The Scotch Brand That Every Beginner Drinker Needs To Try

As a Scottish person, I've spent a lot of my adult life around whisky. It is, as you can imagine, very cultural. In Scotland, you find people drinking whisky at weddings, funerals, birthdays, or just simply at home after work, and so I therefore feel qualified, if only by the place of my birth, to give some advice if a beginner were to ask me where to start with Scotch. 

My answer would be to start with Glenfiddich. For one, Glenfiddich is one of the most widely drunk whiskies in Scotland (not to mention the world), which immediately suggests the country of its origin knows that this brand is not flashy or intimidating, but is just good. Good because it's balanced, reliable, and genuinely enjoyable — it doesn't hit you with aggressive smoke the way some brands do. Instead, it's quite soft, almost fruity, and very easy to return to. Which is exactly what anyone's first Scotch-drinking experience should be, right?

And, of course, just as important is the fact that it's accessible. In the U.S., stores like Kroger and Target stock this brand, which means no going to speciality stores or bars to find it. Scotch kind of has a reputation for being expensive and serious, but Glenfiddich actually proves that you can drink something well-made without breaking your wallet over it. It's kind of a perfect beginner whisky brand that way, and certainly a perfect starting point.

With Glenfiddich's easy entry point, you can eliminate a lot of the early anxiety about the correct way to drink Scotch because the truth is far simpler than whisky culture sometimes makes it seem. Start neat if you can; add a splash of water or have it with ice if it opens things up for you, and then just take your time and enjoy the drink. Glenfiddich is forgiving like that. It won't punish you for drinking it "wrong," and that alone makes it an ideal introduction — as many online commenters agree.

This whisky also makes for a useful reference point when you're trying to understand the differences between Irish whiskey and Scotch. Compared to many Irish whiskeys, Glenfiddich has more structure and depth without veering into heavy smoke. It sits comfortably in the middle, giving beginners a clear sense of what makes Scotch a more distinct sip — the malt character, the gentle oak, and the touch of fruit — without overwhelming anyone's tastebuds and putting them off for life. As a Scot, I want to assure that you don't need to earn your place in whisky culture with an expensive brand. You just need a bottle that meets you where you are, and Glenfiddich does exactly that — which is why it's the Scotch I'd hand to anyone taking their first sip.