Scotland’s islands often get overlooked in favour of more well-known Scotch whisky categories like Speyside or Islay. However, beyond the shores of the mainland and Islay lies a varied region that produces some fantastic single malts. The World Whiskies Awards Scotland 2026 results underline this fact.
This year’s Gold medal winners range from long-aged Orcadian malts to modern, cask-driven releases from newer distilleries. All were judged blind by industry professionals and stood out for balance and clarity.
This article looks at how these island single malts are made, where they come from, and why they earned top honors. These are the best Islands single malt scotch whiskies of 2026, as recognized by the World Whiskies Awards.
Scapa 21 Years Old
Style: 21 Years & Over
Medal: Gold, Category Winner
Tasting Notes: Apricot jam, fresh raspberries, ripe bananas, whipped cream, oak, nutmeg, peaches, mangoes, vanilla cream, condensed milk, shortbread, cardamom, cinnamon
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Find Your Next Bottle: $294
Scapa 21 Years Old reflects a renewed focus on long-aged single malt at one of Orkney’s more understated distilleries. While Scapa has released aged whiskies in the past, much of its modern identity was built around no-age-statement bottlings. This expression places extended maturation back at the center of the range. Scapa released its first permanent collection of aged single malts in November 2024.
The whisky is made using unpeated malted barley and long fermentation, which supports Scapa’s fruit-led house style. It is matured entirely in first-fill American oak casks and aged on Orkney for 21 years. The whisky is bottled at natural cask strength and without chill filtration.
Founded in 1885, Scapa sits beside Scapa Flow on Orkney and produces a style that contrasts with peated island malts. Its Lomond-style wash still allows greater control during distillation. The Category Winner award recognizes clarity, balance, and patience rather than intensity.
Jura 12 Years Old
Style: 12 Years & Under
Medal: Gold, Category Winner
Tasting Notes: Peach, bright citrus, lightly toasted walnut
Find Your Next Bottle: $43
Jura 12 Years Old anchors the distillery’s modern core range and reflects its focus on accessibility and balance. The Isle of Jura distillery serves a small island community and produces a lighter island style shaped by its remote environment.
The whisky is made from malted barley and distilled using some of the tallest stills in Scotland. That design encourages a lighter, more refined spirit. Jura 12 is matured in American white oak ex-bourbon casks for its full 12 years and bottled at 40% ABV.
Jura produces both peated and unpeated spirit, and this expression sits at the gentler end of that spectrum. The Category Winner award reflects clarity of style and improved consistency following Jura’s renewed emphasis on age-stated single malts.
Jura 14 Years Old
Style: 13 To 20 Years
Medal: Gold, Category Winner
Tasting Notes: Citrus, dark chocolate, cinnamon
Find Your Next Bottle: $38
Jura 14 Years Old shows how the distillery is willing to experiment while staying grounded in long maturation. It sits within Jura’s core range and builds on the brand’s push toward clearer, age-stated releases.
The whisky is made from malted barley and distilled in Jura’s notably tall stills, which promote a lighter spirit. Maturation takes place primarily in American white oak ex-bourbon casks. The whisky is then finished in American rye whiskey casks.
This finishing choice is unusual in Scotch and is used to add structure and spice rather than sweetness.
Isle of Raasay Distillery Cask Strength
Style: No Age Statement
Medal: Gold, Category Winner
Tasting Notes: Wood smoke, cherries, blackberries, cinnamon, black pepper, vanilla
Find Your Next Bottle: $81
The Isle of Raasay Distillery Cask Strength represents one of the clearest statements yet from Scotland’s newest island distillery. Raasay began distilling legally in 2017, and from the outset focused on building complexity through cask variety rather than age alone.
This whisky is bottled at natural cask strength and without chill filtration. It is made using both peated and unpeated malted barley, which are distilled separately and matured on the island. The distillery uses a six-cask recipe that includes American rye whiskey casks, virgin Chinkapin oak, and Bordeaux red wine casks. These components are vatted together before bottling to create a balanced single malt.
All distilling, maturation, and bottling take place on Raasay. The Category Winner award marks a major milestone for a young distillery and shows how controlled cask management can deliver credibility early.
Scapa 10 Years Old
Style: 12 Years & Under
Medal: Gold
Tasting Notes: Pineapple and mango ice cream, crème brûlée, honey-topped pancakes, cinnamon buns, citrus peel, stewed apple, warming spices, vanilla custard, banana, charred oak, milk chocolate
Find Your Next Bottle: $50
Scapa 10 Years Old completes the distillery’s modern age statement range and provides a clearer entry point into its Orcadian style. It sits alongside the 21 Year Old and reflects the same emphasis on fruit-driven spirit and American oak maturation.
The whisky is made using unpeated malted barley and long fermentation, which supports Scapa’s tropical and orchard fruit character. It is matured for a full decade in first-fill American oak casks and aged on Orkney. The whisky is bottled at 48% ABV and is not chill-filtered.
Founded in 1885, Scapa has often been overshadowed by its island neighbor, Highland Park, but its house style is distinct and deliberately gentle.
