​Supermarket Single Malt: Quick Fire Roundup

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If your main source of whisky is from a supermarket then you might want too know what is worth buying and worth leaving on the shelf. If you don't know about NAS Vs. Age Statement whisky, peated whisky Vs. non-peated whisky, cask finishes and the strengths of whisky then this is a guide to selecting the best single malts in Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's, or wherever you do your shopping. Supermarket single malts fall roughly into the two categories:

• Up to £35
• Up to £50

Of course there are always offers on in any supermarket and so there is always the chance of a bargain. However, make sure you are buying whisky with Age Statements at the supermarket level. There is some terrible NAS whisky on supermarket shelves for only a few pounds less than the whisky from the same distillery with a number on it. Laphroaig Select Reserve, Penderyn Legend and Dalwhinnie Winters Gold are examples of this. For more information see the article on NAS whisky:

Link: Non Age Statement Whisky: The Battle Grounds

Peated Whisky: Very popular and en vogue right now, but not too everyone's taste. These whisky's will have medicinal notes on the nose and palate such as TCP, or like sucking on a Fishermans Friend.

In terms of quality it's a two way battle of Ardbeg 10 Vs. Lagavulin 16. These distilleries are barely a mile apart on the south shore of the Hedridean island of Islay and are the entry level bottlings of two of my favourite distilleries. Ardbeg 10 is slightly cheaper and is non chillfiltered and bottles at 46%; if you don't know about chill filtration just take my word that not doing it is a good thing. Ardbeg is a heavily peated, rich but light and fruity whisky; green apples, gooseberry' etc. I very enjoyable drink for those who like peated whisky.

Lagavulin 16 is not chilfiltered and is bottled at 43% ABV and is artificially coloured with caramel. It is a richer whisky than the Ardbeg due to the incorporation of whisky matured in casks that previously contained Oloroso sherry. Again this is a fine whisky coming in just shy of the £50 mark with a red fruit compliment to the heavy peat; raisins, currants etc.

For just over £30 you can buy Laphroaig 10; also from the south shore of Islay, a mile down the road from Lagavulin in the opposite direction to Ardbeg. Laphroaig is again heavily peated but bottled at 40% and this really holds it back. Upon opening a fresh bottle it's peaty, smokey, but also a range of nuanced molasses and fruity notes. However at 40% ABV it is also a little thin and watery on the palette. The big issue with Laphroaig 10 comes over time where the smoke dominates and the sweetness flattens out and the whisky loses its charm and interest. This oxidisation process will be due in part to the relatively low alcohol content. As such Laphroaig 10 shouldn't be left on the shelf indefinitely as it will become a very boring whisky.

The outsider in this selection is Jura Prophecy. Jura is an island adjacent to Islay and Jura is the only distillery on the island. I'm not a Jura fan; however I have recently tasted the Jura Prophecy again. The first time I bought a bottle it was good whisky but seemed rather one-dimensional; just Peat and honey. However my opinion has very much changed having tried a recent batch and Jura Prophecy is arguably the finest whisky available on a standard supermarket shelf; again, if you like peated whisky.

Cask finished Whisky: An excellent way to get flavour into whisky is to take your spirit aged in American Oak barrels and put it into European Oak barrels which used to contain some form of wine.  For more information see the article on Nature Vs. Nurture in whisky:

Link: Whisky: Nature Vs. Nurture Part 02

Glenmorangie were one of the first to do this and their range takes their regular 10 yr Old and finishes the whisky for a further two years in either Oloroso sherry (Lasanta), Sauternes (Nectar D'or), or Port (Quinta Ruba). All of this bottlings are nonchilfiltered and 46% ABV. In this range my favourite is the Nectar D'or, but all of three offer a very different flavour to a whisky that has only been matured in EC-bourbon American Oak. The Balvenie is also on supermarket shelves with its 12 yr Old Double Wood (Oloroso sherry cask finish) and it's 14 yr Old Caribbean Cask (run Cask finish). These are both adequate whisky's that certainly won't offend, but at 40% ABV and chill filtered I'd look toward Glenmorangie.

The Lasanta is also an award winner as the 2017 International Wine and Spirits Awards (IWSA) in the category of 'Best Highland Single Malt Whisky'. 

The outsider in this selection is the Penderyn Madeira cask. This is the standard bottling from Welsh distillery Pendeyn and is also unchilfiltered and bottled at 46%. Madeira seems to be more famous these days for terrible statues and busts of Christiano Ronaldo; but they also make a fortified wine, barrels which were once used for this have made their way to Wales to help construct this fine whisky. Please do not confuse the Madeira cask with the Penderyn Legend in a bright red box with a dragon on. Unfortunately the Legend is truly awful whisky and should not be purchased unless you really don't like the person you are buying it for.

The Rest: Whisky has for a long time been primarily matured in American White Oak barrels that used to contain bourbon. This is partially due to a law attached to the repeal of prohibition stating that bourbon must be matured in new 'virgin oak' barrels. As such these barrels once emptied are useless to the American whisky industry and are shipped over to Scotland.

The clear winner in this category is Oban 14. Oban is a remote distillery in the north west of the Highlands and produces an enjoyable, relatively light but complex whisky with very pleasing orange notes to balance the honey sweetness and oakiness from the wood. Oban 14 is shy of £50 and is chill filtered and bottled at 43%.

There are a number of solid whisky's available on this bracket but none particularly excite. A balanced whisky that offer a bit of peat, a bit of sherry and a heather honey sweetness is Highland Park 12 yr Old from Orkney distillery of the same name. Talisker 10 from the Island of Skye offers similar balance of a touch of peat, a richness on the pallete, but also a coast salty sea spray character to bring balance to it. In terms of non peated whisky, Glenmorangie 10 is like it's cask finished sisters a solid whisky that represents a typical Speyside style.

The outsider in this selection is the Glenfiddich 15 yr Old Distillers Edition. Don't confuse with the standard Glenfiddich 15 yr Old; the Distillers Edition comes in a grey tin and is unchilfiltered and bottled at 50% ABV. This can definately be described as 'proper whisky' and is rich, mouthfilling, and with a peppery kick. It's an outsider because I've only seen this bottling in Asda (apart from specialist retailers) and comes in at £50; although it has been known to be on offer as low as £40. This is a much better choice than The Glenlivet 16 yr Old Nadurra which is also unchilfiltered and bottled at Cask strength. I was lucky enough to buy one amazing bottle of Nadurra which is sadly nearly gone, but usually you'll get a very average experience.

I hope this quick fire roundup has been useful; especially if supermarkets are your main source of single malt.

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