At the start of the year, I was not convinced I would find any whiskies I’d score a nine or above. Then, in the space of just a few months, a wave of incredible offerings landed on my desk. Looking back at my top selections, it has become clear that this was the year of great value whisky, with some of the best drams I have ever tried proving that exceptional quality does not always require an astronomical price tag.
A perfect example of this theme was the Lagavulin 12 Year Old 2021 Special Release. Originally priced well over £100, it became available for around £60 from a retailer, a move that proved a point I have long believed: consumers are no longer willing to pay hugely inflated prices for these releases. A cask strength Lagavulin at a fair price is an absolute delight, and it earned its place on my list by delivering outstanding flavour without the prohibitive cost.
This year also reinforced my belief that great whisky does not have to be old. We saw a number of young, cask strength bruisers that were just absolutely outstanding. The Ardnahoe Cask Strength, made entirely from first fill bourbon casks, was a champion of this idea at just £60. Similarly, bottlings like the Kilkerran Heavily Peated Batch 13 and the powerful Ledaig 10 Cask Strength delivered immense, complex flavours that blew me away. These whiskies are proof that age is just a number when the spirit and cask selection are top tier.
However, one whisky stood above all the rest, earning the only perfect 10 I gave out all year: the Meikle Tòir 2024 Turbo. Frustratingly, it is also one of the hardest to get. My conviction in this choice was confirmed recently when a friend gave me a blind sample labelled only “2024.” I messaged him immediately, saying it was brilliant and asking what it was. His reply confirmed it was the Meikle Tòir. Even without knowing, its quality was undeniable. It was, for me, an outrageous and unforgettable whisky that defined the pinnacle of what was possible this year.
While my top picks might be difficult to find now, they all share a common thread. They are bold, flavourful, and for the most part, represent sensible pricing for the quality inside the bottle. It was a challenging year in many ways, but in the world of whisky, it was honestly a spectacular one. What was your whisky of the year?
To find out which 11 whiskies made it into my ‘best of 2025’ list, watch my YouTube video.
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