The 10 Most Important Scotch Whiskies of the Last 25 Years

1. The Macallan M

Macallan is easily one of the most famous scotch whisky brands in history. The 2013 release of The  Macallan M helped cement their reputation for ultra-premium collectible bottles. It’s aged in some of Macallan’s oldest and rarest sherry casks and bottled in a handblown Lalique decanter. A bottle of M Imperiale set a new Guinness World Record when it sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong in 2014 for $628,000.

2. Compass Box Quartet Metropolis Blended Scotch Whisky

Founded in 2000 by former Johnnie Walker marketer John Glasser, Compass Box is a pioneering artisanal distillery with a controversial reputation. The brand set out to shaking up the industry by listing out the exact composition and age of each component. This kicked off a huge debate with Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) claiming this violated EU labelling laws. Compass Box responded with a transparency campaign that gained massive support.

Their Extinct Blends Quartet is a four-part series that recreates classic blended Scotches that have long since disappeared. Metropolis uses some of their rarest single malts from Aberlour Distillery, Miltonduff Distillery and Bowmore Distillery. It's a magnificent introduction to Compass Box and their unique approach to making world-class whiskey.

3. Ardbeg 10 Year Old

Ardbeg earns their place on our list of top-rated scotch whiskies with their iconic 10 Year Single Malt which helped save the distillery and revive Islay’s reputation. The story begins in the 1990s when Ardbeg was nearly shuttered for good and peaty Islay single malt was just a small niche product. Glenmorangie snapped up the distillery in 1997 and released the Ardbeg 10 Year in 2000 as their new flagship. Heavily peated with balancing notes of citrus and sea spray, the Ardbeg introduced a whole new generation of Scotch drinkers to this style.

4. Bruichladdich “Octomore” Series

Ardbeg also laid the groundwork for Octomore, which is today known as the world’s most heavily peated whisky thanks to Bruichladdich’s obsession with pushing the boundaries. The mothballed Islay distillery reopened in 2001 and introduced Octomore as a challenge to an industry that prizes age above everything else.

Octomore pushes peat-derived phenol levels as high as 300ppm, while regular whiskies like Ardbeg come in at 40-60ppm, and limited aging to five years or less. The result is a powerful yet balanced Scotch that truly offers something different.

5. Glenfiddich 12 Year Old

Glenfiddich deserves a spot here for their role in putting single malt Scotch in our glasses, often for the very first time. They were the first distillery to globally market single malt in the 1960s and 1970s, and the 12 Year Old helped introduce millions to the spirit in the last couple of decades. It's a best-seller all over the globe thanks to its light, clean and fruity flavor profile honed in a blend of American oak and sherry casks.

6. Dalmore 62

Just 12 bottles of the Dalmore 62 were produced, making it one of the rarest Scotches on the planet. It was created by blending four casks from 1868, 1878, 1926, and 1939 and aged for a 62 years before bottling. Serious collectors regard the Dalmore 62 one of the best limited edition Scotch whiskies on the market, with a pair of bottles fetching $335,000 at Sotheby's in 2020.

7. Lagavulin 16 Year Old

The Lagavulin 16 earned its cult status thanks to Nick Offerman’s character Ron Swanson in “Parks and Recreation” who eventually ends up owning the distillery. The popularity of the show inspired millions to buy whisky and to embrace Lagavulin’s elegant bottling that emphasizes restraint and maturity over heavy handed peat.

8. Springbank 12 Year Old Cask Strength

Springbank**** makes the list for their emphasis on authenticity, quality, and stil doing everything from malting to bottling in-house at their Campbeltown distillery. The 12 Year Cask Strength is bottled at 55-57% ABV and released in small, seasonal batches. It’s prized amongst Scotch aficionados because each release is slightly different and demand vastly outstrips supply.

9. Highland Park 18 Year Old

Highland Park has been another quiet giant on the Scotch whisky scene over the past couple of decades with their 18 Year Old often named the “most balanced whisky in Scotland”. The 18 has won multiple awards from Whisky Advocate for its careful composition of peat and sherry cask.

10. Glenmorangie Signet

No list of the most iconic scotch whiskies would be complete without mentioning Glenmorangie’s innovative Signet. This unique Scotch uses heavily-roasted barley which is typically used in stout beer rather than whiskey production. The result is a genre-busting flavor profile with deep notes of coffee beans, mocha, and warming spice.

Where To Buy Rare Scotch Whiskies

Looking to buy whiskey online? Check out our online whiskey store with a special collection of fine and rare whiskies. Order whiskey online you’ll get your whisky delivery direct to your door.

Or drop by our Bottle Barn liquor store in Santa Rosa and ask our experts for their recommendations! We’re always on the hunt for new and rare whiskies to add to our whiskey online store, so we’re sure you won’t leave empty-handed.