LA Scotch Club will host a 2nd tasting of some of the rarest whisky in the world on Dec 11th in conjuction with our friends, the Malt Nuts.  On the table will 5 rare single malts worth no less than $10,000 combined.  Many of these, if not all would easily fetch in the hundreds per pour.  Each participant will have a half ounce pour of these rare malts.

Black Bowmore 1964/1994, 2nd Edition

Few bottles in the scotch lexicon will get more of a response than the Black Bowmore.  Released in 1994, this massively sherried bottle sold on shelves for the unheard of amount of $200 in the nineties.  Aficionados snatched them up.   Soon they noticed that there were few whiskies better than the Black Bowmore and the prices began to climb.  As years passed, the releases, especially the 1st and 2nd, have pushed toward $9000 in some retail shops.  Thanks to a ballooning whisky market, industry pricing has seen many bottles set at stratospheric levels, mostly unwarranted and undeserved.  This is a bottle that has climbed to nearly 40 times its original price because it is that good.  Note, this is the original collectible, not the sad copy released recently to ride the hype. Taste it now, because museums don’t pour samples.

Lagavulin 21, 2007 Release

One of the best, if not the best examples of the perfect combination of peat and sherry, this is the last of its kind as sherry casks are no longer in favor at the distillery.  Having become a legendary bottling, besting even its older siblings, Lagavulin 21 was also re-released recently in a less than stellar attempt to ride the popularity of the original.  This is the real deal, and it is far better than the $3000 Diageo release of a 37 year old this year.

Port Ellen, 2nd Release

This dead distillery (closed in the ’80s) is likely the most collectible whisky in the world.  Closed by Diageo, it’s spirit sat aging quietly in the warehouse for years.  It was never the best regarded distillery in its operating days, but it was later discovered to be brilliant with enough age.  Some spirits age well and some don’t.  Port Ellen is among the best and it’s sweet and moderately peated malt has made it a cult classic.  The official releases were originally modestly priced, but are now nearer to $2000.  This one is far rarer  than the new release (13th.)

Brora 30, 2007 Release

Thanks to keen whisky collectors, Brora has recently risen from obscurity as Clynlish’s semi-retired (and now dead) sister distillery.  Originally Clynelish,  it was relegated to a spare when the new Clynelish was built in the ’60s.  Eventually named after the neighboring town of Brora to avoid confusion, it became a provider of peated whisky in the ’70s when Islay was suffering a drought.  The bottles aged well and became an underground hit in the whisky community.  This release is considered among the best of the official releases by many.

Ardbeg 1975

A 25 year release of one of the most sought after distilleries in the world.