Top Ten Whisky Distilleries

Very true that top five is pretty easy. Top 10 makes it harder. Harder still when it’s limited to Scotland.

Here’s mine. I’m sure a few of these will pop up on most people’s top 10 (Ardbeg, anyone?). Ask me again next week and I might give you a different list, though.

1. Caol Ila

2. BenRiach

3. Ardbeg

4. Old Pulteney

5. Glendronach

6. Glenfarclas

7. Lagavulin

8. Bunnahabhain

9. Glenlivet

10. Highland Park

Ardbeg, Bunnhabhain, Bruichladdich, Glendronach, Mortlach. Those are my top five as of today. They might shift gradually over the next month or year.

Seriously, No non-scottish distilleries? Shouldn't your title be Top Ten Scotch Distilleries?

@Nozinan Well, in all fairness, he spelled whisky without the "e." Yes, I suppose there are some distilleries outside of Scotland and in Asia, etc, that avoid the "e" so you are right, too.

I'm afraid I must side with Nock in regard to his preferences, however. There are no non-Scottish distilleries in my top five and there would not be in my top ten either. I've valiantly bought and tried a wide range of whiskies from around the world and I just generally prefer single malt scotch from Scotland.

This said, I am interested in a new whisky coming out of Washington State called Westland: www.westlanddistillery.com/whiskey.

I would be even more impressed if Westland managed to source peat from someplace in North America. Does it exist here? I do not know. But I suspect it must. I also would hazard a guess that Westmoreland got its peat from Scotland. And if we use this as a yardstick, then distilleries in other parts of the world that use Scottish peat really aren't making their peated whiskies independently from Scotland, now are they? Yes, if Scottish peat is used, then it is, at least to some extent, still Scottish whisky. As for the barley or the barrels coming from elsewhere, yes, I know the Scottish do that, as well. So, in a way, a lot of Scottish whisky isn't exclusively Scottish either, I suppose. . . . now what were we talking about again?

@Cunundrum

So n ow that we're talking about it, I would put AMRUT in my top 5 distilleries that produce single malt whisky, with no e. I have yet to taste an expression that wasn't great to excellent.

In contrast, Aberlour A'Bunadh is one of my favourite expressions but I'm underwhelmed with their other expressions I've tried (10, 16, 18).

If I had to pick my favourite active Scottish distilleries, I would currently go with, and this is not in order:

Caol Ila, Springbank.

That's all that pops up immediately. I might be able to find a couple more with some thought. But many of them have great stuff and also not so great...

This discussion is beginning to heat up. There are some great choices from the UK, but I must admit that some of my favourite distilleries are not located in Scotland. Buffalo Trace, Jim Beam, Alberta Distillers, Amrut, Yoichi, King Car Kavalan Distillery, Forty Creek, Four Roses. These might help to fill out your second tranche of five. Great topic!

1. Springbank

2. Laphroaig

3. Ardbeg

4. Lagavulin

5. Bruichladdich

6. Glengyle (Kilkerran)

7. Kilchoman

8. Caol Ila

9. BenRiach

10. Talisker

@Cunundrum , the Lost Spirits Company uses Canadian peat to make Leviathan (and maybe some of their other concoctions). It's disgusting.

@OlJas Are you denigrating good Canadian composting vegetable matter?

1. Highland Park.

2. Springbank.

3. Glenfarclas.

4. Aberlour.

5. Ardbeg,

and in no particular order: Talisker, Glengoyne, Glenmorangie, Caol Ila, Laphroaig.

For the moment,

Ardbeg Laphroaig Bowmore Lagavulin Benriach Glendronach Glenlivet Aberlour Highland Park Glenfarclas.

Honestly, there is too many distillery that I haven't tasted any expression of and too many of which I have tasted only one expression or two. So here are some contenders, Oban, Glengoyne, Balvenie,... There would be more if I had more experience.

Of course if you are looking at the world, the names are popping in my head faster than I can prononced them. I am thinking first of Jim Beam, Buffallo Trace, Four Roses, Willett, Armorik, Yoichi and Amrut. I love Scotch, but I find that the average quality of world whiskey is better. But that could be another discussion...

Wow talk about both a great topic and a tough call. For my list I just kept to scotch distilleries and only in alphabetic order. Aberlour AnCnoc Balvenie Bruichladdich Bunnahabhain Glenfarclas Glengoyne Kilchoman Old Pulteney Talisker