5 Great Scottish Single Malts for Beginners

If you have anybody in your life that wants to get into the world of single malt scotch or like me who has a friend that is stuck on the bog-standard blends, this is a list for them. These may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is a good place to start. Too many people are not aware of these easy sipping single malts that won’t break the bank.

Balvenie Doublewood 12 year

This one is always an easy one to recommend. Balvenie Doublewood has been a go to choice anytime I’m needing a reliably good dram. Aged for 12yrs in 2nd or 3rd fill American barrels, then finished off the last 9 months in Oloroso sherry butts.

Wonderful flavours of honey and vanilla, with ever so gentle woody spice. A great introduction to those new to this world, especially if they’re a Jameson or Jack fan.

GlenDronach 12

This heavily sherried whisky used a combination of both Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks in it’s crafting. That brought us a very dense and very creamy offering.

The 12 year old was put on the whiskies to try before your die for good reason. You have slight oak smoke, with velvety caramel notes giving you a full mouth feel.

Old Pulteney 12

From all the way up in Wick, comes the Maritime Malt. Named that because of Wick’s rich maritime history and the distillery’s warehouse close proximity to the North Sea. This bottling was matured exclusively in American oak ex-bourbon barrels.

This one is great for new scotch drinkers due to its light and bright notes of vanilla cereals. The maritime spice flavours come in ever so slightly with early morning coffee flavours.

Dalwhinnie 15

Part of Diageo’s Classic Malt range, this is a very underrated whisky. Showcasing classic highland malt qualities, this is a perfect offering to someone who is unfamiliar with the scotch world.

Those classic qualities are full of highland heather and honey. Not overly complex, but very accessible and light, with slight saltiness.

Stalla Dhu Speyside

Couldn’t let this list go without mentioning one of our very own independent bottlings. Our own Speyside has taken multiple awards for very good reason. This is part of our core range of carefully selected and managed whiskies. The actual distillery is only known to the owners, but rest assured you’re getting one fantastic single malt. Very well-balanced dram full of dried fruit flavours and sweet caramel, with a long sweet finish.

Now there are plenty of other options out there, so if we can help at all in choosing the right whisky just send us a message!                                             

Written by Cailin Morrison - 05/02/2020