Our Top Rated Single Malts of 2022

The eleventh batch of Grandeur from GlenDronach features single malt whiskey which has aged for 28 years in PX and oloroso sherry casks. Crafted by Master Blender Rachel Barrie, this single malt was bottled with natural color at 48.9% ABV. Each bottle is sealed with wax and is hand numbered. Available in the US as of October 2022. (SRP $800)

This is the second release in The Rare Casks series which first launched in 2020. This single malt was made with 100% unpeated Irish malted barley and was triple-distilled in April 1992. After distillation it aged for 12 years in ex-bourbon barrels. Then it was recasked into a former Pedro Ximenez cask or its final 17 years of maturation. It is bottled at 53% ABV. Only 500 bottles are available at select retailers and online with Flaviar beginning May 2022. (SRP $749.99)

Singleton of Glen Ord 15 Year The Enchantress of the Ruby Solstice is one of eight bottlings for Diageo’s 2022 Special Release collection. Each whisky in the collection was selected by Master Blender Dr. Craig Wilson and each was bottled at cask strength. The theme for the 2022 collection is called "Elusive Expressions" and Diageo selected digital illustrators/artists Ken Taylor and Kevin Fong to design the packaging. Refill American and European oak casks were used for maturation. Released October 2022. (SRP $129.99)

Oban 10 Year The Celestial Blaze is one of eight bottlings for Diageo’s 2022 Special Release collection. Each whisky in the collection was selected by Master Blender Dr. Craig Wilson and each was bottled at cask strength. The theme for the 2022 collection is called "Elusive Expressions" and Diageo selected digital illustrators/artists Ken Taylor and Kevin Fong to design the packaging. Refill, new American oak and Amontillado-seasoned casks were used for maturation. Released October 2022. (SRP $109.99)

Malting Season is one in a limited-edition annual series from Benriach which celebrates seasonal production techniques done at the distillery. Benriach is one of seven distilleries in Scotland to have a malting floor and this bottling honors that tradition. Master Blender Rachel Barrie selected concerto barley to use here in its production which was malted in autumn 2013. The single malt was aged in first-fill bourbon barrels and was bottled at barrel strength of 48.9% ABV, slightly higher than the previous edition. Available in select markets for a limited time as of September 2022. (SRP $159.99)

Lagavulin 12 Year The Flames of the Phoenix is one of eight bottlings for Diageo’s 2022 Special Release collection. Each whisky in the collection was selected by Master Blender Dr. Craig Wilson and each was bottled at cask strength. The theme for the 2022 collection is called "Elusive Expressions" and Diageo selected digital illustrators/artists Ken Taylor and Kevin Fong to design the packaging. American oak refill and virgin oak casks were used for maturation. Released October 2022. (SRP $149.99)

Talisker 11 Year The Lustrous Creature of the Depths is one of eight bottlings for Diageo’s 2022 Special Release collection. Each whisky in the collection was selected by Master Blender Dr. Craig Wilson and each was bottled at cask strength. The theme for the 2022 collection is called "Elusive Expressions" and Diageo selected digital illustrators/artists Ken Taylor and Kevin Fong to design the packaging. First-fill ex-bourbon, refill and wine seasoned casks were used for maturation. Released October 2022. (SRP $119.99)

Teeling 32 Year Purple Muscat Finish falls under the brand's Very Rare Casks series and is an exclusive release to the US, a first for this collection. Distilled in 1990, the single malt initially matured in ex-bourbon barrels for 28 years. Then the whiskey was transferred into a single French oak Portuguese purple muscat wine cask selected by Master Distiller Alex Chasko. This release is limited to 283 bottles. Available as of November 2022 at select retailers in CA, NV, TX, IL, NY, MA, and FL. (SRP $3499.99)

Released on November 1, 2022, the 10th edition of Black Art continues the tradition of the brand not revealing the specific details about the whisky's components, particularly the types of barrels used for maturation. Head Distiller Adam Hannett has creative control of the Black Art. A few things that we do know are that the single malt whisky is unpeated and has been aged on Islay for a minimum of 29 years. It's bottled without added color or chill-filtration at 45.1% ABV. (SRP $699.99)

Craigellachie 13 Years Old Armagnac Cask Finish is the first release in the distillery's Cask Collection, a lineup aiming to highlight aspects of traditional production. This expression begins with the brand's signature 13 year old single malt, which is then finished in Bas-Armagnac casks for a further year. Bottled at 46% ABV, the bottling was released in August 2022. (SRP $65)

Port Charlotte SC:01 2012 is the fifth release in the brand's Cask Exploration Series. Also, this is the first time in this series that 100% Islay-grown barley has been used — Concerto, Propino, Publican, & Oxbridge which was harvested in 2011 from seven Islay farms. The barley was malted to 40 ppm in mainland Scotland and then sent back to Bruichladdich for distillation. The whisky was matured in a combination of sherry butts and first and second-fill American whiskey casks, then they were recasked into ex-Sauternes wine casks at different points in maturation process. Bottled without added color or chill-filtration at 55.2% ABV. (SRP $144.99)

This 2022 Cairdeas bottling which is made for the Friends of Laphroaig just in time to celebrate Islay Fest. For the 2022 bottling the single malt has been fully matured in first-fill Maker's Mark Bourbon barrels. Additionally, the maturation occurred exclusively in Warehouse 1 which is right on the shoreline of the distillery. Bottled at 104.4 proof. (SRP $100)