Great Value Scotch Single Malts in 2024
In the modern whisky market, we have more choice than ever before - many established distilleries, but also new distilleries popping up all the time. It can be challenging to decide how to best spend a limited whisky budget with so many single malts available - which of these bottles offers the best value for your hard-earned money?
In this article, we’ll highlight 9 Scotch single malts that we think still offer great value in 2024, despite the prices in the market as whole fluctuating wildly across the last several years.
Famous for their use of worm tub condensers, which tends to create savory or meaty spirits, Craigellachie is also a brand that offers great value - it tops our list in that regard. This 13 year old version is matured in a mixture of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, and costs around $55.
Some flavors you can expect: Funky, musty, a bit savory; soft prunes and other purple fruit, some oranges; meaty, with soft sulphur and brown sugar. In the end, cocktail bitters and vanilla, some lemon zest.
Glenmorangie 14 Year Quinta Ruban
The Port-cask entry in Glenmorangie’s core range, and while it has a good age statement of 14 years, the price is still very reasonable around $60. This is a rich, smooth, silky whisky, which leans toward the sweet end of the spectrum.
Some flavors you can expect: A mix of red fruits and baking notes - strawberry, raspberry jam, cardamom, cinnamon, and plenty of chocolate. With time, sassafras and Mexican spiced cocoa develop.
Check out our full review of Glenmorangie 14 Year Quinta Ruban here.
A staple single malt from the South Coast of Islay, this entry level single malt from Ardbeg offers a blast of peat smoke and with a light complexion behind it. This is presented at 46% ABV without chill filtration or added color, and it remains a classic Islay whisky.
Some flavors you can expect: Plenty of bold peat smoke, but also butter and lemons, icing sugar, seaweed, and bell pepper. Nice peppery spice and butterscotch sweetness mingle later on.
Using the Granty Burn water source and worm tub condensers, this spirit is supposed to be clean and crisp, but also weighty and rich. It is bottled at a lower 40% ABV, but there’s a nice mix of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks used for maturation; the price is the best on the list, around $45.
Some flavors you can expect: Soft fruits - orange, raisin, and apple - but also white pepper, some oak, a grassy character. More fruits arrive with time, including passionfruit and green apple.
A bold 5 year age statement is the biggest point of interest here - heavily peated whiskies can definitely be good at a young age, as that's when the phenol flavors will be the strongest. It’s the least expensive in Ardbeg’s core range, too, with a price around $48.
Some flavors you can expect: Brash peat smoke, salt and charred oak, pepper, but also sweeter fruits - cooked apple, orange, raspberry. There’s a barbecue sauce zing, and in the finish, hints of tobacco in the smoke.
Check out our full review of Ardbeg 5 Year Wee Beastie here.
Arran 10 Year has garnered quite a bit of acclaim in recent years, launching the Arran brand and the Lochranza distillery into the spotlight. Just one example: in the last 2 years, Arran 10 won 'Best Entry Level Single Malt' in both 2021 and 2022, as well as 'Best Single Malt Scotch Whisky' in 2021 at the Online Scotch Whisky Awards, or OSWAs. Despite the high praise, prices still hover around $65 for a bottle.
Some flavors you can expect: Crisp, bright, spirit-forward, with light fruits and dry oak; there’s coconut, pineapple, cream, floral notes, and brown sugar too.
Hailing from the remote Orkney Islands in the far northern reaches of Scotland, we have the Highland Park distillery. This distillery is actually undergoing a rebrand at the moment, so their Viking-themed bottles will be disappearing from shelves; either way, this entry-level 12 year from Highland Park is a standout. The strength is a little low at 40% or 43% ABV (depending on your market), but there’s good complexity and flavor here, with a soft peat smoke influence. Prices generally fall at a reasonable $55.
Some flavors you can expect: Soft smoke, coastal salt, dark fruits of plum and grape, light fruits of red apple and pears. There’s a baking side with nutmeg, cardamom, and caramel; in the palate, dried grass and barbecue arrive.
Laphroaig 10 Year Sherry Oak Finish
The combination of peat and rich ex-wine maturation or finishing is one of the standout styles of Scotch in our minds. Something about that mix of dark fruit, smoke, and brine makes a whisky so rich… and luckily, there are several available at reasonable prices. Here’s one from Laphroaig, for about $75.
Some flavors you can expect: Inky purple fruits of blackberry, plum, and strawberry are balanced by barbecue, freshly burned firewood, and strong peat smoke. There’s a characteristic iodine or medicinal that often comes with Laphroaig, and citrus adds a backbone.
Check out our full review of Laphroaig 10 Year Sherry Oak Finish here.
A distillery that's growing in popularity in whisky circles, Loch Lomond is seeing something of a resurgence in the last few years. Most of the bottles from Loch Lomond are still very reasonably priced - this 12 year old version is around the $46 mark, and offers a nice mixture of flavors.
Some flavors you can expect: Oak, vanilla, but then fruits - oranges, raisins, freeze-dried raspberry. There’s a soft smoky note, as well as a grainy barley sugar side; apples, citrus, and citrus round out the profile.
