If you’re shopping for a whisky lover this Valentine’s Day then we’ve picked our top whiskies which would make ideal gifts.
From special cask finishes to stunning single malts and the best blends, there’s something for all tastes.
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Best for: those that love a rich whisky
Buy a bottle, priced at £68 from the Whisky Exchange.
This 14 Year Old Tawny Port single malt is an ideal dram to raise a toast this Valentine’s Day – a befittingly aged whisky to celebrate this date in the calendar.
This whisky reflects Tomatin distillery’s style and craftsmanship, and is a soft, smooth and sweet single malt.
It was benefitted from its time spent in tawny port casks, which previously held port for around 50 years which gives it a rich yet balanced aromas of red berries, sweet honey and rich toffee which develop into notes of light fruits and nuts on the palate, leading into a finish of smooth fruit salad.
Best for: those that love to try new drams
Buy the tasting set, priced at £19.95, from Master of Malt here.
Why buy one whisky when you can buy five? This tasting set is a must-try for fans of independent bottlers, That Boutique-y Whisky Company.
It includes the brand’s multi-award winning core range and is an eclectic mix, capturing the spirit of small-batch craftsmanship with five unique expressions to explore from 18 year old Peated Highland to Canadian Corn.
Bets for: Outlander fans
Buy the Sassenach whisky for £79.95 from Master of Malt here
If you’re buying for an Outlander fan who also loves whisky, surely there’s no better gift than Jamie Fraser’s whisky?
Launched in the UK in 2020, the whisky is a nod to the nickname Sam Heughan’s character Jamie has given his on-screen love interest Claire on the show.
The Sassenach is a blend that is made by Loch Lomond Whiskies for Sam Heughan. In late 2020 Sam Heughan joined us on our podcast Scran to chat about his whisky, as well as why he chose a blend over a single malt, how it was almost made in America and his re-discovered love of Scotland through filming Outlander.
Best for: chocolate lovers
Buy a bottle, priced at £4,000, from The Whisky Shop here.
This Highland blended malt brand has worked with the Highland Chocolatier to offer pairing advice for whisky and chocolate fans this Valentine’s Day.
This aptly named whisky pairs well with the award-winning chocolatier’s Assam Tea and Sweet Spice Velvet Truffle.
As for the whisky, it’s a rich dram with spice notes reminiscent of Christmas cake. Distilled in the mid-sixties and bottled and cask strength, it’s a pricey bottle but there’s only 288 of this rare whisky available.
Best for: those that love a strong whisky
Buy a bottle, priced at £65, from the distillery here.
Isle of Raasay Distillery have recently released the third edition of their Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
Following two sell-out years, this latest expression showcases the island’s signature Na Sia six-cask maturation process and house style, lightly peated with rich dark fruit flavours, but this time with no dilution for maximum flavour sitting at a bold 61.6% ABV.
This limited-edition release uses the same unique six cask recipe as The Draam but bottled at a natural cask strength.
Na Sia (meaning ‘The Six’ in Gaelic) is Raasay’s signature cask recipe where peated and unpeated spirit is matured separately in three distinct cask types: Rye Whiskey, virgin Chinkapin oak, and Bordeaux red wine, before being married together to produce their house style.
The result is a lightly peated whisky with an elegant yet powerful profile full of rich dark fruit notes and a well-balanced profile of spice, smoke and sweetness.
Best for: peated whisky fans
Buy a bottle, priced at £101, from Master of Malt here
This Feis Ile 2024 release from Ardbeg is still available in some stores, and it’s a lovely dram - if you like that Islay smoke.
The distillery’s first whisky aged in port casks, this limited edition whisky showcases a spectacle of flavours never before tasted at Ardbeg.
The whisky has been wholly matured in port barrels which brings a richness and a twist of pale pink colour to the Islay malt.
Other tasting notes include dark chocolate, mint, aromas of candied fruit, incense candles and smoked pecans.
Best for: a bargain buy
Buy a bottle, priced at £18.49, from your local Lidl
Lidl’s Ben Bracken Islay Single Malt has recently been named the best tasting whisky at the World Whisky Awards, prompting the retailer to celebrate with a cheeky photoshoot inspired by the Glenmorangie collaboration with Harrison Ford.
Lidl’s Ben Bracken Islay Single Malt was awarded Gold at the World Whisky Awards, and voted best tasting in its category.
Produced on the Isle of Islay, a region famed with some of the most distinctive tasting characteristics and home to a plethora of world-renowned premium brands, Lidl’s Ben Bracken is a powerful whisky is packed with a barrage of recognisable peat and smoke flavours, making it an ideal gift for smokey whisky fans.
Aromas of tangy sea spray, bonfire smoke, salted bananas and baked apples arouse the senses. Fit for a Hollywood palette, the obviously peaty aroma is backed up by sponge pudding and candied orange.
