Scotch Addict

In mid-2006, Forbes listed the world’s most expensive whiskies with the top bottle netting $38,000. That’s right, a single bottle of the stuff at the top of the list costs more than most of the cars on the road today. Which was it? It was The Macallan Fine and Rare Collection, 1926, 60 Years Old… a single malt of the highest order took the top spot and it’s not actually possible to buy it anymore.

Here’s what Forbes had to say:

The oldest and most sought-after of Macallan’s revolutionary Fine & Rare Collection is now sold out. It is still possible to taste this totally unique Scotch whisky at the Old Homestead Steakhouse in the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, N.J. However, it sells for a nosebleed-inducing $3,300 per dram, so you had better have had a good run at the craps table.

To clarify, the list was created to capture the most expensive of each type, so you’ll see clearly “inexpensive” Jack Daniels Single Barrel Whiskey listed because it’s the most expensive Tennessee whiskey. Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old is the most expensive rye whiskey and Suntory Yamazaki 18 is the most expensive Japanese whiskey. Anyway, here’s the rest of the list:

1. The Macallan Fine & Rare Collection, 1939, 40 Years Old: $10,125
2. Chivas Regal Royal Salute, 50 Year Old: $10,000
3. Glen Garioch, 1958, 46 Year Old: $2,600
4. Bruichladdich 40 Year Old: $2,500
5. Glenfiddich 40 Year Old: $2,500
6. Springbank 32 Year Old: $750
7. Auchentoshan 1973 32 Year Old: $700
8. Evan Williams 23 Year Old Bourbon: $350
9. Midleton Very Rare: $139
10. Suntory Yamazaki 18 Year Old Single Malt Whiskey: $110
11. Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old: $55
12. Johnny Walker Green Label: $50
13. Bernheim Original Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey: $50
14. Jack Daniels Single Barrel Whiskey: $42

General Auchentoshan, Bruichladdich, Chivas Regal, Glen Garioch, Glenfiddich, Jack Daniels, Johnnie Walker, Macallan, SUntory Yamazaki

Now that you’re familiar with the differences between blended and single malt scotches, let me introduce a “third” type – vatted malt (or pure malt). Despite my calling it a third type (see the quotes?), vatted malt is really a blended whiskey without the grain whiskey component. Vatted malts, like blends, mix a variety of single malts together in an attempt to get a totally new flavor. With blends, grain whiskey is used to thin out the flavors a little in order to achieve some balance, though many enthusiasts consider it to be cheapening the flavors.

The term is somewhat misleading. Malt refers to the the mixture that will be fermented and vatted just means put into a big pot or container. Vatted malt would lead you to believe that malt from a variety of sources is put into a container and fermented together, but that’s not the case. While much of the flavor is determined by the malt itself, there are flavors, mouthfeel, and other characteristics that develop in the cask while it matures in the warehouse. If you mix the malts and mature in the same warehouse, you lose a lot of that. In reality, the vat refers to the blending process after the individual whiskeys have matured and would otherwise be consumed.

The Scotch Whisky Association recently renamed this category from vatted malts to “Blended Malt Scotch Whisky.”

Johnnie Walker Green Label, Eleuthera by Compass Box (vatted from Caol Ila and Clynelish), and Famous Grouse 10 yr. are among the few well-known vatted malts.

(Photo: reutc)

Reference Caol Ila, Clynelish, Eleuthera, Famous Grouse, Johnnie Walker, Johnnie Walker Green Label, Vatted Malts