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A 32-year-old Scotch whisky with a Pedro Ximenez sherry finish, a whisky created by Outlander star Sam Heughan and an Islay single malt whisky with plenty of peat in its personality, the lineup at the Top Shelf Awards 2026 was quite versatile. Among the 5 best Scotch whiskies in the world recognised this year were Dewar's Double Double 32 Year Old, The Sassenach Spirit of Home, The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old, Ardbeg Trudernish 15 Year Old and Tamdhu Speyside 21 Year Old whisky. Tamdhu took the evening's biggest Scotch honour, but each bottle brought something different to the table.
Dewar’s Double Double 32 Year Old picked up Best of Class Blended Scotch, 16 Years and Older, as well as Best Overall Blended Scotch awards. The blend follows Dewar’s four-stage ageing process, which brings together separately married malt and grain whiskies before further maturation. A finish in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks adds another layer, with ripe figs, dried fruit, dark chocolate and sweet spice. At 46 per cent ABV, it also brings notes of vanilla, orange peel and brown sugar into the mix.
Sam Heughan, best known for playing Jamie Fraser in Outlander, has another reason to raise a glass. His The Sassenach Spirit of Home won Best of Class Blended Scotch, No Age Statement. The whisky blend combines predominantly nine- to 12-year-old single malts with a 21-year-old organic single grain whisky, matured in bourbon barrels and finished in Madeira casks. The resultant whisky is a fruity, rounded profile of citrus, peach, apricot, almonds and honey, with butterscotch, nutmeg and toffee adding warmth. It is bottled at 46 per cent ABV, without chill filtration or added colour.
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year whisky shows that not every award-winning Scotch needs three decades in the cask. It won the Best of Class Distillers’ Single Malt Scotch, Up to 12 Years, with a maturation story built around two types of oak. It spends around 11 years in American oak ex-bourbon casks before moving into European oak Oloroso sherry casks for another nine months. The change of cask brings together honey, vanilla and sweet fruit with sherry richness, nutty notes and cinnamon spice. Bottled at 40 per cent ABV.
Ardbeg Trudernish 15 Year Old whisky has a little more smoke than usual. It won Best of Class Distillers’ Single Malt Scotch, 13 to 19 Years, bringing home a major award for the Islay distillery. Matured in bourbon, new charred oak and Oloroso sherry casks, it balances Ardbeg's familiar peat and woodsmoke with vanilla cream and fudge. The palate moves into dark liquorice, chocolate lime, orchard fruit and toasted nuts. Bottled at 48.8 per cent ABV, the whisky finishes with lingering smoke and peat.
The night's biggest Scotch winner was Tamdhu Speyside 21 Year Old whisky, which collected three honours: Best of Class Distillers’ Single Malt Scotch, 20 Years and Older, Best Overall Distillers’ Single Malt Scotch and Best Overall Scotch. The Speyside expression is matured entirely in Oloroso sherry casks made from American and European oak. That influence comes through in layers of sherried oak, chocolate, sultanas, toffee and cinnamon-spiced oats, followed by raisins, candied orange and warming spice. At 47.5 per cent ABV, it is non-chill filtered.
From a 32-year-old blend to a smoky Islay single malt whisky, this year's winners at the Top Shelf Awards 2026 show just how varied Scotch whiskies can be. Tamdhu Speyside 21 Year Old whisky may have walked away with the top title, but the other four whiskies make this an interesting lineup.
