Best single-malt Scotch...

Springbank 21 +,Balvenie 21+, Balmore 21 +, Talisker 30 a surprising depth and finish compared to it's younger brethren, and for those nights I want a cigar but don't have time-Lagavullin...all are complimented by an s.e.t., single driver, vinyl experience.

Edsilva,

Where was that shop!

The only placse I know like that are in London, Cadenhead's comes to mind, and another one in Kensington too but I always forget it's name. FWIW 'Cask stregth' IS NOT the same as 'single cask' which is what you are describing, ie straight from the cask. They don't usually run as high as 75% EtOH though, but can be up to about 70%.

I agree with you on the water as well, and yes, the Scots would laugh at you if you drank single cask without any!

Mmm... single cask is different... Something can be cask strength, but still blended from among a number of similarly aged to even out the flavor--I'd almost guarantee that Macallan's 15yo "cask strength" offering is a single malt cask strength, but from multiple casks. The single cask is more typical of private label bottlings because their bread and butter is buying abberrant casks that the distillers/blenders don't find it economical to use... "Look in this corner, we just found a 20 year old cask... worth too much to put it in our 18yo single malt bottling, and there isn't enough to warrant a new offering--sell it to the private labeler, who will do a run of 100 bottles."

I had thought whisky in cask could go up to the 80 percent range... I swear I had a bottle that was labeled 80% or something. I may be misremembering, but it seems strange that the variations are so huge--I check a bottle of the Macallan 15yo cask strength and I think that was over 100 proof. Doesn't seem right that a bottle labeled "cask strength" should be at 86 proof when most bottled single malts are in the 80-84 proof range.

The shop I was referring to is in DC--around 24th and M Sts NW, although I'll be dammed if I can remember the name--maybe the Wine Specialist?

interesting read about your favourite malts.
just as a side note. folks, remember - theres lotsa counterfeit whisky on the market, it a big business, just like counterfeit smokes etc.
its possible, that somewhere along the line you inadvertantly purchased a black market bottle here and there (with some unaccurately made up label on it). this merchandise does get into shops, unless a given shop is a very respectable joint of course...

A lot of the distilleries are offering their own cask strength or special bottlings these days--those are going to be really safe. But, I see your point with respect to the private labelings... With that said, there are reputable specialty bottlers. The Springbank 32yo cask strength I got, for example, was an Adelphia bottling. While Adelphia, to my knowledge, has now turned to dust, at the time it was a respected private labeler. There are also other specialty private label bottlers--Cadenhead, McMurry & McDavid to name a few--where you are pretty well assured that what you are getting is what it says on the label. Unfortunately, the label may be right, but the scotch may not be what you expect--may have been an experiment by the distillery using a different type of cask, for example. Still, they are interesting to try...