Top 10 Whiskies
July 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 July.
Kinglassie Raw
Scotch single malt, Lowland region
A limited edition peated single malt, one of the first from Fife's InchDairnie distillery! This heavily peated Lowlander matured in bourbon barrels for eight years before being bottled at a satisfying 46.3% ABV for an untamed profile that's packed with punchy peat smoke and complex malt.
"KinGlassie Raw is what happens when you skip the niceties and go straight for the throat... All scorched oak, malt muscle, and a finish like a pub brawl in a sauna."
Adam O'Connell
Whisky nerd and certified mate of Ainsley Harriott
Tasting notes
Scorched heather and wet bonfire logs lead. Beneath the smoke lies a minerally core of chalky flint and coastal stones, followed by sweeter touches of caramelised banana, lemon oils, and charred vanilla pods.
Ashy smoke, black pepper, smoked bacon, and salted toffee. Hints of green apple, ginger root, sourdough crust, damp oak, and a bright citrus zing.
Cracked black pepper, spent coffee grounds, and liquorice root.
American Bourbon 10 Year Old (TBWC)
Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey
A good sprinkling of American whiskeys on the list this month! Let's kick off with a new addition to That Boutique-y Whisky Company growing core range of utterly delicious whiskies, all in 700ml bottles, and all with a different member of the cervidae (deer) family on the labels. Well, almost. Here we have a bison. Because America. Classic corn-forward mash bill (77% corn). Rather lovely and superb value for an American whiskey of this age and quality.
"Perfect for sipping neat, with, or without, a large ice cube. But to beat the summer heat, I'm looking forward to picking some fresh mint and making some Juleps and Highballs (aka 'Horse's Neck with a Kick')!"
Dave Worthington
Olive-fueled, affable & beardy award-winning whisky ambassador
Tasting notes
Rich layers of toffee, ginger, and tropical fruits, backed by oily nuts, oak char, pepper, and a hint of leather.
Silky sweet caramel, liquorice, toffee ice cream, and honey, with fresh spice and toasted oak in the depths.
Butterscotch, peppercorns, ginger snaps, mellow oak.
Old Perth Manzanilla
Scotch blended malt whisky
A limited edition Old Perth blended malt whisky, matured in manzanilla sherry casks. This blend is a vatting of 11 hand-picked manzanilla casks (six hogsheads and five butts) and it's brimming with fragrant layers of floral honey and sweet amaretti biscuits.
"Old Perth is always 100% sherry, but this is 100% fino-esque dry, coastal, zesty manzanilla sherry from Sanlúcar de Barrameda! That's cool. And totally delicious. A recent highlight in our Pour & Sip subscription boxes. Chapeau Morrison family."
Jake Mountain
Resident doer of things, spirits buff & MoM OG
Tasting notes
Floral notes of honeyed baklava and buttery almond croissants.
Crisp apples, orchard honey, amaretti biscuits and candied almonds, with a touch of gingerbread beneath.
Sweet marzipan, candied nuts, buttery oak.
Glenmorangie A Tale of Tokyo
Scotch single malt whisky, Highland region
The fourth release in the 'Tale of' series and the first one to be partially aged in Japanese Mizunara oak casks. It's actually a marriage of whisky aged in both sherry and bourbon barrels as well as Glenmorangie whisky aged in the rare Japanese wood.
"For over 30 years Dr. Bill Lumsden has kept Glenmorangie's range in a state of evolution, maintaining an inspirational level of interest and innovation. A Taste of Tokyo is no exception. Creamy, fruity and great sipped neat but a gorgeous indulgence in a highball in this summer weather."
Sam Simmons
Whiskevangelist, Blender of the Year & guitar shredder
Tasting notes
Sandalwood, incense, dried cherries, vanilla, star anise, and that trademark Glenmorangie tangy orange note.
A silky palate reveals more notes of citrus alongside marzipan, fennel, dried fruit, white pepper, toffee apple, and a little cinnamon.
Mandarin and toasted almonds.
Bowsaw Rye
American rye whiskey
A small batch rye whiskey here from the folks at Bowsaw in Kentucky, one that should serve as a good value and tasty introduction to the style for newcomers.
"I tried Bowsaw Rye recently and it really impressed me. The gentle warmth, subtle barbecue sweetness, and lingering spice make for a quietly memorable whiskey. A lovely surprise."
Charlotte Gorzelak
Social media empress & "the Dr. Frankenstein of cocktails"
Tasting notes
Clove, red chilli warmth, BBQ glaze, and honey.
Orange peel, baking spice, toffee, and a touch of caraway.
Robust spicy rye warmth lingers.
Secret Wigtownshire 6yo 2018 - Elevenses
Scotch single malt whisky, Lowland region
'Lemon Sherbet, Anyone?' Indie bottler Keeble Cask Company selected a pair of first-fill bourbon hogsheads from an undisclosed Wigtownshire distillery for this addition to its Elevenses collection. Distilled in 2018, matured for six years, and bottled in 2025. A release of 565 bottles.
"A perfect easy drinking summer whisky for your elevenses, and well all times of the day really. Secret you say... Wigtownshire you say... Any detectives out there?"
Chris Wood
Spirits buyer, spirits seller & spirits drinker (& also MoM OG)
Tasting notes
Pancakes, lemon peel, bison grass, apple turnover.
Lemon sherbet, fruit sorbet, Rich Tea biscuits, light oak.
Fresh as a daisy.
Laphroaig Elements 3.0
English single malt whisky
"Fire made it good." The latest release in Laphroaig’s boundary-pushing series exploring the production quirks that shape its signature style. This one owes its existence to a kiln fire that burned longer and hotter than usual, altering the malt resting just above it. The whisky was then fully matured in American oak bourbon casks, allowing the intense smoke and unexpected distillation variables to settle into something remarkable.
"The latest instalment in the Elements series is palpably fuller than the previous editions. Definitely the extended roasting in the kiln accentuated chocolate and coffee notes. Delicious!"
Michael Monte
Spirits buyer, but in French (& sometimes Mandarin)
Tasting notes (producer)
Charcoal, chocolate and spice. Deep smouldering charred peat notes layered with a wash of maritime brine. Sweet and citrusy; vanilla, lemon zest and butterscotch. A hint of cinnamon spice, plums and dates draws you in and invites you to take a sip.
A roar of intense peaty characters which tingle and warms the palette, intermingled with notes of roasted cocoa beans and bitter dark chocolate. As the rich phenolic characters subside, a tangy fruitiness comes to the fore with the introduction of blackberry, plum, and gooseberry notes with indulgent characters of a crème brûlée.
Long-lasting and drying, with elongated notes of iodine, leather and sooty chimney smoke.
Dailuaine 16 Year Old 2008 (MoM)
Scotch single malt whisky, Speyside region
Sherry and rum cask collide in this utter beauty of a single malt Scotch whisky from Dailuaine, matured for 16 years between 2008 and 2025, and bottled by us for our exclusive Master of Malt collection. The whisky began its maturation in a refill sherry hogshead, then transferred to a refill rum cask, bringing just the right layer upon layer of rich fruit, honeyed sweetness, and subtle tropical funk. A release of 425 bottles, without added colour or chill filtration.
"I can see why Sam chose this as the headliner in our first batch of shiny new-look MoM bottlings. It's a stunner, with funky tropical fruit, boiled sweets, and creamy condensed milk. More please!"
Emma Symons
Whisky word-engine, rum nut, imperial stout maven & MoM OG
Tasting notes
Apple pastries, doughy. Buttery shortbread, vanilla. Creamy, zesty notes of gooseberry fool, yeasty bread/Champagne?, a hint of blue cheese?! drying hay, a touch of funky fruit, porridge, pithy tangerine.
Gorgeous creamy, tropical, with vanilla custard, banoffee, candied mango, Werther's Original. Gentle ginger in the distance, toffee ripple, tangy, overripe fruit, green and yellow fruit pastilles.
Rusk biscuits, buttery oak, condensed milk, caramel, sweet citrus, dried mango, boiled sweeties, estery and delicious, long, with a touch of spice - ginger/nutmeg creeping on the edges so it lingers even longer.
Glencadam 10 Year Old
Scotch single malt whisky, Speyside region
The multi-award-winning Glencadam 10 Years Old is aged exclusively in American oak bourbon barrels and is neither coloured nor chill-filtered to allow the grassy-fresh, citrusy, and smooth distillery character to shine.
"I love how whisky bars have a 'Malt of the Month', and I revisited this at The Pot Still in Glasgow recently. It's easy to forget the great 'core standards' with all of the new releases these days. It's Glencadam's 200th anniversary this year (and perhaps the long awaited opening of their visitor centre too)."
Dave Worthington
Olive-fueled, affable & beardy award-winning whisky ambassador
Tasting notes
Aromatic and fresh. Hay, fruit, gentle wood influence with light vanilla and spice.
Beautifully balanced with tart fruits, freshly cut hay and vanilla sweetness.
Long and gentle as it fades out on barley malt and fruit.
Bardstown Straight Wheated
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
The folks at Bardstown Bourbon Co. are all about pushing boundaries, and this Kentucky straight wheated bourbon boasts a mash bill with a whopping 39% wheat alongside 53% corn, and 8% malted barley. The use of wheat instead of rye achieves a softer texture with less spice, and plenty of bready, pastry-like character. Matured for six years, and bottled at a robust 53% ABV.
"I was given a bottle of this for my birthday, and it's one that will stay with me. It’s everything you could want from a wheated bourbon, and then some. At 53% ABV you can pour it over ice for a cracking highball without losing any of that Bardstown character. Perfect."
Thomas Burton
Customer service guru, translator to the dev team & MoM OG
Tasting notes (Producer)
Ripe apricot and lemon rest on leather and crème brûlée.
A bold palate of oak and pastry.
A lightly spiced, full-bodied finish.
*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.
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