Calling all Speyside whisky lovers: these are the best Speyside whiskies of 2026
NewsThursday, 20 August 2026 at 14:05
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Add Whisky Monkeys as a Google favoriteSpeyside is known as one of Scotland’s leading whisky regions, home to a wealth of distillers. During the Scotch Whisky Masters 2026, the region took center stage with a host of Gold and Master medal winners. We’ve listed them for you here and a few standout names appear again and again.
At The Scotch Whisky Masters, whiskies are blind-tasted by panels of seasoned judges from across the drinks industry. Entries are assessed on flavor, aroma, consistency, and composition. Big names like The Glenlivet, Aberlour, and Glenfarclas collected multiple Master Awards, while Tomintoul, The GlenAllachie, and several independent bottlers also impressed the judges.
The Glenlivet and Aberlour make a big splash
It’s hard to ignore The Glenlivet when you look at the results. The famous Speyside house racked up Master Awards across nearly every age bracket, with various 12-, 14-, 15-, 16-, 19-, 20-, and 25-year-old bottlings taking top honors.
Aberlour also had a stellar year. Both Aberlour A’Bunadh and A’Bunadh Alba earned a Master Award. In the 13–18-year category, the same accolade went to Aberlour 18 Years Old Double Sherry Cask Finish. But of course, Speyside is about much more than just The Glenlivet and Aberlour.
What are the best Speyside whiskies of 2026?
Below you’ll find the Speyside single malts that took home Master or Gold medals at The Scotch Whisky Masters 2026:
Single Malt: Speyside – No Age Statement
| Producer | Whisky | Medal |
| Chivas Brothers | Aberlour A’Bunadh Alba | Master |
| Chivas Brothers | Aberlour A’Bunadh | Master |
| Angus Dundee Distillers | Old Ballantruan Speyside Single Malt Whisky | Gold |
| J&G Grant | Glenfarclas 105 | Gold |
| Angus Dundee Distillers | Tomintoul Cigar Malt Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky | Gold |
Single Malt: Speyside – Aged Up to 12 Years
| Producer | Whisky | Medal |
| Angus Dundee Distillers | Tomintoul 10 Years Old Speyside Single Malt | Master |
| Chivas Brothers | The Glenlivet 12 Years Old Rum and Bourbon Cask Selection (Taiwan Exclusive) | Master |
| Berry Bros & Rudd | Berry Bros. & Rudd Classic Sherry Cask 12 Year Old | Master |
| Whisky 1901 | Whisky 1901 Dailuaine | Master |
| Speyside Distillers | Spey 12 Years Old | Gold |
| Chivas Brothers | Ballantine’s Single Malt Glenburgie 12 Year Old | Gold |
| Chivas Brothers | The Glenlivet 12 Years Old Double Oak | Gold |
| Chivas Brothers | The Glenlivet 12 Years Old Rum Cask (GTR Exclusive) | Gold |
| Chivas Brothers | Aberlour 12 Years Old Double Cask Matured | Gold |
| Diageo | The Singleton of Dufftown 12 Years Old | Gold |
| Diageo | The Singleton of Glendullan 12 Years Old | Gold |
| J&G Grant | Glenfarclas 12 Years Old | Gold |
| The GlenAllachie Distillers | Meikle Tòir The Chinquapin One | Gold |
| The GlenAllachie Distillers | Meikle Tòir The Original | Gold |
Single Malt: Speyside – Aged Between 13 and 18 Years
| Producer | Whisky | Medal |
| Chivas Brothers | The Glenlivet 15 Years Old Distillery Exclusive First-Fill European Oak | Master |
| Chivas Brothers | The Glenlivet 15 Years Old Sherry Cask (Taiwan Exclusive) | Master |
| Chivas Brothers | The Glenlivet 16 Years Old Distillery Exclusive Double Oak | Master |
| Chivas Brothers | Ballantine’s Single Malt Glenburgie 18 Years Old | Master |
| Chivas Brothers | The Glenlivet 14 Years Old Cask Masters Collection (GTR Exclusive) | Master |
| Chivas Brothers | The Glenlivet 16 Years Old Cask Masters Collection (GTR Exclusive) | Master |
| Chivas Brothers | Aberlour 18 Years Old Double Sherry Cask Finish | Master |
| J&G Grant | Glenfarclas 15 Years Old | Master |
| The GlenAllachie Distillers | The GlenAllachie 15 Years Old | Master |
| Angus Dundee Distillers | Tomintoul 14 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky | Gold |
| Angus Dundee Distillers | Old Ballantruan 15 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Whisky | Gold |
| Angus Dundee Distillers | Tomintoul 16 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Whisky | Gold |
| Berry Bros & Rudd | Berry Bros & Rudd Classic Speyside Traditional Cask 16 Year Old | Gold |
| Chivas Brothers | The Glenlivet 17 Years Old Small Batch | Gold |
| Chivas Brothers | Ballantine’s Single Malt Glenburgie 15 Years Old | Gold |
| Chivas Brothers | The Glenlivet 14 Years Old Cognac Cask | Gold |
| Chivas Brothers | The Glenlivet 15 Years Old French Oak Reserve | Gold |
| Chivas Brothers | The Glenlivet 13 Years Old Sherry Cask (Taiwan Exclusive) | Gold |
| Chivas Brothers | The Glenlivet 13 Years Old Triple Cask | Gold |
| Chivas Brothers | Aberlour 14 Years Old Double Cask Matured | Gold |
| Chivas Brothers | Aberlour 16 Years Old Double Cask Matured | Gold |
| Chivas Brothers | Aberlour 13 Years Old (Travel Retail Exclusive) | Gold |
| Chivas Brothers | Aberlour 16 Years Old (Travel Retail Exclusive) | Gold |
| Chivas Brothers | Longmorn 18 Years Old | Gold |
| Diageo | The Singleton of Glen Ord 15 Years Old | Gold |
| Elixir Distillers | Tormore Aged 16 Years | Gold |
| J&G Grant | Glenfarclas 17 Years Old | Gold |
| Whisky 1901 | Whisky 1901 Tamnavulin | Gold |
Single Malt: Speyside – Aged Between 19 and 30 Years
| Producer | Whisky | Medal |
| Chivas Brothers | The Glenlivet 25 Years Old Sample Room Collection | Master |
| Chivas Brothers | Longmorn 22 Years Old | Master |
| Chivas Brothers | The Glenlivet 20 Years Old Small Batch | Master |
| Chivas Brothers | The Glenlivet 19 Years Old Small Batch | Master |
| Chivas Brothers | The Glenlivet 21 Years Old Sample Room Collection | Gold |
| Chivas Brothers | Longmorn 30 Years Old | Gold |
| Chivas Brothers | The Glenlivet 19 Years Old Cask Masters Collection (GTR Exclusive) | Gold |
| Diageo | The Singleton of Dufftown 21 Years Old | Gold |
| Gordon & MacPhail | Benromach 21 Years Old | Gold |
| J&G Grant | Glenfarclas 25 Years Old | Gold |
Single Malt: Speyside – Standard
| Producer | Whisky | Medal |
| Quality Spirits International | Spey River Sherry Cask | Gold |
Single Malt: Speyside – Premium
| Producer | Whisky | Medal |
| Aceo Spirits | Osprey 10 Years Old Sherry Cask Maturation | Gold |
Single Malt: Speyside – Single Cask
| Producer | Whisky | Medal |
| Brave New Spirits | WhiskyHeroes The Malt Marauder Glen Moray 11YO | Master |
Single Malt: Speyside – Cask Strength
| Producer | Whisky | Medal |
| Speyside Distillers | Spey Brume Dorée 12 Years Old | Gold |
| Whisky Deals from Whisky Exchange | Week 34 |
| Glen Moray Forbidden Fruit | 29,58 pounds |
| Mortlach 2003 21 year old bourbon cask signatory | 158,33 pounds (save 55 pounds) |
| Redbreast 18 year old | 112,50 pounds (save 40 pounds) |
| Red Sport 1991 31 year old Marsala cask | 537,50 pounds (save 300 pounds) |
| Suntory Tsukuriwake Cask Collection 2024 | 2395,83 pounds (save 800 pounds) |
Which Speyside is going in your glass?
Now that you’ve seen the line-up, the real question is: which of these award-winning Speyside whiskies have you tried and which one would you most like to pour next?
FAQ
- What is Speyside whisky?
Speyside whisky is Scotch produced in the Speyside region, around the River Spey. The area boasts an exceptionally high concentration of distilleries and is home to renowned names such as The Glenlivet, Glenfarclas, Aberlour, and The GlenAllachie. - What does Speyside whisky taste like?
Speyside whisky is typically known for a fruity, approachable, and often slightly sweeter profile. Many expressions show notes of apple, pear, honey, vanilla, and dried fruit. Sherry-cask maturation can introduce flavors like raisins, chocolate, and warming spice. - Which Speyside whiskies are well-known?
Some well-known Speyside brands include The Glenlivet, Aberlour, Glenfarclas, The GlenAllachie, Benromach, Tomintoul, and Longmorn. Styles vary widely by distillery, so Speyside offers everything from light and fruity to rich, sherry-led and even smoky malts.
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LATEST COMMENTS
- I enjoyed reading the different approaches to building a whisky collection. Whether you collect by region, style, or limited releases, discovering new brands keeps the hobby interesting. Soorahi is another premium whisky worth considering for collectors looking to explore the evolving world of quality whiskies.dinesh04-08-2026
- There is no distillery equipment there and also no licences to produce or sell alcohol.TRC19-12-2025
- Hi Yvonne, Thank you for your response and for sharing the video. Unfortunately, the evidence you referred to consists only of two people talking about the whisky, without any explanation or identification. We have not spoken to the individuals in the video ourselves, nor can we verify who they are. We describe it as a Chinese whisky because it is released by a Chinese distillery. As you mentioned, the distillery has chosen to label the product as “pure malt” instead of “Chinese whisky.” Based on that, we do not believe they are doing anything illegal.M0nkey16-11-2025
- So - you have the proof......where's your write up?Yvonne16-11-2025
- You are absolutely right. Luckily that doesn't matter for the taste of the whisky. Have you tried it yet?M0nkey05-11-2025
- Guess what? Finland is not part of Scandinavia.Gray105-11-2025
- Throw in the towel? You mean restructure to compete and win in a challenging industry environment.WestwardFounder21-10-2025
- There is nothing legally to prevent the English whisky GI from coming into force, it complies with all the relevant laws and the single malt definition follows the precedent of Welsh whisky and US whiskyChefBear15-10-2025
- Three emails sent (two with videos, linked to a Google Drive Share). 1. The original video. 2. The video with subtitles as it was shared on YouTube 3. Screen grab of the YouTube channel where the video was blocked due to Pernod Ricard lobbying. The story was covered on Drinks Intel at the time - link here - https://drinks-intel.com/subscriber-news/pernod-ricards-the-chuan-pure-malt-whisky-not-sourced-solely-from-china-global-drinks-intel-exclusive/Yvonne10-10-2025
- Hi Yvonne, Thank you for your interesting comment. Could you share your copy with us, so we can adjust our item accordingly? Mail us at [email protected]. Thank you in advance.M0nkey09-10-2025
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