How we pick deals

We may earn a small commission from some shop links, at no extra cost to you. It never affects which shop we pick.

We cover peated Scotch whisky only, from Islay and beyond. A bottle only counts as a deal if we have checked its price ourselves and it is clearly below its usual price. We’d rather show nothing than guess a price.

What we cover

Peated Scotch whisky: independent bottlings (e.g. Signatory, Cadenhead’s, Douglas Laing’s Old Particular, Provenance and Big Peat, Berry Bros & Rudd, Gordon & MacPhail, Hunter Laing, Adelphi, That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Elixir’s Single Malts of Scotland, Murray McDavid and similar labels) and distillery bottlings from Islay (Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Bowmore, Caol Ila, Port Charlotte, Octomore, Kilchoman…) and elsewhere (Talisker, Ledaig, Highland Park, Springbank/Longrow, Benromach, Ardmore, peated BenRiach), and brand bottlings, where the label doesn’t name the distillery, such as Finlaggan, Smokehead and Compass Box (The Peat Monster). We include blended malts (all malt whisky, e.g. Big Peat, Compass Box The Peat Monster, Wemyss Peat Chimney) but not blended Scotch that contains grain whisky (e.g. Johnnie Walker Double Black).

Bottling types explained

Every card carries one of these three labels.

Independent Bottlings Independent Bottlings. An independent company buys casks from a distillery and bottles them under its own label, usually naming the distillery. Examples: Signatory, Cadenhead’s, Douglas Laing, Gordon & MacPhail, Berry Bros & Rudd, Hunter Laing, Adelphi, That Boutique-y Whisky Company.

Distillery Bottlings Distillery Bottlings. Official releases from the distillery, such as Laphroaig 10, Ardbeg 10 or Lagavulin 16.

Brand Bottlings Brand Bottlings (Secret Distillery). Whisky sold under a brand name where the distillery isn’t officially named, such as Smokehead, Finlaggan, The Ileach or Peat’s Beast. Often good value, but you don’t officially know where the whisky comes from.

What counts as a deal (UK & EU)

Real discounts only. For each bottle we work out a typical price: the middle (median) price at the other shops we check in the same market, UK shops in pounds and EU shops in euros. Every deal is compared across at least three shops. A bottle is a deal only if our checked, in-stock 70cl price is at least 10% below that typical price, and each card shows by how much. We compare prices before delivery, as most shops only show delivery at checkout, and each card says so. Bottles at a normal price go in the Everyday prices list instead.
Trusted shops only. We only pick shops with strong, recent customer reviews on a major review site, several years of trading and clear company details. We avoid unknown sellers and high delivery costs.
The best price always wins. We link the trusted shop with the best price for a one-bottle order, including delivery when the shop publishes it. Some shops may pay us a small commission and others pay us nothing, and that never decides which one we show. If two shops have exactly the same price, the one with lower delivery gets the link; if delivery is the same too, the one that ships more widely. If you see one shop a lot, that’s because it has the best price on those bottles, not because it pays us.
Shops that ship to one country only. Some good EU shops only deliver inside their own country, for example Germany or Austria. They follow the same rules and can be the pick, and their card says so, for example “Ships to Germany only”. If a trusted shop that ships more widely costs at most 10% more, we show it just below with the real difference, for example “For 6% more, Weisshaus ships to more EU countries”.
One card per bottle. One main pick per bottle. If another good shop is at least 10% or £5/€5 lower, we add a short “Also …” line. A bottle appears as both a UK pick and an EU pick only when it’s a genuine deal on both sides of the Channel.
Fresh prices. Every price has a “checked” date. We check twice a week, and any price older than 4 days comes off until we check it again.

What else you’ll see on deal pages

“We checked …” line. How many peated Scotch listings we checked in our latest check across the whole site, how many passed our deal bar on this page, and when we last checked.

Everyday price. If a bottling type has no deals right now, we show a few great bottles at their normal price, clearly marked “Everyday price”, for reference.

Worth watching. Checked prices 3–10% below the typical price. Close, but not enough to count as a deal. Marked “Small saving” with how far below typical, for example “Small saving · 5% below typical”.

Recently ended. Deals that left the list in the last 14 days, with the date, the reason (price rose, out of stock, offer ended) and the last price we saw.

Offer end dates. An amber “Ends …” label, for example “Ends Sun 18 Oct”, appears only when the shop’s own page states an end date. We never guess one, and the deal comes off after that date.

Shop tags (UK / EU / US). Every price shows where the shop is based. Check that the shop delivers to you before ordering. Readers in the US have their own US deals page.

“Undisclosed distillery” tag. Added to independent bottlings whose label doesn’t name the distillery.

Cask strength. Bottled at the strength it came out of the cask, without being cut with water. We mark a bottle as cask strength only when the bottler, distillery or shop says so in plain words, such as cask strength, barrel proof or natural strength. We never decide by alcohol strength alone, and if the bottler and the shop disagree, the bottler wins.

US deals

Our US deals page is a separate list for readers in the United States. US prices are never mixed with UK or EU prices.

US shops, US dollars. Each US price is compared only with other US shops.
Same bottle, same size. 750ml (the US standard) and 700ml bottles are compared separately, and every card shows the size.
Real discounts only. Same rule as UK and EU: a US deal is at least 10% below the typical price, the middle (median) price at the other trusted US shops we check for the same bottle and size. We compare like with like: delivery is included only when the deal shop and every shop we compare it with state their delivery cost; otherwise we compare prices before delivery. Every deal is compared across at least three shops, and prices older than 4 days are never used. A bottle with fewer shops goes in the everyday prices instead.
The best price always wins. The trusted shop with the best price, including known delivery, gets the link. Whether a shop may pay us a commission never decides which one we show. On a tie, lower delivery wins, then wider shipping.
Marketplaces and clubs. In the US, marketplaces and clubs such as Frootbat, Flaviar and Caskers can be the pick if they meet our trusted-shop standard.
Where the shop ships. Every US card shows how widely the shop ships spirits, for example “Ships to about 10 states”, “Ships to DC, Florida and Minnesota only”, or “Check delivery to your state at checkout” when the shop doesn’t publish a list. If a shop ships to only a few states, we also show the best trusted shop that ships more widely when it costs at most 10% more, for example “For 5% more, Saratoga Wine ships to more states”.
Delivery costs. Cards show the bottle price only and say “Delivery not included”. The % below typical compares like with like: delivery counts only when the deal shop and every shop we compare it with state their delivery cost; otherwise we compare prices before delivery.
Small savings. US prices 3–10% below typical appear under Worth watching.

Check your state’s law. Each US state has its own rules on shipping spirits to consumers, and many restrict or ban shipments from out-of-state shops. You must be 21 or over, and it is up to you to check that ordering spirits online is legal where you live.

What we don’t do

Invent prices, stock, discounts or reviews
Treat a shop’s own “was” price as proof of a discount
Cover non-Scotch whisky (Irish, American, Japanese, Indian, Welsh, Nordic or other), even when it’s peated
Cover unpeated Scotch
Use salesy language or fake urgency

Prices and currencies

Every price on a card is verified, meaning we took it from the shop’s live product page. Prices are in pounds for UK shops, euros for EU shops and dollars for US shops. Euro prices on the UK and EU pages also show “(about £X)” as a guide, using the European Central Bank’s daily rate. The shop’s own price and currency always apply.

Bottle images

Bottle photos show the exact bottling, taken from the distillery’s or bottler’s own website where one exists, and are used for illustration. If we have no photo of the exact bottling, we hold that card back until we do.

Under £50 · £50–100 · £100+ · US under $50 · US $50–100 · US $100+

Some EU typical prices use data from whiskyshop-preisvergleich.de.