Japan's Most Expensive Scotch

single malt scotch

Japan's Yamazaki has put itself on the map by distilling single malt scotch whiskies that can stand toe-to-toe those of Scotland, with its 12- and 18-year malts evoking the taste of scotchies from Speyside. This year, Yamazaki is releasing an extremely limited run of 50-year single malt - in a batch of just 150 bottles - and priced around $13,000 US.

This is one of the rarest whiskies in the world as it is maintained in unique barrels of oak species and has the character of fragrant wood (Chara). The single malt is amber reddish in color and has a long lasting fruity flavor. The malt is filled with aroma of aloeswood and ends with slight smoky finish.

Though it's not included in the ISLANDS Holiday Gift Guide, if you've got the means and the access, we're sure the spirits aficionado on your list wouldn't mind finding a bottle wrapped up this holiday season. The two previous releases of the Yamazaki 50-year, in 2005 and 2007, each sold out within 48 hours, and availability is first-come-first-served, so scoring a bottle would require some legwork before the December 13th release date.