Hunting for bargains in a gold mine

When you see a single bottle of spirits sporting a Double Gold Medal, that can get your attention.  The Richard Hennessey Cognac received not only a Double Gold Medal, but was honored as the Cognac Best of Class in a major competition.  When you notice the bottle carries a price tag of $3500, your interest likely becomes strictly theoretical.  After all, what are the chances you’re every going to taste the nectar in a $3500 bottle of anything?  And besides, you say, shouldn’t a $3500 bottle come with at least a couple of gold medals in the first place?

Let’s get reasonable here: most of us can’t afford the rarefied prices of those gold-encrusted bottles t

What's in your 12 bottle case?: Bartholomew Broadbent

 by: Hoke Harden


It's a fascinating question, one that is often asked---right behind the unanswerable “What’s your favorite spirit?”---and one that requires a little thinking: If you had to limit your available spirits to one case, 12 bottles, which 12 would you choose?
 
The answers, it turns out, are always different.  And the choices reveal much about the people making them. 

The ‘rules’ were simple: Only 12 bottles, any spirits you wish, and they don’t have to include bitters (they’re small, so they’ll fit in to your case anyway, and we didn’t want to make it too difficult).  You