10 Award-Winning Scotches You Should Try At Least Once

Produced in Scotland since at least the 15th century, Scotch whisky is revered around the world for its complex flavors. While all Scotch is made with three essential ingredients (water, grain, and yeast), and must be distilled and aged for at least three years in Scotland, each bottle offers unique characteristics that speak to the terroir where it was produced and the methods the distillers use. And while there are many styles of Scotch to suit all tastes, some bottles stand out for being particularly sublime, and they have the awards to back them up.

In a category as crowded as Scotch whisky, awards can help separate truly exceptional bottles from the rest. Major spirits competitions like the World Whiskies Awards, the International Wine & Spirit Competition, and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition rely on blind tastings and panels of experienced judges to evaluate aroma, balance, complexity, and overall quality. A single medal can be interesting, but bottles that rack up top honors year after year tend to tell a more compelling story.

As a former bartender and longtime Scotch fan, I'm always on the lookout for really great bottles. That curiosity led me to look beyond the Scotches I already know and love, and start building a bucket list of bottles that consistently impress. To do that, I explored results from major international spirits competitions and reviews from connoisseurs and casual drinkers alike. The Scotches on this list were chosen based on both the number and prestige of awards they've earned, as well as the volume of genuinely positive feedback they receive from people who actually drink them.

Built in 1967, The GlenAllachie distillery may not be as well known yet as some of the other big Speyside distilleries. That's because, for many years, it mainly produced whiskies used in other brands' blends. But when master distiller Billy Walker took over in 2017, he refined the production and launched a range of single malt whiskies. His expertise paid off, as the GlenAllachie Speyside Single Malt 12 Years Old recently won the title of the "World's Best Single Malt" at the 2025 World Whiskies Awards.

There are a few things that set The GlenAllachie single malts apart from other whiskies. For one, the water comes from damheads within two miles of the distillery, and the malted barley is also locally sourced. Once the grain has been mashed, the worst is fermented for 160 hours, which is much longer than the standard fermentation period. Finally, the whisky is aged in multiple types of wood to give it more depth of character.

The 12-year-old single malt is part of The GlenAllachie's Core Collection and the flagship expression. It's aged in a mix of Pedro Ximénez, Oloroso Sherry, red wine, and virgin oak casks, which gives it a full-bodied character and layers of flavor. On the nose, you get hints of raisins, cocoa, and heather honey. Take a sip, and you'll get notes of apple, nutmeg, and butterscotch. Reviewers also love that you get pleasant heat from the 46% ABV and nice chocolate notes on the finish.

Located on the Scottish island of Islay, Bunnahabhain has a lengthy history that dates back to 1881. It's one of just 10 distilleries on the island, and it does things a bit differently.  While the others use peat to create rich, smoky whiskies, Bunnahabhain goes the unpeated route to create bold and fruity whiskies, many of which have won awards. One expression that's getting a lot of hype lately is the Rare Find Bunnahabhain 40 Years Old.

The Rare Find collection is curated by the Gleann Mòr Spirits Company, and it includes a variety of limited-edition single malt whiskies sourced from various distilleries around Scotland. Each whisky is meticulously assessed to ensure it is indeed rare and truly stands out from your run-of-the-mill single malts. The Rare Find Bunnahabhain 40 Years Old came from a vatting of five refill sherry casks, and it was bottled in 2020, which dates the actual Scotch back to 1980. It clocks in with an ABV of 45.2%.

Not all Scotches can handle such a lengthy aging process, but reviewers say the robustness and oiliness of this particular single malt work especially well. On the nose, you get plenty of wood and spice, along with toffee and tropical fruit like mango and pineapple. The taste is very full-bodied and fruity with notes of orange, jammy peach, chocolate, and leather, with more orange on the finish. According to many, it's very much deserving of its win at the 2025 World Whiskies Awards for "Best Scotch Islay Small Batch Single Malt."

Aultmore is another brand that tends to fly under the radar because, for much of its history, it only produced whisky for blended whiskies from multiple distilleries. Founded in 1896, the distillery passed hands several times, eventually ending up with Bacardi-owned John Dewars & Sons. It now produces its own single malts that get great reviews, and none more so than the Aultmore Oloroso Sherry Cask GTR 25 Years Old.

Master blender Stephanie Macleod was the driving force behind Aultmore's 25-year-old expression, which is part of the Cask Finish Collection. Each of the whiskies in the collection was finished in different types of casks to impart unique flavors, and each has an ABV of 46%. For this expression, Macleod used whisky aged over 20 years and finished it in Oloroso sherry casks, which impart tropical, floral notes with hints of spice.  

Tasters rave about the flavor profiles of this complex expression, citing the harmonious balance of fruits like banana and pear, creamy caramel and vanilla, and warming spices. It's also won plenty of accolades, including the "Best Single Malt Scotch" title in the International Whisky Competition two years in a row, and a Silver medal in the Single Malt category at the 2025 World Whiskies Awards. It's not exactly the easiest Scotch to find, as it was originally launched only in Europe and Asia, but if you do come across it, it's well worth snagging a bottle.

If you're looking for a nicely nuanced Scotch that also has an interesting backstory, the Rosebank 31-Year-Old Lowland Single Malt should be on your radar. It comes from the Lowland Rosebank distillery, which was founded in 1840. The distillery had a good run for over a century, mainly producing whisky for blends. However, hard times caused it to shutter in 1993. When Ian Macleod Distillers purchased it in 2017, it also acquired casks of the distillery's unique single malt whisky.

The Rosebank 31-Year-Old Lowland Single Malt is part of the Rosebank Legacy Trilogy, which also features a 30-year-old and 32-year-old expression. It was triple-distilled, which is something you see often with Irish whiskies, but not so much with the Scotch ones. The whisky was placed in sherry and bourbon casks prior to the distillery's closure, then left there to age gracefully. Ian Macleod Distillers bottled it at 48.1% ABV and offered it as a final release of its pre-closure stock.

This particular expression cleaned up at the Top Shelf 2025 Awards, earning not one, but four wins. These included "Best Single Malt Scotch Whisky 20 Years and Over," "Best Single Malt Whisky," "Best Overall Scotch," and "Best in Show Whisk(e)y." Reviewers wax lyrical about the velvety mouthfeel with grassy, citrusy, fruity notes and a medium finish that gives hints of oak and herbs. Considering how limited it is, it should come as no surprise that bottles can be pricey, but based on what reviewers are saying, it's worth every penny.

Fans of ultra-smoky whiskies may be familiar with Ardbeg, an award-winning Islay distillery that's been producing Scotch whiskies since 1815. It's renowned for its extremely peaty expressions that also offer hints of the sea thanks to the distillery's location on Islay's rugged coastline. The Ardbeg 25 Years Old is the oldest expression in the collection and one of the most lauded, thanks to its intriguing flavor profile that balances sweet, smoky, earthy, and spicy notes.

The 25-year-old expression was distilled in the 1990s, during a period when Ardbeg was going through some tough times. In 1991, the distillery shuttered for the second time (the first was in 1987) and remained closed until 1997. Thankfully, the Glenmorangie Company brought it back to life and saved the few expressions produced during that time, including these rare casks. The 25-year-old Scotch was bottled at 46% and released in 2021.

Since hitting the market, the Ardbeg 25 Years Old has won multiple awards, including "Best Scotch Whisky" at the 2023 New York World Wine & Spirits Competition and "Best Scotch Islay Malt" at the 2024 World Whiskies Awards. Reviewers say it's absolutely mind-blowing with aromas of smoked toffee, cream, lemon, and rich earthiness. On the palate, you get plenty of smoky peat, fruits like pear and apples, toasty toffee, and black pepper. You also get some heat and spice on the long finish. There were only a few bottles released, so if you can find one, you'll probably want to pour it only for special occasions.

The Macallan is one of the most well-known whisky brands in the world and rightfully so. Established in Speyside in 1824, it was one of the first distilleries to be legally licensed in Scotland, and it built its reputation on its superb single malt Scotches aged in sherry-seasoned casks. If you want one of the best representations of the brand, a bottle of the iconic 18-Year-Old Sherry Oak is an absolute must.

Every year, The Macallan releases a series of 18-Year-Old expressions that have been aged in oak casks from Jerez, Spain. The casks are first filled with sherry wine, rested, then emptied and sent to Scotland, where they're filled with single malt Scotch and rested for 18 years. The annual tradition started in 1984, when the company released a 1965 vintage. Today, there are three 18-Year-Old collections on offer: the Sherry Oak Collection (the original), Double Cask Collection, and Colour Collection. 

It's easy to see why so many people adore the 18-year-old expressions. Although they vary slightly from year to year, you can expect them to be rich, fruity, and very easy to drink with an ABV of 43%. On the nose, you get dried fruits like raisins and dates, chocolate, ginger, and butter. Many of those flavors follow through to the palate, along with woody spices, hints of apple, and some fresh herbs. All in all, it's a solid bottle for your collection that will appeal to a wide range of tastes, including folks new to Scotch.

Single malts tend to dominate discussions of world-class Scotch whiskies, but blended whiskies can be just as nuanced and impressive. Dewar's Double Double 21 Year Old is a great example of this. Dewar's has always been at the forefront of blended whiskies. Founder John Dewar started combining single malt and grain whiskies in the 1860s, and since then, the company has introduced many innovative techniques. This includes master blender Stephanie Macleod's four-stage aging process used for the Double Double series.

Stephanie Macleod is somewhat of an icon in the modern whisky world, having earned the International Whisky Competition's "World's Best Master Blender" award an impressive six times in a row. Her technique for the Double Double series involves aging single malt and grain whiskies separately, blending them, returning them to barrels, combining them and aging them further, then finishing the blended whisky in sherry casks. This significantly mellows the whiskies, adding intricate layers of flavor.

The Double Double 21 Year Old fares particularly well at competitions. It recently earned the title of "Best Scotch Blended" at the 2025 World Whiskies Awards and Double Gold at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Reviewers comment on the subtle aromas of tropical fruit and wood, the luscious mouthfeel, and the well-balanced flavor profile, featuring notes of figs, berries, caramel, nuts, and citrus. The finish is long with sweet and spicy notes, and the ABV of 46% provides a pleasing warmth.  

Located in Scotland's far northern Orkney Islands, Highland Park has been producing unique Scotch whiskies since 1798. The constant wind, cool temperatures, and locally cut heather-rich peat all contribute to shaping the spirits, giving them their signature mix of gentle smoke, sweetness, and coastal character. The most lauded of them all is the Highland Park 18, which has won multiple awards at spirits competitions. The Robb Report even gave it the number one spot in its list of the 50 greatest single malts of the 21st century.

The Highland Park 18 gets some of its distinctive flavor from Orkney heathered peat, which adds soft smoky aromas and flavors. In addition, the whisky is aged in first-fill, sherry-seasoned European and American oak casks, as well as refill casks, then bottled at 43% ABV. On the nose, you get jammy fruit and baking spices. Take a sip and the flavors of dark chocolate, citrus, raisin, and smoke unfold. It finishes off long with warm oak and spices.

Another intriguing aspect of the Highland Park 18 is that the packaging has changed several times over the past decade. Prior to 2017, the bottle featured a striking black and red label. Then, the company rebranded its core whiskies to reflect the region's Viking heritage: the 18-year-old was renamed Viking Pride and came in a bold bottle embossed with Viking-inspired designs. As of 2025, the Viking theme has been shelved, and the bottle now features a simple embossed logo and white label.

If you're looking for an easy-going Scotch whisky that has won multiple awards, yet won't break the bank, the Aberfeldy 16 Year Old is a good bet. It won Double Gold at the 2025 International Spirits Challenge and has also earned accolades from the World Whiskies Awards and Scottish Whisky Awards. With its fruity flavors and tame ABV of 40%, it's a great everyday sipper and gateway into aged Highland single malt Scotches.

The Aberfeldy distillery was built by John Dewar's sons, John Alexander and Tommy Dewar, with whisky production starting in 1898. The brothers originally produced the malt whiskies for John Dewar's blends. In 2014, the brand launched a permanent collection of aged single-malt whiskies, each made with water from Pitilie Burn, a water source rumored to contain gold deposits. The 16 Year Old expression is matured in a mix of first-fill, refill, and re-char bourbon casks and finished in Oloroso sherry casks for another six months.

The first thing you notice about this amber-hued Scotch is the aromas of honey, orchard fruits like apples and peaches, and a slight touch of oak. On the palate, you get more sweetness, with notes of caramel, cake, and dark chocolate, balanced by hints of cloves and zesty citrus. The finish isn't overly long, and it offers flavors of oak and spice. Some reviewers point out that the ABV isn't as high as many other single malts, which makes it slightly less punchy, but others may find that makes it a tad easier to sip.

Once you start delving into the higher whisky age statements, things can get a little bit tricky because you never know if those long maturation periods are going to result in something fantastic or a full-on oak or sherry bomb. Fortunately, that's not something you have to worry about with the Glengoyne 25 Year Old. This elegant expression has earned gold and silver medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and World Whiskies Awards, respectively, and it was named "Best Scotch" at the 2025 Whiskey Wash Awards.

Glengoyne has a history dating back to the 1820s, when founder George Connell began secretly distilling whisky at Burnfoot Farm, far from the prying eyes of the law. Fast forward to today, and the distillery still does things the old school way with air-dried barley, gentle-heating stills, and casks that take six years to prepare. That attention to detail shines through in the 25 Year Old expression, which is matured solely in sherry casks and bottled at an ABV of 48%.

Reviewers have nothing but good things to say about this sherry-forward single malt. It starts with aromas of figs, toasted sugar, toffee, and weathered leather. On the palate, it coats the mouth with a pleasing richness and gives notes of stewed fruits, chocolate, oak, vanilla, and almonds. You also get a nice, long finish with just a slight spiciness. This is a bottle that you'll definitely want to savor. As an added bonus, it comes with an attractive oak box for storing.