Top 10 most popular whiskies of 2018
According to… You!
Happy new year! We hope you had fantastic break with friends and family, enjoying a nice dram or two to celebrate the year and that everyone in your world stays safe and happy!
As the year comes to a close, let’s take a look at what everyone has been searching for this year. To our amazement, one region of whisky out searched all the others, allowing us to celebrate 2018 as the year of Japanese Whisky.
5 of top 10 most popular whiskies are Japanese whiskies. 🇯🇵🥃
Here’s the full list, cheers to the 10 most popular whiskies of 2018, according to you guys, the users of The Whisky List!
Hakushu 12
In June of this year Beam Suntory announced the discontinuation of both Hibiki 17 and Hakushu 12.
From that point on, we saw a constant stream of click frenzies whenever Hakushu 12 came in stock and the price about tripled!
It’s now around $300+ and when it’s available for under $200 it disappears as fast as quickly as it shows up!
Hibiki 17
Also discontinued in June of this year (along with the Hakushu 12), the Hibiki 17 was intensely sought after and the price immediately jumped.
Available at around $350 before the discontinuation announcement it’s now $850!
Yamazaki 12
Seemingly due to the discontinuation of many other age statement Suntory whiskies, the Yamazaki 12 also received lots of interest from our users.
At the time of the discontinuation announcement of Hakushu 12 and Hibiki 17, the Yamazaki 12 was around $200 and it has been steadily increasing all year to now around $300!
Glenfiddich 18
The top non-Japanese whisky in 2018 is the very lovely and approachable Glenfiddich 18.
It’s popularity is due to it being shown on the home page in our ‘Current Best Prices’ section as RRP as $150, but a few retailers consistently have it available for under $100.
Everyone loves a great deal!
Starward Two-Fold
Starward gave us a sneak peak in to what could be a major part of the Australian craft whisky industry and released a blended (malt & other grain) whisky.
The use of grain whisky helps Starward keep the price of the Two-Fold down to just $65. We should expect to see this in cocktails around the country in 2019!
Nikka From the Barrel
With the hype around Japanese whisky causing prices to soar, it has become incredible hard to find a quality one for under $100.
Especially at cask strength!
But Nikka FTB has stayed consistent at around $80 and our users continue to love it!
GlenDronach 18
There’s just way too much that can be said for GlenDronach 18, but here goes…
It’s 100% ex-Oloroso Sherry cask, non-chill filtered, no colour added, actually about 23 years old (due to the distillery shut down from 1996–2002) and this year’s releases have been some of the best in recent history.
And all for $160–180. Winner.
Yamazaki 18 is really a fantastic whisky. And with all the Japanese whisky hype, it’s not surprising that many whisky drinkers look to it as a prime example of the category.
It’s popularity, however has driven the price up from the already high $850 to around $1,100!
Bruichladdich Octomore 8.3
Each year, whisky enthusiasts impatiently wait for the arrival of several annual limited edition releases.
One of the most notable is the Octomore x.3 versions from Bruichladdich. This year’s was quite exceptional as well as the 8.3 is the most heavily peated whisky (according to ppm) ever released. By anyone.
Starward Solera
It was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for lovers of the flagship Starward this year.
Due to the limited availability of Apera casks we saw it disappear from shelves for a few months, but it’s back and with a nice, shiny new label!
