We made it! We’re officially at the best Scotch whiskies just under the $100 price point. This is where Scotch whisky truly starts to shine with unique bottlings, special finishes, and subtle blending that sweeps away the cheaper stuff while readying your palate for the insane heights to come (after all, we have yet to hit the 20-year mark on these whiskies).
Below, I’ve called out and ranked 10 essential Scotch whiskies all under $100. These are the whiskies that are “must-try” bottles. They will expand your palate. They will take you on a journey. They’re great, I promise.
I did rank these since some of them simply have more balance and depth. Some of them even feel a little magical with their vibrance and ability to wow without feeling like a homework assignment. There are peated masterpieces that might get you hooked on peated whisky. There are subtle unpeated malts that feel like a journey from Kentucky to Scotland in a glass. Let’s dive in!
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10. Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve Blended Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $97
The Whisky:
This no-age-statement blend leans into that signature Walker marriage of Highland and Speyside whiskies with a small dose of Western Scottish whisky for good measure (both grain and malt whiskies are in the mix). The lion’s share of the whisky involved in this gilded bottle is Clynelish, a Highland whisky that adds a modicum of peat to the mix.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose balances old leather gloves and honeyed oats with meaty sultanas, cinnamon-spiced malts, a hint of anise, and an echo of grilled fruit.
Palate: The palate leans into the grilled fruit with a smoky underbelly and a savory edge (almost papaya) next to a lush vanilla cream and a sharp clove/allspice vibe.
Finish: The finish combines the dried fruit and honey with a twinge of florals as a whisper of earthy peat sneaks in late, kind of like a dry moss slowly growing on a tree.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the best highball whiskies on the market. Mix this with some really good mineral water and an herbaceous or floral garnish and you’ll be in for a treat. Moreover, this works really well as a simple on-the-rocks pour for everyday sipping too.
9. The Singleton Single Malt Scotch Whiskey 18 Years Old Glendullan Distillery
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $99
The Whisky:
This Speyside whisky rests mostly in ex-bourbon casks. The final product adds in a few finishing barrels from Europe to mellow out the heavier bourbon barrels. That blend is then cut down to a low 80-proof for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with hints of cedar and winter spice underneath caramel candies, roasted almonds, and a hint of stewed orchard fruits.
Palate: The palate largely carries on those flavors with a subtle hint of bourbon vanilla and spicy tobacco warmth attached to the maltiness, with an echo of dark chocolate-covered hazelnuts.
Finish: The finish leans into the cedar and tobacco with a slightly mineral water base.
Bottom Line:
This is like unpeated malt that’s just been kissed by bourbon vibes. It’s familiar but feels fresh and malty if you’re coming from an American whiskey background. That makes this an excellent bridge whiskey between the two regions. It also makes this a fantastic cocktail base for your favorite whiskey-forward cocktails.
8. Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky Solera Aged 15 Years
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $92
The Whisky:
This unique Glenfiddich has its own vibe. The whisky was aged in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks for 15 years. Those barrels are then vatted in a special large-format solera barrel that’s never fully emptied as new whisky goes in. The whisky from that vat is proofed down and then bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dark dried red fruit mixes with old vanilla on the nose with a hint of orange and some light winter spice that gives way to mincemeat pies with powdered sugar icing.
Palate: Soft plummy fruit mingles with marzipan and vanilla with a light oaky spiciness that’s part spicy mulled wine and part mincemeat pie.
Finish: The holiday sweetness drives the finish with a sense of raisins, marzipan, and gingerbread cookies.
Bottom Line:
This is another great bridge between Kentucky and Scotland. This ascends to another level thanks to a deeper profile thanks to the solera system adding that x-factor to the actual whisky in the glass. This is a great slow sipper for bourbon fans looking to finally (and really) get into Scotch whisky.
7. Cragganmore 2023 Distillers Edition Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $93
The Whisky:
Cragganmore is an iconic Scottish distillery. This yearly whisky release is matured in sherry casks for 12 years. It’s then transferred into port-seasoned American oak casks for a final maturation phase before proofing and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Fennel leads to dried fruits — sultanas, prunes, dried fig — and fresh apples on the nose with a hint of tartness and skin next to savory (almost oily) herb branches and leaves.
Palate: The taste, on the other hand, leans into sweet oak, pear candies, fresh figs, and a softness that’s almost hard to believe while this medley of caraway, fresh fennel, and sweet cardamom dance together on your palate.
Finish: The end is full of sweet fruits — think ripe pears, green tomatoes, and star fruit — and has just the right touches of soft oak, oily vanilla, and savory green herbs as it fades towards a final note of wet wicker right after a rain storm.
Bottom Line:
This is such a unique whisky in general. This is what the cool kids sip because they’re in the know. There’s nothing quite like it out there and it rocks (the profile is so well-dialed). This poured over a single big rock is the play for a 100% one-of-a-kind bright sipping experience.
6. The Balvenie Caribbean Cask Single Malt Scotch Whiskey Aged 14 Years
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $99
The Whisky:
The Balvenie is renowned for doing everything in-house from grain to glass and for being the distillery that spearheaded the whole “finishing whisky in a different cask” movement. In this case, the juice spends 14 years maturing in ex-bourbon barrels. The whisky is then batched and transferred to barrels that The Balvenie aged their blend of West Indies rum.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a welcoming rush of buttery toffee up top with hints of brown spices, bright red berries, and a touch of sweet malts next to floral malts and deep holiday vibes.
Palate: The palate brings around creamy vanilla dotted with sweet and slightly tart red berries next to a very soft winter spice barks, marzipan, and whispers of tobacco.
Finish: The finish is full of softwood, vanilla cream, and a touch of that winter spice with hints of leather and cedar-twinged tobacco.
The Bottom Line:
This is a deep and murky whisky that works on several levels — from building on the great malt to layering in rummy spices to delivering comforting notes to the end. Sip this one slowly with friends and you’ll all be in for a treat.
5. Lagavulin Single Islay Malt Whisky Aged 16 Years
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $93
The Whisky:
This is the most recognizable Lagavulin out there. The malts are smoked just down the road from the distillery at Port Ellen and the mash is crafted expertly by the sea at Lagavulin Distillery. The whisky then spends 16 long years mellowing in old American and Spanish oak before vatting, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Imagine a beach fire that’s using dried seaweed as fuel next to mugs of honeyed black tea and a clump of wet moss on the nose.
Palate: The taste of this dram meanders through dried pipe tobacco smoke laced with hints of vanilla and tart apple while notes of briny caramel lead towards an oyster shell minerality.
Finish: The finish is pure silk as the seaweed grows wetter and the smoke sweetens towards that caramel, vanilla, and apple.
Bottom Line:
This is the half of the ranking where we get into the unassailably amazing malts. Laga 16 is an icon. It’s perfectly balanced subtly peated malt that delivers more and more every time you go back to it. This whisky will never bore you or let you down.
4. Talisker 2023 Distillers Edition Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 45.8%
Average Price: $94
The Whisky:
The 2023 Distillers Edition is a classic Talisker that’s aged by the sea and finished for six months in Amoroso sherry casks. The whisky was distilled in 2012 and bottled at 10 years old. It was then finished in another Amoroso sherry cask, making it “double cask” matured.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose runs deep on this whisky with mild hints of beachside campfire smoke whispering in the background as hints of red fruit, wet driftwood, and green peppercorns draw you in.
Palate: The palate embraces the red berries with a slight tartness next to the sweetness as the peat remains dry and distant and tied to the brine of the sea with an almost oyster liquor softness.
Finish: The finish lingers for just the right amount of time as sweet berries and dry peat lead towards soft dark cacao powder with a tiny note of vanilla and one last spray from the sea.
Bottom Line:
This is Talisker turned up to MAX volume while still feeling gentle and unique. There’s so much going on with this whisky from the subtle fruit notes to soft seaside vibes to the fields of berries and old coffee house vibes. Yes, it’s peated but it’s so much more and there will be something for you to fall in love with in this glass.
3. The GlenDronach Revival Aged 15 Years Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $97
The Whisky:
Revival 15 takes its sherried nature very seriously. The hot juice is aged in a combination of Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks for 15 long years. Those casks are married and this whisky is brought down to a very easy-drinking 92 proof with that soft Highland water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dark berry brambles with tart and sweet fruit, stems, thorns, and even a little black dirt draw you in on the nose with a hint of walnut shell and cherry pie.
Palate: The palate is a creamy yet bitter dark chocolate orange that leads toward a semi-savory fig countered by a ripe apricot that feels like a dark and boozy fruitcake with a scoop of vanilla malt.
Finish: The chocolate comes back with cinnamon spice and more dark berries and walnuts at the end with a sense of sticky toffee pudding with a rich caramel sauce cut with salt and orange oils.
Bottom Line:
This is a big wintry whisky that works year-round. There’s something comforting and nostalgic about this pour that will have you going deep into your involuntary sense memories no matter the season. Sometimes that’ll be Christmas of years past. Sometimes it’ll be a date at an old cafe you had in your 20s. There’s always something new in this dark and delicious whisky to enjoy.
2. Ardbeg Uigeadail Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 54.2%
Average Price: $93
The Whisky:
The mix of peated malts, yeast, and that inky lake water from Islay creates a spirit that’s already full of flavors before it goes into the barrel. That hot juice is aged in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. When the whisky in the barrel is just right, they’re blended into this single malt expression, proofed with local spring water, and bottled without any filtration.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is a matrix of smoked plums next to lush Christmas cakes full of dried and candied fruit and citrus with plenty of fatty nuts, dark and wintry spice, and buttery caramel drizzle hit with plenty of sea salt next to a whisper of dried lavender and overripe, almost woody plantains.
Palate: The palate balances sweet berries and pear candy with smoky salmon fat and dark chocolate malts.
Finish: The mid-palate adds a hint of dried chili heat while fading towards a finish full of smoked fat, dried fruit, and a buttery dark chocolate sauce bespeckled with flakes of smoked pink sea salt and cedar chips.
Bottom Line:
This is bold peated malt that feels soft and almost subtle. The fruit really shines with the smoked fatty meats to create a backyard BBQ vibe that’s familiar and enticing before dried florals, candied nuts, and creamy caramel evoke a childhood full of sweet treats. It’s all there if you take the time to find it in the glass.
1. Glenmorangie Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky The Cadboll Estate Aged 15 Years Batch #3
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $99
The Whisky:
The new batch of Glenmorangie’s beloved Carboll Estate is another instant classic. This year’s edition is made with two barley harvests from Glenmorangie’s own estate-grown barley (on the Carboll Estate). Once distilled on Glenmo’s iconic copper pot stills, the whiskey is aged in American oak (ex-bourbon casks) primarily. The final batch is vatted with a few barrels of Amontillado sherry casks as well.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Beautiful notes of hazelnut bathed in floral honey drive the nose toward stewed peaches over buckwheat pancakes, soft jasmine, and a hint of cold slate slick with rainwater.
Palate: The floral honey opens the palate toward fresh gingerbread, Nutella, and clove-laced orange layered into toffee dropped in roasted almond with this fleeting sense of summer herb gardens and bright yellow nasturtiums.
Finish: A touch of toasted coconut adheres to the gingerbread and toffee on the finish with a dash of bourbon vanilla, creamy mocha latte, and old oak stave.
Bottom Line:
This is the whisky that could define “unpeated single malt” in the dictionary. It’s so essential in all the notes from the soft incense to the spiced fruits to the lush bourbon whispers. It’s just great sipping whisky. Buy two.