That last point, of course, is debatable. I personally like the taste of younger whiskeys, in which the raw spirit battles against the mellowing effects of barrel aging. But Ethan referred to them as “entry-level bottles,” intended to entice consumers to climb a brand’s hierarchy to the more costly older bottlings. We ended up with 18 bottles of 12-year-old Scotch, along with two 13-year-olds and one 10-year-old. Incidentally, the age statement tells you the age of the youngest whiskey in the blend. So, a 12-year-old single malt is made of whiskeys at least 12 years old.

Image Credit... Lars Klove for The New York Times

The distillers issue seemingly endless variations on their bottlings, so some of the malts in our tasting were limited editions, like our No. 1, the Balvenie Signature, which marked the 45th year of whiskey-making of Balvenie’s distiller. It was complex, with long, lingering, delicious flavors. But if you can’t find this one we also liked many standard bottlings, like our No. 7, the Balvenie DoubleWood, so called because the whiskey is aged first in barrels that had previously been used for bourbon, and then in oloroso sherry barrels.

The retail selection becomes especially confusing with the profusion of independent bottlings, as with our No. 2 malt. The distiller, Glen Grant, does not issue a 12-year-old whiskey. But an independent bottler, Gordon & MacPhail, bought whiskey from Glen Grant and issued a 12-year-old, which we found wonderfully intriguing, combining fruit flavors with more austere smoky, medicinal touches.

The rest of our top 10, though, were standard bottlings, which should be easier to find. We especially liked the Tamdhu 10-year-old, our best value at $30, which had a touch of sweetness along with waxy floral aromas, and the Cragganmore, which was on the smoky, earthy side.

The level of quality was so high that not all the malts we favored made the list. Pete especially liked the Aberlour, which reminded him of a hot toddy, and Florence loved the smoky BenRiach. I very much enjoyed an independent bottling of Longmorn from McGibbon’s Provenance, which I thought was delicate and complex. While the Glenlivet and the Glenfiddich made our top 10, the Macallan did not. We all felt it seemed a bit too simple.

Aside from the diversity of expressions, single malt has its diversity of uses. Florence said she enjoys a glass before dinner, in front of a fire. Ethan spoke of drinking single malt with a fine steak, and with oysters, which speaks to Scotch’s versatility. I love a glass late at night, with a book. Pete is partial to the late-night dram as well. In fact, I can think of only one place where a good single malt will almost never be found: in a cocktail.

Tasting Report: From Just One Region, a Range of Flavors and Styles

The Balvenie Signature Batch 001 12 Years Old 86 Proof