Glenlivet

The first distillery to be licensed under the 1823 Excise Act that effectively legalized Scotch whisky production, The Glenlivet was founded by George Smith in the remote glen of the River Livet in 1824 after receiving protection from King George IV. Its 12-year-old expression is the best-selling single malt in the United States, outperforming #2 on this list, Highland Park, by over 200,000 cases annually. The name Glenlivet was so synonymous with quality Speyside whisky in the 19th century that 28 other distilleries hyphenated it to their names.