The world’s most expensive whiskeys

Distilleries — and the publicists they hire — have responded to this thirst for the rare and ridiculously priced by unveiling limited releases at barrel speed, each one more expensive than the last.

Some distilleries, however, are releasing rare whiskies for the prestige, not profit.

Johnnie Walker came out with its John Walker 1805 Pack, a 200th anniversary commemorative blend of extremely rare whiskies, many from now-defunct distilleries and all ranging in age from 45 to 70 years old. Only 200 bottles, estimated at $20,000 each, were produced. None is for sale. The distillery plans to gift them to men and women who’ve made “significant contributions to modern life,” says Brand Manager Bill Topf, who would not reveal who the lucky few would be. One has already come forward: millionaire-turned-hot-air-balloonist Steve Fossett.

Topf says Johnnie Walker is merely keeping pace with "the premiumization of society." This fall, they’ll release a special $600 King George V Edition of the Johnnie Walker Blue Label, handcrafted from rare whiskies produced only in distilleries that operated during the reign of King George V.

Of course, these niche bottlings have created a new breed of Scotch buyer: the collector.

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"Suddenly all these people are coming out of the woodwork," says Goldstein. He points to one collector "who has been eyeballing" his rare bottle of Balvenie 191, which he's selling at a bargain basement price of $8,300. (Suggested retail for the only 83 bottles ever made has jumped to $13,000). Said buyer has been trying to get him to lower his price, but Goldstein, who has bottle No. 65, isn’t budging.

Some collectors are buying two bottles at a time, one for sentimental sipping and one as an investment. They’re no dummies, says Goldstein. Look no farther than the Macallan Lalique’s 40 percent 12-month yield, he says. And other brands selling for several hundred dollars a bottle a few years ago are now selling for several thousand.

"Talk about beating the stock market," he says.

One bottle whose $7,000 price tag Goldstein has chosen not to raise? A Bowmore 40-year-old. “It’s the only bottle left in the world that’s for sale,” he says. One of the first truly decadent whiskies, it was released with great fanfare in the late '90s, complete with armored truck delivery.

Now, its "cheap-by-comparison" price tag has it collecting dust on the shelf.

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