The map of world whiskey has been steadily expanding. In the 2024 World Whisky Awards, over 40 countries competed—twice as many as a decade ago—with entries from Sweden to South Africa.
Investment has followed. The Diageo-backed drinks business accelerator Distill Ventures took on Australia’s Starward in 2015 and invested $10 million in Denmark’s Stauning Whisky, which launched stateside last year and is fast gaining cult recognition.
The number of world whiskey cases sold is a fraction of what the big whiskey players produce. In the U.S. alone, 31 million nine-liter cases of American whiskey were sold in 2023; comparably, Taiwan, which produces Kavalan, arguably the leading world whiskey on the market, is home to just two distilleries. But for a contingent of whiskey aficionados, a dram from one of these lesser-known whiskey-producing regions offers an unparalleled sense of discovery—and they could be catalysts for change.
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“As more world whiskeys enter the U.S. market, they will challenge the dominance of traditional categories like bourbon and Scotch by offering distinct alternatives,” says Scott Milne, the director of marketing for Stauning. “The influx of brands signals a coming consumer shift.”
Producers utilize the unique conditions of their home country to innovate, whether that’s in the use of local grains or native wood, or working around weather conditions that are often radically different than in Scotland or Kentucky. And this in turn inspires traditional producers, says whiskey educator and consultant Tracie Franklin. “Not only do we have these unusual countries producing whiskeys that are very much attuned to their climate, agriculture, and their particular flavors, we also have these amazing whiskies that now have the freedom to be more experimental with their production process because the world whiskeys are coming out and blowing flavors through the roof.”
SevenFifty Daily reached out to bartenders, beverage directors, and whiskey specialists to ask which bottles from lesser-known whiskey-producing countries are worth stocking up on right now. (All whiskeys are listed with suggested retail price per bottle).
Kavalan Distillery Select No. 1 Single Malt Whisky, Taiwan; $54.99
Selected by Brandon Archilla, beverage director, The Fox Bar & Cocktail Club, Nashville, Tennessee
Kavalan, Taiwan’s first whiskey distillery, opened in 2006, but it took a few more years for the world to take note, which happened when the Kavalan Solist Amontillado Sherry Single Cask Strength started winning awards across the board. The atmospheric climate of Taiwan—significantly warmer and more humid than Scotland—is such that the liquid acquires more character in a shorter amount of time in the barrel, which also means that the brand eschews age statements. “[This] may be off-putting for some familiar with the fabled 12-year Scotch benchmark when considering value in malt whiskey,” says Brandon Archilla, the beverage director of The Fox Bar & Cocktail Club in Nashville, “but the Kavalan drams really are a treat if given a chance.”
While Kavalan offers several different finishing styles at higher price tiers, for Archilla, their core expression stands out. “Bunches of fruit on the nose of this expression could draw some parallels to a cognac or even a fine, aged rum,” he says. “The palate delivers the malt you’re looking for as a whiskey fan. It doesn’t break the bank and could be used in a cocktail if you pleased.”
Stauning Danish Rye Whisky, Denmark; $59.99
Selected by Aidan Bowie, beverage director, The Dead Rabbit and The Irish Exit, New York City
The Dead Rabbit is world famous for its Irish whiskey, but just one bottle from outside the U.S., Ireland, and Japan made the cut for its collection: Stauning Danish Rye. Beverage director Aidan Bowie had been following the brand’s development for years—it was founded in 2005 by a collective of nine friends—and was excited when they launched in the U.S.
“We love their approach to whiskey making,” says Bowie. The signature release is made from rye and barley grown near the distillery on the West Coast of Denmark, and then 100 percent floor malted—a rarely used traditional method, putting the wet, steeped rye and barley on a smooth concrete floor to germinate. “It creates a really nice depth of flavor,” says Bowie. “Stauning Danish Rye is intensely spicy and fruit-forward, offering tasting notes of dark chocolate and leather. In addition to being a great neat pour, it also lends itself well to a cocktail.”
Abasolo El Whisky de Mexico, Mexico; $40
Selected by Tracie Franklin, whiskey educator and spirits consultant, Washington, D.C.
For Franklin, with so much single malt on the market, she’s curious about who’s not making single malts—which is why she’s excited about Abasolo, produced in a distillery 7,800 feet above sea level in Jilotepec, Mexico.
Crafted and distilled from non-GMO Mexican ancestral corn, it’s produced from nixtamalization, a 4,000-year-old Mesoamerican cooking method. “They’re actually using lime to break down their corn,” Franklin explains of the 86-proof whiskey. “It tastes and smells like a tortilla chip. It’s super weird and wonderful,” she says. “They started to get a little bit more maturation on it, so they’re starting to get a little bit more of that caramel. But it’s just delightful, buttery, creamy—a very different flavor profile than I’m used to.”
Armorik Double Maturation French Single Malt Whisky, France; $84.99
Selected by Jacob Brower, spirits manager, Amanti Vino, Montclair, New Jersey
Armorik’s The Warenghem Distillery in Brittany, France, was founded in 1900 to produce plant liqueurs, which they still do to this day. But in the 1980s, long before there was any attention on world whiskeys, the new owners switched focus to create the first 100 percent Breton—and French—whisky. Amanti Vino’s spirits manager Jacob Brower selected its Armorik Double Maturation Single Malt, which launched in the U.S. in 2013.
“What connects it specifically to its region is the maturation process, partially in sherry casks but then also in virgin casks built from local French oak,” he says. “While the style is familiar and easy to enjoy for fans of Highland and Speyside single malts, it offers a distinct nod toward and stylistic representation of its French heritage. Also important to me: unchillfiltered, natural color, 92 proof.”
Navazos-Palazzi Malt Whisky ‘Bota Punta,’ Spain; $125
Selected by Neal Bodenheimer, owner and partner, Cure, New Orleans
“I absolutely love the texture of this Spanish malt whisky,” says Neal Bodenheimer, the owner and partner of New Orleans cocktail bar Cure. “When you combine the texture of a delicate malt whisky with a quality oloroso sherry cask finishing from the sherry whisperers at Equipo Navazos, well, it’s absolutely peerless.”
Navazos-Palazzi is a partnership between Jesús Barquín and Eduardo Ojeda of Spain’s Equipo Navazos—passionate bottlers of sherry wines—and Nicolas Palazzi’s PM Spirits in Brooklyn. The most recent release is the Bota Punta, a 15-year-old bottling, using casks that were bota punta—at the end of the bottom row of barrels in a solera—and therefore subjected to more air, light, and aeration. With just 900 bottles, it’s highly sought after. “Everyone on the team is super passionate about it,” says Bodenheimer. “It can be hard to get a traditional malt drinker to take a chance on a relatively pricey dram of Spanish malt. But for an exceedingly hard bottle to find it’s a really great deal.”
Rampur Select Single Malt Whiskey, India; $125
Selected by Kal Lemma, head mixologist and whiskey consul, The Next Whisky Bar, The Watergate Hotel, Washington, D.C.
The impressive whiskey bar in the lounge of The Watergate Hotel (yes, that Watergate) is framed by 2,500 gleaming, custom-made whiskey bottles, and its selection is no less impressive. Head mixologist and ‘whisky consul’ Kal Lemma likes to offer the Rampur Select Single Malt when a guest asks to be surprised. “[Guests] don’t realize it’s from India,” he says, adding that it isn’t well known that India produces an enormous amount of whiskey—even though only a few brands are available in the U.S.
Made from 100 percent Indian barley, it’s aged in first-fill bourbon barrels in the Himalayan foothills to take advantage of the region’s dramatic temperature fluctuations, accelerating the aging process at a rate of almost three times what it would be in more traditional regions. The Rampur Select is the brand’s flagship whiskey, first released in 2016, with its initial run selling out almost immediately. “Customers are surprised by how much they like this unconventional option,” says Lemma. “Any Scotch that doesn’t have an age statement would be similar to this.”
Armorik Single Malt Single Cask Whisky Pineau Des Charentes Cask, France; $69.99
Selected by Jessica King, co-owner and operator, Lilou, Brother Wolf, and Osteria Stella, Knoxville, Tennessee
“The Single Cask expression of Armorik Single Malt is positively divine,” says Jessica King, the co-owner and operator of Lilou, Brother Wolf, and Osteria Stella in Knoxville, Tennessee. “I cannot recall the last time I have been this excited about a spirit.”
A second entry on this list for the French distiller, this single malt is aged for seven years and finished in casks that formerly held Pineau des Charentes. “It’s indulgent in all my favorite ways,” says King. “The rich, complex layers of woody caramel and sun-ripened fruit come in at around 92 proof but drinks like 80. It is spring fruit on the nose, oily aged fruit on the palate, and a long, luxurious finish that haunts my dreams.” With extremely limited production, however, and bottled exclusively for the U.S., it’s a rare find. “All I will say is that if you get your hands on a bottle, buy it and buy one for me while you’re at it.”
Kavalan Ex-Bourbon Oak Single Malt Whisky, Taiwan; $125
Selected by Kurtis Williams, beverage director, The Gladly, Phoenix, Arizona
The Gladly in Phoenix, Arizona, lists more than 300 whiskeys from around the globe, but for beverage director Kurtis Williams, the Kavalan Ex-Bourbon Oak Single Malt Whisky stands out. “It’s truly one of those hidden gem picks on our list,” says Williams. “It’s one of those ‘if you know, you know’ moments for our guests. If they truly follow bourbon and are looking for a rare find, they are always excited to see that we are pouring anything by Kavalan.”
Kavalan Ex-Bourbon Oak Single Malt dilutes the Solist Ex-Bourbon with Kavalan spring water to reach 46% ABV, losing some of the alcohol’s edge. “[Taiwan] have really put themselves on the map within the last eight years,” he says. “This single malt is incredibly smooth and soft with a noticeable clean and tropical flavor.”
Amrut Indian Single Malt Whiskey, India; $64.99
Selected by Akshay Wagh, bartender, J-Bar at Hotel Jerome, Aspen, Colorado
The 19th century saloon style J Bar—once Hunter S. Thompson’s de facto office—is an Aspen institution. Bartender Akshay Wagh loves pouring the Amrut Single Malt for his guests. Amrut paved the way for a new wave of Indian single malts when it debuted in 2004, interestingly, first released in Scotland before its homeland, and then arriving in the U.S. in 2010.
Distilled using locally sourced barley, and matured in Bangalore’s unique climate, Wagh is a fan for “both its outstanding robust character and rich honeycomb flavor,” and, he adds, “for its special medicinal attributes. Amrut loosely translates as bringing vitality and energy back to something lifeless.” He uses the whiskey for his “infamous Mumbai Punch cocktail.”
Dispatch
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Tyler Wetherall is the senior editor for SevenFifty Daily and the Beverage Media Group publications. Her drinks journalism has appeared in publications including Punch, The Guardian, Condé Nast Traveler, Thrillist, and The Spirits Business, which awarded her the Alan Lodge Young International Drinks Writer of the Year. Tyler is also the author of No Way Home: A Memoir of Life on the Run, and her first novel, Amphibian, is forthcoming. Follow her on Instagram at @tylerwrites.
