Last chance to taste $10,000 bottle of whisky in Melbourne
For aficionados, a $10,000 bottle of whisky is the stuff of dreams.
Especially when it's one of only 145 in the world.
This dream will be brought within reach for whisky lovers in Melbourne on Wednesday evening, when a single malt from 1968 is opened up and handed out at Hawthorn bar The Kilburn.
The bar's owner Ben Baranow hosts a sell-out whisky tasting every fortnight, usually focusing on a theme such as Japan.
But this time, the theme will be Scottish distiller Glenrothes. As far as Baranow is aware, using the Glenrothes 1968 Single Cask will make it the most extravagant whisky used for a public tasting anywhere in the world.
The tasting night was planned when Baranow heard one bottle of the rare whisky would be imported into Australia and contacted Glenrothes with an idea: offering it to the public alongside other, younger vintages. It was given the green light, and the single Australian bottle was split with Sydney's The Oak Barrel - who used their portion two weeks ago.
Melbourne represents the last chance for mere mortals to taste the nearly 50-year-old bottle, which will be shared between 20 people.
Each nip of the single malt is worth roughly $400, but tasters will get half a portion, worth $200.
The 15mL portion of the 41.9 per cent alcohol will set whisky lovers back $150, a cost including half a nip of four other vintages of Glenrothes, from 1978 to the present. (Baranow explains 15mL is enough to get a taste, but not enough so everyone gets drunk.)
The three-hour event will also include a visit from the Scottish distillers' heritage director Ronnie Cox, appearing via Skype to guide those gathered through the tasting process.
Though Baranow has hunted down exclusive and hard-to-find whisky for his personal consumption, this bottle would be up there with the most expensive he had tasted, he said.
"It'll be pretty spectacular," Baranow told goodfood.com.au.
"It's not every day you get to open a $10,000 bottle of whisky."
For bookings, see eventbrite.com.au