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Dalmore -- the ultimate whiskyBy Barry Neild for CNN  A bottle of 62-year-old Dalmore is among the most expensive whiskies ever sold. PREVIOUS STORIESLONDON, England (CNN) -- Delving into a well-stocked drinks cabinet can unearth all kinds of treasures, from the kind of exquisite French brandies favored by doomed aristocrats, to vodkas strong enough to fuel industrial lawnmowers. Some of these snifters, such as Martini, evoke a mysterious world of James Bond-style espionage, and others, like tequila, speak of mustachioed mayhem. But for straight-up cool, no drink (taken in moderation, of course) comes close to whisky. Hard boiled screen icons such as Humphrey Bogart and Frank Sinatra were seldom seen far from a generously poured tumbler, while British wartime leader Winston Churchill's passion for the amber liquid saw him smuggling it into prohibition-era North America in medicine bottles. Even the formidable resolve of Margaret Thatcher, Britain's handbag-wielding prime minister in the 1980s, has been partly attributed to an occasional glass of her favorite tipple, Macallan whisky. Unsurprisingly, whisky -- or whiskey, as Irish and some U.S. versions are known -- has generated a passionate following, with thirsty connoisseurs prepared to pay through the nose for a mouthful from sought-after bottles. Though created from simple ingredients -- usually barley, water and yeast -- the drink that emerges is an intensely complicated brew, with subtle variations dependent on the source of the water used and a long and delicate maturing process. These differences, and the decades involved in their creation, help drive up the price of rarer bottles to the extent that in 2002, a 62-year-old whisky produced by Scottish distillers Dalmore, sold for more than $44,000. 'Worth every penny'A bottle of the same batch was subsequently bought over the bar of a hotel near London for $55,000 by a guest, who uncorked it on the spot and consumed it with friends. "It would have been worth every single penny. In fact, it was probably worth more than that," master distiller Richard Paterson told CNN. Paterson should know. As the man who bottled the Dalmore, he tasted it almost every day during the much of the maturing process. "It's an incredible flavor. You've got to imagine it as being in the same league as a Chateau Lafite wine. As soon as you open it, it opens up a treasure chest, an intensity that recalls Christmas cake, marmalade, spices, coffee and chocolate." While Dalmore still holds the record for the highest price paid for a bottle, what is believed to be the world's rarest bottle of Irish whiskey, produced in the 1800s at the Nun's Island distillery, has gone on sale for $172,000. But says Christian Piepgrass, co-founder of the Alternative Whisky Academy, a Web site that charts and reviews hundreds of whiskies from all over the world, price does not necessarily mean quality. "The most expensive I ever tried was a bottle of Glen Grant Director's Reserve, worth about $5,000. It wasn't worth the money," he told CNN. Instead, says Piepgrass, who lists a 1974 Ardbeg among his favorites, the best whiskies are a combination of factors. "When you consider the ultimate whisky, it is not only the taste. Age is also important, but there is also the mystique of the maturation process, the prospect of finding a long-lost barrel in the corner of a warehouse." Also key, say the experts, are the circumstances under which the whisky is consumed. "You need to make sure when you drink it, you know how to enjoy it -- with good friends and on memorable occasions," says Paterson. "It's no good just buying these bottles as collectors items and just looking at them."  Film icon Humphrey Bogart enjoyed a glass of whisky. Award-winning barman Jamie Forbes, who runs the bar at Albannach, a fashionable Scottish restaurant in London's Trafalgar Square, has taken enjoyment to new levels, designing innovative cocktails aimed at introducing whisky to a new generation. "We're trying to convince people that you don't have to drink whisky on its own, despite what a lot of angry old men who shout at you might say," he told CNN. "There are great cocktails that include whisky, or drinks you can have alongside to enhance the flavor." Forbes now hosts regular evenings aimed at exploring new ways to enjoy whisky, with experts on hand to give advice on how to savour the drink and top chefs cooking up suitable accompaniments. "We're promoting a new age of whisky. As someone that loves whisky and someone who wants it to do well in the market, I believe it's not the best for any product to have only over 40s drinking it." Despite his bold new approach, Forbes -- who favors a 16-year-old Lagavulin from the western Scottish isle of Islay -- is in agreement with his fellow experts that, no matter how expensive or rare the whisky, there's one sure fire way to ruin it -- ice. A drink to remember"Scotch on the rocks is famous, but it's not the best way to drink it." The cold, apparently, locks in the flavor instead of releasing it. But although his bar sells a vintage Balvenie at more than $900 a glass, for him, the ultimate whisky depends not so much on presentation, price, vintage or rarity, so much as occasion. "The best whiskies are the ones you drink in the most dramatic circumstances, preferably in their natural element. "Go to Islay and try one of its whiskies on the shore with the sea splashing at your feet -- that's a drink you will always remember." 
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