Best Buy For Single Malt Whisky

Best 12- and 15-Year-Old Single Malts

Our choices, once again, are tried and true.

QRW Staff

This is our 20th Annual Malt Tasting, which, like all our tastings, was done blind. “Round up the usual suspects” may well be the title of this article. Which is almost invariably what we do, all the while hoping other suspects will reveal themselves. And the usual suspects tend to win. Generally, although not exclusively, we are Highland, Speyside, and Orkney malt fans at QRW. The tasting team is requested to judge those malts that are “readily available retail” in the U.S. The ages we selected were 12 and 15. We didn’t taste the 10 year malt this year because we don’t find enough in them. (For our tasters, however, the best 10-year-old malt is still Glenmorangie.) For a few more dollars, the 12-year-old malts offer more body and flavor. There are more than 100 malts, and not all are easily available. So we dealt with 39 of them from varying ages that consumers can get their hands on. Below are only those malt scotches the team decided to offer for publication, offering the top four or five in each category. Our editorial rule for the last 30 years is to write about those brands we feel are the best. Short-stemmed Glenmorangie malt glasses were used; sparkling water cleared palates; some tasters choose to add a splash of non-sparkling bottled water to the malts. We worked on a ten-point basis: aroma (two points), flavors (four points), and finish (four points). Expect prices to vary from region to region.

12-Year-Old Malt

15-Year-Old Malt

Singular Sensations

The most exciting new expressions of malt whisky in the market place are four from Glenmorangie: The Nectar D’Or, Glenmorangie 25, The Quinta Ruban, and The Lasanta.

• The Nectar D’Or, $75, has bread and pie aromas, and smacks of lemon meringue and orange notes. Luscious caramel, finely textured. Terrific after dinner experience.
  
  
• Glenmorangie 25, $875, made us re-think our views about malt this old, which we often considered too refined into a Cognac-like experience. This is generous, spicy, slightly sweet and minty, beautifully rounded with a long and opulent finish. Fabulous.
  
  
• The Quinta Ruban, $70, is ripe, with dark chocolate and almondy/nutty tones. Mocha — coffee and chocolate — in the taste and finish. Exalted stuff, and we suggest adding a drop or two of cold water (no ice).
  
  
• The Lasanta, $65, (it means passion) lives up to its name. It has texture and depth, with raisin, nutty, chocolate flavors. It’s almost a dessert malt, with crème brûlée tones, almonds, spice and vanilla.