The Best Whiskies for 2024 (2024)

Don't know your Glengoyne from your Glenlivet? Don't worry, our foolproof guide to the best whisky will quickly get you up to speed, whether you're looking for a special dram for your mate's birthday or saving all for yourself (no judgment here).

Best Whisky for 2024

How to Taste Whisky

Ignore the shot-glass approach you’ve seen on the big screen. When tasting whisky or drinking it neat, you should aim to keep it in your mouth for 12-20 seconds. Put it in the middle of your tongue, underneath, then back and in the middle. Hold it, then let it go down. Your first gulp primes your tastebuds, while the second is when the whisky shows you precisely what it’s going to say.

Getting it talking demands the right glassware. A heavy-bottomed tumbler is good, but the best is this Perfect Measure Whisky Glass. Its stem keeps your hands away so the warmth isn’t evaporating the whisky, and the tulip shape channels your dram’s aromas straight up your nostrils.

Half the tasting experience is in the nose, but whiskies have a lot of common flavours running through them, making this one easy to blag. Flavours that pop up a lot are vanilla, butterscotch, clove, cinnamon and orange.

The barrels the whisky has been stored in will have a big impact on the nose. If you’re smelling a bit of smoke, chances are it’s been aged in an ex-bourbon barrel. If it’s richer, redder and smells fruity, you might have a whisky that’s been ‘finished’ by being stored in a sherry cask just before bottling.

Those scents are why you’re best of serving your scotch at room temperature. Mature drops can be served straight. Younger ones respond to a drop of water to bring out more nuanced flavours.

What Should I Look for When Picking a Whisky?

If whisky is all new to you, you might want to avoid the overly smoky, peated styles, which can be quite overpowering to the uninitiated. Instead, the best whisky for your palate will likely be an easy-drinking sweet and fruity dram, but if in doubt, our tasting notes should direct you to the perfect whisky for you.

This really is the definition of a smooth-operator. Gently fruity with subtle mint, pear and toffee apple, the long, creamy finish makes this the ultimate nightcap. Chuck a cube of ice in if you’d rather suppress the sweetness, or enjoy neat instead of dessert.

It might be the same age as Old Pulteney, but this is an altogether different dram. Aged in ex-bourbon and sherry casks, the result is a sweet, rich, sherried flavour full of dried fruit, vanilla and coffee. Hold the water, this one doesn’t need it.

Fan of apple pie? We thought so. This one will be right up your alley in that case. Displaying cinnamon spice and all things nice, this honeyed Highlander has a fiery finish that will put hairs on your chest (or a bit of welly in your whisky sour).

A tasty little introduction to the world of Jura, this has a cereal milk sweetness, with hints of smoke, spice and cocoa. Everything is well balanced and in check though, making it a great addition to any whisky-based co*cktail.

If you fancy dipping your toe into the world of peated whisky, but would rather not disappear in a cloud of smoke, this Bowmore is a great middle ground. Described as a “medium-peated” whisky, there’s also a hint of tropical fruit — think caramelised pineapple, mango and lemon zest.

New to whisky? Want rich flavours but don’t know where to start? If you find peated whisky a little too full-on, try this. Oloroso sherry casks help give this whisky both its rich fruit notes, as well as its silky and full mouth feel. While big, juicy notes of dried orange, figs, prunes and a little spice help keep it approachable, there’s a little light smoke and spice to keep things interesting. Delicious.

With notes of tropical fruit and bright and zesty citrus, this rum cask whisky brings the Caribbean to Scotland. Though aged for 21 years, it sits in the rum casks for the final four months, imparting that stand-out fruitiness. There’s buttery caramel and spice up top, followed by a smooth vanilla finish. Sip and savour it neat.

An easy-drinking dram for under 30 quid you say? Sure, it needs a splash of water for maximum appeal, but this popular Highlander will reward you with ripe banana and sweet orange zest, alongside a faint whiff of honey.

Matured in American ex-bourbon barrels, Deanston’s signature scotch whisky offers honeyed fruit and malty vanilla aromas with a seriously smooth mouthfeel. Veering away from smoke in favour of sweetness, this bottle makes for a delicious dinner party digestif.

Just like any other certified organic foodstuff, Nc’nean’s whisky is made with ingredients (in this case Scottish barley), free from harmful chemicals, pesticides and fertilisers. Matured in ex-red wine barrels and American whiskey casks, the result is a lemon cheesecake palate, peppered with juicy apricots and toffee. Because your body is a temple, even when you’re boozing.

Ready to upgrade to a more medicinal malt? There’s still a hint of sweetness here but it’s the peaty smoke that dominates, with a fiery, long-lasting finish you won’t forget in a hurry. A fantastic, complex example of a peated whisky.

To make the ultimate Old Fashioned, you need a cracking whisky base. We think we’ve found it in Highland Park’s 12-year-old. The heather honey sweetness, smoked orange rind and warming mouthfeel could not be more well suited to what is surely the best co*cktail of all-time?

Aged in first fill bourbon barrels, Balvenie’s master distiller selects casks with a signature vanilla sweetness for its single barrel series. Each fills no more than 300 bottles; look for the cask number on your bottle. Silky soft, there’s toasted nuts, sultana, a little tropical fruit and that signature caramel and vanilla, with just a faint hint of peat.