Need gift suggestions - whiskey related

[jingramm]

I need to buy someone a gift. I'm looking to spend around $100-200 max.

Should I just buy the person this? http://www.reservebar.com/products/johnnie-walker-gold-label-reserve

Any other ideas?

 

[Scotteq]

Scotches have a very large range of taste - Light and airy, thick like motor oil, Dry, Sweet... Do you know specifically what your intended recipient drinks? If we knew that, we should be better able to pick.

Personally, my long running favorite is Balvenie 17 year, sherry cask. For a more special bottle, Aberlour A'bunadh is exceptional, and most people seem to like it a lot. But it's near the top of your price range. Glenmorangie Signet is also exceptional, widely liked, and in your price range.

One of the distributors made a very nice chart. Of course, it only covers what they carry. But others who may make suggestions could also use it as a reference.

 

[lxskllr]

How about some nice whisky glasses? You'd have to go through used channels since the pattern is discontinued, and they might be pricey, but some Edinburgh crystal thistle pattern glasses would make a nice gift.

Edit:
Looks like it was more than discontinued. The company's gone :^/

Wikipedia says the brand was acquired by Waterford, and it lives as a name only. Too bad...

 

[IronWing]

AA Big Book

 

[jingramm]

For the whiskey drinkers here, what do you guys think about this with your initials?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/168998125/personalized-glass-whiskey-decanter-4-on?ref=related-0

 

[Nintendesert]

I like the decanter idea. I have one from Germany that my mother got some 20 years ago, crystal and really nice looking. This lets the gift recipient pick the whiskey they want.

 

[silverpig]

Scotches have a very large range of taste - Light and airy, thick like motor oil, Dry, Sweet... Do you know specifically what your intended recipient drinks? If we knew that, we should be better able to pick.

Personally, my long running favorite is Balvenie 17 year, sherry cask. For a more special bottle, Aberlour A'bunadh is exceptional, and most people seem to like it a lot. But it's near the top of your price range. Glenmorangie Signet is also exceptional, widely liked, and in your price range.

One of the distributors made a very nice chart. Of course, it only covers what they carry. But others who may make suggestions could also use it as a reference.

I bought a bottle of Signet and wouldn't recommend it. It was alright, but was definitely not worth the money.

Ardbeg Uigedail is very highly rated and very good.

I got Jim Murray's whisky bible for Christmas this year. He agrees that Signet isn't very good too.

 

[sourceninja]

Scotches have a very large range of taste - Light and airy, thick like motor oil, Dry, Sweet... Do you know specifically what your intended recipient drinks? If we knew that, we should be better able to pick.

Personally, my long running favorite is Balvenie 17 year, sherry cask. For a more special bottle, Aberlour A'bunadh is exceptional, and most people seem to like it a lot. But it's near the top of your price range. Glenmorangie Signet is also exceptional, widely liked, and in your price range.

One of the distributors made a very nice chart. Of course, it only covers what they carry. But others who may make suggestions could also use it as a reference.

I have to wonder if the guy who made that chart has actually drank some of those whiskys. To say that Balvenie 12 year double wood is more smoky than bunnahabhain 12 year (which is a Islay for chirst sakes) is so wrong it's laughable. Speaking of Bunnahabhain 12 year, it's the most under rated Islay scotch on the market. For 60 bucks you can get a rich, smokey, and strong scotch with great flavor. It is a great introduction to the Islay region.

 

[lxskllr]

I have to wonder if the guy who made that chart has actually drank some of those whiskys. To say that Balvenie 12 year double wood is more smoky than bunnahabhain 12 year (which is a Islay for chirst sakes) is so wrong it's laughable. Speaking of Bunnahabhain 12 year, it's the most under rated Islay scotch on the market. For 60 bucks you can get a rich, smokey, and strong scotch with great flavor. It is a great introduction to the Islay region.

Bunnahabhain used to be the anti-Islay. You could be excused for mistaking it as being from somewhere else. I just checked their site, and I don't recognize anything they're selling, so maybe they make smokier whisky now, but it used to be fairly mild.

 

[xSauronx]

mmmm, i have some oban 14 here....so good. so so good.

 

[sourceninja]

It is mild for islay, but look at the scotch they are placing above it as you near the smoky line on that chart. It's silly. It belongs .5 to 1 block into smoky and 2 to 2.5 blocks into rich.

The bottle is cheap, I highly recommend grabbing a 12 year.

 

[lxskllr]

It is mild for islay, but look at the scotch they are placing above it as you near the smoky line on that chart. It's silly. It belongs .5 to 1 block into smoky and 2 to 2.5 blocks into rich.

The bottle is cheap, I highly recommend grabbing a 12 year.

Yea, you have a point. There's a few on there I'd disagree with, but that's going from a distant memory in some cases. I'm not sure how reliable my memory is regarding flavor.

 

[lxskllr]

For the whiskey drinkers here, what do you guys think about this with your initials?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/168998125/personalized-glass-whiskey-decanter-4-on?ref=related-0

I'm personally not a fan of decanters, and very personally, I don't like my initials on stuff. I was given a crystal whisky set years ago, and it's still in the box. Glasses I'd like, especially the thistle pattern I linked above because it's just about perfect for scotch, but not "ordinary" glasses.

 

[Scotteq]

Yea, you have a point. There's a few on there I'd disagree with, but that's going from a distant memory in some cases. I'm not sure how reliable my memory is regarding flavor.

In the interest of fair discussion, here's an alternative chart 🙂

 

[sourceninja]

That chart is more accurate and similar to where I'd rate a lot of the scotches I've had.

 

[mikeford]

Chavis Regal, when the Sht hits the fan and you just don't care about taste.