Young Speysider

@drinix anCnoc is a great whisky. I think it is way better than Glenlivet or Glenfiddich. More complex, more luscious mouthfeel. I think that's a good option and a great price. Also, Balvenie 12 y.o. Doublewood or Cragganmore 12 are solid options too. For a little more money, I recommend Glenfarclas. I haven't tried the 10 or 12, but the 15 and the 17 are excellent.

I'll second the Glenfarclas 12 , absolutely wonderful whisky.

Thanks for the answers guys! @OCeallaigh, I already have a bottle of Glenfarclas 15 and I absolutely love it. However, I was really looking for a younger malt with a lighter profile than the 'Farclas. Great that you seem to like the anCnoc, read a lot of praising reviews. Balvenie is a fair contender as well!

Keep 'em comin' guys.

Cheers

@drinix, I recommend the Balvenie 10 yo Founder's Reserve, if you can find it. Lovely little gem of a malt, and to my palate, much more interesting than Glenlivet 12 or Glenfiddich 12.

Oh, and @drinix, I know that I am probably in a small minority, but I MUCH prefer the Balvenie Founder's Reserve over the Balvenie Doublewood. The Balvenie FR has no sherry finish. The Doublewood has a sherry finish that seems to me to be half-baked. But from reading comments in this community, Jim Murray seems to be just about the only other person out there who feels the same way that I do about the Doublewood. I suspect, though, that many Doublewood fans have never tried the Founder's Reserve. They might well reassess their opinions if they did.

@drinix, so you want a younger Speyside with a lighter profile. You didn't say whether you enjoyed the empty Glen12s or not. There are many Speysides (and Highlands and Lowlands) similar to the lighter Glens, but as they are not my favorites, I can't really recommend any. If you liked the Glens12s, you would probably like all the other entry-levels in that category (Dalwhinne, Glenkinche, Auchentoshan, Old Pulteney, Craggenmore, Dalmore, Aberlour, Balvenie, and many more. This is all only my own opinion.

Now let's leave the pack, and suggest a few notable malts:

Anything Glenmorangie: Glenmorangie 10 is a wonderful beginner's malt. And all of their wine cask finishes are very good.

Glenrothes 1991 and 1992, and probably other vintage years. I have not tried the "Select". Glenrothes may be my favorite Speyside.

Macallan 12 is a 100$ sherry cask matured malt, and is one of my favorites.

Ardmore Traditional Cask is a rare smoky Speyside which is very unique, interesting and lovely.

But if you are looking for "light", non-sherry and non-smoky, then Glenmorangie 10 may be your best bet.

Let us know how you like what you decided on :)

Whoops, Macallan 12 is 100% sherry matured, and much cheaper than $100 :)

Forget the glens, and go for the Bens.

BenRiach 12 is very light and smooth compared to your two recent empties.

Benromach 10 might be an interesting alternative. A little more lively (and a little peat, too) than BenRiach 12 or the glens, but worth the time.

No matter which you choose -- enjoy!

@Victor I do agree. I am not a huge Doublewood fan. It's just... a little off in something, but a lot of people really like it. Nothing really stands out to me in it.

@OCeallaigh, I think that the issue with the Doublewood is that the sherry finish is just enough to muddle the flavours, but not enough to establish a good sherry finish. The advice I would give to The Balvenie for the Doublewood would be "double or nothing"--either double (or triple) the sherry maturation time to give it a better sherry flavour, or else forget the sherry aging entirely.

@AboutChoice thanks for your advices. Glenmorangie 10yo perfectly fits the profile that I'm looking for, but I actually already possess a bottle that I love. I actually prefer it to the two other Glens', as it is much more floral and complex in my opinion. The Glenrothes you mention are quite intriguing as well. Dalwhinnie, although not from Speyside, might be what I'm looking for. How would you compare it to Old Puletney 12 (my current favorite daily dram)?

Cheers