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Chivas Regal unveil $4576 bottle of whisky worth $131 per sip

Georgina Mitchell

On its way to Australia: Chivas Regal's new whisky blend, The Icon, on the Dubai skyline.
On its way to Australia: Chivas Regal's new whisky blend, The Icon, on the Dubai skyline. Getty Images

It's time for Australian whisky fans to start digging for loose change down the back of the couch.

An extravagant whisky blend by Scottish distillers Chivas Regal is on its way to Australia, after the $US3500 bottle debuted in Dubai in early June.

The decadent drop, dubbed "The Icon", mixes a blend of more than 20 distinct single malts, including some from distilleries that no longer exist.

The whisky is worth $3500 US.
The whisky is worth $3500 US.Warren Little
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And there's no doubt they're aiming for a luxury market, with the bottle available only at duty-free shops in Dubai until September, when the rest of the world gets a taste.

The $US3500 duty-free price tag ($3675 in the domestic market) converts in Australian dollars to a whopping $4576 in duty free or $4804 in other stores.

At that price, one sip (of approximately 20mL), would set you back $131 if you buy it in duty free, or $137 from a regular store - no doubt a drop to be reserved for a special occasion.

Included in the price is a hand-blown crystal decanter (with a tint of green glass, a throwback to the original 1909 Chivas Regal bottle) and a stopper featuring the heart-shaped celtic symbol the Luckenbooth.

The lavish spirit, which has 40 per cent alcohol volume in its 700mL bottle, will be stocked from September at the International Duty Free terminal of Sydney Airport and a handful of other stores that are yet to be confirmed.

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But how does it taste?

The company's master blender Colin Scott says the whisky is an "exquisite blend" that has notes of honey, vanilla, dark chocolate and hazelnut.

[It's] perfectly smooth with an intense concentration of sumptuous flavours that develop into an exceptionally long, lingering finish," he says.

For the price, you would hope so.

The brand sells 41 million litres of whisky every year to more than 150 countries across the world.

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