Scotch whisky at around $150 gets really good. We’re not to the elite stuff yet (or the 20 years and higher bottles), but we are in the midst of what can be called “the good stuff.” Even though this is a prime spot for Scotch whisky, there are still a lot of hits and misses — no matter how good “18 years old,” “double cask,” or “peated smoke” sounds. A little extra information is always helpful when you’re considering dropping well over $150 on a single bottle of whisky.
I’m providing that information below by recommending 12 stone-cold killer bottles of Scotch whisky. These are the bottles that I think are worth actually spending around $150 on, which is a pretty big ask.
I’ve also ranked these bottles to give you a sense of which ones really sing the brightest in the glass. Look, these are all very well-made whiskies but some are just that little extra and hit that little bit harder. My advice is to go through my tasting notes, find something that speaks to you, and click that price link to see if you can find a bottle in your area. Let’s dive in!
- The 50 Best Scotch Whiskies Of 2022, Ranked
- The Best Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whiskies Under $100, Ranked
- The Absolute Best Scotch Whisky Between $60-$70, Ranked
- Single Malt Whiskeys From Around The World, Blind Tasted And Ranked
- We Blind Tasted Single Malt Whiskies From All Over The World To Find A Champion
12. Bruichladdich The Organic Barley 2010 Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $129
The Whisky:
These special releases from Islay’s Bruichladdich are all about highlighting specific barley farms/farmers. In this case, the barley used is specifically from Mid Coul Farms in Inverness, Scotland, which was harvested in 2009 and distilled into this whiskey in 2010. After eight years mellowing next to the sea at Bruichladdich’s warehouse in ex-bourbon casks, the whiskey was vatted, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is soft like soft-serve vanilla ice cream next to green apple skins, pear candy, and wet straw bails.
Palate: The taste is malty and earthy with a sense of buttery brioche next to orchard wood with a hint of moss under apricot jam, stewed pear, and some saffron.
Finish: The end has a malted vanilla milkshake vibe next to wet sweetgrass and a hint more of that sweet pear throughline.
Bottom Line:
Bruichladdich is a huge whisky nerd favorite. It’s a classic brand that always delivers great and unique whiskies. This bottle is the epitome of their work with small-time barley farmers to create a special whisky that’s worth tracking down. At this price, special is secondary to delicious though. And this whisky is just goddamn tasty.
11. Jura Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 18 Years
ABV: 44%
Average Price: $129
The Whisky:
This whisky from Jura (right next to Islay) is a fairly new expression from the old-school distillery. The juice is matured for 18 years in ex-bourbon casks. It’s then vatted and finished in Premier Grand Cru Classé Bordeaux barrels for finishing. As a final touch, it’s proofed down with spring water to a very sippable 88 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a mix of cinnamon, clove, pineapple, and citrus on the nose that reminds you of a tropical cocktail you can’t quite put your finger on.
Palate: The bourbon comes through with a rich vanilla underbelly, supporting very distant sprays from the sea next to dried red berries covered in bitter dark chocolate.
Finish: The end holds onto the bitter, edging towards coffee beans while the fruit gets drier with a final briny note arriving late.
Bottom Line:
This is a complex and delightful whisky. There’s a light sense of bourbon, which is attractive for American whiskey palates, but it goes so far beyond that. This is densely layered yet light and playful. Still, this is a good high-end Scotch whisky to have on hand for the scotch-curious bourbon drinkers out there.
10. Highland Park Single Malt Scotch Whisky 18 Years Old
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $144
The Whisky:
This Viking whisky from high up in the Orkneys takes barreling one step further. Their 18-year expression is matured in casks made from American and European oak specifically for Highland. Those bespoke vessels are sent to Jerez, Spain to age sherry for three years. The same barrels are then sent back to Orkney to age this whisky for 18 years.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This really feels like a classic scotch at every step. You’re greeted with notes of marzipan, dark berries, honey, and light lines of smoke on the nose.
Palate: Those notes hold on as buttery toffee arrives with a dark chocolate counterpoint, leading towards ripe red cherries and floral honey.
Finish: The end embraces distant billows of sweet smoke with a dry and earthy undertow on the slow, sweet, and berry-filled fade.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the most succinct whiskies on the list. It’s comforting and feels like an everyday pour that just nourishes you without having to think too hard about it. Get this if you simply want a respectable and tasty pour of good whiskey.
9. Glenmorangie Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 18 Years
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $134
The Whisky:
Glenmorangie has a wide range of whiskies to choose from. The whisky in this bottle is aged for 15 years in ex-bourbon casks. Then a portion of those casks is re-barreled into sherry casks for three years. That whisky is then batched back with the rest of the bourbon barrels to create this release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Honey dominates the nose with mixed nuts and dried fruits, kind of like a homemade trail mix without the M&Ms.
Palate: The taste holds onto those rich honey notes and adds in a late-fall sense of wet, falling leaves with a soft nuttiness and almost savory fruitiness (not quite a squash but not as sweet as a fig either).
Finish: A very, very small whisper of cherry or applewood smoke arrives to usher in a slow finish of salted caramel, more of that bespoke trail mix, and a final note of sherried malt.
Bottom Line:
This is the most accessible sip on the list. It’s a quintessential single malt with a classic flavor profile that goes deep. You cannot go wrong sipping this whisky. If you’re looking for a true classic malt, this is it.
8. Compass Box Hedonism Blended Grain Scotch Whisky
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $129
The Whisky:
Compass Box is one of the best blenderies operating today. The London-based shingle created its Hedonism expression as a bit of an outlier. The juice is 100% grain whisky from North British Distillery and Cameronbridge Distillery with a focus on first-fill bourbon barrels and re-charred American oak. Those barrels are married into this masterful blend. It’s then proofed down to a very accessible 86-proof and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear sense of bourbon vanilla and caramel that draws you in (especially if you’re a bourbon drinker).
Palate: The taste holds onto those notes while adding in soft orchard fruits and a buttery, rich toffee silkiness and sweetness.
Finish: The end smooths out the vanilla into a pudding, with a mild spiciness next to a final note of salted caramels covered in toasted coconut surfacing on the slow finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a great example of the other whisky from Scotland, single grain whisky. This is a great example of the beauty of that whisky style and an essential pour if you’re looking to round out your Scottish whisky palate and knowledge.
7. The Macallan Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 15 Years Old Double Cask
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $149
The Whisky:
This Highland whisky utilizes the “double” barrel maturation that’s become very commonplace in Scotch whisky. The hot juice spends 15 years in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks before the barrels are blended and vatted, proofed, and finally bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Raisins and dates drive the nose towards bourbon vanilla, lemon oils, and a touch of butterscotch with apple blossoms and dark cacao nibs lurking under it all.
Palate: The palate is largely delivered on the nose with the addition of lightly spiced malts with a cinnamon/clove vibe.
Finish: The spice, apple, and lemon combine to make an apple compote note near the end with a soft honeyed finish.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the most solid versions of crowd-favorite The Macallan. It’s also accessible both on the palate and on liquor store shelves. It’s one of those whiskies that’s easily enjoyable and delivers exactly what you want from an ideal whisky profile.
6. Aberlour Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 16 Years Old
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $129
The Whisky:
This small Speyside distillery has been producing quality whisky for over 200 years. This expression is aged 16 years in both ex-bourbon and ex-Olorosso sherry casks. It’s then married and proofed with soft Speyside water from the Highlands and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a matrix of dried dark fruits next to powdery dark spices with hints of walnuts and dried florals that draw you in on the nose.
Palate: The taste delivers on those notes while adding a deep plummy jam cut with clove and slightly sweet wood.
Finish: The end really holds onto that jammy fruit and spice as it slowly fades across your senses, leaving a velvet buttercream texture in your mouth.
Bottom Line:
This is deep and complex yet very clearly well-built with concise flavor notes. It’s also the perfect bridge whisky from bourbon to Scotch single malt.
5. Aberfeldy Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 18 Years Old Finished in French Red Wine Casks
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $134
The Whisky:
This release is a masterclass in finishing a whisky. The whisky is first aged for 18 years in refill bourbon and sherry casks. Then the whisky is transferred to first-fill red wine casks from Pauillac, Bordeaux. The whisky is then proofed with the soft water from a local, gold-flecked river to a very accessible 86 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with lush and creamy honey, cream soda, dried red berries packed into a cedar box, and a touch of marzipan.
Palate: Fresh berries and cream drive the palate as a slightly dry grassy nature hits the mid-palate with dry cedar and some rum-soaked raisins.
Finish: The finish has a bit of a dried apricot vibe that leads back to that lush honey with more dried sweetgrass and marzipan rounding things out.
Bottom Line:
If you’re looking for a whisky for a red wine fan, this is it. This is also an excellent digestif whisky thanks to all the dried fruit and nuttiness with a nice layer of woody spice.
4. Old Pulteney Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 18 Years
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $147
The Whisky:
Old Pulteney is a renowned Highland single malt. The unpeated whisky is aged in second-fill ex-bourbon casks for 18 years before being re-barreled into first-fill ex-Oloroso sherry casks for a final maturation. Finally, the whisky is vatted, proofed down, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Bright notes of floral honey greet your nose as yellow pears, orange blossoms, and tart apples mingle with a thin line of vanilla cream, winter spice, and chocolate-covered raisins.
Palate: The palate leans into the chocolate while the taste gets slightly bitter like an espresso bean before a minced meat pie drops in with sweetness and meaty dried fruit with a good dusting of brown spices.
Finish: The end has a nice hit of orange zest that leads to a holiday cake with tons of dried and candied fruits and a good measure of wintry spices.
Bottom Line:
This is just a good single malt that has a great depth of flavor that feels comforting. If you want to feel at ease, pour one of these and let the day melt away.
3. Oban Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 10 Years Special Release 2022
ABV: 57.1%
Average Price: $129
The Whisky:
This lightly peated Highland whisky from the tiny Oban Distillery is rendered from refill and new American oak barrels. That whisky is vatted and then refilled into Amontillado-seasoned casks for a final rest before batching and bottling as-is for this special one-time-only release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a lithe sense of lemon/lime saltwater taffy wrapped in white wax paper with a hint of lime leaves and wild sage next to salted smoked lemons and tangerines with a hint of really good and cloudy extra virgin olive oil speckled with smoked sea salt and freshly cracked red peppercorns.
Palate: The palate is silken and full of layers of smoked grapes, smoked plums, and salted chili pepper candies with a fleeting sense of violet and lavender creaminess tied to a lush vanilla underbelly.
Finish: The end has a mild woody chili pepper spiciness that’s dry and leads to a limber finish with warmth, lightly caramelized malts, and smoked apricot jam with brandy cream.
Bottom Line:
There’s a lightness to this that can be misleading. This is not a light whisky, it’s intense and deep once you really dive in. There’s so much going on yet it all makes sense and truly takes you on a journey. The peatiness is there but attached to softer flavor notes that help make it all so much more approachable. Get this before it disappears from shelves forever.
2. Mortlach Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 16 Years
ABV: 43.4%
Average Price: $134
The Whisky:
This tiny and iconic Dufftown distillery is the whisky aficionado’s distillery. The whisky in this bottle is distilled almost three times (2.81 times to be exact) through various types of pot stills. The juice is then aged for 16 years in sherry casks before it’s, vatted, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: You’re met with a bowl full of stewed plums with anise, clove, and cinnamon in the mix, next to a slight sense of dry moss.
Palate: The taste has a faint vanilla edge next to velvety honey, sharp spice, old leather-bound books, and a touch of bruised apricot.
Finish: The end is very long, holds onto the spice and fruit, and leaves you with a sense of creamy vanilla honey.
Bottom Line:
This is an expressive whisky that’s also very pointed. It’s clear-cut and bold at the same time. If you’re looking to really get into Scotch single malt, this is a must-try step in the right direction.
1. Talisker Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 11 Years 2022 Special Release
ABV: 55.1%
Average Price: $139
The Whisky:
This classic lightly-peated Talisker is aged by the sea in American oak, ex-bourbon first fill, refill casks, and wine-seasoned casks. Those barrels are batched and then bottled as-is after 11 years of quiet mellowing.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear sense of seaside campfires far down a rainy beach next to a fruit orchard with a hint of nori sheets, old boat rope, and a dash of brown wintry spices on the nose.
Palate: The palate leans into the oiliness of the nori with a slightly singed salmon skin vibe, smoked fish oils, and a touch of that distant campfire next to smoked plums and apricots with a hint of salted pear chips and dry red chili pepper.
Finish: The end has a long meander through a pebble beach with sea salt, smoked pear, and briny seaweed salad next to a hint of fatty smoked salmon bellies with a black and red pepper crust.
Bottom Line:
This is a whisky that transports you to the Isle of Skye (even if you haven’t been there). It’s so deeply hewn with flavors that hit you deep in your cockles that you’ll likely fall in love from the first nose. That said, this is a fleeting release and won’t be around forever, so get some now while you still can.