The Best Islay Scotch Whisky According To The 2025 World Whiskies Awards

Continuing our breakdown of the Scotland winners, today we turn our focus to single malt scotch whiskies from Islay.
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In March 2025, category and medal winners from the World Whiskies Awards Scotland will go on to compete for the revered ‘World’s Best’ titles at the World Whiskies Awards, joined by the winners of other regional competitions. Announcing the Scottish winners in December 2024, the World Whiskies Awards has set the stage for an incredible competition, featuring some coveted single malt scotch whiskies. 

Continuing our breakdown of the Scotland winners, today we turn our focus to single malt scotch whiskies from Islay. So, let’s take a closer look at the best Islay single malt scotches according to the World Whiskies Awards. Spoiler alert – the judges were very impressed with Ardbeg. 

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Ardbeg Corryvreckan 

Category: Single Malt Scotch
Region: Islay
Age: No Age Statement
Tasting Notes: Tarry ropes, creosote, linseed oil, dark chocolate, blackcurrants, muscovado sugar, cherries, pine, brine, seaweed, smoky bacon, vanilla, cloves, blueberries, menthol, treacle, chilli sauce, peppered steak, espresso, dark fruits, almonds, star anise, hickory, violets.
BUY NOW: $84

Ardbeg Corryvreckan stands as a testament to Ardbeg’s boldness – a single malt celebrated worldwide despite its reputation as “not for the faint-hearted.” Named ‘World’s Best Single Malt’ in 2010, it has become a cornerstone of Ardbeg’s enduring legacy.

The whisky takes its name from the Corryvreckan whirlpool, a dramatic and untamed force of nature in the Gulf of Corryvreckan, north of Islay. This natural phenomenon is mirrored in the whisky itself, with its deep, intense character and commanding profile.

Distilled from 100% Scottish malted barley, Corryvreckan is matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and French oak casks. The precise aging remains undisclosed, adding an air of mystery to this revered expression. Fans and critics alike have dubbed it an “Ardbeggian icon,” a testament to its place in the pantheon of great Islay whiskies.

In June 2024, Ardbeg reignited interest in the Corryvreckan legend with the release of The Abyss, a new chapter in the story of this 2008 original. For fans of Ardbeg, it’s another reason to celebrate the spirit of adventure that defines this iconic whisky.

Ben Bracken Islay Single Malt Scotch 

Category: Single Malt Scotch
Region: Islay
Age: 12 Years & Under
Tasting Notes: Sea spray, bonfire smoke, salted bananas, baked apples, sponge pudding, candied orange, wasabi spice, meat
BUY NOW: Only available in Lidl Stores

You may not have heard of Ben Bracken. It is not a distillery in Scotland, rather it is the label under which Lidl sells single malt scotch whisky. 

A lot of skepticism exists around supermarket bottlings of scotch whisky. However, at an affordable price and with awards under its belt, Ben Bracken seems to have found a reliable fanbase. 

Whiskies from Speyside and the Highlands are also bottled under this label, but this particular expression hails from Islay. 

The distillery at which this whisky was distilled is not specified, although there are rumors that it comes from Bowmore. 

According to the Lidl website, this whisky is three years old, and bottled at 40% ABV. At Lidl supermarkets, the bottle retails for around £16 – a very reasonable price. 

Ardbeg 17 Year Old 

Category: Single Malt Scotch
Region: Islay
Age: 13-20 Years Old
Tasting Notes: Pine resin, aniseed, sea spray, lavender soap, aniseed toffee, cafe latte, fennel, soap, peat smoke, chewy oak, cocoa powder, tar
BUY NOW: $150

It is hardly surprising that the recently-revived Arbdeg 17 Year Old is scooping up the awards. Reintroduced as an Ardbeg Committee exclusive in September 2024, the Ardbeg 17 Year Old is a cult classic from the Islay distillery. 

The bottling was originally introduced in 1997 and quickly became a staple, notable for its gentle peat smoke and multi-layered profile. Ardbeg fans were downtrodden when the whisky was discontinued in 2004. 

The Ardbeg 17 Year Old has been faithfully recreated by the distillery’s Whisky Creation Team – a blend of peated and unpeated single malt bottled at 40% ABV. 

At the time of re-release, Master Blender Gillian Macdonald commented: “Ardbeg fans can expect to find classic aromas of pine resin and sea spray, as well as a mineral note layered with malted barley – all underpinned by delicate smoke. In tribute to the Ardbeg folk past and present who made this whisky an icon, we’re very excited to bring an Islay legend back to life, allowing a new generation of whisky lovers to experience an iconic Ardbeg that they’ve heard so much about.”

Ardbeg 25 Year Old 

Category: Single Malt Scotch
Region: Islay
Age: 21 Years & Over
Tasting Notes: Smoked cream, peppermint, toffee, fennel, pine resin, bonfire, banana, pepper, lemon sherbert, carbolic soap, tar, chili pepper
BUY NOW: $875

The oldest whisky in Ardbeg’s core range, the 25 Year Old was permanently added to the distillery’s portfolio in January 2021

Bottled after a quarter-century of maturation, this whisky was likely distilled in the mid-late 1990s, just before Ardbeg was transformed thanks to its purchase by Glenmorangie plc in 1997. Prior to this, the distillery had been marred by multiple closures. According to the Ardbeg website, the 25 Year Old was “[b]ottled from incredibly rare casks filled during some of the Distillery’s darkest days

Speaking in 2020, Dr. Bill Lumsden said of the 25 Year Old: “After a quarter of a century in the cask, you’d be forgiven for imagining that Ardbeg 25 Years Old would have lost some of the hallmark Ardbeg smoky punch. I can assure you it hasn’t. And yet there’s also a remarkable complexity and elegance to this whisky that I find utterly captivating. It’s unmistakably Ardbeg, but unlike any Ardbeg you’ve tasted before.”

Its bold packaging certainly reflects the nature of the whisky inside the bottle, the peatiness of which has not been tamed by 25 years in the cask.

Beth Squires

Beth Squires joined Mark Littler Ltd full-time in October 2020 after completing her university degree in English Literature. Since then, she has acquired extensive knowledge about all aspects of whisk(e)y and now holds the position of Deputy Editor at The Whiskey Wash. Beth is passionate about history, industry innovation, marketing, and sustainability. With a special fondness for independently bottled rare scotch, Beth also serves as a whisky bottle investment specialist.

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