Gleneagles offers $2,000-a-shot whiskey

Auchterarder, Scotland -- Well-heeled whiskey enthusiasts can spend heavily -- $2,000 a shot -- at the Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland's top golfing destination.

The main bar there offers shots of Johnnie Walker 1805 for $2,000 a shot. The expensive tipple is served in a suitably special brandy glass made by Riedel of Austria and accompanied by a glass of Highland Spring water for those who think that a drop or two of water brings out the whiskey's flavor.

A taster for The Scotsman, a man who admitted drinks more lager beer than whiskey, described the 1805 as smooth and warm with only a lingering "smoke." He found a touch of peach and vanilla in the flavor.

The Johnnie Walker company has made 200 bottles of the 1805 to honor its founder's birthday. Since many of the distilleries that made the malts that went into the blend have gone under, the whiskey is a very limited edition.

The 1805 is the most expensive thing available at Gleneagles, although skinflints can pay $1,100 for a shot of 40-year-old Bowmore malt, The Scotsman said.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International.