1972 Cadenheads Small Batch Invergordon 43 Year Old Cask Strength Single Grain Scotch Whisky (700ml)

What other whisky category will give you a 43 year old dram for $300?! (Good single malt of the same age will set you back well over $1000). Distilled in 1972 and bottled in 2016, this remarkably old expression is one of only 468 bottles from two ex-Bourbon barrels. Going by the tasting notes, it's a classic grain profile. Sneak it into a blind bourbon session and see what happens.

Cadenhead's notes… Nose: vanilla, caramel custard, milk butter and marzipan. Palate: Cream, butter, salted popcorn and oatcakes. Finish: Cheesecake, lemon zest, oranges and pears with milk bottle chews. 48.3% Alc./Vol.

The Invergordon Distillery occupies an eighty-acre site on the northern shore of the Cromarty Firth in the northeast Highlands, surrounded by some of the best arable land in Scotland. The place takes its name from an eighteenth-century laird, Sir William Gordon. It's one of the best deep-water harbours in Europe and was an important commercial port and naval base. The distillery was commissioned in 1959 to create employment in the area, following the departure of the Royal Navy. Here's one for all you Springbank aficionados: Invergordon is the distillery where Frank McHardy started his career in whisky production. It was also the home of the stills for Ben Wyvis, which now produce Glengyle in Campbeltown.