Bruichladdich Port Charlotte Heavily Peated 10 Year Old Single Malt ScotchPhoto illustration: Brad JapheAnother day, another bottle of award-winning spirit coming out of a top global competition. But this one is different. The SIP Awards – which stands for Spirits International Prestige – was established in 2009 as the first and only competition to use consumer-based judging as opposed to industry experts. “What about the consumer’s opinion," was the question on the mind of its founder, Paul Hashemi. To answer it, in the words of his own mission statement, “he set out to create a fair competition by strategically choosing consumers from all demographics, conceiving an event that cuts to the core of public opinion as a starting point, rather than an afterthought, in branding and product development.”The panel enlists the help of more than 300 palates, about 12 times the average number of panelists used in a traditional spirits competition. You can see more about the demographic breakdown of these consumer judges here. But that’s enough on how the sausage is made. Let’s take a closer look at what sausage tasted better than the rest – or, more literally, what scotch took home the top prize.In its most recent competition, which reflect scores compiled in 2025, the honor of Best Single Malt Scotch belongs to Port Charlotte 10, a ten-year-old, heavily peated expression produced by the Bruichladdich Distillery on Islay. Typically available on US shelves for around $70 a bottle, this is an unapologetically bold malt that holds earthy, smoldering smoke in its nose and a seaweed-inspired brine in its oily body. The finish elongates those smokier elements, adding a fringe of lemon curd and caramel to help amplify a lasting mysticism. Weaving together this rich tapestry, master blender Adam Hannett pulls from a combination of scotches aged in first-fill and second-fill ex-bourbon casks, along with a sizable percentage of second-fill French wine casks. It’s the presence of that last bit of cooperage that tempers some of the otherwise unbridled flames present in a distillate that holds a peat level of 40PPM. MORE FOR YOUA varied stable of cooperage also adds a depth to the drink that you wouldn’t necessarily expect from a scotch that only underwent a decade worth of maturation. Indeed, on the complexity scale, this one stands toe-to-toe with other scotches twice its age--and twice its price. For seasoned fans of scotch, a stellar performance by any Bruichladdich expression is something they’ve come to expect. The modern era of the 145-year-old producer began in 2001 and has been marked by sustained international acclaim. The Port Charlotte label, named after a small fishing village on the western shore of Loch Indaal, about 2 miles away from the distillery, is particularly prized by folks who appreciate peat. But as we said at the top, the SIP Awards are doled out by everyday consumers – the same sort of sippers who often shy away from those pungent types of single malts for which Islay is renowned. It goes to show, the general drinking population is becoming increasingly sophisticated – when it comes to whisky appreciation, at least. But the top performance by Port Charlotte 10 also points to the prowess of Hannett and his skilled team of scotch makers over at Bruichladdich. They are able to bring to bottle a liquid that appeals, in equal measure, to both a narrow band of connoisseurs as well as a broader global audience. It’s no easy task to nail. But it is an easy bottle to take home, readily available on US shelves. News from another spirits competition tends to roll out constantly. We know as well as anyone. But an award-winning scotch selling for well under $100 isn’t something you see everyday.TARBERT, UNITED KINGDOM - MARCH 06: A worker at Bruichladdich distillery takes a whisky sample from a cask March 6, 2006, Bruichladdich in Islay. Bruichladdich will use an ancient recipe to distiled at 90%. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)Getty Images