The Best Scotch in the World

Taste Testing Fine Scotches: Abelour, Balvenie, Caol Ila - Cadenhead

© Paul Hamilton

Nov 30, 2008

After trying what could be considered the best Scotches to be found locally here in Minneapolis, it was easy to make a list of the best of the best in alphabetical order in addition to a word or two about exactly how it all happened and yes, eventually how it all went down. The ratings are on a 0-10 scale, zero would garner the worst of the worst, and 10 would be standing just outside the gates of heaven.

Aberlour

• Rating 9
• A Highland Sherry-cask Scotch. This is much better than any ten-year old has the right to be. Overly sweet, but somehow smooth and very rich and tasty without much peat or smoke. A good dessert Scotch, this may become one of your regulars, but because they don't put a real cork in it, this blend is prone to evaporation problems.

Balvenie

• Rating 8
• A single cask bottling of Single Malt, typical clouding when mixed with water in its display of cask strength. Finding a water worthy of this Scotch has proved difficult most if not all have carried there own flavors, chlorine, salt, metal and so on. This is a rich Highland type Scotch that attacks your senses when you first sip it.

Caol Ila, Cadenhead Bottling

• Rating 10
• A single Cask strength Islay Malt, which is a bit of a departure, because this is not a commonly available Scotch there is no attack on the senses when first sipping and it has a very sweet and smokey almost warm feel to it.

Edradour

• Rating 7.5
• A Sherry-cask Scotch, pretty good for a 10 year old. Another Highland Single Malt.

Glenfiddich

• Rating 6
• Despite employing words like Reserve and Select, there is just no way to tell the age of this Scotch. To some this would seem to be a blended or a vat mixed malt, it is not, it is still considered a Single Malt because it all comes from the same distillery. Some people use the term Pure Single Malt, for this in house mixing of different-ages of Scotch. The taste is strong and sharp but still rather characterless. It is the world's best selling Scotch mostly due to advertising and good marketing. However it is not the best selling within Scotland and that may tell us something.

Glenkinche

• Rating 8
• A nice mild Lowland Scotch that has so many subtleties that many people often get different impressions from it every time they drink it. Fresher tasting than most, grassy, and just slightly dry. This for many is a favorite.

Glenlivet

• Rating 8
• A good 12 year old Speyside Single Malt that is 80 proof, and certainly a good place to start. It is much more mellow than its ten years and is distilled over coal. Part of its flavor comes from butterscotch. Owned by Seagrams, but with a genuine pedigree from its previous ownership

Fine Scotch

Fine Scotch

Fine Scotch

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