I love end of year lists. Mostly reading them, because it sifts a lot of the corn from the chaff. It means cutting 200-odd posts from every blog with just the top of that annum.

There’s always this division between blog lists. Some blogs go for the whisky they rated highest. While this would statistically be apt, it also removes the ‘appreciation’ factor that sometimes happens with a whisky that doesn’t necessarily rate stellarly.

I prefer to go for the whisky that I remember best and most favorably. For example, I think it was 2014 that I had some stellar whiskies, but one of the whiskies I remember best is the Benromach 10 that came out then. That one killed it, and especially so because it only set you back 40 euros.

Last year I picked an amazing Bowmore from Wemyss that probably didn’t score highest either. The point I’m trying to make is that my whisky of the year pick is not the statistically highest scoring whisky I’ve had this year. I’m also trying to exclude whiskies that weren’t bottled this year.

The reason for that is to not say my favorite whisky of 2016 is a whisky distilled in 1912. Also, while I really, really like (and appreciate getting a sample of) Glenlivet 1974, Glen Grant 1954, Highland Park 1956 and such. It’s just that practically no-one can afford that, and if you could (and want to) it’s hard to get.

So, without too much further ado, the best my favorite whisky of 2016! (There can really be only one)

Springbank Local Barley 16, 1999-2016.

I seriously, seriously love this whisky, and I was happy to have a big sample and some back-up for later.

The whisky does everything right. It has the typical Springbank flavors I love so much, it’s slightly dirty which makes it works so well. It’s strong, it’s quite big and it’s what the Malt Maniacs would call a ‘natural cask’.

I am really looking forward to the next four releases (it’s a series of five, I’m told), and if they’re anywhere near this awesome, we might be in for a boring streak of whiskies of the year for a while!

Very honorable mentions:

• Speyside 1975-2016, The Whisky Agency
• Laphroaig 1996-2016, Masterpieces
• Mortlach 1998-2016, Signatory for TWE
• Strathisla 1967-2015, G&M
• Aberlour 16 for TWE
• and at this point I got tired of looking back through the year’s review.