Well, it's been confirmed: I have the best wife in the world!

She asked me what I wanted for Christians. I suggested, after getting Odin for my 40th and King George last Christmas, that it only seemed fitting that I should get another expensive whisky for Christmas. I told her about the new Highland Park Fire & Ice Edition, and showed her a picture. She thought they looked awesome. I agreed with her, but sort of just showed them to her as a joke. It's not like any store around here is going to stock them, and it's highly unlikely she'd spend $600 on whisky. These are going to sell out almost immediately, so even if by some crazy stroke of luck she did manage to find one, there's no way the other one would still be around for next Christmas. I convinced myself that there was no way I'd ever have a complete set.

As luck would have it, a liquor store by us got them both in a week or two later. As soon as she took a look at them, she new exactly what they were. She knew if she didn't buy them right then and there, she'd most likely never see them again.

She was going to give me one for Christmas, and hold off on the other one for another day. Maybe our anniversary, maybe my birthday…but my wife jut couldn't bring herself to it. She wanted to blow me away! And sure enough she did. I opened the first box and was totally flabbergasted! I couldn't believe she managed to find one. It was the Ice edition. If that wasn't enough, she then slide the second box over. I was speechless! I was under the impression that the Fire edition wasn't even going to hit the US until the beginning of 2017, so to see a bottle in December was completely unexpected.

This is the Fire edition. It's a 15 year. Bottled at 45.2%. Limited to 28,000 bottles.



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This is the Ice edition. It's a 17 year. Bottled at 53.9%. Limited to 30,000 bottles.





Just like the Odin, the stand snaps shut with some magnets. It's a really cool stand, and looks awesome up on the bar.



I've only had one glass of each, so I haven't spent enough time with them to tell you all about them. I can tell you that at first blush, they are absolutely amazing. Unmistakably Highland Park with that long smokey finish. Being bottled in the high 40s, low 50s, they pack a punch too. I do have to say that I think I just might like the Fire better than the Ice. I'll have to have a few more glasses before I decide for sure.

One thing is for sure, these will last me a long, long time. I reserve my $300 whiskies for Saturdays only. And even then, maybe only 1 glass every other Saturday. That's how I managed to get the Odin and the King George to last a little over a year. These special bottlings are a once in a lifetime opportunity, so you don't want to knock them back quickly. You have to savor them and really make them last.