The Matsui Mizunara Cask Strength

The most acclaimed whiskey styles globally are: Irish single pot still for its unique spicy, creamy, grain complexity; Scotch single malt Islay for peated, maritime, medicinal character; Scotch single malt Speyside for fruit, malt, and oak elegance; Japanese blended malt for precision, balance, and subtle complexity; and Kentucky straight bourbon for vanilla, caramel, and charred oak warmth. The best style is the one most aligned with your flavour preferences and drinking context.

There is no single objective answer as quality is style, occasion, and preference dependent. Consistent critical consensus places Redbreast 21 Year Old, Midleton Very Rare Vintage Reserve, Chichibu single casks, and Springbank 21 Year Old among the finest expressions currently available. For value relative to quality, Nikka From the Barrel and Redbreast 12 Year Old consistently outperform whiskeys costing three to five times their retail price. Best is always contextual.

Old Bushmills Distillery in Bushmills, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, holds the world's oldest whiskey distillery licence, granted in 1608 by King James I, making it the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world. Archaeological and documentary evidence suggests whiskey distillation in the area predates this licence. Strathisla Distillery in Keith, Speyside, Scotland, dating to 1786, is often cited as the oldest continuously operating Scotch distillery, though Bushmills' licence predates it by nearly two centuries.