Im not even sure what the occasion will be that warrants opening it. Just like the great Justice Potter Stewart said, “I know it when I see it.” I bought this bottle off the shelf prior to it being discontinued and I have held on to it ever since.

  • @[email protected]M
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    31 year ago

    Good stuff, I love some of the unique Balvenies!

    My most prized bottle is a Shackleton Discovery Edition signed by Richard Patterson himself, which was a birthday present from my wife many years ago. I don’t know if that will ever be opened. Aside from that, I have many that have appreciated to the point that it would take a very special reason to crack it open. Whiskybase has my Dalmore Mackenzie and Blood Oath Pact 1 as the most expensive.

    • @AlchemyOPM
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      21 year ago

      I love the story of that bottle. Have you had the chance to try a non-signed bottle to open and see how it tastes?

      • @[email protected]M
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        31 year ago

        After staring at it for years I finally cracked open a non-signed bottle just a couple months back to celebrate a major life event. Here are the notes from my journal:

        Distiller: Mackinlay

        Product: Shackleton’s

        Bottle: Discovery Edition

        Category: Islay

        Aged: -

        Nose: Honey, wheat, figs, and just a hint of peat smoke.

        Body: Olive oil coated peaches drizzled in caramel and honey. A bit of tobacco leaf and black pepper the longer it sits. Starts smooth as silk and sharpens dramatically.

        Finish: Vanilla, marshmallow nougat, toasted oak and just a bit more tobacco.

        Activation: Trades the sweet caramel for a sour citrus, full of tangerines and key limes. Overall a poor trade.

        Notes: This is the big one. The story of Ernest Shackleton and his whisky has been told several times over, so I won’t recount it all here. Suffice to say that the Discovery Edition is the definitive work of art, fresh from mass spectroscopy with a tiny dilution of the salvaged malt inside. It’s a bottle that has high sentimental value to me and thus I waited years for an occasion worthy of opening the ornate wooden case. It is at once every I wanted and something of a surprise. It is subtle but firm, peated but delicate, complex but straightforward. The legend is larger than life but the whisky is honest and workmanlike. This dram is truly worth exploring and celebrating.