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Raise your spirits

Plenty of service members like good whiskey. And for many, if times or conditions are tough, even bad booze is deemed better than beer or wine.

For those free-spending connoisseurs of luxury spirits, we’ve got some good news. Whiskey makers have repositioned and repackaged their wares with fancy new trappings. And with the $5.2-billion-a-year whiskey market enjoying steady growth, a few more new products have launched.

A bonanza of boutique bottles and special promotions are on display in stores and military exchanges. Although whiskey is viewed primarily as a cold-weather spirit and most sales are September through December, the pre- and post-deployment appetite for the stuff gives it year-round appeal for military drinkers. Civilians share similar cultural cravings.

“The environment in which people drink scotch is an opportunity for two men to connect,” said Paige Guzman, U.S. brand manager for Ardmore, which launched its Traditional Cask Single Malt Scotch in March. “And often there is a bragging moment: ‘Look at this expensive bottle I just got.’”

Spirits producers highlight this concept of exclusivity in their spring promotions, some of which are outlandish by design.

Chivas Regal, which launched a $300-a-bottle, 25-year-old blended scotch last fall, is promoting a $117,000 trip that includes a stay at a mansion in Scotland, a meal with the Duke of Argyll in his castle, a round of golf at St. Andrews and a session with Chivas Regal’s master blender. “It might raise an eyebrow or two,” said Larry Neuringer, brand director for Chivas in the U.S.

The Classic Malts Selection brand, a collection of single malt scotches that includes Lagavulin and Talisker, is offering a week-long tour via private jet of Scotland’s distilleries, castles and golf courses for groups of five adults. Cost: $500,000.

Last fall, Ardbeg launched a $20,000 version of its rare 1974 single malt scotch. Two bottles are packaged in a special double-barrel rifle case.

Four Roses bourbon distillery and Bushmills Irish whiskey distillery are promoting limited-edition anniversary bottles, both priced at about $100.

On a more modest level, The Famous Grouse Scotch brand and Knob Creek Bourbon offer bottles with personalized labels. The Macallan promotes its Fine Oak Single Malt Scotch with a hip flask or etched tumblers and water jugs, and Glengoyne packages a 10-year-old single malt with a stainless steel flask and collapsible cup.

More new products are expected to debut for the holidays. Still, said Neuringer, “suppliers keep adding new flavors, blends and ages, so there is always something new.”

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Jerry Shriver writes for Gannett News Service.

Best buys

Whatever the motivation, at least a dozen new whiskeys have arrived in stores since the first of the year. Here are some worth checking out (prices are approximate and may vary):

• Abelour Double-Cask Matured 16-Years-Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky, $55.

• Ardmore Traditional Cask Highlands Single Malt Scotch Whisky, $45.

• Auchentoshan Bourbon-Matured 16-Years-Old Lowlands Single Malt Scotch Whisky, $120.

• Bowmore 1991 Port-Matured 16-Years-Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, $100.

• Bowmore 1964 Black Bowmore 42-Years-Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, $4,500.

• Bushmills 1608 400th Anniversary Edition Irish Whiskey, $100.

• Compass Box 2008 Hedonism Limited Release Scotch Grain Whisky, $95.

• Four Roses Barrel Strength 120th Anniversary Limited Edition Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey, $100.

• Glenmorangie’s extra matured line of Northern Highlands single malt Scotch whiskys, including Lasanta, Quinta Ruban and Nectar D’Or, each $60-$70.

• Glenmorangie Very Rare 18-Years-Old Northern Highlands Single Malt Scotch Whisky, $400.

• Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve Irish Whiskey, $250.

• Springbank Longrow CV Campbelltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky, $65.

Hit the whiskey trail

We spent a week traveling the “American Whiskey Trail,” visiting seven of the 16 operating distilleries that make up the trail.

Our mission? To squeeze every last drop of intel out of the master distillers and experts, to turn ourselves — and you — into connoisseurs. In our 2007 journey, we learned the difference between whiskey and bourbon, found seven steps to bourbon tasting and discovered some connections between the military and the distilleries.

Read: Tales from the Whiskey Trail