Top 10 Whiskies
November 2025
A lot of people ask us what the 'best whisky' is, and we usually explain that there is no universal 'best whisky' because it's such an individual thing – there's only the best whisky for you. It's like asking someone what the 'best film' is. You're going to get a lot of strongly held yet wildly different answers.
But nobody is ever satisfied by that, so each month we hold a battle royale an earnest and civilised* debate among the expert Master of Malt team to narrow it down to their 10 favourite whiskies that month – here are our picks for November.
GlenAllachie 20 Year Old 2005 (cask 5391) - PX Sherry Hogshead (MoM Exclusive)
Scotch single malt whisky, Speyside region
"Specially bottled to celebrate 40 years of Master of Malt", this magnificent 20-year-old single cask GlenAllachie is an exclusive you won't find anywhere else! Distilled in August 2005, the whisky spent two decades maturing in a Pedro Ximénez sherry hogshead, yielding 353 bottles in September 2025. It's a bold, characterful dram, packed with generous waves of baking spices and orchard fruits, with rich notes of muscovado and mocha beneath.
"A beautifully mature whisky—rich yet vibrant. Sherry leads the nose, with figs, plums, raisins, chocolate, and spice on the palate. For a 20-year PX cask, it’s impressively complex and great value."
Michael Monte
Spirits buyer, but in French (& sometimes Mandarin)
Tasting notes
Rich chocolate, spiced orange, honeycomb, and hazelnuts, with muscovado sugar, salted caramel, crystalised ginger, and a touch of tobacco.
Baking spices and heather honey lead, with mocha, dried plums, and more brown sugar in tow.
Juicy raisins, buttery caramel, espresso, and orchard fruits.
Thomson Manuka Smoke
New Zealand single malt whisky
A distinctly New Zealand single malt made from local barley smoked with native Manuka wood. It’s smoky, spicy, and unmistakably homegrown.
"Forget peat, New Zealand’s Thomson Distillery is out here smoking malt with trees that actually grow nearby. The manuka brings sweet sting and wild swagger. Kiwi whisky plays by its own rules."
Adam O'Connell
Whisky nerd and certified mate of Ainsley Harriott
Tasting notes
Smouldering embers, cinnamon, and clove.
Earthy smoke and warming spice with a silky malt core.
Lingering Manuka sweetness and peppery warmth.
Glen Scotia 12 Year Old
Scotch single malt whisky, Campbeltown region
There's a new permanent Glen Scotia whisky. Marking the start of a refreshed brand identity, in 2025 Glen Scotia 12 Year Old joins the lineup alongside the 10-, 15-, 18- and 25-year-old expressions. Matured entirely in first-fill bourbon casks and bottled at 46% ABV, natural colour, and non-chill filtered, it’s described as a bold new classic that captures the quintessential Campbeltown character Glen Scotia is known for – maritime freshness, vibrant fruit, and warming spice.
"A new addition to the Glen Scotia core range, bottled at batch strength (90 proof!). First fill ex-bourbon casks is right up my street and the striking blue packaging looks stunning!. A new classic whisky full of 'distillery character' from the wee toon!"
Dave Worthington
Olive-fueled, affable & beardy award-winning whisky ambassador
Tasting notes
Fresh sea spray and honeyed vanilla are joined by ripe pineapple, mango, and citrus peel, while subtle oak spice hovers in the background.
Sweet caramelised sugar and juicy tropical fruit lead, with layers of tangy lemon, toasted oak, and maritime salinity. Hints of ginger and nutmeg develop, giving balance to the fruit.
Long, warming, and gently spiced, with cinnamon, vanilla cream, and a final touch of coastal breeze.
Nc’nean Quiet Rebels - Simon
Scotch single malt whisky, Highland region
The fifth release in Nc’nean’s Quiet Rebels series celebrates Simon, one of the distillery’s own, whose love of beer inspired this bold single malt. Distilled between 2017-2020 and matured for four years in STR red wine casks, it was then finished in stout casks sourced from Scottish beer legends Innis & Gunn. This is a very rich, chocolatey dram. Only 6,894 bottles exist, bottled at 48.5% ABV, naturally coloured and non-chill filtered.
"Blender Matt Hastings told us the finish is intentionally short (3 weeks) to achieve a harmonised roundness and 'kokumi' effect between fruity Nc'nean and malty, chocolatey beer cask seasoning. Full and moreish."
Jake Mountain
Resident doer of things, spirits buff & MoM OG
Tasting notes
Chocolate brioche, roasted coffee beans, and malted biscuit. There’s a cherry compote sweetness alongside hints of toasted hazelnut, cinnamon and clove.
Black cherry jam, sweet malt loaf and sticky treacle weave in, joined by nutmeg, baking spice and a drizzle of honey. A thread of roasted oat and stout richness brings depth.
Dense and moreish, with fudge cake and dark chocolate truffle at the fore, then a whisper of warming spice.
The Campbeltown Connection 10 Year Old (North Star Spirits)
Scotch blended malt whisky, Campbeltown region
All aboard! The Campbeltown Connection is a blended malt Scotch whisky presented by indie bottler North Star Spirits. The blend includes headliner Springbank and Glen Scotia malts, plus "other Campbeltown malts", with the youngest distillate made in 2015. It was bottled in 2025 at a minimum age of 10 years old.
"With the prices of Springbank these days, I find swallowing the pitch I heard about this blended malt's recipe a challenge. But swallowing this whisky? No problem. Sips elegantly at 50.7%, takes water well, has complexity AND gluggability, and all under £50. Fun label too, as is so often the case from North Star."
Sam Simmons
Whiskevangelist, Blender of the Year & guitar shredder
Tasting notes by producer
Zesty notes of brûléed grapefruit, vanilla pods, a smidge of coastal smoke.
Waxed lemons, oily malt, and briny peat collide, with oaken vanilla and buttery shortbread beneath.
Citrus oils, robust oak, and punchy notes of polish.
The Story Of Full Proof Bourbon
Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey
A straight Kentucky bourbon, selected for its rich flavours of molasses, ripe stone fruits, baking spice, and vanilla. Distilled from a mash bill of 75% corn, 15% rye and 10% malted barley, the bourbon matured for five years at the centre and on the ground floor of a Kentucky rickhouse before bottling at a hearty 50% ABV.
"I recently tried it at a show and was genuinely impressed by its rich flavour—layers of fruit, spice, and vanilla bursting on the palate. I could hardly believe it was bottled at 50% ABV. Incredible value for money."
Michael Monte
Spirits buyer, but in French (& sometimes Mandarin)
Tasting notes by the producer
Aromas of sun dried apricots, vanilla and dark sugar, with hints of baking spice and a delicate menthol high note.
Vanilla fudge, roasted almonds, and burnt caramel start the journey, before dried apricot, with hints of baking spice and cracked pepper come through.
Long with subtle notes of these flavours dancing together.
Glen Moray 2014 Tequila Finish - Warehouse 1
Scotch single malt whisky, Speyside region
This addition to Glen Moray's Warehouse 1 collection was distilled in 2014 and aged for eight years in bourbon casks, before a Tequila cask finish. The sweet Speyside malt is enhanced by notes of agave syrup and herbaceous citrus, with leathery oak nestling beneath.
"Creamy and spicy. Tequila casks aren't your everyday choice for Scotch whisky, so this is an interesting and intriguing one to try if you're a curious sipper. Do I want to try it in a Spicy Marg? Yes."
Emma Symons
Whisky word-engine, rum nut, imperial stout maven & MoM OG
Tasting notes
Crisp, with notes of green apple, fresh oak, and butter. A touch of polish joins beneath, with creamier notes of vanilla, soft stone fruit sweetness, and a whiff of herbaceous, nutty agave developing in time.
A medley of creamy malt and peppercorn heat, drying oak, and vanilla. Peppery, herbaceous suggestions of reposado, with honeyed rye bread and earthy spice.
Drying, with bold oak and buttery agave, chewy toffee, dried peach, a touch of chilli, and estery fruit.
Edradour 10 Year Old 2015 - PX Sherry Butts
Scotch single malt whisky, Highland region
Distilled at Edradour in June 2015, this single malt spent the next decade maturing in a host of Pedro Ximénez sherry butts. The whisky was bottled in September 2025 and released as part of the Highland distillery's 200th anniversary celebrations. Huzzah!
"Small batch 10 year old PX matured Edradour for under £55. Need I say more?... OK I will. Buy one... drink it... and then definitely buy another before it runs out. Because it will. Or just buy two and get free shipping."
Chris Wood
Spirits buyer, spirits seller & spirits drinker (& also MoM OG)
Tasting notes
Rich and dark with layers of molasses, cocoa, and a touch of polished oak.
Espresso, fig rolls, sherried fruitcake, treacle toffee, dense malt.
Sweet, warming spices, dried fruit, leathery oak.
Paddy Irish Whiskey
Irish blended whiskey
A triple distilled blended Irish Whiskey produced in Cork and made, unusually, with all three styles of Irish whiskey: single pot still, single malt and grain. First produced in 1779, it wasn't until 1913 that it changed it's name to Paddy after legendary salesman Paddy Flaherty. Before that it had the rather catchy name of "Cork Distilling Company Map of Ireland Old Irish Whiskey". Rolls right off the tongue that one.
"I was in a bar, an Irish bar, and you know how much I like a hauf an' a hauf, (aka a Boilermaker)? Well this was the house pour, and it was delicious alongside the stout, and I might have had a a second (I did)."
Dave Worthington
Olive-fueled, affable & beardy award-winning whisky ambassador
Tasting notes
The nose is oily and fresh with floral notes, cereal grains and plenty of fruit.
The palate is sweet and of medium-body with toffee and cereals, a rosewater note with a little butterscotch and vanilla.
The finish is spicy and dry with a little black pepper and oak.
Armorik 5 Year Old - Forgotten Gems
French single malt whisky
Say bonjour to this marvellous French single malt from Armorik! The whisky spent five years maturing in an ex-Sauternes wine barrel, and now 51 bottles join the independent Forgotten Gems collection, boasting a big, bold cask strength of 62.9% ABV.
"France makes good wine and fine cheese. It’s also the hotbed of a whisky revolution. Armorik’s 5 Year Old has coastal bite and a quiet confidence for its age, a taste of what’s to come."
Adam O'Connell
Whisky nerd and certified mate of Ainsley Harriott
Tasting notes
Fresh, delicate notes of vanilla cream and buttery, biscuity malt, with flaky pastry and soft caramel.
Delicate toasted oak and vanilla, creamy grist, and a touch of barky spice, with softly floral notes of fresh peach and apricot.
Buttery Tarte Tatin, beurre noisette, and vanilla fudge are backed by a touch of nutmeg and sweet baking spice.
*No humans were harmed this month during the 'debate'**
**Okay, relatively few were harmed***
***Fine, many were seriously injured, but the local A&E department was perfectly able to cope and they appreciated us sharing our samples with them.
Whisky by flavour
Choosing between hundreds or thousands of whiskies can be overwhelming to say the least. We've organised the world of whisky into five instantly understandable flavour groups to help you explore this amazing and diverse spirit.
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