It’s a great time to be a single malt whiskey drinker. With the expansion of the American single malt industry and the non-stop pace of Scotch whisky, you really can find something for everyone (and that’s before you get to every other region making the stuff). Special cask finishes, cask strength offerings, classic sherry oak aging, old age statements, double cask finishes, peat monsters, unpeated delights, and everything else that you can think of are out there in one respect or another.

All of that makes choosing a great single malt on your next run to the liquor store a head-scratching prospect. There’s no fun in being puzzled about what to buy, so let me help you ease in and find a great single malt whiskey to add to your bar cart — by holding a big ‘ol blind taste test.

For this blind tasting, I pulled 20 pretty much brand new single malts from Scotland, the U.S., New Zealand, Canada, and Ireland from my shelf. My wife was kind enough to pour, number, and list them for me (for reference when I was done).

Our lineup today features the following bottles:

• Pōkeno Discovery New Zealand Single Malt Whisky
• Benriach Speyside Single Malt Whisky The Sixteen Triple Cask Matured
• Scapa Single Malt Scotch Whisky Vintage Edition 19 Years Old
• Lost Lantern Single Distillery Series Desert Dessert Whiskey Del Bac Arizona Single Malt
• Lost Lantern Single Distillery Series Gentle Giant Balcones Distilling Texas Single Malt
• Virginia Distillery Co. Scholar’s Craft American Single Malt Whiskey Coffee Cask
• Balcones Cask Strength Fr.Oak Aged Texas Single Malt Whisky Single Barrel (S1B61)
• Westward American Single Malt Whiskey Switchback Single Barrel (S1B17)
• Macbeth Act One First Murderer Ledaig Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 18 Years
• Westland Solum Edition 1 American Single Malt Whiskey
• Lost Lantern Single Distillery Series Mega Mesquite Whiskey Del Bac Arizona Single Malt
• Crown Royal Noble Collection Barley Edition
• Wolves The Malted Barley Series Lot No. 1 California Single Malt Whiskey
• Macbeth Act One Lady Macduff Linkwood Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 31 Years
• Bushmills Aged 30 Years Single Malt Irish Whiskey
• Stranahan’s Diamond Peak Colorado Single Malt Whiskey Extra Anejo Tequila Cask 2023
• Kingsbarns Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Doocot
• Bruichladdich Port Charlotte Heavily Peated Islay Barley 2014 Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
• Highland Park Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky
• Arran Single Malt Scotch Whisky Barrel Reserve

Look there’s no method or battle here. This is simply about finding great single malt whiskey to buy. We have a long way to go, so let’s dive right in and find that whiskey!

• 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

Part 1: The Single Malt Whiskey Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens softly with a sense of Black Forest cake with a soft chocolate sponge cake countered by lightly spiced cherry compote with the faintest hint of dark orange and vanilla.

Palate: That creamy vanilla drives the palate toward an almost sour cherry with a hint of salt next to burnt orange and soft winter spices over honeyed malt.

Finish: The end is creamy and lush with a sense of dark chocolate sauce cut with white pepper, vanilla, and salt next to dark blood orange syrup dashed with sour cherry, clove, and star anise with a fleeting sense of caramel malts.

Initial Thoughts:

This is some delicious whisky. I know there are 19 more pours, but this one set the bar high very early.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Classic Speyside apple orchards with plenty of herbal honey mingles with fresh ginger and dried apricot on the nose.

Palate: That apple turns into spiced apple pie filling on the palate as the honey leans toward nuttiness with a touch of candied orange.

Finish: Honeyed malts with a twist of burnt orange dance with grassy spice and soft and creamy nutty chocolate.

Initial Thoughts:

This is pretty nice, albeit a little dry on the finish. It’s a nice pour though.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Tart yet stewed green apples swim in vanilla buttercream on the nose as apricot jam and marmalade mingle with soft winter spices, lemon cream, raisin bread, and a hint of oyster shell.

Palate: Pear orchards and apple hand pies drive the palate as more lemon cream folds into a coffee cake (with a lot of cinnamon and nutmeg) with a dollop of marmalade, thin lines of honey, and raw brown sugar cubes next to a fleeting hint of wood wax.

Finish: Rye crackers with salt and sesame dipped in honey arise on the finish with a soft sense of salted black licorice, more of that raisin bread, vanilla buttercream, and spicy apple butter.

Initial Thoughts:

I mean, f*ck, this is delicious. The bar was just set higher with this beautiful scotch (there’s no doubt in my mind this is from Scotland).

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This almost creams Texas barbecue on the nose (it’s like walking into the Meat Church or Snow’s) with a supporting network of burnt orange, dried apricot, and honey-dipped sultanas.

Palate: The dried fruit gets leathery and sweet on the palate as the black pepper and smoked BBQ fattiness drives the taste toward candied orange and apricot jam over a pecan scone.

Finish: The smokiness stays peppery and fatty on the finish with a nice hint of orchard wood, soft spice, and caramel malt.

Initial Thoughts:

This was really tasty but a little overwhelmed by that fatty smoke. That’s not a bad thing if you’re in the backyard next to a smoker full of brisket and ribs though.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This opens with Granny Smith apple skins over winter spice barks dipped in floral honey and dried next to orange wheels and Graham Crackers.

Palate: The orchard-iness drives the palate with a sense of soft salted toffee cut with vanilla oils and dipped in dark chocolate orange sauce.

Finish: Orchard woods and soft malts round out the finish with a hint of honeyed toffee and spiced apple fritter.

Initial Thoughts:

This was pretty nice overall. It was light and very soft, which was kind of inviting by the end.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with a creamy bourbon buttercream with deep vanilla next to sour yet creamy espresso bitterness countered by cinnamon-spiced dark chocolate

Palate: Soft mocha lattes drive the taste toward sharp winter spices — clove, allspice, and nutmeg dominate — next to salted dark chocolate and a hint of malted biscuit dipped in vanilla syrup.

Finish: The end leans into the espresso bitterness with a nice note of dark chocolate and cinnamon gingersnaps.

Initial Thoughts:

This is a tasty sip that feels very American with a sense of coffee, bourbon, and vanilla cream. None of that is a bad thing — it’s just very niche.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This runs deep on the nose with dates, prunes, and leathery figs next to cinnamon bark, clove buds, and burnt sugar over burnt orange with a hint of dark chocolate espresso — kind of like an affogato with a scoop of rich dark chocolate gelato instead of vanilla.

Palate: The fig and chocolate combine on the palate to create a lush balance of rummy mincemeat pie, clove-stuffed blood orange, and a touch of old cedar humidor with a hint of sticky toffee pudding tobacco still lingering.

Finish: That sweet and chewy tobacco drives the finish toward soft cedar bark weaved with old wild sage, figs, and vanilla bean husks.

Initial Thoughts:

This is another winner. It’s clearly an American single malt thanks to the very deep amber color and dark and stormy sweet vibe. Still, this is a really tasty whisky.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Crafty notes of orange and grapefruit mingle with sweet porridge maltiness with a dollop of honey and vanilla cream on the nose.

Palate: Botanical winter spices mix with dark orange and honeyed malt with a touch of vanilla over rum-raisin, soft dates, and a sense of fresh gingerbread dipped in honey.

Finish: There’s a moment of almost ale dankness on the finish with a sense of orange malted cookies, dried fruit preserved in honey, and soft dried sweet flowers rolled with lightly orchard-esque tobacco.

Initial Thoughts:

This is pretty damn good juice. It feels like something out of the Northwest with that touch of craftiness on the nose (and the craft beer dankness, honestly), but it goes so far beyond that into a really deep and tasty whiskey.

Taste 9

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose on this one feels like fresh olive oil and balsamic dusted with white pepper and salt next to Ace bandages, burnt wild sage, and fatty smoked pork wrapped in nori.

Palate: Oyster liqueur and white pepper drive the taste toward lemon marmalade, sourdough crusts, more nori, and a sense of old brick whisky barrel warehouses by the sea.

Finish: That briny seaside vibe mixed with what I want to call an aspirin pill next to a soft oyster shell, salted butter, gently smoked pork fat with sage, rosemary, and pepper, and a fleeting sense of smoldering fruit orchards in the late fall.

Initial Thoughts:

Woah! This is a great peated malt. The nose is wild!

Taste 10

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Apple and strawberry pie drives the nose with a nice dose of soft and sweet cinnamon powder and a touch of tart rhubarb, smoldering cedar, and burning apple tobacco.

Palate: The taste leans into the herbal vibes with chamomile, wild sage, and a touch of white flower next to rye bread crusts, vanilla cream, and pound cake with poppy seeds.

Finish: The rye bread goes full pumpernickel on the finish with a hint of sourness next to creamy maltiness and floral honey.

Initial Thoughts:

This, again, was pretty freaking good. It had a little bit of a short end, but that doesn’t take away from the overall experience that much.

Taste 11

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Classic BBQ smoke and fat mingles with burnt sugars and savoriness over dark orange and winter spice.

Palate: The richness of the palate is built with soft vanilla, smoked BBQ fats, dark pepper, and a soft sense of orange creaminess.

Finish: The end fades pretty quickly through smoked meats, sweet burnt sugars, and soft wintry orange spice.

Initial Thoughts:

This was pretty fine overall. It got a little muddled but was still an easy sip.

Taste 12

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a nice sense of apple fritter drizzled with creamy vanilla powdered sugar icing next to dark red berries and candied citrus peels on the nose.

Palate: The taste leans into more of that stewed apple with a winter spice edge and a nod to vanilla buttercream with a woody orange tobacco vibe.

Finish: The end leans into the woody tobacco with a soft citrus and berry vibe next to orchard fruit and apple pies.

Initial Thoughts:

This was pretty nice overall. It wasn’t overly wrought, which was nice, and had a nice balance. Still, this faded pretty fast from my palate and memory.

Taste 13

Tasting Notes:

Nose: White pepper and dried red berries mix with a sense of butterscotch, floral honey, and winter spiced vanilla cookies.

Palate: Those dark dried berries drive the palate toward soft pound cake iced with vanilla sauce and butterscotch over a hint of sweet oak.

Finish: Sharp winter spice barks and burnt orange mingles with a hint of nutshells on the finish.

Initial Thoughts:

This was a tad dry, but fine overall. Again, this didn’t really stick with me.

Taste 14

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with a beautiful sense of ripe apricot (fresh from vine clarity) with creamy lemon curd, fresh spearmint, lavender lemonade, soft saddle soap, buttery brioche, and … I swear … freshly washed sheets hanging out on a line on a sunny day.

Palate: Fresh pears and sweet apples counter the apricot on the palate as buttery scones just touched with rose water smeared with vanilla brandy butter with a light toward of floral honey and very dry champagne.

Finish: The pear layers into the champagne while the floral honey creates a luxurious mouthfeel next to soft moments of winter spice barks, marmalade, apricot leather, and creamy salted buttercream just kissed with vanilla and summer flowers.

Initial Thoughts:

Well, this is going to win. Whatever it is (I’m guessing scotch), it’s amazing. Seriously, folks, this is a show-stopper.

Taste 15

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a mix of mincemeat pie and sticky toffee pudding on the nose with salted toffee sauce, rich buttercream, and leathery dried fruit countered by soft and powdery dark winter spices.

Palate: The lushness is amazingly silky with fresh figs, black-tea-soaked dates, and rum-soaked raisins with burnt orange, old vanilla pods, and poppy seed dessert rolls with brown sugar syrup icing.

Finish: The dried and dark fruits get leathery as the toffee sweetens with a touch of old oak stave and cellar floor dirt lurking in the background of the finish.

Initial Thoughts:

Another show-stopper! This is a little darker with a depth that just doesn’t end. So good.

Taste 16

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This pops with a deep pink peppercorn next to floral honey (think wildflowers and mountain sage) next to soft salted toffee rolled in roasted almond and dipped in lush vanilla caramel.

Palate: That wild sage and lush toffee drive the palate toward a sense of old cedar planks, deep and dark berry leather, and a lush sense of vanilla over salted caramel and marzipan.

Finish: That creamy and lush vibe drives the end with more salted caramel, marzipan, and vanilla cream with a hint of honey-soaked dates and salted cinnamon candies with a whisper of rose-hued tobacco.

Initial Thoughts:

This is really balanced, deep, and kind of fun. I dig this a lot. It’s not as transcendent as previous pours, but it’s pretty damn close.

Taste 17

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The light nose opens with a sense of banana bread, pineapple skins, and floral honey with a moment of wet brown sugar and pancake batter.

Palate: That pineapple gets sweet on the palate with a sense of winter spice and dark red berries dipped in vanilla-chocolate sauce.

Finish: The fruitiness builds at the end toward more pineapple, mango skins, and kiwi while the spice leans into some soft wood.

Initial Thoughts:

This was fine. It’s very light and wasn’t very memorable.

Taste 18

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Old pear and apple orchards mingle with singed vanilla pods, salted toffee, rum-raisin, and grapefruit pith next to smoked peach and melon over cinnamon bark dipped in seawater.

Palate: That grapefruit leads to burnt orange with a deep smoked plum, cherry, and apple vibe next to grilled peaches, toasted coconut, and burning wild sage with a slight sense of moist marzipan and apricot tobacco.

Finish: Apricot jamminess and chewy malty spice drive the finish toward smoldering coals in a barbecue and a bit more of that smudging sage.

Initial Thoughts:

Another masterpiece! This is a peat monster that turns out to have a heart of gold. This runs so deep and delicious that the heavy peat is almost forgotten (until it’s not).

Taste 19

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a light sense of wildflowers on the nose with a rich vanilla husk that leads towards a touch of peaty-smoldering nori, soft vanilla cakes, and a rich and vibrant caramel.

Palate: The taste is silken with rich and buttery toffee next to honeysuckle, eggnog spices and creaminess, and a small dose of orange zest with a supporting act of salted caramel, apple pie tobacco, and a whisper of pine dank.

Finish: The end holds onto the creaminess and spices as the peat just edges in with a whisper of resinous pine smoke, soft caramels, and dark chocolate pie sprinkled with dried berries, pears, and citrus rinds.

Initial Thoughts:

This is so good. It’s lush and deep and feels truly comforting.

Taste 20

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This has a nose full of ripe apples and pears with stems and cores alongside soft and damp cedar and chewy vanilla-laced toffee.

Palate: The palate counters with grapefruit pith, silken vanilla cream, and apple butter brimming with dark spice.

Finish: The finish comes about with a singed cedar bark feel next to soft powdery spices, orange oils, and a very light vanilla ice cream scoop.

Initial Thoughts:

This was okay. I think it would have had a bigger impression but this panel of whiskey pours got insane and this kind of got lost in the mix.

Part 2: The Single Malt Whiskey Ranking

20. Wolves The Malted Barley Series Lot No. 1 California Single Malt Whiskey — Taste 13

ABV: 55%

Average Price: $289

The Whiskey:

This American single malt is hewn from 2-row pale malted barley that was fermented with California ale yeast (very crafty). The hot juice rested in American oak barrels with six different char levels for seven years. The final batch was pulled from 12 barrels, batched, proofed, and bottled as-is.

Bottom Line:

This was very much “fine” as mentioned above. There are no faults at all. It’s well made. It just didn’t grab my attention today. I need to try it again.

19. Kingsbarns Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Doocot — Taste 17

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $44

The Whisky:

This whisky is from a new(ish) Lowland distillery in Scotland (the region with the least amount of distilleries). The whisky in the bottle is a single malt that was aged in ex-bourbon and ex-red wine barriques (a slightly bigger barrel by a few gallons). Those barrels were vatted and proofed with Lowland water before bottling.

Bottom Line:

Again, this was “fine” but just didn’t grab my attention. This feels like a perfectly good cocktail/highball whisky.

18. Arran Single Malt Scotch Whisky Barrel Reserve — Taste 20

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $58

The Whisky:

This Island’s whisky is all about reaching over the pond. The 100% unpeated malted barley juice is aged exclusively in ex-bourbon barrels (for an undisclosed amount of time) before it’s vatted, proofed, and bottled as-is to highlight that barrel.

Bottom Line:

This was nice but a little thin overall. I’d recommend using it for cocktails (especially as a lighter bourbon replacement).

17. Lost Lantern Single Distillery Series Mega Mesquite Whiskey Del Bac Arizona Single Malt — Taste 11

ABV: 60%

Average Price: $100

The Whisky:

This Arizona malt is made from a mash (recipe) of 60% malted barley and 40% mesquite-smoked malted barley — mesquite smoke basically being the Southwest’s answer to peat. The whiskey was left to age in 15-gallon barrels (the average barrel size is 53 gallons) with a good char and a touch of toasting. Three barrels were then chosen for this cask-strength bottling.

Bottom Line:

Only 180 bottles were made. That’s rare. Overall, this is a unique whiskey that’s worth trying. I wouldn’t go out of my way to track it down though. Still, I would gladly enjoy this if it was handed to me.

16. Lost Lantern Single Distillery Series Gentle Giant Balcones Distilling Texas Single Malt — Taste 5

ABV: 57.6%

Average Price: $100

The Whisky:

This rare blend from Balcones via Lost Lantern is a batch of five-and-a-half super rare casks. The batch is made from single malts aged in a four-year-old double cask apple brandy cask, a three-year-old large European cask that dried outside for three years, another one of those casks but just a little older, a four-year-old ex-bourbon cask, and a half-full European oak cask that was exactly three years and 56 days old when it was dumped. All of that whisky was vatted and bottled as-is.

Bottom Line:

1,100 bottles came from those barrels. Overall, this was nice but very middle of the road. It didn’t jump out but it was well-made.

15. Westland Solum Edition 1 American Single Malt Whiskey — Taste 10

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $183

The Whisky:

This special release from awards and industry darling Westland is made from a small batch of barrels. The whiskey — made from Skagit Valley Malting peated malt — is built from Two new American oak barrels blended with a first-fill ex-bourbon cask. The barrels were 41 months old when they went into the bottle with a hint of local water.

Bottom Line:

Only 4,044 bottles of this was made. Rarity aside, this is a nice whisky overall. If you’re looking for an easy sipping experience with good depth, this is a solid choice.

14. Lost Lantern Single Distillery Series Desert Dessert Whiskey Del Bac Arizona Single Malt — Taste 4

ABV: 56.9%

Average Price: $100

The Whisky:

This Arizona whiskey is a winner on the awards circuit. The mash is made from 60% malted barley and 40% mesquite-smoked malted barley. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of three 15-gallon barrels. Two of those barrels were finished in ex-Sauternes and Ex-Pineau des Charentes casks before the final blend was made and bottled as-is.

Bottom Line:

This was nice and sweet with a good smokiness that was never overpowering. Overall, if you’re looking for distinctly American smoked whiskey, this a good grab.

13. Benriach Speyside Single Malt Whisky The Sixteen Triple Cask Matured — Taste 2

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $132

The Whisky:

This new Benriach is all about the barrel blend. The 16-year-old single malt was aged in ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, and new oak casks. Those barrels were vatted, proofed with local water, and bottled.

Bottom Line:

This is another one that’s just nice. If you’re looking for a good, easy, dependable sipping whisky, then this is a solid buy. It’s not going to blow your socks off but it’ll get the job done.

12. Virginia Distillery Co. Scholar’s Craft American Single Malt Whiskey Coffee Cask — Taste 6