The 10 Best Scotch Whiskies We Tasted in 2024

2024 was an exciting year as far as scotch whisky was concerned.

We tasted some truly extraordinary releases at Bottle Raiders, with an eclectic selection from sleeper regions like Campbeltown to peaty classics from Islay. If you’re a scotch whisky aficionado, this is definitely a list to consider the next time you’re looking to partake in a wee dram of the good stuff.

Rankings explanation: Bottles are ranked by the house scores given by our spirits critics. When a tie takes place in the house scores, it is broken by our Raided Score®, a number that is a calculated average of notable critic scores. If two spirits’ Raided Scores® are equal, the whisky with the highest number of reviews aggregated is ranked higher. When all of those factors are equal, alphabetization is used as a final tiebreaker. 

10 Best Scotch Whiskies We Tasted in 2024

10. Lagavulin Iain’s Farewell Dram Aged 18 Years Islay

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This 18-year-old Islay scotch from Lagavulin is a liquid celebration of the brand’s warehouse manager, Iain McArthur. McArthur worked at the legendary resurrected ghost distillery, Port Ellen, before his tenure at Lagavulin. The expression was bottled by McArthur himself shortly before he retired, and just 212 bottles exist.

We tasted this whisky in July and were incredibly impressed by the well-balanced integration of peat and sweet. Iain’s Farewell Dram ranked No. 3 on our list of the Best Whiskeys we Tasted in July 2024 List, and it made a memorable impression that stuck with us for the rest of the year.

With an ABV of 58.7% and a suggested retail price of approximately $390, this opulent whisky has just the right amount of Lagavulin’s signature peat without overwhelming the whisky. The nose is full of luscious tropical fruit, with a kiss of tobacco. The palate is an opulent mixture of berries, honey, lemongrass and the scotch whisky brand’s signature peat. Iain’s Farewell Dram finishes beautifully, with plenty of decadent sweetness layered with smoke.

9. Gordon & MacPhail Cask Strength Connoisseurs’ Choice From Scapa Distillery 1991

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With just 66 bottles released, Gordon & MacPhail Cask Strength Connoisseurs’ Choice from Scapa Distillery 1991 is a rare find indeed. This scotch whisky was distilled by Scapa in 1991 in Orkey, Scotland, and spent 29 years resting in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels before it was bottled in December 2020.

Wine-Searcher reports that this scotch whisky is priced at an average of $722 per bottle, and this offering from Gordon & MacPhail has an ABV of 54.9%. Honey is the word to use when describing this whisky, and you’ll get plenty of this deliciously sticky nectar from nose to finish.

Gordon & MacPhail’s Scapa offering features a heady bouquet that is also chock full of tropical fruit and saline. The palate continues that heady tropical fruit and honey combination interlaced with an attractive mineral-driven profile. This whisky finishes with more of that honey, interspersed with graham cracker and brown sugar.

This offering from Gordon & MacPhail’s Connoisseurs’ Choice line is impressive and perhaps the best Scapa whisky we’ve ever had.

8. Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 10 Year Old 2009 Jurancon Valinch

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Bruichladdich’s Port Charlotte 10 Year Old 2009 Jurancon Valnich is delightfully weird, and that’s why we love it. With an ABV of 59.7%, this whisky was distilled at Bruichladdich and spent 10 years aging in Jurancon wine casks.

The nose is peaty, with cherry and blackberry reduction interlaced with a bit of honey, toffee and an undercurrent of tar. The palate has plenty of caramel and blackberry reduction on the palate, interlaced with toffee, tar and caramel. The finish is full of blackberry, tobacco and has a nutty sherried quality.

Delightfully weird and powerful, this 10-year-old whisky has an average price of $229, according to Wine-Searcher.

7. Bruichladdich Distillery Micro-Provenance Series 9 Year Old Ribero Del Duero

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Bruichladdich had a phenomenal 2024, and this particular whisky has quite an interesting backstory.

Bruichladdich’s Micro-Provenance Series is designed to show the differences in using different casks, climates and warehouse locations on the Islay brand’s whiskies. This scotch spent nine years in casks from Spain’s storied Ribero Del Duero region, which is known for bold red wines.

With an ABV of 63.5% and an average price of $223, according to Wine-Searcher, Bruichladdich’s Micro-Provenance Series 9 Year Old Ribero Del Duero is an incredibly pretty pour.

Picture a coconut creamy sweetness interlaced with creamy vanilla on the palate and a finish that’s a mixture of stone fruit, minerality and some pepper.

6. Bruichladdich 13 Year Old 2006 The Laddie Valinch #50

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This whiskey was distilled by Bruichladdich in 2006 and bottled in 2019 before it was bottled and released within the brand’s Laddie Crew Valnich Series. It aged for 13 years in refill sherry casks, has an ABV of 63.1% and has an average price of $175, according to Wine-Searcher.

The nose on this whisky is full of sweet fruit aromas — picture freshly baked raisin bread, coupled with honey and toffee. On the palate, Bruichladdich’s Laddie Valnich #50 is full of toffee, char, blackberries and figs. The whisky concludes with sherry, minerality and that ashy, potent Bruichladdich character.

If you’re looking for an opulent Islay whisky that balances dessert and smoke, this offering from Bruichladdich is the one to try.

5. Ardbeg Spectacular 2024 Ardbeg Day Release

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This appropriately named scotch from renegade Islay brand Ardbeg knocked our socks off with its heady aromas of custard, smoldering oak, lavender and pine. At first whiff, we knew it was going to be one roller coaster ride of a pour.

The palate was full of white grapes, minerality, milk chocolate and butterscotch. Ardbeg Spectacular’s conclusion is full of slate, apricot and blueberries.

Ardbeg Spectacular 2024 Ardbeg Day is released each year to commemorate the brand’s Ardbeg Day, which takes place on June 1. The dark, circus-themed release dropped in April, and it has an ABV of 46% and a suggested retail price of $129.99.

4. Bruichladdich Octomore 15.2

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Bruichladdich’s annual Octomore series is an exploration of peat. This year, head distiller Adam Hannett, expressed that he thought Octomore “shouldn’t work” due to the insanely peated nature of these whiskies and their fairly young age. Yet we’d all agree that Bruichladdich’s Octomore Series works, and this whisky is liquid proof of that.

With a suggested retail price of $244.99 and an ABV of 57.9%, this whisky was matured in a cornucopia of casks. Forty-two percent of the liquid spent time in second-fill wine casks, and the remaining 58% spent time in second-fill bourbon casks before it was recasked in 2023 in first-fill cognac casks.

Bruichladdich Octomore 15.2 has loads of stone fruit on the nose, coupled with a white grape influence from the cognac casks. The palate is full of orange peel, wood smoke and buttercream. From a textural standpoint, this scotch whisky is fat and opulent right through the finish, with lingering flavors of toffee and figs.

3. Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 18 Year 2024

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2024’s Port Charlotte release was a particularly special one in that it was the oldest Port Charlotte offering in the history of the brand.

This scotch whisky was peated to 40 ppm. Under 1,000 cases exist, making it a bit of a rarity but very much worth the hunt.

The nose is full of lemon curd, sweet smoke, minerality and a hint of barbecue. On the palate, Bruichladdich’s Port Charlotte 18 Year 2024 is a delightful blend of lemon curd, caramel and honey, with smoke adding a bit of complexity. This whisky finishes with smoke and ash and lingering minerality.

This 18-year-old scotch has an ABV of 54.3% and has priced at £175 ($217).

2. Daftmill 2010 Cask Strength

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Daftmill is one of Scotland’s sleeper distillers from the Lowlands. This 12-year-old whisky was distilled in 2010 and spent over a decade maturing in first-fill ex-bourbon oak barrels before it was bottled in 2023. With a price of $325, an ABV of 58.7%, and just 2,400 bottles made, this scotch might be harder to find, but it’s worth the hunt!

The nose of this whisky is full of vanilla bean, toffee, honey, pears and a bit of grain. The palate is full of waxy fruits, raspberries and freshly baked bread. Daftmill 2010 finishes beautifully with honey, apples and just a kiss of oak.

This extraordinary offering is proof that Daftmill falls very much in the “ones to watch” category of whisky brands!

1. Springbank 30 Year Old (2022 Release)

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The best scotch we tasted in 2024 is a masterpiece from Campbelltown’s Springbank Distillery. This rare scotch is an exceedingly special release, and just 1,400 bottles were released in 2022. Springbank’s three-decade-old release is aged in a mixture of 85% bourbon casks and 15% sherry casks.

The nose is chock full of waxy fruit, which persists all the way through this whisky’s layered and complicated palate.

Despite this whisky’s 30-year age statement, the oak is well-integrated, and this whisky has loads of texture despite its fruity palate full of kiwi, salinity and vanilla. The finish goes on and on and integrates the cornucopia of fruit flavors beautifully.

Wine-Searcher reports this scotch has an average price of $3,300, making it cost a pretty penny. But if you can get your hands on a taste of this stunning scotch, we’d highly recommend it.