So I (the Duke) happen to be in Istanbul for a business conference and thought I'd give a quick whiskey report.  I have been endlessly foafing (searching for unusual bottles) for Tekel Ankara (a Turkish single malt) in every liquor store I pass.  No luck.  They all have this nice poster showing all the liquor, including Ankara, and the prices (apparently tightly controlled) but none of them have it.  All they have are crappy American blends.  Apparently when tourists go to foreign countries, all they want to drink is the same old, same old crap they always drink. 

As far as the bars go here, pretty much the same thing – no selection.  The few places that actually had single malts should be charged with rape for their prices.  The Gaja Bar (on top of the Swissotel where I am staying) just charged me 45 Turkish Lira for a wimpy pour of Macallan 10 Fine Oak.   That’s 40 f***ing dollars, the price of a bottle!!.   They have just surpassed Side Bar in Los Angeles as the biggest rip-off in the world.   Bottom Line:  Istanbul rocks, but bring your own single malts.