The World's Most Expensive Scotches -- And where to sip them in style

We're going to do this tour starting from the furtherest out point and working towards the heart of Scotland. As such, we find ourselves at the beginning of this journey in Las Vegas, NV.

Kinclaith 36-year-old
$415 per 2-ounce pour

This rare single malt was produced at a distillery that was shut down in 1975. At StripSteak in Las Vegas, a dram of Kinclaith goes for $415. StripSteak’s Patric Yumul says the Kinclaith is “oily and perfumey, with a dry, long, hot finish.”

Travel tip: StripSteak, Las Vegas

Michael Mina’s Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino restaurant in Las Vegas recently launched an extensive Scotch program, which features more than 120 single malt selections. In addition to the Kinclaith, other high-end features include the Balvenie 1971 single cask, $150 a pour.

Leaving Las Vegas's McClaren Airport, we fly cross-country to NYC. Here we have a choice of airports (JFK, LaGuardia, Newark), with direct flights from Las Vegas on pretty much any US airline.

1937 Glenfiddich
$20,000

In April 2006, a bottle of Glenfiddich Rare Collection 1937 sold at auction in New York for $20,000. The prized liquid hails from a single oak cask that slumbered in a dunnage warehouse at the Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown, Scotland for 64 years before it was bottled in 2001.

Travel tip: d.b.a, New York City

This East Village bar’s extensive whisky list includes a section called “The Crypt”—rare bottles from distilleries that no longer exist.

For more information: d.b.a
http://www.drinkgoodstuff.com/ny/default.asp

For our next destination, we remain in "The City that Never Sleeps".

Macallan 1928, 50-year-old
$11,900

Martin Green of McTear’s auction house says two bottles of the 50-year-old Macallan have sold recently for £4,400 and £6,000 (or $8,700 and $11,900).

Travel tip: The Brandy Library, New York City

The high-end single malts at this spirits-connoisseur bar include a Ladyburn 1973 ($210 per two ounces) and 1969 Springbank for $123.

For more information: The Brandy Library
http://www.brandylibrary.com/sections2007/home.htm

Our fourth destination takes across the Atlantic. We're still not yet in Scotland, but we're getting close. Plenty of daily non-stops from the various NYC airports to the various London airports (Heathrow, Gatwick) again make this an easy transfer.

Bowmore 1957
$2,300

This special batch of Bowmore was poured into oak casks in 1957. Thirty-eight years later, the company explains, "The spirit was found sitting just above the critical 40% alcoholic volume strength for Scotch Whisky and so [the distillery manager] moved with haste to have the whisky bottled. If he had waited a moment longer, the whisky would have become extinct, and a piece of history wiped out forever." Mark Cassidy, a Scotch specialist at the Whisky Shop in San Francisco, says he believes their bottle of Bowmore 1957, priced at $2,300, is the only one for sale in the western United States.

Travel tip: Albannach, London

A single-malt Mecca in London's Trafalgar Square, Albannach is festooned with stag antlers and a staggering array of fine scotches.

For more information: Bowmore and Albannach
http://www.bowmore.co.uk/home.aspx
http://www.albannach.co.uk/pages/bar.asp

From London we finally travel to Scotland. Our next stop is in Glasgow City. About a 5-hour train ride North (and West) from London, Glasgow is also easily accessible by air.

Bruichladdich 40-year-old
$1,970

Bruichladdich master distiller Jim McEwan writes of the oldest Bruichladdich, “The mouthfeel is succulent soft fudge and exotic yellow fruits with a twist of lime and grapefruit, and is sublimely smooth.” Five hundred bottles exist worldwide, and list at Bruchladdich for £999, or about $1,970.

Travel tip: The Pot Still, Glasgow

This Glasgow pub claims to house “the finest collection of malt whiskies in Scotland.” International visitors come to ogle—and partake of—the bar’s hundreds of single malt offerings.

For more information: Bruichladdich and The Pot Still
http://www.bruichladdich.com/
http://www.thepotstill.co.uk/

To get to our sixth visit on the Kintyre Peninsula the best option is a short hop on British Airways from Glasgow to the airport at Macrihanish. The Hunting Lodge Hotel even offers to collect guests directly at the airport.

Balvenie Cask 191
$13,000

David Stewart, The Balvenie Malt Master, writes of this 50-year-aged Scotch: "The Balvenie Cask 191 Single Malt Scotch Whisky has a complex nose, intense with toffee, marzipan, sweet oak, raisins and nuts. The depth of flavor is astonishing, developing from butterscotch to clover, honey, liquorice and chocolate—elegantly balanced with drying oak and spice.” Where available, this heady smorgasbord retails for around $13,000 a bottle.

Travel tip: The Hunting Lodge Hotel, Scotland

This family-owned hotel, on the Kintyre peninsula, boasts an impressive range of Scotches and earned a Malt Whisky Bar of the Year award in 2006.

For more information: Balvenie Cask 191 and The Hunting Lodge Hotel
http://www.balvenie.com/shop/cask191.html
http://www.thehuntinglodgehotel.com/

Getting to Dunkeld via air isn't really practicable. The best option is to travel by train or coach via Glasgow or Edinburgh. Hiring a car is, of course, another option.

Ladybank Distillery
$ 4950/membership

Ladybank, located near the Scottish village of Fife, offers part ownership in its distillery to a limited number of members for 50 years (along with 6 bottles of Ladybank’s own Single Malt Scotch during each of those years). But members will have to exercise some patience—after construction is completed later this year or early next, the first batch will be distilled, and ready for pouring about seven years after that. While Ladybank’s price per bottle may not touch some of the others on our list, the singularity does. “We’re pledging exclusivity to our members, and the members are pledging loyalty to our project,” said Ladybank CEO James Thomson, who explains that members will gain a “backstage trip through the entire distillery set-up.” They’ll also be able to offer input on production and drop in to Ladybank’s visitor rooms, dining facility and five-star brew pub.

Travel tip: Kinnaird Estate, Scotland

Thomson says Ladybank will have a “private country club environment,” but accommodations must be had elsewhere. For that he suggests the exclusive Kinnaird Estate, an 18th-century mansion on the banks of the nearby River Tay.

For more information: Kinnaird Estate
http://www.kinnairdestate.com/

We continue our travel by rail to the side of the River Spey.

Black Bowmore 1964
$6,000

Only 5,812 bottles of this Islay treasure were produced. Today they retail for the price of a good used car. Bowmore describes what that dear price tag delivers: "On the palate, the concentration of flavours is mind boggling. They gently roll over the tongue like waves to the shore." Drop by the Park Avenue Liquor shop and pick up a bottle for a soothing $6,000.

Travel tip: Quaich Bar, Craigellachie Hotel, Scotland

If you’re not ready to commit to the whole bottle of Bowmore, pay by the dram at this charming country-house hotel, near the fabled Malt Whisky Trail, which winds through many of the Highlands' grand distilleries. The Quaich Bar features hundreds of single malts, including the Black Bowmore 1964 second release, which goes for about $544 per 25ml.

For more information: Craigellachie Hotel
http://www.craigellachie.com/

On the North Sea Coast, Cromarty Firth is Scotland's premier deep-water port. Rather than focus on the UK oil industry, which is, in large part, operated out of the city, we're going to continue looking at Highland Scotches.

The Dalmore 62 Years
$51,000

If you happen to cross paths with the anonymous buyer of this £25,877.50 ($51,000) bottle, here are Dalmore Master Blender Richard Paterson's suggestions for tasting: Prepare the palate with a cup of warm Colombian coffee and milk; let the noble spirit drift over the tongue; finish with a bitter-chocolate such as Cote d'Or or Godiva. "The combination of coffee, The Dalmore and the bitter chocolate," says Paterson, "will ensure the experience is unforgettable."

Travel tip: Dalmore Distillery, Scotland

Journey to the Northern Highland shores of the Cromarty Firth to visit the 168-year-old Dalmore distillery, and get a taste from the source of this sought-after malt.

For more information: Dalmore Distillery
http://www.thedalmore.com/

Our tenth and final stop is the Northernmost point in our tour. It's also the source of our most expensive bottle, and by far the swankest place to stay. The Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle is currently available for non-members (ideally to determine if they want to join the private membership list), but starting in 2008 only members and their guests will be entitled to spend the night. With an initiation fee of £20,000 (+ vat), an annual fee of £4000 (+ vat), and a per night charge of £400 to £995, this is not for the light of wallet.

The Macallan 1926
$75,000

In 2005 a South Korean businessman paid 70 million Korean won (about $75,000) for a 1926 bottle from The Macallan’s "Fine and Rare" range. “The actual purchase took place at the liquor retail store, Interbang, in the upmarket Gangnam area of Seoul," according to a statement from Macallan. "However, the precious bottle was safely stored elsewhere in a safe and only released when full payment was received.”

Travel tip: Skibo Castle, Scotland

Go to The Macallan’s source—the Scottish Highlands—and sip in high style at the Skibo Castle. This grand abode was Andrew Carnegie’s Scotland home and, more recently, hosted Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s wedding. Golf and Highland distilleries—including Macallan’s—are a short drive away.

For more information: The Macallan and The Carnegie Club
http://www.themacallan.com/splash.asp
http://www.carnegieclub.co.uk/