Best single-malt Scotch...

Rja,

If you can find it try the 25 y/o Talisker....

I still have a few ounces of that one left and it is insanely good! I used to drink Macallan but the prices have gone out of control. I used to get the 25 y/o for $99 and you could buy it in the grocery store, now that bottle is over $750 and in my mind not worth that, I'll stick with Balvenie 21 Port for less than $200 (actually my LLS still has some at %150!)

@ kennyt. I went out to try and find Macallan 15 or 18 within reasonable driving distance and could only find 10 or 12. I ended up with the 12. I called around and the prices I did find were getting steep. $51 for the 12. $80 for the 15. $145 for the 18. $350 for the 21. $650 for the 25. $1100 for the 30. Plus tax for all of them. Those prices are in the city of Philadelphia.

As I've mentioned in this thread, I rarely drink and, for me, $80 would be as far as I'd stretch.

Yeah, Macallan has essentially priced itself out of the market. They sell most of their product to Asia where it is a major status symbol, in the US me and my friends drink the 21 Port Balvenie. It's available for ~$200 and is to my palette better than the 25 Macallan. YMMV and we all need to tailor price to taste!

The Mac 12 is pretty rough for my tastes, I can't tolerate the 15 even. When things were cheaper I used to keep the 18 as my 'house' scotch but now I will serve Balvenie 21 when friends come by.....

Forget Scotch!

Irish Whiskey!
A decent bottle at $50 equivalent to the $200-300 scotch range that I used to buy is "Red Breast" 12yr!

This thread led to a Scotch odessey for my son & I. Prior to it, scotch wasn't on my adult beverage radar screen. So thanks to all for the impetus & the lightening of our wallets (grin)!

I now own approx. 15 single malts. And my son, owns more, including some Irish. In fact, he just sent me the following in an e-mail:
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I have procured a bottle of "Shackelton's Whiskey" (http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/shackletons-whisky-mackinlays-rare-old-highland-malt/) which is a vatted malt replica of a 100+ year old Scotch whisky that was found buried in the ice of Antarctica underneath one of the huts that Ernest Shackleton's team used during their "Nimrod" expedition of that land (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimrod_Expedition).

The discovery and eventual return of some of the original whiskey to Scotland is an interesting story in and of it self. You can start here: http://www.whyteandmackay.co.uk/blog/2011-01-19-shackletons-whisky-unboxed-video-pictures-faq.aspx and here http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/13376.

Ultimately the original whiskey was sampled and painstakingly analyzed for scientific and industry curiosity as well as to enable the possibility of replicating it. The scholarly paper detailing the results can be found here: http://www.scientificsocieties.org/jib/papers/2011/G-2011-0630-1168.pdf.
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I'm looking forward to the Shackelton tasting that my son is planning with me, his best friend & my nephew.