The Highland Park 12 has been receiving high marks for about as long as there have been people to drink it. Moreover, this whisky hits that nice balance of good taste, regular availability and relative affordability. They are also a 21st century distillery, with a website full of short videos on their products, history, and the joy of malted exploration.
What’s not to love from Ardbeg? Named for Loch Uigeadail (pronounced oog-a-dal) where the distillery gets its water, the Gaelic translates as “dark and mysterious.” A lost reading of the Uigeadail must also connote “peaty.”
Located in North East Scotland, the Glen Garioch distillery produces its whisky in small batches, tucked away in the fertile hills that bring out a lot of character. Lucky bastards. The Glen Garioch 12 Year is part of the distillery’s main line of offerings.