Houston Blog

The press sample of 37-year-old single malt sure looked like a bottle of cologne. So what would happen if I slapped some of this stuff on my face after shaving, I wondered. I would probably be followed around all day by a bunch of middle-aged guys with bushy eyebrows and last names that started with “Mc," I figured. So instead, I opened the little bottle of Glenlivet’s 1969 Limited Edition Cellar Collection and put some in a snifter.

Since its bottled at full cask strength of 50.8 percent alcohol, as opposed to the 40 percent of most American whiskies, the master distiller at Glenlivet recommends you add a couple of drops of water before you swish and sniff. The aroma had a spicy orange note with an oaky background.

There was a concentrated, honey-like quality to the mouthfeel. I described the sweetness in the flavor as butterscotch; my friend said prunes. Michael Jackson, my favorite writer on beer and whiskey, wrote that a 21-year-old Glenlivet he tasted had a macaroon-like sweetness. I wonder if he was talking about almond macaroons or coconut macaroons? However you describe the taste, it was certainly intense. Like our average Speyside single malt times ten.

There are only 800 bottles of this stuff available in the U.S. Each 750 milliliter bottle comes packaged in a solid ash wood frame decorated with leather and brass. And it’s yours for only $750 a bottle. Or $4,500 a six-pack. To arrange a purchase, call 877-800-1969. -- Robb Walsh