There’s no better way to celebrate National Scotch Day than to make yourself a nice Scotch cocktail. And while Scotch cocktails are in the minority compared to other liquids in your arsenal, they can also be some of the tastiest.
Whether it be a Scotch Sour, a Bloody & Sand or the simple yet classic Godfather, your choice of drink may be simple but your choice of brand can be a little more complicated.
Sure, Famous Grouse is a staple, and Monkey Shoulder is one of the most requested Scotch brands, but let’s face it, bartenders don’t tend to get excited by Scotch. And as such, we rarely see it brought out from behind the bar.
And that’s understandable. It’s not as adaptable as Vodka, it hasn’t got as much celebrity backing as Tequila, and you’ll never find it in the rap lyrics where Cognac regularly shows up.
But that lack of Scotch visibility means that when we do want to make a scotch cocktail at home, it’s hard to know which Scotch to go for.
You may not think that Scotch in the cocktail world is that invisible after all the Penicillin did come 10th in Drinks International’s top 50 cocktails for 2023, but actually, you’d be hard-pressed to find another one, as it’s the only Scotch-based cocktail on the list.
So which Scotch do you use? We could be difficult and say that the choice of Scotch is an individual choice, but to make things a little clearer, we assembled seven Scotch brands that we think are quite cool and have the added bonus of also being under $US50
The Famous Grouse Blended Scotch Whisky
If you’ve ever thought that The Famous Grouse has similar sweet, honeyed flavours that you often find in some of America’s favourite whiskie you won’t be surprised that it’s aged in American oak and bourbon casks. A famous blend of the finest malts and exceptional grain whiskies, every cask that goes into the making of this iconic whisky is nosed prior to blending. The result is a superior-tasting whisky with notes of dried fruit, buttery shortbread and oak spice, leading to an exceptionally smooth and well-balanced finish. Each year 43 million bottles of The Famous Grouse are enjoyed in no less than 94 global markets.
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Aberfeldy 12 Year Old
Bright, floral and easy to drink, Aberfeldy 12-Year-Old is the only Single Malt on our list. Known as the Golden Dram, it is scented with spices and honeyed plump fruit, with notes of honey, heather overtones and soft, warm spice, followed by a whisper of smoke on the finish. Although it is a Single malt, this is one liquid that is incredibly flexible and ideal for cocktails. Aberfeldy is Gaelic for “the Pool of the Water god”. The water source used by the Aberfeldy distillery for making its whisky is called Pitilie Burn (Gaelic for “Small River” and actually contains deposits of alluvial gold (although apparently, if you pan for gold in this river, whatever you find legally belongs to the King).
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Monkey Shoulder
A bit of a fan favourite, Monkey Shoulder is a Scotch that has been designed to be mixed. It is made by blending three Speyside malts – Balvenie, Glenfiddich and Kininvie and the three metal monkeys on the label represent these three malts. A very malty scotch, it has a finish of spice oak with hints of peppermint. Apparently, the name derives from the traditional malt whisky distillation process in which malted barley was mixed by hand with shovels. This labour-intensive process often caused shoulder injuries to workers, causing their arms to hang low like those of a monkey. This injury was therefore dubbed “monkey shoulder”.
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Naked Malt
This is a brand that wants you to #livenaked, as they believe it’s only then that you can understand what really matters. And what matter here is that the liquid includes top-tier single malts, Macallan and Highland Park and is predominantly matured in first-fill Oloroso sherry casks. And this is where the name derives, as the casks have not contained whisky before; they are called ‘naked’ casks. A versatile whisky, Naked has a nose of cherry compote, toffee and custard, with notes of sultanas, sticky toffee pudding, baked apples, fudge, custard and crème caramel on the palate. It finishes with soft spice, toasted oak and cocoa.
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Copper Dog
Born of the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the Copper Dog pub in the Craigellachie Hotel, Speyside, Copper Dog has been crafted with no fewer than eight fine Speyside single malts slowly married together in old oak casks. With a nose of ripe orchard fruit, berries and a hint of citrus layered above sweet wood and vanilla fudge, this liquid has a rich and creamy mouth feel with notes of toffee apple, caramelized sugars and soft fruits. The name is derived from the Speyside distillery workers who fashioned ‘Copper Dogs’, or bits of copper tubing with a penny soldered to one end and a cork in the other to smuggle out some of the Scotch they made to enjoy with their friends and family.
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Barrelhound Blended Scotch
From the people that brought you the tagline “Life’s too short for whisky without personality” comes Barrelhound, a blended Scotch whisky. The liquid tells the story of its producer, Braeval Distillery, one of the most remote in Scotland, where it is not unusual for the Master Distiller to get snowed in with only his trusty companion. For this, its second release, the brand collaborated with renowned dog dad and artist Topher Brophy comes to this celebration of the weird and wonderful. A liquid is made with two-thirds single malt and one-third blended Scotch whisky and is, as the brand describes, “as unique as its tale” (or did they mean tail?).
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Gladstone Axe The Black Axe
If you’re after something that is a little more spicy and peaty, then Black Axe is well worth a look. Made with a portion of Islay malt whisky, the nose is spicy and fruity, the palate is sweet and oaky with vanilla spice and ginger, while the finish has a light peat smoke. Made from a selection of malt whiskies from 14 different Highland and Islay malt distilleries, this marriage makes for a delicious flavour profile that can be enjoyed by scotch lovers, both new and old. And if you’re curious about the name, Gladstone Axe pays tribute to former UK prime minister William Gladstone (who incidentally is the great-great-great grandfather of the founder), who was a fan of felling trees in his spare time.
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