The World Whisky Masters 2026 had no shortage of impressive single malt whisky bottles, but the most interesting part was the range. These are not five whisky bottles trying to taste the same. One is a ₹5 lakh collector's release with just 173 bottles, another brings serious peat and smoke, while others take their character from sherry, bourbon and Japanese Mizunara oak. For whisky collectors, that variety is what makes the list worth paying attention to. Here are the 5 best single malt whisky bottles that won gold medals including DOAAB Expression 02, Devans GianChand Manshaa, Crazy Cock Rare and others. We start with the most expensive.
Godawan 173 single malt whisky is priced at ₹5,00,000 and bottled at 46% ABV.
There aren't many bottles that arrive with a ₹5 lakh price tag, and Godawan 173 makes a point of explaining why. Only 173 bottles were produced, with the whisky finished in Asha Liqueur Casks seasoned with 42 ingredients, from fruits and spices to botanicals, honey and milk. The whisky has already been through more than nine years of maturation across three cask types before reaching that final finish. The result is a bottle designed as much for collectors as it is for drinking. At this level, scarcity is part of the story.
GianChand Adambaraa price starts at ₹10,700 and it is bottled at 42.8% ABV.
Adambaraa is considerably less dramatic on paper, but that's part of its charm. This unpeated single malt whisky is matured in American bourbon casks, with honey, vanilla, caramel, orchard fruit and peach shaping the profile. If smoke is not your thing, Adambaraa makes a strong case for keeping things fruitier and more polished.
GianChand Manshaa's price starts at ₹10,700 and it is bottled at 42.8% ABV.
Manshaa goes in the opposite direction. The whisky is peated, and the difference is obvious. Sweet malt and dried fruit sit underneath notes of smoke, caramel and spice, with the peat lingering into the finish. More importantly, the two show just how much character can change when peat enters the equation.
Crazy Cock Rare's price starts at ₹9,540 and it is bottled at 46% ABV.
Crazy Cock Rare does not need peat to make an impression. It is an unpeated single malt matured in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry oak casks, giving it the kind of richer, sweeter profile that makes sherry-matured whisky so popular with collectors. It is a good whisky bottle to reach for when you want something with weight and richness, without the smoke.
DOAAB Expression 02 price starts at ₹3,500 and it is bottled at 46% ABV.
And then there's DOAAB, which takes the conversation somewhere completely different. Expression 02, The Old Man & The Blossom, is matured in Japanese Mizunara oak sourced from Hokkaido. The result is a whisky where floral notes, citrus, vanilla and spice meet the distinctive character of the Japanese oak. The release was limited to 500 casks and launched at around ₹3,500 to ₹3,800, making it the most accessible bottle here. For anyone who likes their whisky with a little experimentation, this is arguably the most intriguing place to start.
The Gold medals may be what brought these whiskies together, but their similarities largely end there. Godawan 173 whisky is about rarity and elaborate cask finishing. Manshaa brings the peat. Adambaraa keeps things fruit-forward, Crazy Cock Rare leans into sherry and bourbon casks, while DOAAB takes the Japanese oak route. That is what makes this particular group interesting. There is not a single definition of what a great modern single malt whisky should be. Sometimes it's smoke, sometimes it's fruit, sometimes it's an unusual cask, and occasionally it's a bottle you simply don't expect to see another one of.