Hey all,
Christmas is coming up and I want to get my dad a gift he will really appreciate. He basically owns everything he wants so I figured getting him alcohol was a good start. I don't know much about the space as I don't drink it that often. His go-to is either JW Double Black or JW Blue and he's recently gotten into Japanese blended scotches (like Hibiki 17). I know he only likes blended scotches. Any single malt stuff has to be super nice for him to even consider. Any recommendations?
I was thinking something around $75-100 as I'm on a bit of a budget. Thanks for the help.
Lagavulin has a very unique flavor that is good. Balvenie is very smooth and imo one of the best for the price.
Balvenie 14 Carribean Cask is absolutely phenomenal. Aged in rum barrels so it has a lot of complexity but is relatively sweet and spiced for a scotch. Can't recommend it enough.
I stopped by to buy some on my way home. Have tried it, is phenomenal. If I could give you multiple bananas I would. Thanks for the recommendation!
^^THIS^^
Have loved every Balvenie I've tried... especially their Doublewood and the Caribbean Cask.
I second the lagavulin suggestion. Lagavulin 16 is what got me into Islays. Its a go-to for gifts.
"He basically owns everything"
Cool...? Nobody is impressed...?
Meant that as he is difficult to shop for since he buys all the stuff he needs/wants, but thanks for input
Yeah I don't think that's what you meant champ.
Talisker Storm is quite good and is around £40 ($50) and I recently had the JW Rum cask special edition which is very good for it's price (https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/johnnie-walker/johnnie-walker-ble…)
Bruichladdich Octomore is quite good, especially if your dad like more smoky whiskey
I've gotta try that one. The smokiest whiskey ive tried was Lagavulin.
Red Breast 12 Single Pot Whisky and Bunnahabhain 12
Both are around $55-$65 and I’m a hugeeee fan. You should be able to find them in most reputable whisky bars if you want to try before you buy. They do not have a strong bite and are not overly peaty.
A bit pricey, but truly delicious: https://www.midletonveryrare.com/en/
The perennial classic.
Oban is a personal favorite of you're not in the mood for heavy peat. Smooth with a distinct tasting note. Lagavulin is my go to however.
If he likes blends... Monkey Shoulder is awesome... it's a blend from the Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Kininvie distilleries. Very reasonably priced.
Talisker distillers edition Highland park 15 Glendronach 15 is very tasty, one of my favs, if you can find it
If your father likes the Japanese whiskeys, a lot of the recommendations other people have suggested aren't great. Japanese whiskeys are derived from Scotches, but they tend to be much smoother because the Japanese palette wasn't suited to heavy peat when whiskey was first introduced to Japan a century and a half ago. Hibiki 17 is an excellent whiskey. It also costs considerably more than $100. Along the same lines, Yamazaki 18-year is excellent, but it's way outside the price range you listed.
In general, Japanese whiskeys are a bit costlier when compared with their Scottish cousins when purchased in the US. I think you might be better gifting him a set of nice Scotch glasses. While he may everything he wants already, heavy leaded crystal glasses make for excellent gifts if he doesn't have them. You could also buy him whiskey snifters (not the cognac glasses, but smaller ones used for whiskey tastings) if he already has antique rocks glasses.
Pro tip: if you live in a wealthy area or near one, you can generally find better quality heavy rocks glasses at thrift stores than you can in, say, a department store. High-end cocktail sets used to be much more common than they are today, so there are some excellent antique glasses you can buy that are legitimately higher quality than the vast majority of what's produced today.
Thanks for the recommendation. There seems to be quite a lot of options available for the glasses, do you have a set you recommend or any to stay away from?
I'd stay away from rocks glasses where the lip of the glass is tinged with metal. Whiskey is best served in a room temperature heavy crystal glass.
Get in the holiday spirit with Drambuie. Good on special occasions.
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