Quote:
Originally Posted by CRussel
Oh, Hitch, my dear Hitch. You need a padded room, a large intoxicating beverage of choice (I can recommend some good single malts!),
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Which ones?
As it happens, I run a group devoted to such things.
I'd recommend Bowmore Black or Glen Grant paxarete, but both are effectively Unobtanium these days. The Bowmore was distilled in 1969, and a bottle, if you can
find one, probably goes for five figures now.
The regulations governing such things changed, and Glen Grant can no longer legally make scotch the way the paxarete was distilled.
Because I know the right people, I was able to sample both. The Bowmore Black was part of a flight including the White and Gold expressions. I was part of a virtual tasting for a whisky podcast the next day. I gave the same relative ranking to what was tasted as the others did, but my numeric score was lower. I explained that I'd had a chance the previous day to sample the Bowmore Black and my taste buds had been re-calibrated. When I actually tried the Black, I held up a hand and said "Don't bother me. I'm having a religious experience!"
The previous best ever had been 30 year old Macallan, but the Glen Grant might just have been better, and would give the Bowmore a run for its money.
These days I might suggest Tomatin. It's relatively little known because it's primarily bespoke production for blenders, who use it as a base in blends. But it's a sherried expression comparable to Macallan, and an 18 year old can be had for about a third of what Macallan 18 would cost me in NYC.
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Dennis