I had the pleasure of visiting La Maison Du Whisky (LMDW) in Paris in May 2008 and was very impressed.   The most interesting and rare selection I've seen anywhere.  (For whatever reason, their website seems to list only a fraction of their inventory).  I went in with a plan and asked to see all the whiskies bottled exclusively for LMDW.   Out of these I selected 4 bottles to bring back to the states for a meeting I dubbed "Duke's Picks Vol. 1".

First up was Highland Park 1983, a bit of a disappointment considering the $315 price tag.  I'd recommend the 33 or 34 year single casks from Binny's before this one.  Up next was the Nikka Miyagikyo 1989, a big-time sherry monster that has certainly spiked my interest in trying more Japanese single malts.  The third whisky, BenRiach 1976, was a big-time fruit monster (to coin a term?), really unique and the favorite of the night.  Too bad there's only 222 bottles of it!!  And last up was Glengoyne 1992, a funky fruity scotch whisky of a different type.

Overall the extra weight in my luggage was well worth it, and I recommend a visit to LMDW to anyone visiting Paris.  But make sure to notify your credit card company first!  I almost cried as both my Visa and Amex cards were declined when he rang up the order.  Only a thoughtful call to Amex by the shop owner got these bottles out the door.  Apparently $1000 charges from international liquor stores raises a red flag in their anti-fraud computer system.  A good thing perhaps.