Whisky of the Year 2023!

[@GlenLossie]

I visited Prague in 2021 and went to R Jelinek's showroom to sample and learn about slivovitz, their plum brandy or eau de vie. It was there that I discovered they made whisky. I tried both the Goldcock 20 year old and Goldcock Peated. They were very good whiskies and I should have bought both instead of only the Peated. Their slivovitz were excellent, especially the vintage and single orchard bottlings. Of course I bought one of them also.

[@vinceandtheresa1243]

Jeremy, great video and review. I love the approach, best Canadian, most consistent and finally Whiskey of the year that is available to most. Really enjoying the cigar content. I don't that that one in my collection, so I will be getting a couple to try it out. Going out tomorrow to get my Benromach 15 at the LCBO :). Thanks again for a great year of content and looking forward to where 2024 brings us!

[@ErikVananrooij]

have you tryed the benromach contrasts : peat smoke ? i love it and am got my 2nd bottle of it

[@SippersSocialClub]

Thanks for watching, cheers :)

[@sandrofazzolari8833]

Excellent choices Jeremy. Well done 👍 kind regards and happy new year 🥳 ciao 👋 S.

[@SippersSocialClub]

Cheers :)

[@shaunaweatherly]

Just cracked open my bottle of Benromach 15 last night and I have to agree….fantastic stuff!!! This one has a permanent place in the bar

[@SippersSocialClub]

Nice! It's a great staple to have on the bar, cheers :)

[@ErikVananrooij]

have you tryed the benromach contrasts : peat smoke ? i love it and am got my 2nd bottle of it

[@whiskyfromthevestibule]

Totally agree with you on the Core range of Bowmore. If there was one distillery I could takeover and change it would probably be them. Cheers!

[@HandsomeFerret]

Benromach 15 was my 2022 whisky of the year and this year I’m giving the nod to Speyburn 18. Great stuff and a great price for an 18yr. Cheers

[@SippersSocialClub]

Speyburn 18 is excellent, great choice

[@ErikVananrooij]

have you tryed the benromach contrasts : peat smoke ? i love it and am got my 2nd bottle of it

[@HandsomeFerret]

@@ErikVananrooij yes. Both the Sherry & bourbon versions. Great drams. I prefer the Sherry version myself but both are great.

[@DrumondArt]

My favourite distillery too. Well priced, the Contrasts line is superb, exciting and affordable and my absolute favourite, the cask strength, is just perfect. I also pick up every single cask I can, when I see them, because they justify the slightly higher prices per bottle.

[@SippersSocialClub]

Cask strength is great and well priced

[@DrumondArt]

@@SippersSocialClub Happy that I've been stashing up different batches for 3 years. We never know! xD

[@nealbruce5914]

Jeremy, finally tried this at Whisky Fest NY last month. I understand now! Really is a Speyside/CTown combo! (Picked up3 Springbank 15s for only 139& 149 US. Benromach 15 is in the area of 80. Thank you for your knowledge and passion! Happy and a Healthy New Year my friend! 1:32

[@SippersSocialClub]

Nice! Solid pricing too

[@ccuellar6212]

The comparison between Springbank and Benromach gets me every time 😂

[@SippersSocialClub]

Well obviously nothing tastes like SB, but the level of peat influence is very similar

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

Awesome choice! Thanks for sharing!

[@SippersSocialClub]

Thanks for watching, cheers :)

[@Nocturnalpriest]

As soon as the poor man’s SB15 becomes the wise man’s SB15 at 46% abv, I’ll be all in 😂 My whisky of the year is Hazelburn 10. Coming from a peathead in the first place. It’s been a combo of educating my palate and (way too) hot weather. Great video, cheers and happy new year Jeremy 🥂

[@SippersSocialClub]

Probably better it stays at 43 lol

[@Nocturnalpriest]

@@SippersSocialClub for it not to become hyped or what ? 😂

[@SippersSocialClub]

@@Nocturnalpriest exactly

[@Nocturnalpriest]

@@SippersSocialClub Don’t you prefer justified hype over diluted whisky ? 😅

[@KnickKiller]

I love Benromach. My wife got me a back-up bottle of the Peated Sherry for Christmas. I started drinking whisky in ‘04 and by ‘07 Benromach and Springbank were my favorite distilleries and that hasn’t changed to this day. Back then Springbank was available in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia off the shelf. I hope Benromach doesn’t go the way of Springbank.

[@SippersSocialClub]

Great one! Yeah, it could, but all depends on the secondary market, and if people think it will increase in value

[@petemcfeet28]

Two Brewers isn't exactly readily available even in Canada. 2 out of 10 provinces have it. Alberta probably does too, but funding stock in that province is a nightmare.

[@SippersSocialClub]

I hope they can expand distribution cause more people need to try them :)

[@catnapgee5357]

Hey Jeremy, I asked Rob this question but he had backups, I'm strapped as a result of the holidays, so was wondering if you wanted a Speymalt Macallan? 21 year old, 2001. I got my hands on 3 in the last few months. I have one opened and it's probably the best whisky I've ever had. I have another one that I'm keeping and one that I could spare if you want. If so, I'd ask for what I paid, but also for you to take care of shipping if you're interested. I can send you pics. I'm in Winnipeg, and much like Rob, I trust you so you can wait till you receive it. Let me know! Cheers.

[@sethcaine3659]

if he doesn't, I might!

[@WhiskyMystery]

I heard that first category as "Comedian Whisky of the Year" which I thought was a genius idea and would be anything FF PX for me :-) Cheers.

[@SippersSocialClub]

Haha! Maybe I'll add it next year

[@ErikVananrooij]

about bowmore ,,,, the second they got rid of the old label [ with the seagulls ] they took a mayor downturn . my sippingbuddy and me used to get about 3 bottles a year from bowmore in those seagull label days . and now it has been at least 3 years sinds the last disappointment .

[@danielh750]

Wow! I remember telling Malt Muser Whisky Reviews that Benromach 15 was probably my favorite bottle of the year based on money and flavor. I went through 2 bottles this year. It's seriously one of my favorite bottles I own. It's kind of become my daily... Great video Jeremy!

[@SippersSocialClub]

Definitely has become a staple on my bar as well, cheers :)

[@ErikVananrooij]

have you tryed the benromach contrasts : peat smoke ? i love it and am got my 2nd bottle of it

[@wartax5]

2023 was a busy year for me. I feel a little burned out, worn out, on the chase. Slowing down, significantly, in 2024, both in quantity and quality (money spent). I will say Benromach is one where if I find some interesting releases locally (LCBO) is something to look forward to. I haven't yet cracked my 15 but I plan to soon. As for the Glenallachie 10 B8, its superb and given its still available, and often 'on sale' at certain spots, its definitely worth stocking up on. My simple request for the new year is finding a cheap Glenfarclas 15 but beyond that, scaling things back. Cheers, SSC and here's to next year.

[@SippersSocialClub]

LCBO has a sale?? What?? Haha. Cheers :)

[@wartax5]

​@@SippersSocialClub no chance! Sales online, elsewhere only of course to clarify. LCBO only, only as a last resort or by some fluke - I got lucky with Glenallachie 15 the other day but $158 feels very steep regardless.

[@samout321]

Interesting choice. Actually I am stunned by Benromach cask strength whiskies, but quite disappointed by their under 50% of alcohol bottling, including 15yo. 10yo CS range is absolutely magnificent, love every single release of it. Anyway, my top favorite Speyside distillery is Glenallachie (which has 10 CS bottling as well, even better than the Benromach).

[@SippersSocialClub]

Nice, what's your favorite batch of the Glenallachie 10?

[@samout321]

@@SippersSocialClub Well, 4, of course, like everyone 😀. But it is sold out even in auction. I also like batch 7.

[@Bonaboms]

Have you tried their Organic bottlings? Very good at 46% right off the bat it has a little heavy handed american charred Virgin oak but when that baby mellow and oxidizes it will show that that distillery doesn't need sherry to be good But of course their sherried stuff are the best 😊

[@maltreviews]

Awesome list J! Cheers to 2024!

[@SippersSocialClub]

Cheers my friends!

[@nsxfan16]

Interesting because you and Rob were talking about how Benromach is awesome all throughout the year but always mentionned the cask strength edition. I always thought you didn't like the AS releases😂. I got the 15 and I agree it's pretty damn good. That funky almost umami/meaty note is very good. However I have the older 10 year old bottling and the older 10 comes out to be more sherried for some reason.

[@SippersSocialClub]

The cask strength definitely leads the way, but was very impressed with the 15 in 2022/23. I wish we knew the breakdown of sherry in the releases. I'd like to get an older 15 to see the differences

[@ErikVananrooij]

try the contrasts : peat smoke i love it and am got my 2nd bottle of it

[@chentim1751]

Fino of Kavalan is always a must in my stash!! Great pick!!

[@SippersSocialClub]

It's excellent stuff :)

[@GlenLossie]

There were quite a few comments down below regarding 40% and 43% whiskies and I can well understand some people's hesitancy regarding it. However, I would like to say that not all 40% whiskies behave in the same manner. As an example let me cite Bowmore. As much as I like the Bowmore flavor profile I've always found the Bowmore 12 rather dull. The first dram is inviting but the second dram is rather drab. However, when I came across the Bowmore Small Batch, an NAS bottling that is no longer made, even at 40% the whisky performed admirably and, on sale, I bought all 5 bottles off the shelf. Therefore i can understand why Benromach at 43% might, just might, think their bottling is fine, even if many of us would prefer 46%. I do note that their Peated Sherry is 46% and the Cara Gold is 50% so there might me a method to their choice of bottling strength.

[@SippersSocialClub]

It's largely due to people watching Ralfy, but you're 100% correct. Each whisky needs to be evaluated differently. I'll be the first to tell you there's plenty of bottles that are very very thin at 40 or 43%, even some 46's lack viscosity, but it's a mistake to turn your nose before trying something just because of its bottling strength.

[@pharmacistsdoitoverthecoun5012]

I was gifted a Bowmore 18 this Christmas and was pleasantly surprised. Even Serge V. is giving the recent batches of the 18 an 88/100. For the reasonable price (for an 18) I would say it's a buy.

[@SippersSocialClub]

Glad the 18 is drinking well for you. The older 18 was one I purchased a lot, cheers :)

[@thewhiskyenthusiast]

Great list Jeremy and who can fault your pick. Always a pleaser, never disappoints it is brilliant whisky. I also have to agree with you that Springbank 10 is getting better and better which is something you don't see these days, quite the opposite actually. Cheers to a great 2023 and roll on a fantastic 2024 🥃

[@SippersSocialClub]

Good fortune to finding Springbank in 2024 :)

[@christinecamley]

Hey I could not agree more with your selections for Best Whiskies Of the Year!! On the whole I tend to avoid Bowmore. I just don't jive with a lot of the expressions and I tend to have to wait a long time for expressions to open and some never do. Big disappointment. I have an 18 year old sitting on my bar that I never open anymore. I will probably give it away to a friend who loves Bowmore no matter what. I think it's common sense to cut back at this point on buying whisky. I have the money to buy the expressions skyrocketing in an insane way in costs but I won't support the unjust rise in prices at times. It makes no sense. So I do a lot of research and I wait for some to go on sale. Some never will and I tend to buy high cost, elegant scotch but hey I can always find another expression that will be amazing. I will pass the cigar choice on to my husband who loves a cigar here and there! He's a doc so he does so in moderation but he loves pairing scotch and cigars and enjoyment matters right?!! I still love hearing that your mom searches out cigars for you! That's so sweet! As a mom of three and a whisky lover (with moderation!!) I know how much moms love their kids - small kids and adult kids!! Lol!! Moms are the best!! I hope you have an amazing 2024 Jeremy! I love your thoughts on whisky and it's a treat to watch your channel! Cheers!! 🙂

[@SippersSocialClub]

We are definitely in a time where searching the best value bottles is more important. Hard to take a risk on a bottle with today's prices. Thanks for all the great comments over the year, cheers :)

[@christinecamley]

@@SippersSocialClub Right on Jeremy! We agree! Be well! 🙂

[@timloucks4325]

Admittedly, I’m a bit of a Benromach fanboy. Both Benromach & Glen Scotia are distilleries I can connect with both on value & availability here in California. I haven’t tried the cask strength yet. It’s been hard to find locally. I did bring back a cask strength & a contrasts peat smoke Sherry from my Scotland trip last month. Looking forward to comparing the vast strength to a single barrel. Wishing you the best for the new year. Cheers.

[@christinecamley]

@@timloucks4325 I just picked up a Benromach 10 on the way home and my fave - just adore it - Lagavulin 16! Benromach is lovely! Cheers! 🙂

[@cookieMonsterSincho]

Good stuff

[@dewalt5599]

That wrap is rough

[@Stephend005]

great video mate! how's the coffee journey going?

[@SippersSocialClub]

Always exploring :)

[@100puremustard5]

Jeremy, Kudos to you for mentioning Shayla's missfortune a couple months back, And how the WhiskeyTube community came together to help her out. I know you've had your differences with a couple channels down here in the past, Which makes it all the more remarkable that you're the first channel I've heard mention it outside the states, so again Thank You. I always liked Rob more, but you're catching up 😂 (He's Italiano like me so you will always be second 😂😂😂) Cheers! By the way... is that your cousin that has a channel on the west coast 😮

[@SippersSocialClub]

Ha! Well at the end of the day some things are more important than making fun of long pours and bottle chugs :) I understand, you Italians stick together lol. Which west coast channel???

[@100puremustard5]

@@SippersSocialClub Your cousin in Vancouver... I think his channel is West Coast Whiskey, or Whiskey on the West Coast?

[@SippersSocialClub]

@@100puremustard5 lol, you think we look related? He's a solid dude, good channel

[@100puremustard5]

@@SippersSocialClub Hell Yeah!!! Enough to be cousins anyway LOL, Maybe when you both wear hats!

[@primewhisky]

Unfortunately the Two brewers is not available in Europe 😢

[@SippersSocialClub]

It is quite unfortunate, I will be adding a little Canadian tasting trio to Drink My Bar in the New Year, so people outside Canada can have a chance to try some of these whiskies we keep talking about :)

[@primewhisky]

Kavalan is a great pour everytime, put Solist port cask as my whisky of the year😋

[@IlludiumQ36]

Bowmore 15 tasted like cardboard on first crack. It's gotten a lot better as it has moved down the bottle. I'd go as far as to say it's become lovely and refined upon passing the halfway point. Still wouldn't buy another though. And I guess I'm going to have to park my preconceptions and get the Benromach 15. I'm "that" guy on the 43%.

[@SippersSocialClub]

Definitely have a go at it. I actually just cracked a 40% Glen Scoita 10 yr and it's fantastic

[@neilmattos2756]

😁🙌🏻

[@peterwhite507]

Bowmore core range disapointing, shocking!🙂

[@SippersSocialClub]

Captain obvious

[@Tantrum777]

I agree with the intro 100% the prices are out of control. Ralfy says a Global recession is coming in 2024 and I think he may be right. That will put a damper on the crazy prices. Can you please tell the higher ups at Gordon & MacPhail to stop having a hard on for 43% I am tired of it. I am not the biggest fan of Benromach, hard to find in AZ. Still though great list.

[@SippersSocialClub]

We straight up asked Richard Urquhart about their decision to bottle at 43, and he was very happy with the bottling strength, and had absolutely no plan to move to 46

[@Tantrum777]

@@SippersSocialClub I got no plans to buy their stuff. I know they buttered you guys up but they did not pay me.

[@SippersSocialClub]

@@Tantrum777 If you're hard against 43abv, try their 10yr cask strength, haven't met a person who didn't like it

[@Tantrum777]

@@SippersSocialClub I have known about that for 10+ years mate. Its good.

[@sylvaina.1211]

Whisky amateurs are the best peoplein the world, best to hang with, generous and always empathetic !

[@McIntyresMalts]

I have only sampled the Bowmore 15 and 18 and both were terrible, some of the worst whiskies I have ever had. Tasted like lavender soap and the only whiskies that have ever left a terrible taste on my palate making me want to scrub my tongue.

[@SippersSocialClub]

Lol, hopefully they turn that brand around, and quickly

[@McIntyresMalts]

@@SippersSocialClub It's a shame to see this distillery in this shape

[@crystalmethshrimp]

Please Dont be something generic🙏….

[@user-hb9qv]

Terrible list. Same brands/bottlings always listed as other whisk(e)ytubers. Also, just because you might think noone's tasted Kavalan Sherry Solist and Fino Solist, etc., doesn't mean you can shill it. Kavalan is moonshine trash, just like a famous Japanese distiller starting with an "N," and that's why it's soul-crushing to see everyone continue to plug it for YEARS on end. What's the point of media samples? This video would be perfectly adequate if it were titled, "award-winning for beginners and cheapskates." At least list what's the best, and then say here's an economical version of that, which is never really comparable anyhow. I'm so tired of supposed "experts" dishing out these lowly bottles as qualifiably the best.

[@SippersSocialClub]

Never gonna list obscure single barrel region-specific bottlings that no one will ever find as my whisky of the year. I pick something you can find on the shelf. Why don't you go touch yourself to whiskybase's top 1000 and keep the negativity to yourself :)

[@user-hb9qv]

@@SippersSocialClub I never said you should list obscure bottlings. I said you're plugging the same stuff that's being plugged always. Why don't you explain why you and so many people think Kavalan high-end is so deserving of mention. BTW, since you mentioned it, whiskybase reviews are mostly better than yours, so keep the negativity to yourself and your hating bum-buddy Whisky in the 6. Looks like I encroached on your stake of whisky-reviewing holiness. Self-important reviewers like you always say you like and don't like that, but you can't just accept my opinion that your list is terrible. Perhaps you should look harder on the shelf instead of responding with nonsense and childish insults?