Easy steps to enjoying duty free

One of the only enjoyable things about spending time in an international airport is the chance to go shopping in a good duty free shop.  In London Heathrow’s Terminal 5 that means World of Whiskies (I think they’re in three of the other terminals as well).  It can be a little daunting with the foot traffic, the sheer volume of whiskies, and you’re probably jet lagged or in for an early morning flight.  But that doesn’t mean you should miss the opportunity to get a killer bottle of whisky.  These are a few steps I take to make the most from my trip to duty free:

• Narrow it down. Most of these shops are organized by region or type of whisky.  For me, that’s probably going to be an Islay or Highland.
  
• Make it special.  You are hauling a bottle (or two) of whisky on an overseas flight, and perhaps a connecting one as well, so don’t get a bottle you can get at your local liquor store.  Get something not available in your state.
  
• Ask questions.  Unlike many local shops, a good whisky store is manned by experts.  Ask questions about how a special bottling is prepared.  What’s similar?  Is it popular?  Which leads me to . . .
  
• Samples!  Yeah samples!  Don’t be afraid to ask for a sample.  At Heathrow, the salesman had 20 bottles out on his sampling table.  They’re there for a reason, so have a sample.  Better yet, ask a question about another bottle you see out on the table and have a second sample.  It’s a much better way to buy a bottle than by just going off of the label.

So after I followed my own advice, I arrived at an Ardbeg Corryvreckan.  This baby packs a wallop at 57.1% ABV.  This whisky is powerful on the nose, full of peat. The taste has all of the things I love about Ardbeg – the gold color, the peat, the seaweed, and dark chocolate flavors – but in spades.  And, man – that first taste on the tongue is a punch.  A good one.  This whisky was 2009 Scotch Whisky of the Year from the Malt Advocate with a score of 96 out of 100.   The whisky has replaced Airigh Nam Beist in the Ardbeg line.  And with no age or year on the label, Ardbeg can find casks to age appropriately for Corryvreckan for a few more years.  That’s good news – get your ticket and get some!

The most expensive whisky I’ve ever bought

I’m just back from a trip to England and Scotland for two weeks.  I tried a new whisky, got reacquainted with an updated brand, made my pilgrimage to World of Whisky in Heathrow, and bought my most expensive bottle of whisky ever.


NEW Tormore 12 year old, 40% ABV: This is a little know Speyside whisky.  I saw it in the grocery store and since I had never had it before, and the price was right (20  pounds), in the cart it went.  Tormore is full bodied and oily, with a little taste of orange peel.  Ultimately, though, it’s pretty forgettable.  I probably won’t go back for more of this one.


UPDATED Tobermory 10 year old, 46.3% ABV: Tobermory, on the Isle of Mull, used to be the Ledaig distillery.  Now Tobermory is rebranded and Ledaig is the name of it’s peated expression.  Tobermory 10 in the meantime, is a delightful maritime whisky.  Light on the peat, high on grass, seaweed and gingerbread flavor, this whisky hit a lot of good notes and is worth picking up for something a bit out of the mainstream.

No trip to Scotland would be complete without a little links golf.  And that is where I found the most expensive whisky in my travels.  We played the Balcomie Course at Crail, a fantastic course laid out by Old Tom Morris in 1895.  It was a wonderful day on the course and I shot my lowest score ever in the UK.  Afterwards we went into the clubhouse for a sandwich and a pint.  It was there that I saw it – a commemorative airline-sized bottle of “A Unique Blend of the Finest Scotch Whisky Specially Selected for the Crail Golfing Society.”  Well, it was just a matter of time before I picked that one up.



After a nice lunch and a better pint, it was time to come to grips with the fact that I was about to buy a bottle of whisky I would likely NEVER drink.  And, with that, I walked to the bar, put down my 3 pounds 50 and walked away with my souvenir.    But the price was irrelevant - since I was never going to drink it, the bottle immediately became the most expensive in my collection.

As for my trip to Heathrow?  That trip yielded a special bottle of Ardbeg which will require it's own entry at a later date.