Campbeltown was once the whisky capital of the world. A tiny town that housed over 25 distilleries in its heyday, it fell into near-obscurity before rising again on the back of another whisky boom. Today, it has become the mecca for hardcore enthusiasts, the spiritual home for the crème de la crème of passionate Scotch lovers.
After months of deep research and countless drams, I decided to rank the active Campbeltown brands from best to worst. The results, I suspect, will ruffle a few feathers.
Let me start at the bottom, and I say “bottom” with a giant caveat: calling something the worst Campbeltown whisky is like calling something the worst free pizza. It is still good. That distinction goes to Hazelburn, the unpeated, triple-distilled brand produced at Springbank Distillery.
Originally an independent operation that closed in the 20th century, its name was revived to help keep Campbeltown’s status as a recognized whisky region. The 10-year-old core release, fully bourbon barrel matured at 46%, is enjoyable, and their Oloroso release carries a decent reputation.
But I simply have not tried enough of it to place it any higher, and what I have sampled has not reached the peaks of its neighbours. I fully expect to be told I need to drink more of it, and that is probably fair.
My number four pick is the one that will draw the most ire: Springbank. Before the pitchforks come out, let me be clear. Springbank is old school, inefficient in the best possible way, and a guardian of what Scotch should be. Every step of production happens on site, and the whisky has a funk and character that is genuinely unique. It is a brand everyone should try at least once.
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However, it is also a brand I wish everyone could actually own, and therein lies the problem. The secondary market has thrived on Springbank’s scarcity, with bottles regularly flipping for double or triple their retail price. A £60 ten-year-old is not cheap to begin with, and the hype has unintentionally brought out some of the worst behaviour in the whisky world. Great liquid, but accessibility drags it down my list.
Glen Scotia takes the number three spot. The Loch Lomond-owned, supposedly haunted distillery offers the broadest range in Campbeltown, from the approachable Double Cask all the way up to the premium Victoriana. Their 2020 Tawny Port finish remains a perfect ten in my books, the new 12-year-old is earning widespread praise, and their Icons of Campbeltown series and festival releases give collectors and drinkers plenty to explore.
At number two sits Longrow, Springbank’s heavily peated, double-distilled sibling. This stuff is gold. The core peated expression does not fly off shelves the way Springbank does, which means you can actually find it, and the 100 Proof range is a mighty dram at a mighty ABV. The Longrow Red series, now seemingly discontinued, produced some genuine nine-out-of-ten bottles that I still think about.
My number one, and I suspect many of you saw this coming, is Kilkerran from Glengyle Distillery. It sits in my god-tier of whisky. It is more accessible than Springbank, bottles tend to linger on shelves a bit longer, and I have never had a single disappointing pour. Looking at my tasting spreadsheet, the lowest score I have ever given a Kilkerran is an eight out of ten.
The 12-year-old was the first bottle I physically travelled to hunt down, and the Port Cask release remains an all-time favourite. For consistency, quality, and sheer enjoyment, nothing else in Campbeltown touches it for me. So, where does your ranking differ from mine, and which Campbeltown bottle first made you fall in love with this mighty little region?
To see my full ranking, watch my YouTube video.
