Today is St Andrews Day, which means there’s no excuse needed to reach for a bottle of Scotch. And since today is also Cyber Monday, the good news is that there are plenty of great bargains to be found if you’re buying online.
Scotch is one of the most popular whisky styles in the world. Scotland’s damp, cool climate is ideal for making whisky, with distilleries all over the country: from the Borders in the south up to the islands of Orkney.
Blends, made from a combination of malt and grain whiskies, account for most of the Scotch market. But single malts – small-batch whiskies that are produced at one distillery using only barley, water and yeast – are much sought-after by whisky lovers.
There are also blended malts – a mix of two or more single malts – and single grain whiskies, which, as the name suggests, come from a named grain distillery.
Whether you already have a favourite style or brand of Scotch, or you’re looking to discover something new, Cyber Monday is a great time to buy. Amazon UK has a selection of deals across its whisky range. But we’ve also hand-picked these deals from specialist whisky retailers if you can’t decide what to buy…
Highland Park Viking Pride 18 Year Old
From the northernmost single malt Scotch whisky distillery in the world, on the Orkney Islands. A consistently excellent dram.
£105 Now £93.95 at The Whisky Exchange (Save £11.05)
Glenfarclas 25 Year Old
A Speyside single malt, finished in Sherry casks for a smooth and silky texture, plus flavours of fruit cake, nuts, chocolate and coffee.
£125 Now £115 at The Whisky Exchange (Save £10)
Tomatin 18 Year Old
This Highland single malt is finished in Oloroso Sherry casks. Notes of barley sugar, honeycomb, chocolate orange and toasty oak.
£84.90 Now £75.90 at Master of Malt (Save £9)
Johnnie Walker 18 Year Old
Going strong since 1820, this best-selling blended Scotch brand is a safe buy. The 18yo (previously Platinum Label) is rich and refined.
£69.95 Now £61.95 at The Whisky Exchange (Save £8)
Bowmore 15 Year Old
From the legendary Bowmore distillery in Islay, the 15yo is finished in Sherry casks, lending a rich sweetness to the peaty palate.
£50.25 Now £45 at Master of Malt (Save £5.25)