Popular | Islay | Single Malt | Expensive | Cheap

#1. Johnnie Walker

The Brand: Johnnie Walker, the founder of this Scotch brand, started this company as a grocery store in 1820. In 1867, Johnnie’s son, Alexander, designed a unique bottle design for their whisky, which made it stand out on the shelf. By 1920, Johnnie Walker Whisky was a global company, with their whisky being sold in 120 different countries.

Need To Know: Today Johnnie Walker is the number one whiskey brand in the world. They are committed to becoming more sustainable within the next 10 years by implementing a paper-based bottle and reducing the amount of water used for their beverages by 20%.

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#2. Ballantine’s

The Brand: In 1827, Ballantine’s began as a grocery store in Edinburgh. In 1836, the founder, George Ballentine, decided to specialize in hand-selected malts. Long before the age of the internet, George decided to implement a shop and drop model in 1857, offering free delivery within 10 miles. 

Need To Know: Today Ballantine’s is a worldwide brand and the world’s second best-selling Scotch. This brand is committed to self-expression and authenticity. They offer three types of Scotch, Ballantine’s finest, Ballantine’s 12-year-old, and Ballantine’s 17-year-old.

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#3. Grant’s

The Brand: Grant’s was founded by William Grant in 1898. Its iconic triangular bottle was introduced in 1957. The bottle was designed by Hans Schleger, who was a refugee from Nazi Germany. 

Need To Know: Grant’s is still a family-owned business. In addition to Scotch, they own several other alcohol brands that manufacture beverages such as gin, rum, and mezcal. They are currently the largest Scotch brand that remains under family ownership.

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#4. William Lawson

The Brand: William Lawson Whisky Ltd. was officially founded in 1969, although its history dates back to 1849 when their blend was first developed. Today this brand is owned by Bacardi Limited.

Need To Know: William Lawson is against using peated whisky in any of their Scotch blends, and they pride themselves on not following the traditional rules of blending Scotch. William Lawson sells two types of Scotch: their Finest Blend, and Vanilla Spiced. 

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#5. Chivas Regal

The Brand: Chivas Regal originally started as an Aberdeen grocery store in 1801. In 1909, it became the first luxury Scotch brand. This brand produces its whiskey at the oldest working distillery, the Strathisla Distillery in Speyside.

Need To Know: Chivas Regal’s collection offers a variety of different whiskies, including Chivas Regal 12, Chivas Mizunara, Chivas 18, and their original blend, Chivas 25. This company gives away $1 million every year to social entrepreneurs, supporting social change in local communities.

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Top Islay Scotch Brands 

#1. Lagavulin

The Brand: Lagavulin was established in 1816 by John Johnstone. After opening, closing, and changing hands several times throughout the late 80s and 90s, this brand is now owned by a multinational beverage company, Diageo. 

Need To Know: Lagavulin’s Scotch collection features single malt scotch, and ranges from an 8-year-old to a 26-year-old. Described as rich and elegant, the Lagavulin 16-Year-Old is claimed to be one of the best whiskies available.

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#2. Ardbeg

The Brand: Ardbeg was established by the McDougall family in 1815. The brand’s owners have changed several times throughout the last 200 years, but today the brand is owned by The Glenmorangie Company, along with LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton as the parent company.

Need To Know: The Ardbeg 10-Year-Old was launched in 2000, and this was when the brand began to be promoted around the world. In 2018, plans were developed for a new stillhouse, which would double distillation capacity.

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#3. Laphroaig

The Brand: Laphroaig began as a cattle farm in 1810. The founders, Donald and Alexander Johnston, quickly realized that it was more profitable to distill whiskey instead of farming cattle. In 1836, Donald Johnston became the sole owner of Laphroaig. By 1929, Laphroaig had become a global brand, first exporting their whisky to the United States.

Need To Know: Laphroaig offers Scotch at many different price points. Their collection includes different 10-Year-Old varieties, Port Wood, Triple Wood, and a more expensive 25-Year-Old blend.

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#4. Bunnahabhain

The Brand: Bunnahabhain was founded in 1881, and produced its first whiskey in 1882. Within the first year, they had made a profit of over £10,000. Today, this brand is owned by Distell Group Limited, a multinational brewing and beverage company.

Need To Know: Although Bunnahabhain’s whisky was heavily peated in its beginning years, this brand now specializes in producing unpeated whisky, which is a contrast to the other distilleries in the Islay region.

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#5. Bowmore

The Brand: It is unknown exactly when Bowmore was first established, but the oldest recorded mention of this distillery was in 1779. In 1837, this company was purchased from the Simpson family by William and James Mutter. Throughout the next 150 years, the company changed ownership several times. Today, Bowmore is owned by the multinational beverage company, Beam Suntory.

Need To Know: Bowmore was Islay’s first distillery. They offer several different Scotch blends, including a 10-Year-Old, 15-Year-Old, and 18-Year-Old.

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Top Single Malt Scotch Brands 

#1. Aberlour

The Brand: Aberlour was founded in 1879 by James Fleming. After burning down and changing ownership several times, this brand is now owned by Chivas Brothers Holdings, and its parent company, Pernod Ricard.

Need To Know: This brand is best known for its small-batch, 100% Sherry-matured, A’Bunadh, which they started manufacturing in 2000. Aberlour also has many variations on cask-matured whiskies.

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#2. The Glenlivet

The Brand: George Smith founded Glenlivet in 1824, becoming the first legal distiller in the parish of Glenlivet. By the late 1930s, this brand was producing over 200 pounds of whiskey per week.

Need To Know: Today, The Glenlivet brand is the best-selling single malt scotch in the United States, and is the second best-selling worldwide. This brand is now owned by Pernod Ricard, a French alcoholic beverage company. The brand continues to model George Smith’s vision by breaking traditions and setting new standards.

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#3. Auchentoshan

The Brand: Auchentoshan was founded in 1823 by John Bollock, who was a local corn merchant. After changing ownership many times throughout the 1800s and 1900s, this distillery was bought in 1994 by the Japanese whiskey distiller, Suntory.

Need To Know: Auchentoshan is the only Scotch whisky brand that triple distills all of its whisky. It is also one of the last three lowland distilleries still in business. Their collection includes single-malt American Oak, Dark Oak, and Blood Oak.

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#4. Highland Park

The Brand: Highland Park Distillery was founded in 1798 by David Robertson. Almost 100 years later, the brand began to export to Norway and India in 1876. In 1999, after several changes in ownership, the brand was bought by Edrington and William Grant & Sons.

Need To Know: Highland Park has a core collection of Scotch with age statements. Their whisky is defined by age, experience, and tradition, but Highland credits the flavor to the distilling location in Orkney. They continue to release series based on Orcadian history and Norse gods.

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#5. Dalmore

The Brand: The Dalmore Distillery was established in 1839 by Alexander Matheson. Descendants of the Mackenzie Clan became the owners of this brand in 1867. They used a Royal Stag as the iconic emblem of this brand that is still found on its bottles today.

Need To Know: This brand prides itself on the high-quality craftsmanship it has upheld since it was established, setting the standard for the entire industry. The Dalmore uses high-quality, hand-selected casks to produce their whisky.

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Top Expensive Scotch Brands 

#1. Macallan

The Brand: Macallan first started legally distilling in 1824, founded by Alexander Reid. Ownership was exchanged several times throughout its history, with the current owner being Edrington, who acquired this brand in 1999.

Need To Know: Macallan started rebuilding the distillery in 2014, and it was finished by 2018, with the final cost being $140 million. The Macallan 1926 is known as the most expensive Scotch in the world, being sold for $600,000 in an auction in 2019.

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#2. Glenfiddich

The Brand: William Grant built the Glenfiddich Distillery in 1886. This brand became incorporated in 1903, by William Grant & Sons, who continue to own Glenfiddich today.

Need To Know: Glenfiddich is a single malt scotch that is distilled in Speyside. Their whisky collection is vast and ranges in age from 12 to 21 years. At the Bonhams Whisky Auction, a rare bottle of Glenfiddich was sold for $85,000. However, Glenfiddich sells whisky at a variety of different price points.

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#3. Springbank

The Brand: William Reid first legally founded Springbank in 1828 in Campbeltown. In 1837, Reid sold this business to his in-laws, the Mitchells. In 1897, the Mitchells founded J&A Mitchell, which is still this brand’s parent company to this day.

Need To Know: Springbank launched the first-ever organic single malt, Dha Mhile, in 1999. The most expensive Springbank whisky is the Springbank 1919, for $78,000.

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#4. Talisker

The Brand: Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill began Talisker as a sheep farm in 1825, then began distilling five years later. This distillery changed ownership many times, but is now owned by Diageo, which acquired the company in 1997.

Need To Know: Talisker recently launched a new product, a 40-year-old single malt, which is sold for $3,800. This is one of the oldest whiskies from the Isle of Skye, and one of the most expensive. Their collection ranges in age from 8 to 43 years.

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#5. The Balvenie

The Brand: The Balvenie distillery was built by William Grant, next door to the Glenfiddich distillery. The name of this brand means “village of luck.” In 1993, this brand launched Doublewood, one of the first single malts to be finished in a different cask.

Need To Know: Today, Balvenie is still owned by the original founders, William Grant & Sons, which is a rarity in the distilling world. The Balvenie DCS Compendium sells for $35,000, but this brand also sells many other kinds of Scotch in the three-figure price range, all of which have notes of honey and vanilla.

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Top Cheap Scotch Brands 

#1. Lismore

The Brand: Lismore was established in 1932 by Robert Lundie, originally calling the business Lundie & Morrison. In 1974, William Lundie & Co. became incorporated, becoming the official owner of Lismore. This company was acquired by J&G Grant in 2004.

Need To Know: Lismore Scotch starts at $25.00, making this a very affordable brand. This brand is available as a single malt bottled at different age ranges, from 5 years up to 21 years.

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#2. Speyburn

The Brand: Speyburn was founded by John and Edward Hopkins in 1897, and was designed by Charles Doig, a local architect. In 2001, this company was bought by Pacific Spirits for $85 million. Five years later, International Beverage Holdings bought out Pacific Spirits.

Need To Know: Speyburn began by using the Granty Burn, a secluded stream in the Speyside valley. Today, they continue to be the only distillery that uses the Granty Burn’s crystal-clear water. Speyburn’s whisky can often be found for under $30, which makes for an amazing value.

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#3. Mossburn

The Brand: Mossburn started in 2017 as a range of Independent Bottler Malts. Before opening, the team had spent over 30 years perfecting the craft of bottling and blending whisky.

Need To Know: Mossburn is located on the Isle of Skye. This company is the island’s first operational producer of single malt Scotch, and the island’s second legal distillery. With some of their blends being priced around $40, this is an extremely affordable brand.

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#4. Monkey Shoulder

The Brand: Monkey Shoulder was established in 2005 after the founders noticed a gap in the industry for a fun, yet premium-quality, Scotch brand. The founders aimed to fill this need. This Scotch comes from three different distilleries: Balvenie, Glenfiddich, and Kininvie. 

Need To Know: The Monkey Shoulder recipe is a secret, but its character is known as fruity, malty, and smooth. In 2016, this brand was named as the world’s trendiest Scotch whisky brand, and the same poll in 2018 named this brand as the world’s best-selling Scotch among high-end bars.

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#5. Aberfeldy

The Brand: The Aberfeldy distillery was built in 1896 by John Dewar & Sons, with their source of water coming from the Pitilie Burn. In 1925, John Dewar’s company merged with John Walker & Son and Buchanan’s, forming the Distiller’s Company Ltd. In 1998, this company was purchased by Bacardi.

Need To Know: This brand’s whisky is known for having a thick and waxy texture. Their collection ranges in age from 12 to 21 years. Aberfeldy’s Scotch can be bought for as low as $30, making this an affordable choice.

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