As the year comes to a close, we're looking back on the five whiskies that took the top spots in our final issue of 2025. Our tasters Bradley Weir and Alwynne Gwilt were back to blind-taste another batch of drams to round out a busy year of whisky reviews.
This issue was closely scored at the top, with four single malts vying for first place. In the end, it was a blended whisky from Wolfcraig that took the Editor's Choice badge this issue.
Click here to see every whisky reviewed by Whisky Magazine in issue 211.
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Macbeth, Ross
This 28-year-old Ben Nevis whisky has been cast as Ross in Act II of Livingstone Rare's Macbeth series. The series has been popular with our tasters — in issue 210 its Second Witch bottling was named Editor's Choice.
Macbeth, Ross
Livingstone Rare X Elixir Distillers
ABV: 50.4% | Style: Single Malt | Country: Scotland | Region: Highland | Bottling: Independent
Combined taster score: 16.6
Buy now: The Whisky Exchange, £495
Bradley says... Raspberries, plums, strawberries. The palate is floral, with lavender and jasmine. Opens up to toffee sweetness, apples, and gentle pepper spice. There’s enough complexity and variety to impress those looking for something more.
Alwynne says... Orchard fruits — peaches and sour plums. Crisp on the palate, with fruit, cream, and blueberry pie. Cinnamon and black peppercorns round things out. A whisky that grabs you and holds on — full and fruity, spicy and balanced.
Wire Works, Necessary Evil Finish
This is the third edition of what has become an anticipated annual bottling from Derbyshire's White Peak Distillery. It's aged in casks which began life with Wire Works whisky, then went on to mature Necessary Evil stout at Thornbridge Brewery, before returning to finish this Wire Works edition.
Wire Works, Necessary Evil Finish
White Peak Distillery
ABV: 51.3% | Style: Single Malt | Country: England | Region: N/A | Bottling: Distillery
Combined taster score: 16.6
Buy now: The Whisky Exchange, £64.95 | Master of Malt, £66.67
Bradley says... Strawberry sweets, citrus zest, olive oil. Rye bread on the palate, with spices and grilled sweetcorn. This has a good spice level to it, especially the cinnamon. Would be a perfect dram for the cold evenings!
Alwynne says... Pineapple, banana bread, cream soda. A lovely, tropical palate with pineapple and mango. There's a touch of aromatic pink peppercorns. Ooh la la — delightfully delicious. One for the tropical fruit heads.
Caol Ila, Jazz Festival Edition 2025
In September, Caol Ila revealed its annual Islay Jazz Festival Edition, which celebrates music and whisky. Known as 'The Guitarist', the 18-year-old whisky has been finished in toasted Scottish oak casks.
Caol Ila, Jazz Festival Edition 2025
Diageo
ABV: 52.8% | Style: Single Malt | Country: Scotland | Region: Islay | Bottling: Distillery
Combined taster score: 16.6
Bradley says... A gust of smoke, earthy mushrooms, orange. Smoky on the palate, with a charred barbecue note and roasted marshmallows. There is tremendous complexity, particularly with the balance of roasted flavours with that subtle fruity sweetness.
Alwynne says... Sweet smoke, apples, and vanilla. Then, lemon shortbread and honey. Bolder on the palate, with salt and smoke, marshmallows, lemon, seaweed. Really warming — a perfect winter dram to have on a chilly evening.
Lochlea, Orchard & Oak
Orchard & Oak is part of a trio forming Lochlea's first core range of whiskies. Master blender Jill Boyd joined Lochlea in 2024 to develop the core range, along with several limited-edition bottlings.
Lochlea, Orchard & Oak
Lochlea Distillery
ABV: 46% | Style: Single Malt | Country: Scotland | Region: Lowland | Bottling: Distillery
Combined taster score: 16.7
Buy now: The Whisky Exchange, £48.95 | Master of Malt, £48.95
Bradley says... Granny Smith apples, pear crumble, red berries. More pudding flavours on the palate: apple crumble, cherry Bakewell, sticky toffee. This is a really tasty whisky. The apple note and the sweetness on the palate are a match made in heaven.
Alwynne says... Spring grass, lemon madeleines and warm butter, and pineapple ice cream. The palate is enticing, with bright fruits (pineapple, kiwi) and vanilla bean. A bright punch of a whisky with lots of vibrancy and balance.
Editor's Choice: Wolfcraig, 14 Years Old Triple Sherry Cask Finish
Wolfcraig Distillers is led by Richard "The Nose" Paterson OBE, master blender and Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame inductee. This "deluxe blend" is finished in amontillado, Pedro Ximénez, and muscatel sherry casks sourced from Jerez de la Frontera in Spain.
Wolfcraig, 14 Years Old Triple Sherry Cask Finish
Wolfcraig Distillers
ABV: 46.1% | Style: Blended | Country: Scotland | Region: N/A | Bottling: Distillery
Combined taster score: 16.8
Bradley says... Apple, lemon juice, lime. Fizzy sweets. Unbelievable smooth on the palate, with raisins and figs, then the sweet nuttiness of almonds and hazelnuts. This might be the smoothest whisky I’ve had all year. It’s incredibly drinkable.
Alwynne says... Vanilla-dusted chocolates, cherry, honey. The palate is soft and approachable, but with excellent texture and notes of blueberries, milk chocolate, and almond nougat. This had a lot to offer — complex and very tasty.
How does blind tasting work at Whisky Magazine?
- All samples are blind tasted, with ABV, country/region, and style the only information disclosed to tasters.
- Samples are tasted individually over a two-week period.
- Tasters work to tasting and scoring guidelines in order to assess samples consistently.
- The top-scoring sample is awarded Editor’s Choice.
- Samples receiving scores of 16.5+ receive a Recommended award.
