Speyside vs Islay: Which Single Malt Should You Buy First?

 Two whiskies from the same Islay distillery can taste nothing alike. Bruichladdich Classic Laddie is made with 100% unpeated barley, while Octomore 16.3 is malted to 189.5ppm, the figure used to describe peat level. So “Islay means smoky” is only half the story, and Speyside vs Islay is not simply sweet versus smoky.

The short answer: if you like rich, sweet and fruity flavours, start with Speyside, such as Glenfarclas 12 Year Old, bottled at 43% ABV and priced at £54.95. If you enjoy smoke, start with Islay, but pick a gentler bottle first.

Not sure? You can taste both regions for under £40 with small bottles from our shelves, and we show how below.

What is the difference between Speyside and Islay whisky?

The biggest difference is usually peat. Islay single malts are best known for peat smoke, while Speyside single malts are best known for richness, sweetness and fruit.

Our own product notes show it clearly. Glenfarclas 12 Year Old offers “the classic Speyside richness of honey and some sweet ginger”. Lagavulin 16 Year Old has “the massive peat-smoke that’s typical of southern Islay”.

  • Speyside: honey, vanilla, dark fruit and sherry notes, often soft and warming.

  • Islay: peat smoke, from barely there to extreme, often with a salty or coastal edge.

Islay smoke levels, from gentle to extreme

Islay whiskies range from unpeated to extremely peated. Using the notes on our product pages, here is a rough guide:

  • Gentle: Bruichladdich Classic Laddie is made with 100% unpeated Scottish barley, with notes of sea breeze, honey, and baked apple (50% ABV). Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old is not a heavily peated malt and embodies the gentler side of Islay, with a light palate of fruit and nuts (46.3% ABV).

  • In the middle: Caol Ila 12 Year Old is one of the lighter Islays, with a peaty nose, floral notes, and a dry peppery finish (43% ABV). Cask Islay (A.D. Rattray) is lively enough to satisfy peat-lovers yet inviting enough for a first Islay dram, with smoke, grilled lemon scallops and beach bonfire embers on the nose (46% ABV).

  • Smoky: Kilchoman Machir Bay is the distillery’s signature peated malt, matured in bourbon and sherry casks (46% ABV). Lagavulin 16 Year Old has one of the smokiest noses from Islay (43% ABV). Port Charlotte 10 Years Old is intensely smoky, with seaweed and rockpool aromas (50% ABV).

  • Extreme: Octomore 16.1 is peated to 101.4ppm and bottled at 59.3% ABV. Octomore 16.3 is malted to 189.5ppm and bottled at 61.6% ABV.

The tiers are a guide based on our own notes, not a strict ranking. If you are new to smoke, begin in the first two.

Why do Islay whiskies taste so different?

Barley, casks and even farms make the difference. Kilchoman’s 100% Islay range is described as Islay’s only single-farm single malt Scotch whisky, made by growing its own barley. Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2014 is made entirely with Islay-grown Concerto and Propino barley, and 80% of it was matured in first-fill bourbon casks. Octomore 16.3 comes from single-estate Concerto barley grown on Octomore Farm.

Independent bottlers add more variety. Adelphi looked to Caol Ila when selecting the malt for its own Islay 10 Year Old, which is bottled at 46% ABV.

Speyside whisky flavours

Sherry casks play a big part in several of our Speyside bottles. Our Glenfarclas notes point to sherry, honey, toffee and fruitcake in the 10 Year Old, which its producers recommend as an aperitif whisky, and vanilla, dark fruit, orange and peach in the 12 Year Old, with ruby chocolate and almond flakes on the palate.

The GlenAllachie 12 Year Old has heather honey, cinnamon, butterscotch and sticky raisins on the nose, then orange zest, dark chocolate, figs and dates on the palate.

Strength is worth checking too. Balvenie 12 Year Old Doublewood is 40% ABV and Glenfarclas 12 Year Old is 43%. Many of the independent Signatory bottlings on our Speyside shelf are much stronger. Mortlach 10 Year Old, for example, is bottled at 57.1% ABV and finished in Pedro Ximénez casks, bringing dark fruits, demerara sugar and chocolate. It is far stronger than the Balvenie and Glenfarclas bottles above.

Taste both regions for under £40


Buy four 5cl bottles. Our shelves hold small sizes from both regions, so you can compare them side by side:

  • The GlenAllachie 12 Year Old, 5cl, £6.95: Speyside, 46% ABV, with honey, orange zest and dark chocolate.

  • Glenfarclas 12 Year Old, 5cl, £7.95: Speyside, 43% ABV, with vanilla, dark fruit and sherry notes.

  • Kilchoman Machir Bay, 5cl, £9.95: peated Islay, 46% ABV, with bourbon and sherry cask character.

  • Kilchoman Sanaig, 5cl, £11.95: Islay, 46% ABV, where Oloroso sherry adds dried fruits and spices to citrus sweetness and peat smoke.

The total is £36.80. You will taste two sweet Speyside malts and two peated Islay malts, all from the same shelf.

Want an unpeated Islay in the mix? The Bruichladdich Classic Laddie 20cl comes in a handy 20cl size. For a bigger Speyside sample, Balvenie 12 Year Old Doublewood comes in a 20cl bottle. It is aged in ex-bourbon casks and finished in sherry casks, with notes of nuttiness, vanilla and gentle spice.

Which single malt should you buy first?

Start with one question: do you enjoy smoky flavours?

  • No, I like sweet and fruity: Glenfarclas 12 Year Old or Glenfarclas 10 Year Old.

  • I am curious about smoke: Cask Islay or Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old.

  • I want Islay without heavy smoke: Bruichladdich Classic Laddie 10 Year Old.

  • I love bold smoke: Lagavulin 16 Year Old or Port Charlotte 10 Years Old.

Once you know your style, our shelves have natural next steps.

  • Richer Speyside: The GlenAllachie 15 Year Old is matured in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks, with raisins, butterscotch and sweet spices on the nose, and it also comes in a 5cl bottle. Glenfarclas 17 Year Old is a richly sherried dram, bottled at 43% ABV.

  • Bolder Islay: Ardbeg Uigeadail is bottled at cask strength, 54.2% ABV, and combines bourbon barrels and sherry butts for a sweet and smoky finish. Kilchoman Sanaig, with sherry and bourbon casks, also comes in 70cl.

You can compare all of them in our malt whisky collection.

ABV, cask strength, and 100 Proof on our shelves

Bottle names can look like code, so here are real examples from our product pages.

  • ABV: the strength, shown on our product pages. Balvenie 12 Year Old Doublewood is 40%, for example, while Octomore 16.3 is 61.6%.

  • Cask strength: Ardbeg Uigeadail is bottled at cask strength, 54.2% ABV.

  • 100 Proof Editions: a Signatory Vintage series of independent bottlings at around 57% ABV, such as Mortlach 10 Year Old.

  • Non-chill filtered: Port Askaig 8 Year Old is non-chill filtered and free from added colouring.

  • Single cask: Bruichladdich Micro Provenance Cask No. 4164 comes from an outrun of just 232 bottles.

Speyside vs Islay FAQs

Is Speyside or Islay better for beginners?

Speyside is a gentle place to begin, because bottles such as Glenfarclas 12 Year Old lean towards honey, vanilla, and fruit. Islay works well too if you choose a gentler bottle such as Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old or Cask Islay.

Is all Islay whisky peated?

No. Bruichladdich Classic Laddie is made with 100% unpeated Scottish barley, and Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old is not heavily peated.

Should a beginner buy a cask-strength whisky?

Most bottles in this guide sit between 40% and 50% ABV. Cask-strength bottles, such as Ardbeg Uigeadail at 54.2% ABV, are bolder, so they are a good next step once you know your taste.

What is the difference between Lagavulin and Caol Ila?

Both are Islay single malts. Lagavulin 16 Year Old has one of the smokiest noses from Islay, while Caol Ila 12 Year Old is described as one of the lighter Islays, medium-bodied with a rounded flavour.

Can I get these bottles quickly?

Our product pages list next business day delivery for these bottles when ordered by 12 noon, Monday to Friday. Delivery is free on UK mainland orders over £200, and a few areas have different terms, so check our delivery policy.

A final thought

You do not need to choose a region forever, only a first bottle. Start small, taste both, and let your own palate decide. If you like sweet and fruity flavours, begin with Speyside.

 If you want to try smoke without going all in, Cask Islay is bottled at 46% ABV and is described as inviting enough for a first Islay dram. We’re an independent shop in Portobello, Edinburgh, and we ship across the UK. Please drink responsibly.

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