Best Whisky In The Store Right Now?

Wowee wow!  There is a slew of whisk(e)y available in our store right now, and our barrels haven't even arrived yet!  Next week there is going to be even more and I'm not sure where we are going to put all of it.  Then you've got small quantities of single barrel Ardbeg showing up out of nowhere from Chieftain's (congrats to those 17 of you who got one this morning).  Then we've got all the Pappy and BTAC stuff that just came in today - it's insane!  With all the hoopla, it's easy to forget about some of the less prestigious, but nevertheless fantastic bottles that have arrived.  As much as I thought about buying a bottle of Pappy 20 today, I passed.  Not because of anything other than the fact that for about the same price, I could get the Flaming Heart from the masterful John Glaser.  Made with whiskies from the villages of Brora, Port Askaig, and Mull (which is pretty much a roundabout way of saying Clynelish, Caol Ila, and Tobermorey) this vatting is something to truly treasure.  Hints of smoke from the Islay, hints of minerality and wax from the Highlands, and the sea smell of Island malts.  Because for some reason people don't like vatted malts, these Flaming Heart bottles will likely trickle out, slowly gathered by those who really appreciate a fine dram, while the phone calls continue to pour in for the big trophies.  If you've ever been curious about Compass Box however, this is one damn fine bottle of whisky and there isn't very much of it.  I'd venture to say that at this very moment in time, taking price point, value, quality, and exclusivity into account, it might be the best whisky available in the store.  It might be.

-David Driscoll