While there are many new and exciting whiskeys from around the world hitting the U.S. market, Scotch is a mainstay, particularly during the holidays. But the category’s longevity doesn’t make it stagnant; there’s plenty of whisky coming out of Scotland to excite buyers in the U.S.
Mike Miller, the owner of whiskey mecca Delilah’s in Chicago, carries more than 1,000 whiskeys from around the world, including bottles from more than 70 Scotch distilleries. He points to a confluence of factors that make the Scotch landscape so interesting right now: longtime whisky families launching new projects, like Clydeside; new and progressive distilleries, like Isle of Raasay and Torabhaig; and new blenders who are adding their own stamp to Scotch mainstays, like Rachel Barrie, Hon DSc., at Benriach and Julieann Fernandex-Thomson at Bunnahabhain. “Scotch producers and the people in [the industry] don’t have to follow the old rules anymore,” says Miller. “That’s what’s exciting for me—I continue to taste things that are new and dynamic.”
SevenFifty Daily reached out to spirits buyers, bar managers, and beverage directors across the country to find out which Scotch whiskies they are most excited to sell right now. (All whiskies are listed with suggested retail price per bottle.)
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Isle of Raasay Lightly Peated, Isle of Raasay, Scotland; $70
Selected by Brendan Noble, spirits buyer, The Whisky Shop, San Francisco
The first legal whisky (and gin) distillery on the Isle of Raasay, the island’s namesake distillery opened in 2017 and has caught the attention of Scotch enthusiasts across the U.S. in the years since. The distillery’s signature single malt, often referred to simply as the Lightly Peated, has been selling well at specialist San Francisco retailer The Whisky Shop. It’s “well balanced and accessible, but has a unique contrast of flavors from the chinkapin oak [a white oak species], red wine, and ex-rye casks,” says spirits buyer Brendan Noble. To craft the lightly peated style—an homage to old-school Hebridean single malts—Isle of Raasay matures peated spirit and unpeated spirit separately in the three cask types before bending them together.
Glenmorangie ‘The Lasanta’ 12 Year, Highland, Scotland; $55
Selected by Alan Bradshaw, beverage director, Proxi, Chicago
Though it’s one of Scotland’s best-known whisky distilleries, Glenmorangie continues to capture the attention of beverage buyers. “Glenmorangie was the first bottle of Scotch I received as a gift from my uncle,” says Alan Bradshaw, the beverage director of Proxi in Chicago, “so it has a bit of nostalgia for me.” First distilled in Scotland’s tallest stills, the single malt whisky is then aged in ex-bourbon and sherry casks for 12 years, “imparting nice honeycomb and chocolate-covered hazelnut notes,” says Bradshaw.
Bunnahabhain ‘Abhainn Araig’ Fèis Ìle 2022, Islay, Scotland; $180
Selected by Ryan Howard, lead spirits buyer, Bow Street Beverage, Portland, Maine
The island of Islay is known for its smoky, heavily peated Scotch whiskies, but local institution Bunnahabhain takes a different approach, as it has since its establishment in 1881. “Unpeated Scotch from Islay is very uncommon,” says Ryan Howard, the lead spirits buyer for Bow Street Beverage. Each year, Bunnahabhain releases a limited-edition Fèis Ìle Scotch in tandem with Islay’s annual festival; the 2022 release, dubbed Abhainn Araig (Araig River), is aged in ex-bourbon and Pedro Ximénez sherry octave casks. Howard calls the spirit exceptionally smooth and complex. “It’s great for anyone looking for something unique without the campfire taste,” he says.
The Balvenie ‘Caribbean Cask’ 14, Speyside, Scotland; $90
Selected by Will Delvige, bar manager, Mastro’s Steakhouse at The Post Oak Hotel, Houston
Mastro’s at The Post Oak Hotel is known for its wine program, but it also carries some of the world’s best single malt Scotch whiskies. When asked to name a go-to bottle, however, bar manager Will Delvige turned to an accessible option: The Balvenie ‘Caribbean Cask’ 14. “It’s a great entry-level Scotch that is approachable to beginners,” he says. After 14 years of aging, the whisky is finished in ex-Caribbean rum casks, resulting in a smooth texture with vanilla, honey, and toffee notes—“a nice flavor for whiskey lovers that may be new to Scotch,” says Delvige.
Port Askaig 110, Islay, Scotland; $75
Selected by Zach Berliner, whiskey buyer, Bitters and Bottles, San Francisco
Named for a small port village on the northeastern coast of Islay, Port Askaig was created in 2009 by Elixir Distillers, an independent bottler aiming to offer whiskies that reflect the character of Islay. Zach Berliner, the whiskey buyer at Bitters and Bottles, says that as winter nears, he has been reaching for the Port Askaig 110, a U.S. exclusive “for us American proof hounds.” It’s a small-batch Scotch aged in American oak and labeled without an age statement. Despite its strength, “the 110 proof is surprisingly drinkable with creamy coconut and citrus, somewhat balancing the peaty, smoky, maritime malt,” says Berliner.
Glenfiddich ‘Amontillado Cask Finish’ 12 Year, Speyside, Scotland; $60
Selected by Crystal Marine, chief administrative officer, and the spirits team at Molly’s Spirits, Denver
Though Glenfiddich makes some of the world’s best-selling single malt Scotch, it continues to experiment with releases like the Amontillado Cask Finish, which the spirits team at Molly’s Spirits is enjoying right now. “As opposed to oloroso sherry, which is commonly used in the Scotch industry, they decided to create a new rendition,” says chief administrative officer Crystal Marine. The Amontillado Cask, which was introduced in 2022, uses the same recipe as the Glenfiddich 12 Year, matured for 12 years in American and European oak, but is finished in amontillado casks instead of oloroso, giving it “a bit of a dry finish … a bit more of a plum-fruity punch, and a bit stronger.”
Springbank 12 Cask Strength 2024, Campbeltown, Scotland; $250
Selected by Vishal Sharma, spirits manager, Buy Rite Wine and Liquor, Jersey City and Wayne, New Jersey
“This is simply the best Scotch I’ve tasted this year,” says Vishal Sharma, the spirits manager at Buy Rite Wine and Liquor. “I would drink it often if it weren’t so limited in availability.” The Springbank 12 Cask Strength is a bit different each year, and the 2024 blends 70 percent bourbon cask spirit with 30 percent sherry cask spirit, landing at 57.2% ABV. Though Sharma typically finds Springbank to be considerably smoky, this release balances sweet and savory aromas well. “The earthy, sooty smoke on the nose evolves into a leathery, musky palate, beautifully complemented by vibrant citrus notes,” he says.
The Balvenie 60, Speyside, Scotland; $145,000 (price on release in 2022)
Selected by Veljko Pavicevic, general manager and co-owner, Butcher Private and Sails Restaurant, Naples, Florida
There are only three bottles of The Balvenie 60 available in the U.S., bottled in 2022 from a single cask of 1962 whisky, and Butcher Private, a members-only business club, has one of them. “It was a privilege to buy it,” says Veljko Pavicevic, the general manager and co-owner of both Butcher Private and Sails Restaurant. It’s the oldest whisky ever released by The Balvenie, bottled to commemorate legendary malt master David C. Stewart’s retirement; he started working at the distillery in 1962.
Dispatch
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Courtney Schiessl Magrini is the editor-in-chief for SevenFifty Daily and the Beverage Media Group publications. Based in Brooklyn, she has held sommelier positions at some of New York’s top restaurants, including Marta, Dirty French, and Terroir, and her work has appeared in Wine Enthusiast, GuildSomm, Forbes.com, VinePair, EatingWell Magazine, and more. She holds the WSET Diploma in Wines. Follow her on Instagram at @takeittocourt.
