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Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!

Mortlach again? But of course.

This year, Santa will be enjoying a 28 year-old single cask Mortlach distilled in 1989, now that all is calm.

Mortlach 28 single cask

Although the new and long-awaited Mortlach 12, 16, and 20 year-old expressions have yet to appear in New York City, one must make the best of it as one can.

And Christmas night will include opening the last bottle of 22 year-old Mortlach, first fill European oak sherry butt, from the same bottlers.

And 2019 will see the return to this website’s operations full-time.

 

World Whisky Day – Malt du Jour

Mortlach 18

A review of which will be appearing soon

Mortlach 18 - World Whisky Day

click to enlarge

The photo shows my late father at the Royal & Ancient Clubhouse at St. Andrews, in Fife, a good 100 miles south of the Mortlach distillery in the whisky-producing region of Speyside.

World Whisky Day

One of the Men of Malt sent these photos from London, just in time for World Whisky Day

I found myself humming, “Oh, if I were a rich man…”

World Whisky Day 3

World Whisky Day 2

World Whisky Day 1

These were taken at http://hedonism.co.uk

If only…

Now, what shall I have later this evening to celebrate World Whisky Day?

Last night, in the 85 degree heat, it was Bank Note blended Scotch whisky and soda. Actually, it was plain seltzer which has no added mineralization. Since most club soda in the USA is now made with potassium rather than sodium, it does not taste nearly as good for whisky and soda, to my palate anyway.

But tonight? After the weather changed to chilly and wet? Hmmm. Recently arrived acquisitions worthy of a World Whisky Day celebration include:

Longrow Peated (no age statement)

Glenfarclas 12 (not yet opened)

1998 Ben Nevis 15 Year Old Fresh Sherry Butt #596 Cask Strength (K & L Wines Exclusive)

Ardbeg home blending of 10 yo, Corryvreken, and Uuigeadail (Thanks Tony!)

Springbank 12 Cask Strength

Mortlach 18 (so really, really very good compared to the Mortlach Old and Rare, but still really, really overpriced.)

Or I may finally open my last bottle Mortlach 16 yo Flora and Fauna, which may just be my all-time favorite whisky, as if there could be only one.

Choices, choices

 

Rarest Whiskies for those with the Deepest Pockets

Six of the Rarest Scottish Whiskies in Living Color

Black Book (bbook.com) offers up some mouthwatering photography of six exceptionally rare Scotch whisky expressions.

Five of the six are single malts and one is a blend. All but one show age statements of 40 years old or older.

Terse tasting notes of the “rarest whiskies” give a tantalizing hint at what a price tag in the thousands could lead to for the discerning palate.

The lone no age statement single malt being Macallan’s M, from the 1824 Series, which was produced in 2013 from casks stretching back into the 1940s. Part of its high price comes from the Lalique crystal bottle, which is dwarfed by the auction price of a six-litre crystal decanter of the same stuff. The “normal” 750ml version can still be had in the U.S., for about $5,000 after taxes.

The list includes expressions from some of my all-time favorites, Highland Park, Ledaig, Balvenie, and Glenfarclas.

Rarest-Scotch-Whiskies-Glenfarclas-60

Most of my nose-on experience with high-end whisky tops out at 25 year age statements, but there have been some exceptions.

While I have yet to publish my review of the serenity in a whisky glass that is Balvenie 30, the most indulgent review I have published was for a most indulgent whisky, yet to be surpassed in my estimation, the Highland Park 30 from the 2013 bottling.

However, it comes nowhere near the prices of the whisky in the article, which you can check out HERE.

Broader Perspectives

And if you would like to read about more about some exceptionally rare and expensive whisky, this run down at moneyinc.com, which includes both whiskies in ultra-expensive decanters, and those costing a king’s ransom simply because of their rarity.

And here is a quick and easy list from winesearcher.com of “the most expensive whiskey” even if everything on the list is a whisky, and almost all of it comes from the extinct distillery of Port Ellen, on the Isle of Islay, or Brora, which existed in the town of the same name on the northeast coast of Scotland.

But another way to look at it is in terms of whisky as an investment tool. If that sounds interesting, you may want to give this article a read over at Australia’s ExecutiveStyle.com, which includes some relatively affordable malt whisky bottles, expected to rise high as their numbers dwindle.

Cheers!

The whisky on our shelf – updated

After way too long, the Whisky on Our Shelf has been updated

We will try to keep it more up to date, just as we are finally typing up copious notes on a year’s worth of tastings, solo, groups both blind and not.

Slàinte!

Check out the latest list HERE

Glen Garioch East, West, and ? – Malt Porn

Glen Garioch like we rarely get to see it

The limited edition Sherry Cask Matured 14 year old (1999,) the 16 yo blonde and primarily bourbon barrel North American Oak vatting (1994), and the sublime Samaroli 23 yo (1990)  editions

Glen Garioch limited editions

I was privileged to sample the these two cask-strength distillery releases at Whiskyfest New York 2013, before they had shipped to American distributors.

I acquired a bottle of the blonde version, but the sherry version was nowhere to be found. That is until I discovered one dusty bottle right here in New York City some three weeks ago.

When recently visiting a friend, were were both surprised to see I had brought Glen Garioch, while he was intending to surprise me with his own blonde bottling and the above-the-top-shelf indie bottling from Samaroli, the Italian concern known for their exceptionally smooth and floating on air editions.

Detailed reviews will follow in time.

But as a reminder, one need not spend one or two hundred dollars to acquire a very nice bottle of Glen Garioch. Nay, the 12 year old is as good a buy as you will find within Malt for the Common Man price ranges!

Glen Garioch Home

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