Rare Malts

The Classic Malts collection has released some new rare malts, including a 29 year old Port Ellen and the 30 year old Talisker which I got to smell in cask last summer. Details on the malts is available on the Malts website. The prices, I expect, will be pretty hideous. The Whiskey Exchange has the 2008 bottling of the Talisker for about 200 GBP a bottle on their website, which is not as bad as you might expect, but I expect once the 2009 bottling hits the shelves, it will be more expensive, recession notwithstanding. The eighth edition of the Port Ellen, which I think is last year's bottling, sells for upwards of $400, so this is not for the faint of heart.

A small comment on pricing for these bottles. I do not begrudge the companies for charging high prices for them. There is a lot of risk inherent, as well as cost, in holding stocks for thirty years or more. Not all those whiskies will be worth selling at the end of that time, some may drop below the legal level of 40% ABV and therefore cannot be sold as whiskey unless you have similar stocks that can bring it above that price. I also look to the wine world, where a bottle of a First Growth Bordeaux from 2005 now goes for $500-$1000 a bottle, and is not going to last more than one night. Compare that to a bottle of scotch, which will last a (sane) drinker many weeks if not months. Which is not to say that splashing out on a $400 bottle of scotch is not a big deal. It is. But it is also a relative bargain and if it is truly worth it (which I doubt is the case for a first growth, but then I have never had one) from a taste and enjoyment perspective, then why not.

Now, a $12,000 bottle of 50 year old Macallan or the $15,000 Ardbeg Double Barrel is a bit extreme and I will never play in such a league, but I could see myself one day buying a 34 year old Bowmore as a special treat.