Here at the 5pm Dining blog, we know that not everybody jumps out of bed on a Monday morning looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

However, around these parts, we like to think of Monday mornings as dream time. Ideally, this would mean dreaming of not having to work while slumbering under the duvet.

Failing that, we like to spend Monday mornings dreaming of things we would like to do in an ideal world.

Recently, we have been dreaming of taking part in the new and ultra rare whisky journey at Scotch, the whisky bar at The Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh.

Third birthday for Scotch

The bar is celebrating their third birthday and, to mark the event, they have worked with the whisky specialists Gordon & MacPhail to create an exclusive whisky tasting based around four very special drams from the family firm’s private collection.

More specifically, those four drams are a 1953 Linkwood, a 1952 Glenlivet, a Mortlach from 1951 and a comparatively (!) youthful Strathisla from 1957.

Scotch visitors can taste all four of the private collection whiskies for £1500.

Obviously, this is not the sort of the thing that most of us would do on a whim.

However, that sum does get you exclusive use of the bar and words of wisdom from one of Scotch’s highly knowledgeable Whisky Ambassadors.

More pertinently, it also gets you a measure of each of the four drams.

Each one has been selected by members of the Gordon & MacPhail family and Scotch is the only bar in the world where you can buy them by the dram at £275 a measure or as part of the four dram tasting.

Oldest known bottlings

It is hard to overstate just how rare these whiskies are. The Strathisla and the Linkwood are the oldest known bottlings in existence.

All four were first put into their casks before momentous world events like the Vietnam War or the Moon landings.

No-one is suggesting drinking one or all four of these whiskies is something that everyone can or would want to do.

But for determined single malt enthusiasts, it is a unique experience that won’t be forgotten.

This blogger won’t forget trying them.

As it turns out, dreams can come true and I was fortunate enough to taste the four whiskies in the entertaining company of Stephen Rankin, the UK Director of Sales for Gordon & MacPhail.

Now, this site isn’t the place for detailed tasting notes on all four drams.

What we will say is that they were all sophisticated, complex and full of character. The effects of several decades in the cask enhanced the individual characteristics of the whiskies without overwhelming them.

For me, The Glenlivet stood out. Notes of Cuban cigars, spice and dark chocolate gave way to caramelised orange, marmalade and perhaps a hint of hazelnut. You could quite happily nurse a dram this special for a good couple of hours.

The ultra rare whisky journey at Scotch fits in well with the ethos behind the bar. They stock an ever evolving range of 400-500 single malt Scotch whiskies and customers travel from London to taste specific drams.

‘There isn’t a typical customer,’ says Cameron Ewen, Senior Whisky Ambassador at Scotch. ‘What defines our customers is that they want to taste some of the rarest and best whiskies in the world. We get people in who want to taste bottles from defunct or mothballed distilleries. We get collectors who want to taste a whisky which they have in their own collection but they don’t want to open their own bottle. A lot of visitors from other countries will come in and say “Show me something I can’t get at home.”‘

Unique experience

By its very nature, the ultra rare whisky journey from the Gordon & MacPhail private collection is a unique and exclusive experience. But you don’t need pockets that deep to enjoy Scotch.

‘We are very much open to the public,’  says Cameron. ‘Scotch isn’t an invite only place and we have drams to suit everybody. We have tasting journeys from £49 and, on the last Wednesday of every month, we have our Meet the Maker nights where distilleries come and tell guests about their whiskies and lead tutored tastings. Some of the whiskies are pretty rare and valuable but the Meet the Maker nights start at just £20.’

The next Meet the Makers night is on Wednesday 26th October. Chivas Bother’s will be exploring their portfolio of single malts. Tickets cost £20. Advanced booking required.

Glenfarclas will be at Scotch on Wednesday 30th November. Again, tickets are £20.