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GuideBeginners

Best whiskies for beginners: start with a flavour you know

Four simple routes into whisky for adults new to it: light and fruity, richer sherry-cask malts, sweet bourbon and gentle smoke, with live UK prices.

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The best first whisky is one whose flavour you already like. For light and fruity, try Glenfiddich 12 Year Old or The Glenlivet 12 Year Old. For richer dried fruit, Aberlour 12 Year Old. For sweet vanilla, Maker’s Mark Bourbon. For smoke, Bowmore 12 Year Old or Talisker 10 Year Old. Region, age and scores matter less at the start than picking the right flavour.

Start with a flavour you already like; region, age and scores matter less at the start. If you like light and fruity, try an unpeated Speyside single malt from ex-bourbon American oak, with vanilla, pear and apple: Glenfiddich 12 Year Old or The Glenlivet 12 Year Old. If you like richer dried fruit, try a sherry-cask malt, with dried fruit, nuts and spice: Aberlour 12 Year Old or Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood. If you like sweet vanilla, try a bourbon, whose new charred oak gives vanilla and caramel: Maker's Mark Bourbon or Woodford Reserve. If you like smoke, start gently with malt dried over a peat fire: Bowmore 12 Year Old or Talisker 10 Year Old.

Light and fruity

Most Speyside single malts are unpeated, and many spend most of their time in ex-bourbon American oak, which tends to give vanilla, pear and apple notes.

Glenfiddich 12 Year Old: £36.96 at Master of Malt. A 40% ABV Speyside single malt matured in American and European oak casks, then married together before bottling.

The Glenlivet 12 Year Old: £34.95 at Hard To Find Whisky. A 40% ABV Speyside single malt. The Glenlivet was among the first distilleries to take out a licence after the Excise Act of 1823. Whiskipedia on Glenlivet.

Richer and cask-led

Sherry casks tend to add dried fruit, nuts and spice. “Sherry cask” on a label tells you the cask held sherry, not which sherry or for how long. Whiskipedia on sherry casks.

Aberlour 12 Year Old: £45.00 at The Whisky Shop. A 40% ABV Speyside single malt matured in a mix of traditional oak and sherry casks.

Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood: £50.28 at Master of Malt. A 40% ABV Speyside single malt matured in ex-bourbon casks and then finished in European oak sherry casks.

Sweet and American

Bourbon must be made in the USA from at least 51% corn and matured in new charred oak containers, which gives it more vanilla and caramel than most Scotch.

Maker’s Mark Bourbon: £35.00 at The Whisky Shop. A 45% ABV Kentucky bourbon that uses red winter wheat instead of rye as its second grain, so it is usually softer and less peppery. Whiskipedia on Maker’s Mark.

Woodford Reserve: £35.50 at Master of Malt. A 43.2% ABV Kentucky straight bourbon with rye as its second grain, so it is usually spicier than Maker’s Mark.

Gentle smoke

Peat smoke comes from drying malted barley over a peat fire. Distillers measure it as phenol parts per million (ppm) in the malt, which is a rough guide rather than a measure of the whisky in the glass. Whiskipedia on peat.

Bowmore 12 Year Old: currently unavailable. A 40% ABV Islay single malt. Bowmore’s malt is commonly cited at about 25 ppm, around half the 50 to 55 ppm usually given for Ardbeg.

Talisker 10 Year Old: £39.15 at Master of Malt. A 45.8% ABV single malt from the Isle of Skye, peated by house style, with a peppery character. Its malt is commonly cited at about 18 to 25 ppm.

How to taste a new whisky

Pour a small measure into a tulip-shaped glass and smell it before you sip. Then add a few drops of water and try again; water lowers the strength and often brings out more aroma. Ice and soda are fine too. “Smooth” usually means less alcohol burn, more sweetness or a softer texture, and lower strength, sweeter casks and a little water all help with that.

Sources and review

Where to go next

Questions

What whisky should a beginner try first?
Pick the flavour first. For light and fruity, try an unpeated Speyside single malt such as Glenfiddich 12 Year Old or The Glenlivet 12 Year Old. For richer, sherry-cask flavour, Aberlour 12 Year Old. For sweet vanilla, a bourbon such as Maker’s Mark. For smoke, start with Bowmore 12 Year Old or Talisker 10 Year Old, whose malt is less heavily peated than Ardbeg’s.
Should beginners drink whisky neat?
Neat is only one option. Most whisky is bottled at 40% ABV or more, so a few drops of water, an ice cube or a highball (one part whisky to three or four parts soda) all lower the alcohol heat and make the flavours easier to pick out.
Is blended whisky worse than single malt?
No. Single malt Scotch is made from malted barley in pot stills at one distillery; blended Scotch mixes one or more single malts with one or more single grain whiskies. Both must be matured in Scotland for at least three years. The terms describe how a whisky is made, not how good it is. Whiskipedia on vatted and blended whisky.

About the author

John Fegan

· Editor

Hailing from the land of haggis and deep-fried Mars bars, John was always going to find his way to whisky. He has run Uisge Beatha since 2015 and Whiskipedia.com since 2020.