What is your most prized bottle?

Most prized, completely for sentimental reasons (and it's a darn good dram too): my Auchentoshan 1978 30 Year Old Bourbon Cask Matured. It is a grand Toshan and I first tasted it at the distillery with then distillery manager Jeremy Stephens in the Blender's Room, forging a friendship to last a lifetime.

My half full Brora 30.

Though not currently not in Connosr's repertoire, some brandys are my most prized. When visiting a spirit store for the first time, and asking what they have that is quite special, you may be pleasantly surprised: a sole bottle of E&J Patriarch 1979 Family Reserve 20 year old brandy, and the only bottle of Uno En Mil, Spanish Jerez pot still, single oak cask, solera gran reserva brandy. Both are especially delicious, and unfortunately irreplacable.

My most prized is a bottle of Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve from the first batch released, back when it was supposed to be a limited edition run. It was the first legal alcohol purchase I made in Ontario when I turned 19. I have yet to open it.

Great topic, shiba. My most prized is nothing all that unique. It is a Springbank 18 that I picked up a couple months ago to toast the birth of my first born. I will keep the bottle and open it only to commemorate special occasions throughout the years.

Mine is one that I do not yet own...A bottle of Grand Old Parr blended whisky will instantly become my most treasured bottle, whenever it is acquired, for very sentimental reasons.

My grandfather had a bottle of this given to him as a gift, in large part (I suspect) because Parr was his last name. He had this bottle for quite awhile and, during my last visit with my wife to see my grandparents before my grandpa was moved to assisted living, we shared the last contents of the bottle with him. I hadn't gotten seriously into whisky at that point, but I definitely appreciated the setting and circumstances. The bottle had always fascinated me as a kid growing up as the bottle and box had been displayed on a shelf at my grandparents house. I think the old-fashioned design of the bottle and label always seemed appealing to me.

As I got into whisky over the past year, I have done research on where to purchase this bottle. It apparently is popular in Japan, Mexico, Columbia, and Venezuela. I am hoping that a friend of mine who travels to California for work on occasion, will be able to pick up a bottle (it is noted to be at some BevMo locations, but seems to be otherwise very difficult to find in the US or Canada) when he is next there in September. This would allow me to toast my grandpa on the 5th anniversary of his passing in October.

A bottle of Bowmore Warm. Very little left I fear. I would welcome suggestions on what else to try that is similar.

Bowmore Dawn. Warm is how it makes me feel. @Scimitar55

My most prized whisky is a glenfarclas 30yo, still waiting for that special occasion to open it. And if the 15yo is anything to go by i'm in for a treat and at just over £100 it's got to be one of the best buys on the market.

@beduffboy, Great pick up! Ralfy gave the 30YR high marks as well.

Have you tried the Glenfarclas 1974 (31yr)? Its at ABV114.8 and is usually priced under usd$230. It too is a remarkable whisky. And has great bang for the buck.

Can anyone tell me anymore about this bottle I have? I have a bottle of Signatory Vintage 1978, Single Highland Malt Whisky, matured in a sherry butt for 17 Years. Distilled at Dalmore Fistillery.Bottled 27.6.96 Butt No 10131, bottle 180 of 260. 70cl at 59.1%. Presented in a squat boottle in a black felt case. Is this worth keeping, drinking? Is it valuable? Any help welcome. Thanks.

My bottle of Yamazaki 18 Year Old. Still haven't opened it yet, but the reason I treasure it so much is because when I first started getting into whisky this bottle became one of the ones I just had to have.

My Laphroaig 15 year is a close runner up.

I have a 1971 Speymalt (Macallan / Gordon & MacPhail) bottled last year - 38 years old. Saving it for my 40th birthday next month... I'm giddy at the thought of breaking the seal on this.

Brora 1982 22 Year (Lombard "Jewels of Scotland" series)

@beduffboy, For some reason I cannot send PM's, only receive.

To answer your ques about the Glenfarclas 1974... lawhiskeysociety.com/whiskey-profile/660/…

Highland Park 18 or Glenfiddich 18.

Mine is a "Nikka 200 Single Cask Coffey Grain". An astounding grain whisky almost impossible to find anymore.

@whiskyshiba Had a look at the glenfarclas 1974, looks like a great whisky , probably out my price range though.

@beduffboy, No worries, I'll save you a dram or two :) But there are always birthdays, father's day, anniversary as an excuse to splurge...lol...

A top quality 31YR at cask strength for under $230...can't be beat.

Mine is a Blackadder bottling of Bunnahabhain 15yo. I received it on my 40th birthday and at this point I think I will open it when one of my two sons gets married (whichever one ties the knot first). I sure hope it is a good scotch! ;-)

Macallan Signatory 20/1984. This whisky evokes intense, pleasant memories of enjoying breakfast while camping or whitewater rafting. Plus, it is the most spectacular whisky I've sampled in my month/years as a serious student of whisky.

Out of worth, I would have to say my Glen Keith 42 year old, out of sentimentality, it would probably be my Kilchoman cask strength, out of it's rarity and my first hand numbered bottling which I can only will myself to take in small doses.

After action report: I ended up spending my birthday out with friends, so it came and went without opening my 1971 Speymalt. Two weekends ago, some buddies and I went down to Pinehurst NC for a Bachelor event/Golf Weekend to send off the groom, so I brought it with me.

For some perspective, I routinely drink the 18YO Macallan, probably my favorite widely available dram.

The Speymalt... This sweet elixir blew me away. If you're a sherry fan, and you can find it, don't hesitate to drop the coin.

@AlanR...thanks for the update, sounds like quite the bottle indeed! Along the same vein of an update, the bottle of Grand Old Parr referred to in my previous post in this thread has now been secured, by the same friend who I was willing to pay to bring the bottle back from California. Instead, he surprised me with it as a gift for my b-day. Though he won't divulge the identity of the courier, it was either a brother in Ohio, or a friend from Texas, who purchased and travelled with the bottle to Ontario. Either way, I am very grateful to have the bottle in my possession.

Mine isn't really that special. I have a bottle of Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist that I bought because it was the last bottle at my favourite retailer. So it was now or never. I am waiting to open it for a special occasion.

For my 25th birthday I am trying to get somebody (parents... girlfriend...) to get me a bottle of something 25 years old. Any recommendations? I hear Highland Park, Glenmornagie, Macallan all have some good 25s...

As someone fairly new to the whisky world, mine are nothing to write home about.

The most sentimental one is a Brogan's Legacy (Irish) I bought after passing my teacher exam. And the one I currently value most is a bottle of Blanton's Gold, my first bottle to cross the magic 50€ threshold.

As I said - new. ;)

A special very small batch bottle of Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey, offered as a gift for friends of the distillery at Christmas time 2008, signed by all staff.

He had filled a French oak quarter cask with two-year-old Stranahan's as an experiment, and this is that whiskey. I have never opened that bottle and never shall; I wonder now if it is the only unopened bottle of that tiny quarter-cask batch still in existence.

Jake says that it goes fantastically with chocolate.

HP Earl Magnus and it is still not open. Since it will be very difficult to complete the collection of this limited edition with Saint Magnus, I will open the Earl for a special occasion in the next future. Other collectors will be happy to know that. Yes, like @Wodha once said, I better not die with an unopen bottle!

My most prized bottle is a Connemara Turf Mor. This isn't generally sold in the United States and it was a one-time bottling that's mostly run its course—that alone would probably be enough for me to give it high standing as an unlikely-to-be-replaced bottle.

On top of that, though, it's sentimental for me. I'm a peat lover so this bottle was the main one I sought during a trip to Ireland this past summer. I found a bottle here and there, but I thought they were too expensive. I had brought my mom on this trip (I'm half Irish, all thanks to her, and she had never been there) and she bought the last bottle on a shop shelf in Belfast for me as a thank-you gift for taking her on the trip.

I'll probably open it this upcoming St. Patrick's Day. Even if it's not good, I'll enjoy the hell out of it.

(And I know this is an old thread, but I really wanted to note the Turf Mor. Plus, I'd been thinking of starting a new thread along these lines anyway—and here it was quietly slumbering since 2011.)

Currently have three "Most Prized Bottles":

1) Highland Park 25 (opened last Christmas);

2) Clan Denny Strathclyde 1974/2012 (38yr) Single Grain, Single Cask, Cask Strength, that I plan on opening for my upcoming birthday / grain whisky tasting; and

3) Arran, Icons of Arran #2 - The Rowan Tree 1997/2010 (13yr) that I just bought and had shipped to a friend in the UK (who's holding it for me until he comes to Canada at some point)...it's not going to be opened for another 11 years or so (for my daughter's 19th birthday...the Rowan Tree has special significance for her, especially).