Buying guides
Best of
Recommendations built from the same records and the same eight-axis scoring as the rest of the site, so a bottle can't be "best" in one guide and unremarkable in another.
How these are built
- Nobody pays to appear. There is no sponsored placement in any guide, and no company can buy a position or a better write-up.
- Ranking is derived, not asserted. Order comes from cost per litre of pure alcohol, bottling strength and our flavour scores — so you can check it.
- Every price is dated. Prices move constantly. A guide with undated prices is telling you about a shop that existed once.
- Allocated bottles are flagged. A recommendation you cannot buy at the stated price is not a recommendation.
By budget
Best whisky under £40
Where the value actually is at the bottom of the shelf — and what the price buys you.
13 bottles consideredBy budgetBest whisky under £60
The band where strength and cask quality start to show up. Ranked on real value.
14 bottles consideredBy styleBest peated whisky
Smoke, from a gentle waft to full medicinal Islay — ordered by how much you get.
7 bottles consideredBy styleBest sherry cask whisky
Dried fruit, spice and depth from European oak. Ranked by sherry influence.
11 bottles consideredBy occasionBest whisky for beginners
Approachable, widely available, and nothing that will put you off for a decade.
20 bottles consideredBy categoryBest bourbon
American whiskey that earns its place, with the allocation problem called out.
9 bottles consideredBy occasionBest whisky to give as a gift
Bottles that look and taste like an occasion, without needing an explanation.
17 bottles considered