So you’ve read about Burns Night and now you’re staring at a wall of bottles wondering where to begin. The good news? Scotland’s core whisky regions each have their own personality and getting to know them is half the fun. Here’s where I’d start if I were mapping out the landscape for the first time:
Speyside
The Glenlivet 12 Year Old, £38 Master of Malt
Speyside whiskies are the crowd-pleasers: fruity, approachable and silky smooth. The Glenlivet 12 gives you everything you need to know about why Speyside dominates the market with its notes of apple, pear, vanilla and moreish, honeyed sweetness. There’s zero intimidation factor so this is where you start, full stop.
Highland
Glenmorangie Original 10 Year Old, £29.50 (was £41.50!) Waitrose
The Highlands cover half of Scotland, so saying “Highland style” is a bit like saying “European cuisine”; technically accurate but utterly unhelpful. Glenmorangie is the safe bet, however. Their Original 10 is light and citrusy, with honey and floral notes that won’t scare anyone off. It’s elegant without being precious about it and takes a splash of water beautifully if you want to open it up.
Lowland
Auchentoshan 12 Year Old, £34.50 The Whisky Exchange
Triple distillation makes Lowland whiskies the gentlest of the bunch. Auchentoshan is soft and delicate with its notes of citrus and vanilla with a crumble of toasted almonds. It’s perfect before dinner when you want something civilized. If someone claims they “don’t like whisky,” hand them this. It’s the proof that Scotch doesn’t have to punch you in the face to be interesting.
Islay
Laphroaig 10 Year Old, £36.94 Master of Malt
On a completely different level are Islay whiskies. These will punch you in the face - but many love them for it. They’re heavily peated, intensely smoky and taste like a bonfire on a beach. Laphroaig is the poster child for this style with its iodine, seaweed and medicinal TCP notes. You’ll taste the smoke for days. There is no middle ground here and you’ll either love it or hate it.
Campbeltown
Springbank 10 Year Old, £115 Amazon
This tiny peninsula amazingly used to have thirty-four distilleries; now there are three. Springbank is the one to know, though it is pricey. It’s briny and lightly peated, with a bit of dried fruit and this gorgeous oily texture that coats your mouth. It sits somewhere between Highland finesse and Islay aggression, which makes it endlessly fascinating if you’re ready to pay attention.
Islands
Talisker 10 Year Old, £53 Tesco
The islands aren’t technically their own region (they’re lumped in with the Highlands), but their whiskies are different enough to deserve separate billing. Talisker from Skye has that classic island character of maritime smoke and sea spray, with enough malty sweetness underneath to keep it balanced. There’s a famous, rather glorioius white pepper finish this this too.
The Wildcard
Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old, £24.50 (Was £37.50) Waitrose
Sometimes you don’t want to think about regional characteristics or tasting notes and it’s here that a seriously good blend will come in. For a reliably excellent dram that works neat, on ice or in any cocktail without complaint, Johnnie Black does it better than almost anything else at the price. It’s fruity, smoky and complex enough to be interesting. An absolute must for any collection, keep a bottle on hand for all eventualities.
Now go forth and explore. Your palate will thank you!