7 Whiskey Brands Sold in Australia to Avoid (And 3 to Drink)

Right, here is something that will make you put down that glass. The whiskey industry has a dirty secret they are hoping you will never figure out. After three weeks of research, tasting sessions, calling companies directly, and reading through hundreds of reviews, mate, what I found genuinely shocked me. That bottle sitting in your cupboard right now, there is a good chance it is padded out with young, harsh spirit, artificial colouring and marketing so slick it would make a used car salesman blush. By the end of this video, you will know exactly which brands are taking the mickey and which ones actually deserve your hard-earned cash. Here is the thing about the whiskey industry in Australia. There are virtually no rules forcing them to tell you what is actually in the bottle. The addition of caramel colouring is considered voluntary information and does not have to be stated on the label. So that rich amber colour you are admiring? For younger aged whiskeys or those with no age statement, artificial colouring is often used to make the whiskey look older. People who drink whiskey tend to regard darker whiskeys as older, making them seem more appealing. They are banking on you buying with your eyes. Not your taste buds. If you want to stop getting ripped off by fancy packaging and celebrity endorsements, hit subscribe. Let us get into it. Starting with number 7, we have Johnny Walker Red Label. This one costs around $48-52 for a 700ml bottle. You see it absolutely everywhere. Woolies. Coles. Dan Murphy's. It is unavoidable. After trying it, there is not much to figure out. It is totally flat, lightly whiskey flavoured alcohol water. I poured myself a neat glass and honestly, it reminded me of drinking at a mate's house party in 2008 when someone's older brother raided the cabinet. Johnny Walker Red Label is a no age statement whiskey. While every scotch must be aged for at least 3 years by law, Red Label mainly uses younger whiskeys. What you are paying for is the walking man logo, not what is inside. It has suffered from the notorious E in whiskey. Caramel colour has been added for a consistent colour. So that deep golden hue is artificial. You are literally paying $50 for food colouring and marketing. A proper entry level scotch should offer at least some complexity. For the same money, grab a monkey shoulder or even Johnny Walker Black Label. The extra $10 is absolutely worth it. At nearly $50, you deserve more than something reviewers describe as the butt of many a joke in the whiskey community. Moving on to number 6. This is proper number 12. Irish Whiskey. Conor McGregor's Bottle. It costs around $55 to $60 a bottle in Australia. I'm not here to bash celebrity products just because they are celebrity products. But I tried this myself and honestly, there is zero complexity. It is not enjoyable on a basic level. The sweet young profile is ruined by harsh ethanol notes on the palate. I called a few bottle shops to ask what they thought. One retailer in Brunswick said it sells to UFC fans, but he has never seen anyone return for a second bottle. It is young and immature and it lacks complexity and character. If you are going to buy a celebrity whiskey, choose a different one. If you want an Irish blend, pick another bottle. There is a quality to the sweetness that seems inauthentic, like artificial sweetness and an emptiness to its flavour. A proper Irish whiskey at this price, such as Tullamore Dew or Powers Gold, gives you real depth and smoothness. If proper number 12 cost $20 to $25 per bottle, I would be more comfortable recommending it. At $55 to $60 here in Australia, it does not live up to its competition. You are paying a celebrity tax for a product that one reviewer rated 1 out of 5 stars. Now we're at number 5. White and Mackay blended scotch. This one goes for around $38 to $45. Now we're getting into territory where the price is low and the quality even lower. Despite its heritage, it remains one of the worst budget whiskey brands. The smell is not too bad, but on your first sip, you are met with an incredible harshness that does not ease away. I did a blind taste test with three mates. All three guessed it was the cheapest whiskey on the table. They were right. The harshness is something else. The lack of transparency and the mediocre taste profile mean this is a whiskey to be avoided. It works okay if you want to throw it in with a mixer, but there are better whiskies for that. Other bottom shelf scotches such as Famous Grouse, Grant's and Ballantine's will not wow you with the taste, but they are much better options. Given those alternatives, there is no reason to grab a bottle of White and Mackay. At this price, you can grab Teachers Highland Cream or Grant's Family Reserve. Both are significantly smoother. All right, number four, William Lawson's Blended Scotch, around $35 to $42 a bottle. Now we're really getting into dodgy territory. William Lawson's is the worst cheap scotch whiskey available. It's a dreadful sipping whiskey with overwhelming alcoholic notes, pepper and nail polish notes. It ranks among the worst liquors worldwide. I'm not making that up. Multiple reviewers have mentioned it. I picked up a bottle from my local BWS and on the nose, that acetone smell hit me immediately. William Lawson's is an unpleasant whiskey lacking an age statement. On the nose, it has a beer-like aroma with a strong ethanol note. The flavour offers caramel and oak, but is overwhelmed by harsh nail polish and black pepper. A short finish reveals clove, vanilla and more alcohol. Even at $35, you can find a bottle of Monkey Shoulder on sale or spend five bucks more on Black Bottle and actually enjoy what you're drinking. William Lawson's is a rough and disappointing choice, better avoided. It is the worst, cheapest scotch and something you should never buy. Now we are at number three, Cutty Sark Original, around $40 to $48. This one hurts because Cutty Sark used to mean something. Your granddad probably drank it, but times have changed. Cutty Sark is not recommended on its own, but it can work in cocktails, though better options exist. While popular among boomers in the United States, it has not gained traction with younger generations. I poured two glasses side by side, Cutty Sark and Jameson, which costs about the same. The difference was night and day. Cutty Sark tasted thin, almost watery, with a peculiar sourness I could not shake. The brand was sold from the premium Edrington Group, which make Macallan and Highland Park, to La Martiniquaise Bardinet, meaning they cut costs and the quality followed. For $40 to $48, Irish whiskeys like Jameson or even Powers deliver significantly more satisfaction. This is where I started getting properly angry during my research. Number two is Passport Scotch. It costs around $32 to $40 a bottle. Mixed with Coke, it becomes somewhat bearable, but it is best to avoid drinking it straight. Passport Blended Scotch was launched in 1960. It belongs to Pernod Ricard, a French conglomerate that owns various liquor brands including Chivas Regal and Jameson. Here is what gets me. Pernod Ricard owns Chivas Regal. They know how to make good whiskey. But with Passport, they have deliberately created a bottom tier product and slapped the Scotch label on it to make it seem premium. This single malt and grain whiskey blend is aged in a trio of casks, virgin oak, refilled American oak and bourbon barrels. However, despite those efforts, the resulting whiskey is mediocre at best and something to avoid despite its low price. The same company that makes Chivas 18 is also churning out this rubbish. That is a complete betrayal of their own standards. And now we have arrived at number one. The one that genuinely makes me angry. Flavoured whiskey liqueurs. I am talking Jim Beam Apple, Jim Beam Honey, Jim Beam Peach and all the others like them. These go for around $38 to $48 a bottle. And I am not just picking on Jim Beam. It is the entire category. Here is what they do not tell you. Jim Beam's flavoured products, Apple, Honey, Kentucky Fire, Maple, Red Stag, Vanilla and Peach are liqueurs and not equal to liquor because they are sweetened with various flavours, oils, extracts and other additives. Read that again. They are not whiskey. They are liqueurs. But look at the bottle. Look at the branding. It is designed to sit right next to Jim Beam bourbon on the shelf. Same font. Same size. Same styling. Many whiskey makers add flavouring or caramel colouring to their whiskeys. But even if they follow all of the other rules of bourbon, they cannot call their whiskey bourbon. I watched 10 people in Dan Murphy's over an afternoon. Eight of them picked up these flavoured bottles thinking they were getting flavoured bourbon. They are not. They are getting sugar-laden liqueur with a bourbon base that has been pumped full of artificial sweeteners and additives. At $45 a bottle? That is an absolute R.O.R.I.E.T. If you want flavour in your whiskey, buy actual bourbon and add your own honey or make a proper cocktail. At least you know what you are drinking. The entire marketing strategy is designed to deceive. Same branding. Same shelf placement. Wildly different product. Your Nan never drank this stuff. And neither should you. Right. Enough doom and gloom. Let us talk about what you should be drinking. My first recommendation is Starwood Twofold. Around $65 at Dan Murphy's for a 700ml bottle. Starwood uses local wine barrels to mature their spirits. Melbourne's climate has helped to accelerate the maturation process, making them one of the biggest whiskey producers and the first commercial scale single malt distillery in the country. This is Aussie whiskey done right. It is properly aged in Australian red wine barrels with no artificial colouring and a complex flavour profile. I have recommended this to at least a dozen mates and every single one has come back for more. Available at Dan Murphy's, BWS and most independent bottle shops. My second recommendation is Lark Classic Cask. It is a bit pricier at around $95 to $110 but worth every cent. Lark Distillery is responsible for the rebirth of whiskey production in Tasmania and for bringing Australian whiskey back to the scene. Founder Bill Lark was inducted into the Whiskey Magazine Hall of Fame. A first for the Southern Hemisphere. Lark has been crowned Australia's best at the 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 World Whiskies Awards for the best blended malt. An exceptional whiskey with length, poise and incredible balance. This is what quality Australian whiskey tastes like. My third recommendation is Glenfiddich 12 Year Old. Around $65 to $75 for a bottle. If you want a reliable, internationally recognised scotch that will not let you down, Glenfiddich was founded in 1887 in Scotland's Dufftown region. It is a family owned whiskey brand that is recognised worldwide and well known for its 12 year old and 15 year old single malt ranges. It is an award winning whiskey brand that offers a selection of high quality single malt whiskeys. No artificial colouring debates, no celebrity endorsements, just quality whiskey that has been done right for over 130 years. Your body and your wallet deserve better than marketing tricks and cheap filler. If this video helped you, smash that like button so YouTube shows it to more Aussies who are tired of getting ripped off. Drop a comment below telling me what whiskey you've been burned by. I read every single one. And if you want more videos exposing dodgy products on Australian shelves, hit subscribe and the bell so you do not miss the next one. Cheers legends. Drink smart.