seen it cost anywhere from $50-$65 whereas it used to be around $35. However, I still believe it to be worth the money since, when it was $35, it was an absolute steal.

Speyside - The Macallan Sherry Oak 12-year-old - If I were forced to pick a bottle of Scotch that represented the style of Scotch whiskey as a whole, this would be the one. The flavors, body, nose, finish, complexity, and balance of The Macallan Sherry Oak 12-year-old are all above average with its greatest strength perhaps being its balance. You'll find this Scotch to be heavier, maltier, and stronger than the two previously listed Scotches.

Islay - Caol Ila 12-year-old - Of the four main Scotch regions, none sparks as much debate or intrigue as the Islay region. Many experienced Scotch drinkers consider this region to be the only one worth discussing, because the distilleries of Islay produce Scotches with, by far, the most peat flavor; and the addition of peat flavor is what really distinguishes Scotch whiskey from the other types of whiskeys produced throughout the world. I chose the Caol Ila 12-year-old as the introductory Islay Scotch because, while I do believe an Islay Scotch needs to have a noticeable peat taste to be representative of the region, the "peat-monsters" produced from this region, such as Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Ardbeg, could flat-out kill a novice Scotch drinker (well, at least their palate). Caol Ila 12-year-old has enough peat flavor, as well as some of the familiar flavors from the previous three whiskies I talked about, to be a great starting point if you wanted to explore more of the Scotches of Islay.

It should be noted that the old Scotch-producing region of Campbeltown has been given back its regional status. However, the only whiskey currently in production that you'd possibly be able to find from Campbeltown is Springbank, so I didn't bother including this region in my answer. That's not to short-change Springbank, though, by any means. If you're lucky enough to spot a bottle of Springbank, grab it, it's a great Scotch.

Answer 3

There IS no 'best Scotch' whisky. It's a matter of personal taste.

Answer 4

Probably McClelland's Highland. runs about $15 for a 750.

worth the price, great taste

Answer 5

The one with the least alcohol by volume, it is always listed on the bottle. So do some label reading to find the lowest proof at which ever store you are at.

Answer 6

Glenmorangie is the best brand name scotch made in Scotland.