Risky Whisky: Can YOU Stomach this $250,000 Dalmore '62 ?

In a very informative article highlighting nearly everything one needs to know about unopened bottles of whisky and their values, Darcy O'Neil distills in the reader some interesting points. Later we discuss the momentous sale of the Dalmore '62 bottle!

He notes that Whisky will not age in a manner such as wine since whisky lacks the tannins and acids needed for wine to 'age.'

Also, Canadian whisky, our dear and old familiar friend, is a blended whisky utilizing a number of different grains that make it smoother and a bit sweeter than other whiskies.

The aging process in Canada requires at least 3 years in wooden barrels. This practice is synonymous with the traditions of Ireland and Scotland and more strict that the practices in the USA.

One reason that Canadian whisky is blended is to increase the harmony of tastes between batches and as such, O’Neil illustrates that bottle of a 1970’s whisky may not taste that different than a current bottle and may not fetch anywhere near the same price as a delicately aged wine of the same distant past.

This mature piece of information may come as somewhat of a surprise to those who think that any dusty old bottle will sell, and taste like the mind blowing, and record setting, $250, 000 bottle of Dalmore ’62.

This fantastic bottle, which is adorned with a platinum stags head, is only 1 of 12 bottles produced. Fiona Beckett notes that in 2002 a bottle sold for only a 6^th of what this most recent Dalmore ’62 went for in 2011.

While most of us would be tempted to down this envied bottle immediately upon purchase, like the owner did in 2005 of one of the few other prized Dalmore ‘62s, fine whisky seems to be more of an investment rather than an inebriant these days.

If you think that your dusty old bottle that you found hidden in the floorboards or on that sunken ship, may be worth a few quite a quid, take a look at some of the sites that Darcy O'Neil recommends for some armchair appraising. Even if curiosity gets the better of you and you swig the sweet scotch, some of these resources will help you find the price that the bottle may fetch.

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