Thanks to the guys at Whyte & Mackay, who it seems are big fans of the site, this is the first time you will be reading about this rather special new whisky, anywhere! If you’ve recently been considering downgrading your vehicle for a cheaper and more cost efficient alternative or have been convincing yourself that two weeks in Tenby is just as much fun as a couple of weeks on Necker Island then this newly available 50 year old expression of The Dalmore, which contains whisky first distilled 140 year ago, is probably not the tipple you’re looking for. If however you appreciate The Dalmore, a brand which has long been recognised by malt lovers as a true Highland malt and which was deemed so exceptional by one un-named businessman in 2005 that he purchased a bottle of 62 year old for £32,000, then you will no doubt be excited by this exclusive new release.

Imagine enjoying a liquid which began life before the car, the telephone or the electric light, a whisky which was maturing quietly before the Eiffel Tower was built and the Statue of Liberty erected. The Dalmore Master Distiller Richard Paterson, a huge and internationally renowned character who has even had a Japanese anime magazine dedicated to him, describes this unique liquid as “soft and elegant” and states that it will reward the drinker with a “multitude of complex flavours that linger in the mouth”. Tasting of orange peel and liquorice initially, the ancient and refined liquid slowly reveals added touches such as crushed almonds and cinnamon.

Or so we are led to believe (thanks to it’s obscene exclusivity we’re still dreaming of getting a chance to try it ourselves), given the age of this malt the value placed upon this rarest of whiskies suggests a retail price in the region of £700 per 10cl unit, the equivalent of around £5,000 for the usual full size 70cl bottle, or up to £800 a dram in a prestigious outlet. Only 191 hand blown Portuguese crystal decanters are being released, something that leads Mr Paterson to declare “My advice would be to buy two decanters. Drink one and enjoy drinking a whisky steeped in flavour and history, and then watch the value of the one you keep grow and grow.”

And that’s the beauty of this exclusive whisky, the rare and vintage whisky market is something which is growing hugely thanks to emerging economies such as Russia, China and India and if you’ve got the money then this could be a huge investment, god knows in these times it’s probably a lot more sound than it will be humping a few grand into one of the world’s largest banks, and with this kind of investment we’re sure it will be a lot more fun too. Just be careful not to drink your profits!

My Zimbio