Single malt whiskey is a scotch produced by one single distillery made from single malted grain, which most commonly is barley.
Being that it comes from a single malt, it is typically more intense in flavor and is, therefore, very popular among the whiskey enthusiasts.
Single malt scotch is also typically smooth and very explorative. It ages for a minimum of three years, but there are some single malts that age for 50 years and even more.
Needless to say, the older the single malt scotch is, the more expensive it is, and though the older the single malt scotch, the better, the super old single malts aren’t the only good ones.
Also check: 20 Best Blended Scotch Whiskeys
If you want to sip an excellent single malt scotch, you will have to be ready to pay for it, as it doesn’t come cheap.
What is considered cheap or affordable in the single malts department are those single malts that cost less than $100. Just for comparison, a cheap version of another spirit would be under $50, for example, so even the single malt scotch isn’t that cheap.
Also check: 20 Best Cheap Bourbon Brands
Even though there are single malts that cost a few hundred and maybe even a few thousand dollars, you can find a good single malt scotch for under $100. So what are the best single malt scotches under $100?
Top 20 Single Malt Scotch Under $100
In this article, I will give you a list of the 20 best single malt scotches under $100, so keep reading to fund out which ones will give you the luxurious feeling only single malts can provide without emptying your wallet.
1. Macleod’s Single Malt Speyside Scotch
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Priced at $42, the distillery of which is kept in secrecy, this single malt scotch depicts and nourishes the supreme Scottish craftsmanship and mastery of the art of single malt scotch making.
Aged eight years, it is considered a young spirit, but still, for the astoundingly low price, you will be getting a well-matured beverage.
It is decadently rich on the nose and on the palate as well. It seduces you with the pungent aromas of fruit peels, smelling like cherries and plums.
It continues to exhibit notes of dried fruits, sherry, honey, and spices mid-palate, whereby keeping the initially established flavor profile transferring from the nose onto the palate.
The finish is long and smooth, with the recognizable whiskey smokiness and woody notes. It keeps releasing flavors even after you swallow, so the aftertaste is just as delightful as the palate.
Also check: 20 Top Shelf Whiskeys
2. Kilkerran 12-Year Single Malt
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Priced at roughly $79, this single malt scotch is very reasonably priced for the quality it offers.
Kilkerran 12-Year Single Malt is the flagship expression of the Glengyle Distillery and is, therefore, impeccably delicious and very flavorful.
It ages for 12 years in used sherry and ex-bourbon barrels, acquiring the notes of the spirits that came before, becoming deep in taste, color, and texture.
The nose is very enticing, inviting you with notes of fruit and earthy tones that also continue in the palate. Mid-palate, it reveals new notes while keeping the ones it previously exhibited. It is fruity and earthy with notes of cinnamon, dried fruit, smoke, and black pepper tones.
As you approach the finish, the peppery notes become the most dominant ones, while the rest of the flavors subdue. The finish is long and smooth, leaving a delicious and lingering aftertaste.
3. Balblair Single Malt Scotch 2000
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Priced at about $80, this single malt scotch is known for its finish more than for its taste. It has an exceptionally smooth finish with a very long aftertaste which is just as intense as the mid-palate.
If I were to describe it in a single word encompassing its essence, that word would be memorable, as you really can’t forget it. Tasting like candied fruits, honey, nougat, caramel, and vanilla with slight marshmallow notes, it is beyond rich, with a buttery, almost creamy texture.
Aging for ten years in American oak ex-bourbon barrels, it inherits the playfulness of the bourbon while keeping and augmenting the class of the single malt scotch. Ideal for both single-malt scotch and bourbon aficionados.
4. Macgavins Highland Single Malt Scotch
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With a price as low as $26, this single malt scotch is a real bargain considering its quality. It is very versatile, encompassing a whole palette of flavors, each boasting in the sun when its time comes.
The most noticeable and expressive tasting notes of this single malt scotch are the smokiness and woodiness, but that isn’t all it has to offer. These tones wrap up the rest of the flavors, creating an excellently balanced unity of tasting notes.
In addition to the smoky and woody notes, it also exhibits tones of dried fruits, sweet cherries, vanilla, and a slight spiciness. The finish is impeccably smooth, with a lingering aftertaste and a warm burn.
5. Ardbeg Scotch Corryvreckan Single Malt
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Right on the borderline, costing roughly $100, this single malt scotch is definitely worth every penny and even more than that.
It is a solid and assertive beverage only the bravest ones can appreciate. This is a classic single malt scotch tasting with the textbook flavor sequence, starting with a vanilla tone, followed by slight caramel notes mid-palate, and finishing with a smoky sensation and peppery flavors.
The finish is exceptionally smooth and very seductive; however, it is assertive and strong.
6. The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14-Year-Old Single Malt
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Priced at about $90, this single malt scotch ages for 14 years solely in traditional oak whiskey casks and an ex-Caribbean rum cask. It is, therefore, extraordinarily rich and exceptionally smooth and creamy, almost buttery, you might say.
This single malt scotch is the cake among its peers, tasting like a rich and creamy dessert, including tasting notes of toffee, toasted oak, brown sugar, and tropical fruits. It is as seductive as it sounds, and the finish is genuinely the jewel of this decadent spirit.
It is smooth, retaining the fruity notes and adding a slight seductive smokiness to the whole story.
7. Aberlour 12 Year
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With a price tag saying about $61, Aberlour 12 Year should be a compulsory lesson in your single malt scotch curriculum. Aged for 12 years in ex-sherry casks, it is definitely one of the richest and most delicious single malts in the under $100 category.
Tasting like candied orange peel, ginger, sherry, vanilla, cream, and dried fruits, it is one of the versatile single malts in its category in its price range. The finish is smooth and subtle, with palpable peppery, smoky, and woody notes.
8. Tomintoul Single Malt
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With an average price of about $50, this spirit is an award-winning single malt scotch with a smooth and soft profile with, tasting predominantly like sweet vanilla.
Tomintoul Single Malt is aged for sixteen years in a bourbon cask where it gets a noticeable bourbon dimension.
The bourbon casks give this scotch notes of oak, toffee, vanilla, and spices making it very versatile and exceptionally flavorful. Perfect to sip on the rocks, the finish is smooth as silk with an incredibly gentle and pleasant burn.
9. Bruichladdich – The Classic Laddie
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With an average price of $61, this delightfully delicious whiskey is a very complex, explorative, and versatile beverage. If you want something to talk about, this single malt scotch will give you volumes to tickle your curious bone.
It has a particular taste, though, and not everybody likes it, so with this single malt scotch, you don’t get much of a middle ground. However, you need to try it to decide, and it is definitely worth a chance, at the very least.
It exhibits notes of lemon juice, wood, apple, cinnamon, salt, and oak. It is very rich and pungent, and it may come across as pretty strong. The finish is a bit dry, but smooth nevertheless. However, get ready for the burn, as it is very assertive.
10. Craigellachie 13-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
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This single malt scotch will set you back about $60, and you will be making the best deal of your life if you decide to buy it. Aged for 13 years in ex-sherry and ex-bourbon casks, it is incredibly fruity and floral, with some seriously complex tasting notes.
The nose is natural and floral, with hints of vanilla, and the mid-plate has some serious fudge, toffee, and vanilla-tasting notes you will definitely enjoy. These tones further develop and are enriched by the notes of toasted marshmallows, baked apples, and cloves that the spirit gets from the ex-sherry casks.
It is a very colorful, playful, exploratory, and seductive drink. The finish is impeccably smooth and aromatic.
11. Benromach Single Malt Traditional
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This is one of the best bottles you will get for a price of about $40; this is a young spirit aged in bourbon and sherry casks. However, it is a very mature spirit for its age, do to speak. It has a certain wisdom and a quality you that is rare in such bottles.
It has both ripe and fresh tasting notes, so you get the feeling like it has aged for a long time and no time simultaneously. It tastes mainly natural, fresh, earthy, and grassy, with floral notes and a buttery consistency. The finish is spicy and zesty but very smooth and pleasant.
12. McClelland’s Lowland Single Malt
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Priced at $30, the McClelland’s Lowland Single Malt is a very light and floral single malt scotch with a very pleasant sugary, and sweet nose. It is an overall simple drink, not very complex, but still exploratory enough for the experienced palate.
If you are just beginning to learn about single malts, this is a great way to start your education as this isn’t an overwhelming spirit, and it is perfect for the early training stages of the palate.
With notes of vanilla and citrus, you will love how refreshing this spirit is. The finish is peppery and pretty standard, with no big whoops, but not at all disappointing.
13. Lismore Single Malt
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With no surprises, no astonishments, and no discoveries, this $25 single malt scotch delivers precisely what it promises, a classic taste, a smooth finish, and a warm burn.
Ideal for cocktails but perfectly appropriate for slow sipping as well, it exhibits notes of vanilla and honey, giving you exactly what you bargained for. It may not be the best thing you have ever tried, but it offers excellent value for the price.
14. Glenfiddich Scotch Single Malt Malt Masters
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Costing about $90, this single malt scotch is one of the big boys in its category. Fruity, rich, and really deep-flavored, it has a seductive fruity nose with hints of honey and vanilla, which transfer onto the body of the spirit.
The mid-palate it tastes like plums, almonds, spices, and slightly smoky notes. The finish is elegant and very smooth, leaving a flavorful aftertaste and delightful burn.
15. Aberlour A’bunadh
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For $92, this single malt scotch will give you unique flavors of homemade cake, dried fruits, almonds, and a slight burnt sugar note. It is very enticing on the nose, with intense cherry notes and discrete but noticeable vanilla tones.
Mid-palate, it is sweet, fruity, and dessert-like, with the finish being smooth, flavorful, aromatic, and slightly spicy. It is an overall robust drink with bold and assertive notes.
16. Aberfeldy 12 Year Old
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In a word, this single malt scotch is remarkable and very memorable. It is seductive on the nose and just as attractive on the palate. With tones of vanilla and honey, it is a very rich spirit inviting you to explore it thoroughly and enjoy it just as much.
It is an elegant spirit that mixes excellently in cocktails but is also remarkable as a slow sipper. The finish is velvety and very pleasant. With a price tag of $50, it is undoubtedly underpriced compared to the quality it offers.
17. The Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old
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With a price varying from $75 to $100 depending on where you buy it from, this single malt scotch is a genuine delicacy and an exceptionally refined spirit.
The nose is pretty standard, with tones of citrus and vanilla, fooling you that there is nothing so special about this drink but still inviting you to take it further.
The mid-palate is the star of the show, wrapped in notes of caramel and raisin that continue unraveling, displaying notes of honeyed toffee and candied citrus.
Even though all these flavors are perfectly balanced, the finish rounds them up further, creating a seemingly impossible unity of flavors. Smooth and gentle, yet assertive, the finish is the cherry on top of this delightful drink.
18. Glenmorangie the Cadboll Estate
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For $ 89, this single malt scotch offers you taste and style. It is a very creamy spirit with a soft texture and an incredibly buttery body. The nose is as alluring as the palate, with hints of oak and cherries that rub off onto the body as well.
It continues further with more cherry notes intertwined with vanilla tones, wrapped up in oak and marigolds leading you gently toward the finish. Smooth and gentle, floral and slightly peppery, the finish makes the perfect ending for a perfect story.
19. Laphroaig 10 Year Old
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This single malt scotch is as close as you will ever come to perfection for $60. It is bold, original, full of character, and edgy. It tastes like fruits enveloped in a floral aroma with hints of iodine.
This spirit combines flavors you would never combine yourself, and it does that with grace, taking the process to perfection.
From the nose to the finish, it creates a particular mystery about it you need to discover further with each new sip. This is a very colorful spirit, especially because it tastes different with each new sip, creating an entirely different ambiance.
20. Bowmore 12 Year Old
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Seducing the eyes before it even hits the nose, with the rich shades of amber and honey, this spirit is the “lady in red” among its peers.
Seductive, soft, and assertive, if you like balanced flavors with a bit of edge, this is your drink. With a price tag of about $55, it is definitely with every penny and a bite more.
Tasting like honey and lemon, this is an exceptionally natural and refreshing spirit, enveloped in elegance with an incredibly smooth finish and a pleasant warm burn.
Resources:
- https://www.totalwine.com/theme/best-single-malt-scotch-under-100
- https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-single-malt-whisky-761283
