This Is the No. 1 Scotch in the World, According to Top Shelf 2025

For most drinkers, choosing the world’s best whisky is a subjective, lifelong journey. (One hopes to find some personal favorites along the way.) But for the judges and administrators behind The Tasting Alliance, it’s an annual task. And this year’s distinction goes to a storied whisky with an incredible history: Rosebank 31-Year-Old Lowland Single Malt Scotch. 

In November, Rosebank’s 31-year single malt earned four titles: Best Single Malt Scotch (20 Years & Older), Best Single Malt Scotch, Best Overall Scotch, and Best in Show Whisky by Top Shelf 2025. The annual awards ceremony is regarded as one of the drinks industry’s most prestigious events and honors the top performers from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) and San Francisco Ready to Drink Competition (SFRTDC). The Tasting Alliance organizes both competitions along with Top Shelf. 

While Rosebank 31 earned top scores across all Scotch categories, its Best in Show Whisky designation puts the spirit in a class of its own, ahead of all other entrants in the competition. Surprisingly, the history behind the pour may be more extraordinary than the whisky itself.

Rosebank is a famed Lowland Scotch distillery with origins dating back nearly 200 years. Originally family-owned, it became part of Distillers Co. around World War I, and most of its production was used in blended whiskies. However, some spirit reached shelves via independent bottlers, and the distillery gradually built a reputation as “King of the Lowlands.”

Sadly, a tough market led to Rosebank closing in 1993. In 2017, family-owned Ian Macleod Distillers revived the brand and built a new distillery with three new stills. (According to some sources, the old stills had fallen victim to vandals.) In June 2023, Rosebank resumed operations, reintroducing its signature triple distillation and worm tub condensers, which are uncommon in Scotch. 

Of course, Rosebank’s award-winning 31-year single malt wasn’t produced with the new stills. Instead, it comes from a collection of pre-closure casks that Ian Macleod Distillers acquired along with the distillery. Distilled in 1991, the whisky was aged across a combination of refill sherry butts and bourbon hogsheads before bottling at 48.1% ABV. It’s part of the Rosebank Legacy Trilogy, which also features 30- and 32-year-old expressions. Together, Ian Macleod Distillers says they are the “final releases drawn from the distillery’s remaining pre-1993 casks.” Bottles of Rosebank 31 Year Old Lowland Single Malt Scotch have an MSRP of about $3,300.

Brand tasting notes for the 31-year-old expression highlight a nose that bursts with citrus, soft vanilla, and candied almonds. The palate itself is rich in chamomile, berries, and baked bananas, before a finish leaning into sweet peach and oak. 

“This award is a tremendous moment for everyone connected to Rosebank. The 31-year-old represents the very best of the spirit laid down before the distillery fell silent,” says Neil Bulloch, Rosebank’s distillery manager, in a press statement. “Our responsibility now is to carry that character forward as Rosebank enters a new chapter.”