Single Malt Scotch Picks for Springtime

Located less than 20 miles southeast of Edinburgh, Glenkinchie is one of three remaining distilleries in the area called the Lowlands. They only have two stills at the distillery, but they are fat and large producing over 1 million liters per year. The size and shape of the still lends the spirit to be light in nature as it comes off the still.

This single malt whisky is named for Scotland's favorite son, poet and lyricist, Robert Burns. The types of casks used are ex-bourbon which account for about 70% of the production with the remainder comprised of ex-sherry casks. Keep your eyes open for a blended whisky also from Arran honoring Robert Burns.

Produced at the Knockdhu Distillery, this whisky is actually named after nearby Knock Hill, which the locals call anCnoc, (Gaelic for Black Hill). Another reason for the name might have been to make sure there is no confusion with another distillery called Knockando. Got it? Good. This Highland whisky is aged in both previously used American and Spanish oak barrels.

When The Glenlivet was first established (legally, that is) in 1824, they produced only 200 liters per week. That sum has grown to a whopping 10.5 million liters annually. It is safe to say that you've at least seen the bottle behind most bars you've been to around the world, if not consumed it. This flagship bottling ages for 12 years in European and American oak barrels. Please note: the brand updated its bottle in 2019 and added the name Double Oak to its label. The single malt remains the same classic whisky as before.

This was another whisky released this year (2015) by John Dewar & Sons as part of their ‘Last Great Malts of Scotland’ campaign. This is a Highland whisky produced at the MacDuff distillery on the eastern shore of the Deveron River. Before now most of their whisky went into Dewar's White Label.

Glenmorangie, founded in 1843, is home to the tallest stills in Scotland. Aged 10 years in American oak barrels, The Original serves as the flagship for the distillery. The casks used for the single malt are only ever used twice. The Original also serves as the base for their Extra Matured whiskies that spend 2 more years in a variety of wine barrels such as Sauternes and Port.

Glen Grant 12 debuted in a handful of U.S. markets in June 2016, with a nationwide release slated for 2017. The release was made partially in honor of the 55 years that master distiller Dennis Malcolm has spent in the industry. It's also said to show off the unique-to-Speyside Glen Grant process, with water-cooling purifiers used on both of the distillation runs, allowing only the lightest vapors through. An 18 year-old is being rolled out as well, along with revamped labeling and logos for the entire portfolio.

An oft overlooked gem in the Diageo "Classic Malt Whiskies" collection, this Highland malt is produced on the northeast coast of Scotland in the town of Brora. Brora is also the name of a now closed distillery, which, incidentally, was formally the location of the original Clynelish Distillery. This is a peated whisky, but far less so than the Brora bottlings.

Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie is the Islay distillery's flagship single malt. It is unpeated and made from 100% Scottish barley with some barley sourced from Islay. As for the exact recipe of the whisky, this changes from batch to batch with the brand using different barley types from various Scottish farms. Furthermore, various barrel types are used to mature the whisky and this too will vary with each batch with ex-sherry, ex-bourbon, and ex-wine casks among them. That said, since 2016 the brand has a recipe code on each bottle. You can view their website to have your recipe revealed. Bottled at 50% ABV without chill-filtration or added color.

This 12 year single malt Scotch whisky from Aultmore emphasizes the pristine water from the Auchinderran burn and unique malts of Speyside. Aultmore is owned by Dewar's, a Bacardi subsidiary and usually produces whisky for blends. They've released a range of single malts that includes this 12 year old, along with a 21 year old (available as a Travel Retail Exclusive) and 25 year old expression. This non-chill-filtered whiskey is bottled at 46% abv.

Located in the Highlands where it is quite remote and windy, the Dalwhinnie Distillery is a distillery that doesn't quite get the press it deserves. It is a whisky that displays classic Highland malt qualities of honey and heather. This is one of the original six distilleries in Diageo's Classic Malts range and they release very few distillery bottlings. This is a peated single malt, but the amount used is so low some may not be able to detect it.