The Whisky Hub > Top 10 In 2019
The whiskies TWL members rated most highly this year!
In August 2019, we launched TWL member accounts, giving you the ability to rate whisky you've tried, create your own watchlists (which notify you when whisky goes down in price or comes back in stock) and create your own digital collections of whiskies you own. Since then, our members have rated over 1,200 different bottles of whiskies!
So with over 5,000 votes submitted, we can now report back to you on your overall favourites! Here is the top 10 most highly rated whiskies on TWL for 2019. (Click here if you're curious about how we tally this)
PS: If you haven't joined as a member yet, it's free to join. Register here: thewhiskylist.com.au/members
Coming in at first place is a TWL favourites as well, the GlenDronach 18 Year Old Allardice with an average user rating of 4.6 hearts! It is already extremely well-loved, but the fact that the whisky in it is actually around 23 years old (the distillery was closed from 1996-2002 so there's no actual 18 year old stocks available to keep the line alive, they must be pulled from product distilled before the closure), and with stocks being slim and on global allocation, this favourite has become even more desired!
The GlenDronach is the 'little' Highland distillery that could (when it comes to delivering sherry bombs) and would feature very highly in most sherry bomb whisky drinkers’ hearts by our reckoning. Having enjoyed much success and acclaim since its resurrection and direction under Billy Walker and its subsequent acquisition by Brown-Forman, The GlenDronach appears to be going from strength to strength under the guidance of its current Master Blender Dr Rachael Barrie.
The GlenDronach 18 Allardice is named for the founder of the distillery, James Allardice and is aged for 18 years exclusively in Oloroso sherry casks and bottled at 46% ABV. First released in 2009.
Nose: Pretty much the gold standard for a modern sherried whisky 'done right'. Juicy sultanas, butter cake, dark dark chocolate, strong cappuccino, dark dried cherries.
Palate: Cinnamon and five spice, plump rich dark sultanas, a decent amount of rich wood tannins, sour dark cherries and honey. Finish brings rum notes and blackberry jam.
Find it here!
#2 - Ardbeg Uigeadail
In second place, with an average rating of 4.0 hearts, the Ardbeg Uigeadail is a combination of well-balanced old sherry cask influenced ‘Ardbegness’ and generous, befitting, higher than standard ABV.
Uigeadail (Oog-a-dal) as a name is a rough derivation of ‘Dark and Mysterious Place’ in Scots Gaelic, referring to the Loch where Ardbeg draws its water.
Nose: Linseed oil, old dusty/damp book, dark cocoa nibs, Mildura sultanas and freshly ground dark Kenyan coffee beans with dark demerara sugar and creosote soaked rags.
Palate: One of the more malt forward Ardbegs (a key in the flavour balancing act), beautifully complimented by dark rich sherry soaked fruit cake, honey, jersey caramels and slightly charred honey glazed ham. One of the best mouth feels, period.
Find it here!
#3 - Lagavulin 16 Years Old
The third highest user-rated whisky is Lagavulin 16 Years Old, with an average rating of 4.1 hearts!
While it doesn't seem to have the cool cachet of Ardbeg or Laphroaig, pound for pound we believe Lagavulin, through its 16 year old bottling has converted as many people to Islay peated whiskies as any other release from any other Islay distillery.
Nose: Cherries and dark currants, sweet tobacco (mint Hookah), grandma’s cooking sherry, and medicine cabinet.
Palate: Dark english tea, iodine (before the bandaid goes on), tar (stuck to the bottom of your car after driving through a roadworks section) and charcoal, seaweed (damp fresh, not dried), vanilla. Chewy (nom nom)…
Find it here!
#4 - GlenDronach 15 Revival
Fourth in the list is the GlenDronach 15 Year Old Revival with an average rating of 4.3 hearts!
The GlenDronach 15 Revival is currently enjoying it's second 'revival' after demand outstripped supply during the initial run from 2009-2016. It has since re-joined us in 2018, to the relief of a lot of fans!
Nose: Is a tale of sweet and tart *ahem*. Ripe dark cherries, toasted walnuts and orange peel are offset by slightly tart wood tannin and a smell like sherry that's been left in the glass overnight.
Palate: A bit drier than remembered from the previous releases, but still very generous in its toasted nuts / Christmas cake fruit and spice and slightly bitter chocolate and oak finishing combo.
Find it here!
#5 - Aberlour A'Bunadh
Fifth on the list is the Aberlour A'Bunadh with an average rating of 4.2 hearts!
Aberlour is well-known for its heavy Sherry cask influence and the A'bunadh (uh-boo-nuh) is a prime example. Made to replicate the flavours in a bottle of Aberlour discovered when crews were performing major maintenance on the stills.
Matured exclusively in Spanish Oloroso Sherry buttes and bottled straight from the cask without chill-filtration or alcohol reduction, this whisky is full-bodied and jam packed full of flavour.
Nose: Dried dates, heavy spices, cloves, star anise and cinnamon sticks with burnt orange in the back.
Palate: Black cherries, dark chocolate, sherry, oak, exotic spices
Find it here!
#6 - Bunnahabhain 12
Sixth in the list is the Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old Revival with an average rating of 4.2 hearts!
Made on Islay as a predominantly unpeated spirit, Bunnahabhain has established a rabid following in some sectors of the whisky community. One of the key differences (at least by the distilleries reckoning) is the fresh spring water source they use which has no peat content.
Their 12 year old bottling is bottled at 46.3%, double matured in ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks for a minimum combined total of 12 years, is non chill filtered and has no colouring added.
Nose: Salted caramel drizzled over fresh, tart red apples. Dried fruits.
Palate: Super delicate smoke and salt, wood, creamy vanilla fudge and lightly caramel coated popcorn, entwined around dried fruit notes.
Find it here!
#7 - GlenDronach 1993 Cask 392
Seventh in the list is the GlenDronach 1993 Single Cask 392 (bottled for The Whisky List) with an average rating of 4.8 hearts!
The cask was selected by our local tasting panel from several samples specially selected for us by GlenDronach Master Blender Dr Rachel Barrie based on a brief of finding the best Sherried whisky from the 1993 vintage, a vintage much loved and obsessed over by GlenDronach fans.
Nose: Strawberry preserve, burnt orange zest, sandalwood and honeycomb
Palate: Red liquorice orange zest, Oloroso, pepped apple and bramble.
Find it here!
#8 - Westward
Eighth in the list is the Westward American Single Malt with an average rating of 4.0 hearts!
Bottled at 45% ABV and made from local (Oregon) pale malt, the Westward American Single Malt Whiskey is a poster child for how new whiskey styles can be created with a little bit of out of the box thinking and a lot of skill, dedication and passion.
Nose: Honey, sweet malt biscuit and brown sugar. Hints of dried fruit but very subtle.
Palate: Gentle barrel influence present in the form of a mild baking spices nicely offset and compliment the sweeter flavours of butterscotch and sweet malt.
Find it here!
#9 - Redbreast 15 Year Old
Ninth in the list is the Redbreast 15 Year Old with an average rating of 4.1 hearts!
Made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley and then triple distilled in copper pot stills, Redbreast 15 is comprised exclusively of Pot Still whiskeys matured in the finest oak casks for no less than 15 years. A careful balance of first fill and refill casks accentuates the assorted spices within Redbreast’s characteristic full and complex flavour.
Nose: Full and rich with a complex yet balanced mix of berry fruits and aromatic oils.
Palate: Fully round and mellow with the succulence of fleshy fruit combined with spices and toasted wood.
Find it here!
#10 - Yamazaki 12
Tenth in the list is the Yamazaki 12 Year Old with an average rating of 4.1 hearts!
The hype around Japanese whisky has been staggering with prices in many cases more than tripling in a matter of months and Yamazaki 12 is easily the flagship of category.
Both light and easy to drink and hugely flavourful Yamazaki 12 is a great example of why Japanese whisky is so popular.
Nose: Peach, pineapple, grapefruit, clove, candied orange, vanilla, Mizunara (Japanese oak)
Palate: Coconut, cranberry, butter, sweet ginger, cinnamon, long finish
Find it here!
2019 Highest Rated
"twl/Highest Rated 2019" "sort by rating descending"