People get hung up on the word “best,” especially when that word comes attached to a phrase like “Here Are The Best Whiskies You Can Buy Right Now.” You can practically hear the protests already – “But if there are 20 of them, how can they all be ‘best?’” To these people I say politely (and with infinite patience): Pipe down. There are as many expressions of scotch as there are angels nipping at every whisky cask in the Hebrides and as there are snooty grammarians who want to take the fun out of the pursuit of incredible liquor.
Speaking of pursuit, it’s worth pointing out another important caveat to this list. This is not The Best Scotches of All Time. It does not, for example, include The Macallan Valerio Adami 1926, of which there are only 12 bottles in the world – the last of which sold for just over US$1 million at auction. I’m not discouraging you from chasing those bottles, of course, but my purpose here is to let you know about the best scotches you have a chance in hell of finding via an online retailer or at a top-notch liquor store. Given a modicum of motivation, every one of the whiskies on this list is eminently gettable. In fact, I suggest you treat this article sort of like an adult version of Pokémon Go, but instead of wandering into traffic while trying to bag a Charmander, you should wander into the welcoming arms of your local hoochmonger in search of The Glenlivet 18 Year Old. If you do somehow manage to capture every single one of these semi-rare beasts, tag me with the evidence at @RobbReport. And if you do, we have another challenge for you – pursue all the bourbons on this other list.
As far as “best” goes, while the term is inherently subjective, if there is a person alive who can’t find their own personal “best” in here, I’d like to have a chat with them, preferably over a dram of Lagavulin 16 and explain to them, gently and with an excess of solicitude, that they should try more new things. Oh, and one other caveat: No two products from the same distillery could appear in the list, because fairness. See you in the Hebrides, my sweet angels.
