If the dapper man in your life offers you a dram of scotch that tastes of zesty orange marmalade, with an aroma of delicate rose petals and a finish that is remarkable for the “merest trace of peat,” you might have the merest trace of a problem.

Should he produce a $26,000 receipt from the LCBO, then please, return to your finely appointed baroque sitting room and remark on the silky oak tannin and gentle smoke taste.

But if your gentleman friend explains that he “finally used that $25 gift card from Aunt Nancy,” you might want to give police a call.

Because, you see, police are looking for a man with a taste for the finer things, like the Burberry shirt he was wearing when he allegedly swiped a $26,000 bottle of single malt Glenfiddich from a waterfront Toronto LCBO store on April 7.

Glenfiddich describes the single malt scotch as being “pale gold” in colour, aged 50 years, with “a beautifully harmonious, uplifting, vibrant and complex aroma,” and a long finish “with a touch of dry oak and the merest trace of peat.”

Police describe the suspect as five-foot-ten, aged between 35 and 45 years old, clean shaven with black framed glasses. He was last seen wearing black jeans and a Burberry plaid shirt, with a finish that includes a jaunty brown hat and brown trenchcoat.

While Glenfiddich characterizes its whisky as “rare, sought after, historic,” the alleged crime can also be qualified with similar terms: it was the most expensive theft ever from an LCBO retail store, according to spokesperson Heather MacGregor. The bottle is one of only 15 in Ontario and 50 in the world, police noted.

Police say that just before 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 7, the suspect walked into the store at 2 Cooper St. and Queens Quay, and took the bottle from a locked glass case in the store’s Vintages section. He also chose a bottle of wine, which he paid for. The next day, the scotch was discovered missing.

Due to the ongoing investigation, the LCBO could not say if the suspect or staff opened the case.

According to The Whisky Exchange website, Glenfiddich 50 Year Old has only been bottled twice, most recently in 2009. Five hundred bottles were made, from just two casks, with 50 bottles released each year worldwide.

“This whisky is built with malt from a bygone era,” ScotchBlog says about the rare spirit. “The light, inland character of the region’s peat is devoid of the iodine and salt notes that are so prevalent in Islay whiskies, thus adding a smoke characteristic in a manner most peated whiskies struggle to manifest today.”

“I would say it’s a whisky of uncommon depth and complexity,” said John Maxwell, owner of Allen’s restaurant, which carries many vintage scotches. “It has a beautiful mellowness, a roundness and a depth of flavour . . . It is the world’s leading single malt Scotch whisky and is considerably highly valued.”