Finding a great bottle of Scotch whisky can be a pretty daunting task. There’s so much of it out there, so many regions, and then very different styles (peated and unpeated) with very different flavor profiles. That’s why we try to break it down by price, region, and through the help of blind tastings. Today, I’m going even deeper and doing a double-blind tasting with eight random bottles from my shelves.
While blind tastings are crucial for judging whiskeys without explicitly seeing the brand, I always know the contestants going in. So as I place each whiskey, there’s still an aspect of “knowing” (or guessing) what’s what. Whether it’s guacamole or beer or bourbon, we’re the ones picking those entrants from the grocery store or liquor store. With a double-blind, I’m going in with no idea what’s in the glasses in front of me.
There was one rule for pulling these bottles (my wife was kind enough to help me): don’t take more than one bottle off a single shelf. That way I would get as varied as possible a selection of whiskies (since I often have five, six, or more expressions from a single distillery sitting on the shelf together). Beyond that, there are no rules besides me having no idea what I’m in for and trying to guess what each dram might be.
Let’s dive right in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of The Last Six Months
Part 1: The Tasting
Taste 1
Tasting Notes:
There’s a clear sense of shortbread cut with lemon and vanilla next to malty spice, buttery toffee, and a touch of soft oak on the nose. The palate leans into that buttery toffee with some winter spice leading to creamy vanilla pudding, fruity underbelly, more of those spicy malts, and a sharp cut of fresh ginger. The end brings back the shortbread with a real butteriness.
My Guess:
More buttery and citrus-heavy? I’d say this is something in the Glenmorangie range.
Taste 2
Tasting Notes:
Prunes and dates lead to a smoked apricot vibe with hints of old leather, orange-infused marzipan, dried roses, and a honeyed sweetness on the nose. The palate is so soft and holds onto that orange/marzipan/rose vibe before turning towards a malty dark chocolate mid-palate with smoked almonds and plums lingering on the backend. The finish is full of spicy malts and smoked stone fruits with that dark chocolate adding a thin layer of bitterness.
My Guess:
Wow! I have no idea what this is but it’s f*cking delicious.
Taste 3
Tasting Notes:
Soft leather leads to an apple orchard full of sweet, tart, and woody apples with apple blossoms supporting the nose’s depth while a fresh and buttery brioche mingles with sweet oak. The taste opens with vanilla cookies and pear candies with a dried flower note next to a rich and fresh honey. That honey drives the mid-palate towards apple and pear stems and cores with this apple/pear/honey/floral vibe attached to a subtle maltiness.
My Guess:
Apple, brioche, florals, and honey means Glenfiddich. It’s an older one with that apple core and stem vibe but not sure which one.
Taste 4
Tasting Notes:
The nose draws you in with smoked peaches next to a smoldering chunk of cherrywood with singed sage and rosemary leading towards an echo of smoked brisket fat covered in a lot of black pepper. There’s a burnt toffee sweetness that leads to eggnog spices, green herbs after a rainstorm, and sweet potting soil. Then an ashen vibe — kind of like a campfire the morning after — kicks in on the mid-palate and gives this away. That ash leads to walnut shells, old black tea bags, sweet black licorice whips, and a touch more of that smoky brisket fat.
My Guess:
Ardbeg. 100%. It’s either the An Oa or Uigeadail. That specific “ashen” note gives it away.
Taste 5
Tasting Notes:
Old orchard wood, soft leather, dried orange peels, raspberry jam, and creamy dark chocolate gently mingle on the nose. That jam leans into a spiced cherry compote as stewed plums with plenty of allspice and clove lead to soft walnut cake with a malty backbone. The mid-palate takes that walnut and sweetness and moves the taste toward velvety malts and soft and sweet orchard wood, a dusting more of that dark chocolate, and dark berry silkiness.
My Guess:
This is stunning whisky. I just can’t place it.
Taste 6
Tasting Notes:
Wildflowers and granola bars draw you in on the nose as a hint of brine and salted caramel linger on the back end with orange oils and softwood. That brine becomes a full rush of seaspray as tart apples lead towards a Caro syrup mid-palate sweetness. That sweetness fades into a spicy malt as sea salt and sweet oak dominated the finish.
My Guess:
I cannot place this. That seaspray feels like a Skye or Islay distillery but it’s not peated. Orkney maybe? Campbelltown? I have no idea.
Taste 7
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with new leather, plum jam, dark chocolate nibs, and oak staves dipped in barrels of fresh honey. That dark chocolate vibe leads to layers of orange oils, soft vanilla cream, dark fruit leather, and candied pecans. The sweet and nutty mid-palate moves towards creamy and buttery dark chocolate sauce as stewed and spicy plums finish the sip with a warming, leather, and dark fruity end.
My Guess:
All that dark fruit, leather, nuttiness, and dark chocolate … This has to be an Aberlour. It’s so sherried. Maybe the 18-year?
Taste 8
Tasting Notes:
Smoked apricots lead to singed star anise and a honey-chocolate note on the nose that’s subtle and very enticing. Crispy salmon skins and anchovy oils counter a soft and distant beach campfire on a rainy day with smoked sea salts, buttery toffee, and smoked apricot. That apricot drives the mid-palate towards silky layers of orange oils, more of that fatty salmon skin, and a final wisp of that campfire smoke from way down the beach.
My Guess:
Caol Ila. Not sure which one, but am sure what it is thanks to that fish fat/distant smoke vibe.
Part 2: The Ranking
8. Bruichladdich Classic Laddie — Taste 6
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $56
The Whisky:
Bruichladdich’s philosophy on whisky making is pretty unique. Each batch highlights local, unpeated Scottish barley that’s fermented and distilled. That juice then goes into some combination of ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, and ex-wine casks for a varied amount of time. That means each batch is unique. Bruichladdich then provides a code on their bottles so that you can go to their website and find out what makes the bottle in your hand special.
Bottom Line:
This was so good, interesting, and unique but here it is, last. Overall, this was the “smallest” whisky on the list. There was plenty there but it feels utterly unfair that it was tasted against some of the absolute marvels on this list.
7. Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or — Taste 1
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $79
The Whisky:
This dram from Glenmorangie is a much-loved Highland malt. The juice is matured in ex-bourbon barrels for an undisclosed number of years. The whisky is then transferred to French Sauternes barrels which held sweet dessert wines where it spends two more years finishing.
Bottom Line:
Hey! I got this pretty close to right. Nice. It’s also wild that a whisky this delicious is nearly last. This list is nothing but bangers from top to bottom.
6. Johnnie Walker Blue Label — Taste 2
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $243
The Whisky:
This is the mountaintop of Johnnie Walker’s whiskies. The blend is a marriage of ultra-rare stock from extinct Diageo distilleries around Scotland. That’s just … cool. This expression is all about barrel selection and the mastery of a great noser and blender working together to create something special.
Bottom Line:
I had no idea what this was. I do feel that had I known it was in the lineup, I’d had sussed it out and ranked it higher. So, this is a pretty good example of how double-blinds really push the envelope.
That all aside, again, this is a phenomenal whisky.
5. Ardbeg An Oa — Taste 4
ABV: 46.6%
Average Price: $65
The Whisky:
This is a quintessential Islay peaty whisky. The juice is aged in a combo of Pedro Ximénez, charred virgin oak, and ex-bourbon casks before being married and rested again in Ardbeg’s bespoke oak “Gathering Vat,” allowing the whiskies to really meld into a cohesive dram.
Bottom Line:
I knew what this was almost immediately. That said, it’s hard to place that “ashy” vibe in a lineup of whiskies that absolutely nail so many deep and beautiful flavor profiles.
4 Glenfiddich 23 — Taste 3
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $290
The Whisky:
It’s all in the name of this yearly special release from Glenfiddich. The whisky matures for over 23 years in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks before it’s vatted and then filled into French Cuvée casks that held Champagne. That whisky is then cut down to proof and bottled just in time for the holiday season.
Bottom Line:
Called it! I wish I had dialed in on the age statement but here we are. This whisky was a delight and I wish I had more of it — my wife picked some pricey, rare drams!
3. Aberlour A’Bunadh — Taste 7
ABV: 56.2% (varies)
Average Price: $95
The Whisky:
A’bunadh (ah-boon-arh) means “the original” in Gaelic and the juice in this Highland bottle represents that for Aberlour. The whisky is matured in old Olorosso sherry casks exclusively. The juice then goes into the bottle at cask strength, unfussed with.
Bottom Line:
Damn! I was so close with Aberlour 18. Still, this is a deep, dark, and delicious whisky (and clearly a great value pick). I wanted more immediately.
2. Caol Ila Distillers Edition — Taste 8
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $88
The Whisky:
This yearly release from the tiny Islay distillery, Caol Ila, is all about the finish. The 12-year-old juice is finished in Moscatel sherry casks to give it a truly deep fruitiness next to that briny Islay peat.
Bottom Line:
I love this whisky. Had this been up against other peated whiskies only, it would have won hands down. I just couldn’t argue the brilliance of today’s number one though.
1. GlenDronach 18 Allardice — Taste 5
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $189
The Whisky:
This Highland whisky is a local tradition of sorts, dating back to the brand’s origins in the 1820s. The whisky in the bottles is hewn from barrels of at least 18-year-old whiskies. The maturation is done exclusively in hand-picked Olorosso sherry casks from Spain.
Bottom Line:
It didn’t matter that I couldn’t place this. It was the winner by far. This whisky is stunning and truly delicious.
Part 3: Final Thoughts
Let’s see… I called five brands though never really nailed down the right expression. I still consider that a win. Though it’s pretty embarrassing I completely missed Johnnie Blue.
If I were to do this again, I don’t know what I’d change. This was so varied and had some seriously heavy-hitting masterpieces. I did learn that GlenDronach continues to wow with their range. Their 21-year is perfection in a glass if you’re looking for an unpeated pour.
In the end, I recommend all of these for different reasons. But if you want a truly transcendent experience, go for the GlenDronach for an unpeated pour or the Caol Ila for a peated pour. They’re both next-level whiskies that my particular palate adores.
