Top 10 Whiskies
October 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 October.
Girvan 40 Year Old 1985 (Master of Malt 40th Anniversary Bottling)
Scotch single grain whisky
Yes, it's Master of Malt's 40th Anniversary! A big birthday calls for a special bottle, and we've pulled out all the stops for ours with this single grain Scotch from Girvan that's as old and distinguished as we are! MoM began trading in 1985, the very same year this whisky was distilled. Over the next 40 years, we grew from a small town mail-order whisky bottler into a titan of the interwebs, and this whisky slumbered soundly in a refill sherry butt becoming an impressively dram. A release of 473 bottles, without added colour or chill filtration.
"It's a luxury when the opportunity arises to try a whisky with age like this (not that being born in the '80s makes you old!). Bottled for our 40th, it's packed with Crunchie bars and syrupy pudding."
Emma Symons
Whisky word-engine, rum nut, imperial stout maven & MoM OG
Tasting notes
Rich, dense layers of chewy toffee, treacle, and old oak, with buttery pastry and candied pecans in tow. Milk chocolate, grilled banana, and vanilla fudge. A subtle touch of polished wood in the distance.
Silky caramel opens the way for mouth-filling layers of sweet, biscuity malt, caramelised nuts, crumbly fudge, and rich oaken vanilla and spice. Crunchie bars, brown sugar, and a warming touch of cinnamon develop in time.
Sweet old oak and toffee linger, with syrupy pudding, honeyed prunes, and balanced layers of tannic, earthy spice in the depths.
Lochlea’s Single Estate Orchard & Oak
Scotch single malt, Lowland region
Orchard & Oak joins Lochlea’s first core range, a trio of whiskies crafted entirely from barley grown, distilled, and matured on-site in Ayrshire. This bright and fruit-driven single malt has been matured in a trio of first-fill bourbon, virgin American oak, and Calvados casks, creating a vibrant balance. It carries the distillery’s hallmark cereal and grassy freshness while leaning into a lively apple-forward profile. It's bottled at 46% ABV, natural colour, and non-chill filtered.
"I like these apples. Very much. Bourbon, new oak and Calvados casks bring crunchy fruit, honeyed sweetness and creamy toffee to this Lochlea single malt. Easy, tasty, done."
Adam O'Connell
Whisky nerd and certified mate of Ainsley Harriott
Tasting notes
Rosey Apple sweets, dry hay, potpourri, coffee fudge, and cinnamon-dusted pastries.
Juicy apples are right at the core of this, with flinty minerality, sweet barley, honey, creamy toffee, coffee cake with cream, and whisky-stained oak in support.
Sweet and long with more orchard fruit and cereal.
Inchmoan 12 Year Old
Scotch single malt whisky, Highland region
12 year old peated single malt from the Loch Lomond distillery, released under the Inchmoan name. Just another example of how adaptable Loch Lomond's set-up is - they're able to make all sorts of styles and characters of whisky, using different stills, cut points, yeasts and more. Named after an island on Loch Lomond (the lake), Inchmoan single malt is heavily peated and made using the distillery's straight-necked pot stills with plates in the neck (aka lomond stills).
"I've tasted a lot of peated whisky lately. This one was a pleasant mocha coffee & oolong tea surprise, from the ever-fascinating and varied Willy Wonker factory that is Loch Lomond distillery."
Jake Mountain
Resident doer of things, spirits buff & MoM OG
Tasting notes
Mint leaf, burnt wood, a hint of medicinal peat.
Spicy as it opens, with plenty of black pepper and cinnamon. Soon enough, layers of toffee develop to balance it out.
Fruitier notes arrive on the finish.
Fettercairn Vanguard 1st Release
Scotch single malt whisky, Highland region
Part of Fettercairn's impressive Scottish Oak Programme, and new Vanguard Series. Master whisky maker Gregg Glass collaborated with Speyside Cooperage to build 200-litre hybrid casks using wind-felled Highland Scottish Oak for the heads, and American oak staves for the body. The whisky began its life in first-fill bourbon casks before being transferred into these hybrid casks, where the influence of the Scottish oak adds depth, texture, and a subtle spice to Fettercairn’s signature tropical vibrancy.
"The maturation in hybrid casks made from American and Scottish oak result in vibrant floral honey, raspberries and tropical fruit notes (ripe pineapple and mango) along with soft spices. It is a limited release, so better enjoy while you can!"
Michael Monte
Spirits buyer, but in French (& sometimes Mandarin)
Tasting notes by the producer
Warm floral honey, ripe pineapple, Alphonso mangos, subtle fresh raspberries and soft pâtisserie spices.
Vibrant balance of fresh and exotic tropical fruit notes, including grilled pineapple, mangos and dried apricots. These develop through to fresh vanilla pod, rich cereal and balanced soft spices notes.
Evolutions of exotic fruits, delicate red berries, warm vanilla and cassia bark.
Tomatin 14 Year Old Port Wood Finish
Scotch single malt whisky, Highland region
The Tomatin 14 Year Old was introduced to the core range in 2014. It features Highland single malt matured in bourbon barrels as well as specially selected Port casks, imparting wine-like sweetness to the whisky.
"It's been a while since I finished my old style bottle of Tomatin 14, but I recently had an opportunity to taste this current core standard, and I was pleasantly surprised. I love a good Port finished whisky and this is beautifully integrated. Hats off to Tomatin!"
Dave Worthington
Olive-fueled, affable & beardy award-winning whisky ambassador
Tasting notes
Quite a powerful nose. Big bunches of red berries and grapes. Vanilla, oak and hints of white pepper.
Dark chocolate dipped in strawberries. Crushed almonds, walnuts, Victoria sponge (with plenty of the prerequisite jam and cream in the middle) and a centre of oak.
Fruity on the finish.
Bain’s Shiraz Cask 10 Year Old Single Grain
South African single grain whisky
This limited edition South African single grain whisky from Bain's was originally released as a Travel Retail exclusive. The whisky spent its initial five years of maturation in bourbon casks, followed by another five years finishing in American oak shiraz red wine casks, bringing generous layers of earthy red fruit and vanilla to the toffee and spice at its core. Bottled at cask strength, and in a nice big one-litre bottle too.
"One of the world's most recognised single grain whiskies, made by the great Andy Watts, aged no less than 10 years, and bottled at an insane ABV of 63.5% for under £45? Yup. TAKE. MY. MONEY."
Sam Simmons
Whiskevangelist, Blender of the Year & guitar shredder
Tasting notes by producer
Bold, rich notes of shiraz-soaked oak lead the way, backed by vanilla, ripe fruit salad, and a touch of pepper.
Drying and tannic, with vinous red fruits, bold oak, toffee, and cacao.
Woody spices, spiced red fruits, robust oak, grilled pineapple, and vanilla.
Lindores Ex Rum Peated Cask
Scotch single malt whisky, Lowland region
This limited edition Lowlander from Lindores Abbey was distilled in 2019 and matured in a single peated cask that previously held rum until bottling in 2025. The cask yielded an outturn of 231 bottles, bottled at cask strength and released exclusively to the UK market.
"Ex peat and ex rum cask?! Charred pineapple, salted caramel and burnt toffee. Exotic and smoky all in one. Just 231 bottles of this exist, minus the ones I buy for myself. Lovely stuff from the team at Lindores."
Chris Wood
Spirits buyer, spirits seller & spirits drinker (& also MoM OG)
Tasting notes
Zesty and coastal, with soft peat smoke and burnt sugar.
Toffee apple, soft brown sugar, then floral notes of spiced honey, with earthy peat smoke resting in the depths.
Salted caramel, soft smoke, buttered crackers, peppery peat, and toffee.
Glenmorangie A Tale of Spices
Scotch single malt whisky, Highland region
Transport your taste buds to an oriental spice market with A Tale of Spices from Glenmorangie, marrying four cask types together for a mosaic of flavours! This single malt matured in a combo of Moroccan red wine, new charred oak, Pedro Ximénez, and STR (shaved, toasted, and recharred) red wine casks for a medley of aromatic sweetness and spice.
"Delicate burst of orchard fruits and honeyed malt, layered with soft floral notes and a whisper of oak. Perfect before the temperatures are dropping, a clean and elegant dram with gentle spice that makes you want more!"
Michael Monte
Spirits buyer, but in French (& sometimes Mandarin)
Tasting notes
Elegant layers of floral malt and honey, jasmine tea, and sweet oak, backed by notes of liquorice, nutmeg, and savoury spice.
Warming waves of ginger and peppercorn are cushioned by notes of brown sugar, candied almonds, nougat, and hibiscus.
A touch of clove, gently tannic, leathery oak, Murray Mints, and sweet peppermint tea.
Maker's Mark 46
Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey
The first line extension to the Maker's Mark range since the '50s, Maker's 46 is essentially the standard wheated expression with added spice. This bourbon wasn't intended to compete with the core expression, instead it's a cousin to it, something different for those that enjoy the extra dimension provided by inserting seared French oak staves into the barrels (with the stave profile "number 46" - thus the name).
"I know I bang on about how much I love rye whisky, so this might come as a bit of a surprise - a bourbon with no rye in its mashbill! I've always got a bottle of Maker's in the cabinet, such a beautiful soft, yet rich bourbon full of flavour. It's the seared French oak staves that bring a 'je ne sais quoi'."
Dave Worthington
Olive-fueled, affable & beardy award-winning whisky ambassador
Tasting notes
Toffee sweetness and the saw dust from freshly cut wood. Has a very toasty aroma, with sweet spices and deep, thick caramel.
Creamy and very soft. Then it opens up, in fact it explodes with spiciness which concentrates on the tip of the tongue. It’s on nutmeg, mulled wine spices, allspice, cinnamon. Also a hint of hot apple juice.
A natural progression of the palate with the sweet spices and it concentrates on the tongue – this may be one of the few times you’ll notice a concentration of sweetness like this from a bourbon. It also becomes grassy after a minute or so.
Master of Malt Favourites Whisky Advent Calendar (2025 Edition)
Various styles
Guess what? Plenty of whiskies that have featured in our Top 10 Whiskie of the Month also feature in this here Advent calendar chock full of our faves! Makes sense really. So why pick one whisky when you can pick this, which is 25 MoM recommended treats? Or check out the other Drinks by the Dram Whisky Advent Calendars, starting from £74.95. The perfect way to find some new favourites for yourself while you count down to Christmas. They also makes an excellent gifts, obv...
"I love this calendar because it turns the impossible question of choosing a favourite whisky into a daily ritual of discovery. Each wax-sealed dram feels like a personal recommendation, and I get to explore 25 brilliant producers without the pressure of picking just one."
Charlotte Gorzelak
Social media empress & "the Dr. Frankenstein of cocktails"
*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.
Vintage Whisky
Buy and explore whiskies from specific years and decades, perfect to mark a birthday or other special occasion.
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