I’m the Scotch guy at Blast. As editor, I don’t part with any of the whiskey samples that come into the newsroom.

And all of a sudden, a rare whiskey with the most complex taste ever comes around.

The Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 3 is a $250 whiskey. I don’t expect all of you (nor I) to go around buying it up, if we can ever find it. But it’s a singularly good whiskey that has a vanilla start and a very complex finish with a bite and very strong oak taste.

“We’re fortunate to have some very old and very rare whiskey maturing at The Balvenie Distillery,” said Balvenie malt master David Stewart. “We’ve identified what we believe to be a fantastic range of liquids that will complement one another completely. The result is a marriage where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The tun is hand-filled and it takes some doing. The tun has a capacity of two thousand liters so filling it is pretty thirsty work I assure you, but a fantastic and rewarding process none the less. As with everything we do at the distillery, it’s very hands-on but it makes the end result all the more worthwhile.”

You’ll hear all kinds of pairing suggestions, but let me save you the time: filet mignon. If you’re paying this much for Scotch, go buy a $50 dry aged filet and broil it. Pour some butter over before you broil it. Once it’s cooked, pour warm cognac over it and light the cognac on fire. Then drink this Scotch with that buttery, boozed steak filet. I think death row inmates order this.

The Tun 1401 comes from a range of casks/barrels including Hogsheads, Sherry butts, and American oak barrels that date many years apart. The contents are placed in the distillery’s Tun 1401, a large marrying vessel that lets them settle before the bottling process.

The whiskey is 50.3 percent alcohol by volume. Drink it neat or with a cold element like the Skybar Chill Cubes from my friends over there. at Skybar. These solid metal cubes get cold in the freezer but don’t melt and dilute this amazing liquor with water.

Gone are the days of displaying boring plain old empty liquor bottles to prove that you like to party- — that’s so freshman year of college.

1800 Tequila is offering a chic, grown-up way to spice up your liquor cabinet: the limited edition Essential Artists Series, a collection of 12 bottles designed by up-and-coming artists from all over the country.

Eleven original, cutting-edge designs were chosen from over 15,000 online submissions. The 12th bottle was designed by a “celebrity artist” from Studio Number One, a group founded by artist Shepard Fairey (you know, the talented guy who was arrested for creating outdoor art in Boston).

The Essential Artists Series bottles are sold at an average price of $24.99. To find out more information about the featured artists and where you can find the Series, visit 1800Tequila.com. The website also has a “design your own bottle” feature, and 1800 Tequila plans to hold another contest at the end of the year. One lucky artist took home $10,000 as the grand prize winner.

Recipes

Maracas Margaritas

1 oz. 1800 Select Silver Tequila

.25 oz. Pear Puree

.25 oz. Fresh lime juice

.25 Agave nectar

Splash of Chambord

Combine the first four ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.

Shake vigorously and pour into a lightly salted high ball glass.

Float with Chambord for a drizzle effect.

1800 Fr­o Limonada

1.5 oz 1800 Silver Tequila
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz simple syrup
1 oz club soda
6 medium-sized mint leaves

Muddle mint with simple syrup in a tall glass.

Perfect Pear Margarita

1 oz. 1800 Silver Tequila

.25 oz. Pear Puree

.25 oz. Fresh lime juice

.25 oz. Agave nectar

Splash of Chambord

Combine first four ingredients in a cocktail shake with ice. Shake vigorously and pour into a lightly salted high ball glass.  Float with Chambord for a drizzle effect.

Passion Caipirinha

1 oz. 1800 Select Silver

1 oz. Passion fruit juice

1 oz. Agave Nectar

5 Muddled Limes

Drizzle of Raspberry liquor

Muddle limes and agave nectar in the bottom of a mixing glass. Add ice and all other ingredients besides the raspberry liquor. Shake and pour contents into a rocks glass and drizzle with the raspberry liquor.

Okay, so we haven’t done enough of these drink features in a while, and that’s dumb because they practically write themselves.

This one is called the Heavenly Horchata, and it’s a tequilla-based beverage.

The margarita may be perfect for the summer, but there’s no reason to put away the mexican liquor when daylight saving time ends. Mixologist Jim Meehan combines cinnamon and kaluha in this cocktail to make a warm-feeling drink that’s perfect for the cold weather.

This particular drink is made with Gran Cententario Reposado tequilla, and we tried it for the first time recently. It’s a good, strong tequilla that mixes very well.

Here’s the recipee with a few bonuses:

Heavenly Horchata
1.5 oz Gran Cententario Reposado
.5 oz Kaluha
2 oz Horchata

Add all of the ingredients to a mixing glass; then add ice
Shake and strain into a chilled coupe
Garnish with grated cinnamon.

Gran Treacle
1.5 oz Gran Centenario Plata
2 oz Apple Cider
.25 oz Agave Nectar
2 Dashes Bittermen’s Mole Bitters

Add all of the ingredients to a mixing glass, then add ice
Stir and strain into a chilled rocks glass
Garnish with a twist of orange

Jim’s Diablo
2 oz Gran Centenario Plata
.75 oz fresh lemon juice
.75 oz Canton Ginger liqueur
.25 oz CrĬme de Cassis

Add all of the ingredients to a mixing glass, then add ice
Shake and strain into a chilled coupe
Garnish with a thinly sliced lemon wheel