Scotch whisky really starts to get good in the $40 to $50 range. Don’t get me wrong, we’re still deep in the “beginner” bottles. But this is the price point where hidden gems start to sneak in. That’s kind of exciting. But it’s also tough as this is still a low enough price point where garbage bottles still dwell too (beware of the random “stags” and “glens” on cheap-looking bottles).
Below, I’m going to call out 10 bottles of Scotch whisky all under $50 that actually taste great. Look, you’re not going to get “mind-blowing” or “life-changing” Scotch whisky at this price point. But you will get excellent entry-point single malts, blends, and peat monsters that offer more than just single notes of flavor.
To drive that home, I’ve ranked these bottles based on how deep they go. There’s something for everyone below with unpeated and peated single malts, diverse blends, and special oak finishes. So read those tasting notes, find the whisky that jumps out to you, and then hit that price link to buy a bottle (prices will vary based on your region). Let’s dive in!
- The 50 Best Scotch Whiskies Of 2023 (So Far), Ranked
- The Best Scotch Whiskies Of 2023, Ranked
- Every Bottle Of Johnnie Walker Scotch Whisky, Power Ranked For 2023
- Great Single Malt Scotch Whiskies Under $100, Blind Tasted And Ranked
- The Smoothest Single Malt Whiskeys On The Market, Blind Tasted And Ranked
10. The Singleton Single Malt Scotch Whisky 12 Years Old
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $45
The Whisky:
This single malt from Diageo is a great gateway to good single malt. The juice is aged for 12 years — mostly in ex-bourbon barrels and a few ex-sherry cask-matured whiskies — before it’s cut with that iconic Speyside water and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is a delicate sip of whisky that leans into notes of dried florals and sweet fruits counterpointed by spicy oak and worn leather.
Palate: The palate lets the spice amp up a bit while the fruit touches on both orange oils and orange blossoms with whispers of bourbon vanilla, dried fruits, and fresh honey.
Finish: The end really holds onto that lightness while fading fairly quickly, leaving you with a cedary leather, more of that sweet fruit, and almost creamy vanilla.
Bottom Line:
This is a great place to start any Scotch whisky journey. This is one of the most approachable unpeated single malts out there. It’s so easygoing yet offers a nicely nuanced and deep profile of fruit and honey. That all said, this is a cocktail whisky more than a sipper. Think big floral and citrus flavors in spring and summer cocktails.
9. Mossburn Blended Malt Scotch Whisky Island Smoke & Spice
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $44
The Whisky:
This blended malt (that means only single malts are in the blend and not single malts and single grain whiskies) is made from a mix of whiskies aged in American oak. Those barrels came from the “Island” region of Scotland which is very wide-reaching. Mossburn vatted those barrels and then re-barreled the whisky into ex-bourbon barrels that were refitted with toasted new European oak heads for a final rest.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose feels like it’s almost salted with a sense of smoked apples and plums next to vanilla cream cut with fresh lemon zest.
Palate: The citrus turns into lemon meringue pie on the palate as caramel malts sweet toward digestive cookies with a hint of chocolate lurking somewhere deep in the palate.
Finish: The end kind of thins out the lemon pie toward a soft sweet grain roundness and a hint of salted vanilla sauce.
Bottom Line:
This is a young-ish-tasting whisky (that sweet graininess gives it away). That doesn’t take away from the depth and nuance of the overall profile though. This works really well as a classic highball whiskey with some good sparkling water and a briny or botanical garnish (think of a cinnamon stick wrapped in nori).
8. Speyburn Arranta Casks Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $44
The Whisky:
Arranta translates to “bold” and this whisky leans into that. The hot juice is aged for an undisclosed amount of time in first-fill ex-bourbon casks (that means this whisky was the first thing to go into those casks after they were emptied of bourbon). Those barrels were then vatted, proofed, and bottled without filtration.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Pear candy and honey lead the way on the nose toward woody spices, light leather, and a hint of sour apple skins and stems.
Palate: The palate is sweet and malty with a drive from pear flesh to pit, skin, and tree with floral honey and wet coconut leading to a hint of creamy vanilla sauce dusted with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
Finish: The end leans into pears soaked in honey and nutmeg with a hint of old porch wicker and worn leather gloves on the finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice and fruity unpeated malt that’ll be easy for anyone to get a start with. There’s a hint of bourbon in there, but it’s the soft fruits that shine the brightest, especially in cocktails or over a lot of rocks.
7. Ardbeg Wee Beastie Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 47.4%
Average Price: $48
The Whisky:
This expression from Ardbeg was first released back in 2020 and instantly became a mainstay of the line (especially for bartenders). The hot juice is aged for only five years in both ex-bourbon and ex-oloroso sherry casks before marrying for the final product. The idea is to give a sense of the quality of the peaty whisky from Port Ellen’s malting house without too much wood influence.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is a little abrasive on the nose with alcohol soaking through dried berries and raisins next to a hint of pear candy, woody vanilla, and dried dirt.
Palate: The palate has a hint of smoked plums that lead directly into pear candy with a touch of smoked pork belly buried in BBQ ash.
Finish: The finish is a mix of hot asphalt and soft pear tobacco with a thin layer of salt water calming everything down.
Bottom Line:
This is the perfect “beginner peated malt”. This whisky does not hold back on the dark and earthy peated ashiness. But there’s more to it than just that with soft pear and vanilla adding real depth. My advice is to take it slow with a lot of ice and ease your way into the darkness slowly. You may just find out that peated whisky is your thing.
6. Johnnie Walker Double Black Blended Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $43
The Whisky:
This is Johnnie Walker Black that’s been re-casked in deeply charred oak barrels for a final maturation, making this a classic double-cask whisky. The idea is to maximize that peat and amp up the Islay and Island whiskies’ smokiness.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Clove-forward spice and billows of softwood smoke — think cherry and apple trees — greet you on the nose.
Palate: The palate has a vanilla creaminess that’s punctuated by bright apples, dried fruit, and more peat that leans more towards an old beach campfire than a chimney stack.
Finish: The spice kicks back in late, warming things up as the smoke carries through the end with a nice dose of oakiness, fruitiness, and sweet vanilla creaminess.
Bottom Line:
This is a very softly peated blend. That smoke is tied to sweet fruits more than anything else, making this an easy sipper in highballs with a berry garnish or a touch of dried florals. Or both!
5. Compass Box Glasgow Blend Scotch Whisky
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $41
The Whisky:
This expression is a marrying of whiskies from all over Scotland. 65% of the blend comes from single malts from a “distillery near the town of Aberlour,” Laphroaig, and Clynelish. The rest is part Highland malt blend (from the Glen Moray, Tomatin, and Balmenach distilleries) and a grain whisky from Cameronbridge distillery. Those whiskies were barreled in sherry and bourbon casks with a French oak barrel thrown in too.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with this subtle peaty malt that feels more kissed by a hint of smoke than drowned in it in a malting room with a hint of stewed stone fruit.
Palate: The first sip is “malty scotch!” That then leads to dry straw, very mild plum, the memory of opening up a bag of charcoal, and almond shells.
Finish: You’re left with a slightly sweet straw and a buzzing maltiness that is more reminiscent of a cleaned-out fireplace than “smoke.”
Bottom Line:
This is a great cocktail base. The smokiness is kind of sneaky when you mix with it, providing a soft base for citrus, honey, and florals.
4. Chivas Regal Mizunara Blended Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $42
The Whisky:
Chivas is renowned for its iconic blended whisky. This expression — created for the Japanese market and released in the U.S. in 2019 — adds a unique dimension to the classic blend. A portion of the whisky is finished in Japanese Mizunara casks, adding a layer of nuanced flavors to the standard Chivas.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Caramel and dark dried fruits mingle with tasty pears, soft orange zest, a touch of leather, fresh and floral honey, and maybe some old oak staves on the nose.
Palate: The palate has a dash or two of winter spice next to walnuts and honey-soaked raisins with a hint of sunburnt heather and wildflowers.
Finish: The finish lets the spiciness warm the palate as pear and leather fade through the end.
Bottom Line:
Chivas has always been the best on-the-rocks whisky on the market. This one is no different.
3. Kingsbarns Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Doocot
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $47
The Whisky:
This whisky is from a new(ish) Lowland distillery in Scotland. The whisky in the bottle is a single malt that was aged in ex-bourbon and ex-red wine barriques (a slightly bigger barrel by a few gallons). Those barrels were vatted and proofed with Lowland water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The light nose opens with a sense of banana bread, pineapple skins, and floral honey with a moment of wet brown sugar and pancake batter.
Palate: That pineapple gets sweet on the palate with a sense of winter spice and dark red berries dipped in vanilla chocolate sauce.
Finish: The fruitiness builds at the end toward more pineapple, mango skins, and kiwi while the spice leans into some soft wood.
Bottom Line:
There’s a lively fruitiness to this whisky that feels almost tropical. So give this a shot in a tropical cocktail with a lot of fruit, spice, and botanicals.
2. Glengoyne Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 10 Years
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $49
The Whisky:
Glengoyne uses unpeated Highland barley that they airdry themselves before fermentation. The uniqueness of this whisky doesn’t end there. They also season their own American and European oak barrels with sherry for six years before filling them with their juice. After ten years of maturation, those barrels are vatted, proofed, and bottled for this expression.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This starts fairly familiar for a sweet Highland malt with notes of apple candies, butter toffee, and a few chocolate-covered almonds.
Palate: The taste leans back into the apple but it’s more tart and juicy now as minor notes of anise and wet cedar bark lead to a little bit of warm cream sitting on top of a shot of espresso and a hint more of those almonds.
Finish: The finish lets the malts sweeten with a hint of orange marmalade on toast rounding things out.
Bottom Line:
There’s a deepness to this whisky that just doesn’t stop. It’s like a rollicking ride through Highland malt, Kentucky bourbon, and Speyside bakeries. That makes this a fun sipper over some ice or a nice cocktail base. It’s especially great in a Scotch old fashioned.
1. Glencadam Reserva Andalucía Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $46
The Whisky:
This bespoke whisky is made from special Andalucia sherry casks that are blended with malt aged in ex-bourbon casks. The final product is then finished in fresh Olorosso sherry casks before proofing and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sharp marmalade over scones with a hint of cream drives the nose toward ginger candy and soft vanilla.
Palate: That orange bitters toward chili pepper spice in the creamy malts with a hint of salted caramel and floral honey.
Finish: The sharp spice gets a little woody at the end with a hint more of vanilla and orange rounding things out.
Bottom Line:
This is a special bottle of whisky, especially at this price. It’s a wonderful example of how sherry can help malt find its brightest and deepest points of beauty. This is refined and dialed in a way that makes it a rewarding sipper — neat or on the rocks. This is also a whisky that could cost $100 and no one would blink an eye. So buy two.