It is that time of the year. The time when everybody in the whisky sphere declares their favourite bottle of the year. And just like last year, I refuse to reduce a year during which I tried close to 200 whiskies in a single bottle. Or three, if you want to include runner-ups. There are too many good bottles I tried in 2025. So instead of a best of the year, here are my best whiskies (and one distillery) of 2025. One for every month. And even so, I am leaving out at least another 12, which could have made the cut. They are on the list, sometimes because of how high I rated these bottles. Sometimes because of what they represent… I am sure it will make more sense once you read below.
Winter
January: Springbank 18
While technically a 2024 release, and the last bottle I bought in 2024, I only cracked this open after the new year. And boy, what a way to start the year. Arguably, if I had to pick a single whisky as the best among my 2025 whiskies of the year, this would probably be it. (Although it does have a Campbeltown contender for that spot). The Spiringbank 18 2024 release has the peculiarity of being fully aged in ex-Bourbon cask, which lets the rich, oily, tropical and maritime Springbank spirit shine. Just writing this makes me want to pour a dram of this fantastic Campbeltown single malt.
February: Benromach CS
If I look back at my tasting notes for 2025, there are two distilleries which consistently overdelivered for me. One was Benromach. The other is the next one up. Both deserve to be on this best whiskies of 2025 list.
For anyone who, like me, likes the funky side of whisky, Benromach remains one of the key distilleries to try. Sure, the standard lineup -10, 15 and 21 year old – are still bottled at 43% (though rumours hint sme change may be coming, for the better). Yet, the Contrast series and the Cask Strength releases all deliver high ABV, unchillfiltered and natural colour options which deliver big on taste. Out of those, my 2025 pick is the 2014 Cask Strength release. I reviewed earlier in the year, an incredibly rich, complex and funky take that ticks all the boxes of what I like in a single malt.
March: Kilkerran Port Cadenheads
Unsurprisingly, my second distillery overdelivering for 2025 is Kilkerran. While Springbank remains the darling of the whisky enthusiast community, its sister distillery is consolidating its position among the most reliable brands on the market for my money. The ability to range from the delicate 16-year-old (more on that in a moment) and the punch of the heavily peated also gives Kilkerran to range in style and fit different drinkers’ profiles.
Besides being a fan of the distillery, my March selection has a personal meaning. It is not a distillery release, but rather it is independently bottled by Cadenhead’s. I sampled this while travelling to Campbeltown, among other releases from Cadenhead’s, which I reviewed here. This all happened during a rather busy and complex time in my professional and private life. A moment where I was starting to lose interest in whisky. And yet, a sip of this Port finished Kilkerran brought the passion back, thanks to its fun and funky character. Maybe not the most refined dram out there. But sometimes whisky geeks just wanna have fun, and this one packs loads in that dumpy bottle.
Spring
April: Craigellachie 13
After a great trip to Scotland in March, I found myself going back to my regular bottle rotation. Which might just be another way of saying that I blew up my whisky budget for a few months. But if I really did, it was fully worth it.
Jokes aside, any 2025 whiskies of the year would not be complete without looking at a few “regular”, or everyday if you prefer, bottles, which always manage to provide a great drinking experience. During 2025, Craigellachie 13 was my daily dram of choice, especially in colder months. With its mix of tropical fruit, malt-driven notes and just a touch of funk, the Craigellachie 13 offers a fantastic drinking experience which needs to be celebrated more.
May: Glencadam 10
With the weather turning warmer here in Italy, I started to add another great dram to the regular rotation: Glencadam 10. I reviewed the Glencadam 10 in the early days of this blog, and it is interesting to reassess some of those whiskies from time to time. With more experience and more critical capacity, I would rate many of those early reviews slightly lower today. Many but not all. This one is one of those bottles I would probably rate higher today, and it is one of the few whiskies out of my early reviews which I keep constantly on my shelf. I haven’t yet found another entry-level whisky which can match its delicate, almost white wine-like character, with an impressive power of delivery. A fantastic whisky for when the temperature starts to rise.
June: Kilkerran 16
I mentioned earlier that the Springbank 18 could be my overall whisky of the year, but it has to compete with this Kilkerran 16 a well-deserving contestant in this best whiskies of 2025 list. While the Springbank is a whisky that shows its quality by packing a punch, the Kilkerran 16 is an example of restrained elegance. I know many who love Kilkerran but just don’t enjoy the 16 that much, finding it quiet, even simple. I see it very differently. It’s not loud, but it delivers so much almost effortlessly. Just like in Goldilocks’ fairy tale, it hits so many of those “just right” spots for me. Just enough funk, just enough fruitiness, just enough age, just enough maritime character and so on. Nothing is overbearing, and everything works to create a fantastic, organic whole.
Summer
July: New Riff Malted Rye
July for me often means two things in my calendar. The first is that the weather turns hot here in Italy, and my whisky (and frankly, alcohol in general) consumption drops. The second is a regular trip to the US for a big conference related to my day job. Those trips to the US have also become the occasion to do some Bourbon, and progressively more, Rye shopping. Progressively more, because while I enjoy Bourbon, I am more and more finding Rye to be what strikes a chord with me. Out of the bottles I brought back from my 2025 visit to the US was this New Riff Malted Rye. Flavour-wise it is a great middle ground between Rye and Scotch, and one I realise I enjoy much more than what I scored it in my review.
August: Glen Scotia 12
Here is a bottle which deserves to make the 2025 whiskies of the year list for what it represents. Glen Scotia’s new 12-year-old is a great example of that. A quick look at the distillery’s standard lineup revelas why. The 40% Campbeltown Harbour might be perplexing to some, but is clearly a product aimed at a casual consumer, and I have nothing against that. What is more frustrating is that, as a proud representative of Campbeltown, the choice to keep using caramel colouring in many of its core bottlings, from Double Cask to 18-year-old. So it was fantastic to see the newly released 12-year-old drop that and go full craft presentation. The specs alone would not be enough to utilise it on my list: it is a cracking dram to boost.
September: An Islay distillery 30
Whisky Live Paris looms large as THE whisky memory for September. In particular, the VIP section of the event gives access to some incredibly rare drams. Many of these fall under what, for me, is unobtanium, due to both availability and price. It’s tough to choose a favourite among the many fantastic bottles I tried, but this Single Malts of Scotland 30 Year Old Islay is one that stuck in my mind. Although unnamed, the Elixir staff at the booth hinted it is a Laphroaig, a distillery which, under its current management, frustrates me incredibly. Yet tasting this great example of Islay peat and brine, mellowed by age, leaves little doubt that the reputation the distillery has is deserved – even if the official product sometimes lets it down.
Autumn
October: Ardbeg Renaissance
I don’t get many chances to try older bottles of whisky, so when I do, I usually expect something special. I have to confess that I have had as much joy as disappointment with older bottles. Some shine with richness and complexity, still vibrant in taste, while others are either flat or overly oaky, masking any remnant of the original taste. So it was with some trepidation that I opened my own bottle of Ardbeg Renaissance, a bottle I had purchased back in 2008.
Not so old after all, but it had gone through four house moves, less than ideal storage conditions and being given up for lost for a couple of years. The latter will forever serve as a reminder to label moving boxes properly. As I described in my review, this is a tasty Ardbeg expression, gentler on the nose than many current releases, but just as powerful as on the palate. Bust most of all, this bottle is here because tasting bottles which made a distillery’s history are something special for whisky fans like me.
November: Ardnamurchan Paul Launois 10-year-old Single Cask
Among my best whiskies of 2025, this one is the one which got away. Or the unobtanium of the year. But which I can still savour, even after a small sample at the Glasgow Whisky Festival 2025. I have been lucky enough to get my hands on the standard Paul Launois a couple of times, and it is one of my favourite Ardnamurchan releases. But this one was something else: intense, elegant and zingy, with a great interplay between Ardnamurchan’s spirit and the champagne cask. Being a distillery exclusive, I didn’t have a chance to buy one, but I still think about it. So much so, that a trip to Ardnamurchan is definitely on the cards for next year.
December: White Peak distillery
I want to finish my list with a mention of a new distillery, which I continue to be excited about every time I try their products, which is rarely, since their distribution outside the UK is very limited. And for once, it is not a Scottish distillery but an English one – White Peak. I could have equally spoken about Ardnahoe, Glasgow and Lagg (again). But it is also a moment to recognise that great whisky is being made outside of Scotland.
Last year I spoke about their Special Waters release, which blew me away at the Glasgow Whisky Festival 2024. This year, I was lucky to try an upcoming heritage barley release and a 6-year-old private cask bottling (the one pictured above). Both blew me away with how good they are. Not how good they are for their age, just how good they are overall. Maybe if I keep talking about them, some European distributor will finally decide to bring more across the channel soon. Fingers crossed.
And with that, I wish you all Happy Holidays. Road to Dram will take a short one-week break before coming back with more posts dedicated to Independent Bottlers before the end of the year. But what about you? What are some of your favourite drams of 2025?
See you soon!