Uisge Beatha Whisky prices compared
On this page

GuideIf you like X

Best whisky for gin drinkers

Light, unpeated whiskies from Scotland, Ireland and Japan that work as a long drink, from Auchentoshan and Glenkinchie to Toki and Jameson, at UK prices.

Written by

Published Updated

No whisky tastes of juniper, but light, unpeated whiskies served long are the easiest move from a gin and tonic. Start with a Lowland single malt such as Auchentoshan 12 Year Old or Glenkinchie 12 Year Old, an Irish blend such as Jameson, or Suntory Toki in a highball with soda and lemon.

From gin to light whisky. No whisky tastes of juniper, so the bridge is weight and serve. Gin drinkers who like a light spirit can try triple-distilled whisky, which makes a lighter new make: Auchentoshan 12 Year Old or Jameson Irish Whiskey. Gin's base spirit usually comes from a column still, the same family of still that makes grain whisky: try Nikka Coffey Grain. For a spirit with little cask or smoke, choose unpeated malts from ex-bourbon casks: Glenkinchie 12 Year Old or Glenmorangie Original 12 Year Old. If you drink gin long, serve whisky as a highball, one part whisky to three or four parts soda: try Suntory Whisky Toki, which Suntory designed for the highball.

Why light whisky suits a gin drinker

Gin is a flavoured spirit: neutral spirit, usually from a column still, redistilled or flavoured with juniper and other botanicals. Its character comes from those botanicals. Whisky’s comes from the grain, the still and, above all, the cask. The whiskies closest to gin in weight are the ones with the least cask and smoke: unpeated, matured mainly in ex-bourbon casks, and often lighter in distillation.

Two production details help:

Lowland single malts

Auchentoshan 12 Year Old (£29.95 at Hard To Find Whisky). Lowland single malt from Clydebank, near Glasgow, 40% ABV. Auchentoshan triple distils all its spirit, which is unusual in Scotland.

Glenkinchie 12 Year Old (£47.95 at Hard To Find Whisky). Lowland single malt from near Pencaitland in East Lothian, 43% ABV, unpeated. It is the Lowland malt in Diageo’s range.

Glenmorangie Original 12 Year Old (£39.00 at The Whisky Shop). A Highland single malt from Tain, 40% ABV, matured in ex-bourbon casks. Glenmorangie says its stills are the tallest in Scotland; tall stills tend to give a lighter spirit.

Blends and grain whisky for a long drink

Suntory Whisky Toki (£29.50 at Master of Malt). A Japanese blended whisky at 43% ABV, built on malt from Hakushu and Yamazaki and grain whisky from Chita. Suntory designed it for the highball.

Jameson Irish Whiskey (£23.40 at Master of Malt). A blend of pot still and grain whiskey, triple distilled at Midleton in County Cork, 40% ABV.

Nikka Coffey Grain (£59.95 at Hard To Find Whisky). A Japanese grain whisky at 45% ABV, made mostly from maize in Coffey stills. It is the closest whisky to gin’s column-still base, with more sweetness from the cask.

Three ways to serve it

Use a 25 ml or 35 ml measure, as you would for gin, and keep the mixer cold so the ice lasts.

More light whisky to compare

Sources and review

Where to go next

Questions

What whisky is most like gin?
None tastes like gin, whose defining flavour is juniper. The closest in weight are light, unpeated whiskies: triple-distilled Auchentoshan 12 Year Old from the Lowlands, Irish blends such as Jameson, and Japanese blends such as Suntory Toki, which Suntory makes with the highball in mind.
Can I make a whisky and tonic?
Yes. Use one part light whisky to three parts tonic over ice, with a slice of lemon or orange. Light blends and unpeated Lowland or Speyside malts work better than peated whisky, whose smoke can clash with the bitterness of quinine in tonic.
What is a whisky highball?
A long drink of whisky and chilled soda water over ice, usually one part whisky to three or four parts soda, often with a strip of lemon peel. It is the standard way whisky is served in Japan and is less bitter than a gin and tonic, which makes it a good first whisky drink for gin drinkers.
Are Lowland whiskies always light?
No. Auchentoshan’s triple distillation does make a light spirit, but Ailsa Bay, at the Girvan grain distillery in the Lowlands, makes a peated single malt. A Scotch region is a legal location, not a guarantee of flavour. See Whiskipedia’s guide to Scotland’s whisky regions.

About the author

Tom Gregan

· Writer

Tom came to whisky by way of cocktails and rum. As the mind behind CocktailDB.com he spent years on citrus balance, bitters and modifiers before John dragged him over to neat spirits.