Whisky expert Richard Woodard trawls the diverse world of Scotch whisky to select his favourite drams…
Drawing up a list of ‘the best’ Scotch whiskies is a bit like being asked for your Desert Island Discs: too many to choose from, too many reasons to pick one over another – plus the chosen whiskies change all the time, depending on mood and occasion.
One of the joys of exploring the rich and diverse world of Scotch whisky is finding new favourites, rediscovering forgotten joys and reassessing the merits of names you might have previously overlooked.
There are no rules to constructing your own top 10 (or, in this case, top eight) of best whiskies. It so happens that this list includes a couple of blends and a grain whisky alongside five single malts, and the price range is fairly broad. About half of the whiskies here would also – arguably – be considered classics by many among the whisky-drinking population.
But none of that is by design – ask me again next month and you’ll probably get an entirely different list.