There’s something special about sipping a whisky that’s older than you are. There’s no guarantee that it will be objectively better than younger whiskies on the shelf, but trying a whisky that was resting in a barrel since before you were born feels celebratory and indulgent. This is an attainable treat in your twenties, when such a dram is a spendy but not outlandish splurge. The price accelerates as you get older. By your thirties and forties, you might be looking at a week or more of rent for the experience of drinking one of these super-aged whiskies.
Therefore, I was very excited when, on the eve of my fortieth birthday, I received an unexpected sample of whisky that was not only older than me but older than my dad: a 72-year-old Scotch bottled by Gordon & MacPhail. Distilled in 1949 at the Milton Distillery, now known as Strathisla, the whisky spent seven full decades in a first-fill sherry puncheon. Nearly three quarters of a century after filling, the cask yielded just 180 bottles at a strength of 48.6% ABV, each of them retailing for about $65,000. That meant my little glass vial represented about $2,600 worth of Scotch. It would quite possibly be the oldest and most expensive whisky I ever drink in my life. I took care not to drop it.
I'm afraid my taste buds are not sophisticated enough to properly appreciate such a spirit. On top of that, I'm mostly a bourbon drinker, only having scotch very occasionally.
My most frequent sipping whiskey is the Elijah Craig small batch, which is bottled at 94 proof and aged 8-12 years. I drink a number of other whiskeys but have stayed away from the super-premium offerings.
For mixed drinks, my go-to has been Evan Williams, now most often in the 100 proof version. I used to sip it as well but a number of years ago it went from an 8-year-old whiskey to an unidentified age, perhaps because the increasing popularity of bourbons prompted them to start pulling barrels out of the rickhouse at a younger age. I still find it palatable and perfectly suitable for a Manhattan or Old Fashioned.
Big Al
-------------------------------- Money seems to buy the most happiness when you give it away.
Why does everything have to be so complicated, all in the name of convenience. -ShiroKuro
A lifetime of experience will change a person. If it doesn't, then you're already dead inside. -MarkJ
Posts: 7466 | Location: Western PA | Registered: 20 April 2005
At an after-concert get-together some years ago, our host brought out a bottle of 25-year-old single malt. I think it was Caol Ila. It was so dense that it required a dose of water to enable you to tease out the various flavors. Of which there were many. It was rather overwhelming. Pretty unforgettable, I must admit.
-------------------------------- “It's hard to win an argument with a smart person. It's damn near impossible to win an argument with a stupid person." -- Bill Murray
Posts: 13890 | Location: The outer burrows | Registered: 27 April 2005
