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I need some recommendations for a good whiskey and scotch to give my dad for Christmas. I'm not a big drinker and never drink scotch, little bit of whiskey once in a while but just basic Crown Royal.
I know very little about both so I need some recommendations. I plan on getting a bottle or two of each to give for Christmas so I want something good, something that most people wouldn't buy for themselves. Price isn't a huge concern as long as it isn't obscenely expensive. I'd go $50-$100+/ bottle if it's top shelf, aged, etc etc.
I'll assume your Dad's American, so Crown Royal is hard to beat for a good bourbon whiskey. Chivas Regal is a good scotch, or if you can go the extra bucks for Royal Salute I'm sure he'll be pleased.
Crown is a blended Canadian whiskey. Bourbon try Blantons as for Scotch try a single malt (Highlands, lowlands, Ilsay), both will run 50-60$ for a fifth.
I would look for a good single malt. Currently we are enjoying a 12yr old Glenlivet, its a light whiskey with fruity undertones. My personal favourites are Lagavuilin and Laphroaig which are both Islay malts, dark in colour and have a rich peaty taste.
You should be able to buy a good bottle of Scottish Whiskey in your price range.
Crown is a blended Canadian whiskey. Bourbon try Blantons as for Scotch try a single malt (Highlands, lowlands, Ilsay), both will run 50-60$ for a fifth.
I'd try to find out if he's a malt whiskey fan or not first. Some are not malt fans (me, for example).
I know he drinks Crown Royal, always a bottle laying around the house. I've also seen a bottle of Glenlivet laying around so I assume that's a safe bet.
I just want to get something sort of special or unique, not the everyday brands that you'd buy.
That Johnnie Walker special edition looked interesting but not sure if I want to spend quite that much...maybe $150 but $225 for a fifth is a bit high in my opinion.
Single malt? No malt? I don't drink scotch...what's the difference?
for a really smooth sipping bourbon (do NOT mix with coke or something) try Basil Haydens, a small batch put out by the Jim Beam family. About $30
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Nose: Clean, and crisp. Wildflower honey, mint, eucalyptus, loose leaf black tea, menthol, and dried citrus peel work in tandem with intense rye grain. Vanilla makes brief appearances. This nose could pass for rye whiskey, and it immediately put me into summer time. Palate: Again, light with flavors of honey, mint, vanilla, candied lemon peel, and rye in spades.
Finish: We’re seeing a theme with this whiskey. The finish falls off sharply and dryly, but in proportion to what you’d expect for such a light bodied pour. Rye grain and minty warmth remain just to let you know it’s there.
Overall: It’s been noted by visitors to this website and others at just how often Jim Beam products can get brushed aside by “enthusiasts”. I suppose it’s tough to pull for the big boys, and you don’t get much bigger than Beam. Well, I beg of you to cast aside any preconceived notions and bias when you try this one. If you do, then a light and fresh whiskey with rye intensity and subtle sweetness awaits you. Basil Hayden’s refreshingly crisp quality lends itself well to warm weather sipping – it immediately reminded me of summer. I would like to see this offered around 90-92 proof (it would get lost above that). At that range I feel we’d see more of the heat, spice, and complexity that’s been diluted down a bit at the current proof.
This spicy bourbon with a hint of honey flavor and the right amount of oak is my new favorite 80 proof of all. BH is perfectly distilled and aged to drink with a little ice, no water needed. The first glass finishes as smooth as the tenth glass with little to no bite and a smooth after taste. The bottle will look as nice as any other bourbon on your shelf, if you need the look to go with your taste. This bourbon doesn’t get the bar calls it deserves. From now on when Maker’s, Knob, and BH are on the shelf, Basil Hayden’s is my choice every time.
Scotch has so many variations, that just a "brand" is as likely to be not appreciated as much as it is treasured. That being said, given a choice of scotches, I would probably buy a Laphroaig 18 year old single malt. It is an Islay scotch which will have strong peaty flavors that come from the peat of the islands. It sells for about $100 which is about as much as a really good scotch should sell for. Spend much more and you get folks that are impressed by how much you spend, although a good 30 year old will make you seek out a good $20 cigar..........
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Notes:
Nose: Lively and sweet, with woodsmoke, soot, wet stones, hay, honey and maritime notes of tar and brine. Very appetising mix of soot and syrup.
Palate: Big and powerful, but with a soft sweetness and generous texture. As well as the textbook Laphroaig coal, I found burnt wood, black pepper, barley sugar and roasted cereals, with an underlying honey/syrup note threaded through the whole. In a word: delicious.
Finish: Good length and surprisingly smooth (I hate using that word in tasting notes, but it was) and restrained – though still assertive and characterful. Great balance.
Comment: Very good indeed. A fitting replacement for the 15 year-old, if rather more muscular and full-bodied in style.
The colour of this Laphroaig 18 years old is a rich golden yellow and the nose is fresh and clean with an instant hit of pungent aromatic smoke. This smokiness is earthy (imagine damp moss and dry peat) and balances with other elements such as vanilla, a briny saltiness and a touch of honey. On the palate, it is robust and powerful. It offers early sugary sweetness that combines the vanilla and honey from the nose again, as well as malty cereal grains and a nice slightly spicy woodiness. This is balanced almost perfectly by the smokiness (less earthy and more like charcoal or burning embers/ash this time), some more saltiness (think of brine) and a bitter twist (imagine iodine). The finish is lovely and very long with a bittersweet mix of vanilla, honey, warm spices (think of a hint of ginger) and a pronounced bitter smokiness (now reminding us of creosote fence paint).
If you really want to spend a little money you can get a Laphroaig 25 for about $400, and if you are lucky enough to find it, an Ardbeg 30 will run somewhere around $1200-$1500.
I just saw where you say he drinks Glenfiddich.........That being the case, I would find any River Spey Scotch in the $45 to $60 range and you will put a smile on his face.
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