There are few things in life which feel as refined as a neat glass of good whiskey. The smokey aroma hits your nostrils before your tastebuds are treated to all manner of exquisitely crafted notes.
The wonderful world of whiskey is jam-packed with different bottles. All manner of different aging processes, ingredients and even distilling locations can drastically alter the end product.
Aberfeldy 21 Year Old Whiskey
Aberfeldy
It’s not too often you’ll find a scotch old enough to drink itself with a price tag most of us don’t wince at, but this is an exception. Priced at £160 (approx. $215), this is one of the most cost-effective routes to a bottle of this vintage.
A deep, layered flavor profile packed with sweetness should make this very easy on the tongue, before giving way to a gentle array of spices.
Suntory Hibiki Japanese Harmony
Suntory
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Japanese whiskey felt like a well-kept secret for a long time, but it has broken into the mainstream convincingly now. Suntory has led the charge, and its Hibiki Japanese Harmony is a simply divine dram.
Freshness on the nose is met with sweetness on the tongue, before giving way to a familiar oaky finish. At $99 a bottle, it’s definitely worth trying.
Glenturret 14 Year Old 2025
Glenturret
My personal favorite whiskey is this stunning single malt from the Scottish Highlands. Not only does it satisfy your every wish on both the nose and the palate – think sweet, smoky and more than a little spicy – it also comes in a killer bottle.
That’s not always something I’d put a lot of weight on, but once you’re already paying a good amount for a nice bottle, it’s a great add on. Priced at £150 (approx. $200), this one is worth every penny.
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Bourbon
Woodford Reserve
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It wouldn’t be a complete whiskey list without at least one bottle of Bourbon. And while you really could have popped all manner into this collection, this bottle from Woodford Reserve offers just enough differentiation to stand out.
The liquid is separately aged in two different charred oak barrels, with each imparting its own signature onto the final product. It’s notably darker than many on the market, with a delightfully complex series of tasting notes including dark caramel, hazelnut and apple.
You can pick this up for around $55 a bottle, which makes it the most affordable on this list.
Aberlour A’bunadh
Aberlour
Recently named the best whiskey in the world at the ASCOT Awards, Aberlour’s A’bunadh couldn’t be left from this list. Produced as a tribute to an original bottle from the 1800s found during renovations, A’bunadh is bottled at cask strength – a cool 61.2%.
Expect spice on the nose and deep, dark depth on the tongue. Pricing is right around $100 a bottle, which is not bad at all for something of this calibre.
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Sam Cross
Sam Cross is an award-winning journalist and the current Editor of Recombu. Over the past decade, his work has been featured in publications as diverse as Metro, Oracle Time and Last Word on Sports, but the bulk of his career was spent at T3. He’s a lover of all things analog, including mechanical watches, film photography and cassette players. He also has a master’s degree in Magazine Journalism from Cardiff University.
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