There have been some serious shifts in the global whisky market, so in this video I run through five cheap yet surprisingly drinkable whiskies for 2026—bottles you can actually enjoy neat, not just hide in a cocktail. With the cost of living still climbing (and the Aussie alcohol excise going up twice every single year… god damn it), you’d think “affordable” would mean spending more. But thanks to a bit of a market glut and changes in global distribution, I’m still finding genuinely good drams under $80 AUD—often under $70 if you shop the sales. My 2026 picks cover a nice spread: a sweet-and-simple Highland single malt (Glen Moray X) that was designed for mixing but sips better than you’d expect; a classic, sherry-leaning Irish blend (Bushmills Black Bush) that’s smooth and easy; a bold American rye (Wild Turkey Kentucky Straight Rye) whose improved Aussie distribution has kept pricing stable; a supermarket-exclusive 10-year single malt (Levenside 10) made for Australia by Loch Lomond; and a smoky budget pleaser (The Deacon) that proves affordable peat can actually be good. If you’re hunting bang-for-buck whiskies you can drink neat in 2026, this list is a cracking place to start.