Just about every time I conduct either one of my whisky master classes or a whisky tasting event I am asked, “What is the most expensive whisky ever sold?” In fact I was asked this very question several weeks ago whilst in London.

I’m both delighted and privilege to say that I never tire of this question because the answer is one of my own: the very (very) limited Dalmore 62yo. I’m also pleased to say that the customer in question (no names) brought this fine product to enjoy and not to collect.

Way back on the 15th April 2005 at the Pennyhill Park Hotel, in the small town of Bagshot in Surrey a young gentlemen purchased the hotel’s one and only bottle of the said Dalmore 62yo. The occasion took place over Pennyhill Park’s main bar and I’m told somewhere in the region of £32 - £38,000 changed hands (amount was never confirmed).

Sat with his friends our customer then proceeded to open his purchase and enjoy it. Within 10 minutes 62 years of history were enjoyed in the manner that I would always recommend. A prefect setting with friends requires a perfect serve and that’s exactly what happened.

The element of the story that I also like to highlight is what happened next. Our friend after circulating the bottle amongst his group handed it back with one dram left for the barman to sample. Many professional bar staff would have settled for a small tip so imagine how the barman in question must have felt when presented with the generous gesture of a £1,000 dram to taste. I wish I’d been there.

The Dalmore 62yo is without doubt liquid history. Within the expression the youngest whiskies I used were 62 years old (obviously). The oldest Dalmore liquid was initially distilled on the 10th June 1868, that’s 3 days after the birth of a certain Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Unsurprisingly I am told if you are lucky enough to come across a bottle of Dalmore 62yo on the black market you can now expect to have to swap £60,000 if you want to take it home.

I always like to describe the Dalmore 73 as a breath taking union of the King of Malts and the King of Grapes.

I initially matured the young liquid in American White Oak. I then subsequently allowed it to spend several years gathering complexity in Cabernet Sauvignon casks. Not ordinary cask but those from a rare vintage Chateau Haut-Marbuzet (Saint Estephe). In my humble opinion the pedigree here is faultless and truly unique.

My aim from the outset was to retain as much character of the malt as possible, and not to rush the various stages, allowing the whisky time to harmonise. I always tell my friends that it took an age to reach perfection with this spirit, but only a few seconds to recognise it as a deserved masterpiece.

You can read the tasting notes at your leisure but let me tell you now the nose is initially far from a typical Dalmore, however the taste almost as a surprise has the familiarity of the Dalmore pedigree.

I may be slightly on the biased side but in my opinion the Dalmore 73 Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most distinctive, 33 year old limited editions ever released.