Top 10 Bang For The Buck Whiskies
After posting hundreds of ratings for all kinds of whisky I thought it would be a good idea to sum up the whiskies that in my opinion have the best ratio between price and value.
In my ratings I already give hints about the value for your money using a line of dollar signs. To create this Bang for the Buck ranking I picked some widely available whiskies that please your palate without hurting your wallet too much. Ranks 7 to 10 are basically on par, the order is random.
Of course your local retail prices may differ which can lead to a shift in ranking. But is this list is entirely subjective anyway, I don’t see a problem with this.
1. Readbreast 12
Price: ~€35 – Rating: 89
A very high quality Irish pure potstill whiskey. Rich, creamy, fruity, sweet and utterly delightful – about the best that Ireland has to offer.
Price: ~€40 – Rating: 90
The best value you can get for an Islay whisky. The final maturation in small quarter casks gives it an unrivaled complexity.
3. Laphroaig 10 yo Cask Strength
Price: ~€45 – Rating: 91
Laphroag has managed to secure another top position. And with its uncompromising character the CS really is an Islay whisky par excellence!
4. Elijah Craig 12 yo
Price: ~€30 – Rating: 85
An excellent bourbon whiskey for a very attractive price. Not always easy to find in Europe but not impossible.
5. Glendronach Revival 15 yo
Price: ~€50 – Rating: 89
A full-bodied sherry monster of a whisky that revives the old tradition of Glendronach distillery. Very dry and very complex.
6. Glenfarclas 17 yo
Price: ~€50 – Rating: 88
A premium sherried whisky with a strong fruity aroma. It might by a bit difficult to find in shops because it is mostly restricted to Duty Free / Travel value.
7. Springbank 10 yo
Price: ~€40 – Rating: 86
The glory of Campbeltown lives on in this standard bottling. Maritime, complex and highly enjoyable.
8. Connemara Cask Strength
Price: ~€40 – Rating: 86
The unusual peated Irish single malt from Cooley is sold at a very competitive price. It is quite different from its Islay cousins but very fine nonetheless.
9. Bowmore Enigma 12 yo
Price: ~€40 – Rating: 86
My favourite malt at the lower end of the Bowmore product range. Some sherry influence makes this a very complex and enjoyable Islay whisky.
10. Benromach 10 yo
Price: ~€35 – Rating: 84
This lightly peated Speyside malt tastes wonderfully old-fashioned. It has a very fine balance of many different flavours.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
It’s fascinating the price differences that people pay in different regions. What stands out to me most of all is the price difference of bourbon between the USA and Europe. In the US, we pay approximately the same prices for most single malts as Europeans (for example, if I go onto a UK based whisky dealer’s website, and convert Pounds to US dollars), yet we pay significantly less for bourbon than you do. We get Elijah Craig 12 year for less than half the price of Laphroaig Quarter Cask ($20 vs. $50). Do you think that you would have more bourbons in the list if you payed US prices for them? I think it’s a trade-off because there is less range of flavor across bourbons than there is across single malt whisky, so you may not have too many new spaces for bourbon.
Of course my value assessments are based on European prices. I frankly don’t know enough about the US prices to take this into account.