Skip to main content

Scotch On A Budget: 4 Bottles Under $35

scotch on a budget
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Scotch is great, and a necessary part of anyone’s liquor cabinet, but sometimes, it can get too damn expensive. I’m not saying  to not drop a couple thousand on a bottle of scotch if you can—Gordon and MacPhail’s Mortlach 75, with its cool $30,000 price tag, comes to mind—but for a lot of us, that’s just not in the cards right now.

The scotches we’ve compiled below are great additions to your bar and they won’t break the bank. Check them all out and let us know which bottles you think should be on the list as well.

Best Scotch on a Budget

The Famous Grouse ($23) — Like it’s brother The Black Grouse, Famous Grouse is a great bang for your buck scotch. If you need scotch in a pinch and don’t want to spend too much, look for The Famous Grouse first.

Monkey Shoulder ($35) — This is perhaps the best scotch on this list for use in cocktails. Monkey Shoulder is versatile and its flavor blends well instead of overpowering other flavors in drinks.

Dewar’s 12 ($29.99) — A classic for any scotch drinker, Dewar’s 12 is a great starting point if you’re looking to build your collection with eminently drinkable whiskies. On its own or with a few drops of water, you can’t go wrong here.

Speyburn 10 ($30) — A gold medal winner in 2006, this scotch is medium-bodied and a perfect example of the Speyburn line. Expect a long finish on this one, which stands up to other scotches that have been aged much longer.

Editors' Recommendations

Sam Slaughter
Sam Slaughter was the Food and Drink Editor for The Manual. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s called the South home for…
The Native American cuisine movement is on the rise
The vitality of Native cuisine
Chef Jack Strong.

Native American cuisine and indigenous food predate any food trend we know by a long shot. Tribes from coast to coast have created culinary styles over thousands of years, utilizing the ingredients that surround them and tried and true cooking techniques. Today, as indigenous peoples rightfully look to reclaim their seat at the table, we're seeing a rise in Native American cuisine and an entire movement around first foods.

Jack Strong is the executive chef at The Allison Inn & Spa, a luxury resort in the heart of Willamette Valley wine country. The restaurant is known for taking advantage of the many incredible ingredients that thrive in the region. He grew up in Oregon and is a member of the Siletz tribe, touting more than three decades of professional cooking experience to his name. He's one of relatively few native chefs, but the indigenous food movement is working to change that. After all, a culinary landscape that does not accurately reflect its community or historical context is a faulty one at best.

Read more
The 10 best rosé wines that everyone should drink
It's time to finally try rosé
Rose wine glasses

Rosé rules -- no ifs, ands, or buts. You’ve most definitely seen dudes drinking rosé, with the pink wine sold in forties. Chances are, you’ve heard the term “brosé” at least once or twice in your life. Heck, people are cooking with rosé. Can you believe that? It's a sweet wine worth talking about.

All this talk about the drink prompted us to go on a quest to find the most exceptional ones this rosé season. With plenty of great options in the market, we chose to narrow down our list to these best rosé wines for your next hot date, guys' night, or solo Netflix binge. Still reluctant to try this magical wine? We listed seven reasons why you should start drinking rosé.
Best rosé wines

Read more
How to start your own home bar: the essential spirits
Home Bar

When you start getting into cocktails, drinking them is only half the fun -- making them is part of the appeal too. If you start making your own drinks at home, you'll soon find that you can often create better or more interesting drinks than what you're served in most bars. And even better, making drinks for other people is a great way to try out new combinations, learn about spirits, and make your friends and family happy too.

However, moving beyond the simple spirit plus mixer style of drinks which most people make at home and into the world of cocktails means that you'll need a wider array of spirits on hand than you might be used to. It can take some time and research to build up a well stocked bar, and choosing high quality spirits isn't a cheap endeavor. It's worth it, though, for the pleasure of being able to try out classic cocktail recipes and experiment with making up your own creations too.

Read more