If you had $500 to spend on whisky...

$ 500 worth? Right now I already have arrangements made for procuring:

Taketsuru 17 yo, $ 110, Kavalan Solist Sherry $ 110, and Glenfarlas 15 yo $ 75, approximately. That leaves about $ 205. With that I'd love to add a bottle of Amrut Intermediate Sherry $ 120 and William Larue Weller $ 85. Getting my hands on a bottle of William Larue Weller will be the most difficult part of this scenario.

For the sake of this discussion I was listing bottles that are readily available, at least where I live. Otherwise I would have included Pappy Van Winkle 15, George T Stagg, William Larue Weller and a few others that I'm not holding my breath for. The Glenfarclas 15 would be on my list, but alas that is also not sold in the US from what I can tell.

The other part of the question is whether you would spend the $500 on 1 high end bottle, 2 or 3 from a tier just below, or spread the money around on 4+ to maximize your value. For me it would likely be for several bottles in the $100-$150 range.

My real answer is that I'd just knock off the top $500 worth of bottles from my "buy & rebuy" list. That would be spreading it around on the likes of Connemara CS, Knappogue Castle 12, Old Pulteney 17, Ardbeg Ten, Kilkerran WIP, Caol Ila IBs, peated Bunnahabhain IBs, and whatever Springbanks and Longrows I can find.

$500 is fantasy territory, though, so I'll give a fantasy answer too. Crazy splurge bottles that I am unlikely to actually splurge on include anything Japanese matured in mizunara wood, an old Ardbeg Supernova, an Octomore, maybe a Lagavulin Feis Ile bottling or Lagavulin 21.

I don't know if $500 would buy a Port Ellen or a Brora, or perhaps a Rosebank, 3 of which I might have an interest in.

I once opened a bottle worth more than $500. It was because I had been given more than one bottle of Macallan 25, and my uncle liked Macallan. It was before I started my malt journey. I probably would have had a better appreciation of it now. If I were to open something that expensive now....

If I had a bottle that expensive, never would be the exact right time to open it. I think it would be better to buy a few bottles of something good and know that once the seal is cracked, there is more left.

I really liked the bourbon single cask Amrut and the peated CS. At LCBO prices, I could buy 2 of each, open one of each and be guilt free because there would be a spare...

I gave a real reply. My fantasy reply, if someone told me that he/she would buy me a $ 500 bottle would be:

1) see if you can find me a bottle of Octomore Orpheus 2.2 for $ 500 (possible, but slim chance now)

2) failing that, get me a bottle of Highland Park 25 and a bottle of Balvenie 17 yo DoubleWood

@Victor, You beat me to the Octomore Orpheus ed. 2.2.

I was also thinking about an old Brora but 500 would not be enough. Then I would go for Yoichi 15 yo, Amrut Intermediate Sherry or Portonova and William Larue Weller. That would annouced great nights!

I have looked at this post several times and each time my answer is different. So, with this in mind if I had the money (spare) today .. I would buy a bottle of 1976 Laphroaig 35Yr old (refill sherry cask) bottled at 43.4%.

The problem with the $500 price tag on whisky is that there is a disproportionate jump up in price versus the value one would get.

To truly want something for your collection (as an experienced collector) $500 is barely scratching the surface. Maybe our tastes and wants have evolved over time and we now seek the unattainable.

And to spend $500 on something that is readily available and out there the question of value for money starts to burn brightly. For, once again, as experienced campaigners we know the gems out there available at a fraction of the price.

So, in my opinion, $500 is too low to get something stellar and too much to get something common.

Decisions. Decisions.

Thanks to a work bonus + birthday and Christmas gifts in the shape of gift cards and cash, I'm actually in the fun, fun midst of spending about $500 on whisky right now. True to my "real answer" above, I'm buying a slew of solid, good-value bottles that will serve me well over the next year or so. Plus one wildcard. (See the "Which bottle did you just buy and why?" thread if you're curious about what I actually chose.)

When it comes down to it, I think it's really hard to splurge on expensive bottles when you know that good experiences and good value are to be found at (relatively) more reasonable price levels. Or to put that in my personal terms, I'll have to inherit a crapton of money one day to ever buy a Lagavulin 21.