8 Scotch Whiskies To Seek Out This Summer

In each issue of Whisky Advocate, the editors select whiskies they consider to be the most impressive, based on score, price, and availability. For the Summer 2024 issue, our Editors’ Choices include representative bottlings from all styles of whisky, and here we present a sneak preview of our scotch selections. Fans of Islay, Speyside, Highland, Island, and blended scotch will find some real delights in these high-scoring drams.

93 points - Bruichladdich 8 year old Islay Barley (2014 Vintage), 50%, $85

This unpeated single malt is elegant, refined, and, often, quite pretty, with a nose full of lemon and lime zest, floral potpourri, slate, and well-worn oak. Peaches and pears, dying wood embers, and a salty ocean breeze bring depth to the palate. Sweetness comes in vanilla beans and lemon pound cake, with a soft and woody finish offering a gentle wave goodbye.

93 points - Glenglassaugh 12 year old, 45%, $60

An age-stated bottling from the maker of last year’s Whisky of the Year, this malt is an elegant jewel of the Highlands. The nose is lush and fruity, perfumed with honey and raisins, crisp with lemon and grapefruit, and braced by a hint of salinity. The palate is richer, with ginger and honey, fruit tart, and dying embers from an oceanside fire. The elegance carries through on the finish with a long sweet and salty fade.

93 points - Glenlivet Fusion Cask Rum & Bourbon Cask Finished, 40%, $100

A tropical vacation for the nose—grilled pineapple, juicy melon, a dash of toasted coconut, and vanilla extract waft from the glass. The light and airy palate similarly serves up grilled pineapple, vanilla custard, fresh melon, and coconut ice cream, plus cinnamon, milk chocolate, a drizzle of honey, soapiness, and minerality. The finish offers more of those sweet and soapy notes and lets them linger for a while.

92 points - Glenallachie 15 year old, 46%, $125

Lashed with rich sherry aromas of baked orange, cherry, currants, chopped peel, ground cinnamon, and cocoa powder; it’s rich and intense, and pulsing with bold sherry cask character. Dark chocolate and Seville orange marmalade kick off the palate, with Nutella, black pepper, oak, cola, sultana, and some late ground coffee flavors A warming finish with dark chocolate and citrus notes.

92 points - Glenmorangie 16 year old The Nectar, 46%, $85

The sweet white wine-finished expression formerly known as Nectar d’Or 12 year old, now has four more years of aging and more complex finishing. With a bright and fruity nose, this opens with pineapple, honey, poached pear, and French toast. On the palate, the fruity flavors are tempered by malt and buttered toast. Fruit tart, sugarplums, and a hint of tropical fruit punch round out this sweet and inviting whisky. The finish is toasted and honeyed, fading elegantly and slowly.

91 points - Compass Box Hedonism, 43%, $150

The nose is sweet and dry, with honey, candied lemon, graham cracker, nutmeg, burlap, and seasoned oak. The texture is syrupy, with a rush of honey, vanilla, and banana over the tongue, pursued by light spices. A wave of ripe fruitiness washes in, accented by apricot, peach, and macadamia nut. The mouthfeel becomes creamier with flavors of caramel, vanilla, hints of green banana, and light cocoa, leaving a mouth-coating finish.

91 points - The Hearach (Batch 12), 46%, $90

Vibrantly fruity on the nose, with lemon, honey, vanilla wafers, candied orange, banana taffy, ground black pepper, drying seaweed, and some elusive trails of smoke. Light-bodied, with candied lemon, vanilla sugar, toffee walnut, and peppercorn on the palate, with smoke and spices intertwined, then ground almond that settles into creamy fudge ahead of a finish of zingy spices with baked lemon and creamy vanilla.

91 points - Loch Lomond The Open Special Edition 2024, 46%, $45

Loch Lomond’s annual special release to mark the British Open golf tournament. Finished in chardonnay casks, the nose has green apple, crème pâtissière, bananas Foster, heather honey, apple tarte Tatin, and gentle oak spices. Caramelized apple on the palate, deep honey notes, playful lime zest, and lemon peel, then vanilla, fresh apple, pear, and light oak, with a finish of baked fruits and caramelized sugars. Bottled for the 152nd Open at Royal Troon, this is one to sink at the 19th hole.