There are some spirits where spending a little more genuinely pays off. Extra time in cask, better raw materials and more considered production can turn a good bottle into something memorable. With others, the difference between £30 and £70 can be much harder to justify.
Whisky, Cognac and aged rum are among the categories where loosening the purse strings can deliver noticeably more depth and complexity. That doesn’t mean blindly buying the most expensive bottle on the shelf, but it does mean knowing where that extra money is likely to be well spent.
From smoky Islay single malt to seriously good Indian whisky and small-production tequila, these are six bottles worth pushing the boat out for, followed by the spirits where you can afford to be a little more restrained.
Single Malt Scotch
Ardbeg Trudernish 15 Years Old
This new single malt Scotch is a permanent addition to the core range of iconic Islay distillery Ardbeg. Trudernish takes its name from an ancient settlement located close to the distillery on the Hebridean island’s southeastern coast. The settlement was home to a legendary well that was said never to freeze.
Trudernish features a trio of cask types for maturation: ex-bourbon, ex-Oloroso sherry and charred new oak. This combination, plus the increased time in wood, gives impressive depth and complexity.
The whisky is bold, smoky, sweet and oily in texture. Expect heady notes of golden syrup, caramelised apricot and heather honey alongside vanilla ice cream, toffee apple and sultana, all wrapped in a blanket of ashy smoke with hints of damp moss and drying seaweed. A sublime whisky.
Buy now at The Whisky Exchange
Tequila
ArteNOM 1414 Reposado
Premium tequila is one of the more interesting corners of the spirits world right now. The big names naturally dominate the shelves, but smaller and more specialist labels are well worth investigating. ArteNOM takes an unusual approach, showcasing tequila from individual distilleries identified by their NOM number.
For this expression, NOM 1414, fermentation takes place in open stainless-steel vats using naturally occurring field yeast strains before the tequila is double-distilled in copper pot stills.
A reposado tequila, which translates as ‘rested’ from Spanish, is matured in oak for between two months and one year. This ArteNOM has a complex flavour profile, with a slight funk and minerality alongside butterscotch, caramel and vanilla, cinnamon spice, floral honey, drying oak and a peppery kick. A tequila for anyone keen to venture beyond the usual suspects.
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Cognac
Ferrand Cognac Ambré
Cognac can offer excellent value at a surprisingly wide range of price points. Scratch below the surface of the big houses and there are plenty of smaller producers to discover, often delivering serious quality without a dramatic jump in price.
Ferrand Cognac was revived by Alexandre Gabriel in 1989 and today works extensively with vineyards in Grande Champagne, Cognac’s premier cru. Its Ambré expression brings together Ugni Blanc and Colombard grapes to create a particularly floral and fruity style.
Ambré is honeyed in nature and packed with green apple and apricot notes, alongside jasmine, vanilla and delicate floral characteristics. It is excellent sipped neat but has enough brightness and structure to add real depth to a classic Sidecar too.
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Indian Single Malts
Paul John PX Select Cask
Indian single malts are having their time in the sun, and Paul John has played a sizeable role in putting the category on the international whisky map. Based in the southern state of Goa, the distillery operates in a hot, humid climate that accelerates maturation and helps create particularly concentrated flavours.
The PX Select Cask shows just how good Indian single malt can be. The whisky is finished in hand-picked Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, adding an extra layer of richness to an already full-bodied spirit.
Expect bold, sumptuous notes of milk chocolate, caramel and dark dried fruits alongside warming baking spices, tropical fruit and candied citrus peel. It feels decadent without becoming cloying. Never tried Indian whisky? This is a very good place to start.
Rum
Planteray XO 20th Anniversary
An exquisite dark rum from Barbados that shows just how far the category can go with careful ageing. Rum generally offers excellent bang for your buck, but spending a little more can produce spectacular results.
Planteray XO 20th Anniversary undergoes initial ageing in ex-bourbon barrels in the Caribbean before travelling to France for further maturation in ex-Cognac casks.
The result is rich and indulgent. There is a sweet backbone of molasses and plenty of tropical fruit, particularly pineapple, mango and ripe banana. Milk chocolate and fresh vanilla pod swirl around hints of toasted coconut and plump sultana. Superb.
And the anniversary in question? The rum was originally created to celebrate Alexandre Gabriel’s 20th year as the brand’s Master Blender.
Single-Cask Scotch
The Islay 16 Years Old
This Scotch is the entry point to a new collection of single-cask single malts from retailer Master of Malt, created in collaboration with global brand design agency Studio Minerva. The range also includes 20- and 30-year-old expressions and has been conceived as something of a love letter to Islay.
The whiskies come from unnamed Islay distilleries, with subtle clues to their origins incorporated into the packaging. This 16-year-old feels elemental and firmly rooted in the island that produced it.
Think ashy bonfire smoke and earthy spices entwined with sweet toffee, ripe tropical fruit and a granite-like minerality. The texture is creamy and oily. It is the sort of whisky that reminds you exactly why well-aged Islay single malt can justify the extra spend.
Where You Don’t Need To Spend Big
Price and quality do not rise neatly together. Once you reach a certain level, some categories offer rapidly diminishing returns, particularly if the spirit is destined for a mixed drink rather than being sipped neat.
Vodka
You can certainly spend serious money on vodka, but you don’t necessarily need to. Once you move beyond the bargain-basement stuff, there are plenty of well-made bottles that are clean, smooth and characterful enough for a Martini or to drink over ice.
Premium raw materials and careful distillation can make a difference, but a £70 bottle is not automatically going to transform the experience compared with a good one at half the price. Unless you are particularly interested in provenance or plan to drink it neat, this is one category where you can comfortably save.
Gin
Gin is slightly more complicated because botanicals can create genuinely distinctive flavour profiles, but again, spending more doesn’t guarantee a better drink. There are outstanding bottles at sensible prices from both established distilleries and smaller producers.
If it is going into a G&T or Negroni, you are often better off finding a well-balanced gin you like and spending the difference on good tonic, vermouth or ice. Save the expensive, unusual expressions for those occasions when their particular botanicals are actually going to be allowed to shine.
Ultimately, spend where you can taste the difference. Age, cask quality, raw materials and production methods can all justify a higher price, but prestige packaging and clever marketing do not always do the same. Your glass will usually tell you which is which.
