I am typically not the type of person who hunts down rare whiskies. That isn’t to say I’m against it; suffice to say without swapping or going to bars, I wouldn’t be trying the whiskies I do.

On some level I see the desire to hunt down a rare bottle. Waiting in line, finding out where something is, using your wits and charisma (which you haven’t dump stated) to find something at MSRP. It’s the thrill of the hunt. The eye of the tiger, if you will.

That said, I had saved up some of my pennies, and decided I would like a nice birthday bottle. Caol Ila 34 1982 Cadenhead Small Batch was my white whale. Or maybe a slightly grey one. Or the colour 5Y 9/8 on the Munsell chart.

First a friend attempted to get it in London. The bottle sold out in less than an hour…