The Five Best Single Malt Scotches in the World

Scotch is short for scotch whiskey. For those who are curious, scotch whiskey is whiskey made in a particular manner in Scotland. Should something fail to meet the conditions that have been laid out in the law, it cannot be called scotch whiskey but is instead something else. With that said, it is interesting to note that scotch whiskey can actually encompass a wide range of products. This is because while scotch whiskey used to be made out of nothing but malted barley, the term can now encompass other kinds of whiskey made out of other kinds of grains as well. However, single malt scotch must meet a couple of conditions for something to be classified thus. First, it must be made using malted barley and nothing but malted barley. Second, the contents of the bottle must have come from the same distillery, thus setting it apart from what are called blended malts.

Here are five of the best single malt scotches that can be found in the entire world:

Bowmore Darkest 15 Year Old

Bowmore Darkest was aged in sherry casks, which is actually a tradition that has been in use for centuries by this point in time. Something that started up because of a period of time when sherry became extraordinary popular throughout much of Scotland. Regardless, the result of the aging in sherry casks is that Bowmore Darkest is defined in significant part by its presence, thus making for a more potent as well as a more wonderful combination than otherwise possible. Suffice to say that Bowmore Darkest is a veritable feast for the senses, flavored much by the presence of spices.

Bruichladdich Black Art

Bruichladdich has been in operation since the Victorian era. However, what might be most interesting is that Bruichladdich continues to use Victorian era equipment, which is in stark contrast to most of the other distilleries that can be found out there. In total, Bruichladdich produces a number of products, which are marketed under a number of names. For example, those of its products bearing the Port Charlotte name are peated while those of its products bearing the Octomore name are even more peated. In contrast, those bearing the Bruichladdich name are unpeated. Curiously, Bruichladdich Black Art is famous for having been made using a mysterious recipe, which provides it with much of its mystique.

Glen Garioch 12 Year Old

Glen Garioch can an impressive tradition of whiskey-making, seeing as how it is one of the oldest distilleries that can be found in the whole of Scotland. To be exact, Glen Garioch started up in 1797 in a place that is famous for its springs as well as its fertile farms, which are characteristics that made it well-suited for whiskey production. Regardless, Glen Garioch’s 12 year old single malt scotch is more complex than its age would suggest, bringing to mind various scents that include but are not limited to honey, pepper, and even a certain oakiness that serves to accentuate the rest.

Glenmorangie Signet

Found in the Highlands, Glenmorangie makes its single malt scotch using the water of the spring situated in the hills behind it. The resulting product is then aged in special casks made out of white oak, which actually comes from a forest in the United States that is owned by the distillery. In recent times, Glenmorangie products have been rebranded for increased appeal to oversea markets interested in something more luxurious, which can be seen in the fact that Glenmorangie Signet smells of cocoa, cinnamon, citrus, as well as other rich and decadent scents.

Lagavulin 16 Year Old

Lagavulin’s 16 year old single malt scotch comes from the island of Islay, which is the southernmost of the Inner Hebrides. With that said, while Islay might be known to a wide range of people for a wide range of reasons, it should be best-known to scotch enthusiasts because of the peated flavor of its whiskies. Lagavulin is no exception to this rule, which is why people have described its 16 year old single malt scotch using words such as bacon, smoke, and even charcoal. Some of these things might not sound particularly appetizing, but considering Lagavulin’s sales, it seems clear that it knows exactly what it is doing.