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.
