While the whisky prices keep climbing up, there are still some great scotch whiskies you can find at more budget friendly prices. Here are my scotch whisky recommendations for both non-peated and peated options, all under £50.
Which ones have you tried?
Non-peated whisky
Glasgow 1770 The Original, 46% ABV
Glasgow Distillery tends to create reasonably priced single malts with interesting cask finishes, but their core range should not be overlooked. First matured in first-fill bourbon barrels before being finished in new American oak. The palate has lovely, dried-fruit notes, orange marmalade, shortbread, nutmeg, cardamom, and sweet butterscotch. Now also available at cask strength – which I thoroughly enjoyed!
You can often find this multi-award-winning bottle for under £40! Fully matured in ex-bourbon barrels, it is bright and grassy on both the nose and the palate. Expect notes of tropical fruits, citrus, vanilla, hay and brioche.
Loch Lomond Inchmurrin, 46% ABV
The distillation is made using only straight-neck pot stills. The spirit is matured in three types of American oak casks – bourbon, refill and re-charred. The outcome is a yummy, creamy whisky with aromas of pears, daisies, cumin, and cornflakes. The palate offers vanilla custard, juicy orchard fruits, nutmeg, ginger, and creamy cashews.
If you are looking for a nice juicy yet chocolatey dram, this is for you. This Arran release is finished in a selection of Amarone red wine casks from an artisan wine producer based in the Veneto region of Italy. Expect cherries, Turkish delight, dark chocolate, poached pears, and honey. I recommend trying it in a Rob Roy cocktail.
Bladnoch Vinaya is a Lowland single malt matured in first-fill Bourbon and first-fill Sherry casks. The nose brings orchard fruits, caramel digestives, salted toffee and buttery popcorn. The palate offers similar notes: milk chocolate with caramel filling, pink cocktail cherries, Granny Smith apples, cooked pears with cinnamon and a touch of black pepper.
I got a feeling this would work well in a Highball with coconut water. Something I will be testing this summer!
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12, 40% ABV
As the name suggests, this has been matured in two types of oak, first in ex-bourbon casks and then in first-fill European oak Oloroso sherry butts. Juice notes of ripe orchard fruits, honey, vanilla, and other baking spices.
Glen Moray Cabernet Finish, Elgin Classic, 40% ABV
Glen Moray Elgin Classic range offers great venue for money with all bottles priced around £25! For me the Cabernet stood out with Chardonnay finish being second. The Cabernet release has a silky texture and perfect balance between the spice and sweetness. Expect notes of dark chocolate, red grapes, white pepper, and spicy oak.
Peated whisky
Benriach The Smoky Ten, 46% ABV
The three-cask combo (ex-bourbon, toasted new oak and ex-Jamaican rum) creates a lovely balanced whisky. The tropical notes from the rum cask pair well with the subtle smokiness. Even if you don’t usually reach for the smoky options, I’d still recommend you give this one a chance as it is creamy, juicy, zingy, and overall delicious.
Bunnahabhain Toiteach A Dhà, 46.3% ABV
Bunnahabhain 12-year-old is a great budget-friendly whisky, but since I’ve discovered peat, I find myself sipping Toiteach A Dhà (pronounced Toch-ach ah-ghaa) more often than the 12yo. Meaning ‘Smoky Two’ in Scots Gaelic, it is lightly peated and aged in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.
Campbeltown Loch Blended Malt, 46% ABV
Great quality for less than £40. This is a blend of five malts from three Campbeltown distilleries, matured in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. It’s a beautiful whisky with notes of salted caramel, mocha coffee, seaweed, and musty garage, with a touch more peat on the finish.
Ledaig Sinclair Series Rioja Finish, 46.3% ABV
This non-age-statement peated release from Tobermory Distillery has been finished in Rioja wine casks. You can expect peppery spice, red fruits, dark chocolate, sea spray, and lingering smoke.
Wee Beastie is aged in both ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks. Even at just five years old, this whisky packs a punch. You can expect aromas of dried fruits, cooked apples, salted almonds, and bacon crisps. The palate offers honey-glazed ham, vinegary chips, black pepper, salted caramel, dark chocolate, and sweet smoke. It’s a cracker for less than £40.
Meikle Tòir The Cinquapin One, 48% ABV
This is another cracking five-year-old whisky. Meikle Tòir is the peated whisky range from GlenAllachie Distillery. The journey began in 2018 soon after Billy Walker took over the distillery.
The range consists of The Original, a combination of ex-bourbon, new oak, ex-rye casks, The Sherry One, made with ex-bourbon, ex-PX and ex-Oloroso, The Chinquapin One, ex-bourbon and virgin Chinquapin oak and The Turbo, which is aged in new oak and ex-Oloroso sherry casks. All made using the mainland peat at 35ppm, except The Turbo which is 71ppm.
The Cinquapin oak in general tends to pair well with a peated spirit. In this case, the nose is filled with caramel coated popcorn, Hubba Bubba gum, smoky cheese, tiger bread, soft leather and Old-Fashioned cocktail. The palate is peatier with tar, liquorice cough syrup, salmiakki, fennel, honey roasted nuts and ginger.
Machir Bay is aged in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, although it is largely bourbon. It has a citrusy and biscuity nose with peat smoke. The palate offers tropical fruits, subtle sweetness, warming black pepper and plenty of peat smoke to bind it all together.
Do you have any other scotch whisky recommendations you’d add to this list?
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