What a 12 months of whisky it’s been! My first full year as a Whisky Magazine taster has provided some extremely exciting drams, and I’ve been blown away by some of the ridiculous high quality from brands not just with decades of history and tradition, but new ones at the beginning of their journeys.
As a reminder, all reviews in Whisky Magazine’s tastings section are tasted blind. All my fellow taster Alwynne Gwilt and I are given is an anonymised bottle of liquid with the ABV, style, and country/region written on the label. At the time of scoring and commenting on these whiskies, I had absolutely no idea what these brands were, and it shows the quality of the year that there’s such a variety of distilleries on this list.
This is my ranking of the 10 best-scoring whiskies I gave throughout Whisky Magazine’s seven issues in 2025. In the case of whiskies with equal scores, I’ll be reverting to my notes to decide on tiebreak!
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Honourable mentions
With more than 120 whiskies tasted across the seven issues of Whisky Magazine this year, it would be remiss of me not to at least give special mention to those delicious drams that scored extremely highly and were only missing from this list by the smallest of margins.
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- Caol Ila, Jazz Festival Edition 2025 (Issue 211)
- Holyrood Distillery, Pitch (Issue 208)
- Kinloch Anderson, The Kiltmaker Series — Pleated to Sett (Issue 205)
- Lochlea, Orchard & Oak (Issue 211)
- Macbeth, Second Witch (Issue 210)
- Wolves Whiskey, American Single Malt 5 Years Old (Issue 205)
#10 — Royal Salute, Kingdom Amarone 26 Years Old
“A tremendous, complex whisky. We’re a few months out from winter, but this will be perfect as a warming dram on those cold nights.”
I wrote about this whisky back in the spring, and now that we’re in winter, I’ve been able to revisit it to check the initial comment I made. I’m delighted to confirm this holds up extremely well as a winter dram. An impressive whisky, and the hazelnut praline note is unbelievably good.
On the nose, fizzy cherry, apples, lemon, and pear pudding. On the palate, roasted chestnuts and chocolate-coated raisins. Hazelnut praline. Caramel, toffee, fudge. The finish is medium in length, with a lasting nuttiness.
More info: Royal Salute
#9 — The GlenAllachie, Amontillado Sherry Cask Finish
“The flavours and smoothness of this palate is delightful… this is a really great dram.”
The GlenAllachie has continued to soar off the back of its World Whiskies Awards World’s Best Single Malt win, which was announced back in March 2025. This sherry cask finish was quite the surprise for all the right reasons!
On the nose, very medicinal. Think of fresh, minty mouthwash. On the palate, pressed oranges, Rubicon mango juice, and fresh pineapple. On the finish, medium in length, with the pineapple note lingering.
Buy now: The Whisky Exchange, £52.50 | Master of Malt, £59.99
#8 — Tormore Legacy 2009
“Huge fan of this one. The balance between sweetness and fruit is fantastic.”
From our final issue of the year comes this Tormore expression, which showcases the very best of the distillery’s character and quality. Would recommend to anybody looking for a classic!
On the nose, a burst of orange, followed by sweeter notes of toffee and caramel. On the palate, salted caramel mousse, toffee-coated apples at Halloween, and a hint of bubblegum. On the finish, long in length and delightfully smooth.
Buy now: The Whisky Exchange, £105
#7 — Glenmorangie, A Tale of Ice Cream
“This is a brilliant conception; all it’s missing is two Cadbury Flakes.”
Of every whisky on this list, this one by Glenmorangie has been the most memorable and has stuck with me since the first sip. It’s no exaggeration to say that this tastes exactly like an ice cream, and the vanilla sweetness is a remarkable feat. Shortly after the magazine’s publication, I hosted a tasting masterclass for every staff member in the office to ensure no one missed out on a dram of this. Needless to say, it went down very well.
On the nose, very vanilla-forward, like walking past an ice-cream truck. On the palate, orange and lime, Mr Whippy ice cream, vanilla. On the finish, medium in length with a lingering vanilla note.
Buy now: The Whisky Exchange, £72.75 | Master of Malt, £68.81
#6 — Redbreast, 18 Years Old
“Without doubt one of the best berry-heavy whiskies available right now.”
Surely no year’s best list is complete without a bottle of Redbreast, which continues to be a beacon of consistency and reliability. This is an outstanding whiskey, and its berry notes are delightful.
On the nose, very fruit-forward, in particular red berries, grapes, blackcurrant, and cherries. On the palate, raspberries, strawberries, raisins, and a touch of toffee. On the finish, medium in length with the berry notes continuing to thrive.
Buy now: The Whisky Exchange, £166 | Master of Malt, £184.95
#5 — Filey Bay, Orange Wine Barrique
“This is a GREAT whisky! It has character in abundance and whisks you away to a beach on a hot summer’s day.”
A great English whisky! There was no surprise that orange wine barriques were involved in this whisky’s maturation, given the wonderful tropical notes on full display. This is the summer whisky of all summer whiskies.
On the nose, banana milkshake. Warm pineapple, mango, passionfruit. On the palate, strawberries and cream, ripe bananas, mango with lime zest. On the finish, long with a subtle raisin and hazelnut note.
More info: Spirit of Yorkshire
#4 — The Heart Cut, #16 Fielden
“A real knock-out, complex whisky with a great balance of unexpected notes paired with the rye warmth.”
The Heart Cut have been one of the most impressive independent bottlers in the world over the past 12 months, and this particular release is a standout! Another strong representation for English whisky on this list.
On the nose, one of the best-smelling whiskies all year. Spicy cinnamon, gingerbread, warming pastries, hint of toffee. On the palate, balance of fruitiness with the typical spices you’d expect from a rye. On the finish, lengthy, with a warming blanket of spice.
Buy now: The Whisky Exchange, £61.95 | Master of Malt, £67.95
#3 — Wolfcraig, 14 Years Old Triple Sherry Cask Finish
“This might be the smoothest whisky I’ve had all year. It’s incredibly drinkable. Very impressed”
When I wrote this note, I knew that claiming a whisky was the “smoothest” I’d drunk this year would be a bold claim, particularly with how many I’m fortunate enough to sample. However, I can confirm that this is absolutely the case, and it’s an amazing feat of craftsmanship. While not a cheap whisky (£95 is a pretty premium price), I wouldn’t have been surprised if this had been in the hundreds given its premium mouthfeel.
On the nose, apple, lemon juice, a squeeze of lime. Blueberries, fizzy kiwi sweets. On the palate, unbelievably smooth. A combination of dried fruits — raisins and fig — with a sweet nuttiness of almonds and hazelnut. On the finish, long with a lingering berry note.
More info: Wolfcraig
#2 — Auchentoshan, Three Wood
“This is wildly complex, so much so that there’s not enough room on the page to fully do it justice.”
Separating the two whiskies tied at the top with a super impressive score of 8.9 is no easy feat! Where this Auchentoshan dram shines is in its complexity, containing flavours and aromas that aren’t all that common (particularly the very noticeable nigella-seed note on the nose).
On the nose, honey, brown sugar, nigella seeds, liquorice, ginger, hazelnut, and walnuts. On the palate, raspberries, blackcurrant, cherries, and strawberries and cream. Hazelnut and walnut coated in chocolate. On the finish, very long with a striking ginger note.
Buy now: The Whisky Exchange, £49.25 | Master of Malt, £37.90
#1 — Nikka Whisky, Nine Decades
“An extremely well-crafted whisky that makes it impossible not to sit back, smile, and appreciate.”
In a list largely dominated by Scotch whiskies, I'm super impressed that it's a Japanese whisky taking the title of my number one whisky tasted this year! With a wonderful combination of flavours, its sheer quality is on show with every sip.
While the value is at an extreme premium, it's an incredible achievement to have nine decades' worth of whiskies in one expression, justifying its price point for the collectors out there.
On the nose, an entrancing combination of cherry sweetness with dark chocolate. Toffee, honey, and a bouquet of flowers. On the palate, dark chocolate, pecan, hazelnut, and even a touch of peanut butter, too. On the finish, extremely smooth with a lingering hazelnut chocolate note.
Buy now: The Whisky Exchange, £2450 | Master of Malt, £2449.95
