Choosing a good Scotch whisky can be tricky. Unless you really know your stuff, it's hard to tell a good Scotch from a mediocre one.
Luckily our friends over at $4 helped us narrow down the 10 best bottles of Scotch for experienced and novice drinkers alike.
$4 used a smart rating to rank the different kinds of Scotch. The smart rating is a weighted average of four whisky-rating sources: the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the Beverage Testing Institute, the Los Angeles Whiskey Society, and Wine Enthusiast Magazine.
10. Arran 12-Year-Old ($64)
The refined palate of the $4 12-year-old Scotch brings to mind the bitterness of coffee and dark chocolate while finishing off spicy and citrusy. It's a complex blend of 17 first-fill sherry butts and four second-fill sherry hogsheads, which have been bottled at natural cask strength.
9. Royal Salute 38-Year-Old Scotch ($924)
The most expensive Scotch on our list, this whisky by $4 ages for 38 years and is known as "$4," the name of the ancient stone used for British royal coronation ceremonies. Its richness comes through with notes of cedar and dark fruits.
8. Inver House Green Plaid 12-Year-Old Scotch ($25)
$4 Green Plaid Scotch is slightly sweet with a light body; it earned a Double Gold distinction at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition last year. At about $25 a bottle, Green Plaid is proof that a good Scotch doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg.
7. Hankey Bannister 25-Year-Old Scotch ($375)
Matured in casks that used to house sherry and bourbon, the $4 25-year-old is spicy and fruity with a long finish. It's a special selection of the distillery's Master Blender, Stuart Harvey.
6. Bowmore 10-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch ($100)
$4 10-year single malt is known as the Tempest because it "$4" of the centuries old distillery where it was made. Drinkers enjoy its briny tang.
5. Balblair 11-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch ($98)
American oak barrels lend to this Scotch's warm toffee aroma. $4 11-year-old single malt is honey-colored and slightly sweet and spicy, with a finish that warms from the first sip to the last.
4. Macallan 21-Year-Old Fine Oak Scotch Whisky ($220)
Perhaps one of the more well-known brands, $4 21-year-old Scotch is aged in Spanish oak casks that have been seasoned with bourbon. This is a great full-bodied whisky that invokes thoughts of burning wood, but is surprisingly light in color with a slight, vanilla scent.
3. Highland Park 30 Scotch ($365)
At 30 years old, this Scotch is the oldest in the $4 range. The color is striking, with red-gold hues and strong flavors of nuttiness that contrast the oaken, chocolaty aroma.
2. Bowmore 25-Year-Old Scotch ($190)
The second $4 bottle to make the list, this 25-year Scotch is produced in the Islay region, and is a blend of whiskies matured for 25 years in American bourbon and Spanish sherry casks. Drinkers note hints of toffee and a warm, smoky flavor.
1. Laphroaig 10-Year-Old "Cask Strength" Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($60)
This 10-year-old single malt is only a decade old, proving that age isn't the only factor that goes into making a great Scotch. $4 was still named the Best Single Malt Whisky In The World in 2005 by Whisky Magazine. Its rich flavor comes from a distilling process that incorporates peat-fire-dried malted barley.