PricesData study
What a whisky gift budget buys
Half the whiskies in stock at the UK retailers we check on 14 October 2026 cost £71.00 or less on the shelf, or £75.99 delivered.
£71 or less buys half the whiskies in stock on the shelf (£75.99 delivered), 14 October 2026
Under £30: 12 blended, 3 bourbon, 1 tennessee whiskey.
Stocked most widely: Robert Burns Blend; Slane Irish Whiskey; Tullamore DEW.
£30 to £50: 70 single malt, 18 blended, 7 bourbon.
Stocked most widely: Glenfiddich 12 Year Old; Monkey Shoulder; Isle of Skye 12 Year Old Blend.
£50 to £75: 94 single malt, 5 unknown, 4 bourbon.
Stocked most widely: Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood; Stauning Kaos Triple Malt; Ardbeg Corryvreckan.
£75 to £100: 35 single malt, 5 unknown, 4 blended.
Stocked most widely: Tamdhu 15 Year Old Sherry Cask Matured Single Malt Whisky; Ledaig 18 Year Old; Hibiki Japanese Harmony.
£100 to £150: 38 single malt, 3 blended, 1 blended malt.
Stocked most widely: Nikka Tailored; The Glenlivet 18 Year Old; The Dalmore Cigar Malt Whisky 70cl.
£150 to £250: 31 single malt, 6 blended, 2 world whisky.
Stocked most widely: The Macallan Harmony Collection Rich Cacao; Glenmorangie Signet Whisky 70cl; The Balvenie 21 Year Portwood Whisky 70cl.
£250 and over: 52 single malt, 8 blended, 1 bourbon.
Stocked most widely: Bowmore 25 Year Old; Hakushu 25 Year Old; Dalmore 18 Year Old 2024 Edition.
Prices recorded on 14 October 2026; delivered means one bottle to a UK mainland address. Examples are what is easy to find at that price, not picks.
Every budget: bottles, styles and examples
Buying whisky as a Christmas present? Start with the budget. Select a band to see which styles it covers and which bottles are easiest to find; the second bar in each band counts delivery for one bottle. One well-chosen bottle is plenty. Whisky is for adults over 18: drinkaware.co.uk.
- 132 bottles cost under £50 on the shelf, but only 91 stayed under £50 once delivery for one bottle was added.
- Under £30 is thin at specialist shops: 17 bottles, mostly blends, plus 9 smaller bottles (5cl to 35cl).
- £30 to £75 holds just over half of everything in stock (231 bottles), most of them single malts.
Source: Uisge Beatha: in-stock shelf and delivered prices at the UK retailers we check, 14 October 2026. Updated 23 October 2026. Free to reuse with a link to this page.
About this data: method, downloads and sources
How we did it
What counts. Confirmed listings of a single 50cl to 1L bottle in stock at the UK retailers we check, recorded on 14 October 2026: 443 bottles. Smaller bottles (5cl to 35cl) are counted separately. Each bottle is placed in a band by its cheapest shelf price, and again by its cheapest delivered price for one bottle to a UK mainland address under the retailer’s standard service.
Styles. From our bottle tags (single malt, blended, bourbon and so on); a few bottles have no style tag and show as unknown. “Stocked most widely” lists the bottles carried by the most independent retailers in each band. They are examples of what is easy to find at that price, not recommendations.
Coverage. 5 retailers with 4 owners (Loch Fyne Whiskies and The Whisky Shop share an owner). We do not yet check supermarkets, Master of Malt or The Whisky Exchange, so the cheapest band in particular is likely to be under-counted. Prices and delivery terms change, especially in November and December, so check the bottle page before you buy.
Download the data
Free to reuse with a link to this page.
Sources
- Uisge Beatha: in-stock shelf and delivered prices at the UK retailers we check, 14 October 2026
- Retailer delivery policies, checked 23 October 2026
Prices are the shelf prices we recorded at UK retailers on the dates shown and change daily. Uisge Beatha compares prices; it does not sell whisky or give investment advice. Please enjoy whisky responsibly: drinkaware.co.uk.