The Only 5 Scotch Whiskies You Need - According to Drew P

We’ve all seen the videos about the only 5 bourbons you need. But what about scotch? There are a seemingly infinite number of scotch releases on the shelf at large liquor stores. But what bottles of scotch whisky would you get if you could only have 5?

[@Aubrey_Universe]

Scotch is where I started my whisky journey so I love these videos

[@cmbrn8315]

Do not buy a bottle of whisky just because someone else likes it. Go to a bar and try it first

[@steelsteez6118]

not always the case. This is a good rule of thumb for cheaper whiskies. But once you get into the expensive stuff it makes no sense. Whiskey bars will charge you $50 for a little dram of balvenie 21 portwood for example. The bottle cost $250 - $300 . Youre literally paying 1/6th of the bottle for that little serving. No thanks. Might as well buy the damn bottle.

[@magensmith8791]

My husband has been on the fence about buying a 60$ bottle of scotch bc he has never tried it and is afraid it will taste no different from the crown he occasionally drinks

[@Daytona955TM]

Nice idea but dependant on where you live, I have to go into London as I live in a whisky serving pub wasteland

[@NutsInYourMouth]

😂 i am glad i bought my macallan 12 year double cask single malt scotch directly. A nip would've costed me 30 Swiss francs, while i now bought a whole bottle for 89 swiss francs. It doesnt always make sense.

[@tannerrogers13]

​@magensmith8791 it will taste completely different

[@ghantakha5568]

As a british guy i would recommend bourbon drinkers go with glenallachie 12 or 15 year if u want sweeter and sherry whisky . if u wanna go with more sweeter but high cask strength go with Glenallachie single cask sherry/port/oloroso/px cask version . more sherry choices are glendronach 15 /12 year but 18 and 21 are on higher price side , try tamdhu 15 year its great , try glen garioch 12 year another good one , try arran 10 year , deanston 12 year these are all non peated and mostly sherried or mixed sherry casked scotch and usually at good value . If u want to try non age stated but good sherry cask strength scotch try glendronach cask strength / glenallachie cask strength / tamdhu cask strength / glengoyne cask strength / glenfarclas 105 / aberlour a bunadh , balvenie tun . For the peated scotch fans best options are lagavulin 16 yr / ardbeg 10 / talisker 10 and caol ila 12 yr . i am personally a huge fan of glenallachie , glendronach , ardbeg and lagavulin .

[@albertomolina3868]

Highland Park 12, basic, is so great and so clasic.

[@Crookedriverhooligan]

Great choice. Dipping my toes into scotch, and this is my first bottle. Love it.

[@albertomolina3868]

@@Crookedriverhooligan Try Arrayn 10. If you like Highland Park you will love this scotch!!!

[@deanlockamy2087]

I'm an American with Scottish roots I dont drink alcohol but am fascinated with everything from Scotland including the Scotch. I've been to Scotland and they tell me you only add water to taste and you never mix it with anything else. I did buy 5 bottles of some single malt and gave them to my brother and friends.I enjoyed your video.

[@ericstanley8003]

I love that you are jumping into Scotch. Looking forward to it with you.

[@soja9305]

I love that you’re finally doin’ a Scotch episode, great choices. Finally raps it up (so far) 👍🏼

[@N4JAB]

I was introduced to Scotch through Lagavulin 11. Strong smoky peat taste, but I loved it. It was so different in contrast to bourbon I was used to. Now I am experimenting with Glen Fiddich and Balvenie and others.

[@Cerberus.TX.1836]

I bought some Balvenie 15 yr Sherry Cask. Was expensive, but man it was eye openingly delicious.

[@buffdogg]

@@Cerberus.TX.1836 You got the single barrel Balvenie 15 Sherry? Yeah, that is a winner hands down (assuming you get a barrel you like). It's in my top 5.

[@damenjackson594]

Hello, my friend. Let me help you a bit. Macallan Rare Cask - a bit expensive, but delicious. Next level good. Highland Park Cask Strength - Trust me. Hit it with a couple of drops of water, and you will see it transform into an even better expression. Arbeg Uigeadail - if you're not sipping Uigeadail, you're just pretending to be a Scotch fan. Laphroaig Cairdeas (2024) - the fruit is real. Bunnahabhain 12 Cask Strength - buy it now. Like right now, before your store sells out. Cheers. Thanks for reading.

[@andynicol9831]

Macallan Rare Cask ? Age? Chill filtered? Caramel added? Without knowing these I'll have 3 botltles of Lediag 18 for same money thanks..

[@peanutaxis]

Lagavulin is freaking awesome. They alone have realised that the large peat content needs 16 years minimum.

[@rogercarr605]

Why is your clock going backwards?

[@mikemelichar9362]

Dude thanks for the Scotch love!!! Nice video!!! Aberlour 12 started my Scotch journey followed by Highland Park 12 and the Classic Laddie! Now I’m all in Peated is awesome

[@Willsmalltownbourbon]

Love the channel! In the future can you add pics of the bottles you suggest? I find it helpful. Great work!

[@markf3229]

I was going to comment same. Plus a caption of same. Probs. feeling a little pissed from the presentation.

[@todnewkom7537]

Can you post a list of these?

[@octavioverdugo1145]

That would be helpful

[@tomdavies2529]

I said Aberlour to a butcher in Aberlour who was quick to tell me it’s Aber-lougher. So now I take great pleasure in correcting people because I’m a wanker.

[@johnoberto2659]

Gotta go with balvenie 12 doublewood for a speyside

[@waluigiinsmashbros]

5 that you need but apparently you don't have because you don't bother to show the bottles.

[@ambrosejoseph4843]

a list would be helpful.

[@clarenceboddicker7708]

Very helpful

[@alivstyson1864]

I can tell 30 buck a bottle scotch from 80 bucks a bottle but I think above 80 it just becomes a status symbol

[@Chris-de2qc]

When you try a 21+ you'll then understand.

[@alivstyson1864]

@Chris-de2qc maybe but 95% of people aren't shelling out 250 or more bucks for a bottle of scotch

[@NotAsTraceable]

Johnny Walker Red with a splash of Mt. Dew was my jam for long bike rides in the 70's.

[@Christian3174]

That sounds terrible, yet interesting at the same time lol

[@NotAsTraceable]

@@Christian3174 Take a hard pass if you ever think about trying it.

[@bartoni572]

I know what's on my list and I'm keeping quiet as prices go up with the demands going higher

[@carldanescd]

Can you add links to these please

[@c.draper1483]

Old Pultney 12 is relatively inexpensive and pretty good. Along the lines of Monkey Shoulder but can be a little hard to find sometimes.

[@rodessink8302]

I would replace the Oban with the Talisker 18 and the Glenfarclas with the Glendronach 15 otherwise solid choices. Auchentoshan American oak was my first scotch experience and is still a solid budget choice.

[@elduderino3120]

Everyday sipper: Aberlour 12yr double cask - steady and dependable, not going to blow your socks off at 40% abv either Impress your guests: Arran 10yr - the value for the product is worth introducing others to Mixer: Nikka From The Barrel - it's actually rebottled Ben Nevis, and probably premixed for you with added colours and sweeteners Friday night pour: Port Charlotte 10yr heavily peated Special occasion: Springbank 12yr cask strength/Springbank 15yr

[@thewhiskyscribe]

That's a good list, though personally I enjoy the Nikka From The Barrel neat too much to mix. I do love an Ardbeg 10 as a mixer, as it adds a lot of peat to your classic old fashioned.

[@robertpurvis6106]

i like the classic laddie for a budget scotch. it helped me jump that hurdle from $30ish to $50ish prices. going to give oban 14 a try. oban 18 is a little pricey for me.

[@joesullivan2285]

Great shoot. I like all the bourbon you do, but also appreciate your views on things like Scotch and coffee, etc. Oban 14 was the first Scotch I loved. Right now the Talisker 10 makes me sufficiently happy in the lightish peat lane. Lagavulin 16 is a classic and similar to entering the Matrix. Glenmorangie Quinta Ruben 14 is damn tasty. Love it, truly. For the Balvenie, I only have the Doublewood, not the one you mention. Yours sounds great. My budget has typically been blends like JW Black or Monkey Shoulder, but I will take your tip and try Deanston.

[@markthoman]

Oban, Laphroig, Glenmorangie, and Talisker kept me happy for decades until the pricing closed me out, so I moved to US whiskey. Now that pricing has risen and availability has shrunk, and my old favs have held pretty steady on both, those four are back on the shelf. The needed extra years in the barrel add detail and nuance a sub 10yr whiskey has no chance of matching.

[@SidequestBear]

Malt lovers- don’t miss out on the Arran range while it’s still affordable- superb craft presentation

[@Vortex1988]

Glen Farclas 15 isn't available in the US.

[@Aubrey_Universe]

Yes it is

[@Vortex1988]

@@Aubrey_Universe Only if you order it from Europe.

[@Aubrey_Universe]

@@Vortex1988 I'm not what your experience is but I can get it at my local liquor store

[@Vortex1988]

@@Aubrey_Universe I mean, you can get Glen Farclas 10, 12, 17, 21, 25, and 105 pretty easily, but the only way your local store is getting a 15 is if it's specially ordered from Europe.

[@Aubrey_Universe]

@@Vortex1988 idk all I know is that I get it regularly as a daily sipper

[@tfldad]

Dang it, missed the premiere… great vid tho, Drew. I need to find a break in the bourbon fever to step out and buy one of these bottles!

[@xippetotectheflayedgod6179]

Very educational. Didn’t know they use peat to smoke the barley but totally makes sense.

[@bluesmanen1]

It's quite hard to pick out 5 whiskies from Scotland when there are 6 regions so.....in my humble opinion...here is my list of 6 whiskies, one from each region, and all of them are great value for the money. So from Speyside I recomend Craigellachie 13yo.....From The Highlands, Clynelish 14yo, From The Islands, Talisker 57*North, From The Lowlands, Bladnoch 11yo, From Islay, Bunnahabhain 12yo and from Campbeltown, Kilkerran 12yo. But I must say...ther're plenty more....cheers

[@HEX2Chainz]

I just recently got introduced to scotch with the Glenlivet 21. Any recommendations that won’t break the bank that are similar?

[@tjdinfl]

Recommends 5 whiskys. Doesn’t display 1.

[@JackBlack-ii1ip]

ies

[@jamesjames77777]

Bal - ven - ee with the emphasis on the VEN

[@umami0247]

I’m not a pest guy I have a lagavulin 16 and it is good but it’s at the absolute maximum on peat that I can handle. I cater and grill and ardberg is like chewing on a briquette. Macallan and glenlivet are great.

[@umami0247]

That’s peat!!

[@peaceful4you408]

Would a Deanston 2020 cask be a good investment long term?

[@peanutaxis]

Whenever I have a non-scotch whisky I feel like there's something missing. American, canadian, Irish. It's the 100% malt that does it, I think. So much flavour where adding other non-malted grain just waters it down with 'vodka'.

[@hognut58]

Could you please give me a couple good recommendations for a scotch to use as a cocktail mixer, excluding monkey shoulder?? Thanks alot.

[@DrewPWhiskey]

You want it smoky, or no?

[@hognut58]

@@DrewPWhiskey I actually wouldn't mind having 1 with a little smoke as some recipes call for it, so maybe you could throw me 1 with a little smoke and 1 without. Thanks.

[@brianschwarz9833]

Beautiful video

[@mr.mueller7704]

Yes! More scotch videos please. Picked up the oban 18 after a buddies 30th birthday someone had bought him… I needed it on my shelf lol $128 here in Oregon.

[@LibertyNotLicense]

This is fantastic, Drew! Three people need long walks in the woods or on the beach.

[@jaycareaga9929]

Everyone should have a Bruichladdich.

[@freddieslaughter1107]

That is your choices per your taste, but many other people have different taste. 1. Ardbeg Uigeadail 2. Laphroaig 10 year 3. Lagavulin 16 year 4. Port Charlotte Heavy Peated 5. Bunnahabhain 12 year

[@paulm2467]

I’ve got a feeling that you like the Islay whiskies.

[@doylecarter57]

Lag 16 is $110 in Texas.

[@davidfoster2006]

Don’t both it’s average.

[@michaeljdauben]

Some interesting choices I've not tried before. I'm off to the ABC store.

[@TheHelionOmega]

i drink chivas regal, pretty smooth. i want to try glinlivet or johnny walker

[@zantar2482]

Walker Black is a good start. Skip the red imo

[@peanutaxis]

Very few distilleries still malt let alone peat their own barley.

[@asemirg]

Balvineed 21 $250 top shelf

[@Hellomhk]

My choice would be glen scotia 15, arran 10, Laphroaig 10, port Charlotte 10, kilkerran 12

[@jw7665]

Glenmorangie - Quinta Ruban Balvenie - Caribbean Cask Glenfiddich - Solera Reserve Laphroaig Macallan - 12 Year Sherry Oak Cask Special shoutout to JW Green Label as a blend and Monkey Shoulder for mixing Special special shoutout to Glenmorangie Signet, still the best whisky I've ever tasted.

[@bosbevok1539]

Of course it’s not about what you need but how to keep your palate interested.

[@chuckandrews5339]

So many choices. Hard to level it to 5.

[@hitchyourwagon4720]

For those of us new to scotch would be helpful if you showed the labels. Given that many scotch brands are difficult to pronounce, would help me if I could write down the name.

[@raycroal]

NO scots guy would say you only need 5 scots whiskys

[@darkoanton5]

I thought that the Laphroaig 10 and Ardbeg 10 would be like a punch to my throat but they were not like that at all. The Laphroaig had a nice sweet finish and the Ardbeg was shockingly well balanced. I would say that the Lagavulin 16 is very seductive. It's so easy to drink.

[@aaronraynor7703]

Try those with a good cigar…blow your mind!

[@lindsey3448]

I like The Glenrothes 12 for the money.

[@jackcooper1779]

Good content. Fun to watch. Surprised you don’t have a 100k subscribers by now! I like bourbon, Irish whiskey (or is it whisky?) and scotch. My question is which to have neat, which with a drop or two of water, and which are best with a bit more water - or over ice. I experiment but could use a bit of direction.

[@aaronberrios3953]

Drew, you are dope! Love your videos and I like that from time to time you talk about other kinds of whiskey's, like Scotch! Keep bringing it!!!

[@soja9305]

Aberlour A’bunadh… yes yes and YES😎👍🏼

[@dovmeisels6810]

Love the scotch content Drew. Next up, top scotches to try before you die 👍🏻

[@buddystewart2020]

lol, Laphroaig is pretty funky. LOL. I love Laphroaig 10. I've tried others, but I like the bite on the 10. That was my go to Scotch for a long long time. I need to get a bottle of that, I might do that tomorrow. I enjoyed the video man. I've tried a total of 44 different single malts. My main problem is they're so damn expensive. They're really proud of their product huh, lol.

[@chriswicecarver3715]

You asked - what bottles of scotch whisky would you get if you could only have 5? ------ My 5 are: 1) Ballantine's 15 y.o.........2) Glenmorangie - Signet......3) Dalmore 40 y.o.........4) Glenfiddich - Snow Phoenix.......5) Macallan Rare Cask

[@Kberrysal]

What about the Oban Distillers Edition

[@JazznRealHipHop]

Oban 14 is the best bang for your buck, DE and 18 are both great pours but the price jump (to me) isn’t justified

[@timothyjohn9412]

Bro i have watched this vid maybe 3 times maybe more great take

[@steveee2511]

i want to keep my whisky at max 5 bottles that are my pics ardbeg 10,lagavulin 16,glenlivet 18,glenrothes,higland park 16.

[@Jvigil331]

I am a scotch connoisseur. I drink my scotch neat. Have tasted the best. But definitely my favorite is a great scotch.

[@thokozanemalaza3112]

Please kindly disclose what you're currently enjoying the most on the daily

[@barryhamilton7845]

The one whisky us Scottish say is pretentious,is Macallan.Now the rich man's Scotch whisky,but they can have it,because there's much better here at a fraction of the price.Springbank, Kilkerran and Longrow,are three top Scotch whiskies from the Campbeltown region.

[@barryhamilton7845]

@whatsMyNameAgainAgain Alot of Macallan pre 2000 is decent and collectable.Macallan churn out to much stuff that is chill filtered at 43% with no age statements,even their 18 year old is overpriced for what it is,whereas if it was 46% it would be a classic.They rely on their old reputation that they had,and there's better whisky out there at a fraction of the price.

[@stuffforwork]

I enjoy your channel. Scotch has a huge diversity, which is what makes it so fun. My list: Highland ex-bourbon: Clynelish 14 (you called out speyside, this is not, but I think fits the bill you were aiming at). ~$55. Lightly peated: Talisker 18, Oban 14 is a nice cheaper option, though the peat is almost undetectable. Cragganmore 12 has a similar level of peat to Oban 14. Dessert/high sherry: A'bunadh was a great recommendation here. Heavily Peated: Laphroaig Lore has less of the medicinal peat and some sherry. Really good for introducing people who like bourbon to scotch. Port finished: I like the old school Glenmorangie 12 more than the new 14 by a wide margin. For more refined port finish single malt, I actually go to a non-scotch: Kavalan Solist Port Cask. Wow.

[@thevashfan12392]

I gotta try glenmorangie 12 then. not sure if I like port but I do enjoy glenfiddich (all the way up to 18) abunadh I'm curious about clynelish 14 I'm willing to try peated......you would have to talk me into a lightly peated but I've had monkey shoulder and it was the sherry note which I believe was a blended glenfiddich 12 that was what caught my attention notes on the glenfiddich glenfiddich 12: pretty bright and spry taste, very sherry forward for me. not my favorite but a good budget scotch glenfiddich 15: this is a near-perfect median between sherry and the new bourbon note that I get from the new barrel introduction glenfiddich 18: much more bourbon note and less sherry but has the essence of sherry twinkling across the palate like a river. this one has become a salacious drink that makes me wanna have it daily.

[@stuffforwork]

@@thevashfan12392 to be clear, when I was talking about port finished Glenmorangie, I mean the Quinta Ruban line. It is made by taking the base Glenmo from ex-bourbon and transferring to port casks for the last two years of maturation. Quinta Ruban use to be a 12 y age statement but a few years back they switched to a 14 y. Both are good, but I prefer the 12 y age statement, because of the bottles I had, the younger ones had more pronounced port notes. Both are good, if you like sherry character, trying a port finished scotch is an easy step. For peated, it is an acquired taste, but has a huge diversity of flavors that come with it, so a blast to explore. Talisker 10 and Highland Park 12 are available with mild to moderate peat and a lot of other character; they are good places to start exploring.

[@lukedavies3732]

FYI- Aberlour is pronounced like the word sour. As in, ah-be-lour.

[@alexbuerckholtz5734]

is it 1:10 am or pm. what the F is up with that clock?

[@patriotadam4091]

only 3 anyone needs is Lagavuln, Macallen and Johnny Walker for Scotch and soda

[@stephenabbott1129]

Facts

[@pwn4t0r]

Come ON! Recommending Oban 14 is like recommending Coke...

[@Joe_J-MT_Boy]

SUGGESTION to our host: SHOW THE BOTTLES AND INCLUDE A 6-SECOND CLOSE-UP OF THE LABEL. Please.

[@matttheawesome1095]

I love your vibe, but all the throat swallowing Noises Are killing me 😂😅

[@Aubrey_Universe]

For a peated whiskey I would always have caol ila on my shelf. Peated but still sweet and delicious

[@mynamea.n.s.s5472]

Johnie walker no1 world selling scotch since 1940

[@DamirHadzic-d4q]

Jack Daniels is extremely well selling,and it's a trash.

[@adamwright4262]

Thanks for the Scotch vid. Perhaps a second channel for Drew P. Whisky? I love that you didn't go for some of the obvious "usual subjects," other than the Lag 16 (which is absolutely the right pick for an essential peated whisky). Anybody expecting Macallan, Highland Park and Glenmorangie will be pleasantly surprised. (I'd throw in anything from Compass Box as a blended +1.)

[@pwn4t0r]

Get a Bowmore 15 for a slight kick, get a Bowmore White Sands for flavour, get a Laphroig for a sausage in your mouth, get an Ardbeg for sausage and charcoal (and yes, both ARE a compliment), get a Glen Scotia 18 or at least a Dalmore 15 to impress your neighbours and friends. Stay the F away from GlenFiddich and GlenFURselfs since its JimBean in European. There. Don't need 13 minutes to wath, just 30 seconds to read. If you can read.

[@andypeters2367]

I like the clock ;)

[@adamnoble1689]

Glenfarclas 15 Oban 14 Abelour Lagavulin 16 Balvanie 21

[@Dafoodmaster]

i actually like a caol ila above a lagavulin in that smokiness range

[@WhiskeySam1]

I don’t think scotch comes anywhere close to bourbon in terms of snobbery and pretentiousness.

[@Christian3174]

From what I've seen scotch sippers take the cake..

[@SK-bk3yh]

Very informative

[@camronejones3661]

Dude, I don’t understand how you taste all that? Do you have like some kind of special tasting talent?

[@ilirllukaci5345]

Thanks.

[@WhiskyWars]

Nice top 5 👍

[@davidstewart2]

Am a glenmorangie guy

[@Longenecker1776]

Where do you rank Macallan?

[@barronmaxxx2991]

Dewars rocks splash of soda lemon twist

[@oldtimerf7602]

My 5.. 1, Monkey Shoulder. Cheap, tasty. 3 speyside single malts blended. 2, Aberlour 12 year. Cheap-ish, no smoke, big flavor. 3, Edradour. Super unique taste. Thick, earthy. Not too pricey. 4, Dalwhinnie 15. My personal favorite dram. Touch of smoke, smells like christmas, tastes like christmas by a fireplace. Semi-expensive. Worth it. 5, Highland Park. Semi cheap, more smoke than Dalwhinnie, great dram. Honorable mention; Glenmorangie 18 year old extremely rare. $100 bucks on sale here. Zero smoke. A bottle of grandma's hugs and her cookies and some decadent candies in there too. Dessert in a glass.

[@denisjfitz]

Love the Glenmorangie 18 year old, Got it for the wedding party when my son got married and it was a huge hit

[@mojo88bassandbourbon72]

I got one bottle of Scotch as a gift 25 yrs Glendarclas Scotch whiskey 100 auction bottle

[@kprairiesun]

Sorry. Can't understand some of the names

[@geeare8885]

The down side to the video is that you do not show the bottle or at least show the spelling of the different Scotch names. Not all of us know Gaelic.

[@Mike-Twins-lover-d2h]

Drink Scotch whisky all night long.

[@Saylerjesse]

i love oban!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@davidfoster2006]

Lagavulin 16 is way overrated.

[@recoveringknowitall1534]

I haven't explored much scotch yet. monkey shoulder so far

[@johnmcfarlane1766]

Whisky not Whiskey! Scotland Whisky does not have an e in the spelling!

[@cj8683]

Oban 18 sucks, it is thin as water