THE BEST HIGH-ROLLER WORLD WHISK(E)Y

[Ken Gargett]

 

from a drinks site.

for once, i can actually comment on most - all but the Yellow Spot. all fabulous. the Teeling is magic. and i am a huge fan of the Ichiro. 

 

THE BEST HIGH-ROLLER WORLD WHISK(E)Y

Contributed by Liquor.com

Posted on Nov 26, 2019

 

(illustration: Laura Sant)

 

You know who knows best which bottles to buy? The people who pour and sell drinks—that’s who. We asked dozens of top bartending and spirits industry professionals to tell us which bottles they love and why.

Heads up: The numerical order below is not organized by importance or quality; it’s an alphabetical list, not a ranking. Prices are averages and can vary from state to state.

1: HIBIKI JAPANESE HARMONY ($96)

 

“This gorgeous bottle is such a delicate whisky with a little bit of floral and rosemary. I enjoy mine over a large cube of ice.”—Ryan Schaeffer, operational bartender at Four Corners bars in Chicago

 

 

2: ICHIRO MALT & GRAIN ($108)

 

“It’s high-quality whisky with a lot of layers—great neat or on the rocks.”—Sondre Kasin, principal bartender at Undercote in New York City

3: TEELING 24 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT ($500)

 

“The first time an Irish whiskey—you know, the people that invented whiskey—won the World's Best Single Malt. Only 1,000 bottles were made, but for that special person, a special once-in-a-lifetime bottle is worth that extra effort.”—Nathaniel Smith, creative director of bar and drinks at Travail Kitchen and Amusements in Minneapolis

4: THE YAMAZAKI 12 YEAR ($229)

 

“I know this it is hard to get and might even be a little overexposed at this point, but don't overthink it, it's wonderful stuff. If you're lucky enough to spot it on the shelves, buy two and keep one for yourself.”—Sean Hoard, bar director at The Mighty Union in Portland, Ore.

5: YELLOW SPOT 12 YEAR OLD SINGLE POT STILL ($102)

 

“This single-pot-still Irish whiskey is finished in a trifecta of American bourbon casks, Spanish sherry butts and Malaga casks to create a sweet yet complex flavor. ”—Travis Sanders, bartender at Pennyroyal in Seattle

[Ryan]

Come to Ireland, we'll try the Yellow Spot!

I agree, it's very good. The best of the "Spots" I think. Red Spot was re-released just over a year ago at a higher price point, but I prefer the Yellow spot. Finished in sherry and Pedro Ximenez casks, adds a touch of sweetness that goes very well with the pure pot still.

As an aside what is now labelled on Irish whiskey bottles as "Single Pot Still", used to be called "Pure Pot Still".

"Single Pot Still" doesn't make any sense as it is almost always a blend of a distillery's whiskeys.

"Pure Pot Still" makes sense if it is 100% pot still, as Yellow Spot is.

However, regulators (I believe US regulators) didn't like the use of the word "pure" in the description of a whiskey.

[SirVantes]

21 minutes ago, Ryan said:

"Single Pot Still" doesn't make any sense as it is almost always a blend of a distillery's whiskeys.

"Pure Pot Still" makes sense if it is 100% pot still, as Yellow Spot is.

However, regulators (I believe US regulators) didn't like the use of the word "pure" in the description of a whiskey.

"Single", as in from the pot stills of a single distillery.  Much like single malt in Scotland - distilleries will have multiple pot stills, and as long as the malt spirit is blended from spirit produced from the pot stills of one single distillery (and with nothing from, say, a sister distillery) then it's a "single".  

"Pure" used to just mean it's all of one type of spirit. Eg. "Pure Malt" means it's all malt (no grain), but it's not from a single distillery.  The Japanese still use the Pure Malt nomenclature eg. Nikka Pure Malt, which is all malt (but probably not all from Nikka's own distilleries, or even malt distilled in Japan...but that's another story).

It probably makes some sense for the Irish to specify "Single Pot Still", since the term "single" might connote the highest quality/exclusivity, and brings them in line with the better known Scotch nomenclature.

But I do agree that Yellow Spot is the tastiest of the modern Red/Yellow/Green Spot bottlings. 

 

[Hollywood Ninja]

That Hibiki is one of my favorites. Sadly very hard to find now here.


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[ayepatz]

As a Scotsman, this makes me think of those “best” cigar lists that don’t feature a single cuban cigar. 

[Ken Gargett]

5 hours ago, ayepatz said:

As a Scotsman, this makes me think of those “best” cigar lists that don’t feature a single cuban cigar. 

they have just asked a few bartenders and i'm sure they all think it is trendy to look elsewhere. 

[Meklown]

I'm not sure how this list can be called high-roller when it's all relatively affordable (especially in the whisky world). I'd expect every bottle in the list to be at least 4 digits? 

Having said that, I don't think you can find a yamazaki 12 for that price these days. If you could, please let me know!

[Zigatoh]

1 hour ago, Meklown said:

I'm not sure how this list can be called high-roller when it's all relatively affordable (especially in the whisky world). I'd expect every bottle in the list to be at least 4 digits? 

Having said that, I don't think you can find a yamazaki 12 for that price these days. If you could, please let me know!

£120, or about $160, here - https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/2940/suntory-yamazaki-12-year-old

Amazon showing a bunch of shops with it between £110 and £180.

 

[Meklown]

26 minutes ago, Zigatoh said:

£120, or about $160, here - https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/2940/suntory-yamazaki-12-year-old

Amazon showing a bunch of shops with it between £110 and £180.

 

Wow - they're selling for almost double that price here in HK (quick google search) -

[shlomo]

Thanks. Will be avoiding these bars from now on.

[prodigy]

I'm not sure how this list can be called high-roller when it's all relatively affordable (especially in the whisky world). I'd expect every bottle in the list to be at least 4 digits? 
Having said that, I don't think you can find a yamazaki 12 for that price these days. If you could, please let me know!

Its 99$ US by me, but sometimes tricky to find. Last year I passed through a store that had the whole case marked clearance, from the old price of 79.99. I went back to get some after payday and the lady said a guy came in and bought all 12 bottles. For $40 each.... I was sick because I know he is going to sell all of them.

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[Meklown]

19 hours ago, prodigy said:

Its 99$ US by me, but sometimes tricky to find. Last year I passed through a store that had the whole case marked clearance, from the old price of 79.99. I went back to get some after payday and the lady said a guy came in and bought all 12 bottles. For $40 each.... I was sick because I know he is going to sell all of them.

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Although I deplore flipping I may have done the same if I got them at those prices. It would have been a tug-of-war between money and morals!

Generally I avoid drinking Jap whiskies these days because I personally think it's way overpriced for its relative quality (of course, this is dependent on taste preferences). In my mind, the Yama 12 is worth around US$60-80 in terms of taste. At 40, I'd also get the entire case!

I went to the Yamazaki distillery earlier this year and there weren't any full-size bottles for sale at all. However, enough stock at the bar for my drinking pleasures, including the Hibiki 30 (JPY3000 for a glass if I remember right).

[Derboesekoenig]

2 hours ago, Meklown said:

Although I deplore flipping I may have done the same if I got them at those prices. It would have been a tug-of-war between money and morals!

Generally I avoid drinking Jap whiskies these days because I personally think it's way overpriced for its relative quality (of course, this is dependent on taste preferences). In my mind, the Yama 12 is worth around US$60-80 in terms of taste. At 40, I'd also get the entire case!

I went to the Yamazaki distillery earlier this year and there weren't any full-size bottles for sale at all. However, enough stock at the bar for my drinking pleasures, including the Hibiki 30 (JPY3000 for a glass if I remember right).

That's a hell of a lot cheaper than Pappy. I started with scotch and japanese whiskies...now my tastes have turned to bourbon