Batten Down For The Trade War With The Best Bargains In Scotch Whisky

By Richard Thomas

For many years, Scotch Whisky was the most expensive category in world whisky, and has only lately been eclipsed on a general level by Japanese Whisky. Scotch continues to produce the whiskies that command prices on par with that of a new car, but Japanese Whisky has the 12 year old, entry level single malts that cost $200 a bottle. Compared to American Whiskey and Irish Whiskey, one should expect Scotch to be somewhat more expensive wherever one lives.

In America, that cost is set to go up even more thanks to the Trump Administration’s latest move in its floundering trade war, which includes a 25% tariff on Scotch Whisky. A +1/4 price hike has a way of placing favorite bottles, whether for everyday drinking or special occasions, just out of shopping reach. Much like the foreign retaliatory tariffs slapped on bourbon, presumably aimed as a blow at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Scotch tariffs will probably hurt American consumers and the Scotch industry in equal measure.

With Scotch set to get pricier, hunting for bargains becomes more important than ever, and bargains is what will be examined here. Unlike our past article on cheap whiskies priced at under $35, here I intend to review a range of price options, looking for choices that punch heavier than the price tag suggests. For non-American readers, proportions hold steady around the world, so most of what appears here should be a good bargain in your country as well.

Finally, all prices quote what existed before the tariff takes effect. Even after the new taxes are implemented, prices will rise unevenly for months as retailers, distributors and importers respond in different ways.

Aberlour A’Bunadh ($100)
This expression is much loved by Sherryheads and cask strength devotees alike. This Speyside, no age statement (NAS) single malt has been released in a series of cask strength batches, typically ranging from 59 to 61% ABV and drawn entirely from Oloroso Sherry cask-aged stock. To emphasize, that is aged in Sherry casks, not finished in them. That makes A’Bunadh one of the biggest Sherry bombs around, as well as a potent, sweet whisky that is quite useful for introducing bourbon lovers to the wider world of whiskey. Although hardly cheap, it is a good buy.

Black Bottle ($30)
Black Bottle isn’t as fancy as the Edwardian packaging implies. It’s a pleasant, well-rounded Scotch blend that breaks out of the familiar and more mass market options in that class, all while remaining very reasonably priced.

Dewar’s 18 Year Old ($68)
The thing about sales taxes and import duties is that the more expensive the item, they harder they hit your pocket book. American Scotch fans who like to keep a bottle with a decent age statement on the shelf would therefore be advised to stop looking at middle aged or old single malts, and instead look at blended whiskies instead.

On that note, Dewar’s 18 Year Old has a few key advantages. First, it’s a lovely whisky with a sweet, nutty character. It’s also quite reasonably priced (many entry level single malts go for the same amount of money), and unlike several 18 Year Old blended expressions, it’s regularly available.

Glenfiddich 15 Year Old ($60)
A classic expression from a classic brand, The Glenfiddich 15 Year Old is widely recognized as the best value single malt on the market. The whisky is splendid, and that it costs what it does is merely the icing on the cake. Moreover, Glenfiddich 15 was the first whisky of modern times aged using the Solera method, giving it added cachet.

Glenfarclas 25 Year Old ($165)
A common rule of Scotch drinking is that if you want a whisky like The Macallan, but without paying Macallan prices, go for The Glenfarclas. The two Speyside distilleries aren’t identical by any means, but they produce sophisticated, Sherried whiskies with similar flavor profiles. Whereas a Macallan 25 Year Old might cost between $1,700 and $2,800 (!!), a Glenfarclas with the same age statement will set you back a tenth or a twentieth as much, and for no discernible loss of quality. If $165 is outside your price range, try the $100 17 Year Old instead.

Monkey Shoulder ($38)
A major choice for everyday drinking among Scotch fans, Monkey Shoulder is a blend of malt whiskies (vatted malt) from the three distilleries owned by William Grant & Sons: The Balvenie, The Glenfiddich and The Kininvie. The expression packs plenty of Speyside malty goodness in at a very reasonable price tag, although it also serves as a case in point for how tastes might change as prices rise. Monkey Shoulder is set to rise from $40 to $50 a bottle in many markets around the United States, and one can quite easily imagine how such a steep, sudden increase might place this fan favorite outside the everyday drinking budget of even its diehards.

Port Askaig 110 Proof ($75)
Speaking of expensive Scotch, the renown of the peaty, saline island of Islay makes its whiskies a little dearer than those of the Highlands, Lowlands or Speyside. One way to get around that is to pick up an independently bottled Islay whisky, and one of the few labels of that description in regular release is Port Askaig.

The Port Askaig 110 Proof bottling is of an undisclosed Islay malt and draws on youngish whisky, but bottled with potency and showing all the character for which the island is known.